Hermit: Light and Shadow

I don't order new decks very often, but when I do it's because I've come across something that really draws me in. It's been a while, but I've finally found one: the Light and Shadow Tarot, by author Brian Williams and artist Michael Goepferd. I'm so excited.

The artist has created a series of wood cuts for this deck. I find I'm very drawn to the texture and movement in wood block prints of this nature - there is something rustic and earthy that draws me right in - so having a whole deck of them is pretty awesome! The only other deck that I own that is not full color is the Ship of Fools Tarot, by Brian Williams. It's based on Das Narrenschiff, by Sebastian Brant, and all of the images are fine-line ink over a sepia-toned background. I find the deck very interesting, but don't read with it very much as it takes time for the eye to process everything that's going on in each card. However the Light and Shadow Tarot, while black and white, is bold and simple such that it reads quite well. This is a huge plus.  I will eventually do a review of the deck, but for now I want to focus on the simple loveliness of the initial card that called to me (it helps that it's on the front cover of the packaging): the Hermit.

Light and Shadow Tarot
Williams/Goepferd

The Hermit's candle guides him onward in pursuit of self-knowledge, and the snail and raven are his constant companions. Ravens symbolize mystery, introspection, mysticism and transformation. The snail represents patience, process, and wisdom. If you look closely you'll see a yin-yang symbol in the flame of the glowing light - the Hermit understands that life is balance, and is cyclical. Without challenges would we appreciate the times of joy fully? Heartbreak is only possible if we have loved deeply. The crops would perish without the rain. By embracing Hermit energy we come to know ourselves, our own patterns and cycles, and can learn and grow from them. We come to appreciate the night, knowing that it won't last forever.

Happy Tuesday!

New Moon: Release and Embrace

Today is the New Moon and it sort of snuck up on me this month! Usually I'm very attentive to the moon phases but with all the shifts and transitions going around me I've been a bit distracted. Today is also a Sunday, and I love spending some time with my thoughts and a hot cuppa coffee on Sunday mornings, so it seemed like a good moment to pull some New Moon cards.

The New Moon is the the first phase of the moon cycle, after which it begins to grow in visibility (waxing) as it approaches the Full Moon approximately two weeks later.  This is commonly a time for doing workings that invite positive new opportunities into our lives, or that seek to nurture and grow the abundance we already experience. For this New Moon I decided to pull two cards in the following manner:

New Moon Spread

1: What to release into the past

2: What to embrace and nurture over the next two weeks

Now before I discuss the cards I pulled, let me digress momentarily! It's funny how the moon has become an important symbol for me lately. Exactly one week ago, on Mother's Day, my family and I stopped briefly at a local rootwork/magic shop so that I could restock some of my tools, and I decided to review the stones and crystals. I have several moonstones, but I was very drawn to the store's selection - their sizes, shapes, and luminescence. I spent almost ten minutes holding and examining all of them before choosing one that was an elongated oval with areas of pearly sheen broken up by chunks of transparent, quartz-like stone. It's currently sitting by my bedside in a small, antique wooden box.

Additionally, over the past week or two I've been having image flashes of some of the cards in my Deviant Moon deck, which is one I haven't used in quite a while. It seemed to be calling to me. Last night I finally pulled it out for several readings, and spent time admiring the dark-yet-warmly-vibrant color scheme. When I realized this morning that it was the New Moon, I simultaneously felt compelled to draw a couple of cards from this deck, and was drawn to the moonstone in the little wooden box by my bed. There is a theme here, about cycles, shadows, emotions, and acceptance that are highlighted in the cards I pulled:

Deviant Moon Tarot - P. Valenza
U.S. Games Systems

1: What to release into the past - Wheel of Fortune reversed

2: What to embrace and nurture over the coming two weeks: 10 of Cups

Hm! Sometimes you pull cards and sit with them for a while in order to allow the meanings to steep and bloom like tea-flowers in your heart and mind; other times the significance is immediately apparent. This reading fell into the latter category. 

First we have the Wheel with its connection to cycles, movement and change. Inverted it suggests that I've been resisting, to some degree, the fluctuations in my life over the previous months. This card highlights the sense of feeling somewhat powerless in the face of major life events, and that has certainly been true for me. I wrote a short while back about my children, and how they're going to spend two months with their grandparents this summer. This is essentially an awesome vacation for them, but the length is due in part to the fact that my husband is leaving for work overseas and will be gone for most of the summer. This arrangement allows the kids to enjoy their summer break properly, and spend quality time with their extended family. But of course the thought of being away from them (and my husband) is painful for me, no matter how much I can rationalize the benefits. A few weeks ago I was really struggling with my feelings on the matter when I felt drawn to a selenite stone (which I am just now realizing is also a moon stone!) on my table. I wondered why, as it's not a stone I've worked with much before, but I generally follow my intuition, so I stuck it in my pocket and went about my day. Several times throughout that day I realized how calm and at peace I felt. The sadness seemed to wane considerably, and I realized that I was feeling very reasonable! Of course my husband should go on this work opportunity, and the kids are only going to be gone for two months, during which time I'll see them for a week when I take my own mini-vacation. That's not so bad! I was both impressed with this new emotional development and immensely relieved. And that feeling has stuck with me. Now my husband has been away with our two youngest kids for a few days (they're coming back tonight) and while I've enjoyed the down time, it's reminded me how much I miss them when they're gone. So now I'm facing two weeks (almost exactly) until they're scheduled to head north with grandma: the countdown begins. The Wheel reminds me that life is change, and that breaks in routine (like my field trip on Friday) are important for our health. That everything is temporary, including summer vacation, and that as I'm not planning to alter our plans, resisting the movement is a waste of precious energy. I can't control everything, but I can release my intense attachment, just a little bit. 

So if I'm releasing my futile attempt to control my environment, where should I focus? The 10 of Cups! Well isn't that the truth! I have two weeks left before my children depart (on the precise date of the Full Moon, mind you). I have a choice: spend the next two weeks worrying and feeling sad in anticipation, or go with the flow, and make the most of this time with my loved ones. This second option is the clear winner. The image on this Deviant Moon card is the perfect representation of my family (just add an extra kid!). The parents embrace each other while the children galavant about. There is a clear sense of unity and love which is exactly how I feel with my husband and children. This is an awesome, beautiful gift to be able to experience and share - why waste even a moment of it?

Tarot de St. Croix
Lisa de St. Croix

What is it about the moon? In Tarot this card symbolizes those things that are not tangible, obvious, or direct. It calls forth our fears, our shadow, our concerns about things that can't be known, or of what might be. Above all the Moon offers us a valuable invitation to know ourselves better, and to face the source of our discontent. It's not always fun, but it's always worth it to dive right in...and to remember that the moon, like all aspects of our lives, moves in cycles and phases; there is great comfort to be had in understanding that when things are feeling dark, you can always count on the tide turning once again.

Ehwaz and the 4 of Wands: A Breath of Fresh Air

This morning I pulled a rune for the general energy of my day, and a card from my Thoth deck to give me some advice about embracing it. I pulled Ehwaz and the 4 of Wands.

Ehwaz literally means "horse" and symbolizes Sleipnir, Odin's 8-legged steed (which has been a recurring theme for me lately, it seems!). This is the 19th rune in the Elder Futhark, and in simple terms deals with partnership and trust between people, positive change, and modes of transportation. Horses and humans had a deeply symbiotic relationship for so many thousands of years, and the bond between them was (and I suppose still is) sacred. Ehwaz can represent the bond of friends or romantic partners, and can indicate marriage. It can also signify movement, or travel that is necessary to achieve a goal (horse = transportation!). 

The 4 of Wands can also represent celebratory times such as weddings or marriage (or in my case, the joy of simply being at home!). This card embraces the feeling of relief - relief from everyday challenges, a positive event or shift that brings refreshing change. The wheel on this card highlights this sense of forward movement that gives wholeness to the way we experience our world. Remembering to enjoy ourselves is critical to living a rich life, and weddings and vacations certainly help us to do that. In my line of work, so do field trips!

Today a colleague and I are partnering up to take our respective classes via car and train to a major sports and entertainment venue in the downtown area. We try to build these experiences into the curriculum to give the students access to the outside world (many stay on or near campus), to give them opportunities to engage the English-speaking populace (they're all international students), and to give them a break from the typical lecture/project-based classroom routine. Ehwaz is certainly apt both in terms of partnership and travel, and the 4 of Wands encourages me to embrace the day and the breath of fresh air that it provides. Hey, even teachers need to get out of the building once in a while!

Kenaz and the Knight of Fire

My blogging friend Ellen, from Greylady's Hearth, has been composing posts lately that focus on a blend of Tarot and runes, to lovely effect. I decided to try this combo out for myself, using my hand-made runes and my Vikings Tarot deck. I drew the rune first, asking for a general, predominant energy in my life right now. Then I drew a card asking about the best way to engage this energy. The results were very interesting!

Rune: Kenaz

Kenaz is connected to the element of fire, and signifies a door opening up to new things. This is a rune of energy, power and movement; troubles ease and creativity gathers momentum. The force that gathers with this rune is not erratic but controlled and purposeful. This is energy that has the potential to get things done. I envision this as a fire that builds and expands within until it bursts forth from its vessel and illuminates the path forward, like the Hermit's lantern.

Vikings Tarot/Lo Scarabeo

Tarot: Knight of Wands

This card features the giant Hrungnir astride his horse Gullfaxi. Hrungnir was rather boastful and had a competition with Odin and Sleipnir to see whose mount was faster (Sleipnir won; apparently there is nothing faster than the wind!). Odin invited Hrungnir to Asgard to hang out, where he drank too much ale and started tossing threats around. Thor decided to put him in his place, and slew him with Mjöllnir (Thor's souvenir was a shard of Hrungnir's whetstone lodged in his head).  This card, like Kenaz, is associated with fire, creativity and movement, and I love that this energy is mirrored between the rune and Tarot. There can be no doubt that this Knight is ready for an adventure.

Both Kenaz and the Knight of Wands symbolize energy in motion, and positive developments. Kenaz, in the image I posted, does appear very much like a door opening, and the Knight appears to ride forth from the mouth of the rune, ready to carry this heated torch forward to explore new worlds.

There is certainly movement in my life at present, and travel is in the forecast for the next month or two. The Knight of Wands is encouraging me to embrace the new forces unfolding around and before me, to open myself to new insights, opportunities and possibilities that Kenaz brings, and to see where it takes me. I'm game!

Empress, Mother

This morning my daily draw was the Empress. When I saw it I immediately felt pleased and at ease, because this is such a nurturing card; it exudes loving embraces, and material abundance. That's pretty much what my day has been all about!

Today is my younger daughter's birthday, and before school my husband gave her a special necklace set: one of those broken coins with ragged edges that fit together, symbolizing a close connection between the two people that wear each piece. One said "mother" and the other said "daughter." That was sweet, and she was very happy. I put mine on, and helped her to fasten her own. After work and school she saw that I still had the necklace on and said, "I'm glad you're still wearing that - you have to wear it for the rest of your life." I love that kid.

Thoth Tarot
F. Harris/A. Crowley
U.S Games Systems

A close family friend is here visiting for a couple of days, and though he had attended school in a health field, his true passion is music. It just so happens that I teach at a school for entertainment, where students can earn Bachelor's and Master's degrees in anything from recording arts, to computer animation, to entertainment business. It suddenly occurred to me last night to take him on a tour of the campus today while I had a break between classes. My husband and I had an excellent time watching his face light up as we toured the recording studios, sound stages, and dubbing stage. He was in heaven. As we chatted with the admissions counselor, I realized that the woman was talking to me as if I were the responsible party, and I laughed and commented about feeling like his mother. Later we found that because of his close ties to me and my husband, I'm able to nominate him for a legacy scholarship which will help cover his expenses, so there was a double whammy of Empress energy!

This evening I've been orchestrating the goods and goodies for my daughter's birthday celebration, and in the meantime trying to take care of myself as I'm getting that tickling in the throat that warns of an oncoming cold (I have to thank my son for that!).

The Empress has manifested in many ways today, and every one of them has been deeply satisfying.

The Synergy of Rootwork

From time to time I find myself pausing to ponder the beauty and mystery of the universe: how energy works, the way in which everything in our environment is connected, the simple yet awe-inspiring moments where you just know that there's a God (sunsets tend to do this for me).

I was having such a moment this morning as I was considering our relationship to cause-and-effect in the world, and the methods that we can use to influence positive outcomes in our lives. Rootwork, in my experience, is one such method that is both subtle yet powerful in its efficacy. A working, when well planned and executed, softly influences the energy of the universe, something like tossing a stone into a pond and watching the ripples unfold. It is nothing more than a suggestion we make, but it is real, and can be very effective. For me there is great mystery and holiness in that.

So I decided to pull a card from my Halloween Oracle, while holding this topic gently in my mind, and I pulled: Barmbrack.

Halloween Oracle; S. Demarco, J. Manton
Rootworking tools

Barmrack is the name of an yeasty Irish fruit bread that is traditionally made at Samhain (Halloween). Before the bread is baked various objects are inserted into it, such as a toothpick, a coin, or a ring. If a party-goer received a slice of bread with the toothpick they could expect a year of disputes ahead (similar to the Birchrod in Lenormand). If they received the coin, they could expect money, and if the ring, a marriage.

In the Halloween Oracle this card is subtitled "Sweetness and Synergy" and refers to value and power that exist in the present, as opposed to worrying about the future. The author, Stacey Demarco, writes:

"We have the tools to change our future should we choose. The sweet energy of barmbrack - all the ingredients including the objects [baked within] are more complete and powerful together than they are individually."

This is a beautiful representation of what rootwork is and does. Rootwork is a ritual process of utilizing roots, herbs, stones, and things made with natural essences (such as oils) in combination to help achieve a specific end (such as finding work, improving finances or business, healing those who are ill, and even for protection). The ritual of rootwork - the careful and purposeful selection of materials, the process of preparation, the focus and intention of the worker and the work itself - is like a sacred dance, a weaving of energy where each element merges and combines to create something greater than the sum of its parts - powerful synergy.

The Illusion of Permanence

I was walking near the shores of Secret Lake yesterday morning when I noticed a rather large ant mound rising up out of the grass and beginning to spill out onto the sidewalk. It was so complete, so busy, that I had to stop for a moment to appreciate the work. Between a smattering of tiny holes, red ants scurried with clear purpose, some carrying what appeared to be tiny larva. It was an active community of living beings that had spent countless hours, perhaps days, on the creation of their sandy home.

And in that moment I realized how terribly precarious it all was. One child mesmerized by the movement could, with a single excited swipe, destroy it completely. Or perhaps someone riding a bike, or a heavy rain storm, or even a park maintenance person out mowing the lawn. Any of these things could, in an instant, erase this ant town from the surface of the earth (temporarily though it be). And in fact it most certainly would happen.

But the cool thing about ants is that when the fruits of their endless labor are washed away, they will simply rebuild. Which got me to thinking about fluctuation and the impermanence of life. There are many cards in a Tarot deck that can point to instability and change. Some of the obvious cards include Death and the Tower. Some others include the Wheel, the 4 of Wands reversed (I call this the 'transition' card), and even the 8 of Cups.

Last week I pulled a card from my Viking Cards deck in a moment when I was feeling a bit oppressed by the movement in my life. I believe my actual question was: "What is happening to me?"  The card I drew was Sleipnir: Changes.

Viking Cards
U.S. Games Systems, 1997

I think I actually laughed out loud when I saw it, and said, "Yep!!!" What I found most helpful about this card was the correlation to Odin's mystical, 8-legged horse, Sleipnir, who is often described in the Sagas as being the wind that Odin rides to other dimensions. I love that concept. The book, written by Gudrun Bergmann, states:

"The Changes may be like the strong summer winds that blow across Iceland's interior and stir up a lot of dust, so that even the Sun is overshadowed and one cannot see clearly. But such winds also subside. Sleipnir tells you not to fight the changes, but to jump on his back and ride the winds of Change (pg. 88)."

There is something particularly revitalizing about the idea of jumping onto Sleipnir's back and riding forth into the great unknown; change abounds, but you're never without excellent company. Like the ants' intricate hills, like Tibetan Sand Mandalas, or Navajo sand paintings, changes are necessary, inevitable, and learning to embrace the movement is both empowering and healing.