If--Then

March 12 & 13: We missed a day yesterday because Blogger was acting up---no image uploads. So in your TarotWitch's typical fashion, when we have to make up for a missed day, we do a "spread" rather than a "draw". This is a layout I use often to discuss certain things with myself--it is the "If-Then" spread. If ____, then ____. Sometimes it is a question, and sometimes it is a statement of "the way it's going to be." For today, I want you to take the first card, and apply it to that situation that is niggling at your brain--yes, THAT one. That thing you have had on your mind for a while now. Here's an insight as to what might happen, and what else might come to pass when the first thing occurs. So--here we go:

If...Justice, Haindl Tarot

Your situation appears to be one where there is a conflict, or a situation of "it's not FAIR..."... Somewhere someone has been wronged, and it affects you. Your first card here tells us that IF Justice is done.... Notice, it does not say "WHEN Justice is done..."
The way this spread works, the first card always deals with something YOU can do in the situation. So--if "Justice" is something you can/need to do, how should that happen? IF Justice is done....and you have it in your power to make that a "when" instead of an "if"....SOOO... Listen to the "other side" that you haven't wanted to hear. Pay back the money. Make the apology, or accept the apology you have heretofore ignored. Or--do it. You know what it means. So--whatever it is that, in this situation, equates to "Doing Justice", it is yours to do. You know what it is...you know the situation, and you know what "Justice" means in that situation, and you know how to make it come to pass.... And--"If" Justice DOES come to pass...



Then: The World, Utah Maninni One Tarot

...then the World is at your fingertips. All you desire in the situation is going to come about for you, because you have had the courage to do the Just, the Right, thing...even if it was hard, or painful, or somehow inconvenienced you. You are being told here that if you do the right thing, if you make Justice come to pass for the persons impacted by the situation, then the World will come to you, in ways of which you know not. The WORLD, however you define that. Better than you expected, eh?

So--it's all up to you, today. Justice to be done, and the World to follow. Go on, do it. I am reading this for myself too, and now I know will. I will do Justice in this situation. You can too.

What Now?

March 11, 2012: The Guide, Tarot of the Old Path

This card has a slightly disturbing resonance when compared to its traditional counterpart, Temperance. The standing figure pouring a measured stream of water back and forth between two cups has an almost stern and admonitory facial expression, and is clearly meant to represent an angel, perhaps even a "Guardian Angel" who is warning of the balance it takes to achieve the Heavenly Realm. In the background are shadowy forms reminiscent of the Horned God and a mysterious Goddess who are watchfully regarding the interaction of the Guide with the desperate traveller and his unconscious burden. One's eye is immediately drawn to the bright red triangle on the Guide's chest, the only non-pastel color in the image, representing the cosmic balance and illustrating the importance thereof. The man's face is anguished as he gazes up towards the angel, and almost conveys an air of impatience--for his lovely companion, the warning to be "temperate" probably is too late--she is drowning in her excess and cannot hear him...

And so, what is this stern, monitory and somewhat disconcerting card going to convey to us on our personal journey today? Well, in a way, I think this deck takes an approach that is more nitty-gritty and less philosophically irrelevant than do the Temperance cards in more traditional Tarot treatments. After all, we are already in the midst of our lives, and we read Tarot to assist us in dealing with the exigencies thereof. Philosophically speaking, "all things in moderation" is a wonderful guideline, but who actually does that? We are always in the midst of the maelstrom, and when we seek guidance and counsel from the arcanae, it is often, most often in fact, to ask for assistance with something that has already happened or is happening, not so we can peruse a theoretical guide to the precepts of a balanced existence. This young woman has already, apparently, been "intemperate" and her desperate companion is seeking insight on what to do for her NOW, not how she should/not have acted to put/not put herself in this position...And so, what's the answer? Hmmm....

Take a look at the center of the card. See that golden sphere at the top of the ziggurat from which all the water is flowing? That represents not only the Source of the calming and refreshing waters, but the destination of the journey, the Sun at Center. Held in the hands of the Goddess and guarded by the God, the shining sphere is the representation of the Light at the end of whatever tunnel we are groping our way through. The message on the card is not, after all, simply "Look what a mess you're in" but actually says, "Balance will help you get out of here and see the way forward." The flowing waters in which our hero is immersing his unconscious companion will actually refresh her, awaken her, and invigorate her for the forward journey. The God and the Goddess are waiting at the end of the road. The Guide is actually a card of hope, saying, "No matter how deeply you think you're drowning, no matter how big a mess you think you're in, a balanced approach can help you regain YOUR balance, and move forward." So, right now, take a deep breath, take a sip of water, relax and think. In the maelstrom, the whirlpool, the overflowing emotions and contradictory flotsam and jetsam floating down your own personal stream today, there's a guidepost, there's a point of balance, there is a way forward. Once you have refreshed yourself and taken a deep breath, you will see it. Look ahead, wash your face, straighten up and wade out of the muck, and move forward. The Sun is shining at the end of your journey, and the Goddess and God are awaiting you.

That's A Bear....

March 10, 2012: Bear, Druid Animal Oracle

Today our draw didn't want to be a Tarot card, but is from the Druid Animal Oracle, and shows us the questing Bear. So, what is S/he seeking?

Bears are rarely represented in Celtic art, except in connection with burial goods. The Bear seems to have been considered a protective spirit in the Otherworld realms of dreams and death. The Celtic goddess Brighid was sometimes styled "Daughter of the Bear", as her spring festival of Imbolc follows the rising of the star Arcturus as seen from the Celtic realms. Bear protects travelers on the road to wisdom. She withdraws from the living world into hibernation, seeking stillness in the dreaming world of the deep unconscious. She keeps herself to herself, and walks in silence.

When Bear appears in your cards, she may be advising you that you need a period of withdrawal from a situation in order to reorder your thoughts, to rest and heal and to find your balance and harmony. The greatest spiritual growth occurs during the blackest and most frightening times of our lives. Only then do we truly become aware of the infinite possibilities that lie within us. When logical thoughts provide no answers, the path of inner knowing is illuminated. The lesson of Bear is that strength comes from within---not from what you own, what you wear, what you say or even what people think of you. So..maybe the situation at hand is a Bear. But you are able to deal with it.

Looking Beyond The Moment...

March 9, 2012: Son of Swords, Haindl Tarot

Osiris is a seminal figure in Egyptian mythos, but for purposes of this card, we need to look at Osiris in his role as a mythic avatar. In so many ways, the story of Osiris parallels the story of Christ: he was born of the gods Geb and Nuit, who were Earth and Sky, and after his death and dismemberment (after a betrayal by his brother and follower), he was again re-born (without a phallus, symbolizing the generative power of a woman to give birth without having intercourse, i.e. a "virgin birth"); three wise men prophesied his coming; he was a teacher and a gentle god, lover of all regardless of social status; he was a giver of life to the poor and needy; like Christ, he "multiplied" the loaves and fishes to feed the hungry masses, represented by the legends of his making the Nile rise to bring the fish to the shore and to make fertile the land, and also his gift of grain to man, making him the "bringer of bread" in whose honor cakes of bread were consumed in a "communion"; and after his death he "rose again" since Isis re-birthed him. The legends of Osiris make him a perfect example of the "bringer of peace", the gentle teacher who looks beyond his own life to serve the lives of others, and whose focus (even in his image on this card!) is beyond the moment, beyond the mundane, and far into the realms of eternity. So--how does this relate to you today?

Your TarotWitch is very fond of the concept of "being in the moment" and for the most part that is a concept of which we must all be reminded...many of us spend most of our day "living until..."
the weekend, the next paycheck, we get out of school, the kids are grown and gone, you get the idea. But sometimes it is well to take the long view, and today is one such day. Osiris showing up in our cards is an indicator to us that we must be interested today in the long-term effects of our actions and words. Something of significance to our own future is going to come into our path today, and it is then that we must act as would Osiris, with calm, patience, gentle persuasion, and from the center of our intelligent and ethical character. And doing this will bring us benefit for both the present, and the envisioned future.

Yes, But....

A two-card spread today, one which asks "What do I need to know?" and the second of which says, "And what about the other side?"

Card #1: What Do I Need To Know? Alchemy, Haindl Tarot

This card is Haindl's interpretation of the "Temperance" card in the traditional Tarot, and he does give it a new spin. Most of us think of the idea of "temperance" as "everything in moderation", but the alchemical idea of to "temper" something, or the "temper" of something, is more where Haindl is going with this card. Look at the card; it is a confluence of opposites. The medieval Alchemist combined things with opposing elements to "temper" them, to moderate, and modulate, them into their own true nature. So too this card, for us, tells us that today what we are going to experience is many things that seem to be directly contradictory to one another--it is for us to moderate them, combine them, perform our own personal Alchemy on them and in so doing temper these elements of our day to produce synthesis, making something we can use....

Card #2: "Yes, but...": Daughter of Wands. Haindl Tarot


Simply put, Radha, the Daughter of Wands, is the avatar of joy. She's about delight in the sensual, the natural, the simple joy of living. Combined with the above card, our "yes, but" is answered with--"but me no buts. GO out and have a wonderful day amidst all the contradictions. It will all work out, and you can't do it wrong!" So--go ahead into your complicated, union-of-opposites day, and know it is all going to be a great ride. In the words of my wonderful friend Arwen, "seek joy, y'all!"

Spread of the Week...

Just a note to those who follow--life has become convoluted lately and for the foreseeable future I am not going to be able to update this blog every day. So, when I have missed a few days, we'll be doing a spread, using the number of cards equivalent to the number of days missed. So, since we haven't updated for four days, that means today, a four-card draw, and of course that almost shrieks "elemental attributions"....so--four cards, one each for Head, Heart, Hands and Hopes, or, put more simply, Air, Fire, Earth, and Water:


Card #1, Head: Two of Swords, Daniel's Bootstrap Tarot

The Two of Swords is a card about balance, and about imbalance. Where swords are fire, this card is about making choices between two things we want or will, but where swords are Air, as with this spread, we are dealing with Ideas--two ideas, neither of which is compatible with the other, and the necessity of choosing between them. There's a reason why the person on the card is blinded--neither choice shows all of itself in the first iteration. They are ideologically and intrinsically in opposition to one another, and you can't have both. And yes, you're "blind" in a way, when you attempt to make this choice...so--let's see whether any of the other cards will give some insight....



Card #2, Heart: Daughter of Cups, Haindl Tarot

Brighid is the Irish Goddess of poesy, smithcraft, and healing, and seems to be a pretty good representation of the "Heart" as we are interpreting it in this spread...it's Fire, perhaps the bardic "fire in the head", and represents what we Will, or what we want/desire/care about. As represented by Brighid, this card fits with the preceding card by suggesting to us that the power of prophecy, of intuition or the Divine Spark of gnosis or inspiration of the Gods, might serve as the key to show us what our True Will is, in the matter of the choices above. We have to make a decision, and the two choices are not clear--so use the power of Brighid to help us decide what we truly Will (which is different from what I 'want', but that's another discussion).







Card #3, Hands: Father of Cups, Haindl Tarot

Odin is the Rune-Lord in this card, sacrificing himself to himself, to receive wisdom of the arcane. Most importantly for his position in this spread, the card shows action--but, if there is such a thing, passive action. Odin acted, he did something, which is the representation of this card--"Hands" asks, "what should I DO". And in answer, the card says,
"Wait. Listen. Pay Attention. You are going to receive wisdom and knowledge here. Put yourself in the position where you can do that, and let it happen." So--our Hands must rest, and perhaps pick up a tool of writing in order to record, as Odin did, the new ideas and suggestions which the Universe will afford us.






Card #4, Hopes: Bee, Druid Animal Oracle

The representation of our Hopes, the Water/Emotion component of this layout, is the BEE--which means Community, Celebration, Organisation. Bees invite us to celebrate. Seems as if, connected to the other three cards, our Hope is that the choice we finally make will bring joy and celebration to ourselves and our community, however we are defining that word as related to this instance. Finely attuned to the position of the sun in the sky, it is the bee who brings the sacred solar drink of mead as a gift to humanity. The bee, with its highly defined social structure and extraordinarily productive and efficient community, all centered around the Queen Bee, was seen as symbolic of the ideal society - centered on the Goddess, paying homage in sacred dance to the sun, and producing an amber substance form the flowers of the fields and woods that could both feed and divinely intoxicate. So, here, this card says, "In making the Choice your Head must make, consider the needs of your Heart--Do the work of your Hands, and focus on the richness and bounty the correct choice will bring to you and all whom you love."

And so--there are our options, and there are our tools, and there are our helpers and Guides. Let's get to work...

All Those Hands...

March 2, 2012: Six of Coins, Daniel's Bootstrap Tarot

One hand reaches out, holding a variety of "coin" both portraying actual currency and the "currency" of effort and time. And below is a sea of reaching hands, seemingly clamoring "mineminemine"...

It seems that way, sometimes, doesn't it? As if there were never enough "coin" to go around, as if all we do is give, as if there isn't going to be anything left for us...and yet, the hand reaching down from above is fully extended, and there is a subtle feeling in the card that there is, that there will be, enough to go around.

Sixes are always about balance. This card bespeaks both inner and outer balance, husbanding of resources so that there is enough to give to others because you have also given to yourself. And it makes clear to us that we are not only speaking of material resources. Look carefully--besides the currency, there is the pentacle representing spiritual resources and protection, the coiled snake-rope representing both the giving of the sudden and unexpected, and the constant putting forth of energy and effort, the clay tablet representing the work of one's own hands, and even the silver medallion showing the human skeleton, reminding us to give of the Self. And we also recognize that in that sea of clamoring hands, there may be those who will give to us in their own turn...

So, that's the message for today. Balance giving with receiving--where you pay Coin, Coin will be paid to you in return. And whatever you do, don't scrimp your generous heart. Give and ye shall receive....