Rebirth with Arianrhod

I felt "off" last night. I mean, I am getting over a nasty cold so feeling a bit strange would be understandable. But this felt peculiar...like having one toe on the Other Side, the sense that the strong grip that I tend to have on my consciousness was slightly loosened. As I was pondering all of this, I suddenly thought: It must be the New Moon. I whipped out my phone and pulled up my moon phase app, and sure enough, it was the New Moon.

Now, the truth is that I have no idea if the New Moon impacts the "clairs." It's not accurate to say that I always feel more in touch with spirits on these nights. Or at least, I don't tend to notice it. But *something* was afoot last night. I'll simply embrace the mystery.

However having realized that it was indeed the New Moon I decided to pull cards for it, in the typical What to Release/What to Embrace layout. Instead of using Tarot, I chose cards from the Goddess Knowledge Cards deck by Susan Seddon Boulet:

What to Release: Kuan Yin

Kuan Yin, compassionate mother, full of loving radiance, sits enveloped in heavy fabrics. In the darkness her pale face shines like the moon, and a lotus flower blooms over her heart. She is calm, patient, and nurturing. When I see this card I am reminded somewhat of the 4 of Swords, or the Hermit. There is a sense of taking time away from the world to breath, to think, to consider. The lotus over the heart chakra speaks of "sitting with" one's true desires. Of coming to explore and acknowledge our ability to be compassionate both with others and with the Self. And perhaps most importantly of determining our boundaries both in relationships and in terms of the wider world that we interact with. Many of these things have been true for me of late - I've been doing a lot of thoughtful considering, to be sure. I've also been identifying areas of my life where I've become too comfortable, and what needs to be changed. So the next card I pulled was quite fitting:

What to Embrace: Arianrhod

Arianrhod as a goddess and deity has a complex history, but she's known as "the Goddess of the Silver Wheel" and is deeply connected to cycles of life, growth, change, and rebirth. It's interesting to note that on Kuan Yin's card there is a waning moon, while this card features a full moon. There is an affirming correlation there with the card positions. I like this image: the greens and blues, and the composition itself (the left side represents past thoughts, experiences, circumstances, wishes, fears, hopes, realities, whereas on the right side we see a face deep in contemplation - a woman filling herself with everything that has come before and preparing herself to move into a new phase of being). There are many layers of change and growth unfolding in my life. Some of it is uncomfortable, some is simply exciting, but all of it is essentially good. The Wheel pushes us forward on our earthly journeys. We gather experience, we struggle, we flourish, we love and we hurt, and we keep on moving. I like the vision of Arianrohod standing by my side, offering ancient and loving support as my Wheel carries me forth into newness.