ADEPT LEVEL; 21 Ways . . . Step FIVE

Jewel

squeakmo9 said:
What an excellent easy-going flow you brought to this step, Jewel, wonderful! You really made that circle-in-the-square game look effortless, lol!
p.s.
great to have the sonic twins back:D
Well ya know, when you spend 3 months pondering something .... I am just relieved I am done with this step and dreading having to look over it again when I hit Step 7 next week *LOL*. I have to say, this step really threw me for a loop and a half. And since you had made it work for a baba deck, I knew I could not let this go ~chuckles~. But I still stand by what I said in my earlier posts, baba decks were not designed for this type of numerical scruitny.

Coyoteblack and I are happy to be back too! :D We love this study group! Seems like my slacker tendencies have rubbed off on him *LOL*. But we are BACK! Nothing a good ole fashion "sonic boom" cannot take care of *LOL*

Verdi, excellent work! Don't change a thing!
 

dadsnook2000

Verdi

Quite an undertaking. A lot of work. We all have journals, just full of stuff. I've started to move mine over to an electronic journal. The good thing about that is that when I find something I want to have in my journal, I just click/copy and then paste/edit and its done. No rewriting, no copy and glue onto pages, etc.

In any case, the work you have put into this study project will pay off for you and those you help down the road. Glad to have you with us. Dave
 

Verdi

Dave

I have it all on the pc. But i have a paper copy, in a plastic folder, with space to write new things down by hand. In that way I can take it around with me and jott down thing straight away. After a while i rewite a side that is filled up on pc and reinsert it in journal. This way i get best of both worlds i think.
Andrew :)
 

Chela

adept level 5

using the Druidcraft tarot and Songs for the Journey Home

5:2 integration of cards
3P, 3W, 3C, 3S, Hanged Man, World, Empress

3W: integration of effort, time, energy that has been put in to the goal now brings results.
3C: integration of joyful feelings come together in a celebration - happy and carefree.
3S: integration of thoughts and feelings has brought about despair. A wrong decision made and regret. A need to get thinking and feeling in accord. Forget, put aside, and move on.
3P: integration of skill, time, effort brings about desired results. Prior planning and practice pay off.
Empress: integrating imagination and inspiration to nurture a new creation and give it life.
World: integration of all that has gone before. Successful, happy conclusion.

5:3

I wrote a keyword and a description of each card. but to compare, will list the keywords side-by-side.

Swords and Cups and Wands and Pentacles

01. boom - fullness - birth - new life
02. tension - partner - broader view - undecided
03. result - result - result - working
04. inaction - unaware - security - security
05. turning point - turning point - disruption - change focus
06. move on - move on - success - cooperation
07. courage - wait - courage - wait
08. fear - unhappy - mastery - mastery
09. fear - satisfaction - guarded - satisfaction
10. unhappy completion - joyful completion - complete - complete
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5.4

Story about the Swords number sequence

Gonggggggg! A loud bonging noise split the air as it echoed off the walls and through the streets. Someone was sounding the alarm. Be alert, be watchful. Something is wrong. Everyone immediately shut their doors and closed the curtains and stayed quietly inside and waited. Then came the thundering sound of horses running at full speed, wildly down the streets and sidewalks and trampling the yards and gardens. Where there was no fence to deter them, they even stampeded up close to the houses. And then whoosh! they were gone as suddenly as they arrived. Everyone came out to survey the damage. So sad, so heartbreaking, to see everything destroyed and tossed around. The townsfolk came together in the meeting hall to form a plan for repairs. Some people wanted to take over and tell everyone else what to to because they thought they had the best ideas. They wanted to make sweeping changes in the town. But all the other townspeople rallied against these few and sent them out of town to go and stir up trouble elsewhere. They were gone and good riddance, and beware to the next village down river! After a restless night, the people met again the next day and began to work together to set everything to rights again.

(I have always focused on the 6S lady and child in the boat as people who were fleeing trouble - but in this story, it just happened differently!)

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Story about the Cups number sequence

I was walking through the park last week and stopped to watch the central fountain bubbling and splashing. Suddenly the water pressure changed and a huge spray jetted up high and then surged over the edge of the fountain. I got splashed, but only a little. The person standing next to me got splashed too, and we smiled at each other and chuckled. A conversation ensued and we walked over to the nearby coffee shop. As we enjoyed our coffee, we discovered that we had a lot of common interests and were both just beginning a web site project. He needed some help with design, I needed some help with programming, so we decided to work together. We then went our separate ways and spent time alone, dreaming and inventing the new web site. Next time we met, we shared ideas, but found that not all were well-received by the other person. I was disappointed and so was he, but we persevered with the points we could agree on and continued. By talking together then, the project began to take shape as we shared the best of what we could do. So many choices! Colors, layout, functionality.... the discussion went on. One point we could not agree on was whether to include a blog. He got up and stormed out. But I continued to plan and develop and eventually we finished the project and everyone was well pleased.

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Story about the Wands number sequence.

A new life or a new idea is born! A creation! Wow, now that I have an idea, I will take the idea and expand upon it and find even more ways to make it a great idea! I will set it all down in writing and make a plan and present it to the others. They have some comments to make and suggestions. I suppose it could be improved, so I consider all they have said the revise the plan. Now everyone loves it! Now to put it into action. I must be brave and step on out there to take a chance on whether it will really work. Yes! I can do it! It works perfectly and now people come to me for ideas. Uh-oh, they also want to steal my ideas - I must apply for patents and trademarks right away. My idea has brought me success and financial rewards, but now I bear the burden of keeping it going, of managing the money and all aspects of the project.

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Story about the Pentacles number sequence

A baby is born and nurtured at my breast, it is a joyful time. But resources run low and I must decide whether to seek a paying job or stay home and do without many things. I enter the workforce again - into the maze of interviews and forms and offices and rules and expectations. I am glad for the income and to know my family has the money needed for food and shelter and clothes. Then, oh, dear, my job is lost due to the economic crisis and I am out again, seeking work or financial assistance. I meet a team of women who are helping each other and join forces with them to grow food, and create craft items and art objects to sell. We wait while crops ripen and our retail space is set up. Hooray! Everyone has worked hard and there are a lot of items for sale in our store. Lots of shoppers come and buy things. I have great satisfaction in knowing that I worked for this and helped bring it into being and have enough money now to sustain my families.

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I have never really written stories, but these flowed pretty easily as I held the progression of the suits in my head. I waivered in the images from different decks, but it was the overall energy of the number sequence that was the important part of the exercise, I think.
 

dadsnook2000

For Chela

Chela, welcome to the group. I noticed that you recently joined AT and immediately found us. The Druidcraft Tarot is quite popular since its recent introduction. I've carved one of the Princess cards in wood for mounting on a tarot card book box.

I've also noticed that you have an extensive collection of tarot decks, so that suggests you are not necessarily a novice. While I would caution most new joiners and new-to-tarot enthusiasts to start with the apprentice level, it is acceptable to jump in here at the adept level. As you see in the posts for the adept level, we tend to pour ourselves into each step. Some are easier than others, but all tend to stretch our abilities up to the point we do that step.

I hope you can get as much out of this as we do and find personal value in this work. We'll follow your work and offer support as we go along. Again, welcome. Dave
 

Jewel

Chela, I would like to second Dadsnook's welcome to the group and to Aeclectic. Glad you found us :)

From your note to self I garther that you have been working through 21 Ways and found this study group and are jumping in at the point you are. I think you will find this group very supportive and interested in what you share. These guys have really motivated me to stretch my abilities, this step was a perfect example it took me 3 months to figure out how to make it work with my deck, but the group gave me the inspiration and push I needed to make it work for me.

I am also a big fan of the Druid Craft. I look forward to getting to know you better through our work here. Again, welcome to the 21 Ways study group.
 

Chela

thanks for the welcome

Hi Jewel and Dave, thank you for the kind words. I had actually listed a lot of my decks during registration for the forum, but mine was one that got lost when the server crashed, and I just couldn't bring myself to type that all again! I've been studying and collecting tarot for 10 years now.

Yes, I had already started working through the book last fall, but you know how it is when other things distract you... Anyway, I thought if I jumped right in and started entering my notes here, I would be more encouraged to continue to work through the exercises. And I know that Rachelcat will be helping me, too.

Chela
 

Jewel

I do think you will find the motivation to continue here in the study group. We have all really bonded on some level through this experience because it does get personal. One of the great things here is that one is judgemental they just help you continue to work in the vein of your chosen card, and help you think things through further at times and see things you had not noticed. A very enriching experience overall. I really hope you enjoy it.

Also, if you are confused about a step, just say so and we will chime in with our approach to the exercise to help you figure out how it might best work for you.

I started this journey (with the apprentice steps) back in April of 2007 ... so yeah I know all about life interfering and stalling us every now and then.
 

rachelcat

Here is my step 5. I hope to do step 6 this evening! Let me know what you think!

5:1 The Emperor is number 4 of the majors. 4 means stability and squareness (as in traditional, not hip!) and morality (right angles and four-square!).

5:2

1. 3s = Integration (Robin Wood)
3 Wands—Integrating his desires with reality
3 Cups—Integrating community
3 Swords—Integrate loss into your life. Give it meaning.
3 Coins—Integrating ideas and energy with physical objects, like wands
Empress—Integrating effort into raw materials
Hanged Man—Integrating silence, stillness into life
World—Integrating 4 elements, integrating spirit into matter

2. 2s = Choice (Thoth)
2 Wands—Choice how to direct energy
2 Cups—Choose self or other, self or relationship
2 Swords—Decision, choose peace or war
2 Coins—Choose an element
Priestess—Choose to enter, choose to be open to spirit
Adjustment—Don’t’ choose! Stay balanced!
Aeon—Choose new life like baptism

3. 2s = Balance (Thoth)
2 Wands—Balance of power, escalation
2 Cups—Balanced emotions, equal relationships
2 Swords—Balance of thoughts, decision, pros and cons equal
2 Coins—Balance of stuff, balanced diet, budget
Priestess—Between pillars, holds of veil
Adjustment—Balance!
Aeon—Balance of old and new

5:3 I got a bit excessive and made a table of my number keywords and symbols on the cards. This will probably do for most of step 6, too. My number keywords are mostly based on the sephiroth (with some variation), and I have associated court ranks with numbers: Knights with 2; queens with 3; princes with 6; and princesses with 10.

I have done number + suit exercises throughout my tarot studying career, and always come up with something a little different each time I do it! So this is the latest. I haven’t done it with the majors before, though. I think I have learned something there! So, if you are interested, take a look at the attached table.

5:4 Sequences

Doing these with non-scenic minors was a bit of a challenge. So I went back into fairytale mode. They mostly turned out to be journeys to reclaim the perfection of the Ace.

Wands

Once upon a time, there was a great log. A master craftsman decided to make it into an amazing torch (Ace). The amazing torch burned so hot that the craftsman was able to forge 2 ceremonial knives in the heat. As it cooled, he was able to make 3 glass flowers. As it cooled to a campfire, magical doves and rams came to grant him magical powers (4). With his magical powers, he made 4 magic wands and mighty caduceus (5). Then, just for balance, he made another caduceus for a total of 2 flower wands, 2 ibis wands, and 2 caduceus (6).

Along came an evil magician who threw his own powerful wand, in the form of a rough cudgel, over the beautiful wands to steal their power (7). There was a great explosion followed by a rainbow (8). When the smoke cleared, the wands had been transformed into mystical moon arrows and the cudgel into a pole joining the sun and the moon (9)! But, alas, it was just an illusion. As the craftsman began to climb to the sun, the evil magician clapped his hands, and the wands turned into sharp sticks, and the craftsman was imprisoned behind bars bearing a cruel resemblance to the ceremonial knives he made before he had his magical powers.

Cups

Once upon a time, a sculptor dreamed of a beautiful holy cup in the sky. It received white light from heaven and reflected all the colors of the rainbow all around it. She seemed to remember a lotus blossom was involved somewhere.

When she awoke, she vowed to sculpt the perfect fountain to recall the beauty of her dream. First, she made a fountain with 2 cups, 2 lotuses, and 2 dolphins, resting on the surface of the water. She realized there were no animals in the dream, so she tried again. More lotuses and one more cup might do it (3), but no.

Next, she got the shape of the cups right, but they began sinking into the sea (4)! She got completely discouraged, gave up on the good cup design, and her lotuses almost died (5). Maybe the cups should angle a little like the waves of light? With one lotus per cup (6)? It seemed like nature was against her. First, the water became vilely contaminated with algae (7), then there was a drought so she hardly had any water at all (8).

Then she figured it out! The fountain had to be in the sky, not on the surface of the water! She quickly arranged a square of amethyst cups with their lotuses in the sky, and the water flowed with great force (9)! She then made a final adjustment—the lotus should also be ethereal, not earthly! Returning to the proper cup shape, she arranged 10 cups over a stylized lotus, and the water flowed, and thus her vision was fulfilled.

Swords

(I hope the religious content of this story does not offend. It just turned out this way!)

Once upon a time, a great swordsman pointed his sword to the sky, and the light shone on it like a crown. The court magician explained that if he could pierce a flower with his sword without harming the flower, the crown would be his! The magician showed him a picture in an ancient manuscript of a blue flower pierced by 2 swords.

The swordsman immediately went out and stabbed the first flower he saw, obviously destroying it (3). He realized it would be more difficult than the thought! He thought maybe it would work with a very large flower. So he laid one on the ground and laid 4 sword points on it, but when he drove the points in, the petals scattered into the shape of an inverted star (5). Not a good omen.

He sought the advice of a priest, who said the rose is a symbol for the heart. Christ’s heart was wounded to save us (6). The swordsman gave up his quest, wanting to have nothing to do with religion. He went on to be a mercenary. He was captured, and when in prison (8), he had a vision of blood (9). He realized the flower he had to pierce was his own heart. So he broke his swords (10), renounced violence, and submitted his will to God, and he gained the crown of salvation.

Coins

Once upon a time, there was a King of Snakes who found 2 wishing coins. First, he wished for “big money,” so he got a dollar bill that covered an acre (1)! Then he wished for a big diamond, but it was so big, no one could move it or chip pieces off of it (3). So he wished for a castle to put it in (4) and a machine to drag it to the castle (5), but nothing worked.

Then a la King Midas, he wished everything he touched would turn into coins (6). He then realized he needed plants to eat, so he wished for plants (7). Then he had to wish for live plants (8). Then he got greedy again and wished for 3 times MORE coins (9) than he already had. Last, he wished for as many coins as his castle would hold, and he was buried and crushed beneath them.
 

Attachments

  • Step 5 Number Keywords and Keyword Symbols.pdf
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Jewel

~takes off hat and bows to Rachelcat~ That was wonderful!!!! All of it!!!!!! (and I printed your chart :D). I am most jealous of your skill with numbers! Love your suit stories. Just reading your post makes me want to run home and pull out my large Thoth!