I experienced another meaningful coincidence around the subject of DNA/Double Helix symbolism in a passage I opened to at random minutes after publishing my last blog post titled, Shamanic and Jungian Perspectives on Sacred Geometry, Serpentine/DNA Symbolism. The passage is from Jeremy Taylor’s book “Dream Work.” In it, JT describes a lucid dream experience in which he twists two pieces of oak railing he is holding in his hands together so that they wrap around each other like the snakes on Hermes' caduceus and the molecules of the DNA helix.” He does this before he is to give a sermon in the dream to everyone he has ever known in the past and is going to meet in the future. The passage continues, “I decide that I will use the archetype of the double spiral as my ‘text.’ As I float down the amphitheater, I hold the pieces aloft as a concrete example of the archetype of spiral, evolutionary development…As I hold up the oaken helix, it metamorphoses in my hands into a large, self-luminous sphere within which the genetic material can be seen repeating the shape of the oaken pieces. I am surprised and filled with joy at this transformation…The shiny spherical image is a kind of confirmation from the dream itself that my lucidity is not merely a manipulation of the dream experience by ego, but rather an activity in harmony with my deeper being.”This morning I decided to do a Tarot reading having to do with a relationship that I have been troubled about. I’ve been feeling an estrangement with my son that saddens me, because I love him very much. I have several divination decks from which to choose, but felt drawn to the "Intuitive Tarot” deck. In the service of brevity, I will include just snippets from the four cards that showed up in the reading, representing the Past, Present, Future, and Overall Look at the Situation. The information I've included below is the most relevant to the question I asked about what is going on and how to remedy the situation I'm concerned about. I haven’t included in this post the beautiful guided meditations that go with each card, but will be using them privately to go deeper into the cards' meanings ~
1st Card – Past: Page of Discs…Self-protective could have been hurt in the past. Vain. Searching for a deeper sense of self. Remember to what degree the card mirrors myself.
Starter Interpretation: A quiet, thoughtful person who reveals themselves as unexpectedly earthy, witty, and perceptive. May have been badly hurt in the past and tends to ward off superficial contact. Financial issues may be an abiding concern. Humanist.
2nd Card – Present: XIII Death (Reversed)… Transformation. Usually, about change, the death of a situation rather than physical death. Face our deepest fears about disintegration, loss, loneliness, rejection, homelessness, rejection, disfigurement, illness. By allowing the images to surface, and then letting the fears flow through and around us, we transmute them into energy. If we deny them, our souls wither. If we move towards death with love and acceptance, our world is transformed.
Starter Interpretation, Reversed: Preoccupation with death of something. Enforced removal of old, outdated ways. Stagnation. Rigidity of mind.
3rd Card – Future: Six of Swords…A ferryman rows a boat towards a narrow straight, the entrance marked by six of swords. In prow of boat are two passengers, possibly mother and child [Yes!]. The adult inclines her head solicitously towards the child who is staring into the water as it slips by…the worst is over. You might feel a sense of hopeful anticipation in response to the dawn[Smiling]...concern over health or bereavement [Yes. A tragic death in the family].
Starter Interpretation: Travel that allows a release from cares and worries [I will be visiting him and his wife soon]. While challenges still lie ahead of you, the main difficulties have been overcome. The ability to give care to yourself and the vulnerable areas of your psyche. The beginning of something unknown.
Overall Reading Card: Three of Rods…”The focus in the Three of Rods is a strange and beautiful egg-shaped object, its shimmering colours pulsing across the surface. The figure holding the object, caressing it with careful fingers, seems almost awestruck by its qualities. Twin strands of energy, the double helix of life, emerge and interweave through the three interlocked strands of rods above. An oval tunnel of light in the background echoes the egg shape and frame of the card."
The Philosopher’s Stone…The alchemical egg can be seen as creative inspiration; the idea that comes to you in a dream [certainly in JT's!]…the gift of life, love, and inner vision. Forged from both sorrow and joy, it can offer you a doorway to the universe [This double helix orb seems to be an Archetype across all levels of life - physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual].
Starter Interpretation: This is the card of the artist, writer, inventor, dreamer, scientist, or visionary. Inspired gifts that need expression. Creative possibilities coming up. Connecting to the different dimensions of existence. A gift, freely given. Talent.
Note: The cards say it all! I resonate to each one in the reading and see in each a portal to healing the relationship with my beloved son. I especially find the overall reading card, Three of Rods, as symbolic of what we have to offer each other and why we chose to walk this path together in this life: gift of life, love, and inner vision…forged from both sorrow and joy.
Jenna
