Ekstasis

wise faery friends,

For the past few weeks I have been entertaining and enlightening myself reading the old threads on this forum. There are a lot of ideas here I would never have thought of for myself. Now, like some other people, I have big problems getting close to the Singers. They seem too lofty and angelic!

So I just thought I'd ask those most likely to know:

What do you think of Ekstasis?
Do you have a keyword, an emotion, a particular atmosphere associated with the card? Does something in the image stand out for you? Do you have a story for how you connected with the card? How do you get past the 'abstract-ness' of the image?

I will try and meditate on the card as well.
thanks! greenbeans

When I look at Ekstasis, I see one of two things.
First is a person throwing their arms up with joy.
The other one is a tree growing torward the light(the sun) and feeling the warmth.

He always reminds me of the fireflies we used to chase as kids in the country at night. We used to try and catch them in mayonnaise jars and use them as lights. None of us ever caught one of course, they were too smart and fast and just to magical, but it was a fun childhood time with 6 of us kids running around in circles trying to catch them, running into each other and squealing in joy.

He always reminds me of that depth of joy, that strong of a belief that anything is possible even though we had never seen it done.

That is the feeling I get from him.

Currently in my adult life, where I tend to be a bit more analytical, I see his name as made up of the two words "ecstacy" and "stasis", meaning the ectasy and great inner peace that comes from accepting the beauty of the world just as it is now. From seeing it as perfect exactly as it is, and knowing that there is nothing that needs changing. Seeing the perfection around us, undrestanding that things are perfect as they are and reveling in it.



Babs

He always reminds me that there is joy in the acceptance of what is given to us. He says to go for it, that what we await is out there...and that the joy is in being able to accept that it is there. Once we get the "ecstasy" the "stasis" comes in. To me he says to stop once we have gotten what we are looking for and revel in the feeling. To stop and enjoy the ecstasy that we have received.

Also, to remember to be thankful that we were given the gift. His upraised arms and spirit say that there is thanks to be offered for the things in our life.

Eskastasis

There are two ways that I see this particular farey friend.

First of all, he reminds me of my chakara points, and the reef of possibilities. Usually this is a message that I"m limiting myself and that I need to rebalance my chakra points again, maybe do some grounding work, but more then that, he tells me that I need to stop being so "worried" and just have fun again.

The other way that I read this card is being excited about something, where all the parts of you inside is light up with excitement and joy, happiness, but it's a joy and a happiness that doesn't have draw backs. It's truly smiling at yourself and being proud of yourself, for something you did. Or getting excited about something you're about to do.

For an example, he once came up for a friend of mine who was returning to college after a long break. She was scared, and didn't know what to expect really, wasn't sure if that was the right thing for her at the time, and had so many other worries inside. She needed to be reminded that underneath all that worry, truly she was excited to go back, and to let go of all of the "what if's" and just enjoy the excitement of finally doing what she wanted to do.

I hope this helps!
Sagitarian

The key word I use for Ekstasis is Ecstasy. I sometimes see her as the faery emobidment of the rune Algiz, a moment of Divine connection - don't think, just act. This rune also echoes the symbol of a figure with their arms outraised to the heavens, as if drawing down power into themselves, just as mentioned above.

And sometimes she looks a wee bit dragonfly-ish to me. I can't help but wonder if that's one of her favorite material forms....

thanks all! It really helps to hear what others think/feel, although of course it is up to me to build my connection with Faery.

As you say, SunChariot and Alissa, the card looks a lot like a dragonfly/firefly. In Good Faeries/Bad Faeries it is actually entitled 'Gladfly, a spirit that joyously dances in the moonlight on the surfaces of lakes and ponds', wow, that sounds so pretty, don't you think? I can just picture the Gladfly skipping around on silvery water, sparkling and full of life.

I think what stands out in the image is the mixture of delicacy and power. Insects after all are notoriously fragile lifeforms, yet they thrive anyway!
Has anyone heard that Rasputina song:

"The fly of May/It lives one day/When that day is done/Mayfly does not complain/Flies into the setting sun/Back to the place from which it came"

That song is such a mix of happy and sad- sadness that life is so short, yet sheer joy at being alive. And this is where I looked up ecstacy in the dictionary:
ec·sta·sy

1. Intense joy or delight.
2. A state of emotion so intense that one is carried beyond rational thought and self-control: an ecstasy of rage.
3. The trance, frenzy, or rapture associated with mystic or prophetic exaltation.

[Middle English extasie, from Old French, from Late Latin extasis, terror, from Greek ekstasis, astonishment, distraction, from existanai, to displace, derange : ek-, out of; see ecto- + histanai, to place; see st- in Indo-European roots.]

I love this definition! 'Intense joy' certainly describes the card. I also agree that it is beyond the rational- I think ecstacy is a bodily experience that takes us into the spiritual- the feeling is bodily, yet it seems to take us to the very edge of our bodily limits.

And you will have noticed that the Greek root for ecstacy is, yup, ekstasis, 'astonishment, distraction'. Did you ever have one of those moments where you step outside of your life and look in? And think, wow, I cannot believe I am alive, in this particular form, at this time and place? Or one of those moments of awe before nature? I think this is the astonishment/distraction- it is a distraction from the everyday mundane things we get caught up in, and an astonishment at what is really there! This is when ekstasis has danced by.

isn't it weird how you can have trouble with a card for years, and then suddenly, *boom* it feels like an old friend!

Wow, thanks greenbeans!

I learnt a lot from your post just now that I will use again. I found that fascinating that about the Greek root for Ecstacy. That whole paragraph was so touching. It just touched my soul to read it.

And the part about a fragility that thrives anyway, is just beautiful. Really enjoyed your post. Thanks

Babs

I agree with Babs, greenbeans, your post is soooo beautifully put! Poetic divination, very good stuff!

Wow, whate great posts!!! Greenbeans that was really special.

I drew this card today as my Faerie Comanpinion for the day so I thought I would bring this thread back.

1. What do you think of Ekstasis? To me Ekstasis is an incredibly deep card. It is raw emotion, perhaps I seeing it this way because I am feeling quite sentimental today. But like music emotion can be raw and intense both in a good way or in a bad way. That is what I see and feel in this card. Un-adulterated emotion.

2. Do you have a keyword, an emotion, a particular atmosphere associated with the card? My word is emotion.

3. Does something in the image stand out for you? Other than things previously mentioned (the dragonfly, Angel with outstretched arms, human with outsetrectced arms, chakras) I see the flow of emotion going in and out (up and down) in the aqua and blue colors. An ebb and flow. Sort of like breathing in and out. But is all emotion.

4. Do you have a story for how you connected with the card? I am not sure I have ever quite connected with the card, but perhaps today is the day I am connecting and fully understanding what this singer means to me. Today I have felt sadness at how some of us "oldies" on this board have drifted away, have the stories of some that have returned and I could feel the raw emotion of it all coming in. At the same time there is the Ekstasis that we are back together now, and the rawness of the emotion of being re-connected. It is allowing to feel the good and the sad fully, without masking it. Embracing it. And in this case since some of us oldies have drifted back there is that sense of "And this too has passed". This probably does not make much sense, but my emotions are running a bit high right now so its coming out all "mushy".

5. How do you get past the 'abstract-ness' of the image? I embrace it.