Do What Is Right, Let The Consequence Follow...

April 9, 2012: Justice, Tarot Of The Old Path

This is obviously a card which in this deck corresponds to an air sign, as we can see by the use of yellow and orange in the figure's robe. In one hand he holds a set of scales, the symbol of Libra and of balance. In his other hand he holds the rune teiwaz/tiwaz, looking like an upright arrow. This rune represents responsibility, strength, stability and justice. Very appropriate here. Hanging around the figure's waist, on a chain, is a key. Perhaps it is the key to knowledge and justice?

The man stands on a patch of open ground before a large stone wall. The wall seems to suggest stability and tradition. Notice that it is covered with moss. It's obviously been around a while. Growing in the lower left corner of the card is coltsfoot, representing justice. On top of the wall sits a crane. In dream symbolism, a crane with wings spread is a good omen. Perhaps we can take this to mean that justice will be done, that good things will happen.

A stairway is built into and over the wall. It seems to lead into some sort of golden land. Perhaps this is a peaceful place, a land of justice. If you can pass the guardians by proving you are a just and balanced person, then maybe you will be able to gain entrance into this land.

Justice is about more then getting what is coming to you. It is a balance, it is fairness, it is order. It is recognizing and avoid temptation, and not taking unfair advantage of situations. You may be 10 minutes late for a meeting, but by speeding and driving recklessly you are doing yourself no favors. Justice is examining the situation and making the appropriate decision based on what you know to be right.

Justice does not just mean punishing one for what the other has suffered. True justice means ending, or preventing, the suffering of those who do not deserve it. There are so many people suffering in the world who cannot help themselves; they do not deserve what they suffer and freeing them is the justice that they deserve.

“The major lesson Justice offers is to accept the judgment as a result of decisions we make; we cannot get it right every time. This is the first step towards balancing the different parts of ourselves, the good and the bad. The Wheel of Fortune marks the middle of our journey. Some of us stay on the treadmill forever; some retreat, with fear as the prime culprit. It’s easy to understand those of us who stay where we are because the path is easier and far more comfortable. However, after Justice and acceptance of our karmic debt, we come to meet The Hanged Man…”

Kay Steventon, The Journey of The Spiral Tarot (1998)

You're Kidding, Right?

April 8, Easter Morning: Hare, Druid Animal Oracle

This has to be some kind of a cosmic joke, right? I do draw these cards at random, I do, I really do--and here we are, on Easter morning, drawing a BUNNY?? C'mon, Universe, you're freaking kidding me, right.....? Well---maybe not. Let's take a look...

You see, this isn't really the "Easter Bunny". It's more like the "Hare of Eostare"--and thereby lies a tale (or do I mean "tail"?) Because hares and bunny-rabbits are very different animals, and their meaning and focus in divination differs greatly. Here's the skinny.

Hares are native to Britain, unlike rabbits, which were introduced much later by the Romans for purposes of food and hunting. The lore of the 2 animals is very different, as are their habits - rabbits are sociable animals, living in large groups, whereas the Hare is solitary. Apart from the breeding season, the Hare is only seen by the light of the moon. Should he be disturbed by a nocturnal predator, such as a fox, he will use his great speed and maneuverability to escape.

The Hare, like the Moon, stands for birth, growth, reproduction, death and rebirth. It is sacred to gods and goddesses of the Moon, and the patterns in the Full Moon are sometimes thought to resemble a Hare. Celtic hunting and Moon deities were often shown holding Hares in their hands. The Moon shines in the darkness and is thus connected with intuitive knowledge and insight, powers the Celts also attributed to the Hare. Oh, and did I mention that today, Easter Sunday, is also the Full Moon in much of the world--magically speaking, it's the "second day of the full moon" just about everywhere. Yesterday, full here in Utah at 1:30 PM. No, there are no "coincidences", Padawan.

Young Hares are born with their eyes open and never again close them - or so it was believed - even to blink or sleep. Boudicca, the warrior queen of the Iceni, released a hare from beneath her cloak while making an invocation to the goddess Andraste (Victory) to predict the outcome of her battles against the Romans. Hare is watchful and wary--look at this fella on the card gazing over his shoulder. And yes, he's looking at you.

If Hare comes bounding into your cards today, he is telling you that this is the time to break free of restrictions, and be unconventional. The March Hare, if you'll recall, was touched by a
"divine madness" that urged him to express his inner passions. Alice's "Mad Hatter" was also, if you remember, in company of a March Hare, and no, it wasn't the White Rabbit. This card indicates a time of chaos, which clears the way for something new and sudden. On a spiritual level, the Hare is sacred to the gods and goddesses of renewal, the return of spring, and the rising of the sun each morning. You have been thru a dark and barren time, but Hare brings you new and joyful insights and experiences, a time of optimism and fun. So go hunt those eggs--you're being reborn today, despite the furry flurry around you. Have a little Hare today--maybe "Hare" of the dog....And Happy Easter Bunny. Or something...

Walk In Beauty

April 7: Daughter of Wands, Haindl Tarot

The Daughter (Princess) of Wands in Haindl's interpretation is the avatar of The Fire Within... (I find it intriguing that we have drawn this card on the Full Moon of Alder, which represents Fire in the Head). The card is peaceful, bright but calm, and Radha's face is contemplative, musing, the soft smile on her lips indicative of something very beautiful going on inside her mind and heart.

This card is not complex of interpretation, and that in itself is actually part of its meaning and significance. Today Radha calls us to look quietly inside ourselves, to look peacefully at our immediate surroundings, and to see the beauty which is always there but which we so often ignore. Today, it is about small things. Look at this peaceful woman, and try to envision that expression of contentment on your own face. Listen to the lovely ethereal tones of her flute as it plays for you within the silence of your own mind. Smile inwardly today about something within your own head, something lovely that no one else knows about, that is there only for you. For just this moment, for just this day, look around you and draw peace and contentment from your own surroundings. This is your day. This is your world. You are part of life's loveliness. You are beauty. You walk in beauty. Go peacefully into this day. It is yours.

So We're Toteming Again...

April 6, 2012: Badger, Druid Animal Oracle

I wouldn't have believed this kind of draw could happen three consecutive times by accident--indeed, I don't believe it did or does. So totem beasts--the word that actually means "my clan's companion" in Ojibway, the language where it was first recorded, are somehow significant for us this day, and even this week. So perhaps all whom you think of as Clann, family, need to take note of the energies of the animals speaking to us here. So, what about Badger?

Badgers were highly revered by the Celts, with Badger skins found buried in the graves of chieftains. The nickname "Brock" is derived from its old Gaelic name of Brocc. Pictish Druids were known as Badgers. This is probably because the Badger lives deep within the earth, the supposed dwelling place of gods and ancestral spirits, and is therefore privy to their secrets, including the mysterious germination of life that takes place in the underworld. The Badger is one of the sacred animals of the goddess Brigantia and a totem of her Imbolc festival, when the Celtic women gathered together to celebrate the rebirth of spring symbolized by the Badger emerging from beneath the earth, just as new growth mysteriously emerges from the ground. In America, the immigrant Irish didn't find the native British badgers, but found ground-hogs, a related animal with similar habits--hence, "Ground Hog Day" on Imbolc.

If it sometimes seems that the whole world is against you, turning you into the "Badger in a bag", then listen to the lessons of Badger. His defenses are his fortitude and his indomitable will, even against overwhelming odds. He does not waste time on blame or regret, but stands his ground, tenacious and unyielding. If you feel powerless and angry, stop blaming other people, they can only make you feel what you allow them to. Go within yourself and find the power of Badger - centered, grounded, and unshakeable. Badger may be advising you that healing may come from earth-based therapies, such as herbs, essential oils, massage, and body work, from grounding and feeling your deep connection to the physical realm. Badger may be instructing you not to share your Deep Self with those who will not appreciate you, but nevertheless to maintain loyalty to who you really are. And most specifically, Badger is telling you not to hide your self from your Self. Open up to all the facets of your personality, and stand firm for Who You Are. Io Evoe!

Changing My Skin....

April 5, 2012: Snake, Druid Animal Oracle

Today we have another reptile for our Animal Totem, "Snake." I find it interesting that the random draw for your TarotWitch hasn't been Tarot the last few days. The Druid Animal Oracle usually appears when what is being sent is a message of deep personal import, not quite so cosmically oriented but directed deliberately to one person, or several people, who need the energy of this "totem" in their lives right now. So--I think it might be for me, and it might be for you, too. Let's look...

The snake was an important animal for the ancient Celts; far from being the symbol of evil that it became among the early Christians, it was a creature that represented many aspects of God/dess, including fertility, healing and renewal. Snakes were also depicted as beings who were connected with deities of healing springs and wells, such as Brighid. A snake's movements are sinuous and wave-like, like the course of a river. So it is a prime example of "earth of water."

Because the snake sheds its skin each year and appears renewed, it was thought to be immortal, and the epitome of healing and renewal. Every time the snake sheds its skin, it becomes a "new being." Might be well for us to remember here that every seven years, we do that too. You don't have a single cell in your body that was there seven years ago. Yes, you have been reborn. You.
The snake has long been associated with sagacity, cunning and divination. It was commonly thought that having your ears licked clean by a serpent would enable you to receive oracular wisdom. The Druids were known in Wales as "Nadredd," or adders. The famous bard Taliesin declared, "I am a wiseman, I am a serpent" When St Patrick is said to have boasted that he had driven all the snakes out of Ireland, some people believe he meant the Druids. (And of course, some people believe he said no such thing, ever, but we can't know, can we?)

Snake may be telling you that you are blocking change through fear, through your need to hold on to the safe and familiar. Snake power is about healing on all levels, but you must have the courage to allow healing to take place, shedding outgrown ideas, illnesses and restrictions. Sometimes healing and growth mean shedding your skin and letting yourself be born anew. Let's do that!

White Light...

April 4, 2012: Lizard, Druid Animal Oracle

Today our Animal totem is "Lizard". For the Celts, the Lizard was an animal of the sun, a representative of midsummer's magic. Its name in Welsh (lleufer) and Gaelic (Luachair) associate it with white light. Lizards are also emblems of resurrection. Some ancient authorities thought they hibernated during the cold winter, going blind, then emerged in the spring warmth climbing an east facing wall and looking into the sunshine, which restored their eyesight. In addition, the Lizard is able to break off its tail, which writhes and distracts predators long enough to allow the Lizard to make its escape. The Lizard can only do this once, as the regenerated tissue is formed from cartilage rather than bone. But its seminal change of being gives it an opportunity for rebirth.

The Irish once believed that a person who licked a Lizard all over would be able to heal sores with his or her tongue. The Shaman believes that Lizard guards the gate of dreaming. He may be advising you that studying your dreams will be useful. You might begin today to keep a book by the side of your bed, and record what you recall of your dreams as soon as you awake, even if it is only a feeling or impression that you remember. Lizard is inviting you to experience your own "new life", the one you live within your subconscious mind.

Lizard is a master of all arts of divination. If you want to use Tarot cards, oracles, runestones, or the scrying mirror, you need the magic of lizard. He teaches you the art of being able to shift the consciousness just enough to see as the seer does. Small, unobtrusive, and yet able to insert himself seamlessly almost anywhere he wishes to go, Lizard is the avatar of the unexpected, the constant thread of change and surprise that is the earmark of the awakened life. Welcome Lizard into your life today, and see where he might lead you.

Where Are We Going?

April 3, 2012: The Guide (Temperance), Tarot Of The Old Path

You know, there are no accidents--

I do these draws online, with a random selection of cards in a digital list, and I hop around with the cursor, eyes closed, before the Spirits guide me to press the button and choose the daily card--So, to my mind, especially since there are six different decks in my listing, all cards being differently named, I think these draws are truly random. Soooo....what would be the odds of two consecutive cards in the same deck being drawn on two consecutive days? Infinitesimal--but that's what we've done today.

"Temperance" follows "Death" in the traditional Tarot, as here "The Guide", drawn today, follows "The Close" drawn yesterday. So--what is the Universe telling us here?

Temperance carries on the theme of change and growth. The lowering of the woman into the water has connotations of being “baptized” or prepared for a different life following the transformation of Death. The Sacred figures in Temperance could be witnessing and welcoming the woman’s transition to this new inner life through a ritual washing with the waters from the Sun. There is a difficult time ahead.

Temperance represents the gift of balance and cleansing before one enters the dark night of the soul – Devil and Tower. The Angel takes on a new significance as a Guide through the forthcoming difficult time and the presence of the Lord and Lady gives hope that the dark night of the soul is a simply a ritual transition to another level of consciousness. Others have traveled before us and there are guides on the journey. We will remember the hope.

In the Tree of Life, Temperance is found on the 25th Path between Tiphareth (Beauty) and Yesod (Foundation) – spiritual reality and the dark unconscious. The spiritual and the material worlds are in balance. All is as it should be although the path may be difficult. Refreshed by the hope of Temperance, we keep our balance, stay on our path and head towards joy and enlightenment.

From this card, I get a sense of the suspension of time itself. Everyone seems to be waiting to see what happens next, except the angel, who steadily pours, and the woman, who looks as if she's beyond it all now. I get the feeling that the man has either just asked the Angel (or is about to) for assistance, to please do something to restore this woman to him, somehow.

I also get the impression that the man on the card has asked the Goddess and God to come to his aid. He knows not what to do with his lifeless companion, or whether there is any hope. And, of course, they have come, although whether or not they will choose to intervene on his behalf is in question. Clearly, this is a man in need of some guidance.

Sometimes, the Gods alone know, and only they can provide the guidance necessary in such a troubled, confusing circumstance. They can intercede if that is what's best, and many times, I believe, that's precisely what they do. But the way it's done is usually a mystery to us, and so we have to go on faith alone. I also think this is a lesson being illustrated here.

I see the angel as indicating the path of the flow of the soul, from one vessel into another, the concept of reincarnation in action. I feel that this card is directly related to the previous one, in the respect that all things must change, here we have a glimpse of what they may change into.

I'm still shaking my head here. You?