Musings + Prompt V
Who TF is Madeline?
I woke up this morning and realized there was an album released last week that I very much needed to acquaint myself with. I also needed to pull a card for my (hopefully our) weekly brain busting. On my walk with the worlds best pup I listened to Lily Allen’s, “West End Girl,” and I think my entire brain atrophied. What a masterpiece! There will be clauses invented in future prenuptial agreements to address this level of public verbal dismantling. Necessity is the Mother of Invention, is it not? You can call Lily, Mother.
Moving on, or at least trying to, I pulled a card for today. I asked, “What do I need to observe and dissect?” This is what I pulled:
I am intentionally sticking to the minimal nature of the Marseille decks (even if I’m not in love with the particular printing) and I’m really enjoying when I pull the pips (small cards). There’s so much room for play and personal interpretation. Today we got the 2 of coins. Upon first glance, I’m taken by the obvious symmetry and flow of the image. But my eye was so drawn to the leaves and flowers emanating from the ends of the flowing spiral that’s couching the coins.
Clearly, I am influenced by my earlier listening of Lily’s scorching record where she verbally eviscerates her ex-husband, but those red leaves look like tongues to me. Sassy-ass tongues, ready to spit fire. There are so many references to elements and equilibrium in this card, but those little red tongues herald a warning: There will be deviations!
This is where being familiar with multiple lineages and practices comes in handy. The major arcana of the tarot are associated with Hebrew letters of the Alef Beit. In the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn lineage where the Rider Waite Smith deck and it’s descendants reign supreme, the letter Peh, corresponds to The Tower card. Some call it the Fallen Tower, a correlation to the Tower of Babylon wouldn’t be off base. It is generally a card of strife, sudden crisis, destruction, and major challenge. The tower falls due to inadequate attention to the foundation. In Hebrew, Peh means mouth, and is generally symbolic of speech, communication, and expression. Mouth, as in, where a wagging tongue might reside. To connect all those dots the card whose meaning is associated with destruction and sudden crisis, corresponds to the mouth, speech, and expression. Interesting, no?
These little tongues remind me of several things.
licking
speaking
kissing
eating
imbibing
regurgitating
blowing raspberries
singing
So many potentially messy actions, and still, the card is so balanced.
The expression of oneself can not be stifled. The most base parts of us, if earnest, will manifest whether you express them or not. And this is universally true. If we apply this to Lily’s epic mic drop of a record, this applies both to her cheating dog of a husband, AND Lily herself. Should he have been a stand up guy about it and in a worst case scenario leave the relationship to avoid cheating? Absolutely yes. But for whatever reason, he was unable to be honest with her. (peh). He gave in to his baser instincts, and used his mouth (peh) in ways that definitely came back to bite him (peh). He couldn’t suppress his sexual expression (also peh). Yes, I’m being kinder than I need to be, but it’s to make a point. On the other hand, there was zero chance that Lily was going to be able to let that go without spitting fire (most definitely, peh) into a microphone built to share this story.
No matter, balance will always prevail. You may inflict damage. You may hurt yourself and / or others, but causality will always find it’s way into the conversation (peh). Peh, the mouth, can be a volatile tool of destruction, but don’t sleep on the fact that what might be getting demolished is oneself.
These tongues in leaves clothing are savage little reminders that 1, suppressing our truths is actually impossible. And 2, even if you speak up and let it rip (a la Lily) there will always be a pendulum swing. Be prepared, not scared. Being wrong is okay as long as you’re willing to take your medicine when it’s called for. Mistakes are lessons. Learn. Stay curious. But above all, be so for real. The Universe will always support the organic.
Should it tickle your fancy or your brainbox, some prompts.
Prompt 1: What am I holding back? What am I too scared to share? Is the fear (also a Lily Allen song) justified? What am I *actually* scared of?
Prompt 2: In what areas of my life does my mouth get me in trouble? In what areas does my mouth help? Are these aspects balanced? Is one more active than the other?
Have a beautiful week, friends!
-She Said With Love
