Parting the Mists

First of all, to those in the Northern Hemisphere with me, Blessed Lughnasadh! May your first harvest – whether physical or spiritual – be plentiful. If you’re unfamiliar with the festival, click here to check out an article from The Order of Bards, Ovates, & Druids.

We’ve had a pretty and crazy week in our house, but I was trying to think of a little way to bring a sense of the season into the day. When my boyfriend asked what was for breakfast, I pondered it and then told him Blueberry Corn Cakes for Sabbat! He looked like he didn’t know what they were, so I assured him he’d had them before.

“Do you put syrup on them,” he asked.

“Yup,” I replied.

“We’re good then!”

He’s my funny guy. They were yummy though.

Yesterday’s card that focused on building skills was actually perfect for this holiday named after the many-skilled Celtic god Lugh. But today’s draw of Juniper suggests cleaning and blessing things to make space for and to welcome something new, whether that be a new project to undertake or a new relationship.

Hope everyone has a great day!

JUNIPER – cleansing, pioneering, magic (and criticism, self-consciousness, longevity)

In the old days, juniper was used to cleanse houses, cattle, and people in preparation for the coming of summer. This card may mean there is something you need to complete or clear away before you begin a new project or phase. There is a saying: before you can welcome something new, you need to say goodbye to something that needs release. If you are having difficulty beginning a new endeavor or relationship, perhaps you must first attend to an old one – to tie up loose ends and complete the cycle.

This card may also suggest that it is time to pay attention to the significance of beginnings. How we start something determines in many ways the journey and the outcome that will follow. This is why intention, forethought, and planning are so important. The art of living well lives in maintaining a genuine sense of spontaneity, while still acting thoughtfully and purposefully.

Juniper is a powerful disinfectant. This card may also be a caution to avoid being overly critical. Although the spiritual path helps us to become more and more conscious, there’s often the danger that the very consciousness we seek will purge us of spontaneity and creativity. Too much thought or self-consciousness can spell the death of an idea or an impulse. Just as a human or animal birth can be aborted, so can a new relationship or project if too much analytical thinking is applied. It may take a lifetime to determine the balance needed between impulse and restraint, but if we develop our humanity and our hearts we will gradually come to an intuitive sense of when we should act before thinking, and when we should think before acting.

The juniper is also associated with longevity, and one of the keys to a long life is a learning to combine youthful spontaneity of childhood with the wisdom of age.

The Druid Plant Oracle by authors Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm and artist Will Worthington