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Aces symbolize beginnings, the start of something new and the seed of new growth.  Pentacles are associated with the material world, acquisitions of wealth and possessions, our connection to Earth and Nature, sensation, matters pertaining to the physical plane and the element of earth.  Pentacles can also be connected with practicality, groundedness and being realistic.  

"You are planting seeds for a new home, job, career, or form of security.  You may be getting a new sense of how to work with money , and finances.  You may be getting some urges to begin a new physical regime or a new direction in your health." - Gail Fairfield

Dante LWB:  "The Celestial Pilot.  Change of environment.  Modernization of space and ideas."

When I drew this card the first thing that popped into my head is "new income" and "manifesting new things in my life".  In the words of the Laverne & Shirley theme song, I'd be "making my dreams comes true".  The Ace of Pentacles is often about new opportunities to make money, improve one's wealth and prosperity or to manifest new things in one's life.  It may also symbolize a new time for practicality and being realistic.  Sometimes when we want to manifest our dreams into reality we don't have a realistic viewpoint about what is achievable.  The reality is that there are some things in life that are beyond our control or our ability to make true.  And I an accept that, even while it frustrates me.

I  love the image on the Dante Ace of Clouds.  That figure standing on the prow of the boat seems to be actively seeking his future and is prepared to chart his course in the direction he wants it to go.  He is prepared and capable of creating his future; manifesting his desired reality.  The image reminds me a bit of the famous scene from Titanic with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet standing on the prow (or is it bow) of the ship.  They give the viewer the sense that the future is theirs to create and a lifetime of potential and possibilities lie ahead.  The Ace of Pentacles is a symbol of hope, potential and limitless possibilities just waiting to be manifested in our lives.

Perhaps it is also a reminder that it might be a good idea to establish a new connection or renew my commitment to healing my physical self.  I have been working on developing a healthier, more sensible eating plan.  I was doing good for several weeks but I've been back-sliding a bit lately.  I think it's time to refresh my brain cells on why this change is important and beneficial to me.  I realize that it's like anything else - I need to occasionally sharpen the saw so that it's fresh and easily accessible.

So this card offers a new opportunity to start anew; to refresh some things that I've lost contact with and to manifest these blessings and concepts in my life.  It's about being sensible and grounded - not losing myself in a cloud of optimistic daydreams.  It's good to be hopeful and have faith but it's also important to maintain touch with reality.

Kings are associated with control, mastery, discipline and resolve.  Cups represent emotions, love, pleasures in life; matters pertaining to the unconscious, intuition and the inner planes, and the element of water.  The King of Cups is both a romantic, loving person who does not let his emotions lead him down the wrong path.  He has enough life experience to know that while he desires love and pleasure in life sometimes that can lead to unhealthy choices.  

"An emotion has run its course and is no longer operative in your life.  This could mean that a relationship is ending.  This old pattern has become a habit that is no longer meaningful or satisfying.  Nothing can be done now to retain or reclaim the vigor of the original feelings.  You need to make some real or symbolic gesture that shows you're reached a point of closure or completion around this feeling or relationship.  You may need to fully experience your grief and mourn its passing." - Gail Fairfield.

Looking at these two cards I see two very different images.  The Fenestra King of Cups looks rather elf-life, almost androgynous.  And yet he stills conveys a sense of strength and mastery.  He is holding the cup and calmly stands there while a wave appears to be cresting next to him; ready to wash him away if he's not careful. The King of Light in the Dante Tarot is an abstract image.  I almost get the sense of one's soul being prostrate before the divine power present in the light hovering overhead.  Eyes seem to peer out from the midst of the abstract light as though observing the figure beneath, ready to assess the soul within.  Again, despite not having a familiar human form, this card is able to convey a sense of power and mastery.

In the Dante LWB the King of Lights is described as "The Everlasting Light.  Old man.  Just, feared, and respected professional."  That certainly fits the sense I get from this card - as thought that light is a stern but fair mentor judging our progress.  I get the sense this light can see through our physical body, through the facade we present to the world and see directly to the soul within.  Although the light looks intimidating, I get the sense that its goal is not punishment but correction and guidance.  It is seeking out the flaws and weaknesses within the soul beneath so that it can offer guidance and ways to heal those weaknesses and erase those flaws.

So am I the judge or the one being judged?  It's never really that simple is it?  In reality, each time we judge someone else without compassion or understanding (certainly traits I would attribute to the suit of Cups), we are saying more about ourselves than we are about that person.  I have sometimes seen the King of Cups described as the counselor or psychologist card.  It represents a figure who is able to control or master his or her own emotions and as a result can now offer to guide others along this same path.  That doesn't mean the King of Cups doesn't feel, indeed I get the sense he feels deeply, but that he does not lose himself within those emotions.  He does not allow them to subsume him and wash him away.  It is possible that he has gone through this experience in the past and has learned techniques to prevent it from  happening again.

In the past, I have been very vocal about my avoidance of and aversion to the suit of Cups.  In fact a running joke during one past Readers Studio was that I had a "yuck" reaction each time a Cups card appeared for me (which of course meant they appeared with frightening frequency).  Since that time I have come to appreciate and value Cups energy in my life.  My avoidance was due to the fact that in my past experience, emotions, intuition and other Cups energies were used to manipulate and control.  In a relationship, they were used to earn points and dominate.  I found this stifling and infuriating.  Nothing could have been better designed to trigger my aversion reaction.  

As I grow older and (hopefully) mature, I'm realizing that this type of behavior is unhealthy and actually an expression of negative Cups energy (or maybe that's a negative expression of Cups energy).  I've been blessed to make a number of friends over the years who have manifested a positive Cups energy in my life.  They have shown me the strength in water and the blessings of emotional ties.  They have helped me learn that it can enrich and enhance your life and doesn't have to be perverted for personal power.

So maybe one of my tasks today is to manifest this wonderful, positive and powerful energies for those in my life.  How can I be a King of Cups to my friends, loved ones and community today?  I'm not sure yet but we'll see how it goes.

Kings are associated with control, mastery, discipline and resolve.  Pentacles are associated with the material world, acquisitions of wealth and possessions, our connection to Earth and Nature, sensation, matters pertaining to the physical plane and the element of earth.  Pentacles can also be connected with practicality, groundedness and being realistic.  The King of Pentacles represents someone solid, reliable, mature and comfortable with his physical nature.  He may also be very materially comfortable.  This is a person who is comfortable with his authority and able to use it with common sense and practicality.  This card is someone who is at home with his material world and comfortable with the sensuous, physical side of human nature.  He is a master of all he surveys and understand how to work with his environment.  

"This shows an end to a physical, material, or financial patterns in your life.  There is no point in re-committing resources, physical energy, or money to this project.  It is important to recognize that your investment in this security pattern has run its course.  It is time to take some action to end the old pattern, and withdraw from your involvement in that direction." - Gail Fairfield

In the Blake LWB, Ed Buryn writes "In the creative process:  Test and refine your ideas or product to see if it works as planned; be practical yet innovative."

Looking at this card I got the sense that I have the potential to become the master of my financial fate and manifest the kind of prosperity and abundance I need in my life.  I have the ability to paint my own reality and have it be as colorful and brilliant as I desire.  However I still have some obstacles to overcome.  The positives about this situation are that I now realize that I don't need to "have it all" to be happy and that I actually don't need as much stuff to be happy as I used to believe.  I also know that I don't have to have just one job, I can try a few different careers that allow me more freedom and flexibility.  There is also a reminder that I need to reallocate resources in a way that is more likely to manifest the future I want and generate the ending I need.  I need to incorporate a practical and yet innovative approach to my future and how I want to generate income.

On both these cards I love the sense have the ability to create their own reality.  The Hudes King of Pentacles stands before a map of the world - he can go anywhere he chooses.  The Man of Painting is able to bare himself, expose his inner, true self and still feel in control and confident about what he will create by doing this.  Both are wonderful examples of the quiet, self-confidence the King of Pentacles possesses that allows him to manifest his dreams and desires into reality.

I know that with my degrees and experience, if I put the time and effort into searching for a more traditional job I could probably find one in a few months.  It might not be a perfect fit but it would probably be something I am quite capable of doing and wouldn't bore me.  However I think part of what this card is reminding me is that I want to be the king of my own domain; the master of my own money.  I don't want to depend on anyone else, be at someone else's whims anymore.  I want to be able to stand or fall on my own.

That doesn't mean I have to do it alone, it simple means that I will need to become more independent and decisive about things.  To paraphrase Harry Truman, "the buck stops here".  Whether I am successful or not will be more directly dependent upon my own actions.  Too often in the past, I've been able to minimize the consequences of my goofing off because I was willing to put in the extra time and effort necessary to make sure I eventually corrected the situation.  If I am my own boss, then the goofing off will have to become much less prevalent.  Who knows, I may learn that by working for myself I have a fool for a boss but I'm very determined and curious to find out if that's the case.

When I first saw this card, I heard the lyric "Just walk away Renee" playing in my head.  It occurred to me that the 8 of Cups shares a similar energy with the 4 of Cups in terms of feeling emotionally dissatisfied and unhappy with what is being offered to us.  In the 8 of Cups we have now decided to prioritize things in our lives and walk away from that which is no longer emotionally satisfying and bringing us happiness rather than disappointment.  This is a more active and assertive image.  Instead of just crossing our arms and ignoring the offering, we leave it behind us.  We have assessed and measured, organized and balanced our needs against those of others in our lives and now we have established new goals and plans for our emotional fulfillment.  There is pain in walking away because it always hurts to leave behind people, places and things that we love.  However we will always be able to hold them in our heart and our memories.  If we want to continue exploring our potential and pursuing our dreams then we need to take this step and move forward.  Otherwise we risk stagnating and living only in our memories and dreams rather than achieving them.

On a spiritual level this card reminds us that no matter how dark and hopeless things may seem, if we accept the truth and allow ourselves to face reality, we can free ourselves from whatever is holding us back.  But that may also mean dropping things that we love in our lives.  There may come a point where we need to leave behind these things, no matter how difficult it might be, in order to attain enlightenment and spiritual transformation.  Much like the man trying to climb free, our spirit tries to work its way towards reconnecting with the divine energy in life.  Lightning helps us see how this can be accomplished.  It might not be easy, but if we are determined it can be achieved.  It is an opportunity for a spiritual breakthrough, if we are willing to take the risk.

Ah, the "wish card"; when I drew this card this morning I could hear Elvis' voice singing a line from Love Me Tender "all my dreams fulfill".  I smiled just thinking about it.  This card just gives me a sense of emotional fulfillment and integration.  The joy is part of the everyday and everything just becomes more special and meaningful.

The Dante LWB offers this meaning "The fixed stars:  Happy union; harmony within the family, between friends, or within companies."  Looking at this image, the figure hovering in the air above the constellations reminds me of some cosmic conductor.  I get the sense that happiness and harmony is in the stars today.

I think that drawing this card created a self-fulfilling prophecy in my mind today.  I expected to be happy and special and it was.  It wasn't over the top or amazing, just a simple, joyful and fun day with friends.  We drove to a workshop being offered by Rachel Pollack so we got to spend time with each other and see Rachel.  All in all, quite a fun day.

Whether I primed myself to look for the happy, joyful and emotionally fulfilling today or whether it would have been a wonderful day even if I didn't draw this card, I can't be sure.  Either way it was a fun day and the card just helped to highlight that.

In the Dante Tarot this card is renamed Virtue and it's meaning is given as "Breakdown of convictions.  Sudden departure.  Family problems."  I guess Dante had a different view or definition of virtue than I do.  Or perhaps it's just that I don't understand some of the subtleties to its definition that are no longer in use.  Something about its imagery brings to mind false virtue or those who pretend to be virtuous to the outside world but inside are corrupt and venial.  The Fenestra Tower card shows a more traditional image of figure falling from a shattered tower that has been struck by lightning.

I have often found in my experience of The Tower that I do often appreciate and value the results but I am unsettled by the flash of lightning and the destruction.  Of course in my life I have also come to realize that unless I am forced to do so, I rarely make those kind of life changes voluntarily.  Do any of us?  I avoid dramatic changes in my life.  I tend to be a fairly fixed person who prefers stability.  I think this is because as a child I went through quite a bit of upheaval and it wasn't fun.

Of course this card is reversed so I'm taking this to mean that the traumatic and dramatic flash of insight is not going to occur today.  Perhaps it is reflecting the inner shift that I've been slowly experiencing which hit full-tilt a few days ago.  Now that I'm not quite so shaky and unsure about things, seeing this card allows me to review the aftermath with a clear heart and mind.  Sometimes even the most positive and ultimately beneficial changes can be frightening and shattering.  When the life-long perceptions we've held about ourselves are swept away, the new ground being revealed may seem bare at first but carries an almost frightening amount of potential for growth.  Once the ground has been clear and the debris removed, now what?  The possibilities may be endless and over-powering.  In some ways it's like having a clean slate - what future do I want to create for myself?  This is not something easily answered without a lot of thought going into it.  At the same time I do not want to get caught up in the planning/over-intellectualizing loop that has characterized these types of situations in the past.  I have to move forward and trust that everything will turn out the way it should and in the way that's best for me.

The Dante Tarot 9 of Flames show several blue devils who seem to be bent on torturing and taunting souls and each other.  Two devils are engaged in a struggle in which one is pulling the other's tongue.  There is something both comic and somewhat scary about the cards.  If this is what the devils do to each other what can they do to our souls?  At the same time I can't help but chuckle at their antics.  They look so silly that it's almost impossible to truly fear them.  The meaning offered in the LWB is "Malebranche (Evil Claws):  Risque secrets, illicit trafficking, abuse & corruption."  Looking at these blue devils, I am struck by the realization that they are not as bad as I feared.  The fear of their powers gives them even more power.  And ultimately that is one of the key elements of this card.  And I found this tidbit about the Malebranche online "the devils of the fifth ditch who bring to hell and torment the shades of corrupt political officials and employees".  Oh how I wouldn't enjoy watching that particular torment.

The Fenestra Tarot image is similar to the traditional RWS imagery.  It brings to mind nightmares, inner demons and other nighttime nasties.  Of course we often find that there fears that torment us turn out to be only wisps and illusions once we face them head-on.  Having drawn this card reversed today, I think that is what it's trying to tell me - I can put those inner demons and self-doubts to rest and move forward; it's all in the past now.

Yesterday I made a decision to pursue potential opportunities to teach at local communities colleges.  This will allow me to actually put my two Masters degrees to good use, generate some income and still pursue establishing my Tarot business.  This is something I've held off for as long as possible because I have doubted myself.  Those inner critics can be quite vicious and effective at undermining one's self-confidence.  But I think I have finally vanquished them and mow I can proceed forward in triumph and glory!  Oh okay - I can proceed forward with only a minimal amount of fear and knee-quaking.

The first thought that popped into my head when I saw the Hudes 4 of Cups is the song Gethsame from Jesus Christ Superstar "take this cup away from me."  I can certainly sympathize with that feeling.  Right now I am finishing up my tenure as president of a professional organizational and I'm tired of it.  I can't wait for my term to finish because lately it has become less enjoyable and more toxic.  The negative emotions that flow beneath each meeting are wearing me down.  And I don't like it.

The Blake 4 of Music offers "a sense of relaxation, play and shared feelings in this card for the bard entertaining his peers while the children do the same in their own way.  This card can represent reflective nostalgia or "remembrance of things past".  In the creative process this is when you relax into playfulness, whimsically experiment with improvisation or reminiscence about past experiences."

This card represents happy times and joyful memories.  It almost easy to imagine the two children represent a memory of the bard's or are the actualization of one of his songs.  This card shows both the joy and emotional satisfaction we feel when we are sharing our gifts with like-minded people and our memories of similar times in our childhood.  This is a very different sense that the one I get in the Hudes 4 of Cups.

What I think both cards share is a sense of choice.  I can choose to accept the cup or not.  I can chose to play my own music and sing to my own song.  I don't have to dance to anyone else's tune if I chose not to do so.  Of course knowing this in my mind and feeling it in my  heart are two different things.  So perhaps what I need to focus on is trusting my heart to guide me in the right direction.  I want to be more comfortable trusting my instincts and not over-intellectualizing everything.  This is an internal process that only I can do.  Just as no one can force me to dance to their tune, no one can force me to dance to my own either.