UPDATE: Muzoracle, 2nd Edition

Greetings all, and to all who’ve been waiting, I thank you for your patience. Completing the second edition of the handbook and website has been far more of an undertaking than I imagined.

The new stuff. The new edition of the handbook—“Muzoracle Mythopoetics: A User’s Guide”—is upwards of 200 pages, and in full color. It will be released as a Kindle ebook and a PDF, and will be free to all. (The ebook format allows for hyperlinks, which make referencing a snap. Printing the book—as I initially planned—would have been exorbitantly expensive, and ecologically less sound—and ebooks are frankly more useful when dealing with material that requires a lot of cross-referencing. Kindle books are readable on more than just Kindles, btw—the Kindle app is free for tablets, phones, and desktops.)

Included in the new physical Muzoracle package will be a printed, full-color Quick Reference, with basic casting instructions and short, concise indices for the cards and dice—also a big help, especially for beginners. The Quick Reference will be sent free of charge to all current system owners.

Timeline.  The User’s Guide is finished. Underway is formatting it for Kindle. It will be available for download by mid-November at the latest—when it is, I will post notification everywhere. The entire Muzoracle system, along with the Quick Reference, will be back on the market before Thanksgiving. The website update will be well underway by then as well, though it may be ongoing through Christmas—in addition to textual information, there are hundreds upon hundreds of sound samples to upload. The site will, however, be fully functional and integrated with the new system upon the system’s release. 

More info, more clarity, more simplicity. Between the new User’s Guide, Quick Reference, and site upgrade, there is a whole lot more information available than there was when the system was initially released. Nonetheless, the system is now easier to use, and much simpler for novices to begin. For those who wish to dig deeper, there is much to satisfy. The Quick Reference provides a clear entrée to system, and a way to begin using it quickly—especially when coupled with the how-to videos going up online. In the User’s Guide, the indices are more fleshed out than those in the Quick Reference; the “Metaphors in Play” section of the guide explores the cards and dice even further. The “Mechanics to Metaphor” section of the guide details the musical, acoustic, and cosmological underpinnings of the system; the “Deeper” and “Further” sections of the guide are just that, exploring the system’s design elements, further subtleties in casting, interpreting castings on an instrument, and using the Muzoracle alongside traditional Tarot.

Come fly with me! I am very excited to at last be able to share all the developments the system has undergone since its inception in 2008—I thank you all again for your patience. And btw—if you find yourself in or near the Coachella Valley—visiting Palm Springs, perhaps, or at one of our music festivals—please don’t hesitate to contact me, to meet and talk shop, or book a casting and sound bath with me at Philomusica Studios.

All the best,

J S Kingfisher

Cards in Context: A Major Second of Voices

A Major Second of Voices: Diversity. 

Division, disparity, independence in

the realm of being, the higher self,

or the transpersonal.

In Muzoracle mythopoetics, Major Seconds reference division, disparity, or independence. The two notes of the dyad are not defined in relation to one another: they speak of two currents or states that exist in ignorance of or irrelevance to the other. They may or may not be in opposition.

The hermeneutic for the Major Second of Voices is “diversity.” The suit of Voices references the fifth element, aether, and issues regarding being, the higher self, and the transpersonal; the Major Second sounding through the suit speaks of a need to embrace what we perceive as “other.” 

The hermeneutics—single words or short phrases that describe the cards and dice of the Muzoracle—are meant to serve as an entrée to meaning, not the entirety of meaning. A recent appearance of the Major Second of Voices in a casting points this up. When we think of “diversity,” we might jump straight away to “including others”; in said casting, however, the card referenced disparate currents within. The querent was seeking insight on which of two diverse life paths to take. In the context of their casting, the card spoke of seeing things not as either/or, but both—that integrating both paths was the dharma at hand. 

The Rhythm Line

Following is an excerpt from the upcoming second edition of the Muzoracle handbook, Mythopoetics of Muzoracle, A User's Guide. The guide, along with a 24x36 reference poster and a completely updated interactive website, will be published on or before Yule of 2017 (December 21st.) The new edition will be shipped free to all current Muzoracle owners.

The Rhythm Line

As vibration falls in frequency downward through light, though ranges imperceptible to us and down through sound, it eventually slows to the point where we can apprehend each individual vibration: pitch becomes pulse. Experientially, vibrations within our pitch range and above exist without regard to time: while we can point to the time when such a frequency begins and ends, while it is occurring, while we are inside of it, time is not referenced; it is irrelevant. Pulse, in contrast, measures time; it is forever concerned with where it’s been and where it’s going. Of course, just because we can’t count individual vibrations beyond a certain speed doesn’t mean they’re not occurring in time; we may experience A440, for example, as timeless, but it’s still a wave cycling 440 times per second. But the fact that we perceive pitch as timeless, and pulse as time-based, suggests two separate modalities so ubiquitous to human experience that they’re easy to miss: being and process. Our lives are spent being and doing; what we perceive as which is a matter of frequency. Again, we’re not talking about what we can scientifically measure, or imagine; we’re talking about what we perceive and experience. The implications of this are considerable: what we consider “is” and what we consider “does” defines for us what is fixed and what is mutable; our experience of reality is built around these distinctions.

In Muzoracle mythopoetics, the frequency that divides these modalities is called the Rhythm Line. It’s more than a fixed number where vibration falls out of our hearing range; it marks a shift in consciousness and varies for different people in different ways at different times. It is quite possible for us, for example, to bring more being into doing, to become more present in time, as any good drummer or meditator will tell you. Presence in life is an altering of our relationship to frequency.

Experientially, for us human critters, pitch—and by extension, harmony—is timeless. Pulse—and by extension, rhythm, scales, and melody—is time-based. In Muzoracle mythopoetics, pitch and harmony—expressed chiefly through the cards and the Musician’s Die—indicate states of being. Rhythm, scales, and melody—expressed in a handful of cards and the Solfège Dice—indicate processes or points within processes.

New Moon Casting with Piano Improv: 01/27/17

As our country, and indeed the world, takes a dark turn toward fascism, we cast the Muzoracle at the dark of the moon, a time for new beginnings.

In the dark of the new moon, preparedness is coupled with an increase of force; we are ready to burst forth. The milieu we enter, though, does not require what we have imagined—instead, we are called to improvise. In music, improvisation is not just randomly making things up—it involves deep listening in mind, feeling, and body, and responding musically in a way that serves the piece at hand. Here and now we are called to consciously respond to a constantly changing environment. The precise form of the end we wish to achieve is not known; our intent, however, our aims, are clear. There’s an old joke that says improvisation is continuously making the best of the mistake you just made. There will be missteps—but they will be first steps in something lovely and unplanned, providing we remain in intent, and listen, listen, listen.

The wherewithal to see our aims through comes from mastering our emotions—if we become overly identified with our emotions, we will become drained. This mastering, though, is not mere repression; it is a service to, a remembering of, a higher mastery, a drive toward and longing for compassion and fellowship. 

Beyond the enormous scope of the issues we face, there’s an even broader challenge at hand, a life lesson on offer for us individually and as a culture. We are called to integrate sorrow. In pain we lash out: the situation we are in is a response to pain. Shall we respond to our pain in kind? Or is there another way? Anger can crystallize into self-righteous belief—so the gun is passed. But sorrow can embrace, like two friends long estranged. Perhaps then the real work of conciliation can begin.

Casting notes. Key of A descending: Throat Chakra, issues of communication. Under do, the Point of Inception, a Major Sixth of Brass crossed by Crescendo: preparedness and increase in force. Under so, the Point of Vitality, a Conductor of Strings: mastery in feeling. Under fa, the Point of Transition, a Minor Third of Voices: sacrifice. Under ti, the Point of Revelation, Improvisation. Over te, the Point of Opportunity, al Segno: intuition. Over le, the Point of Mechanicality, a Unison of Voices: fellowship. Over ra, the Point of Broad Challenge, a Minor Third of Strings: sorrow. Under la, the Point of Governance, a Conductor of Voices: mastery in spirit.

Pondering Prediction

The following is excerpted from the 2nd edition of the Muzoracle Handbook, "The Harmonic Engine: Mythopoetics of Muzoracle", which will be published Midsummer 2016. 

Photo: whitemagickalchemy.com

We all have the ability to predict the future to some degree: if the sky is full of black clouds, for example, we might predict rain. Beyond that, we’ve all experienced hunch: the phone rings and we know who it is before we answer, or we’re filled with an unreasonable certainty that something’s going to happen and then it does. These “hunches” can be written off as the brain quickly calculating probabilities and then jumping to conclusions, but if we are observant we recognize a momentary shift in perception at a level much deeper than that. It’s more like a shift in being. For a moment, the line between past and future goes slack; the knots that hold it taut loosen. A similar thing occurs with déjà vu. For the psychics among us, the past/future line is flexible more often and for longer periods. The boundaries between the psychic and others may be less concrete, as might be the usual divisions between the living and the dead. Occasional hunches, a developed intuition, psychic ability: it’s a matter of degree.

Intuitions, gut feelings, aha! moments: these occur within us at a level deeper than that of our ordinary experience. As soon as the magic passes, however, we can’t help but begin to process these moments in an ordinary way. This can be problematic when we base our advice to others on those intuitions. Example: say we have an insight regarding another person’s behavior: we see an underlying fear manifesting as aggression. That insight might engender compassion for them, and a compassionate response from us. It also, however, might trigger judgement in us at some unseen level, and we end up unknowingly mixing our compassion and insight with our opinions and conclusions. With all the best intentions, we wipe our drama on them—in the name of "help." The psychics we consult are only human, too: no matter how profound their insights, they can’t automatically be trusted to give it to us clean. 

"Know thyself": Excavation from the
San Gregorio convent in Rome.

So how do we proceed? Skip oracles altogether? Perhaps. Throw intuition out the window, pretend it doesn’t exist? Become fundamentalist materialists, vigorously thumping our bibles of empirical data? Hopefully not. The same dictum holds true when navigating oracles and intuition as when undertaking any inner work worth its salt: know thyself. Observe yourself, detachedly and ruthlessly. Learn to see your unconscious mechanisms in action, learn what runs you; learn to discern one part within from another, the higher from the lower. Learn what it means to be present. Learn silence, and so listening: a good part of “psychic” is simply being quiet enough to hear. 

And when do we know ourselves enough? When are we silent enough? When are we prepared enough? Quite possibly never. What we can be, though, is humble. Wherever we fall on the spectrum of self-awareness or psychic ability, we can be assured that we don’t know it all: we can remain in question. Each of us is such a complex combination of beliefs, ideas, feelings, histories, hopes, fears, subterfuge… whether we’re reading or being read for, it is best to maintain between reader and querent a sense of creative conspiracy. The glimpses and hints and metaphoric possibilities that they see, that you see—what from them can you together make that is useful? Sometimes circumstances are playing out in a way that is clear, and it is not possible to change them. We can, however, always redefine our relationship to those circumstances, and an oracle can shine light on the possibilities. Whatever the aims of a Muzoracle casting or reading of any sort, empowerment and choice for the querent should be foremost.

The Other Side of Darkness

The dark is done, the light is born: we have crossed into Winter. In the long dark of last night, I cast the Muzoracle. How might we navigate this time?

The keycenter, G# Ascending, energy moving upward from the Throat to Third Eye: being understood. The first position, Timbre under se: destiny at the Point of Inception. The second position: a Conductor of Strings over ti: mastery in the realm of feeling at the Point of Transition. The final position and axis of the casting, Improvisation crossed with a Minor Second of Woodwinds under me: creative response and conflicting ideas at the Point of Opportunity.

This casting can be pertinent to many areas of life. The first that comes to mind, though, is politics, especially those of the US. Every musical instrument has its unique timbre, its own sound determined by its shape; the Timbre card refers to becoming ourselves. That it occurs at the Point of Inception implies that the process is already underway: seeded in the dark, a new form is emerging. The very fact of where Sanders stands in the culture is visible proof of such an emergence — it is a hopeful time. 

The second and third positions address the how-to. First, in order to navigate the transition to the next level, we are required to become masters of our emotions. That doesn’t mean repressing them — they arise and must be honored — it means mustering will with regard to expressing them, and not identifying with and indulging them. This is a work: there’s a lot to be distressed and pissed off about. When is it effective to get in people’s faces, and when is it not? The I Ching advises that in a time of emergence, gentleness is in order:  “Everything must be treated tenderly and with care at the beginning, so that the return may lead to a flowering.” Sound advice, so to speak.

The final position speaks of improvising, of responding creatively, in the face of conflicting philosophies and ideas. Creative responding without reactive emoting: this is where the opportunity to fill our emerging form lies.

We have reached the other side of darkness — may it be light.

Full Moon Casting for 8/29/15

You are on the cusp of understanding: your mind has begun to comprehend what the heart and spirit knows. Remember your intentions regarding fulfillment — this new understanding is a support toward those ends. In order to move forward some things must be abandoned; intuitively you know what those things are.

Beyond the mundane challenges you face, there is a life lesson at hand. You are at center stage, all eyes are upon you, it is a moment to shine; and you are called to respond in an unexpected way, a way that may not at first be obvious. The path is clear when you ride the right horse: proceed calmly, with heart open and intuition fully engaged.

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Casting notes. Under do descending, the point of inception, we find Theory; in the same position, we find the Nine of Cups moving upward from the point of intention. Under la descending, the point of governance, we find Editing in conjunction with the High Priestess. The axis of the casting is over ra ascending, the point of broad challenge, of karmic debts and payments; here we find Performance crossed with Ossia, with the Knight of Cups descending from the point of vitality.

The Muzoracle cards in this casting are all compositionals: a rare occurrence. Emotion and intuition loom large: the casting begins and ends in Cups, with the High Priestess at center. The necessary culling that Editing calls for is represented by the sickle-shaped new moon; this is echoed in the same moon/sickle at the feet of the Priestess. But the new moon is coming; the full moon is here, and we see it shining on the face of Performance. It crosses Ossia, the alternate passage; karmically, we are called to an “alternate performance.”

Further subtleties. This casting is in the key of D descending, and so resonates in the body primarily at the second chakra, the seat of creativity. The burgeoning understanding at position 1 seems miles away from the karmic call at position 3: they are separated by a major seventh, which is a long way. The culling at position 2 fills the hole. That culling is somber business in relation to this new understanding — positions 1 and 2 are separated by a minor third. Finally, there is a longing urgency between the culling at 2 and the karma at 3, as they are separated by a minor sixth.

Musically, though based in the key of D, this casting feels very much in the key of G; this “future is now” aspect reinforces the “already underway” qualities of position 1. It also brings the throat chakra into play, which resonates with Performance. The sweetness of the harmony at position 2 suggests that the culling at hand may include a sense of relief.

Muzoracle, Tarot, I Ching: Similarities and Differences

The Muzoracle is subtitled “The Tarot of Music,” and is sometimes described as “a musical cross between Tarot and the I Ching.” How exactly is the Muzoracle related to those two systems? What are the differences between it and them?

The Tarot deck is divided into two types of cards, the Major and Minor Arcana. The Major Arcana is made up of the 22 archetypal, pictorial cards most commonly associated with Tarot: cards like The Fool, The Empress, Death, The Sun, and so on. The Minor Arcana is made up of 56 cards divided into four suits, and includes numbered cards and court cards; those are the cards from which our standard playing cards are derived.

The Muzoracle deck is analogous to the Tarot deck in that its cards, too, are divided into two types: the 34 Compositionals and the 55 Harmony Cards. Honestly, though, the similarity between the two decks pretty much ends there. The Compositionals are based on musical concepts and directives found in musical composition: things like Melody, Tonality, Rhythm; slow down, get louder, repeat, pause. The Harmony Cards, divided into five suits, are the more archetype-driven cards in the Muzoracle Deck; but they are based on sonic archetypes, two and three note combinations that convey their meaning primarily through their sound rather than their images and ideas. The Harmony Cards also include their version of the court cards; in lieu of kings, queens, knights, and pages, however, there are conductors, soloists, and accompanists.

The similarities between the Muzoracle and the I Ching are even more amorphous, with one significant exception: like the hexagrams of the I Ching, the positions in a Muzoracle casting are characterized by underlying movement. Muzoracle mythopoetics are driven by something called The Harmonic Engine: all of the elements in a casting contain and are contained within other elements, which are all on the way to and from somewhere else. The workings of the Engine may not be obvious in a casting, and a theoretical knowledge of them is not necessary in order to use the oracle; nonetheless, the Engine’s action pervades the Muzoracle experience. There is a sense of things in motion that one can tap into and use, rather than some sort of fixed doom that one is sentenced to live out.

Indeed, it is this “lack of fixedness” that separates the Muzoracle from other divinatory tools, especially the Tarot. Each card in the Tarot brings a lot with it: those images, those terms, those numbers, its history of use as a predictor. Therein lies its power, and its attraction, and its potential for good use and misuse. The Muzoracle is not meant to supplant the Tarot, nor to pose itself as greater-than; it is simply different. Each position in a Muzoracle casting is defined by keywords, a sound, a place in a scale, a geometric shape, a color… a combination of abstract elements that fire the imagination and intuition. The relationship between querent and reader is more one of creative co-conspiracy than prophecy; the endgame is empowerment, a sense of choices one owns.

Navigating the Halcyon Days, December 14–28

This year, Sunday, December 14th marks the beginning of the Halcyon Days, which run 7 days before and 7 days after the Winter Solstice. In Greek mythology, these days – the “Alcedonia” – marked a time when the Mediterranean seas became unusually calm, so that halcyon birds – kingfishers – could nest. And there is a quiet that becomes available around this time, if we stop to notice. In the short days and long nights leading up to the solstice, there’s a kind of turning inward that happens, a reflectiveness, and a tenderness toward others; gatherings with friends have a different quality, as does our quiet time alone. In the lengthening days after the solstice – in the days between Christmas and the New Year – we find a kind of bright emptiness, spare and clean, and a sense of space to begin; and these days, too, are imbued with a singular quiet and calm.

In the bustle of the season, with it’s parties and shopping and travel and crowds, how can we remember, how can we live more fully, this magical, gentle quiet that’s on offer? How can we be it, share it, make the best of it?

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The casting opens with a gift of seeing: a seismic shift is underway for us at a being level, an evolutionary step up, and we have a sense of it. We are asked to set an intention to commit to this fledgling self, to allow what we are becoming to become our center. We find opportunities for this in our relationships with others: opportunity to see, and opportunity to be. At the same time, opportunities arise for closeness and understanding in the relationships themselves. It’s a lovely thing. All of this happens best during the rituals the season provides: gatherings of two or twenty, dinners, walks in nature, trips to the snow, kids around the tree… whichever best suits us.

Walking out the door, however, we run into difficulty: schedules conflict, traffic snarls, people are late or no-shows, tempers flare. We try and get on people’s wavelength, but we try too hard – perhaps we’re pushing to be heard without listening, or bucking for approval; perhaps they are. The effort required in these situations: lead with the heart. Give. Let go, listen, and give. If it’s their turn to give, give first anyway. You’ll find yourself loved and appreciated without asking for it – and there’ll be room for some of that shiny new stuff to emerge.

The Halcyon Days have their own rhythm, and it’s a polyrhythm: the big boomers of gatherings and events, the crazy cacophony of the mall parking lot, and the quiet pulse of the season itself, gentle as the sea. Focus on one aspect of the rhythm, and you’ll choke and sputter; embrace it all and, like the halcyon, you’ll soar.

A blessed Yule to you all. –JSK

Casting Notes.  Keycenter, D ascending: 2nd Chakra (sacral, creative.) 1st position: Tritone of Voices over fa, impetus in the realm of spirit at the point of revelation. 2nd position: Tonality over do, centeredness at the point of intention. 3rd position: Harmony under te, relationship at the point of opportunity. 4th position: Form under ra, form at the point of vitality. 5th position, axis: Minor Second of Brass crossed with Tuning over re: tuning into others and conflict in the realm of movement over the point of mechanicality. 6th position: Perfect Fifth of Strings over mi, initiative in the realm of feeling at the point of effort required. 7th position: Soloist of Woodwinds under se, autonomy in the realm of thought at the point of inception. 8th position: Octave of Strings under me, strength in the realm of feeling at the point of governance. 9th position: Rhythm under le, rhythm at the point of dependence.

The Halcyon Days derive from the myth of Alcyone and Ceyx, which can be found in Ovid’s “Metamorphoses.”  

Muzoracle creator J S Kingfisher is available for private castings with music, as well as instruction, workshops, and presentations. For more information, contact him here.

Serving Peace: New Moon/Solar Eclipse, 10/23/14

Conscience awakens: now we serve peace.

Today is a day rich with mythos: a new moon and solar eclipse at zero degrees Scorpio, signaling completion and initiation via a delving into the shadow self. It speaks of shedding beliefs and behavior patterns that are not serving us, especially those concerning betrayal and self-worth. What does Muzoracle bring to the table?

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Most striking about today’s casting is the preponderance of Voices and Strings, of larger-than-life, deeper-than-mundane forces and big emotion. This is very much in keeping with the Scorpio theme. The keycenter of the casting is B ascending, indicating energy moving up and through the Crown chakra, a giving back to the universe that which has moved through us and transformed. This very holy activity includes a sharp look to the past – in Scorpio fashion, a ruthless and detached look.

The first position is a Minor Second of Voices under me. This extreme dissonance in the deep inner realms indicates an awakening of conscience. The scalepoint of me shows conscience as a governing force. The appearance of true conscience – not the “I feel guilty” variety, but the deep inner knowing that says not this, but this – is a great gift. Here, it must be followed.

The second position is the axis of the casting, its center of gravity: an Accompanist of Voices crossed with a Perfect 4th of Strings under se. Se is the point of inception: here, at this moment of beginning, what begins is giving: the Accompanist of Voices is about serving the higher calling; the Perfect Fourth speaks of doing so with an open heart. The burning away of those beliefs and behaviors leaves us with the strength to be gentle, to serve.

The third position also speaks of beginning, but from the point of view of what we want, what we wish for: do is the point of intention. Above it is a Major Third of Voices: peace.

The fourth position, an Octave of Strings under le, shows powerful feeling drawing energy from us. Scorpio feeling is a downward pull, certainly, and we are entering Scorpio time. The appropriate response when negative feelings overwhelm is not to fight - those feelings will only condense and take on power. Instead, open the heart courageously and dive in, as the Perfect Fourth allows, as Scorpio allows. The Voices will keep singing.

The final position is the Chops card under te, the point of opportunity. Chops indicates facility, and implies discipline and perseverance. Return to conscience, serve, open, remember peace: we have an opportunity here to work, and an opportunity to become more facile in doing so.

Flying the Dark: Autumnal Equinox – Winter Solstice, 2014

Today, on Autumnal Equinox, we stand on the edge of light and darkness; tomorrow, the darkness prevails – through Yule, when the light begins to grow again. Yesterday, Pluto went direct after a 5 month retrograde: that which we have repressed begins to show itself. The dark of the moon, the new moon, also today, is in Libra, speaking of a beginning where balance is key. Here come the long nights, the secrets and fears, the sensuousness and silent comforts – what is the balance that serves? What will we do well to remember? How shall we fly this dark?

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The keycenter of the casting is C# Ascending – a fine accompaniment to Pluto going direct. Energy moving upward from the Root to Sacral Chakras, from survival anxiety and security issues into creativity and fecundity with a sensuous Venusian edge that Libra loves: that’s where the casting plays out. 

First position, first die: ti ascending, speaking of transitioning to a new a level. The attendant card: an Accompanist of Percussion, speaking of service in the realm of the physical. In order to get through the night, get out of your own drama and help others in a very real way: cook a dinner, offer a room, help finish, help fix. 

The second position marks the axis of the casting: a Minor Seventh of Woodwinds crossing tranquillo over do, the point of intention. The hermeneutic for the Minor Seventh of Woods is uncertainty. Plenty of that in the darkness – meet it with tranquility. Make calm your intent. 

The third position, a Major Seventh of Strings under le, indicating a lack of feeling as a burden. You may not find the inspiration to continue; you might not feel much of anything but ennui. Look to the next position in that case, look to your partner: a due over la, the point of acceptance. This isn’t a solo performance – it’s a duet. 

Does this all feel familiar? Walk it again. You just did walk it again? Walk it again again. The fifth position is repeat under se, the point of inception. The repeat has already begun, and may be further required – but we never cross the same stream twice. Repeat is about perseverance. Beware that Major Seventh back there, that ennui. Stay out of drudge mode – no two repeats are ever the same, and something is gained with every pass.

The sixth and final position brings the Perfect Fourth of Voices under te, the point of opportunity. Something in this particular stew at this particular time – the unfolding dark, the helping of others, the uncertainty faced with calm, the lessons learned through partnership and perseverance –  is opening a door to compassion. That’s a Being shifter, there. A night bloom.

New Moon in Leo, 07/26/14

There is hunger for your offerings if they are given in service. Sound your wish. Let go your anger and aloneness. Embrace the peaceful heart. There is movement outward and movement inward – simply see, do not become. Overcome inertia. Sound your wish – together.

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Tonight marks the New Moon in Leo - a time of creative beginnings. Also in Leo are the Sun and Jupiter, bringing great energy and enthusiasm. It’s a great time for beginning new ventures and adventures, especially of the creative variety. What might the Muzoracle bring to the table?

The keycenter of tonight’s casting is A# ascending. This indicates energy moving upward from the Third Eye to Crown Chakra, and speaks of the transcendence of thought, of leaving even our most cherished notions behind for the higher connectivity available at the Crown. Interestingly, the first thing that strikes us about this casting visually is that it’s very purple – four of its seven positions contain cards in the suit of Voices. The Crown’s color is violet, and Voices tend to speak of issues that transcend the more local aspects of our existence. It would seem our creative adventure has deep roots – growing upward from the tops of our heads.

The first position contains an Accompanist of Voices under the scalepoint of le. Le descending is the point of dependence – it is the Moon at the Earth’s breast. While this scalepoint can speak of what sucks our energy and drags us down, it can also speak of simply what needs us. The Accompanist of Voices speaks of service in the highest sense of the word, of seva. There is hunger for what we have to offer, and not just at a superficial level.

At Position Two we find the Tonality card over do. Tonality is an organic phenomenon that arises from the Harmonic Series. It contains the mystery, musically and otherwise, of center, and its appearance in a casting sounds the question: “What is central?” What is central will generate specific harmonics and create a tonality, and that tonality will resonate with like structures – that is lawful, and cannot be otherwise; it is the Law of Attraction. That the Tonality card appears here over do ascending, the point of intention, insists we’d best be clear about what we want, right from the start; things are lined up in such a way that we just might get it.

The third position is the axis of the casting: here we find a Soloist of Voices crossed with Smaniato over the scalepoint of re. The Soloist of Voices refers to going it alone in a very deep and profound way, rather like the Tarot’s Hermit. That it appears over re, the point of mechanicality, says we go there automatically, without consideration; not necessarily a bad thing, hermits can go a long way, but here it is coupled with Smaniato, which in music is a directive to play a passage with fury. Are we angry with the world? Does our anger justify our aloneness, and our aloneness justify our anger? This position asks us to question our anger and, along with the other Voices in the casting, to build a bridge to others.

The fourth position contains a Major Third of Strings over la, Ease in the Realm of Feeling over the point of acceptance. It’s good to feel good, and fury cannot manifest when there is ease in feeling. This is a marker for being on the right track: look for the peaceful heart.

The fifth position contains a Major Second of Voices under te, the point of opportunity. In the other four suits, Major Seconds refer to two people, or two currents of thought, feeling, or action, that are oblivious, uncaring, and/or not concerned with the other. In the suit of Voices, the Major Second speaks of a realtime awareness of such division; it's essentially a call to see, to step back and, deeply occupying the body, broaden our view. In this casting, a division lies between the Accompanist and the Soloist, between being for the world and being for oneself; the opportunity lies not in choosing one, but in seeing – and contemplating, understanding, and/or possibly encompassing – both. 

In Position Six we find a Minor Seventh of Brass over so, the point of broad challenge. Minor Sevenths speak of a future unknown, and Brass references action: we don’t know what to do, so we hem and haw and don’t do much. The broad challenge – the challenge beyond the immediate circumstances, the big reason why we as individuals are in this situation – is to learn to overcome this inertia, to take one small step at a time, confidently and without worry.

In the last position we find a Unison of Voices under ra, the point of vitality. Unisons always involve two or more – here we see reiterated again the need to work, to be, with others. The fuel for the entire enterprise at hand comes from this – alone we won’t go far.

Under the Beaver Moon

Stability and security begins in the heart, with the love of friends and family and in acts of everyday kindness.

A Serbian translation of this post is available below.

The full moon in November – the “Beaver Moon” in North America – rises this year in Taurus on Sunday the 17th, while the Sun is in Scorpio. The name originated among the Algonquin peoples of the North Atlantic coast, marking either a time to set beaver traps for winter fur or a time when beavers build their winter dams.

The Full Moon in Taurus illuminates a need for security and stability; that it occurs while the Sun is in Scorpio speaks of what we must relinquish in order to serve that end. How do we go about filling this need?

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The keycenter of the casting is B Descending, indicating higher wisdom coming down into us through the crown chakra. The first scalepoint that appears is do descending, the point of Inception, with a Conductor of Strings below: a time beginning when the heart leads. The second position is the axis of the casting, and so its central focus; here we find the scalepoint of te ascending, of Effort Required, with diminuendo crossed by a Major Triad of Strings above. Together, these first and second positions speak of conducting our affairs with a soft heart. It is from this softening, this diminuendo, this gentle opening to our deepest heart and the hearts of those around us, that we find both emotional fulfillment and the security and stability we seek: we become grounded through love, not through grasping or clinging.

Fulfilling as it is when we come to such a place of connectedness, there is a tendency to want to exit quickly, to hurry back to our comfy cocoons, to our self-absorbed dramas and notions of self-control. The third position – ra ascending with fermata above – speaks to this. “Fermata” means “hold that note till the conductor says otherwise.” The broad challenge here is not just to experience a moment of connectedness, assume we’re enlightened, then move on – it’s to hold the heart open, even as what’s in front of us shifts.

The fourth position, so with Ossia below, indicates finding vitality in taking the path less traveled. That path might be the scary one – if it involves ditching what is no longer of service, take it.

The fifth position, ti with a Major Triad of Voices below, speaks of a blossoming spiritual fulfillment. Musically, this triad is a half-step higher than the Major Triad of Strings found in the second position. The emotional fulfillment found in softness blooms as spiritual fulfillment in the broader context of our lives as a whole. Lovely.

The sixth and final position is under mi, the point of Opportunity. The moon sets, the Scorpio Sun rises, and we find the sickle of the culling card: Editing. This relates to the path choice in position 4: softening our hearts, we see what is no longer needed – and gently cut it loose.

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Pod Dabrovim mesecom

Stabilnost i sigurnost počinju u srcu, ljubavlju ka prijateljima i porodici i u svakodnevnim postupcima ljubaznosti.

   Pun mesec u novembru, u Severnoj Americi znan i kao "Dabrov mesec", naći će se ove godine u znaku Bika i to u nedelju, sedamnaestog novembra, dok je u isto vreme Sunce u znaku Škorpije. Naziv "Dabrov mesec" potiče od nekoliko plemena, grupno nazvanih Algonkvin, a koja nastanjuju severnu pacifičku obalu i označava, ili doba godine kada je vreme za postavljanje zamki za dabrove kako bi se nabavilo krzno za nadolazeću zimu, ili doba kada dabrovi grade svoje brane na rekama.

Pun mesec u Biku osvetljava našu potrebu za bezbednošću i stabilnošću, dok nam u isto vreme Sunce u Škorpiji govori šta je to čega se moramo odreći kako bismo imali i jedno i drugo. Kako postupiti da bismo ispunili ovu potrebu?

 "Keycenter" (početak) ovog otvaranja je "silazno B" i označava neku višu mudrost koja silazi u nas i to kroz Krunsku čakru (na temenu glave). Prva notna skala koja se pojavljuje je silazno do, tj. polazna tačka, sa "Conductor of Strings" kartom ispod: početak je vremena onda kada sledimo svoje srce. Druga pozicija je srž otvaranja, a samim tim i pozicija fokusa. Ovde nalazimo notnu skalu uzlaznog te, tj. neophodnog napora i zalaganja sa diminuendo kartom preko koje se našla Major Triad of Strings karta. Zajedno, prva i druga pozicija, govore o obavljanju svakodnevnih aktivnosti otvorenog srca. U toj otvorenosti, tom diminuendo-u i nežnosti ka sopstvenom i srcima ljudi oko nas, nalazimo emocionalnu ispunjenost, sigurnost i stabilnost za kojom tragamo: ljubav nam donosi prizemnost kroz davanje, a ne kroz grabežljivost i posesivnost.

Čak i u ispunjenosti, takvoj kakva jeste, kada dosegnemo takav nivo povezanosti, postoji tendencija brzog bega nazad u našu udobnu čauru, sopstvene drame i ideje o samokontroli. Treća pozicija, uzlazno ra sa kartom fermata iznad, upravo govori o tome. "Fermata" znači "zadržavati odredjenu notu dok dirigent ne pokaže drugačije". Ovde nije izazov samo doživeti taj trenutak povezanosti, već nastavljati dalje, zadržati otvoreno srce i tad kada se stvari pred nama menjaju.

Četvrta pozicija, so, sa kartom Ossia ispod, indicira nalaženje vitalnosti u koračanju putem kojim se ređe ide. Put bi mogao biti zastrašujuć: i ako zahteva odbacivanje onoga što nam više nije od koristi, krenite njime.

Peta pozicija, nota ti (si) sa kartom Major Triad of Voices ispod, govori o procvatu duhovne ispunjenosti. Muzički gledano, ova trijada (glasova) je za pola "koraka" viša nego trijada žičanih instrumenata u molu koju ovde imamo u drugoj poziciji. Dakle, emocionalna ispunjenost se razgranava i širi i u ostale sfere našega života. Divno.

Šesta i ujedno poslednja pozicija u ovom otvaranju, donosi nam notu mi, a koja označava priliku! Mesec zalazi, sunce se rađa, a mi kao poslednju sliku ovog otvaranja imamo srp i to na karti Editing (redigovanje, korigovanje, montiranje). Ovo je svakako povezano s izborom puta (pozicija četiri): otvarajući svoja srca, spoznajemo stvari koje nam više nisu potrebne i s osmehom ih ostavljamo iza sebe.

Desire as Burden: Almost Daily One-up with Tarot, 10/13/13

The desire for success can be a burden. Who has defined our notions of success? What within is driving us to achieve? Are we having desire, or is desire having us? 

There is sacred desire, that longing that bubbles up from an essential, grounded place within; and there is obsessive desire, that which quietly begins in fear and gorges itself into a monster that overtakes us. It can be surprisingly difficult to discern which is operating within us and to what degree – often, what starts out clean gets stealthily polluted by insecurity and selfishness – fear, in a nutshell – along the way. 

Many traditions would have it that all desire is poison. I would counter that such a notion is poison – it stinks as much of attachment as any addiction, and denies an essential force of nature. The problem is not that we want, or even what we want, as long as no harm to others is involved – the problem is how we want and why.

Everything, from our marriages and career paths to getting out of bed in the morning, is driven by desires, large or small, borrowed or built, hidden or in plain view.  This casting provides an opportunity to step off the train for a moment and consider where we’re going, to consider what it is we’re wanting in relation to who we deeply are.

Casting notes. The keycenter of F descending speaks of energy flowing downward from the Heart into the Solar Plexus Chakra, from the seat of deep feeling into the seat of power and identity. The scalepoint of re descending references the last note in a descending scale, and speaks of that which is needy and draws energy: the weight on a pendulum, the pull of the moon on tides. The Minor Sixth of Strings expresses feelings of longing. The Three of Pentacles speaks of fulfillment of a creative venture, with an emphasis on working with others. My overall sense of this casting is that of an emotional neediness slowing a success that is surprisingly close at hand.

So Are We Together

Beware of judging others based on past experience. What is driving him or her—now? Where are you—now? Listen quietly for the deeper current.

When we think “harmony” we tend to think “harmonious,” as in things blending in a pleasing way. “Harmony,” though, can be consonant or dissonant – it really speaks simply of relationship. In this casting, the Harmony Card arises from the scalepoint of le, from unconscious or habitual response. The whole casting is in the key of G descending, indicating the Throat Chakra and issues of communication, of understanding and being understood. We are called, then, to examine our reactions and assumptions with regard to relationships: under what preconceived notions are we operating? We nod our heads knowingly, we think we’ve got their number; others do the same for us. What we’re really doing is swimming in our own stew.

It is said we never cross the same stream twice; the landscape may look the same, but the water is ever changing. Our inner state at any given moment is a confluence of many streams – worry, joy, gratitude, frustration, calculation, obsession, pleasure, pain… and a lesser or greater degree of self-awareness, all flowing from the past into the ever advancing present. So it is with others. When we meet, we find ourselves in a bigger stream – not one that belongs to us, but to which we belong. What has brought us here? What is this place, so magically shifting beneath our feet?

Harmonics – and by extension, harmonies – arise within every sound. The one becomes many. So are we together: separate, in relationship, and of the same. The Harmony Card reminds us to remember.  

Almost Daily One-up, 08/14/13

What is it to maintain bodily awareness while communicating with others?

The solemn and serious minor third can imply a kind of quiet finality. When it sounds in Percussion, in the realm of the physical, it references sacred space.

The Musician’s Die in this casting is at G# ascending, indicating energy moving upward from the Throat to the Third Eye Chakra, from communication into insight; the hermeneutic for G# ascending is being understood. The scalepoint of ra descending indicates vitality, a point in process when energy sources are defined and/or tapped.

What we see here, then, is sacred space as an energy source that allows us to effectively communicate. While “sacred space” can refer to an external place, a place at home or in nature, it may be more useful here to consider a sacred space within: a quiet bodily presence, an awareness of sensation. How might maintaining such an awareness, such quiet connection to the body, affect communication with others? Can I hold this awareness and talk at the same time?

Musical notes. In the context of a G# ascending major scale, an A with an F# below sounds, implying the Phrygian mode.

Please feel free to share your experiences here or on the Muzoracle Facebook page in the comments section regarding this post.

Almost Daily One-up, 07/19/13 (with Tarot)

A higher calling compels us to act, yet we are weary. Seeing this, we move forward nonetheless, but in a measured way, expending our energy with care.

Casting notes. The keycenter of B descending indicates energy moving downward through the Crown Chakra. That the Musician’s Die points strongly to the right indicates an eye toward the future. The scalepoint of le ascending indicates unconscious, habitual response; the Stanchezza card above it is a directive to play ploddingly, expressing weariness and fatigue. 

Above Stanchezza is the Knight of Wands ascending, speaking of courage, commitment, and energetic action. The Knight, however, can be compulsive and rash. Left to battle in the unconscious, the two cards will stalemate; if seen, and if the true calling is remembered, the cards may indicate a more tempered path.

Musical notes. In the context of a B descending major scale, a G sounds. The accompanying piece is simply a piano improvisation based on this and the feeling of the casting.

Almost Daily One-up, 07/03/13

“A profound lack is preventing us from functioning as masterfully in the outer world as we do inwardly in the creative world. What is this gap, and how do we bridge it?”

The keycenter of D# Ascending indicates energy moving upward from the second to third chakras: that which drives the mostly inward facing creative process is concentrating and moving upward into the seat of personal power, into a place of identity and function in the outer world. The scalepoint of fa ascending indicates a time of revelation in this process; what is being seen is a lack in the realm of being and spirit, as indicated by the Major Seventh of Voices. 

The bad news about the Major Seventh is that it’s a great big hole; the good news is there’s a lot of ways to fill it. A profound lack is preventing us from functioning as masterfully in the outer world as we do inwardly in the creative world. What is this gap, and how do we bridge it?

Musically, the major seventh in this case, while presenting this large gap, is not particularly dissonant: both notes in the dyad are native to the casting’s keycenter, and in context actually sound a bit sweet. That means it might be so ubiquitous we don’t see it –  a big hole, perhaps, that’s easy to miss. Musically, it also means it’s pretty obvious which note fills the hole best, if we’re seeking consonance: a C, which along with the Eb root, makes a very pretty inversion of a G# Major Seventh chord. 

The note C suggests the Root Chakra; the interval between C and the Eb root is that of a major sixth; and the hermeneutic for the Major Sixth of Voices is faith. We wish to function successfully in the world with our creative integrity intact, but there’s an emptiness, a kind of unasked question, a dull blankness, hanging in our way – and the response that heals is faith.

Faith in what? In ourselves? In our worthiness as creators? In the creative process? The voices sing: we need no minor faith, no blind beliefs nor gung-ho confidence nor feel-good platitudes, but profound, deeply grounded faith. Every sound that arises finds its fifth harmonic, it’s consonance, and its seventh harmonic, the dissonance that brings rise to the new and decay to the old. We are momentary densities of vibration in a vast, undulating harmonic fabric, and a part of that fabric as well, and under the same laws, and born of the same unfathomable source: this is home. Trust, surrender, gratitude: that’s the kind of faith we’re talking.

There’s an opportunity here to explore the nature of the Third Chakra, of identity and personal power. Our notions of these things are so often narrow and closed: identity implies boundaries, power implies “mine.” Identity, though, is most functional when fluid and responsive, and true power arises simply from functionality, and not as power over but as power through and with. Perhaps bridging the gap between creativity and a functional identity that includes it is best accomplished from the top down, by letting go of our boiled-down, hardened notions of having to be this or that and allowing the consonance – and confidence, and faith – to rise.

Summer of Love: Midsummer and Marriage Equality

Midsummer is upon us, sweet as strawberries. Friday was the Summer Solstice, the day the Sun shines longest: bonfires were lit, herbs were gathered. Tonight – now –  the full Moon rises in Capricorn, a perigee full moon, closest to the Earth and huge in the sky.

On March 26, the full moon of Easter, two cases came before the Supreme Court of the United States regarding marriage equality, and I cast the Muzoracle. Now the court is on the verge of handing down their decisions, possibly as early as tomorrow, certainly by the 27th. Midsummer is a time of gratitude and celebrating abundance – and love, and marriage. Much has happened since Easter: more states, more people, have come onboard; there seems to be a worldwide transformation of the heart underway. What lies in store for us here in the good ole USA? On Friday I cast the Muzoracle - it’s been stewing here on the casting table since. Tonight, just before moonrise, I added in some Tarot. 

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The keycenter of B ascending indicates energy moving upward from the Crown Chakra: the vitality that bubbled up from the Earth and was drawn up through us is given back to the stars. The Midsummer Sun shines down most abundantly, and we beam back thanks: we are transformers between the Earth and Sun, and are so transformed. 

The first position in the casting is at se descending, the point of inception; the card is Con Amore, “with love.” Here, at the beginning, love shines down. Con Amore is also a directive card: it directs us to give love ourselves, to let it enter us from above and take seed below through us. The Tarot in this position is the Six of Cups – the remembrance of love, a nostalgia for love. Looks like we’re in for another Summer of Love, folks!

The final three positions of this casting are all ascending, speaking of our personal aims, roles, and challenges. The first of the three is at mi ascending, the point of “effort required.“ Here, at the casting’s axis, we find the Silence card crossed with a Minor Second of Voices. The minor second speaks of a deep, pervasive, even spiritual discord: there are those who find the notion of a world where love in all its forms is respected a serious threat. We are called to respond to this discord with silence – not verbal silence nor inaction, but inner silence, the peace of truth. There is no wrong love: that truth lies in the silent part of everyone. How do we engender such silence, within ourselves and others? There’s the effort – there’s the work. The eight wands sailing through the sky in the Tarot card in this position indicate moving ahead with enthusiasm and optimism.

The next position is at fa ascending, the point where the deeper nature of what’s at hand is revealed. The card: Repeat. Perseverance is key: if we lose one, we keep at it. If we win one, we keep at it. Love is not a single act but countless acts in a way of life. The very purpose of all that’s at hand may be to learn the lessons perseverance teaches. The Knight of Pentacles coming down speaks of the pragmatic nature of this perseverance. 

Finally, with the Devil card at do ascending, we find ourselves setting our intention while assuming the mantle of the oppressed. The Devil card, though, is about delusion: the people in it are in chains so loose they could easily slip out of them if only they thought it possible. The Pivot card says it is possible, and so shall be. A pivot refers refers to a point in music where the melody doesn’t change key while the harmony underneath does. Imagine facing a wall then pivoting on one foot to suddenly face a room full of people, or the sea: “I am I: not that, but this.” This is the kind of clarity called for here at do, the point of intention. As long as we claim the mantle of the oppressed, we most certainly will wear it; the Pivot card allows an opportunity to redefine ourselves. 

Musical notes. In the context of an ascending B major scale, an F natural announces itself most lovingly. In response, a D# and E natural are sung horrifically; the response to that is silence. E strikes again, this time without the D# – and again, and again. Finally, do, hinting at what the opening tritone promised.

Almost Daily One-up, 06/11/13

Creatively speaking, that which has been in the clouds is coming down to Earth: enough thinking, enough feely-weely, it's time to get your hands dirty.

Casting notes. The keycenter of D descending indicates energy moving downward through the Sacral Chakra, the seat of creativity. The scalepoint of fa descending speaks of a time of transition from the ephemeral to the concrete. The Perfect Fifth of Percussion is a call for initiative in the realm of the physical.

Musical notes. In the context of a descending D major scale, a percussive perfect fifth sounds downward from G. D to G to C: two consecutive fifths. Let's get a move on.