Seeing the Signs

It is my birthday today!  On my birthday, I have several rituals I perform.  One, I bake myself a cake.  This year it’s a yellow cake with a cocoa fudge frosting.  I also cook myself a special meal.  Even if I go out, I like to cook myself something special to eat.  I am going to roast a chicken later on, stuffed with lemons and rosemary and garlic.  I have fresh asparagus for a side, and I am going to make a rice pilaf.

One thing I always do is check my numbers for the upcoming year.  This is a combination of numerology and tarot.  I started doing this when I read Tarot for Yourself: A Workbook for Personal Transformation, by Mary K. Greer.  Greer herself credits Angeles Arrien’s The Tarot Handbook for the ideas she sets forth in the chapter about life numbers, personality numbers, and soul numbers, and either book is a good guide when learning how to figure out your numbers and using the tarot for deeper analysis.

It is easy to figure out your numbers.  Take the year, the month and the day of your birth and add them together.  In my case, that’s 1960 + 5 + 19 = 1984.  Then add 1 + 9 + 8  + 4 = 22/4.  In most cases, you’ll get one number, but if you get two numbers, the first (larger) number is your personality number and the second number is your soul number.  Both Greer and Angeles go into this much more deeply than I am able to here and I highly recommend both books.

My personality number is 4 and my soul number is 22/0.  In Tarot terms, that is The Emperor and the Fool.  If those two seem to be at cross-purposes, at times I confuse myself!  My Fool self wants to play and laugh and party, but my Emperor self says to work.  My Emperor self is a hard-ass!  I try to placate the two of them by working hard every morning and playing in the afternoon.

This year, I am on the path of 3, which in Tarot terms is the Empress.  Even though I am past being able to bear children, I am fertile with ideas and projects.  I am writing more poems than I ever thought possible.  I feel like I am becoming large with life, fecund and full.  According to Kari Samuels, a three year is a “potently creative time” so instead of worrying about one’s future, do “what feeds your spirit and makes you happy.”  That’s what my Fool self likes to hear!

I make notes in my spiritual journal about this year’s path.  Last year was the start of a new cycle.  It was a two year, the year of The High Priestess.  This year, I am working hard to continue the lessons I learned last year.  I said goodbye to people that were toxic and opened myself to new opportunities.  I became more disciplined spiritually.

I am excited about this year!  All the signs say it is going to be a fruitful and successful year.  All I can do is work as hard as I can to help manifest the sign I am seeing.  Blessings to all!

References

Angeles, Arrien.  The Tarot Handbook: Practical Applications of Ancient Visual Symbols. New York:  Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam Inc., 1997

Greer, Mary K. Tarot for Yourself: A Workbook for Personal Transformation.  North Hollywood, Ca.:  Newcastle Publishing Co., Inc. 1984

“Newsletter”.  karisamuels.com/newsletters/Your_Personal_Year.html. accessed 05/19/2013