A Mabon Necklace for Balance

I am starting to prepare for my Mabon Ritual on Sept. 22. For the Autumn Equinox I have my altar decorated with fall colors and leaves, and I am will be going out under that Full Harvest moon to celebrate Mabon and pray for Balance in my life. The Sun will be entering Libra just before the Full Moon on the day of the Equinox. The tarot card related to Libra is XI Justice.

I was looking through my beads, and I realized I just happen to have a Libra charm for a necklace. Then I remembered that I was going to be doing a ritual for balance for Mabon, and I thought "What better talisman or charm for balance than the image of the scales?" It seemed all too perfect, so I gathered the other beads I wanted to go with it. I'll tell you what the rest of the beads mean so you can make one too if you want!

Center; The Scales. Libra. Balance. If you can't find a bead or charm like this, an Opal would be perfect. Opal is Libra's birth stone. If you don't have an Opal, then any other large bead or gemstone will suffice. Hematite and Obsidian are good for balancing and grounding your energy. A Light Blue or Purple bead would work nicely too, as Light Blue and Lavender are the colors associated with Libra. As I placed this center charm I affirmed; "I easily find balance in all areas of my life."

Next I have two amethyst beads. One on each side of the center charm. I chose amethyst because the color (light purple) corresponds to Libra energy, and because Amethyst helps you balance your emotions and intuition. If you don't have any amethyst beads, use purple or lavender beads instead. As I placed these two beads I affirmed; "I am willing to be true to myself in all my actions, and I allow my intuition to lead me."

Elements. I found two beads for each element. Yellow for Air, Red for Fire, Blue for Water, and Green for Earth. I placed one of each color on each side. As I placed the yellow I affirmed, "I am balanced in the East and the power of Air." As I placed the red I affirmed, "I am balanced in the South and the power of Fire." As I placed the blue I affirmed, "I am balanced in the West and the power of Water." And as I placed the green beads I affirmed, "I am balanced in the North and the power of Earth."

Next I placed two Sodalite beads. Sodalite is blue so the color corresponds with Libra energy. Sodalite also helps us balance our thoughts and words. If you don't have any sodalite beads, two light blue beads can be used. As I placed one Sodalite bead on each side of the necklace I affirmed, "I am willing to be true to myself in all of my actions, words, and thoughts. I allow my creativity to inspire me."

After this I created a pattern using Light Blue, Purple, Orange, and Gold. Blue and Purple for Libra energy, and Gold and Orange for the colors of the Fall Equinox. I placed them in groups of two, because two is the number of balance. On each side, the pattern I used goes like this; 2 purple, 2 blue, 1 orange, 2 purple, 2 blue, 1 gold, 2 orange, 2 gold, 2 orange, 2 gold, 1 blue/purple (Purple on one side, blue on the other), 2 gold, 2 orange, 2 gold, 2 orange, 2 gold, 2 orange. All in all I have 11 purple beads (including the Amethyst), 11 blue beads (including the Sodalite), 22 Orange beads and 22 gold beads. (So there are 11 each of gold and red on each side). 11 is the number of the Tarot Card Justice, and it is a Master Number in Numerology with a strong vibration. So all through the necklace the numerological themes of 11 and 2 also promote Balance. As I placed these small colored beads, I repeated the above affirmations several times, "I easily find balance in all areas of my life. I am willing to be true to myself in all of my actions, thoughts, and words. I allow my creativity to bloom. I am balanced and complete, and I accept my bountiful harvest."

On Mabon I plan to cleanse and bless this necklace. I will use sage to smudge it, and I will anoint it with oil and water. I will repeat the affirmations again and imbue it with the energy of those positive statements. Then I will leave it out equally under the Libra Sun and the Full Harvest Moon to receive a balanced blessing from both the Sun and the Moon.

What's your Tarot Card of 2010?

Using Numerology and Tarot Cards, we each have certain cards that show us the lessons we will encounter in each year of our life. Numerologically speaking, the Tarot Card of 2010 is The Empress... let's all welcome the new year and strive to be more Nurturing, Creative, and Caring in 2010!! (and maybe a little more sensual and feminine too!) HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
There is also a Personal Year Card, found using your date of birth and the current year....To determine your card for this year, use numerology to equate, like this;


add together the current year, your day of birth and your month of birth like this;

2010 (current year)

__12 (day of birth)

+ 01 (month of birth)

_____

2023

then reduce; 2 + 0 + 2 + 3 = 7


My Current Year Card is 7, The Chariot

As you study your card, ask yourself, what am I currently learning from this card? How can I apply the lessons of this card to my daily life? What aspects of this card do I want to have more of in my life? What aspects do I want to remove from my life? The possibilities of self-discovery are endless, study what the card means to you and embrace it!!

If your number is above 22, then reduce it again (23 = 2+3=5) If you got the number 22, then this corresponds to card number 0, The Fool. If you got a number between 10 and 22, then you have two lesson cards for the year. (Example... 16, The Tower, reduced... 1+6=7, The Chariot)

It may be helpful to create a graph of your year cards from birth up to age 60 to see what kinds of patterns exist in your year cards.

Here is a list of the Major Arcana cards and their numbers;

0 The Fool

1 The Magician

2 The High Priestess

3 The Empress

4 The Emperor

5 The Hierophant

6 The Lovers

7 The Chariot

8 Strength

9 The Hermit

10 The Wheel of Fortune

11 Justice

12 The Hanged Man

13 Death

14 Temperance

15 The Devil

16 The Tower

17 The Star

18 The Moon

19 The Sun

20 Judgment

21 The World

(22, The Fool)


note; If you haven't yet had your birthday, then you are still experiencing your card for 2009, as your personal yearly cycle begins on your birthday. (Example, if your birthday is September 1, your current year cycle is Sept. 1, 2009 thru Sept. 1, 2010) So, if you haven't had your birthday yet, calculate as above but use 2009 instead of 2010.
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Some More Thoughts on your Year Card

I have been amazed with the presence of my year card in my life. I spent about a whole month studying my year card, learning all I could about it. (There is SO much to be found in just one card, especially a Major Arcana card!) I journaled about it. I searched meanings online. I had conversations with it. I compared it to other cards that I drew or studied. I even wrote a poem about it. Most of this is on my blog on my MySpace page, but I will probably transfer some of that information here.

I just wanted to share with you some of the ideas I had.

First of all, journal with your year card. Write the figure in the card a letter, or write a conversation you would have with the figures in the card. Even write about the parts of the card you don't understand... the parts that you feel can't possibly relate to your current life. Just putting these thoughts and feelings on paper or the computer can be extremely awakening.

Another idea.... any time you get a reading or do a reading for yourself, ask yourself how the cards in that reading would relate to your year card. Ask what the cards would teach each other or ask each other if they were in a room together. Ask your year card how it would interpret those cards. Whatever way you have of comparing cards that is comfortable to you will work.

Affirm. Write an affirmation related to your card's greatest strengths. This is your affirmation for the year. Repeat it to yourself every day, until it becomes second nature, and watch how that affirmation begins to manifest in your life.

Think about how your year card relates to the General Year Card for 2010 - the Empress. How do they support each other? What conflicts might arise? What can the two cards learn from each other (thus understanding what you might learn from these two cards.) As the year progresses, if you find yourself in a difficult situation, ask yourself how The Empress and your Personal Year Card might react in this situation.

Finally... figure out the year cards of your family. Your kids, your significant other, your closest friends. Examine how your card would relate to their cards. For example; how would your card act in a situation with your husband's year card? What can they teach each other? How can you apply this to how you react to your husband throughout this year? Or, with your children's year cards.... what can your year card teach you about your parenting abilities? How would your year card act if it was the Parent of your child's year card? What does your child's year card have to teach or show your Year card?? Journal some more. What you discover could amaze you, shock you, or just confirm and enlighten your current situation even more.

Hope this is as helpful to you as it has been to me!
In Love & Light