November Elevens & Princesses
November 2nd is Dia de los Muertos, celebrated in Mexico especially, as well as in much of Latin America, and along with celebration of Halloween on October 31 (also the Celtic New Year of Samhain) in other cultures and countries, it is believed that this is a time when the veil between the worlds is thinnest and it’s possible that we will be in contact with our ancestors on the other side.My great aunt passed away at age 98 in mid October and I found that her passing has connected me very strongly to other family members that have passed, especially most recently her brother, my grandfather and before him my grandmother and then shortly after them, my father. In the time since my great aunt’s memorial on Sunday, October 21, I have tapped into an unexpected grief of her leaving as well as the passing of all the others. This week has been a difficult one, I’ve been sensitive and tired and moving slow and I think this slow down is important for me to recognize not only the recent family members who have passed but also all of my ancestors and to be grateful for all of the people who have come before me and who have impacted my life, either through regular contact or through direct dna genetic lines. There are many and my life has been incredibly blessed. I am taking this time to stop and smell the roses and remember these beautiful souls as I re-member myself and my life through their memories.On the 2nd day of this 11th month, it’s a good time to remember where we all come from.And now let’s look at the number 11, which is considered a master number in itself as well as an amplification of the number 1 and also a numerological return to the number 2.
Master number 11
The number 11 represents instinct, and is the most intuitive of all numbers. It is your connection to your subconscious, to gut feeling and knowledge without rationality. Because the 11 has all the qualities of the 2 (since 1 + 1 = 2), the negative points of the 11 -- anxiety, shyness, stressed energy -- are balanced out by the 2's qualities of charisma and inspiration. 11 is the dichotomy number, meaning it is both extremely conflicted and also a dynamic catalyst.” https://www.numerology.com/numerology-news/master-numbers (LINKED)11, being a master number means that the number 1 doubled not only amplifies the intensity of itself (the number 1 [LINKED to article] in the case of the 11) but also incorporates the sum of those doubled numbers (which for 11, 1+1 is the number 2 [LINKED to article]). And so here we have a number that combines the most masculine number (1 - the magician [LINKED to article], in the tarot, the active masculine principle) with the most feminine number (2 - the high priestess (LINKED to article), the receptive feminine), in a powerful sacred union, hieros gamos, the mystical marriage of the opposites which becomes something akin to the tao, represented by the yin/yang symbol.(All 3 cards are LINKED to their articles)”In the case of the 11 (a double 1), it has the traits and personality of the 1 twice, and when added (11 = 1+1 = 2) becomes a 2, thereby combining the most powerful male energy (the 1, Zeus) with the equally potent female energy (the 2, Hera).” https://www.numerology.com/numerology-numbers/11-master-number (LINKED)Serendipitously, in the week after my aunt died, after seeing my family, I was feeling such gratitude to life and the universe and my last interaction with the divine masculine in human form (as unavailable as he was) for helping me find my way back to the home within myself, that I was compelled to electronically throw the Iching on the internet (www.ichingonline.net and https://www.ichingonline.net/about.php explains the iching) in order look deeper into the situation and I got the number 11 which I copied and pasted and attempted to recreate here:“I-ching - hexagram 11 – Eleven________ ________ ________ ________ above: K’un / The Receptive, earth________ ________________________________________________ below: Ch’ien / The Creative, Heaven____________________T’ai / PeaceHeaven and Earth embrace, giving birth to Peace.The superior person serves as midwife, presentingThe newborn gift to the peopleThe small depart, the great approachSuccess.Good fortune.SITUATION ANALYSISIt doesn’t get any better than this.Everything is in harmony, all obstacles are cleared from your Path, anything you could ask for is right at handThis is the Elysian Fields, the Garden of Eden.The only thing wrong with peace is that it too must change.Whether you are in this state of harmony now or it is predicted for your future, recognize it as your greatest opportunity to build your resources against less harmonious times.” ~ www.ichingonline.netThis website also includes the original translations from Richard Wilhelm (LINKED to Wikipedia article), the first westerner to translate the Iching from Chinese into english and a contemporary of Carl Jung. At the end of this translation is the following quote which is so beautiful and takes us into our first tarot card:
Heaven and earth are in contact and combine their influences, producing a time of universal flowering and prosperity. This stream of energy must be regulated by the ruler of men. It is done by a process of division. Thus men divide the uniform flow of time into the seasons, according to the succession of natural phenomena, and mark off infinite space by the points of the compass. In this way nature in its overwhelming profusion of phenomena is bounded and controlled. On the other hand, nature must be furthered in her productiveness. This is done by adjusting the products to the right time and the right place, which increases the natural yield. This controlling and furthering activity of man in his relation to nature is the work on nature that rewards him. ~Richard Wilhelm,www.ichingonline.net
This relationship between the human being (yes he uses the word men and yes I translate that to all human beings) and nature is epitomized in 11 -XI - Strength card (LINKED to article). And has offered me a new perspective of the theory of dominion, of humans as caretakers of the earth with the capacity to work WITH nature, not run roughshod over or fight against nature. In right relationship, in alignment with the earth and with nature we all flourish, there is enough for all and we are all taken care of. I think of the strength card, number 11 in the sun and moon tarot, as the very first iteration of the sacred union of heaven and earth, it's our animal body in mystical marriage with our heavenly spirit. This is the most long term committed relationship that any human being on earth has, the spirit animates the body in the marriage ceremony of conception/birth and leaves the body during the divorce proceeding of death.(Both cards are LINKED to their articles)And let’s not forget the other numerological 2 in the tarot deck, 20 - XX – The Aeon – Judgment (LINKED to article) your own personal resurrection. This is a return to life, heaven returned to earth, the birth of the new paradigm, the time when we can forgive all tresspasses and find the innocence anew in ourselves and in each other.My goodness this master number 11 is such a phenomenal portend of goodness to come, despite or perhaps even because of the tumultuous and difficult times we are going through right now. As any birth mother will tell you, the birth process was not necessarily easy or peaceful and involves at least some aspect of discomfort.The eleventh card in each of the elements of the minor arcana are represented by princesses (often in other decks they are represented by pages). Princesses are in the process of mastering, or as I like to say mystressing, each of their respective elements.
Princess of Wands – has got her tiger by the tail; she is actively doing her shadow work, facing her fears and releasing herself from her fears and blocks as she dances in the fire with her tiger and reaches for the stars at the same time. This princess is mystress-ing the world of spirit / fire; she is playful and spirited and enthusiastic as she explores the world trying out things and experimenting with the fiery side of life.When the princess of wands comes dancing into a reading she usually represents the querent doing their shadow work and facing their fears. As she does this she shifts and changes her world; the dark stripes of the tiger will eventually become the dispersed spots of another cat as she masters this element and becomes queen.
Princess of Cups – is dancing with the dolphin (holding a lotus inits mouth) in the ocean while holding a turtle in her hands beneath a crescent moon. The dolphin is the master of telepathic communication and represents clairvoyance along with joy and freedom. The turtle, which also represents truth, is one of the few animals that moves easily between and actually requires both the watery worlds and land to ensure its survival.And so the princess of cups is mystress-ing the emotional world, she is learning to trust her intuition along with her capacity for emotional navigation. She is a romantic and a dreamer and she is also learning to rise above the pitfalls of the so called feminine wiles of seduction, possessiveness, manipulation and jealousy. She is also learning about divine compassion on her way to becoming the queen of cups.
Princess of Coins – embodies fertility and growth as she stands barefoot on the bare earth of the green grass holding a mandala shield beneath her pregnant belly with flowers falling from before her. If this card has a title it would be: GET THEE INTO NATURE! This princess is mystressing the material world, birthing new creative forms and maintaining an active and close connection with mother nature and the seasons represented by the flowers. The pattern on the shield represents balance. When she strolls into the reading, she is reminding the querent to re-member themselves in nature, to put their bare feet on the bare earth in order to reconnect and find balance again in all things. It does not matter where: beach, mountain, forest river, front lawn or back yard garden, its most important to reconnect with mother nature.
Where I sit is holyHoly is this groundForest, mountain, riverListen to the soundGreat SpiritCircles all around me
Princess of Swords has her back to us but is turning her upper body around to look towards us (or is she looking at the butterfly?), she holds a sword in her right hand. This princess is mystress-ing the airy realm of thinking she is seeing things from a new perspective, exploring all possibilities. She is intelligent, quick thinking, vigilant, devoted and emotionally stable. She meets all challenges with courage and love and does not need to be confrontational in order to succeed. She is learning to see things from many perspectives and exploring them all in order to renew her thinking. The butterfly represents constant transformation of the thought process.When the princess of swords comes bounding into a reading she is asking us to look at the situation from a new angle, from all angles, until we find the way to resolution with our hearts and minds together.And so here in this eleventh month, amidst these turbulent times, let us master ourselves along with the master number 11. Let's look inside and celebrate the sacred union of masculine and feminine within ourselves, trusting our instincts and anchoring heaven here on earth in our hearts and bodies and minds. Let’s face our inner demons and tigers and follow our emotional navigation on order to reconnect with the earth and ourselves and find new ways of looking at things that helps us all thrive succeed and let love triumph.Please do come and see me on November 24th, the 4th Saturday in November, and we can take a look at where the master number 11 and the princesses come dancing into your reading and what they have to say.With much love and more gratitude.
