The Art of Making Steam

I am quite enjoying working with The Thoth. I seem to always forget how much I like it when it is in the cupboard. Many years ago, I used to pull two cards for people with it and gave some useful intuitive readings. They were my first readings with the deck as a way of getting to know it and it felt as though it had really opened up. There is something masculine and strong in it's images; I think it has always pushed buttons within me that the Rider Waite never managed.

I read that today's card, Art, depicts Diana the Huntress. I would never have guessed that her dress was severely low cut and that the blue disks beneath were her breasts (symbolising her role as a goddess of fertility), but I can see that clearly now. If you don't believe me, take a look at the Eshesian statue of Diana below. As with many cards in the tarot, there are crossovers. The lion and eagle are apparently representative of the 'tinctures' on the shields of the Empress and Emperor coming together and melding as one, but I also notice that they were present in the royal marriage of The Lovers too. Here, they have swapped colours under the gaze of Diana above them. The card emphasises the art of mixing different elements, such as fire and water together, to make something else; the steam I would guess, which rises above in all of the colours of the rainbow.

In yesterday's comments, a friend mentioned the suit of armour that the Knight of Disks wears and how all of the dramas around me are bouncing off of it at the moment. I guess that he takes it all in his stride. Away from my friendships, two members of my boyfriend's close family have become distanced from one another after an argument, so I am hoping that this card reflects a coming together again for them when we go out this evening. Today's card brings people and different opinions together to find a successful mixture. Or at least, it tries. Talking of the old Stodger (as my friend calls him), I found a watercolour of the Knight of Disks on an internet search last night. It looks as though it might have been an earlier version, painted by Lady Frieda Harris before the one we recognise now. I like it a lot and thought it was worthy of showing here on the blog today. What do you think? I love how the horses feet appear anchored into the ground by the wheat, like roots. They kind of suck all of the goodness out of the land.

My head aches today and my stomach was all over the place last night. I hate going away when I feel like this, so the worry of not feeling well over the next three days is in the back of my mind. I have used this morning to pack; something smart for the restaurant tonight, clothes for the journey, for the meal in the hotel tomorrow evening, and then my suit, which my 'mother in law' has dry cleaned for me. I've slipped in my Netbook and DuQuette for those in between moments.

With the amount of money that the next three days is going to cost, I think I should try and enjoy myself as best as I can, how ever apprehensive I am about going. I get like this sometimes. I wonder if I spend so much time here, drowning beneath my fatigue, that any visit becomes an ordeal.

For the sake of the bride and bridegroom whom I have not yet met, I hope that the weather cheers up before Saturday. It's gloomy here and has been raining. The temperature has also dropped and it has turned a bit chilly. Even though I haven't heard anything about the jobs I applied for, I did receive a revised contract from my agents this morning, which kind of implies that there is more work to be had and that they still want me on board.




Illustrations from The Thoth Tarot by Lady Frieda Harris