I’m never quite sure how to address a birthday of someone who has gone on to the Otherside. It would have been his birthday if he hadn’t died? See, that doesn’t feel right. Well, anyway. However it’s done properly, I’ll just do it my way. (Lol, like that’s ever been an issue.)
How about this? My dad’s dad was born on Nine Nine of Oh Nine. September 9th, 1909. He passed away the same year that Daniel and I got married, so he’s been gone quite a while. None of my kids were born yet, so they don’t have memories of my Papa Leo, just stories about him that my father and I have shared. But I woke up today knowing that this is his birthday, whether he is still physically with us or not.
He was a funny little guy, and extremely entertaining. It’s because of him that my own dad rescues horses now. And it’s because of him that my children have always been aware of horse racing as well as all horse related issues. An ironic event in his life was that he married a woman named Leona. (I KNOW!!!) They traveled from the real life Grapes Of Wrath dust bowl to the Golden Coast of the California Promised Land as their honeymoon trip.
His family had come from Ireland during the Great Potato Famine, settling in New York and Colorado and several points along the way. He was a glass blower and factory drone. He was dad to five children and grandfather to thirteen more. Those genes of his are WAY strong, I see his face in so many of us now. Here’s wishing you a festive day Papa, wherever you are now.
We are going to talk about our daily draw now, and not later, because there’s an extra bit in this one that I want to share. This card is directly related to what we were discussing yesterday (and continued on in the comments of that post).
“Water Dragon ~ Draig-uisge (pronounced as Draig-ooshcu) ~ Passion, Depth, Connection.
This card shows the Stoor Worm, a great sea-dragon whose ‘head was like a mountain and his eyes like round lochs, very dark and deep.’
The Water Dragon brings that which is hidden into the light of day. Memories and wishes, which may have long lain forgotten or repressed in the Unconscious, may emerge to frighten or overwhelm you with their apparent negativity or destructiveness. Facing these experiences with compassion and courage will, in the end, bring you to an experience of a greater depth of soul and a greater sense of connectedness to all life. Although you may at times feel overwhelmed with emotion, soon you will be able to achieve a sense of balance and stability, as these strong feelings are integrated in your consciousness.
Drawn Reversed: this card warns us to approach an exploration of our psyche and our past with caution. The conscious self can absorb the impact of only a limited amount of repressed or unconscious material being released into awareness. It is wise to work fractionally, little by little, to integrate unconscious material into consciousness. It is often best for healing and wholeness to be achieved slowly. Beware also of allowing your emotions to rule you in a way that later you will regret.
Gateways To The Otherworld:
Whether the dragon is fully-fledged and fire-breathing, or is more primal and worm-like, there is a significant preponderance of water in all its forms – river, well, pool, lake, marsh, bog, and sea - in most dragon stories. Water, and in particular its sources, was sacred to the Druids, who also considered such places gateways to the Under or Otherworld. Since the dragon is an Otherworldly creature, it is fitting that it should emerge from such a gateway. In psychological terms, water represents the Unconscious and the emergence of monsters or dragons from sea, well, or lake represents unresolved complexes, repressed and distorted drives and desires, welling up into awareness. The destructive water dragon symbolizes perfectly the damaging nature of certain contents of the psyche, which, for the healing of the Self, require a transmutation that may be depicted as a symbolic death.”
Right, so I’m going to start with the key words on this one: Passion, Depth, and Connection. Uh, hello?! Wasn’t this precisely my point? We must connect on a deep and passionate level! Even if we barely make eye contact with someone, that is STILL a connection. And it is imperative, to our very souls, that we make these connections.
From a completely different perspective here, I really like the emotional and psychological angle this card brings up as well. For us personally, it is so valuable that we know our true selves, and once we are comfortable in our own skin, we can move out into the greater world and share what we have learned, connecting with others more deeply than we were able to do before. Connecting with passion, with true and honest emotion, THAT is how we will make a damn difference.
Last night I was catching up on Melissa‘s archives and came across her post on monsters. It’s stunning to me how we are all so linked and interconnected. Coolness on a global and Universal level. Deeply passionate connections are the answer, I’m tellin’ you!
