Parting the Mists

OK, so all three cards that popped up this morning all indicate a pause and some calm consideration. Take a gander:

Yet the Underworld card was the strongest. The Underworld is a potent image for many of us, but too often those in Western society immediately think of hell. The Underworld varies by culture, as the oracle author discusses (and there’s even more difference if we add in the Celtic cosmology and view of the Underworld), so this card should not trigger fear. Much like the Death card in the tarot, this is about transformation, so is it time to stop, pause, and consider how you want to transform your life?

Blessings.

THE UNDERWORLD – Where all things pause and begin again

Another realm, shadow filled
Travel from death’s bed
Where we stop and transform
Within the realm of the dead

The idea of the “underworld,” a whole realm that we go to after we die, is a concept that crosses a huge variety of cultures and eras. The Sumerians, the Turkish, the Incas, the Greeks through to the Siberians, the Maori and the Kymers – all had a distinct word for the underworld. What is different though is how these cultures treat this concept – whether the underworld is seen as a place of rest and rejuvenation or horror and punishment.

The Christian hell is a place of darkness, fire, and punishment. The Egyptian underworld is one of judgment, peace, and renewal. In Maori culture, it is an in-between place of waiting, wisdom, and transition. Many myths that mention the underworld often involve the concept of a place of waiting and of trials and eventual judgment. It can also be a place of joy and peace.

Should the Underworld card be present in your reading, you are being asked to consider exactly what you have to do to transform your life into something you find easier or more authentic to you. This may involve changing course. It may involve trials and tests. Keep moving. Whilst things may fall away and your life may appear bare for a time, this is temporary. Space is being made into which you can create the new.

The Halloween Oracle by author Stacey Demarco and artist Jimmy Manton