Profiles and paradigms

It’s no big secret, so I may as well speak it here, too: I want to make an oracle deck. I have been feeling called to this task for some time, but only recently has the project proliferated and come alive under my hands. It’s been exciting to explore my writing and artistic abilities, and, in my mind, it seems like it would be an easy thing to accomplish if I just make the art for the cards and write up a book for their definitions, and how to use them.

I know it will be more difficult than this! And that is okay. But one thing I neglected to do before creating at least 30 individual powerful sigils that I channeled from Aphrodite is changing my Procreate files to the CMYK configuration, which is best for print. My existing files are in RGB, which is better for other uses. Most people know this, and thus there is no problem, but I was too hasty in starting this project and it has taught me an interesting lesson:

Patience is far more valued when it’s hard to express. When the feelings of impatience want to bust through that façade, we thrash and moan and complain. We feel the strain of it, ever pushing through our control. And sometimes it requires a shift in how we view and create things, in other words, changing our color profiles.

This is an important thing Aphrodite has taught me. The sigils as channeled were correct for what they were, but when the project must be shifted to a new level, like the release of a new oracle deck when I know absolutely nothing about the process, it requires something entirely different. We might not know what that shape looks like. We might not be aware that we have to change our perspective or paradigm. We will have to work hard to make it back to where we were. 

And sometimes, that’s okay. That’s what is called for to create the very best sampling of your work. Am I frustrated that I had made such progress on the project, only to realize that none of them would be quite suitable for an end product? Of course! But I will have an opportunity to get really intricate with the sigils again, and find deeper meaning in both making them and in defining them. There will be more to see, in an oracular way.

When we have to change our perspectives, it’s difficult and we may kick at the fate that requires us to do it, but there is really no way out of it but through it. And in that time we can learn some pretty incredible things about ourselves and what we’re capable of. My sigils are becoming more complex as the connection between myself and Aphrodite strengthens. The meanings are deeper, the unintentional symbols reveal themselves, and I am struck by the prospect of making them anew.

It is never a quick fix, never let me say so. I was deep into this project! But it will only be better because I have been forced to change my thought paradigm. That is what we have to remember when things like this happen, that sometimes, the currents shift, and we have to learn to swim all over again to keep afloat. Times like these, we have to be adroit to stay above the choppy water line. We are called to be flexible, another hard thing. But if we breathe and focus on a state of suppleness, we will find ourselves able to do it.

The images in this issue are a few of the finished, RGB-based sigils that I had intended for use in this oracle deck project. There is much room for improvement and intricacy, intimacy created between my pen and the eyes of those who may see the finished product, far in the future. It is a dream, and one that I will work toward because I feel I have something to offer in this realm. Now that I have been shifted to the correct perspective, there are wonders yet to discover, entirely new expressions of color and magic, and I feel confident that I can rebuild to where I was when the realization about color profiles was had.

Some things for you to consider, if you wish: Have you had situations in your life that required a paradigm shift? How did you learn to deal with them? Have you ever said “no” to that shift? Have you ever leaned in with all your heart, instead? How did that feel? It’s okay and even encouraged by Aphrodite to explore this phenomenon in ways like journaling, or sculpting, or turning to making your own type of art. Make something beautiful of these shifts, whether imperative or by choice. Reach into yourself and bring out the fibers that make you a unique individual and play to those strengths.

This is the message Aphrodite would like me to share with you:

The Knight of Wands rears up to announce that they are ready and willing to lead us in this endeavor of self discovery. No matter our frame of reference, we have eager assistance from spirit and Aphrodite to venture on and truly learn what it means to be us, to live in every moment. It is not easy to do so, many of us can feel trapped by the ticking of time. But when we fully press into all the minutes of our lives, we can say that we have been awake and aware of this time, these memories, the things that we do. It makes it harder to forget, and easier to call up when we need a bit of distraction from the ways of the world.

The Knight is a leader, too, the Knight shows the way. With their blazing wand they point us in the direction we must go to fulfill our passionate desires. That looks different for everyone. It is up to us to divine the path the Knight indicates. But it is vitally important to remember that the Knight of Wands is providing support and succor for us along the way, feeding our inner fire when our fuel gets low.

We can reach into this support at any time, anywhere we may be. This energy is always with us, spurring us on, keeping our pace lively and interesting, reigniting our verve when necessary. There are always days where we feel low in energy or spirit. This is where we can call on the Knight of Wands, who stands ever ready to meet these needs until we are comfortable enough to carry on with the pursuit of our desires.

Aphrodisian energy flows through this card and its attendant meanings. Go for what you want, go with gusto. Pursue with consent the relationships you want, the titles and trappings and lifestyle you want. Satisfy the yearning within you but always leave a little left unmet so you keep striving for more pleasure, more improvement, more understanding of yourself, more of whatever it is that you are looking for in life. We don’t know what will happen in these troubled days, too many things are in flux. Find your joy now.

Carpe diem can be a cliché, but I am quite serious about it. Don’t be afraid to seize and squeeze the things that matter most. Tell people you love them. Kiss your crush. Watch that show. Seduce that girl. Go to that sex party. Host a Tupperware salon. Learn to garden, take up a new form of art. Get into the fiber arts, or learn how to paint. Try a new food that is not typical in your region. Follow strange and wonderful people on social media that stretch your ideas on what humanity can offer in all its greatness. Choose do and can, eschew don’t and can’t.

I love you. My heart is always with you in spirit.

In Her name,

J