Sunday 20 March 2016

Fiscal matters and the Vernal equinox Tarot Blog Hop 2016





Welcome to Alison’s Alembic!   You may have arrived here as a stop on the Tarot Blog Hop from either Siobhan's Mirror or Pure Blessed Tarot.  Or you may have found this through TABI’s Facebook page, or though one of the many wonderful tarot bloggers in the ether... It doesn’t matter – what does matter is that you’re here! 


At 04.30 GMT today the Sun moved, astrologically speaking, into Aries.  This has special significance as 0° Aries also marks one of the two equinoxes, the points at which the celestial equator and the elliptic (the path that the Sun appears to follow, when viewed from the earth) intersect. The word ‘equinox’ comes from the Latin, meaning ‘equal night’ – because at these two points of intersection, we experience approximately (depending on our latitude) equal hours of day and night.  The points of intersection are referred to as equinoctial points, with 0° marking the vernal point, and 180° the autumnal point.  So, 0° Aries corresponds to the point of the vernal equinox, and – in the northern hemisphere - this day has come to be celebrated as the first day of spring.


It’s also the end of the financial year, in the UK at least. Our wrangler for this Vernal Equinox Hop, Ania Marczyk has asked us to turn our attention to finance – more specifically, how we use the Tarot in relation to financial matters.


I often do readings around financial matters – in fact, I quite enjoy them, as long as it doesn’t cross the line into giving financial advice. Then it’s time to recommend talking to a financial advisor, or the bank – someone who’s qualified to deal with the specifics.  Usually it’s the cards themselves that emphasize the need for that; in the last reading I did around finances, both the King and Knight of Swords appeared, which I saw as indications to talk to a professional and to seek out more information.


For me, the end of the financial year conjures up an image of books being balanced, of adjustments being made.  And the system’s supposed to be fair, right? Immediately I see the Thoth’s Adjustment (Justice) card in my mind:


Adjustment (trimmed): Thoth Tarot


But, astrologically speaking, at least, Adjustment is associated with Libra and the autumnal equinox (northern hemisphere bias coming out here, sorry!), so what opposes it here, at the time of the vernal equinox?


The card most commonly associated with Aries is The Emperor. Traditionally, astrologers view Aries as the first sign in the zodiac. It’s also a cardinal sign, so it’s a ‘mover and shaker’. Aries is the initiator, the pioneer – the one who comes up with the ideas.  It’s the first of the three Fire signs encountered in the zodiac, bringing drive and passion to the creative process.  It’s also thought of as ‘masculine’, or ‘active’ – ‘yang’ energy... 


Emperor (trimmed): Thoth Tarot
But money? The fiscal year? Well, it’s the beginning of a new fiscal year, so the idea of new beginnings is obvious. Plus when I look at the Crowley Thoth's Emperor I think of the King “sitting in his counting house, counting all his money”!  I’d like to think that the fiscal systems we bow to were created with wisdom as well as compassion for taxpayers (ah, there's the Justice sneaking in again!) but these days it’s sometimes hard to see this! To quote the Beatles, "it's one for you, nineteen for me"...

Now, I’m one of those sad organized people who does their taxes well before the deadline – usually just before the autumnal equinox!  I like to get them out of the way so I don’t have to worry about missing the end of January deadline. No surprise, perhaps, that the Emperor is perhaps the one Major card that I struggle with most, while Justice represents many of the ideals that speak to me...

But, as I dealt with my taxes months ago, I can greet the equinox and the end of the financial year with a light heart – bring on the bunnies and chocolate!!

Two of Stones (trimmed): Wildwood Tarot

Thank you for stopping off here on your own journey through this Imbolc Tarot Blog Hop!  Please do come back and read some of my other posts.  


The next stops on the Tarot Blog Hop are - depending on whether you’re moving backwards or forwards through the list – Siobhan's Mirror or Pure Blessed Tarot. The Master List can be foundhere.


  
Thoth Tarot created by Aleister Crowley, illustrated by Lady Frieda Harris, published by US Games Systems, Inc.

Wildwood Tarot created by Mark Ryan and John Matthews, illustrated by Will Worthington, published by Connections

8 comments:

  1. This is a highly interesting blog on this subject. You are very knowledgeable, and it shows!!!

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  2. Well done for being so efficient. I try to get my accounts sorted in good time, but the end of the tax year coincides with the start of my busy season, so it always ends up with me playing catch-up in January :/

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  3. Love the details here! I'm in a Justice year and I half wondered if my year might have a financial focus. I also lean toward Justice mindset rather than Emperor. Great minds!

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    1. Great minds indeed! I'm in a Justice year too - would be interesting to compare notes at the end of the year :-)

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  4. I almost wrote this exact blog yesterday, but this morning I cut it and started again from scratch with another idea I had. In the aborted post I talked about how (in the US) taxes are due in April, Aries, and so most people are working on them during Pisces, which is associated with the Moon card and intuition, dreams, spirituality, gestation--not at all good energy for doing the detail work of organizing receipts and filling in spreadsheets. If taxes were due in Libra, the sign of balance and fairness, then we would be prepping our taxes during Virgo, the sign of details, perfectionism, efficiency, and organization. If the government wanted to improve the tax system, they would make the deadline Sept 15 instead of April 15! Interesting how even though your taxes are due in January, the way the fiscal year ends seems to line up with the same dates and ultimately misplaced energies. Being self-employed, and not being dependent on someone else sending me my W2s, I can get my taxes done in January, which means doing the bulk of the work in Capricorn. Ever since I went this route taxes have been unbelievably easier to get done, even as they've gotten more complicated due to incorporating my business a couple years ago. Ok, well, honestly, I guess it doesn't hurt that I have a CPA now, but it's still me who does all the bookkeeping, which is the hard part. :-) Great post--It's always fun to see someone who thinks like I do or takes a similar approach! :-)

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  5. Every time I read something that you've written that uses the Thoth, you make me want to learn how to read with it PROPERLY. Great insights and knowledge you've got! <3

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  6. I could see the Emperor raking in all those taxes, to then apply to building systems or things that people need... On the other hand, I'd rather bring on the bunnies and chocolate, too :D Lovely post, Alison!

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