Mannaz and the Ace of Fire

A few days ago I pulled the Ace of Fire from the Dreams of Gaia Tarot as my morning draw. I didn't have a particular question in mind, but I've been trying to breathe my way through the current political climate, and the card immediately felt relevant. The Ace of Fire is a card of action - of manifestation of the creative impulse. Interestingly, in Spanish "manifestación" is the word for political demonstrations or protests. It is the voice of the people made manifest through the gathering of many into one.

I like the image on this card. The fire dragon reminds us of our own inner power to influence change in the world. The spider and her web is a symbol of interconnectedness - what affects one, affects all, in some way or another. We are not isolated individuals, but a community of unique essences that are ultimately woven together into a common tapestry. The spider web encases an egg, the potential for new life. The spider guards it carefully. What will be born from this possibility?

The other day I heard someone say that this deep upheaval is serving to wake us up out of complacency. We are now feeling spurred into action to protect and uphold liberties and equalities that perhaps were taken for granted for too long. There is a move to hold hands with each other, to forge bridges, and break the long-standing and outdated socio-cultural divides between communities who largely share the same values and core principles.

There is a call to learn, to understand, to advocate, to volunteer, to be heard.

As I pondered all of this, I recalled that the previous morning's rune draw (which was still sitting on my altar) was Mannaz. Unlike my card-of-the-day, I had indeed asked a question prior to drawing this rune. I said, "How? How can we combat ignorance? How can we protect the environment, and human rights, and healthcare, in the face of this new administration?" I can't imagine a more appropriate response than Mannaz.

A well-worn, nearly unreadable rune: Mannaz.

Mannaz represents humankind, our unique place in the landscape of community. I have drawn this rune before, particularly on days where issues of racism and inequality have weighed heavily on my mind. This rune calls us to identify and name our values, and to consider how they compare, contrast, or interact with those of other people: of our city, state, country, and world. Mannaz calls us to community mindfulness and mindedness. It calls us to high-level thinking, and to common action. The rune itself looks almost like two people standing side by side, an arm extended down to touch one another's waist; an open embrace. Mannaz says that each person does have a voice, and can make a difference. Moreover, it reminds us that each of us is charged with the responsibility of holding our community - local, national, and beyond - to a higher standard of action, behavior, and principle. None of us is off the hook; we all have a part to play.

Focus on What You Can Do Today

Today is the first day back at it following the Thanksgiving holiday. The entire household has been wading through a haze of various illnesses - a stomach bug, a nasty cold - for a couple of weeks now, and the break gave us all some much needed down time to rest and consume loads of hot tea!

As I type this I have a steaming cup of lemon brew to my left side, and a box of tissues to my right. But the week's toil waits for no-one, and, as Robert Frost wrote, I have miles to go before I sleep.

So in choosing my morning card I asked, "What energy is my ally?" As I tackle the responsibilities before me today, what will help me to maintain perspective, to reduce tension, to increase stability?

I drew the 5 of Hazards from the Zombie Tarot:

The first thing I notice, of course, is that this lady is kneeling over a pile of what looks a lot like crumpled up tissues. And the yellow bag she's holding strongly resembles my Ricola cough drops. She seems to be thinking, "WTF, cold, this is getting out of hand. How many tissues and lozenges until I reach the end of this thing!?"

What I'd love to do is to huddle in a cave away from the rest of the world (and really, who wants to be around a sick person?) but I can't accomplish that - too much going on. In this image there clearly is a lot that needs to be tended to, but this woman isn't sweating it. She is focusing first on what she needs to do (take care of her health), and what she can do (prioritizing, balancing the to-do list with energy output), and the rest will have to hang in there in the meantime. Fortunately the buildings don't look like they're about to fall!

The Beauty of the Draw

I love it when daily draws are immediately relevant.

This morning I pulled the 3 of Pentacles, a card of creativity, teamwork, and applied skill.

Pagan Otherworlds Tarot

The first thing that came to mind was the fact that I will be facilitating a team meeting this afternoon at which a couple of faculty will be discussing “best practices” and technology use in education.

Then I checked my email.

I’ve been working for months on a major program overhaul. I’ve gone through several iterations, I’ve networked with the necessary departments that will be involved in implementing it, and I’ve pored over how to make this a stronger, more relevant program version. This morning I received a message that the modifications were approved! It’s been a long process, and to receive this full acceptance is extremely rewarding.

It couldn’t have come at a more perfect time, as now I’ll be able to share this exciting news at this afternoon’s gathering. The 3 of Pentacles is feeling pretty damn good today!

Queen of Wands

As I leap forward into my return to the office, I look for ways to stabilize the transition. It's been a very busy year - all in great ways, but I've had to learn new techniques for balancing my time and energy. As much as I've attempted to avoid burnout, I've come close on at least a couple of occasions. I really needed this vacation to shift my focus, and to replenish my energy.

This morning I was straddling the line between feeling ready, and feeling reluctant. I decided to pull a card from this new, amazing deck, the Pagan Otherworlds Tarot (which I can't recommend enough, and will do a review of very soon).

The Queen of Wands appeared for me, and as I gazed down at her warmth I was filled with a calm confidence and an awareness that the day was going to be good. Many months ago when I was indeed on the edge of burning out, I pulled this Queen (from another deck, of course) reversed, and took her message to heart that I needed to find a better way of managing my energy output and associated stress levels.

When I did my New Moon reading this past Friday, the "waning" card was the 4 of Swords, and the "waxing" card was the 10 of Wands. I saw in that duo the ending of my down time, and the return to the responsibilities of the workplace. I am not a fatalist, so rather than sigh in surrender at the oncoming "burden," I sought a focal point, a strategy, to help maintain my peace within the busy-ness of my professional environment. The 4 of Swords offers some of that; I don't need to assume that rest is reserved for vacation - I can (and should) find ways to make space for quiet, reflective moments every day, and not feel guilty for claiming them, but recognize that they are a critical part of self-care.

This Queen reminds me that achieving balance does not require the separation of my Self into partitions at all. She reminds me that vibrancy is not the same as extroversion - it comes from within. Its primary focus is on a strong inner power that naturally emanates outward, and is not drained by the ebb and flow of the environment around her. She engages others, and yet is always mindful of maintaining her own equilibrium.

Looking at this Queen seemed to spark a sort of alchemical shift within me. I moved from "ugh..." to "I got this" in a matter of moments. So cheers to the Queen of Wands, and here's to remembering all of the things I so deeply enjoy about the work that I do!

A Day of Mystery and Good Friends

Yesterday morning I pulled a rune, as I customarily do as a sort of "daily draw." It was perthro reversed. This is a rune of mystery, of the unknown, of experiencing that which can't be named by the five common senses. It can, thus, symbolize secrets, and the unveiling of those secrets. Reversed it suggests that those hidden elements that come to light may not be entirely pleasing. In order to complement and give additional "body" to the singe rune pull, I decided to draw a card from the Prisma Visions Tarot deck. Lo and behold, it was the High Priestess - another card of mystery and hidden things! Well okay - the tools had spoken. To add a third and final layer, my Tarot app daily draw was the 3 of Cups, a lovely message of community relationship and support. It was bound to be an interesting day.....

Prisma Visions Tarot - James Eads; runes

During the late morning I was driving from one school building to another and decided to stop at a campus fast-food restaurant to pick up a sandwich (not something I normally do). As I was idling in the drive-thru lane I suddenly started to smell a terrible, burning odor, and saw misting smoke outside. I thought - hoped - that perhaps I'd driven over a vent in the lot. But as I drove forward the smoke followed me. I was feeling pretty doom-y when I reached the pick-up window. The clerks opened it to take my payment and immediately closed it again as the noxious fumes started to blow inside. They opened it again and the manager came over and started to coach me about what to do:

"It's probably your coolant! Go park it and let it cool down before you open the hood - otherwise it might explode in your face."

Oh my god. I thanked him and drove the very short distance to my office parking lot. I was afraid it might catch fire. I was incredibly worried as this is a fairly new car and shouldn't be having any major issues. I did in fact open the hood (no explosions) and the smoke was lightly lifting up from the engine block. It was strange because my car is very good about letting me know when even the slightest issue arises - a need for an oil change, a headlamp being out, a need to refill any of the essential fluids. Not a single warning light or sound had gone off when the car was smoking: no "check engine" light - even the temperature gauge was normal. It drove fine - nothing out of the ordinary. So I entered my workplace with my nerves off the chart. As I was explaining what had happened to a few of my team members, someone from the math department peered over the low-wall and started to ask me questions about it. He eventually came over and sat nearby and gave me some very helpful information about car mechanisms and behaviors. Another math teacher showed up and both of them offered to come look at my car for me (3 of Cups). I was grateful. They looked at the engine, checked the lines and fluid levels, made sure that the fans were working correctly. They ran the car and put the air conditioning on full blast to see if it would start to smoke again, or show any signs of overheating. They were both stumped. They said that based on what they were seeing there was no reason that the car should have behaved that way, and try as they might to get it to reproduce the smokiness, it wasn't happening. They finally suggested that it might have been an electrical glitch which would be worth taking to the dealership to review, but they thought that I'd get home okay.

They were right. I've driven my car several times since that terrible moment in the drive-thru, and it has been completely normal. Talk about mystery. Now of course I will be getting it examined, but I decided to look online and found some very intriguing information: there were many accounts of other owners of my same car make/model/year who had not only had experiences of their car suddenly smoking, but it had occurred in a restaurant drive-thru! It was starting to feel like the Twilight Zone. Interestingly, in all of these cases the people said that they brought it to the dealer for assessment, and no matter what the mechanics tried, they couldn't find a thing wrong with the cars. So on one hand I was slightly comforted by that, but on the other hand it was pretty disconcerting.

At one point during all of this I thought: wouldn't hagalaz, or the Tower, have made more sense??? But in the end my car was fine. It didn't break down, I wasn't forced to call a tow truck. And based on what I read about others' accounts, it seems that there is indeed some mystery at play - not particularly pleasant mystery, but not a show-stopper either. Hey, maybe my car was telling me never to consider fast food again ;-)

Daily Draw: Working From Home

I woke up reluctantly this morning. From the warmth of bed I mentally reviewed the steps I'd be soon undertaking in order to prepare both myself and the kids for work and school. I decided that it was safest to start with the coffee pot, and as I listened to those first, glorious, mahogany droplets fall into the carafe, my younger daughter sat quietly at the kitchen table with a bowl of cereal... which she promptly vomited all over the floor (sorry, I know it's kind of gross). Hm. Perhaps Monday would become my third day of the weekend!

I did manage to arrange to work from home, sending out a couple of text messages and emails to be sure that everyone knew where I would be all day and why (I did refrain from sharing the minute details, ahem). So with a rather low-key day ahead I settled my pajamaed-self in to enjoy my coffee, and pull a daily card or two (something that tends to be rushed rather than leisurely these days).

I was considering (based on one of Ellen's recent posts) what my "soul deck" might be as I was deciding upon which to use. While there are a lot of decks that I love for various reasons, I realize that the Fountain Tarot has become a common go-to. The reversible backs, beautiful art, rather traditional (yet freshly rendered) imagery, and amazing card stock has elevated it to this position. I almost grabbed it off the shelf, but then I decided to go for warmth instead, so I dug out my trusty Morgan Greer. This was one of my first decks, but I gave it away because I just couldn't deal with the Tom Selleck mustaches all over the place. (And then I regretted it, because it's really a gorgeous, brightly colored work of art, so I reacquired it in the Italian version). This is another deck that shuffles fantastically.

Morgan Greer Tarot; Bill Greer

So what would the predominant energies of my day be, oh Morgan Greer?

Page of Cups (ah, definitely my kids - not only is my daughter ill, but my son is battling bronchitis)..........

World (mhmm.... no doubt that I'd be spending most of my time and energy on them....)...........

Emperor (oh, right. Working from home.)

As I peered at the World card I was drawn to the fact that the figures on each side peer outward to the cards on the left and right, respectively. The woman in the center balances them all evenly. To the left the Page of Cups shows my attentions to caring for my kids, while the Emperor to the right reminds me that I will have to divide my time a bit between home concerns and my director duties: despite not being physically present in the office, I still need to hold down the proverbial fort, even if I do so via technology. But then, that's the benefit of living in this modern age, I suppose!

So off I go to pour another cup, organize the kids in their beds and blankets, and then...on to those emails!

From One Moment to the Next

I haven't posted in a little while because life has been whirring by at a rather extraordinary pace. But today is Tuesday of Spring Break week, I'm at home with a hot cup of coffee and a gray, rainy late afternoon sky peering in at me through the kitchen window, and I do believe it's time to do a little writing.

I'm nearing my four-month "anniversary" as the director of an international department in a higher education setting, and so far I can say that I am enjoying it. It certainly has its stressful moments, but that's part of the thrill of the ride, and one of the things I like most about this position is that there is constant fluctuation and change: each day brings something new.

Moving from instructor to director has brought a lot of changes along with it, a new path to tread. Fluctuations aside, my one constant over these past months has been the desire to always be and do better as I learn what it means to lead others. This morning I pulled a card from the Wildwood Tarot asking "Where can I continue to grow as a manager?" I pulled the 6 of Arrows:

Wildwood Tarot; John Matthews, Mark Ryan, W. Worthington

As I sat with this card several thoughts and feelings about "transition" (this card's keyword) spilled forth.....

Transition....

1) of relationship based in position. It is more challenging to be friends with former colleagues for whom I now give annual reviews. Connections stay positive, but friendship slowly shifts into guidance, mentorship, support, and amiability.  Something, some taste or quality, transforms. It is not better or worse than what it was, only vaguely different.

2) of time - allowing for the process of change to unfold rather than worrying that the transition from one position to another should have been immediate.

3) of perspective. Mind over matter - the ability and requirement to be objective, and to make decisions based on logic rather than emotion...almost literally transitioning my entire team from a hazy, uncertain past into what I deeply hope becomes a warm, bright and affirming future.

Leading is not for the faint of heart, but by taking each day as it comes, and giving myself the space to grow and evolve, the transition - no matter its ups and downs - may be a rewarding journey.

Note: The URL for this blog has changed to http://firstearthtarot.blogspot.com

Between Water and Fire

This morning I sat at the kitchen table enjoying the first cup of coffee from my new pot (thanks to my sister for a belated birthday/Christmas present!!) and I decided to pull a daily card from the Tarot of Holy Light. I shuffled a bit and selected the Ace of Swords. I've pulled this card a couple of times recently, and I have been uncovering many new and interesting facets of its character. I thought, "I wonder what its message is for me today....?"

Since taking on a leadership role at my place of work I've found myself positioned between two departments that happen to share a specific population of students. These departments have different personalities, cultures, perspectives, and approaches, and this has caused some friction over time. Now I am in a place where I often find myself mediating conflicts between the two. Over a week ago I was preparing myself for one such meeting and decided to pull a card to help guide me in how to approach these relationship misalignments. I pulled the Ace of Swords, from this same deck, the Tarot of Holy Light. At the time I wrote this:

"Demand honesty and forthrightness. If they inhabit a world hazy with clouded emotion and ambiguous intent, shine your blade a little bit in the sun. Let them see you. Remind them that you're there. Plant seeds of justice that over time will evaporate the doubts and frivolity obscuring the sharp clarity of truth."

It was very helpful advice.

So this morning I laid the Ace on the table, and then thought to look at the top and bottom cards which were the Page of Cups and the Page of Wands. I laid them to either side of the Ace and spent some time considering the line of three. Image-wise it looked quite a bit to me like mediation. And then I remembered: the first item on my morning agenda was a meeting with two members from these different teams, to discuss an ongoing problem.

On the left sits the Page of Cups, almost literally pouring his emotions out into the foreground. The eye floating above the ocean is symbolic of the way in which the perspective of this page is filtered through his/her feelings and emotional responses to the environment. On the right sits the Page of Wands, surrounded in bright, urgent flame. While the Page of Cups appears to be considering the beauty of the flowers nearby, the Page of Wands reaches out almost as if to connect with the other two cards. Water and fire, emotion and spirit. In the middle sits the Ace of Swords, an upright blade surrounded by six faces or eyes connected to a central eye that lies over the sword. All of the varying opinions, beliefs, perspectives, and feelings must be funneled through the impartial eye of the sword whose principal interest is in understanding, truth, clarity, and precise communication.

I see both parties from today's meeting in these Pages - both passionate, both motivated, both caring. But both in need of common ground, of someone to listen to them and to draw out the salient points; to help draw attention to and tease apart what is factual from what is perception. The Ace of Swords is good at that.

The meeting went well, ultimately, and I was able to use Ace of Swords energy to help achieve a level of mutual understanding. It once again brings to my mind the idea of pursuing formal mediation training, and perhaps it is time to look into that!

Release

What do I do in the morning when instead of being present in the moment - enjoying the sound of the coffee percolating, listening to my children chatter about peanut butter toast for breakfast - I sense my mind start to fill with anxious thoughts about the many tasks ahead for the day?

Yesterday morning I pulled a card for the day. I don't always do this, but when I do I most often set the question not as, "What might unfold for me today?" but as, "Where can I find my center; what can I draw on for strength and focus today?" It was nearing time for me to leave the house so I reached for my handiest deck - the Raven's Prophecy - quickly shuffled, and drew the 5 of Swords reversed:

At first I slightly resisted it, as my knee-jerk reaction to "negative" cards often seems to be. But then I really looked at the image, and what I saw was that instead of what might have once been a fist clenched around a grouping of small feathers, there was an open hand, a grasp no longer tense and rigid, but soft and relaxed. Instead of holding tight to the feathers, they were now allowed to catch in the breeze and float away.

This morning I was making my second pot of coffee (the pot is spotty and the first was a bit more like tan-colored water) when I started to realize that I was already feeling the jagged edges of my to-do list, and I sensed the way it was reducing my enjoyment of those early morning hours. I immediately thought of the 5 of Swords reversed, of the feathers floating away on the wind.

Each feather, when held too closely, is like a needling voice, and five of them together create a subtle cacophony in the back of the mind, a push and pull of nebulous demands on time and energy and attention. But if I take a moment to allow my awareness to settle on that noise I find I have the choice to release my grasp, to let those voices fade away like feathers in the gentle breath of morning air.

Making Space

This morning I pulled the 2 of Swords from the Fountain Tarot (a new acquisition that I am enjoying quite a bit - perhaps I'll do a review soon!). When I see this card I usually think of "impossible decisions." This is a card that, when it features a keyword, is often connected to the concept of peace, or "inner peace." In general I find that whatever peace this card affords, it is only temporary, and it tends to stem from avoidance rather than true ease.

However at times this card is less about avoidance, and more about the benefit of intentionally blocking out external "noise" in order to make space to breathe.

I once pulled this card when I was on Christmas vacation in a cabin in the far north. It was perfect because vacations can serve as a momentary escape from the tumult of everyday life and responsibilities (we can see the 4 of Swords here as well). In a similar way, I have been struggling to make space for things that are important to me: spending time tending to my altar, letting myself absorb self-readings, explore them, write about them, posting blog entries. In a way, I have been so busy lately that it's even been a challenge to spend quality time with my kids.

The 2 of Swords is often symbolic of an incompatibility between the heart and mind. In this case, my heart yearns for space to do these things, but my mind is filled with the many tasks and responsibilities that I am faced with in my new position at work. I don't like how that feels, however I won't be gifted that space simply by waiting to see what happens.... I have to claim it. And that means that I can't ignore these needs I have for quiet, for time, for writing and reading, for my egun (ancestors) and my family. I have to find a balance between what I must do, and create order within these priorities. Doing that requires attention.

Thus I have pushed off everything I "must do" this morning - just for a moment - to allow myself space to write this post, and to think these thoughts. That is nourishment all on its own!

Full Moon in Gemini: Bonding the Self

This morning I felt drawn to pull a few daily (or - moment -) cards from the Earthbound Oracle. As I laid them out they wove a clear story before me, and engaged with their tale I decided to take a look at the "shadow" card at the bottom of the deck - Luna - fitting for today's full moon.

But the cards, the central line of three, had much to say about where I'm at right now that also flowed with the fact that today's full moon is in Gemini.....

Death - Bond - Self

On the left, reflecting where I've been of late, Death symbolizes the deep transformations that have been flowing through my life on so many levels. The lemniscate over the third eye speaks to the endless cycles that we can perceive most clearly when we still our Selves. I like how purple ribbons curl upward, new sight being revealed. In many ways I am indeed experiencing new sight - a new way of "looking" at the intangible world, and even a new way of viewing and interacting with my environment at work due to a change in position. And just visible behind the skull, a full moon glows.....

To the right there lies the Self, an eye opened outward. When I was preparing for my recent interview I pulled a card from this deck to help me focus on my approach, and it was Self. Let them see your heart. Be you. And so that is what I did. And it was good. But now I am exploring new aspects of my Self. I have always felt that I was more an "individual" - not a follower, not necessarily a leader, but, well, perhaps a loner, though that carries a slightly negative connotation that I don't love. Yet I am a leader now. What does that mean to me, about me, for me? How does that impact my own sense of self? What natural characteristics will I cultivate and nurture and strengthen through embracing this new role?

In the center is Bond, bringing together Death and Self. The image appears to be an atom with an acorn nucleus and leafy electrons swirling about. Electrons have a negative charge and are bound to the atom's nucleus which is made of protons (with a positive charge) and neutrons (which have no charge at all). Opposites attract: how appropriate! And there is that the acorn, the seed of change, that tiny emissary of life that with just the right amount of rainfall, sunlight, oxygen and nutrients will grow ever stronger, up up into an oak tree. Change brings new sight, brings new possibilities. Change is one of our only constants in life, as ironic as it is, and change offers us new ways of understanding ourselves. (Funny, then, - or synchronistic - that I chose the 2 of Pentacles from two different decks this morning!) ;-)

Tonight's full moon is in Gemini, and About.com describes it as a time of: 

"de-coding language; observing social trends; wearing many hats; the view from all sides; shaking up reality; playing tricks with perception; fascinating fragments of style and culture; getting the cosmic joke; being contradictory"

Yes.

In my own time of bonding I am standing on a precipice looking both downward and upward. I see from where I've come; and I see that there is more ahead, though I may not be able to make out the details. I am no longer who I was, and yet I haven't entirely become who I will be. Sacred space. Ancient and natural. The current turns back on itself, as it always will, and yet never returns to the same place. 

10 of Bolers: Presence of the Ancestors

This morning I woke up with my son snuggling against me. The first words out of his mouth, still in the haze of sleep, were, "You need to fix your hair, mister!" I smiled at the sweetness of his child's innocence and honesty, all imbued with bottomless love. (Then I complied and put my hair in a bun.)

As I rose I felt drawn to my bóveda (altar). I've been needing to connect with my ancestors for weeks now, and while I continue to tend to my sacred space - changing the water in my glasses, occasionally offering a hot cup of coffee - I still feel the deeper call to really sit with them and invite their constant presence more intentionally into my mind and heart. This morning, after giving the Boy his bowl of cereal, I set a pot on to brew, and when it was ready I brought a steaming mug to my bóveda. Instead of the fly-by offerings of late (work has been hectic, and I've been quite engaged with the Shadow Work October challenge in my "idle" moments), I stood there for a time. I thought of my grandmothers and grandfathers, all of whom have passed on. I felt the presence most noticeably of my paternal grandmother, Lillian, and I acknowledged her. I called off the surnames of all of the forebears that I know of, and then expanded out to the countries and areas of the world where I know that they came from: Italy, the British Isles, Scandinavia, Northern Africa and the Middle East, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands, Hungary...... I opened myself up to honoring all of those who contributed to my bloodlines, all of those without whom my physical being would not be. I asked them to be with me, that I may always be "open" to their support and guidance.

Buckland Romani Tarot

I returned to the kitchen and prepared my own coffee with sugar and cream, and then sat down at the table to pull my card of the day from my new Buckland Romani Tarot app (the first such app I've ever owned, and I'm enjoying it quite a bit!). I received: 10 of Bolers (Pentacles).

And I just smiled, because there they all were, my ancestors, there, present, waiting for me. The 10 of Pentacles is often called the "legacy" card because of the ways in which it represents our material and physical ties to our broader family networks. Thus it is also a primary "ancestor" card. I had never seen this particular version of the 10 of Pentacles before, and there is something special in the position of these people, quietly watching...there. It felt like a warm acknowledgement for me from them.

Amid the toils of everyday work life, woven through the fabric of family togetherness, in the liminal spaces of my thoughts and dreams, my ancestors are there with me.

The Transformative Power of Nettle

Last night, inspired by the Guardians card from my new Druid Plant Oracle, I made myself a tea of elder flowers and elder- and hawthorne berries.

Druid Plant Oracle

This morning I decided to pull a daily from the same deck, and I drew: Nettle.

Aside from the nettle plant itself, the first two symbols that stood out to me were the snake and the butterfly. The snake doesn't feel threatening at all, rather I get a strong sense of calm and the transformative qualities of this sacred reptile - the shedding of its old skin to reveal the new. The butterfly has similar attributes of release and transformation, as its caterpillar form encases itself in a cocoon, later emerging as a beautiful winged creature.

Druid Plant Oracle

Nettle is one of the most nutritious herbs around, containing high levels of antioxidants, Vitamin K, Vitamin A, Niacin, B-Complex, just to name a few. It can be consumed as a vegetable, made into tea, even used as a hair tonic. The irony, perhaps, is that nettle stings! I remember walking along country roads in southeast England when I lived there for a time as a teenager, and making the mistake of brushing up again nettle bushes - they do indeed hurt. It's interesting that such a valuable, nutritious herb comes in such inhospitable packaging. And yet somewhere along the way humans came to understand its great gifts and offerings.

When I make nettle tea I find it quite earthy and almost hearty - like eating rather than drinking; not because its consistency is thick, but because its essence is so rich. To harvest nettle you have to wear gloves and take care that  bare skin doesn't come in contact with the leaves. But the reward from the effort is well worth it.

Nettle signifies transformation, and symbolizes the gifts that are disguised in hardships. It reminds us that though change is often uncomfortable, the product - the end result - is worthwhile when all is said and done. If we can see past the bitterness of transition, we will eventually behold the sweetness waiting for us beyond.

On that note, I'm off to brew some nettle tea!

Daily Readings with the Fantod Pack

I've been having fun experimenting with my new Gorey Fantod Pack (click here for some background on this acquisition). Having attributed my own oracle meanings to each card, I have drawn a pair of them on each of the previous two mornings to see what would might unfold, and how the circumstances of my day would correspond. Pretty interesting results so far!

Morning #1: The Black Doll and The Plant

Edward Gorey's Fantod Pack

For The Black Doll I attributed the following meanings: toys, play, poppet magick, protection, impact of positive/negative thinking. 

For The Plant: nutrition, health, herbs, the wild/nature, ecosystem, ecology, environment, socializing/community. 

1) The kids' toys (trains, tracks, papers and pencils, etc) were scattered all over the house and I couldn't take it anymore, so we had a cleaning/organizing fest in which all toys were put in their places. Toys...... environment...... tending to the house's ecosystem... definitely!

2) I took my son to the park after having spent the previous day indoors (for the most part). We walked to the larger park about a mile away and he brought his toy excavator along. While there he met another small boy with whom he played for quite a while. After we returned home I prepared the blow-up pool and Gabriel spent nearly an hour enjoying the cool water. Playing...toys.... being outside....healthy activity..... check!

Morning #2: The Tunnel and The Écorché

Edward Gorey's Fantod Pack

To The Tunnel I attributed the following meanings: entering unknown territory, facing fears of the unknown, trying something new, liminality, lack of clarity, uncertainty.

To The Écorché I gave these definitions: honesty, vulnerability, understanding or examining the underlying structure of a thing or situation, getting to the bottom of a matter. Could also be a man.

The main event on this day (which was today, as a matter of fact) was that I did a reading session for three wonderful women, one of whom had never had a reading before in her life. There was quite a bit of delving into the unknown, searching for deeper meanings, and being open and honest, and it was quite a lovely afternoon, in fact! So...the cards fit very well!

As I read with these cards I tweak and adjust the meanings, add to them, alter them, so that over time they'll become refined and set. And I have to say, the process is quite enjoyable!

Truth and Humor in the Cards

Today the cards caused me to laugh appreciatively. This is always a good thing.

I'm home this weekend with my little ones. These days we are a one-vehicle family. While I like the savings (no extra car payment or insurance or gas, etc.) and the lowered carbon footprint, it can at times present certain challenges. My husband was called away this weekend to help a friend in need, so the kids and I are spending a day or two thoroughly at home. With no transportation save our feet, our ability to explore the wider world is fairly limited. Early September in central Florida sees daytime temperatures rise into the stifling 90s (around 35 celsius) which is simply not conducive to being active outdoors (best times for that are early morning and later evening), so creativity is crucial. 

Prisma Visions Tarot/J. Eads

I pulled the Empress for my day today, and isn't that the truth! I am fully engaged in mother-mode. I was up at 6:30am putting bacon in the oven and throwing some waffles together. The cinnamon-laced coffee was brewing, and before the children woke, and before I sat down to enjoy a hot cuppa, I snuck outside and stole a few moments in the back yard taking pictures of the sunlight filtering through the flowers and greenery. This brings to mind the reason why I adore this version of the Empress.... she is sheathed in a dress of leaves, and appears entirely in her element surrounded by the energy of the wild. 

A great way to combat cabin fever is to come up with some interesting activities, and being slightly at a loss for novel ideas (reading, game-playing, toy organizing, Legos, movie watching, drawing, etc. only keeps the babes entertained for so long, after all), I decided to pull a card, asking: "What should we do today?"

Prisma Visions Tarot/J. Eads

Yes, I pulled none other than the Strawberries, that extra Major card from the Prisma Visions that I never remove from the deck, and yet still rarely see. And yet today it appeared, and I had to laugh. Yesterday at the grocery store I bought a large box of strawberries! I munched on a few, but was a bit worried that they would start to mold faster than they could be consumed. So when I saw this card I knew what I had to do: I sent the kids to find a good strawberry-based recipe and in a few minutes the four of us will be in the kitchen making some culinary magic! ;-)

The Earthy Power of the Empress

This morning I drew the Empress from my Stone Tarot deck. I absolutely love the rich, vibrant colors, and the slight imperfections in the proportions which give so many of the cards in this deck an earthy, rustic, handcrafted quality that attracts me so much. My favorite detail is the way in which the stars around her head appear to radiate light.

I've pulled the Empress many times over the past few months, and I like being in her company. There are many facets to her energy, and the theme of "motherhood" often comes to mind. Mother of children, of crafts, of ideas and special projects, mother of earth's rich bounty.

Stone Tarot/A. Stone

Incidentally, about five minutes after pulling this card, my son came to me complaining of an "ouchie" on his leg, so we went together to my herb shelf and I smoothed some homemade calendula salve onto his skin. The connection to the Empress was not lost on me, and in fact I was just considering this perhaps a week ago: the joy and satisfaction of being able to care for my family through the aid of the natural realm. One day not long ago I found myself soothing small wounds, and making herbal teas to help treat an upper respiratory infection that had afflicted a couple of the people in my home. As I moved from kitchen to herb cupboard, from person to person, I was filled with a certain empowerment that comes from being able to do something productive when one you love is not well. This is rich with Empress energy.

My herb shelf: salve, lemon balm, elder flowers (O. Destrades)

There is another quality of the Empress that is less spoken of: she is a leader. Of course, her very name denotes a woman of power but in Tarot we tend to think of the Emperor as in control of order - the great architect that provides structure to our lives. The Empress is a ruler, too, however. While she does, to some extent, consider form and structure (just as the Emperor does have a heart for humanity), her primary strength lies in her people-centered approach: wisdom, kindness, strength, caring and advocating for others in the context of larger organizations.

I have indeed found myself doing quite a bit of advocating in the past week, working diligently to make sure that the voices of my colleagues were heard by those in 'high places.' I was pleasantly rewarded with the satisfaction of finding a way to bridge the expectations of management with the needs of the faculty, a sensation very similar to the one I experience when applying carefully crafted salves to my children's cuts and scrapes.

As I type this post, a lamb and barley stew is simmering away on the stove, filling the house with a savory aroma. Every few moments I pause to mediate a sibling dispute, and as soon as I finish typing I'll be heading out to the backyard to weed my garden, full of rosemary, sage, mint, lavender, and lemon balm. The Empress, in these ways, lives within and through me. That, alone, is a comforting meditation.

The Joy of a Good Book

I was in a rush this morning, sadly. A rush to get dressed, to figure out some arrangement for my hair that didn't look completely awful, and to get to campus before my students did. I like pulling a card or two in the morning but didn't have a good moment for it, so as my husband battled traffic I sat serenely beside him pulling my 3-card Lenormand daily draw (the dashboard serves as a reasonable shuffling surface when need be, and my son's star blanket provides the lovely backdrop!).

My cards were Lily - House - Book.

Game of Hope Lenormand, Star Edition (reprinted by Lauren Forestell)

This line says a few things:

-Learning something new from a family member.
-The landlord making contact with a question in mind.
-Pondering a property's age.
-Relaxing at home with a book.

Yeah. That last one. In fact, yesterday a book I'd ordered a couple of weeks ago finally arrived in the mail. I flipped through it and know I'm going to really enjoy it, but haven't had the right moment to sit back and dig in. I'm feeling slightly under the weather, having caught a cold from my oldest daughter, and the last thing I need is to lecture my students for hours on the attributes of a good essay. What I really need to do is sit back with a hot mug of steaming ginger tea, and lose myself in the joy of a good book!

Result: It was indeed an afternoon and evening full of peaceful book reading. I did manage to spend quite a while reading my new book, mug of tea in hand, and I even read my son a new book about Trombone Shorty before he went to bed. All in all, a good way to end the day.

Under the Sheltering Arm of Our Ancestors

Yesterday, as I waited for the coffee pot to finish percolating, I pulled two cards for my daily draw: one from the Oracle of Pharaohs (by Norman Plaskett) and one from the Stone Tarot.

The first was titled "Closeness." This card represents the ties of family, the celebration experienced when a special event occurs (such as a wedding, birth, or graduation). In an overarching sense it signifies the love and warmth of home and community.

Oracle of the Pharaohs/N. Plaskett

From the Stone Tarot I drew Strength (and I just love the gorgeous colors that seem to reach out from the card!). This card is my constant companion, often popping up in regards to questions that relate to spirituality and purpose. Strength is so many things, but in the simplest of terms Strength is about the spark of the divine within us, our ability to be compassionate, wise, loving, powerful and confident in who we are as individuals walking this earth.

Stone Tarot/A. Stone

On a mundane level these cards speak of the fact that my oldest daughter is coming back home tomorrow after having spent quite a bit of the summer in the north visiting with her grandparents. Every day my son says, "When is Isa coming home? She's been away TOO LONG!" His excitement and impatience is touching and adorable. Friday will be a very special day, and in a literal sense it will feel like the strengthening of our family unit now that we'll be complete again.

In another sense these cards bring to mind the deep importance of our ancestors, or egun. In my faith practice, ancestor reverence is fundamental - our ancestors are teachers and guides that are always accessible to us as we walk through life. Remembering them, inviting them to be present in our lives, honoring their memories, helps to give stability to the path beneath our feet. In the book Finding Soul on the Path of Orisa (2012), Tobe Correal writes:

When we learn to share our existence with a palpable and wise spiritual presence, our relationship with the egun becomes a sheltering arm that protects us when we are vulnerable, embraces us when we are lonely, and carries us when we are too weak to walk alone (pg. 53-54)

A couple of days ago I had the urge to make the typical cook-out food that my father's mother used to make when I was a small child. I experienced a brief whiff of Spicy Cheez-Its, her favorite snack food - she once said that years of chain-smoking had shot her taste-buds, but the heat in those crackers was just enough to come through. Perhaps it's time to make my grandmother's cook-out dinner for my own kids, and place some Spicy Cheez-Its out in her honor. 

Talk It Out

This morning my husband mentioned to me that I've been very pensive and quiet lately. He wondered what I have brewing in my mind, and I realized that he's right, I have been very "internal" over the past week or so. As I was considering that, I went to the kitchen to start the coffee and pull a card from my Halloween Oracle.

I drew: Skull of Darkness - Blind Spots

Halloween Oracle
S. Demarco

This card speaks of the ways in which we run in patterns and often don't realize, or aren't conscious of, those cycles. At times we need to talk things out with other people (a friend, partner, or even therapist) in order to allow them the opportunity to reflect back to us our own processes so that we can hear objective insight. I thought back to my husband's comment, and I thought - yes! Being quiet is what I do when I worry. I worry in silence and rarely speak my concerns or ideas aloud. So when he came out to sit at the table, I sat down next to him and started talking. And as I spoke, he listened, and the low-level anxiety I'd been carrying with me began to diffuse. Sometimes just expressing our thoughts is all we need to lighten our burden. And sometimes hearing another perspective on a situation helps us to see a light where before we only saw darkness. My blindspot is my tendency to hold things inside rather than let them out. I do it without really thinking about it, like an old habit. It's like when you drive to the grocery store and once you park in the lot you realize you weren't even really paying attention to the turns you were making on your way there. Your body was in auto-pilot while your mind was wandering. But to break those patterns it takes attention and awareness and a lot of time.

I know it's better to talk, but I still sometimes fall into those old routines without thinking about it. Learning to do things differently takes some flexibility as well as consistent dedication to carving a new path (and sometimes a loving - or cartomantic - push in the right direction)!

Wine On a Saturday Evening: An Oracle Review

I've been reading the House of Night book series (by P.C. and Kristin Cast) over the past month or so. I originally bought the first four books for my teenage daughter for Christmas last year, thinking that if she got into them and really enjoyed them, I'd get her the Wisdom of the House of Night oracle deck (by P.C. Cast and Colette Baron-Reed), which seemed like a pretty cool way to expand on a story. In the end she never read the books, but I decided to read the first one this summer for vacation entertainment, and was hooked enough to keep right on reading. Now I've got the final few books on hold at the library, and in the meantime I picked up the oracle deck from a local bookstore. I like it quite a bit!

The illustrations are digital, but they remind me of art from the Halloween Oracle which is one of my favorites. I don't feel like I'm looking at a computerized image, and the use of color is very inviting. This deck has 50 glossy cards and covers all the expected and necessary elements of life, such as love, discovery, mystery, healing, education, success, hope, and change. The card stock is durable yet flexible, and I think my only real surprise was that the card edges are not rounded. In fact I've poked myself a few times while shuffling! I can't figure out why a publisher would produce a deck of cards without rounded edges, unless it was to cut corners (pun sort of intended!) on cost. But in the end it's not a major bother.

The guidebook is a nice size at 127 pages, and discusses the intention for the deck, spread options, and sample readings in addition to a full list of card meanings. Of course the writing style is done in such a way that it reflects the book series' theme, so each card description sounds like the goddess Nyx (a loving, compassionate moon goddess from the series, based on the Greek night goddess of the same name) is bestowing her wisdom personally unto the reader. The tone of the writing can be slightly annoying since of course this series is aimed at teens and young adults (roughly the same audience that Twilight was meant to appeal to). But the meanings are clear and the substance of the deck itself is vibrant and applicable to all. While the cards are a great way to connect with the series, they're a good, all-around oracle and reading the books is not a prerequisite to working with them.

One card that I particularly like is called "Fragment," which shows a spirit hovering in a shadowed meadow full of flowers. The sun reflects slightly against the highest tree branches but doesn't quite reach down far enough to illuminate the grove. It highlights the experience of being torn in so many different directions that one no longer feels whole. It also covers the concept of the shattered soul, where grief cuts so deeply into a person's psyche that they experience long-lasting effects of loss that impact many areas of life over a long period of time. That is really interesting, and has the potential to be very eye-opening. It's not a topic I've seen explicitly covered in a deck before, which is why it intrigues me so much!

This morning I decided to pull a daily card from this deck, and chose "Fulfillment." The image shows a pomegranate full of luscious seeds, and a glass of red wine. As one might expect, it's about enjoying life and experiencing satisfaction with one's achievements. It was a perfect card for today, for a couple of reasons: on one hand we've been working on reorganizing the bedroom that our two littlest ones share, and made a trip to Ikea to find some finishing details which they had fun putting together; and two, yesterday we picked up a bottle of red wine at the grocery store, which is something we rarely do, and I'm prepared to thoroughly enjoy a rich glass of it as soon as I finish typing this post! A lasagna is in the oven, a gentle rain is falling outside. Yes, I'd say I'm feeling pretty fulfilled this evening.....!