OK, so two somewhat intimidating Wildwood cards in a row: Yesterday was The Journey (Death) and today is The Guardian (Devil). Neither are of these cards are bad, though, and coming together as they have tells me that it may be time to seriously consider the challenges and situations that come to us right now. Don’t brush them off or deal with them hastily. What do you think?
Blessings!
THE GUARDIAN
READING POINTS: A challenge has arrived in your life. The situation may be very complex. It may even have profound implications for your life and how you deal with the world. It may manifest itself in the form of a profound inner realignment or the facing of some physical outer predicament. Whether from the labyrinth that is the human mind or from some external source, the challenge that presents itself now must be seen for what it is: an opportunity. If something has been hidden or repressed, if a situation has been left to decay or become unhealthy, now is the time to take control of your fears and deal with the insecurity with courage and integrity. Always be aware that however threatening or difficult this situation is, you can only become stronger and more resilient from the experience of understanding and accepting inner darkness.
DESCRIPTION: The bleached white skeleton of a great cave bear stands sentinel in the night, guarding the entrance to a cave. The guardian spirit of the bear challenges those who would enter the cave of ancestral memory without understanding the nature of their own darkness. Within the cave’s open maw, filled with jagged and sharp stalactites, is an unknown and untrodden path. Its destination is shrouded in gloom. No inner light burns to show a way through. Before the path may be followed, the Guardian must be faced and mastery of one’s own fears achieved.
MEANING: Over the centuries, there has been much cynical manipulation of the concept of “the Devil” for political, religious, and doctrinal purposes, leading to the demonizing of this complex, pagan nature spirit. Yet the prime role of such archetypes is one of protection and initiation and is the human link to wilderness, nature, and fertility, sometimes manifested as fierceness, ecstasy and sexuality. However, the fear engendered by the warping of this archetype will be with us for a long time to come.
The Guardian stirs irrational fears from the muddy bottom of the human subconscious and fills the timid soul with foreboding. He is charged with an inhuman subconscious and unseen sentience, feeding off of fear and panic with a malevolent joy. But within this sardonic and chaotic energy lie wisdom, courage, and strength. The human survival instinct was geared for fight or flight, yet we have learned to rationalize our darkest fears and deal with unknown dangers with intellectual insight. As we have evolved our understanding of the unknown, we have learned that no diabolical or supernatural force in the universe is as frightening as the human imagination.
If the Guardian is frightening, it is because we are frightened by our own reflection, our own dark shadow, and it this element of ourselves that we must master. Within this process is the stripping away of conditioning and the distilling of absolute essentials within ourselves. Much can be gained by facing our most deeply hidden and suppressed fears, which usually stem from our own deepest instincts and desires. Once this truth has been absorbed and utilized for our own defense, the darkest of places and the most challenging of forest guardians can be looked in the eye without fear.
The Wildwood Tarot by Mark Ryan and John Matthews, art by Will Worthington
Parting the Mists 
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