Lasirén: Embrace of a Loa

This morning I pulled a focus card, or a strength card, from my New Orleans Voodoo Tarot (S. Glassman and L. Martinié). Working with this deck always feels to me like I'm receiving a massage on my insides…. like the energy reaches in and works from within me outward, rather than the reverse. It's soothing and nourishing.

I drew Lasirén, or rather, she appeared for me. In fact just yesterday she appeared in a short spread I did for myself, and today there she is again, reminding me that she's still present, still has an important message and energy for me that is worth spending some more time with.

Lasirén (La Siréne) appears as a mermaid - half human, half fish. She is the loa of the sea, guiding and nurturing us, and calling us to take care of the ways in which we're expending our energy pools. She symbolizes the bridge between worlds, the balance between disparate energies, as she herself represents both the ocean's vast depths as well as the fertile earth. From her my focus becomes empathy for important people in my inner circle; the need for increased focus on the balance and equilibrium in my life and with my loved ones; and the need to focus on my true Will (Where am I headed? How does it feel? How can I draw on the power of the sea, and welcome the strength of Lasirén to fill and guide me?).

New Orleans Voodoo Tarot - Glassman/Martinié

In the background, Labalén, the Whale, swims in the distance, the ocean mother, offering protection, healing and loving embrace, inviting me to take a deeper dive into my intuition and psyche to explore my emotions, my abilities, and my limitations.

Indeed a fine balance is needed. When you love others, it can be hard to watch them struggle to find their purpose, their sense of meaning, and their place. Support can be so critical, but it's equally as critical not to lose sense of the fact that as much as you may care for someone, they have their own road to experience, their own falls to make, and their own journey back toward the light. You can't always take the blows for them, or wave a wand and manifest their deepest desires. Lasirén lovingly helps us stay true to ourselves, and to recognize what we can and cannot do (and should and should not do), just as much as she helps our loved ones to nurture themselves, and to navigate their path through the at-times-stony landscape of their own sacred Way. And in that, great comfort can be found.