On the cusp of the turning Gregorian year, I
realised 2022 would be a '6' universal year.
I don't
know very much about numerology but I have been curious about thematics linking numerical counterparts in the minor arcana for a long time.
And as it would
happen, after touching on the idea in the shower, a few days later I discovered Jessa Crispin's short discussions in The Creative Tarot.
From this, and other mental meanderings around the minor 6's (plus the 6th vertical line of the major: The Lovers, Death, Judgement), a mud map of what the 2022 year
could invite emerged.
The Walls Around Me
I think the most interesting aspect of researching the 6's was what
Crispin writes of the 5's.
"Picture the Fives as a
Wall. Instead of choosing to scale that wall using a ladder or maybe
some rope, you've decided you can just batter it down with your head.
That is the sensation of the Fives--of the obstacle and the not-so-great
plan to move it."
Hello, 2021.
For so many across the globe, the wall was built by someone else and
no matter the rope, the ladder or even the inclusion of a ridgy-didge
rescue helicopter--there was no way of defying the wall.
Even those who
did not endure months of lock down (like friends in Sydney and
Melbourne) many of us discovered there were other ways of being locked in
because walls come in all shapes, sizes and guises.
It's worth noting the wall/s that contained you and how they made you feel.
What they kept you from. Cut cords with those feelings and losses, then
lean into the way you intend to bring the wall down and seed hopes,
dreams, aspirations and goals for the other side of the wall, based on
what the sixes have to offer.
The Sixes
So, what of the 6's?
Crispin writes:
"The sixes are all about
journeys. After the feeling of being blocked...you have finally
moved...and are able to make progress. Sometimes you'll know where you
are going and sometimes you will not...To get the most out of these
cards...remember where you've been."
I hadn't thought of the 6's representing a
journey before. It is obvious in the swords, but what of the other
cards? (In working this idea, I also turned to Barbara Moore and Rachel Pollack to refine my
suggestions of what the 6's offer.)
Cups (water)
A journey away from despair and hopelessness; into the intersection of memory and joy.
- A redefining of relationships and the role of the heart
- Of understanding the future in the context of the past.
- This is the realm of core desired feelings, emotional intelligence, inner child work, re-parenting ourselves and exceptional self care.
Wands (fire)
A journey away from chaos and uncertainty; into the light opened by the hard lessons learned.
- A redefining of goals and projects, and the role of the spirit.
- Of building a hearth to protect and nourish the flame.
- This is the realm of clean, renewable energy to fuel passion and enthusiasm, of refilling the creative well and daring to work magick.
Swords (air)
A journey away from paranoia and anxiety; into the people, places and wisdom that offers respite.
- A resetting of thought patterns and brain chemistry, and redefining the role of the mind.
- Of slow incremental change and progress.
- This is the realm of narrative rewriting and identity shifting, of caring for the nervous system and practicing unapologetic boundaries.
Pentacles (earth)
A journey away from scarcity and separation; into anchored generosity, reciprocity and embodied spirituality.
- A reallocation of resources and the redefining of the body.
- Of conscious planting and the mindful tending seeds.
- This is the realm of gratitude (both given and received), as well as body wisdom, the rebellion of pleasure and living a magickal life every day.
Have any of these themes of moving beyond walls into the areas I've suggested shown up in this first month of 2022/this final month of The Year of the Ox?
Which of the tools for harnessing the elemental sixes have you used before? Which would you be interested in using the future?
How does this provide a road map of hope or possibility for the year as it stretches ahead?
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