And Around And Around....

March 16, 2012: Wheel Of Fortune; Utah Maninni Three Tarot

This card is from the latest iteration of our every-five-years community project, the Utah Maninni Tarot. I love the way different people interpret the cards through the lens of the year's theme and their own particular take thereon. This last time, our theme was "The Goddess Utah", and I think today I will let the author of the card speak for herself:

10. Wheel Of Fortune: by Sandy Elphin

Card Composition: Got many pictures off the Internet, of public buildings and institutions here in SLC and in the state. All photos used are in the public domain and without copyright.

Card Meaning: I don't think anything in this town happens without the LDS church at the center of it, so the Temple is the hub of my Wheel of Fortune.

Around the edges are representations of various elements of Utah culture, most of them pretty unique, and most of them paired with something that is the opposite of it, but also uniquely Utah. The idea is that the Wheel turns here, sometimes you go up, sometimes you go down, some stuff makes sense and some stuff doesn't, but the Church is at the center of it all. The Goddess Utah is represented in this card by the idea that even in this oppressive culture, there are things no one would expect, like our large GLBT and Pagan communities and our surprising degree of freedom, things the Goddess provides to us despite the efforts to silence dissent on the part of the Church.

Interpretation: Since this card is a "wheel", it has no up and down, and when you draw it in your reading, it always means the same thing. What you are experiencing is a cycle, and things are going to be changing. Hold your center.

Beware The Ides Of March...

Shakespeare has a toehold on all of us today. Even if you don't know what "Ides" are, or where that quote is from, I know you've heard it. And so of course it is in my mind today before I do our Daily Draw....What are we in the "ides" of, today ("ides", when applied to a month, means "middle") and where do we go from here?

March 15: Page of Coins, Daniel's Bootstrap Tarot

Well, she looks as if she is definitely "in the middle of it", doesn't she? Books, books and more books--notice that she's almost weighted down with them, and isn't looking where she is going, but posing for the camera. And the walls are covered with books, and the atmosphere is screaming, "read me! read me!" But, oddly enough, we don't see much reading being done...

The Page is the card of "getting ready", and in the suit of Coins/Pentacles, this being represents the preparation necessary to make manifest changes. So our "Marian the Librarian" is obviously interested in putting things in order so that the patrons of the library will be able to find what they need, when they need it. She also seems to care about being seen to be doing a good job. All will be there, ready in its place, for learning to take place. But I wonder when Marian herself last took time to read a book?

On the Ides of March, this card has a particular resonance. The middle of the month is a time for looking around, taking stock, and checking things out. Mid-month--are the bills paid yet? Did I actually take those books back to the library? Isn't it about time for the monthly turn-out of the basement? And oh, yeah, taxes are due in exactly one month...am I ready?

But after all, the Page is just the beginning...looking around, taking stock, is important--only if it leads to actually doing something. So that's our message for today, and that's where "beware" comes in. Too much planning sometimes eats up the energy we need to actually do the business. Today it is a mid-point, and you can check to see that all your ducks are in a row and all the books on the shelf. Make sure, on the ides of the month, that you're really ready for tomorrow...

And so, tomorrow--read one of the damn books. Do something. Get started on what you've been planning. The idea of "beware the Ides of March"...or the mid-point of anything...is a very simple one. You're in the midst of the thing. Don't get stuck there. Move on.

What A Boar!

March 14, 2012: Boar, Druid Animal Oracle

Last night I served pork-pie. Today is Pi day. Today's card is a Pig...the ultimate Pig, the Wild Boar. No--there are no accidents. So--what kind of an oracle do we have for today?

Wild Boars roamed freely through the forests of Britain and Ireland, as is evidenced by the many places named after them such as Boarhill, Boarhunt, and Wild Boar Fell. The Celts venerated the Boar and Pig as sacred animals connected with prophecy and magical powers; swineherds were considered magicians and were highly honored. Some grades of Druids were called "pigs," which was meant not as an insult but to indicate that they had an unique gift of Seership. Indeed, the flesh of certain red pigs was chewed in a divination rite called Imbas Forosnai.

Though the Celts loved pork, the meat was reserved for special feasts, especially Samhain and Yule. This may have been because of its association with death and the underworld; joints of pork were buried with nobles for use in the afterlife. It might also have indicated that not everyone should have been exposed to the magical resonance of consuming pork-meat, except on such days when the Gates were already open.

When Boar charges into your cards he issues a challenge that must be met with all your resources. Boars prefer to run in straight lines, going directly to their goal without veering to the right or left. They are capable of bursts of great speed, short lived, but incredibly powerful while they last. Don't vacillate - go straight to the heart of the matter and tackle it head on. Use the magic of Boar, and you will find that you are capable of far more than you can possibly imagine. In the story of Mannanan's pigs, the meat will only cook in the cauldron if a truth is spoken for each quarter. The cauldron is a vessel of transformation, and the pork is spiritual sustenance, which can only be gained through truth. To lie or take the easy option is not the path of the hero, who must show both personal and moral courage when faced with a difficult trial.

And so--what is in your Cauldron today? About what must you speak "taut truth" and simply stand up? What is the circumstance in which you must be a Hero? Fear not. You will have Boar at your back.

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.