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Interestingly, the Owl was another strong contender in the spread this morning, but its meaning leans toward the opposite (detachment, wisdom, and change). However, the Bee energy fairly buzzed on my hand, so I suspect the Owl might be for me personally while the Bee is the universal card today.

So, this card is telling us to look at how we fit into the community and to raise a glass to our communal bonds. Not many people are truly on their own in this world, thought it may feel that way sometimes. It is not a flaw to need others sometimes – or for others to need you.

Blessings,

Thistle

BEE (Beach) – Community, Celebration, Organization

The card shows a queen bee resting on a stone. In the background we see the House of Mead Circling at Tara as it may have looked at the height of its powers. In the sky, the noonday sun shines brightly and we see Ur, heather, growing by the rock that is carved with the Ur Ogham.

Meaning: Beach invites us to celebrate. You may have special reason for celebration, or you may simply need to celebrate the wonder of being alive. You may like to enjoy a glass or two of mead, which – if it has been made in Scotland – will carry the scent of heather, and will bring you closer to the spirit of the highlands. In the Druid tradition, there are occasions to celebrate every six weeks or so. As human beings we need to have times when we can come together to enjoy each other’s company. The bee tells us that we can live together in harmony, however, impossible as this may sometimes seem. By being at one with the natural world, by paying homage to the sun, by centering our lives around Spirit or the Goddess, we can work together in community.

The card may also indicate that you are feeling out of place – unsure of your role in the world. A beehive functions harmoniously because each bee knows its role and the work it must do – consequently it is highly productive and plays an important role in the local ecology. We talk of a productive work environment as a hive of activity. If you find you are lacking in motivation or are feeling isolated from the community that surrounds you, you may need some bee medicine. A modern English folk healer uses bee stings therapeutically to cure asthma and other ailments, and you may need to prod yourself into action before others do the prodding for you. If you find this applies to you, spend some time thinking about your role in life, and then make decisions in accordance with your sense of purpose and the resulting goals that this engenders. Remember that the bee knows the value of organization, of paying homage to the Goddess and the sun, and of working hard. Remember too that she call us to a celebration of life and an inner recognition of our membership of the community of all Nature.

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

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Sorry, everyone – I ran short of time to post a card today and tomorrow I’ll be up at KU very early. Hope you all have a good couple days and keep the light within yourself.

Thistle

Photo courtesy of Morguefile.com

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Today, I’ll start using the Storyworld: Christmas Tales cards, which are not tarot or oracle cards but a storytelling deck. It’s kind of a fun challenge to read these as an oracular deck, but I’m also interested in what YOU perceive from the cards. Have a lovely Wednesday!

The Frost Queen

Today’s card is an interesting one to sort out. Though one may associate this Frost Queen with the legendary Snow Queen or similar winter figures that tend to have a destructive or negative side, I’m not sure we could so easily dismiss this card as like that. This Queen is feeding the wild animals and though she doesn’t look particularly friendly, she also does not look harsh either – to me, she looks intent or like she wants us to understand something. A task or quest is being asked of us. (Also note the empty bag in the foreground with a note.)

Perhaps it’s time to detach a bit from those around you to get your grounding or to evaluate something not going according to plan, to create a new plan. On the other hand, maybe this simply indicates that even in the dead of winter, nature provides nourishment and peace. What’s your take on this?

Storyworld: Christmas Tales by John and Caitlin Matthews and artist Tomislav Tomic

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The mirror is a potent symbol because we must face ourselves, the shadow and knowledge we have hidden within us, before we can make much headway spiritually or in the world. The Heron is a guardian to the Otherworld, another place of knowledge that many avoid. This is not a harsh card, but it firmly suggests we need to look at ourselves and our patterns and motivations.

Blessings!

The Mirror

Meaning: In many traditions, the initiator into hidden knowledge is a female figure that reveals insights and wisdom to those on the spiritual sojourn. In the ancient Arthurian cycles this is Morgan, who takes Arthur on his journey into limbo and healing on the Isle of Avalon. The Lady of the Lake is another such primal figure who also acts as a holder and guardian of the sword Excalibur and as an arbiter of Arthur’s actions. Both these archetypes represent the unconscious journey of the soul into deeper awareness and wisdom. No action will can make the soul take this journey; it can only happen after much searching and questing. It is also a condition of this experience that some kind of wounding has taken place. It is through the pain and endurance of the wounding that wisdom comes, at which point the individual can cross the lake to the island of healing and protection. It is a natural state of surrender that allows the inner self to travel across the emotional sea to the Otherworld.

The mysterious figure holds the mirror that aids our inner reflections and the orbit of seeing that helps illuminate the shadows of our inner life. The heron stands both as a keeper of the mysteries and a guardian of the other world. In some legends, three cranes or herons were seen at the gate of this magical realm and croaked warnings to the unprepared or uninitiated visitor. The cauldron represents the vessel of his knowledge and inspiration. From it, the bright flame of insight and revelation illuminates the dark landscape, this is the card that in the traditional tarot is known as the Hanged Man. We have chosen to amalgamate aspects of this into the Blasted Oak, while the reflecting mirror offers the same dizzy change from one state of being to another. As the hanged man sees life from another angle, so those who look into the mirror see things reflected as they truly are.

Reading Points: Patience and prudence are the keywords here, although trust plays a large part in the process of crossing to the island where insights into our own unconscious workings may be revealed. This process differs from the journey of the Hooded Man who makes a conscious decision to withdraw and contemplate the universe. In the mirror, a surrender of oil is required. Insides may come from dreams and meditations, but now is not the time to force the pace or drive on with the plan or desire until you have heard what your soul has to say, and your bruised and wounded spirit has been healed. Be patient. Let the journey commence and awaken fresh and full of energy, ready to deal the world and the challenge it raises.

The Wildwood Tarot by authors Mark Ryan and John Matthew and artist Will Worthington

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The Fool gets a bad rap. We are all the Fool at some point in time, and we often return to this phase whenever we make radical changes in our lives.

Happy Wednesday!

The Fool

While this card indicates inexperience and recklessness, it also represents new beginnings, a free spirit, and an open mind. Sometimes, we need to take a leap of faith. Yes, we might make some mistakes on this new path, but we learn from those – just take care not to be so reckless as to fall off a cliff (as is often depicted in The Fool card).

Tarot Familiars by Lisa Parker

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What a great card – and so beautiful that you can almost forget it has a serious meaning. Be ready to move and act right now – and look at yourself with clear eyes instead of rewrapping the truth until it is comfortable and no longer true. Hard stuff right there.

Fox Spirit – Think on your feet

Message: Be alert now, for Fox Spirit has appeared, and you are meant to move swiftly. Let this clever spirit draw out your creativity as you adjust to rapidly changing circumstances with resilience, grace, and astuteness. Fox Spirit helps you to think on your feet, using your best judgement and wits to help you slip into a more advantageous situation. Now is not a time to hesitate but a time for swift action of the mind, a time to think outside the box and notice the many ways in which you might make a move, aware of your surroundings and always clear on what you deserve and wish to co-create. Trust that your cleverness, guided by Fox Spirit, will serve you well.

Protection Message: Are you camouflaging yourself to avoid intimacy? Perhaps you are being too clever for your own good and playing games to protect yourself. Being dishonest with yourself or others can become isolating and create obstacles to true connection. Fox Spirit calls you to be attuned to what is happening within you and around you so that your quick thinking and creativity can lead you to better relationships and situations. You are called to use your Fox Spirit beneficially rather than in ways that keep you from experiencing what you want.

Or perhaps right now you are realizing that a situation is trickier than it appears on the surface, and you are afraid to make a move in case it turns out to be a mistake. Fox Spirit is here to remind you that when you are in alignment with the Great Spirit, the answers and solutions can come quickly and you can trust them. Don’t overthink a situation in order to avoid the challenge of facing a difficult truth. Fox Spirit’s creative nature will always be there to guide you and help you move quickly into better circumstances.

The Spirit Animal Oracle by author Colette Baron-Reid and artist Jena DellaGrottaglia

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As the herbs in our yard re-emerge and the new ones we’ve planted take root, this card feels right as we look forward to gathering the goodness they will offer in a month or two. Healing and restoring our mind, body, and soul takes time and planning sometimes – as in the retreat.

What? You’ve been retreating from the world for 13 months now? There’s a difference between being at home and being at home in a way that encourages your mental and physical well being. Whether you can do a mini two-hour retreat or an away-from-home for a few days retreat, perhaps now is a good time to allow yourself that time and space.

Blessings!

The Restorers: Roseroot, St. John’s Wort & Valerian

Retreat, balance, or calm. On the other side, imbalance, anxiety, or disturbance

THE CARD: The Restorers are a trio of ancient and indigenous plants of the Druid sourcelands, which act to restore the balance between body and soul, healing the heart and mind with their calming and strengthening powers. The card shows a Druid healer in her bothy, sitting beside the fire. Through the open door, we see the Scottish Highlands. Roseroot and Valerian hand drying in bunches from the rafters, and freshly gathered St. John’s Wort lies on the table.

MEANING: Although adventure and excitement are necessary ingredients in life, we also need periods of peace and calm: oases in our busy lives. Drawing this card in a reading may mean that you should create such a time for yourself now. Retreats are an important part of spiritual practice, and in Druidry these can include visiting the old sacred sites and walking the old tracks. But wherever you are, you can take a retreat. Even if you are busy, see if you can withdraw from your schedule for three hours, during which time no one disturbs you and you treat yourself to whatever will help you find calm. Better still is a longer retreat – three days or more – in a setting close to Nature. By taking such a break, you give your body and soul a chance to catch up with each other add to find balance once more.

This card may also indicate that you or someone you know are out of balance and feel disturbed and anxious. Life is often puzzling, and relationship are so difficult that it is no wonder so many people suffer from anxiety and depression. Now may be the time to tackle this imbalance with a combination of counseling, herbal medicine, and lifestyle changes.

Alternatively, the card may indicate that a situation or project is unstable or completely unrealistic, and that a good dose of common sense is required to get it back on track. It may be time to hire a consultant or simply get someone to look at the problem objectively and give advice.

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

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Have a sweet day, everyone!

Heather – Luck, Celebration, and Community (also Alienation and Yearning to belong)

Meaning: Heather honey is so delicious that some beekeepers transport their hives to the moors each summer to harvest the flowers. Heather, like Clover, is considered to be highly auspicious and a bringer of good fortune. A major celebration may be imminent or the time may have come for you to start celebrating all that is best in your life. Heather symbolizes the power and the joy of community, and much of our pleasure and our pains result from living together. We spend much of our time thinking about the difficult aspects of relationships and of our life, to try to make sense of them. But try thinking about your life with a different focus. Spend some time dwelling on all the positive aspects of the people you know and have known. Then do the same for your family and community.

Choosing this card may also be indicative of the fact that you are becoming more aware of the communities you live in – at work, at home and spiritually. You may feel drawn to becoming more actively involved in them, or perhaps you are contemplating a change in your relationship toward them.

This card could also mean that even though you may be trying to get out of a situation, you are probably being driven by a yearning for a deeper sense of community. Choosing this card reversed may indicuatethat you feel you don’t belong – in your family, at work, or in your relationship. This feeling may be mild or severe, but behind it could be the urge to be part of a community or tribe, as well as a loving relationship, in a way that your current situation does not satisfy.

Rather than trying to get away from this feeling by leaving on e situation and jumping into another without much thought, Heather may be urger you to pause and explore more fully your feelings of alienation or not belonging to discover which aspect of your life you need to consider changing.

Plant Info: Heather is a hardy shrub indigenous to most of Europe and Asia Minor, and can grow in both wet and dry areas. Typically topping out and 18 inches tall, it grows on hills and mountains above where the trees will grow, and on open heaths, so named because they are covered in Heather.

The Picts were using Heather to many an alcoholic drink over four thousand years ago – as archeologists discovered on the Isle of Rhum, where a Neolithic shard was unearthed with traces of fermented beverage made with Heather Flowers. Heather beer was made in Scotland for centuries, drunk in the highlands from cattle horns, and in 1994 its commercial production was revived. In the past, Heather ale was popular in Wales and was drunk for its restorative powers.

Heather is associated with good luck, which could be because heather is associated with bees that are also associated with community and celebration. A heather pillow is said to give restful sleep, and adding its flower tips to hot water makes a refreshing tea or bath.

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

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Blessed Imbolc and Candlemas! Brigid was the first goddess I dedicated myself to, and she is still the one I look to for inspiration the most. She has so many characteristics that admirable, so that makes it easy to find a way to connect with her. The local hearth of the women’s group I’m in has been reading and discussing Lunea Weatherstone’s book, Tending Brigid’s Flame. Through that contemplation, I realized the only reason I pulled away from Brigid as a goddess is because she seemed too widespread – like she could be anyone’s goddess. Now, of course, I realize that was my ego getting in my way. While I am dedicated to another goddess, Brigid is still a huge part of my spiritual foundation and a touchstone for me.

But whether you are a devotee of Brigid or not, you can still enjoy her day with some appropriate foods for the day or just by lighting a candle. We’ve set up our altar for the occasion (the box on the right is not related to it – it’s the ashes of our sweet dog Kaitlyn and we simply want to honor her on our small altar space as well). We’ve made the Brigid’s cross from some local grasses as we do not have the traditional reeds.

Many folks like to overlook their employment when it comes to matters of spirit. A good workplace and work that is fulfilling (note that I didn’t say “that you love” – because that’s often hard to get) can create a work life that feeds the spirit. Wayland, the smith of the gods, proves a good example of this. If you’re not there, perhaps focus on your skills, creative project, or some connection that might help you achieve that.

Blessing and have a blessed Imbolc!

Eight of Shields – Wayland

Meaning: Employment, commissions, craftsmanship. The positive, productive use of one’s skills. Focusing one’s energy on work. Employment that brings self-satisfaction. Intense labor. A creative endeavor. Learning a new skill or trade. Having a modest attitude toward accomplishments. Enjoying work and the rewards it brings.

On the flip side, this card could indicate that in the workplace, you feel trapped, despondent, or unmotivated. An unfulfilling profession. Producing poor quality work. Exploitation, vanity, and hypocrisy.

The Story: Deep within the earth, Wayland practices his craft.

The Saxon smith Wayland is the Norse smith Volundr who became incorporated into the mythology of Britain. Wayland was the master craftsman to the gods, whose weapons were so fine that they sang in the air. The coveted work of this god of smiths led King Nidud to abduct him. Nidud hamstrung the smith to prevent his escape and then forced his lame prisoner to work.

The art of the smith and magician were thought to be closely related, and it was by magic that the smith eventually escaped the clutches of Nidud, after which he sought a terrible revenge upon the king’s family.

Over time, Wayland became associated with many of Britain’s ancient sites, and appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth’s The Life of Merlin. The spirit of Wayland is said to haunt a neolithic burial chamber known as Wayland’s Smithy in Oxfordshire. Tradition maintains that if one were to leave a horse and coin at the chamber overnight, on returning in the morning one would find the coin gone and the horse shod.

Legend: An Arthurian Tarot by Anna-Marie Ferguson

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Two cards were equally insistent this morning, and, frankly, I feel that they compliment each other so I’ve posted both of them. However you honor and celebrate it, may you all feel the blessings of Samhain (or Beltaine for those of you in the Southern Hemisphere)!

ANCESTORS – The love and legacy of our DNA

I walk in their footsteps 
Their wisdom inside me remains
I am unique, yet carry a legacy
Their blood runs in my veins

Whether or not we know our ancestors, we are the product of those who have lived before us, DNA-wise. Externally, we may have the body type of our father, our mother’s eyes, our grandmother’s nose, our great-grandfather’s skin tone.

On the inside, it gets even more interesting. We know now that we can “inherit” the way our body works, blood types, genetic disorders, even propensities for aspects of brain function like introversion, musicality, and mathematics.

Many Pagan paths associated with Halloween believe that we are born perfectly imperfect to be exactly what we are meant to be. What does this mean? It means that the gifts our ancestors left us and the unique synergy of the combination of the physical, mental, and physical that is created within us, sets us up perfectly to achieve our ultimate purpose.

Should the Ancestor card bring itself to your attention, know that you are ready and able to action your birthright of power. You have the support of those who came before you. There may be challenges or struggles but you have everything you need to overcome them. You will prevail!

CAULDRON – Synergy and healing

Where all things come together
Under pressure, flowful synergy
A new thing is created
A crucible of infinity.

A typical depiction of a witch sees her standing over a boiling cauldron slowly stirring the bubbling and mysterious contents. As she stirs the enormous metal over the raw flames, she cackles and incants commands to all the elements, transforming the contents into something magical.

Cauldrons were commonly used in ancient and medieval times for everything from the nightly meal to the making of medicines. This “family crucible” was usually placed within the hearth of the home, making it an essential part of the gathering of family. Much healing and nourishment came from the cauldron.

Should you receive the Cauldron card, it indicates the importance of combining a variety of techniques or elements to get the best result. Do not pull all your eggs in one basket. Refuse to choose just a single rigid pathway when a variety of ways are there to be enjoyed and experienced. You can find your own ways to create something new. The cauldron is a deeply transformational tool – things change once they are put under pressure. Resilience is being cultivated over time and this means that you will be able to withstand any negative pressure much more healthily from the inside out.

The Halloween Oracle by author Stacey Demarco and artist Jimmy Manton

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