Yule Blog Hop 2013 - Bringing Light into Darkness

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Welcome to the Yule Blog Hop 2013! To access more fabulous posts, please use the links above, which will immediately take you to Joanna Ash's Sun Goddess Tarot blog, and Chloe McCracken's Inner Whispers blog! Our wrangler, Joanna Ash from Sun Goddess Tarot, chose the theme of "Bringing Light into Darkness" for this hop, and it feels very appropriate for many reasons.

As readers, we are always engaged in the act of bringing light into darkness. We help illuminate and provide insights into a variety of challenges that people experience, and often seek rays of hope even when a reading may look rather bleak. There is a reason for the term "light worker," after all! Whether we are connecting to the spirits of passed loved ones, pondering a Tarot or Lenormand spread, manipulating a client's energy, or drawing runes, our goal is to provide clarity and guidance to someone in need (and sometimes that "someone" is us!).

On the evening before Thanksgiving this year, I sat down on the couch to compose a new spread. The Hobbit was on the television, and as I was considering how to approach the spread, it suddenly occurred to me to create one based on the Lord of the Rings!  I started to think of characters and traits (whether subtle or obvious), and when I was finished I realized that I'd made something I really wanted to share on this blog hop:

Light of Earendil Spread: Bringing Light to Darkness

Card 1: Gollum (What shadow am I currently encountering?)*

Card 2: Frodo (What hidden/unrecognized strength may help me work with this shadow?)

Card 3: Light of Earendil (What illuminates the darkness for me?)

Card 4: Gandalf (How can I master my power?)

Card 5: Elrond (What counsel will help me confront my current obstacles?)

Card 6: Mirror of Galadriel (What may the immediate future hold?)

I decided to apply this spread to current work-related challenges I've been experiencing, where a personal dispute between two people has expanded to include/impact the entire department:

Light of Earendil Spread
Using Wildwood Tarot (Sterling Ethos 2011)

1: Gollum - 9 of Bows reversed (Respect)

The shadow overtaking my workplace brings feelings of confusion and victimization.  In turn this leads to defensiveness which then leads to scheming and more confusion.  There is a quality of chaotic energy here, a lack of self-respect and mutual respect, of feeling attacked. Things are pretty out of control and there is a serious need for intensive, open communication and renewal of camaraderie that has been lost.

2: Frodo - 5 of Vessels (Ecstasy)

My unrecognized strength is my optimism, and my ability to seek healing through focusing on what's still good in the department. The 5 of Vessels is about harnessing the energy of love in order to move past pain and disappointment.  Instead of focusing on what's been lost, it's about using that energy and moving it forward.  This card shows stars in the sky that remind me of the Light of Earendil, which comes from a star.  It's the power of universal energy, a light in the darkness, hope, and emits a feeling that "this too shall pass".

3: Light of Earendil - The Green Woman

My own illumination is provided by the Green Woman. In part I feel this represents my connection to the earth; she encourages me not to get carried away by emotions, but to be gentle and look for creative solutions. The Green Woman has very nurturing energy, so perhaps it will benefit me to tap into my own mother energy in this situation. But more importantly, the Green Woman reminds me of the energy of the department chair, a wise woman with wonderful talents and a warm personality who is starting to steer the ship slowly back on course. When things have looked most bleak, I've placed my hope in her and haven't been disappointed. It's interesting to note that this was the only Major card in the spread, and I value the extra weight that it carries, particularly in this position. 

4: Gandalf - 10 of Vessels

I can master my role in this situation by recognizing the bounty of love in my life, which prevents me from buying into external emotional excesses and imbalances in my environment. By calling on the abundance of positive energy, I can help both myself and others move past hostile feelings and perhaps find peace. 

5: Elrond - King of Vessels

My wise counsel for this situation is to take on the characteristics of the King of Vessels.  He is the master of emotions and healing energies, and exudes patience, calmness and diplomacy.  His energy encourages the understanding of all parties involved.  This king is caring and supportive, and interested in finding common ground, but at the same time has clear boundaries in place.  So perhaps I will find a way to lead (subtly) by example: with balanced emotions, without reacting or overreacting to anything that arises.  That seems reasonable.

6: Mirror of Galadriel - 2 of Arrows (Injustice)

The 2 of Arrows suggests the potential for continued feelings of injustice in my department, the sense of the scales not being balanced. There are difficult decisions/choices to be considered and made, and it may be challenging to decide what approach or direction to take. There is a sense with this card of things feeling a bit stuck - despite an awareness of the challenges, there may yet be complications and confusion when it comes to making a clear decision. I seem to get this card quite a bit when it comes to work readings!  And it isn't terribly uplifting but it does sound likely given the state of things at present. "Should I stay or should I go, one day is fine the next is black…..if I go there will be trouble…if I stay it will be double!" (yes, this is the Clash). ;)

Summary: All elements are present here, with a predominance of water, which makes sense because relationships and emotions seem to be the core of the dilemma. I like the balance of feminine energy in the Light of Earandil/Green Woman and masculine energy/King of Vessels - water and earth, both passive energies. The summary card is 8, which corresponds to the Stag (justice, decisions, balance, clarity, objective understandings), whose energies are certainly relevant here. The raw water energy/power in the 10 Vessels pours downward, bolstering the King below, who is master of water. 5 doubled is 10, so there is a numeric connection between my hidden strength (5 Vessels), how I can master my power (10 Vessels), and the advice (King Vessels).

Despite an uncertain future, I love how this reading flows, how it highlights the major challenges, the light in the darkness, and how I can be my best self when it comes to working with those challenges - after all, that's what Tarot's all about, right?

Happy Yule to all, and may you continue to share your light with the world!

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*I chose Gollum instead of Sauron to represent the "shadow" because Sauron seems just too big, bad and evil to represent everyday challenges we face. Gollum is very ordinary in many ways, and yet became intensely corrupted, and a slave to his own weaknesses. He does a lot of wicked things, but we can at least acknowledge his "humanity."