Good tidings of Yuletide, my friends. Our wonderful wrangler, Joanne Sprott, has requested us to remember the necessity of warmth within in this time of the year wherein yes, baby, it IS cold outside. She suggested various ideas concerning ways to discuss and meditate upon how one finds one's own "cozy" during this season, and this one really spoke to me: "Create a Tarot spread around asking for ways to increase the cozy in your life right now, or if you like, you can focus on insulating against the cold (or both)." This resonates with me, because I am a snow-lover who lives in one of the best ski areas in the United States, but notwithstanding that, I am absolutely unable to remain in good physical, mental, or emotional health when I become too chilled. I NEED my "cozy", and I know there is more than one kind of warmth that will permit me to love and enjoy the snow and ice, and the feeling of death and rebirth over the winter, and yet I need to be able to connect with my mind, will, body, emotions and spirit without letting myself freeze within and without. So--here is a draw I created, simply connecting to the elemental nature of the Tarot and the ways that each element resonates within my own life. Air is thought and inspiration, represented by Swords; Fire is inner light, personal power, and is represented by Rods: Earth is manifest reality and stability, represented by Stones; Water is the flux and flow of emotion and the refreshment of the inner Being, represented by Cups; and Spirit is the entire focus of all the angles of reality represented by the Major Arcana. So, I separated each section of the deck into a stack in itself, and drew one card from each, asking the Universe: "In my Mind, my Will, my Body, my Emotions, and my Spirit, what must I do to find and maintain my warmth in the cold, my "cozy"?. And here is what I discovered:
AIR:
FIRE:
EARTH:
Aahh...the warmth of actual knowledge and awareness is something the YOUniverse is reminding me to awaken, use, and enjoy to create and maintain the cozy warmth of positive energy in action. I already have some "winter skills", some cooking, some beverage making, some enjoyable indoor activities, some ways to organize and arrange my home environment so that it speaks of peace, joy, love, and the warmth of family and friends. And--if I think, and read, and study, and learn, in the lovely and calm peace of winter's indoor days, I may yet be able to increase my store of knowledge and add some tools to the "cozy bag" I am currently using; Soo...time to cuddle up in front of the fire with a cup of soup and a couple of friends and family members, and share knowledge of ways to warm and brighten the Yuletide. Let's grow our cozy by feeding our minds, together.
WATER:
WATER:
A smile illuminated my face as I saw what the YOUniverse had sent me to elaborate on my feelings and emotions---the Ace of Cups, the absolute focus of loving interaction. This card reminds me that my cup is already filled to overflowing, but that the more of the rich balm of love and understanding I am able to consume and share, the more the cup will refill itself, again and again. Each person, each event, each experience of my inner life during the winter darkness, will illuminate me with inner light and warmth and peace, and keep me cozy.
SPIRIT:
And here we have the wonderful culmination of the cozy spirit--the many faces and directional foci of Brahma, the spirit of warmth and light. No accident that he is a Deity of fire, holding the wand of light, and looking in many directions. He reminds me that there is always another way, another idea, and something more within to awaken my own warmth and light. Keep loving, keep looking, keep laughing, and I will remain cozy and aware of light throughout the dark time. I can DO this. You try it too, eh?
