Samain and the Moon of Growing Darkness
Friday gratefuls: Richard Alpert Dream. Fourth phase name. Herme Harari Israel. Diane and her Uzbekistan trek. Mom. Dad. Mary. Mark. My son. Seoah. Murdoch. Kepler. Gertie. Rigel. Vega. Snow still on the ground. Late Fall. The fallow season well begun.
Sparks of joy and awe: Medicare part D
Kavannah: PERSEVERANCE Netzach נֵצַח Perseverance, tenacity, grit; literally “to last”
One brief shining: Zoom yesterday included Diane and the land of Uzbekistan, Ann and the probable length of my life, Julie and the joyful reality of Medicare Part D saving me $24,000 in 2025, all from the comfort of my home, linked to San Francisco and Littleton and Denver by the power of the internet, mine coming through the satellite dish on my roof, courtesy of Starlink, to my mild regret-soothed by the weakness of Centurylink.
I am claiming my fourth phase name: Herme Harari Israel. The fourth phase is that portion of life after career and family, after a span of healthy retirement years give way, if not to decrepitude, to a knowing that death is the next major life event. I entered the fourth phase with my cancer diagnosis in 2015.
Herme, my neon sign of the Hooded Man* from the Wildwood Tarot. I had Herme made to symbolize my life without Kate’s physical presence, my journey through mourning and grief, my introverted nature. He also captures the essence of a life long ancientrail alluded to in my last name, Israel: He who struggles with god. An often lonely journey, mostly in my interior Wildwood.
Harari, as my friend Paul learned, means, in Hebrew: man of the mountain. Self explanatory.
Israel was the name I took a year ago this November 28th after three times submerging in the mikveh. Jacob got the name Israel after wrestling with the angel at the Jabbok Ford.
*After the difficulties and tribulations when confronting the ancient forces, we need a moment of calm and reflection on life. However, the intricate, complex battles in life can make us feel confused and turned upside down in the search for deep knowledge.
The Hooded Man (The Hermit, Robin – i – The – Hood, the hermit in the deep forest) will bring persistent light in the middle of the winter as well as use his wand to dig deep and accumulate knowledge. His lantern illuminates the darkest frightening crises in every soul, repels misunderstandings, and opens the way to the door to The Great Tree. He knows that knowledge is the light and can only be cultivated through self-sacrifice and self-discipline. He points out the secrets of the deep forest and helps those seeking ways to cultivate their minds to go deeper into the forest. The Great Tree is one of the symbolic powers of the forest, which contains countless secrets and treasures of erudition. #9, The Hooded Man tarotx.net
