This card really speaks for itself, but don’t forget that it is speaking as much about self-love as it is love given to others.
Do you often find it easier to give advice to others, while hiding from the truth that the advice you give is advice that you, yourself, neglect to follow? Do you find it easier to nurture others and show them kindness and compassion? It is time to be kind and gentle with yourself; to love you – strengths and weaknesses – without reservation or condition. Nurture yourself. Be kind to yourself, for you are deserving of the same unconditional care and love that give to other.
We saw the Green Man a couple months ago, but in a more serious context with two other cards (exploitation and prudence). He alone is here to guide us today, and he makes it clear it is time to have confidence in ourselves and to get started on something new.
Blessings!
THE GREEN MAN
READING POINTS: The Green Man is generous in his bestowal of creative, fertile energy and he will move you to a new level of confident and assertive dynamism. This is a time for both giving and receiving the natural flow of life both inwardly and outwardly. Be prepared to find a new and thriving drive to begin projects, relationships, and even new ways of living your life and fulfilling your world. Now is the time to experience being at the apex of the cycle of life. Enjoy it!
MEANING: The Green Man is a symbol of the flourishing heart of the male aspect of nature. One of the most ancient images of the connection between mankind and nature, his face has looked out from the stones of temples and churches for centuries. Even in the dim and chilly heights of Christian cathedrals, he looks down, often sardonically, on the people far below. Constantly returning in thinly disguised ciphers such as the Green Knight, Jack in the Green, and Robin Hood, his face, disgorging leaves, peers out from the rich, dark, fertile heart of the forest and challenges you to respect and revel in the joys of the natural world. His aspect can be fearsome and frightening as he protects the wild beasts of the forest. They know his voice and his presence well, for he is a much one of them as he is the conscious spirit of the land, and the interaction between nature and beast is constant and intertwined.
The fecund cauldron is under his ever-watchful eye and the joyful exultation of creation and fertility are seen the Cerne Abbas giant, proud both in his manhood and his protective power. He is a giant figure indeed, mature in his power and patient in his resolution.
The Green Man is every vigilant and unerringly stoical in his guardianship of the sacred land. His warning to respect the laws of nature and the beast of the forest area best heeded, as his challenge to those who abuse his generosity can be fierce and severe indeed. Yet his heart is great and his spirit is warm and full of primal joy. His face is not hidden from those who can see through the thickly tangled fronds that encompass and enfold the Earth. His bounty is rich and nutritious and soaked in the golden rays of a fertile summer sun.
DESCRIPTION: The face of the Green Man gazes from this card with a challenging and blazing stare. Golden summer sunlight radiates from the leaves that burst abundantly across his glowing face and reach across the heart of the sacred land. In front of him is the cauldron of thriving and regenerating nature, which is both a preserved and storehouse of the vital energy of creation and stability. It represents the throne of kingship, currently empty, and the Green Man guards it with the spear of power and the horn of plenty, ready for the king who will take his place and stand as defender of the land.
The Wildwood Tarot by authors Mark Ryan and John Matthews and artist Will Worthington
Good morning! It’s going to be a hot, sticky day in southeast Kansas, but Wolf is here to tell us to keep our cool in regard to conquering fears and discovering our strength and intuition.
Stay cool, folks!
WOLF – Intuition, Learning, The Shadow
Meaning: Wolf (Faol) brings a strong sense of faithfulness, inner strength, and intuition. But the wolf brings learning too. Sometimes you need to cross barriers, to take risks, to go beyond the limited compass of “normal” behavior in order to learn and grow, although crossing these boundaries may seem unattractive, even painful. You need not fear the inner power and strength you feel when you spend time alone. Come to know your deepest self and even in the darkest places you will find courage and spiritual companionship.
The Wolf can also suggest that you need to come into a new relationship with your sense of aloneness in the world. Behind fear of loneliness may lie a fear of your own inner strength, fierceness, and power. Learn to trust this and to come to know your deeper self. Through dreams and intuitions, you may come to learn more of the hidden side of your being which is sometime called the Shadow. As well as there being “lone wolves” in the world, you should know that the wolf is a faithful animal which often mates for life. In tradition, it was considered lucky when a wolf crossed the path of a bridal party, precisely because of this faithfulness. Even though you may need to spend times of your life alone, you should know that you will also have times of companionship and togetherness.
The Druid Animal Oracle by authors Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm and artist Will Worthington
Oftentimes, people who have a hard past struggle to believe they are better than they were, which makes it easier to cycle back into the wounds and trauma. Part of the human condition allows us to become better people or to stop being victims. Let yourself heal and believe in that healing power. Blessings!
WOUNDED HEALER
MEANING: Healing energy, vitality, and life-force energy are flowing through you and to you. You are a healer, and you provide healing for others, even if you’re not conscious of it. Whatever needs healing in your life is being resolved. Your so-called faults are becoming your virtues. No matter what happened in your past, the past does not need to equal the future. It’s true: the cracks can be where the light enters the soul.
NATIVE SPIRIT WISDOM: The wounded healer is a tradition in native cultures that asserts that some of the greatest healers are those who have gone through hardship and survived, or who have been wounded and healed. It’s believed that these individuals can provide great solace and can instigate profound healing for others. You may have been wounded in your life, or you may have gone through challenging times, but the roots go deepest where the wind blows strongest. You are a healer in the most profound sense of the word. Healing energy is surging through you. Whatever in your life needs healing is being addressed on the inner realms. Your strength lies in the difficulties that you’ve overcome.
THE JOURNEY: List each of your wounds or challenges from the past. Then next to each one, write down what came out of the situation that was of benefit. Additionally, repeat again and again, “I am a healer – I am healed. So be it.”
Native Spirit Oracle by author Denise Linn and artist Charles McStravick
What a perfect card as we head into a weekend! Sorry that the card has been MIA the last two days; we’ve been a bit hectic but I foresee that calming down in week or so. Have a great Friday and weekend!
Ace of Vessels – The Waters of Life
Meaning: The waters of life retain the ancient wisdom ready for reawakening. The moonlit pool of the universal soul retains all memory, ready to renew the inspired quest.
Reading Points: The suit of Vessels represent the primal mystery of human emotions, and the Ace focuses on the very essence of these powerful, yet elusive, traits. Since prehistory, emotions have been represented by the element of Water and, however far we have evolved, we are still largely ruled by our emotions and instincts. Our powers of reason, intellect and science have given us mastery of the oceans and skies, but what propels the driver to explore, invent and build is still human desire and curiosity.
Biologists would argue that our emotions are simply a manifestation of the ancient evolutionary process and are covered by the limbic system or mammalian brain. What influence the ancient reptilian brain (on which the mammalian brain sits) has on our emotional reactions is still a mystery. Our emotions need to be harnessed for positive ends, and suppressing our basic emotional needs will lead us to rebel and become detached. Gather your emotional energies and keep them in balance for health, creative, and loving interaction with all nature, including the sometimes irrational and destructive energies of humankind.
The Wildwood Tarot by authors Mark Ryan and John Matthews and artist Will Worthington
This is great timing for our household! We just finished listening to Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear last night, and we are feeling the urge to overcome our creative fears. The Wildwood deck is clearly in support of this. Hopefully, this helps some others out there too.
Blessings and have a great Tuesday!
THREE OF STONES – CREATIVITY
MEANING: An artist listens to the inner voice and hears the wind song of the universe. The courage, freedom, and skill that allow the artist to mediate this energy must be refined and focused for effective and meaningful achievement.
READING POINTS: The practical manifestation of creative energy requires a clear and open channel to the inspirational forces and impulses of the universe. Just as releasing your dreams and desires into the universal consciousness always brings a response, so the the releasing of creative energy invites into the artist the healing and enriching fuel from which further insight and visionary stimulus flows. This emotional and spiritual relationship with divine inspiration allows the subconscious mind to delve deeply and summons the intuitively creative power that catalyzes work. Artistic beauty takes many forms and presents itself in a variety of ways, but the relationship with the subconscious formative energy, whether through music, painting, sculpture, or poetry, reminds us of the personal and intimate connection we all should share with the universal consciousness.
DESCRIPTION: A huge trilithon stands amid bushes and rocks. On the left-hand pillar is a great aurochs from the painted caves of France; on the right is an ancient horse known as Przewalski. Standing between the stones, one hand on each, is a Green Woman, from whose feet roots of energy spread out as she draws upon the strength of the stones and the earth.
The Wildwood Tarot by authors Mark Ryan and John Matthews and artist Will Worthington
I’ve been vaccinated since April but only trusted going out in the past few weeks (though Delta might soon change that). Recent social outings, however, left me realizing one thing – the isolation that Covid-19 required of many of us has atrophied certain muscles.
I’ve been chattering nervously at these events and trying to figure out what to talk about other than the pandemic and social distancing techniques. But most of all, I become drained beyond anything I’ve felt in decades. Of course, I realize that I am also still fighting cancer, but others have confirmed the same phenomenon of getting zapped even by an hour or three hanging around friends and extended family.
After some considering, I realized many of us have forgotten to shield! What has long seemed a 101 subject for many of us is now rusty from disuse. We don our masks and think that’s all the shield we need. Let’s consider that many of us had our work life altered either by working from home or by having to distance from coworkers in the office. Yes, there were stresses from isolation, but picking up tidbits of other people’s energies (especially for those of us who are empathic) wasn’t prime among them. Nor was losing tidbits of your energy to others (especially for those people pleasers). Now that many of us returned to a normal work environment and have dipped our toes back into social waters, we need to relearn – or remember – to build that protective bubble.
Comic Con is a fun event for many, but crowds like these can be energetically draining.
If you already know how to do this but have gotten out of the habit, let this be a reminder to reclaim it. Also, I would love to hear what techniques you use!
For those who are newer to these things or were thrown into the deep end when they started, I’m going to go over the basics.
First, however, we should discuss the other two elements that often get lumped in with shielding: grounding and centering. It’s unfortunate that in many rituals or groups these concepts are frequently mentioned but rarely explained.
Grounding
In a nutshell, grounding is connecting with physical reality. It’s a great way to be present as well as to ground your energy. In recent years, many have confused earthing with grounding. Earthing is the concept of connecting and grounding by being barefoot on the ground. It is atechnique that can be used to ground, but it is not grounding itself. Grounding is an energetic exercise rather than a physical one. Consider this: would you practice earthing in below-freezing temps with ice and snow on the ground? Would you be able to practice it at work? Earthing is a lovely technique, but it has practical limitations. And when you really need to ground, the conditions are rarely perfect.
A popular technique that works wherever you are and no matter the weather is visualization. A common one is imagining yourself as a tree, reaching down into the ground with your tree roots to connect with the earth and to stabilize the energy. The friend that introduced me to this concept described growing a monkey tail that reached down into the ground. Whatever works for you is fine.
Most folks don’t think beyond these two techniques to ground, but the women’s group I am blessed to be part of actually uses chant and toning for grounding, centering, and raising energy. It helps members to focus and get into the right headspace as well as to ground by using the repetition of well-known chants. We have a specific toning to raise energy and closing chants that help us ground again.
My boyfriend often plays a simple heartbeat rhythm on the frame drum to ground and center, using the sound and vibration.
Centering
So often, it seems to me that grounding and centering feel like the same thing, though they aren’t. But I was trained to do one right after the other, so that they feel like one smooth process. But while grounding is rooting in the physical, centering is bringing your energy in to yourself while simultaneously releasing any energy that doesn’t belong to you. Remember when I mentioned how we pick up tidbits of other people’s energy through the day? It’s just as important to let that go as it is to bring in your own energy that’s been siphoned off by the needs and wants of others.
Again, many do this through visualization, imagining or feeling their energy coming into their center (which can be a bit different from person to person – for me, it’s the solar plexus, but I know some who feel it’s their heart). Some see it as a white or gold ball or ray of light, but some people sense color.
Shielding
Alright, we’ve made it through grounding and centering and are back to the main topic. Shielding is using your energy to protect yourself from being attacked (oh, how dramatic!) or drained by other energies.
Usually, this “other energy” is just from people we know, and it’s not often on purpose. As humans, we crave connection and love and yet our egos strive to compete or control – unchecked, all three can cause energetic havoc. We can be needy, demeaning, or bullying. Dealing with this throughout the day from bosses, coworkers, family, and even friends who don’t realize what they are doing can chip away at your energy and leave you exposed and drained.
For some of us, there are nonhuman energies to protect ourselves from. Having done some paranormal investigating in the past, I can tell you shielding is a very important tool when dealing with spirits. I’ve even used this in bad storms, extending that bubble to the car or home I was in at the time.
So how to do it?
OK, so remember the bit about centering? You start there. After you’ve ejected other energies and focused your own back to center, begin pushing that energy outward so it eventually encompasses your entire body. Then push it a little beyond that to create a layer of energy around you. Continue sending energy to this layer, growing it bigger or stronger until you feel that you have created a protective bubble.
Again, visualization works great for this – a common one is the white light exercise – but be creative if that doesn’t work for you. I sometimes out loud or in my head recite a protective charm to Brigid a few times to get the ball rolling. My boyfriend envisions Iron Man’s suit coming around Tony (Sailor Moon might be another good pop culture reference to help some folks). Cast Mage Armor. We also plan to experiment with using the frame drum to see if that works for one of us. If flourishing your hand and calling out “Expecto patronum” gets the energy moving, by golly, use it!
Now, this is an important part that a lot of folks miss – once you have the bubble well established, CLOSE YOUR ENERGY CENTER. I know, I know, I used all caps. But this is important or you will end up even more drained than all those other needy people in the world. Close it, let yourself feel that little door shut, and let the energy you released do the work.
Ready to try it? Well, don’t just yet. First, silence your phone, tablet, computer, or radio and get rid of any serious distractions. University of California research shows that it takes an average of 25 minutes to get back to an interrupted task. Focus is required of these exercises, so limit distraction when practicing it. Eventually, you will be able to accomplish it with distractions, but it will take a little time.
As mentioned in the beginning, this isn’t advanced or difficult work, but it is important. Even in normal times, people get in trouble by attempting spiritual work or techniques without the foundational elements of grounding, centering, and shielding. Control and protect your energy – you will be amazed at what it will help you accomplish.
Rosemary is easily my favorite herb, and I can verify it’s power to sharpen the mind as well as flavor a dish! Today is a day for the mind, for communication, and to listen.
Curandera of Air – Rosemary
Adopt a story and pass it on; with pen, song or brush, tell your story; what is remembered lives
A wild and unruly rosemary bush grows on the side of a garden shed. The building’s blue paint is weathered and in need of a fresh coat. Some of the rosemary branches are starting to produce small purple flowers. An old woman grips a bundle of fresh sprigs in her hand, her arm decorated with a faded wing tattoo. She offers it up to the sky.
Meaning: The Curandera of Air is calm and collected. She agrees with what Chogyam Trungpa taught about spiritual materialism: “Wisdom is not an ancient relic to be collected but inspiration for new awareness.” She knows the medicine of rosemary enhances cognitive function. Her mind is sharp and quick but she talks very little. She understands that words have wings, so she speaks only when she has something meaningful to offer. She is a wonderful listener. She ays, “Tell me more.” People are drawn to her honesty. Just as rosemary clears the mind, her couple bring clarity and inspires peace.
Crafting with the Curandera of Air:
• Call a story circle: make a rosemary crown to be worn by a storyteller.
• Enhance your memory: add fresh rosemary to your cold water.
• Inspire your writing: being your journal session with a rosemary palm inhalation.
The Herbcrafter’s Tarot by author Latisha Guthrie and artist Joanna Powell Colbert
Here we are! Sorry about yesterday’s card; we were busy doing errands and working around the house and time got away from me. Hope you all have a lovely and ppeaceful day.
Dove Spirit
Message: With her peaceful cooing, the gentle Dove Spirit invites you to embrace the energy of peace and allow compassion to warm your heart. You always have the power to generate peace within you, and the appearance of Dove Spirit is a reminder that today and every day is a good day to meditate, to quiet any turbulence within as you embody tranquility.
Above, below, and all around you, much may be happening to distract you, but you are called to engage it with the heart of a peacemaker, asking yourself, “What would Peace do?” Can you agree to disagree?
The peace you seek rises within and spreads out into the world as Spirit sends her messenger to remind you of the beauty of a harmonious existence with all that is. How beautiful and powerful is your compassionate heart!
Protection Message: However disturbed the waters are around you, however your troubled heart, Dove Spirit is there to remind you that peace without begins within as you reconnect with Spirit through practices the awaken you from spiritual amnesia. Your true nature is as a peaceful child of Spirit. Soon, the waters will become still and you will feel peace again. Be compassionate with yourself at this time, for all of us can forget that peace is always at hand, always there, gifted to us by Spirit. Become the peace you wish to see in the world so you can reduce any suffering, performing acts of kindness and radiating love.
Dove Spirit also reminds you that when you see inequity or someone harmed or in need, trust that you have the capacity to bring peace through smiling, sending love, speaking a kind word, and listening with a compassionate heart. Do your part to be a peacemaker, nourishing compassion, reminding others of the joy of harmonious co-existence so that they may embrace the Dove Spirit within themselves too.
Spirit Animal Oracle by author Colette Baron-Reid and artist Jenna DellaGrotaglia
What a lovely card for our day! It’s a kind and supportive card, so take some time today to nurture yourself or to acknowledge that you are heading in the right direction.
Spirit of Water
Meaning: Trust your intuition. Know that you’re on the right path. Take time to nurture yourself. Allow your inner child free rein. Believe in your dreams. Don’t stifle your emotions; trust the messages they’re giving you. Purify and cleanse yourself and your home. Healing is on its way. Emotional healing energy is expanding within you.
Native Spirit Wisdom: The Spirit of Water invites an emotional richness to your life. Communicate from your heart. Embrace your childlike wonder. This card also represents purification, cleansing, and healing. It reminds you to clean your personal space and embrace your emotions – all of them, even the ones that you don’t usually like. Additionally, trust your hunches. Push off from the shore of safety, and enter the flow of life. All is well.
The Journey: Be aware of water in your life: humidity, mists, clouds, rain, water in food (fruit, vegetables, and so forth), the ocean, the rivers, the bath, and the shower. Drink extra water; energize it by placing your hand over each glass and sending love into the water. Cleanse and purify yourself and your living space using water. Imagine how it would feel to be a still pool, a mountain stream, a mist, the great sea, or a summer shower. Notice any emotions or feelings that emerge as you do this. Watch your dreams.
Native Spirit Oracle by Denise Linn and art by Charles McStravick
Parting the Mists 