Persephone's Loom

The Wheel path, from Netzach to Chesed,  was an exercise in log-rolling - dancing atop the wheel, or letting myself experience its cycles. Chesed was a sky full of clouds, misty and dim. The Heavenly City shone in the distance, an in it was the Temple. The Temple looked much like I imagined the Jerusalem Temple would have looked. Gaudior ( a unicorn met in A Swiftly Tilting Planet ) was there, and I greeted him, joyfully. I talked to the High Priest-looking fellow on the throne, asking what I needed to know. I addressed myself to "King David, King Soloman, kings of Israel and Judah," and they told me about mercy and kingship. Mercy doesn't always look like mercy. Mercy can be severe. Justice is important, but mercy more so. Now that you've been strong with yourself, you can be merciful with yourself - and severity is mercy, sometimes. I went to the Ark of the Covenant, and asked to look inside. Inside, on a scroll, was my covenant with Deity, specifically with Yahweh and his Son. He nodded, and told me that though I'm not exclusively his anymore, I am still his, in a way. He told me that he is a jealous god (he laughed), but that "jealous" means "wants what is his portion," and that Persephone is the same, and it's cool. He reminded me that service to them is authority, and bondage to Deity is perfect freedom. I put my scroll in teh fire, not destroying, but offering as sacrifice. Then Yahweh offered me my own small throne beside his, from which I watched th parts of my life go past, like children. I patted and cooed over them, and was confident of my authority. Then it was time to go, so I went to say goodbye. Gaudior coughed up a pearl, which I set in the center of my forehead as a diadem - a symbol of this merciful, shining authority. And I left.

Last night, I asked the women I Work spiritually with to do a reading for me - a general sort of "Am I on the right track/What are my next steps" reading.
Deck: Mythic Tarot
13-card spread

9c____________9p____________High Priestess
____Tower_____________4c
Magician_____Strength_________Wheel
____Hermit___________Empress
QofP__________3w____________3s

Key:
c - Cups, p - pentacles, w - wands, s-swords

Breakdown:
7/13 - Major Arcana
2/13 - pentacles
2/13 - cups
1/13 - wands
1/13 - swords
2/13 - 9s (cups and pentacles)
2/13 - 3s (swords and wands)

This spread always breaks down in different ways. This time, it reads from right to left, with the right column being Where I've Been, the center circle being Where I Am Now, and the left column being Where I'm Headed.
Where I've Been:
This all started when I started the descent that is 2nd Degree work and dedicated to Persephone (High Priestess - no, literally. She's on the card.). It was the dedication specifically that got the Wheel (which is the 3 Fates in my deck) turning, got events going, got me thinking and moving towards this point. I've undergone/am undergoing the transition/transformation which is heartbreak (3 of swords)...I tried to ignore it, but the cutting-away is necessary.
Where I Am:
I am being Strong (Strength is Hercules in my deck), wrestling my rebellious heart into submission, fighting with my emotions. I feel like I've done everything I was supposed to do, but it's not enough - it isn't making me truly happy (9 of pentacles). I am/have been listening to others, examining options, and figuring out which cups/courses to choose (4c). By choosing the bitter cup, I accept myself as a full woman, sovereign in her own right, gorgeous and whole. I connect with my soul and deepest desires (Empress - who is Demeter). This allows me to both negotiate/demand the return of my personal power/sovereignty, as well as integrate the less accessible/familiar parts of myself (3 of wands). As a part of this process, walking alone and looking inward is vital; taking time to and for myself and allowing myself to just be with this is necessary (Hermit). For, as my friend Trance says, "Don't worry. Everything you don't need will be taken away from you." All the things I thought I needed and wanted will crumble away/are crumbling away, leaving me able to exercise my desires and will to shape my life (Tower).
Where I'm Going:
After the unnecessary is stripped away, it seems that I enter into a period of fulfillment. As I heal emotionally, I will rediscover fulfilling, wonderful, human relationships on my terms that nurture and support me while maintaining my freedom (9 of cups). Likewise, as I heal and grow, my personal and spiritual power will expand, and I will grow more comfortable with it and how I'm supposed to use it best (The Magician, who is Hermes). On top of that, I will find a place of comfort and stability in my mundane life - in finances, material matters, etc (Q of Pentacles.).
Trance also dropped these three cards for further clarification: The Chariot, the Knight of Wands, and the Queen of Cups. The first two comment on my Must Wrestle Situation Into Submission attitude, and the last offers an alternative. As my friend Opal said, "Don't do the fire, do the water. Flow, let these things wash over you instead of trying to hold onto and/or destroy them."

Later in the night, I also did a reading for myself with the Thoth deck, mainly as a getting-to-know you exercise, as I'm not familiar with the deck, except to know that I like the artwork, but have my doubts about being able to use it. My inquiry focused on my job/income situation - what should I do/what productive steps should I take in that area? This was the spread:
______________5s/?? (I have forgotten)
Kt of P/Star_____________Kt of W/Ps of W
____________Chariot
7c/Qof S_______________8w/High Priestess
___________AofW/Universe

Again, we have the What You Don't Need will go away (5s), BUT, with energy (all the wands) and creativity, your deep gifts (Priestess) will bring you to a place of abundant resources (Universe) where you can kick back and relax for awhile, while you strategize (7c/QofS). Then you can take leisurely steps while relishing your life and work (Kt of P/Star). I think the deck and I might get along.

Hod:
For me, Hod looked like a warm, wood-paneled library. I tried to talk to the 2-headed snake I saw lingering in the stacks, but he grinned at me and shook his heads. The temple of Hod was an eight-sided sanctum with all the books and references I'd ever want - I knew they were mine. Hermes, Odin, and Loki were there, as well as Raphael. I tried to talk to Odin, but he didn't say anything. So, I browsed the shelves, but nothing caught my fancy. I noticed that I couldn't read the books, but I didn't feel that was a hindrance to understanding them. I finally talked to Raphael and apologized for my arrogance and preconceptions of Knowing A Lot about the realm of Hod - I knew I possessed them, and had been trying to avoid them, but it felt like I hadn't been doing a good job of it. Raphael said it's true...I do know what words can do. I know they can show truth, or hide it. I know they shape reality. I know logic is good, but can be misleading. I know words are true as gold and slippery as fish. He told me not to worry - This is one of the places I Know. Not, perhaps, a place I do a lot of Work (outside school, of course), but a place I Know. Right before I left, Odin gave me a gold coin - a "little extra light for the dark places", and kissed me and called me daughter. Raphael touched my third eye, and blessed me. I gave them words, song of my soul...and then I left.