The reading opens with the intersection Air and Earth, and a reminder that the words we say can fundamentally reshape other people. Just like wind blowing across sand dunes, our expression of ourselves affects others. Be aware of your power to affect change. Flowing from this idea we receive a reminder from The Creator that we are able to fold the very elements around us, and that sometimes we are attacking something in ourselves when we say something judgmental about others. The two cards together tell us to be conscious of the way our communication lifts or levels other people. Coming back around to Air, Fire’s intersection reminds us that we cannot simply talk – we have to act, especially when it comes to professed ideals. What you do comes from you, and it needs to properly represent you. But what if it represents your core metaphor instead? Three Seeds sprinkle on the reading to answer this question, and they reply that community is key. Community, communication, communion, companion, company – that all begin with the prefix “com-.” “With.” You do not have to force your struggles alone. Find collaborators, beta readers, and mentors. They help in ways that cannot always be predicted. And when the do come into your life, the final card reminds us (at the intersection of Water and Metal) that we do best when we stand on the shoulders of giants. The people around you have their gifts, and you have yours. Jealousy blocks your growth, so be sure to be introspective about making change, professing ideals, or taking action on plans.

At the top of the chakras, how do you play hid and seek with yourself? How do you see yourself from the perspective of others and what does that inform you with? You can’t live forever with the guilt of things that you have done. You have to release it once you learn the lesson, once you show contrition to those who deserve it. It is okay to forgive yourself your missteps and move forward with new and better understanding and moral action. You must say truth kindly, and kindness truthfully. You need to be honest about yourself, but with kind introspection. You should not attack yourself or relieve your guilt and shame. It is important to look at at the Core Image, the root mantra, the essence of your being and see it truthfully, flaws and all. But with kindness, like that of a teacher or mentor helping you to see yourself and improve yourself. Then with the cool touch of icy air, from a high perch, you will see things clearly. See the present moment with purpose and peace. Finally you will defend the actions you have taken and accept the judgment that follows. Not judgmental, but justice. Truly evening the field and accepting where you are and what you can be.

The context of the reading is the way the heart is affected by the winds and storms that assail it. A tree on a cliff that has been weathered and shaped, some would say mangled, by the forces that bear down up on it. But it survived because it was shaped and changed to survive. It’s not like other trees, it doesn’t just grow upright because it’s in the middle of the forest. It Is unique and contains strong roots, deep striving fingers. The question becomes what is it that you truly desire. Your wish, not a fleeting fancy, but the deeper desire within your depths, that is what your waves can bring you. Examine the things you want and see what is beneath them, what is driving them. That is your true desire. How are your emotions filters for how you understand what’s around you. How are you examining the world? What does your desire have to do with that view? Jealousy and inspiration can draw breath from the same thing, but one will drown you while the other will lift you up, carry you forward. Now is the time to take action, to burn brightly with your generative fire and do something. Break it down, find a way. Make the little changes and take the little steps. What we do, we do for others, whether we know it or not. You have an effect on the broader community and you must accept that as part of why you take the actions you do. Big or small, there are reverberation in the cosmic ocean. What will you resonate?