Tykhe Dice

[arianllwynog (nog)]

Tykhe Dice and Elemental Dignities

Within Tykhe Dice each symbol is signified by one specific element.
Apart from the apparent influence on the symbol itself these elements also modify the significance and even the meaning of the symbol dependent on the surrounding symbols

Firstly a little something to think on!

It makes for an interesting reading when Tykhe Dice symbols are read as a Triad with of two symbols flanking a central symbol allowing us to concentrate upon the central symbol.

When the elements of each symbol are the same they can be seen as strong of either good or ill according to their nature. ( When the two supporting symbols are of a like mind, they are able to increase the effects of their being for good or ill, depending on their individual symbol meaning.
If the elements are both active/masculine or passive/feminine they can be seen as friendly towards each other and therefore moderately strong as in fire-air or water-earth, they are able to increase the power strength of the other, once again whether this is for good or ill you have to look closer at the specific symbols.
Elements that may be seen as complimenting each other, we look upon these as somewhat friendly as in fire-earth or air-water. Their interaction is somewhat ineffectual more akin to irritating each other, possibly mildly correctional or even therapeutic, but having no major impact regarding strengthening or weakening each other.
If the elements are contrary (ill dignified) they will tend to weaken each other neutralizing their force as in fire-water or air-earth, when reading the effect of casting symbols that are contrary to each other tends to cancel each other out.
To add more to the mix! Any contrary element found in only one flanking symbol, allows the other to become a connecting symbol, the first or center symbol is not weakened, but purely modified by the influence of both symbols, and can be seen as fairly strong. In other words the central symbol then overcomes the neutralizing effect of the contrary flanking symbol, due to the more friendly aspect of the opposite flanking symbol be it for good or ill.
More on this later.
nog

[Elia]

[arianllwynog (nog)]

It does look a little confusing at first but will make sense as I ramble on honest

I'll break this info down into three parts.

Tykhe Dice Discovering Detail in your Reading

Dignities

A really interesting way of discovering incredible background information in your Tykhe readings is by the use of basic knowledge regarding the elemental dignities.

To understand the idea of dignities in Tykhe Dice reading we need to establish certain rules for reading these interactions between between Tykhe symbols.

You may be well aware that the whole idea originates in astrology where a planet may be seen as “dignified” in a particular location on a chart. For example the planet Mars is seen as “dignified” in Scorpio, making it potentially better or more influential in the chart than if it were to be in Cancer, where a proportion of Mars energy (nature) becomes cruel rather than empowering.

In Tykhe reading the dignities are based on the four elements , “fire” “earth” “air” and “water” to which each Tykhe symbol is assigned.

A Tykhe symbol is Strong or Weak, well dignified, according to the Tykhe symbol next to it or on either side.

Tykhe symbols of the same nature on either side Strengthen it greatly, for good or ill according to their energy.

Tykhe symbols of opposite nature on either side Weaken it greatly, for either good or ill according to their energy.

So briefly ;

Air is inimical to Earth
Fire is inimical to Water
Air is friendly to Water and Fire
Fire is friendly to Air and Earth

If a symbol falls between two other symbols that are mutually contrary, it is not much affected by either.

[arianllwynog (nog)]

The Elements and Symbols

Now this may seem a little confusing, but there is some logic to the rules (honest) as they can be seen to link with a group of Tykhe symbols according to their assigned element.


Air: Boat-Web-Heart-Key-Stork.
Earth: Bat-Beetle-Skull-Snail.
Water: Horseshoe-Cat-Goblet-Ladder.
Fire: Crossroads-Knife-Sun-Lightning-Fruit tree.

In this way we can see that the Key corresponds to Air and The Snail corresponds to Earth as Air and Earth do not get along with each other, being so opposite, they are “inimical”, therefore weaken the Tykhe symbol that falls between them.

On the other hand if we had The Cat fall between The Web and The Bat we would see that The Cat (water) was “weakened” by the “inimical” opposition of The Web (Air) and The Bat (Earth) either side of it.
You can see this even before you look at reading the symbols themselves for the dignities as found in Astrology give us a background picture of forces acting upon the reading as we construct it in more detail.

A handy way of looking at this scenario in a workshop setting would be to take three people and a hop up or small pair of steps, the three people represent the three Tykhe Dice cast so each will be will represent a symbol.

Now the person representing the central symbol, needs to hop up onto the steps, with the remain two people with their symbols stand either side of the steps, they may be seen to support the person on the steps, or they may possibly be arguing and rocking the steps.

The central person (symbol) may be either a “good” symbol or a “bad” symbol, in terms of the overall reading. Therefore the impact of the two people (symbols) standing either side at the base supporting it may either be a good thing or even cause some difficulties making it a bad thing-- this however could then turn out to be a good thing overall.

So, whilst the central person (symbol) is trying to do their job, be that break into your car or fix your plumbing the other two people (symbols) can affect how they go about the job.

[arianllwynog (nog)]

A little more on Elements.

Keep the notion of the steps in your mind, as we look at who gets together and who just does not.

Fire and Water, or Air and Earth are opposite, so do not get along with each other so would rock the steps.

Fire and Air get on famously with each other and will support the ladder, think of blowing a flame.

Water and earth, and Air and Water are “friendly” so can be seen as keeping busy chatting to each other at the base of the steps, allowing the central symbol freedom to get on with the task in hand.

When looking at the same Elements (such as fire and fire) they can be seen to get along and will “Strengthen” or even accelerate or amplify the central symbol, this may turn out either for good or bad within the overall reading.
We could well wish the Knife to be amplified by two identical elements either side of it. Unless the question was relationship centred “will a separation happen quickly?” you will not be surprised to find the answer would be a positive. For good can become bad and bad turn to good very quickly.

As we start to read with dignities in mind, our readings become far more subtle in their expression, think of it as having an under lying story behind the leading characters in a drama, you will start to understand their motivations and possible actions far better, for you get to know where they are coming from, and most likely where they want to go.

It’s remembering that the whole reading forms a story, for if we read each symbol as a separate character, we may just miss something because we are seeing it in isolation, not allowing for the possible influence of the other symbols in it’s life possibly leading to a very bland generic type reading.

If we were to take a look at the Beetle for example, it generally has a reasonably “positive” feel about the symbol in most questions, where it could be read as telling us to “Save” or “Hold on to” that which we have gained a symbol in which we would most likely advise not to link up with someone else in the hope of expanding or putting at risk your resources, to avoid spending time and energy on new projects. It is a holding symbol.
If we take the Beetle as Earth, and see it fall between two fire symbols (say the Sun and Fruit tree) It may tell us that we are resisting a lot of fire energy to burn through our cash. A strong indication that is this underlying story showed a person often spending rapidly (the Sun) and ended up hoarding (the Fruit tree), the more they moved (the Sun) the harder it got (the Fruit tree) . So the Beetle would be unable to maintain this given the underlying story. When discussing our reading we may wish to show that the “Earthing” of what we already possess will prove to be a lot better, and more pleasurable, enduring and realistic, than the constant demands of fire, for it requires constant re-fueling and they will only get burnt.

This shows we can get a far deeper and more empowering reading, just for considering the three elements at work on a pair of steps.

[arianllwynog (nog)]

More on Symbols; The Ladder






The Ladder is a very powerful symbol found in Tykhe Dice, used over the millennia from the Sumerian mythology of Inanna to the descent of Ishtar into the underworld found in Babylonian legend. In Mithras the ladder is seen as rising to perfection through seven rungs ‘rounds’ at each level passing through a cavern each symbolised by one of the seven metals and seven ancient planets as found on the Tykhe casting board. In Scandinavian legend the initiated would climb a tree the lower level of which starts the initiate in the physical world they then progress through seven levels seen as ‘steps’ ‘rungs’ ‘gates’ or degrees bringing them to the ideal sphere of truth.

Working with the Ladder symbol gives an insight into human consciousness, a way to access the inner Gnosis, a uniquely human way to independently visualise this symbol and our deeply held hopes and fears as we move between the realms and the ups and downs of our everyday life, as stated above we should not always think of the ladder as just having rungs, as we move away from this they may also be seen as steps, gates or degrees truly symbolic of our ascent and that of reaching upwards from darkness into light, from ignorance to knowledge or possibly from the material to spirituality.

[arianllwynog (nog)]

Secrets of the Web part 3



You cannot put deeper meaning to the Web without mentioning both the Spider and the Human process of weaving, if you think of times long past when weaving was a practice carried out in our communities as part of their daily lives, together with many commonly used phrases such as “close knit” or “tightly woven” when describing the intimacy of a family group, or the phase “patch up” when mending a strained relationship, to “In knots” when feeling anxious and an old favorite “shared common threads” when used regarding people or a situation as an expression of relationship at a very fundamental level, this metaphor suggesting a degree of unity, whilst further metaphors and allegory maybe seen to point to a meaning much closer to creation, it is not such a great leap to link the web spinning of the Spider with other world ability.
Even the idea of “Spinning” a web can be seen as anthropomorphic; Spiders use different glands near their abdomen to secrete their silk depending on the purpose of the strand, the process of spinning we as humans use forms a usable yarn from other fibres.
Take the latin word for a Spiders web “tela” or fabric, looking at other romance languages we have a translation very close to Spider-fabric.
The parallels between the web spinning of Spiders and the spinning of yarn into fabric by human activity can be seen in many cultures around the globe in their myths and folklore.
Neith the oldest goddess in recorded history from the Egyptian pantheon, means not only “water” but also “weaving” her symbol can be seen to represent a loom shuttle, she can clearly be seen as autogenic, just think of Athena for they both can be seen as weavers, and the guardians of marriage and women. (although men also were weavers in Egyptian culture) Neith is linked to the creation myth as having created the world and humanity on her loom, before this however as her name implies she was believed to have worked with the primordial waters, as the source.
Worshipped as a virgin, her creations become even more miraculous and strengthen the comparison to Athena and form the archetype pathway for later mythologies.
More later.


nog

[arianllwynog (nog)]

Secrets of the Web 4

In North American First Nation peoples the web is linked to the birth of the constellation Ursa Major, seen by these peoples as seven men transformed into stars and climbing to paradise by unrolling a Spider’s Web.
The Hopi and Navajo have the Spider Grandmother who thought the world into existence through conscious weaving of her Webs in their creation myths.

The Spider’s Web has been used as a means of protection in both Islamic and Jewish Oral traditions. Whilst in Verdic philosophy of Indria; The Spider is depicted as hiding the ultimate reality with in veils of illusion. Is not Indra’s net a metaphor for the Buddhist concept of interpenetration, this holds that all phenomena are intimately connected for Indra’s net has a multifaceted Jewel at each vertex, and each Jewel is reflected in all the other Jewels, for when Indra fashioned the world he made it as a web.
So we can see the Web in many mythological fables, cosmology, artistic, spiritual depictions and oral traditions throughout the world we met Neith the spinner and weaver of destiny from Ancient Egypt in part 3, but do not forget Ishtar of the Babylonians and the ill fated Arachne of the Greeks. Loki of the Northern tradition also has links as “locke” translated from the Swedish dialect meaning Spider a trickster and weaver of mischief.

However we perceive the Spider’s web, as we gaze upon it reflecting an intricate array of light and complexity, you cannot help but be reminded that there is so much more to the creeping quiet Spider and it’s Web than initially meets the eye, whether you see it as sacred or not it is truly an amazing product of evolution, one our ancient ancestors must have observed as nothing short of divine.

nog

[arianllwynog (nog)]

Secrets of the Web 5



Just as the Spider weaves a web, we in turn must weave our own lives. This symbol serves to remind us that our choices construct our lives, so when the web is drawn in your reading it is a message to be mindful of the choices we are making; ask yourself!

How are my choices affecting my life?
How can my choices improve my life?
How are my choices affecting others in my life?

In this way they not only draw attention to our life choices, but also give us an overview of how we may manipulate our thinking in order to construct a better life, one we wish to live. Look at the amazing construction of the web, you cannot but become aware of these fully functional, practical and ingenious designs, from at a basic level the web serves as not only home but also food storage and incubator their functionality appears limitless.
Looking closer consider this ingenious diversity within the web like construction of our own lives; How are we designing the most effective life?


This brings us to a point of understanding that our decisions, our choices and actions are far-reaching, effective tools in life. That we may either weave a web that may serve or enslave us, the deeper meaning of this symbol beckons us to be mindful of our behaviour, wise up and be smart about the life we weave for ourselves.

nog

[arianllwynog (nog)]

Now hears a thought! A Tykhe book of answers what do you all think?

[Ouroboros]

Yes good one! Talking about spiders, what is the lesson from a good bite from spider?

[Elia]

Is your photobucket acting up too, mine wont do anything!!!

And yes most defiantly a book!! My brain cant keep all that in, I read it and try to remember but puff it's gone!!

[arianllwynog (nog)]

The spider bite is definitely a personal message to you, one of changes but something only you will understand something on the lines of weaving a new web but combining the old with the new.

[arianllwynog (nog)]

I'm thinking that a book of Change/Answers could be used with a group of family/friends along with the dice and board in either a serious or more light-hearted possibly party fun, you would take the book, ask your question then pick a dice from the pouch and cast it onto the board it's position on the board aligning with a planet, zodiac sign or element would give you the page number. Open the book and Voila there is the answer.

[Ouroboros]

Thats sounds like a great idea "Book of Changes".
I agree that Spider is trying to tell me something, and as they are busy weavers, I do think it has something to do with either the way I work or the way to market myself. Definitely, something has to change. But what?

[arianllwynog (nog)]

Something you know about about but have not taken notice of? You've been given a little reminder

[Ouroboros]

Maybe to get my butt in gear and get cracking.

[arianllwynog (nog)]

Maybe just maybe it does make you wonder what the next message would be though.

[Ouroboros]

I don't think I want another message from Spider.

[arianllwynog (nog)]

I thought not, those bites can be painful.

[Ouroboros]

I was watching the news this morning and there was a story about a woman who got bitten by a spider, the bite got infected and she got Flesh Eating Disease and had to have her leg amputated below the knee.
Now that is serious. My bite has almost disappeared, but I am keeping up with the antihistamines until it's gone.

[arianllwynog (nog)]

Very serious, glad you're healing well.

[Ouroboros]

Believe me, so am I. We seem to have a lot of bugs this year. Not too many wasps though, we have been having Bar -B -Ques and no problems, except for tiny biting flies. Mosquitos I guess. I give in and put "Off" on my legs now. I would rather be poisonous than dinner.

[arianllwynog (nog)]

Haha I agree, I used to be a regular smorgasbord for mosquito's so being poisonous and strange smelling worked

[Elia]

I did not know Off was poisonous, don't it say safe for humans of course any thing you put on your skin will be absorbed, so a little pesticide should be ok it is better than being dinner, and maybe getting one of those mosquitoes disease

This has nothing to do with Tykhe Dice we got off topic.

Have a happy Full Moon