Posting a bit late today, but is was a rainy and cooler morning so we lazed about a bit and then took the dogs for a good walk. Hope you all are enjoying the day!
In regard to the card, it is interesting that this card speaks to the justice that the planet brings with or without our input when the other strong card today as Two of Arrows – Injustice. Guess I’ll be thinking on that later.
THE STAG
MEANING: The concepts of forgiveness and reward are not appropriate here. They are human ideas which have no reality in natural lore. One reaps what one has sown. Just as right or generous action brings fulfillment and peace, green and vengeful desire bring bitter loneliness and disillusion. Balance will be maintained by the planet’s ecosystem. The justice it dispenses is long lasting, and it is both merciful and irrevocable in its final conclusions.
We are guests of the Earth, not its masters. And, like ill-mannered children at a banquet offered freely by a generous and forgiving host, we have behaved badly and are in danger of spoiling the gathering for everyone else. Our thoughtless greed and selfishness have seriously disturbed the ecosystem. The fine balance and interdependent connection between nature and humans is pivotal; if the balance is disturbed by any inappropriate or thoughtless action there will surely be a natural reaction and the balance will have to be reset.
On an individual level, this may involve haunting guilt over a wrong action or subconscious feeling of bitterness because of an unfair situation. It signifies the karmic wheel of justice that rules our basic concepts of right and wrong, and the inescapable faith that justice will always be done.
On a global level, it may mean that the thoughtless rape of the rainforest will one day severely affect the weather patterns, and the polluted seas will one day produce poisoned fish that will be inedible. One day, in the not too distant future, our host, the Earth, may have no option but to give notice that the pendulum of justice has swung away from us and we will no longer be welcome at the banquet.
DESCRIPTION: The Stag, forest kin and guardian, half human and half animal and verdant with greenery, looks out from the card with a steady and calm gaze. He holds a polished hafted axe and shield. His horns reach into the sky and are mirrored in the branches of the tree, before which he stands as a reminder of our cosmic connection to the universe and its manifestation in all organic life on the planet. The polished axe head is a manifestation of the human will to change the environment – and not always for the better, so a weighing up of action and responsibility is necessary. The shield, which bears the image of the symbolic Major Oak, reminds us that we must preserve and protect our natural resources.
READING POINTS: On a personal level, some kind of adjustment or interaction has taken place. The keyword here is responsibility. We must, as individuals, constantly observe the rules and regulations of society, and these can fluctuate as the views and knowledge of civilization change. Whether on a political or moral level, we subconsciously know when a realignment of our perceptions is due. This is a time to welcome the justice that has arrived with the coming spring and the fire of creation. Face the coming season with honesty and integrity and trust to right and appropriate action.
The Wildwood Tarot by Mark Ryan and John Matthews, art by Will Worthington
Parting the Mists 
Leave a Reply