Detour!!

January 29, 2012: Five of Lakes and Rivers, Utah Maninni Three Tarot

This card was created for the Utah Maninni Three Tarot, the theme of which was "The Goddess Utah". All the suits, therefore, had some connection with the natural world of the state of Utah, and the Suit of Cups was represented by Utah's lakes and rivers. This card was created by Cue Bee, the alias of a well-beloved member of our community, who has, unfortunately, passed beyond the veil. Here is his interpretation of his card:

The Card: This is one of the pools at Raging Waters, and I like it because it is one of the places people go here to cool off. It seems like in a desert, you're always looking for water, and my grandkids love this place. I like it for the five of cups, because the five is always about a diversion or a change of direction, a tangent, as it were, and going to an amusement park is a diversion most people need to take advantage of more often than they do. The Goddess Utah is represented by all the many places people who live here have made the desert 'blossom as a rose' and put water into the desert, even water just for fun.

The Meaning: Fives are about tangents, like those water jets spraying in every direction. And the meaning, upright or reversed, is simply that your emotions are getting the best of you, and you need a diversion. Lighten up, go have some fun. It will all go better if you do that. 

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Just think about that. Here you are, Sunday morning, looking towards another week of working at whatever you work at, at making sure you're responsible, at getting it all done, or trying to. In that calendar you're looking at--is there an appointment for "me time"? Is there something scheduled just for fun, just for rejuvenation, just for YOU? If not--do that. Take a day, take a few hours, take a minute, for hell's sake! Take a detour, take a rest. Take joy!!!

Here I Stand...

January 28, 2012: Seven of Wands/Rods, Rider-Waite...

He straddles the path on the brow of the hill, and no one can move him--All those other wands assailing him can't even touch him. He is steadfast in knowing where he needs to go, and he cannot be stopped.

Today, you stand at the summit of your path, but there are interruptions and irrelevancies trying to distract you from where you need to go. But notice that none of the rods assailing the traveler are even touching him--they may not even be actually trying to do that--he just thinks they are....He is not letting himself be distracted by irrelevant arguments, because he knows they don't have anything to do with his journey. So--

Don't you let yourself be distracted either---You know where you're supposed to be going on your journey. Let yourself go where you intended to go, and let yourself ignore things that don't matter. The guardians are at work. Don't let yourself be distracted from your path. It's important. 

We Circle Around...

January 27, 2012: Six of Discs, Utah Maninni Two Tarot

This card was created for the second iteration of the Maninni Tarot here in Utah, by my friend Trish, who has since ;( moved to Pennsylvania with her new hubby. Here's her description of the card: 

"Thinking of Discs as "circles" here, this card shows, superimposed on a map of the SL Valley Canyons, six of the places where Utah Pagans have held "circles." Since there is no up or down with a circle, and since the traditional meaning of this card is about sharing with others, I choose to only offer an upright interpretation, and that interpretation is ....."Circles of community"

I like what Trish has to say here, because somehow community is a focus for me at this time of the year. Not only are we coming up on Imbolc, which features, for me, the blessing of the Hearth and the renewal of bonds with friends and family, but the first anniversary of our wonderful new community center, Crone's Hollow, is upcoming. Over the years, as well, my definition of Community, thinking like a Witch, has expanded and changed. So--this card, for today, says to me:

"What communities have you built for yourself, and how do you fill your place and maintain your standing in these communities? How are you serving your community? What do you see as the needs of your community--and what are you going to do about it?"

You are the center of your circle. How is it spinning?

How Appropriate...

January 26, 2012: Daughter of Cups, Haindl Tarot

It is the week before Imbolc, and today's draw gives us the Daughter of Cups, Brighid of Ireland, in the octave of Her feast day. Calm, serene, as eternal as the standing stones which surround Her, she is a reminder to us today of the persistence of the sacred. Every year, the festivals occur, the remembrance of ancestors, of great Truths, of Deities and Saints, of landmarks and milestones of human life. Today I will begin to think of Brighid, Goddess of Poetry, Smithcraft, and Healing. Today I will give thanks for Her gifts. Today I will begin to work towards my Imbolc celebration, honoring Her in my preparations. Today is a day to connect ourselves to the Eternal Persistence of Spirit. Today we all are connected. Reach out, share, focus on that which is sacred to you, make this day matter. The calm serene gaze of the Eternal is looking upon you with Love. Take joy...it is there for you.

Your World....

January 25, 2012: The World, Utah Maninni Tarot I

This card has the feel of eternity on it--she is the center of her own universe, thinking of her eternal marriage, in Utah, the center of the world...And of course, she's right. The Celts used to say it this way, "Where is the centre of the Earth? Right here, where I stand!" And for all of us today, this is the middle, this is the center of the earth, we are all there is. Today is the first day of the Waxing Moon of Rowan in the Celtic Tree calendar, the tree of protection and divine guidance. So--I can say it no better than the card does. Thou art God. Thou art Goddess. The world is yours...What are you going to do with it, today?

Drawing The Threads Together...

January 24, 2012: Eight of the Green Goddess, Utah Maninni Three Tarot

Well, your TarotWitch is intrigued. Random draws from five different decks produce my daily card for you, and twice in a row we have art and ideas from Taliesin. Maybe I better see how the laddie is doing...For now, though...

In this deck, which was themed, "The Goddess Utah", the suit of Earth was represented by "The Green Goddess". Tal chose one of our native Wolf Spiders to be his eight, and I like the right-angled Antelope Island view he placed it on (they're all over the place out there). Let's see what he tells us about it: 

Media: This card is created from photos I took from various educational web sites about the state of Utah. None of them is copyrighted. The background is Antelope Island at sunset, (I turned it 90 degrees) and the foreground is a native arachnid, the Antelope Island Wolf Spider.

Meaning: I love spiders, and their eight-leggedness, and the fact that wolf spiders live underground, seem to make them almost automatically represent the eight of earth. As far as the Goddess Utah goes, this is one of the most important ways She manifests, in native flora and fauna, especially spiders, which have their own "crafty" vibe. This card is about keeping the threads together, weaving for the future, and remembering the past.

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I'm a spider-person myself, and I love these guys, when I am not surprised by them. I think this card has a message of remembrance (and I don't think it's an accident that it made me think of Taliesin today.) Whom/what have you forgotten? What do you need to recall, whom do you need to call, how are you keeping the web together today?

Better Than Expected

January 23, 2012: Seven of Discs, Utah Maninni Two...

A bountiful harvest, indeed, all seven pumpkins glowing in their potential richness...This is a photo taken by Taliesin at Affleck Park and a card created by himself for this deck. So--here's what he had to say about it:

 

This is a picture of the Mabonfest altar. I added a few pumpkins and messed the photo around a bit with pen and ink. For me it is such an example of the Harvest and the stability of having food and family. Seven is one of those numbers that means that things are not anything like you expected them to be, but it might end up better than you thought, just different. I think the harvest is like that because any time you plant a garden, it's a crapshoot. You get what you get. But you need to be thankful for that, even if it isn't exactly what you expected.

Upright: You have paused in your work to regard the situation. It isn't necessarily the way you envisioned it but it might turn out better than you thought. Keep going. 

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This card reminds me of unexpected harvests. Seven is the next card after six, which represents the second level of a triad--something built on the foundation of body, mind, spirit. So I like the concept of the unexpected here, as Taliesin says--kind of like finding an extra coin in your pocket when you thought you had them all. So--what's the good news!