The Seeker of Flames: Journey to Sekhmet

Featured Deck: The Sirian Star Seed Tarot, Patricia Cori

In this beautiful deck, Patricia Cori calls what is traditionally the Court Card of the Page, the Seeker. The Seeker is that part of each of us that is awakening to our greater purpose in life. This might come after years of walking a spiritual path or it could be our first awareness of personal transformation.  Wherever we are on the path, the Seeker in us is opening up for more information and needs guidance. 

The Seeker of Flames is learning about the Tarot suit of Fire. This is passion, fiery will, and our personal power. At times in our life we can honestly say we are in good stead with our own power. We know who we are. We have owned our mistakes and made atonements as best we could. We have forgiven ourselves and others. We are passionate about what we want and who we are. We are in love with life. Other times we are lost, seekers on a dark path desperate for even a small glimmer of light to guide us. 

I invite you to become a Seeker of Flames today and embark on a journey to discover more about your personal power….set your INTENTION for this journey to be guided to a higher knowing of the transformation going on within you…take a few deep breaths…feel the place within you that is seeking, desiring guidance, power, wisdom, and awakening…breathe in and out… 

You find yourself traveling back in time…back to ancient Egypt…you are walking along the banks of the Nile…perhaps you can feel the dirt under your feet or smell the rich odors of the river…the sky above is a rich blue…take in the beauty of Egypt. You can see how the gift of the river makes the land green with date palms and crops growing out of the rich, back soil…animals come to the water to drink…perhaps a donkey or ox…there are beautiful white birds resting on the water lilies in the river…As you take in the sensory banquet, you hear someone call your name. A beautiful boat, a felucca, has pulled up next to you…it is brightly painted and has a canopy providing shade to the boat man who easily guides the felucca into the grassy area next to you…the captain reaches out and offers you a hand to come on board….you feel a wonderful sense of adventure and excitement, and you feel safe and trusting. Can you see who the boat man is? Do you recognize him or her?  Remembering your intention to be guided, you accept the steadying hand and step aboard the felucca.

You sit down on a comfortable cushion and settle in for your trip. Your able captain pushes the boat back out into the river. You can feel the current of the water move the boat along. It is very peaceful. What do you see along the banks of the river? As you are enjoying the ride, you feel a rising sense of yourself as a seeker...you have come here to seek and find guidance to help you … 

You notice ahead of you a large building is coming into view…it is shining in the Egyptian Sun…you feel a great sense of power lies within it…you sit forward on your cushion, eager to arrive for you know that surely that is your destination…yes…as you draw nearer, the temple grows larger and larger until the full magnitude of it is amazing…the captain has steered out of the main current of the Nile and is moving toward a dock at the temple.

Your boat bumps into the dock and the captain jumps out to secure it. Then he turns and offers you his hand, helping you step out of the boat and onto the dock.  Notice all you can about this moment…what are you wearing?  What do you look like? How are you feeling? There is a definite shift in your perception as you walk over to the courtyard of the temple…notice the large columns, the beautiful carvings on the temple walls, the vastness of this place.

You come to the entrance of the temple. No one else is in sight. You take a deep breath and walk into the cooler, shaded interior.  As your eyes adjust to the dimmer light, you again remember your intention for this journey. You walk deeper into the temple…how does it feel? Notice all you can about being here…

You now have come to the heart of the temple as you approach the Holy of Holies, the sanctuary of the goddess whose temple this is…you stop, remove your shoes and take a deep breath. Your skin prickles…your senses go on high alert…you are not alone after all…in the darkness you see two greenish lights and hear a rumbling sound…gathering your courage you walk forward towards the altar…and then, from the darkness the lights come closer…the rumbling grows louder…until you realize you are looking at two eyes…and hearing the breathing…of the goddess herself.

Yes…it is Sekhmet – great lion goddess of Egypt! She has heard your plea for guidance and has come to help you. She may appear to you in her lioness form, or she may appear as a woman with a lion’s head…stand in the presence of Sekhmet…feel her awesome power…look into her eyes…how do you feel being with Sekhmet? What part of you is drawn to her? What part of you fears her?

Sekhmet’s power washes over you – through you…and connects with the power within you……her very presence enters into you and goes into your heart…it is like a great explosion as your heart and her heart connect…feel Sekhmet within your heart…

As your hearts combine, her power moves through you to the very places within you that are in need of guidance…your emotions…your mind…your body…your relationships…all the places you have felt out of control, powerless, heartless are consumed in Sekhmet’s flames…

Her flames have total power…where you have felt your own power out of control, perhaps as rage or flaming ego, her flames come in and equalize you, bringing balance……..where you have you have felt fear or lacked courage her power comes in to give you strength…….where you have been abused or negated she enters in bringing a reassuring flame………You realize this is the most intense love you have ever experienced…it does not matter to her that you are imperfect…the flames of her power are flames of love and compassion…..allow this powerful love to fill you…….

As your heart expands you realize this is what you have been seeking, what you set out to find…it is your own heart you have needed to know…this is where your true power lies, this is what will take you forward in your life. Your heart entrains with Sekhmet……..let your hearts beat as one…….listen to any guidance Sekhmet has for you…….accept the wisdom she offers you……embrace the power you are feeling from her and within your own heart…….ask her any question you might have for her…….offer up to her that within you that you desire to be empowered…….Sekhmet embraces not only the beauty within you but also those dark, even shameful places…….give them to her…….let her flames purify and empower you…….

Sekhmet has a special blessing for you now…receive her blessing…….

And you have a gift of gratitude to give to her…offer her that gift now, thanking her for this time with her today……..

And now, Sekhmet begins to withdraw back behind the altar, her green eyes glowing……you find yourself once again alone in the temple but her presence remains with you in your heart, forever infused with the power of love.

Feeling this power within you, you turn and walk back through the temple.  As you reach the courtyard, you turn and look behind you knowing that even as you are leaving now, this will always be available to you…Sekhmet will always be with you.  Standing tall and fully in power, you are able to return – at will – to this temple…to your own full and unique life……

Take a few breaths, grounding yourself back into your body and your life.  Congratulations, Seeker, for you have indeed completed a quest of power.

NOTE: Dear Friends…it is nearly impossible to share in this short space the fullness of Sekhmet.  She is an incredible goddess of power, compassion, and strength. I hope this brief visit today has been a rewarding journey for you.

…..Kathryn Ravenwood  2.17.14    http://www.KathrynRavenwood.com

The Two of Swords teaches us that in our world of duality there is never just one possibility, option, or solution. Everyone sees the world from a unique viewpoint. When our way of thinking agrees with another’s we find it easy to get along and enjoy further association with them. We are able to figure it out; we relinquish conflict through willing compromise.  We work it out, don’t keep score, and enjoy one other.  We are at peace even though the flux of duality continues.

However, we all know people with whom we just can’t seem to get along. When viewpoints clash we often to try to manipulate or control the other person to conform to our way of thinking. The result is a push-back creating more conflict, a battle to be the winner, or a meek surrender leaving someone feeling belittled, a loser. Peace cannot exist in such situations. We cannot expect to agree with everyone (or them with us!). Sometimes conflicts are best walked away from, leaving a temporary peace of non-action.  And, sometimes it just isn’t safe to stick around; we opt for the peace of self-preservation. 

Today’s featured Two of Swords is called Creative Differences. The circles in front of each figure represent their unique projection into the world. Where those circles overlap is a place of intersection, a portal of entry to explore the landscape of opportunities that might exist when conflict and control are approached through creative thinking. When we enter that portal we discover that my way or your way can morph into a different way that offers peace through listening, compassion, and understanding that did not exist before the growth opportunity of duality presented itself.  When we are able to explore those portals of possibility that exist between each of us, we bring forth creative solutions; we have found peace not just in resolution, but in expressing something new that is the best of both worlds.

The Swords of the Tarot are about the mind. Conflict exists within our thoughts. Destructive duality can run rampant in our heads. Should I choose this or that? What if I had done that instead of this? “Woulda, shoulda, coulda” holds us prisoners of war in our own minds. The same portal of possibility exists within us. We can use the same compassionate listening to our own conflicting voices to find a creative difference to bring us peace of mind. If we can’t find peace of mind, how can we find peace on Earth?

Duality is ever with us. Change is the only constant. We will be given the opportunity to find creative differences as long as we live. Peace is not the absence of conflict; it is the transformation of it.

…Kathryn Ravenwood   www.KathrynRavenwood.com

Living in the present- in the now – is the place to BE. We all know this. We hear it from every wisdom source there is. Let go of the past and the blame or shame of supposed failures in our lives. Don’t worry about the future. It hasn’t happened yet and most of what we worry about doesn’t happen anyway. Yet, how often do we find ourselves really not in the present? We have slipped backward or forward into some other place of attention.

For those caught in endless rumination of dwelling on mistakes, losses, fears, or devastating events (those which have happened or we fear may yet occur) the Tarot has a card for you: the Ten of Swords. This is the one where a man lies face down in the snow with ten swords stuck in his back, his blood turning the snow red. 

Yikes. Who DID that to the poor guy?

Well, he did. The Swords are about the mind; no one lives in your head but you and those thoughts that rattle around in there endlessly are all yours. Our thoughts create our story about ourselves. Much of our story is based on actual facts-our birth, where we lived, friends, family, lovers, events. We love to tell our story and we tend to hold it as sacred memory. However, our memory can be very opinionated. It likes to embellish certain situations or conveniently forget that which we really don’t want to think about. As we habituate our thoughts, our stories, they become the hard-wired programming by which we operate and create the path we follow into the future.

It is true that some of our thought patterns were downloaded onto us while we were children or in some very vulnerable state. They might have originated from someone else’s thoughts but if let them “live” in our head we have taken ownership of them.

The Ten of Swords gives our tortured minds a gift many overlook. When this card shows up in a reading it is usually seen as one of those “oh no” kind of cards. So why is it is a gift? First, the 10’s indicate change. They are the last of the minor arcana suit cards and from there we move into the Court Cards of Mastery. Tens are ruled by the Major Arcana card of the Wheel of Fortune, the card of Change. We all know we do not optimize every opportunity that comes our way. When Change is offered we often shrink away, preferring to stay in the cozy area of the known (even if it is a miserable known) rather than take a chance on something new, allowing those habitual patterns to imbed deeper and deeper into the patterns that have become our lives.

The gift of the Ten of Swords is the opportunity to leave the old stories behind, free yourself of their repeated outcomes, and move forward on the Wheel to new opportunities and happier stories. Pick any situation or story of your life that is holding you down in the bloody snow of your mind. Look at it carefully and objectively. You will discover a repeated pattern that keeps looping through your head. If this story/pattern is causing you to be stuck from moving forward then I suggest you try rewriting it. We cannot change what has already happened but we can most certainly change how we go forward with it.  The most essential element of healing is to create a new image in your mind and hold fast to it. This is the same principal of affirmations and manifesting. We CAN change our minds and bodies, whether we want to lose weight, sell our house, find a new job, or create a beautiful work of art.

Everyday we are manifesting exactly what we are focusing on. So if what is showing up in your life is more of the same sad story with the same unhappy ending then get to work on writing a new ending to that story and create new stories to carry you forward in a more positive way. Rise up from the bloody snow of the Ten of Swords and release that cold and leaking energy to invite new ideas and thought patterns that bring happiness, success, and peace to your troubled mind.

…Kathryn Ravenwood   www.KathrynRavenwood.com

I recently shared that I had quit coffee and was invoking my Inner Page of Pentacles to help me get me back on track of better health habits. I am happy to say I am still off coffee and, after the first three days, am not really suffering (nor are my friends and co-workers!).  But the habit is there nagging at me. I noticed I have a lot of habits nagging at me. The good ones continue to help me but those bad ones…

I need a new way to approach my goals.  The old ways don’t seem to motivate me. I thought about which card might be inspiring and came up with the 3 of Pentacles. The Threes in the Deck (ruled by the Empress) are all about creativity. The Three of Pentacles is applied creativity in the physical realm. Angeles Arrien says it is about getting the mind, heart and action working together and being aware of intention, priorities, and commitments.

This card tells us that achieving our goals can be more play than work and yet still be productive. We need to love to do what we do; if for no other reason because we want that outcome! The three of Pentacles is the time when we start a new project that is going to bring long term achievement. When approaching a task or goal in the same old way isn’t working, then it is time to create a new plan; one that inspires and motivates us to get started and stay with it. Remember, Pentacles are long term. We don’t have to accomplish everything overnight!

The picture above shows a ballerina in the spotlight receiving accolades. She is the star, the ultimate in her art form. It probably didn’t start out that way. She might have hated going to class and had to be prodded to practice. But after awhile, she found she liked it, was good at it, and applied herself to become the Prima Ballerina. She became what she envisioned and worked for. Now she shares her accomplishments with others who appreciate her gifts and talents.

If you feel stuck, unmotivated or just plain bored with your routine, call on the 3 of Pentacles to help you re-draft your plans in a more fun and creative way. What the heck – the old way isn’t working… might as well try something new!

And, you might just find that you put yourself in your own spotlight, feeling self-assured and confident in your accomplishments.

…Kathryn Ravenwood  5.20.15   www.KathrynRavenwood.com

Here comes the Knight of Swords galloping in at full speed to let you know his opinion. He claims to know what is true about any situation, the world in general and even you! He is not shy; he is articulate and comes packing with words, words, words. He might even be right. After all he is a Knight on a Quest for The Truth. He is constantly searching and exploring for those cosmic clues that will satisfy his incredibly agile mind.

Although this Knight might be annoying and a bit of a know-it-all, I have to admit he is a favorite of mine. I love the quick thinking, the articulation, the originality of thought – even if he doesn’t have all the facts together yet. He gets those flashes of understanding – the AHA! moments when everything coalesces in that brilliant mind and he sees the truth. Then if he was wrong, he will make a sharp veer in his course and set out on the new path. He is constantly seeking to satisfy the insatiable drive to know, to understand, to speak or write and share his discoveries. He might be a brilliant songwriter and poet or that politician with the tongue of gold and iffy ethics. But he will never be boring.

How can the Knight of Swords help you with your quest for truth? Maybe he can energize you to explore new pursuits, write the next chapter, break through the barriers of your own thinking. This Knight is a rebel and detests limits. The truth is always out there and it is always more than we know. If anyone can honestly say they know the full truth of who they are, then I say it is high time they took off with the Knight of Swords and had an awakening!

Go for it. Get on the great horse of your own mind and ride off in directions never before explored. Share your tales of mental adventures and in that speaking or writing you just might discover a whole new level of truth. After all, each of us is connected to that unlimited, vast universal source of energy. Before we manifest what we want we have to think it, see it in our mind, and be the champion of our quest.

…Kathryn Ravenwood   www.kathrynravenwood.com

The Hermit – from the Cosmic Tribe Tarot, Stevee Postman/Eric Ganther

The Hermit, #9 in the Tarot, guides us as we take the journey inward. We, as the Fool of the Tarot,  have achieved a deeper level of self-understanding and are about to journey outward on a turn on the Wheel of Fortune (card #10).  But first, we stop and go within, shining the light of wisdom for our own enlightenment. Each of us must evaluate and understand our own essence, our own self, contemplating the passage of our own life so far.

The Hermit explores the underworld of her own nature. She is accompanied by Cerberus, the three-headed dog who guards the entrance.  As Eric Ganther wrote, “two of her heads look forward, keeping distracting thoughts of the future at bay, a third looks behind to keep ghosts from past situations from interfering.”  Discovering the truth of who we are requires us to be focused and present. We all need time out to discover the wisdom that awaits us beyond the walls of daily routine, mindlessness, disruptions, and pre-conceived reality. But within those walls is a dark doorway – the doorway the Hermit must walk through.

The Hermit carries a light in one hand indicating others might follow close behind, but the real light shines within. This is perhaps my favorite Hermit card of all the decks. While standing in the dark, unable to see very far beyond the small lantern, the Hermit is illuminated with all of life within her. It reminds us that we are the center of life, we are the embodiment of the Divine, we are each a beautiful landscape giving hope, light, and solace to those who still seek their way in the darkness. Truth does not lie in the superficial realms. It is not an easy prize.  It is not “microwave enlightenment.” Truth is a process that takes our whole lifetime. There is always something else to discover, another season to explore in the landscape of our private existence.

If you are feeling the Hermit in you being called to explore the underworld of your darker realms, take some time out.  Go to your favorite place and spend time alone, just be-ing with yourself. Make time and space for Spirit to reach you. Ask and listen. Dim the lights, turn off the electronics, soak in a soothing bath, take a long walk, spend time with your altars. Enjoy some solitude. (When was the last time you really did that?) There is nothing so dark inside us that the beautiful nature of who we really are cannot shine through and illuminate.

Kathryn Ravenwood – July 14, 2015 (www.kathrynravenwood.com)