Waiting for the Dark, Waiting for the Light

Six of Swords Image source: Read Tarot

If he’s waiting for anything, he’s waiting for death, and he’s curious about what the face of death will look like. Will it be an old woman who creeps through the world with a scythe, or will it be a beautiful young girl who approaches him with open arm?

—Ivan Klima

Today’s Card

Six of Swords. Beginning to get your health back, heading toward a more positive place. Mostly just feeling hope again.

Today’s Hexagram

None.

My main computer fried tonight. (Ironic that I was helping someone else fix a similar problem earlier.) My fall back system does not have the horsepower to do much. So the next few posts will be brief. I may pretty them up later.

A Tale of Two Cities

Image Source: Learn Tarot

The Eagle's gift of freedom is not a bestowal, but a chance at a chance.

—Carlos Casteñeda

Today’s Card

The Hermit. My card. Hmmm. Seeking a greater understanding from within. Quieting oneself.

Supplemental Card

Two of Pentacles. Balancing demands. Moving forward gracefully.

Today’s Hexagram

Lu (treading carefully). To step on the tiger’s tail without getting bitten. There will be progress and success.

Since my card was the card for today, I decided to draw a supplemental. The two of pentacles is a good card. It goes well with Lu.

Rose has driven Buddy completely out of the house. He is having trouble coping with this frisky intruder, but he treats her kindly. He even almost played with her when he thought I wasn’t looking.

In My Hometown

My hometown was defined by chemical factories. I couldn’t wait to leave there

This is where I grew up. It may explain a bit about me. All the smart kids in my class could identify dozens of chemicals by smell. We knew that if you actually heard the explosion, you were OK. I once slept through a plant explosion that blew open the front door of my house.

It’s a strange place really. You can drive for hours and the scenery doesn’t change much from what is pictured. Just coastal flatlands interrupting pestilent pustules spewing steam and god-only-knows-what into the air. I remember reading by the light of the burn-off flares. I remember one time when I was in my late teens, I had a “sunburn” on the left side of my face from driving by a flare that lit up the night sky for miles. I had the windows in the car all rolled up because it was freezing, but I had to turn off the heater for awhile.

Great Expectations

Image source: Learn Tarot

Helplessly hoping

Her harlequin hovers nearby

Awaiting a word

—Stephen Stills

Today’s Card

The Queen of Pentacles. Nurturing and protective, she uses her power to help those less fortunate. A charitable advocate, she rules home and office.

Today’s Hexagram

Sheng (Pushing Upward). Advance to the south will be fortunate. Advantage will be found in a ceaseless maintenance of firm correctness. The situation is shifting, and Yang is becoming much more powerful.

Lots of tension today on the work front. I’m not there, but I can feel it from 30 miles away. The decision will be made about who gets the job that has opened up. CFE is up for it and is a little upset with me for recusing myself from the selection process. But that was the right thing to do—from the work perspective anyway.

Rose is adjusting to her new humans. She will plop down and roll over on her back to chew on me. This morning she had her first encounter with DogsNextDoor. They started barking at her, even though fully grown, they are no bigger than she is now. She took the back steps and the pet door at full speed, even as I opened the back door to see what was going on. She didn’t slow down until she was in the bedroom. She hid for all of a minute and then came out to fuss at me.

Later

Well, the offer at work was made. CFE did not get it, nor did MEd. Yang won out. I am saddened, but the choice was between winners. So there can be no losers in this, even though it may feel that way now to those who didn’t succeed. Still it feels like this morning’s queen was misleading. Perhaps I’m just looking at it wrong.

Tried out with a new (for me) singing group. I had forgotten how good it feels to breathe and harmonize. I think I’ll fit in. Beer good.

 

Foucault’s Pendulum

Up on your wall hangs your degree

Your parents craved so much for you

And though you’re trained to make your mark

You still don’t quite know what to do

—John Kay and Nick St. Nicholas

Today’s Card

The Hierophant. Security at the expense of freedom. Sometimes it means an ability to subvert and escape that authority.

Today’s Hexagram

Hsu (Waiting).No changing lines. Status quo for the immediate future. Water (danger and mystery) in the forefront with Heaven in the background.

Rose continues to make progress with Buddy. No longer afraid of being eaten herself, she turned his aloofness to her advantage. Since he doesn’t want to be where she is, she now bullies him away from his food dish after she eats her own. She is trying to become the chow hound. But he reluctantly let her sleep with him at least part of the night, and they spent some time together ignoring each other in the back yard. Siblings!

Attempt at Pictures

This is me, for what it’s worth. This picture was taken in April of 2006, just before I got my hair cut. I’m prettier now but still just as scary looking. Grrr.

The Name of the Rose

It’s too much expect, but it’s not too much to ask

—Mary Chapin Carpenter

Card for the Day

None. I seem to have misplaced my deck. Well, that’s something for tomorrow.

This is for yesterday. I have never blogged before, so this is kind of a test case. I want to see how much I can influence what is displayed.

I drove out to pick up a new puppy with CFE and had a long, rambling talk on the way. Coworker, who fosters pups for the ASPCA chapter in his community, had a new litter of pups up for adoption. (I couldn’t do that. I would have to keep them all, and where would I put them?)

Of course, Rose—Coworker named the litter after the characters of Lost—was the cutest, most special pup of the litter. Coworker might not agree since he kept a different one, but that’s his problem. Rose is acclimating well with Buddy, who is doing his best to ignore her. She has moved from the “Please don’t eat me” stage to the “I’ll cry if you don’t play” stage in only a few hours.