Visitation from Higher-Ups

Our school has been designated by the higher-ups to be visited by "people." This is not because we are on some kind of doo-doo list with the county, contrary, we seems to be doing things right. And "they," County people, want to see what exactly it is that we are doing in our classrooms.

I suppose we should be flattered, but it is still nerve-racking not knowing when they are going to show up and whom they will want to visit. So I asked the cards if my classroom will be one of those visited. I decided to use The Opening of the Key Spread this morning; my Significator was The King of Swords. My Significator was in was the group of cards called the "Vau" stack, aligned with the third letter of the Ineffible Hashem (name) and relating to Material Success. So very appropos.

The cards I got surrounding my The King of Swords were 7 of Swords and 7 of Wands, two dates that are nowhere near where the visits will be taking place¹. Since I see sevens as numbers of perfection or completion, I believe that two other teachers, those who have their proverbial s**t together more than I do, will be visited. These are younger teachers who do more of the program than I do (they are in their twenties and straight out of school). But they are very much the same in terms of teaching style and personality. That's all I have to say about these cards. Recall that I was doing the opening of The Opening of the Key Spread and these cards were not "dignified" yet were surrounding my Significator.

The cards that were dignified were XIX The Sun and Queen of Chalices:

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Very few RWS-style decks have the impact on me that this one does in that it draws attention to waht the characters are doing in it. I think it's the eyes. Look how the figures are looking to the past  The baby kanga in the pouch, XIX The Sun, is symbolic of my class (I teach Second Grade) and their waving a little flag in recognition and welcome. I, too, stand eagerly awaiting either visit, a waiting period that will be just that---waiting. The Queen of Chalices is a personality card that speaks of fixation of purpose (I feel court cards are astrological in archetype and queens are the fixed signs, not cardinal).

So, although I am prepared for a visit, my classroom and plans are ready for it, and I would be a good example for the school, chances are that I will be bypassed yet again this year for a visit. 

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¹The two time cards surrounding my Significator were the 7 of Swords and 7 of Wands, meaning "between the 8th week after Winter solstice and the 8th week after Spring equinox." This is a six month period from mid-February to mid-June.

Card images © Lo Scarabeo ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Used by Permission

Reading About Gaza

This morning I read a comment someone made on facebook about ending the seize of Gaza and contacting the incoming U.S. Administration to halt it. This hit a sore spot with me. Who are we in the United States to oppose it? Who are we to support it? Logging in later tonight I found an utterly offensive picture (which is probably a fake) in an effort to persuade Americans to choose one side or the other. I firmly believe in Israel's right to defend itself from Hamas, but there isn't enough information on the subect, unbiased information that is, to make any sound judgment. But still my conviction remains, and I must stand as one with Israel.

Going into this reading, my question was "Why do I feel so strongly about Israel's right to defend itself?" As the meditation-reading progressed, the outcome changed, as did the focus or question in intent.

I drew the 7 of Swords.

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Obvious at first are the two swords that are left behind. I see this as the two camps over here in the U.S., one which supports, or in the very least attempts to understand, what Israel is doing, and the other camp that does not nor cares to. It occurs to me that those who oppose this offensive would be opposed to any violence against any group of people, no matter what. Those who feel a kinship with the Israeli civilians, those who agree that Hamas firing rockets for seven (the seven again) years into Southern Israel, will feel the exact opposite. There are the informed and the uninformed, in other words. One might say that there are the franchised and disenfanchised.

Two swords are also indicative of two sides to the truth---"ours" and "theirs." Often times the "theirs" is seen as propaganda and vice versa; each side thinks they are in the right. This is the nature of war, is it not?

Bottom line with this reading is that there isn't anything any of us can do with this conflict except wait it out. (This is the point at which my mind begins to change.) Also I do not feel obligated to support a government on either side that refuses to make concessions to the other. Like it or not, swearing to destroy the Jew and the nation of Israel or not, Hamas is the government that the Palestinians chose to represent them. 

The five swords, ruled by Saturn the Planet of limitations, reminds me that I need to divorce myself mentally and spiritually from what Israel is doing as a secular society. This is the only way I can feel solidarity with the Klal Israel and (the citizens of worldwide Jewry) while at the same time distancing myself from politics. (I have found this to be true here in the United States when it comes to the culture wars. And, boy, do my problems seem trivial now!)

The two swords that are on their own, which I as the character in the card am studying, reminds me once again that I should not fall into the trap of oppositional politics. This inevitably is no good for my health. My time is best spent affecting change in the wider world through acts of loving kindness (g’milut chasadim) instead of concerning myself with matters of government. I need to look at this crisis not in bitterness but as a galvanizing force in my life. What do I really need to support? A war on the other side of the world which will clearly be won by the mightier military? Should I rejoice in this? No. My energies are best spent elsewhere. I will take my swords and go play in another sandbox, thank you very much.

The moon in this card is also a reminder that this too shall pass, as the phases of the moon, not that I am belittling the plight or pain of others in Gaza and in Southern Israel because I am not. This is simply an effective way of coping, of reconciling the connection I have with Jews as a people while at the same time distancing myself from their civic government.

Card images © Lo Scarabeo ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Used by Permission