The Lammas Harvest--Coins, Stones, Bread....

This posting is part of the Tarot Blog Hop...You may have gotten here from the writing of

Donna L. Faber, another participant in this journey. When you have shared the musings of the TarotWitch, you will journey to the home of  Kareena Narwani to continue the Lammas Hop... So--what about Lammas/Lughnassadh/First Harvest, and what about those Pentacles/Stones/Bread Loaves....what does this all have to do with--well, with anything? Let's have a look....

I have been drawn, in my thoughts on this topic, immediately to the Fives of the suit. Five is glowing in my mind in the form of Leonardo Da Vinci's famous Vitruvian Man, as I often show students the five points of the Pentacle by standing in this position:

Of course, this does represent the five attributes of the 'realized man'.. mind, will, spirit, body, and emotion. But if you will notice, the man actually has more than two arms and more than two legs... for da Vinci, this may just have been a way of exemplifying movement, but for us, we need to look at it as indicating the potential for the man to have more than the "basic attributes" of humanity, and that he may enlarge his capabilities to include creativity, compassion, insight, and many other qualities which stem from, but are not, the five "basic attributes"...i,e,, elements, in the non-magical sense, of humanity. And so, for me, Five encompasses more than the simple five elements, just as Lammas/Lughnassadh is about more than bread. And Pentacles are about more than "Earth". Let's take a look, again...

First, let's look at the traditional meaning of the Five of Pentacles. My own interpretation of Five as the Five Elements doesn't really seem to fit here, because the five of Pentacles in most decks represents the LACK of some, or all, of the elements of life--including food, clothing, shelter, companions, and happiness...But then, again, if one looks at it in a comprehensive sense, the Five of Pents may be telling the reader to utilize the "extras" we spoke of in the da Vinci drawing--find that compassion, find that donation to charity, find that helping hand, find that creative impulse, and make it possible for yourself, or for someone else, to transform "don't have" into "have and hold". And so--how does one do that? Well, let's take a peek at the cards...

I seem to have some kind of numerological construct going on here, because I have "five" in my mind, and not only are we exploring the Five of Pentacles, but we're going to be doing that using five different decks, and focusing not only on the differences between them but on the thread that links them together. I  am using the Haindl Tarot (my primary working deck), the Tarot of the Old Path, the Shining Tribe Tarot, the Psychic Tarot Oracle, and the Witches Tarot.  We'll discuss their various takes on Pentacles, Earth, Stones, Bread, Coins, and Fiveness, in no particular order. 

Let's begin with the Five of Stones from the Haindl Tarot. Here the Pentacles are represented by stones in their natural form, and the idea is that for some cards in the suit, stones are a building material, and for other cards in the suit, stones are an obstacle, the "rock in the road". Here, the stones have no apparent order, but lie at random, surrounded by dead trees and fading light. They represent the time of life when nothing is going well--lack of money, poor health, a wintery time of isolation. But one's eye is immediately drawn, in this picture of bleak chaos, to the red glowing spots on each stone, and on one of the dying trees. Perhaps the glow of a fire, just out of sight--perhaps the inner flame within the stone that may change it from "obstacle" to "building material"...in any case, the reminder that in the bleakest scene there is a glow of hope.

Moving to the second card on my journey, we see the Five of Pentacles from the Witches' Tarot. Notice here that the stones are a barrier, but the man in the rear is moving them out of his way. Behind him is light and beauty, but here is a narrow cavern cast in shadow, and yet he is carefully and deliberately making a path for himself right through the obstacles. I also notice the Pentacles inscribed on the stones. This image tells me two things: we have power over the obstacles in our lives, and each challenge may be a source of magical power, as the stones bear the pentacles, symbol of arcane balance. I am reminded here of the sacrifice of the Grain King at Lammas, giving his own body to make the bread and giving his Life for the Land. Sometimes we need to remember that in the bleakest of circumstances, our own act may be the only thing that will turn things around. 

 This message seems reinforced by the card from the Tarot of the Old Path. Here the man and the woman stand despairing, his hand too wounded to comfort her, her face covered in anguish...and behind them is the Tree, covered with the Pentacles of Power, but they are too distraught to look and see it. What are those Pents? Are they fruit to feed the hungry? Are they coins with which to buy food, clothing, shelter? Are they the magical tool of balance which will bring healing to the entire situation? This couple will never know, if they don't cease lamenting and wallowing in their despair, and turn around and look. A reminder here, that in the throes of despair, sometimes our only chance of pulling ourselves out of the slump is to Take Our Power....and that, even in the depths, we still HAVE power, personal power which is ours for the taking. No one feels sorry for Tailtiu, the mother of Lugh, whose sacrifice of her own life is the occasion of the funerary games of Lughnassadh. She did what she did of her own volition, to save the people. And so her life is celebrated. And the Harvest is there for the taking. We have only to look...

Next a card from Rachel Pollock's Shining Tribe Tarot. This one is dear to me because the artwork that inspired it is from my own home. Here is an analysis from Rachel's own commentary on the deck: "The image comes from a photograph by artist Steve Fitch of paintings in a place called Horseshoe Canyon, in Utah. After I'd actually drawn the picture and placed it as the Five of Stones I read that the Indians sometimes called these figures "ghost healers" The picture speaks of a very intense healing that comes from a deep place in our lives, as if it rises from the rock itself. It heals the body, but it heals the soul as well. In readings sometimes we can gauge a person's relation to their own need to heal from something by their reaction to this card. Some find it comforting, some exciting, some frightening." For our exploration of the Five of Pentacles and Lammas Bread, this card is particularly significant. "From his own body" the grain comes, where humans make the bread by the harvest sacrifice of the God. In illness, we only heal with the cooperation of our own body in ridding ourselves of infection. And for the Inner Wound, the Self is the only real healer. So--the "coin" of exchange, what we give over in order to elicit the harvest, is some facet of the Self, perhaps the Shadow, perhaps the exaltation of the Self in Power. Either way this image reminds us of the Ghost, the part of ourselves that is in every facet of our existence and that must be used in order to make our lives the Harvest we would wish. 

Our final card is the one from the Psychic Tarot Oracle, which is not really a traditional Tarot deck at all, excluding as it does the tens and court cards and replacing them with cards representing chakra correspondences. But this card called to me for the simple imagery of it. It is the hand of the seeker, and it is your hand, and it is a simple reminder that whatsoever will your harvest be, food, magic, wealth, health, or any other of a myriad of good things, you must gather it to yourself with your own hand, and that it is the five fingers of your own hand that represent da Vinci's fully realized man--your five senses, the five arcane elements, and the five Powers--to Know, To Will, To Dare, To Keep Silent, and To Evolve. These are always with you; they are your tools of Harvest, they are your way of being able to celebrate the turn of the year. With our five fingers, with our hands, we work, we rejoice, we touch in healing, we gesture with emotion, we soothe and comfort... In the final analysis, Lammas, and the Pentacles, are all about who we choose to become in the turn of the year, and what we choose to do with the five senses and the five fingers of our hands. We ARE the Sacrificial King. We ARE the obstacle, and the cure for the obstacle. And of course, we ARE the Harvest. 

The TarotWitch hopes you have enjoyed meandering through her musings, and invites you to Hop to the next step on our journey, the home of  Kareena Narwani And if for some reason this link won't take you there, go here to explore the entire Blog Hop. Journey well, and Happy Harvesting!

Tarot Blog Hop: Celebrate the Sunrise

 Hello, Tarot People!! Your Tarot Witch is celebrating the Summer Solstice!
You probably got here from the blog of Christiane, which is also a part of the Litha 2012 Tarot Blog Hop. So, good morning!

Here is an image I captured last month (May) of the sun rising over the mountains where I live in Murray, Utah. For me, this photo captures the essence of the Summer Solstice. The sun is huge, coruscating, dancing in the morning air, and there is absolutely nothing else to look at in the entire sky. I thought deeply about this before I decided that "celebrate" the sunrise as a theme needed to concentrate more, for me, on the idea of "celebrating" than on the actual solstice itself. And so this posting will discuss the concept of Celebrate the Sunrise--not just on the Solstice, but each and every Sunrise of our lives.

Many of us wake up every day with "gotta" all over us--and for the rest of the day, we "should" on ourselves. Today, Litha 2012, let's make an effort to change that, not just for this day, but for the rest of our sunrises. My 93-year-old mother wakes up every single day with a smile on her face, when asked how she feels always says, "I feel wonderful", and coined, for me, a phrase I love: "It's a wonderful day already, because I woke up for it." At her age, you might say, yeah--but that works for you, too. As Pollyanna used to say, for every one of us, every morning, "It's a brand-new day, with no mistakes in it yet." And so, joy of living, joy upon waking, joy of the "great day in the morning", that's what I want to suggest as a theme for your Summer Solstice celebration this year. Here, at random, are three cards the God/dess has/have chosen to assist you in seeing your World that way, today, and every day--


We begin, and yes, this was a Random Draw, with the Father of Swords, Sky King himself, the Sun-God, Ra, from the Haindl Tarot. And the first thing that came to mind when I saw this card was an old chant we used to have in our community: "He is a Sun God, He is a Fun God, Ra! Ra! Ra!" And the thought came to me, of the simple idea of looking up into the sky when you wake up, and seeing the morning sun, and raising your glass, or your cup of coffee, or your open hand, and giving a cheer. It's morning. It's a new day. I can make of it what I Will. Hooray!!!

And next, again at random, I drew the Mother of Cups, also from the Haindl Tarot. She's the Venus of Willendorf, and she is the epic avatar of abundance and joy. She is the Mother of Abundance, and for this day, she is saying to you, "You will have all that you need and a bit extra. Celebrate! Drink deeply of Life today! I am with you and I will supply your needs, and even grant some of your wants and desires! Drink deep! My cup runneth over with Love--and Wine--for YOU!!"


And, can ya believe it?! I do these draws here on my computer, from a folder filled with cards from the Handl Tarot, the Tarot of the Old  Path, and three Mannini decks created by the SLC Pagan Community. The decks are labeled at random so that the cards are mixed up. And I draw with my eyes closed. And the third card here--is the Father of Cups, he who has the Runes, who waits to be enlightened, hanging on the windswept tree, awaiting his Cup to be filled. He is telling you, "Each and every moment of this day is important, and if you try to rush through each minute of it to the next minute, you're going to miss things. Slow down. Hang on the tree. Savor each and every Drop from the Cup. After all, it's YOUR day."

And so, here we are. Celebrate the Sunrise--each and every Sunrise--and enjoy every moment of every day. This day will never come again--and it is ALL YOURS!!

Hop on over now to the wonderful Tarot Taxi, to continue your journey...Beep! Beep!

Too Much Of A Good Thing?

May 9, Ten of Coins, Daniel's Bootstrap Tarot

It's a mandala-fest! In the words of the card's creator, Daniel Webster Christensen:  "Mandalas are used in almost every religion to serve as a symbol of the faith and of the cosmos, (aka frame of being). So mandalas on top of mandalas, surrounded by mandalas, is that overwhelming unity of world views, all trying to define (and frame) the same ground of being. For the reference, the mandalas used in the art are:
background: tibetan sand painting
center: generic spiral
top of ring: Celtic, (moving clockwise): Islamic, wheel of Hekate from Greece (also symbol of the ATC), zodiac, crop circle, rose window from Chartres, zen buddhist circle, and the Chartres labyrinth. 10 is completion bordering on overabundance. Coins are Earth or the frame of being." 

So we are looking here at completion, overcompletion, complexity, and a state of complacency bordering on confusion. Sometimes when things get finished, they are so tightly wound you can't see the details for the pattern. Ten coins tells us that today something we have finished is so densely packed that we are too busy looking at the form to see the substance. It's not about what it looks like--it's about what it means. Try going there, even if you have to spend a few of those coins. Break the pattern--the devil--or the divination--is in the details!

Two-Fer Tuesday....

May 8: Our Animal Totem for today is "Frog." Frogs are only vocal during the mating season, in late February and March. The Celts thought that the croaking Frogs were invoking the spring rains, which cleansed and renewed the face of the Earth after winter; regenerating and transforming it, watering the sleeping seeds so that they could burst into life. In a similar fashion, water at healing shrines could wash away illness, purify the body and stimulate health. The Celts often identify frogs with the spirits that they believed inhabited such shrines. There is an ancient healing spring at Acton Barnett in Shropshire England, where the spirits of the well appear as Frogs; the largest of the 3 is addressed as the Dark God. The association of the Frog with creation appears all over the world; it is thought to resemble a foetus. The Sheela-na-gig (Old woman with Vulva) may be derived from early images of a Frog goddess. Depictions of a frog or toad goddess with a human vulva have been found dating from the earliest times. The vulva represented an opening to the underworld womb of the earth goddess. Both Frog and toad are associated with the goddess of death and regeneration, the mirror image of the birth goddess. The power of Frog is concerned with cleansing and purifying, and with the free flowing of emotional energies. Frog may be telling you not to try and conceal your feelings, but to allow yourself to experience them fully, whether joy, anger, sadness or grief. Tears are water too, and have a power of their own. Emotional blockages and dammed-up passions may cause problems later on, and even can lead to physical illness. Frog teaches you how to nourish your emotions, and how to maintain the flux of your energies. The famous story of the Frog that turns out to be a prince teaches us not to judge by appearances - the ugliest exterior may conceal a soul of pure goodness. In a society where the surface is accounted supremely important, we can easily forget, and fall into the trap of being superficial.
 
And our Tarot Card for today is from the Tarot of the Old Path, and is "The Guide". This card is unique...it's "Temperance" or "Alchemy" in other decks. Here, I see a distinctly different slant to the interpretation of this card.

We have the waterfall, the stream of life-giving water flowing from a point in the distance, which appears again and again in this deck. It seems to be coming directly from the sun, which also gives life. It could be setting, or rising, depending on one's perspective. The Great Mother and Father stand watchfully, their presence shadowy, yet prominent.

In the pool at the bottom of the card, a man with what seems to be an anxious expression on his face looks hopefully at the Angel, who is pouring a steady, measured stream from one chalice to the other. He holds a prone, extremely pale woman. One of her graceful hands barely grazes the water. A leg, however, is more immersed, as is one of his. Apparently, she is quite lifeless. He kneels on the bank, and one cannot tell if he is lowering her into the water, in hopes of reviving her, or if he's come upon her and is taking her out. The Angel has dipped its toe in the water as well, but appears comfortably balanced on the bank. The red triangle, which in some traditions represents Spirit, is in the centre of the Angel's chest.

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 he has asked the Goddess and God to come to his aid. And, yes, 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 reminding us of the ongoing flow of life (the river), the unexpected calamities of life, as the body of the woman, and the nature of life, in the respect that all things must change.

Is the angel symbolically advising the man not to mourn , for the love he feels he has lost will flow again for him in a different vessel? One door closes, another opens. I see the Great Mother and Father watching him carefully, observing how he is dealing with this, so they will know what to do, in order to provide the appropriate form of guidance and protection that he will need.
 
Will the man pay attention? Or is he so distraught that he will ignore the guidance given?

" Help. Please. What do I do NOW?" The plaintive cry. It echos through time, as time itself remains suspended.
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For us, today, the combination of the Frog and the Guide tells us that life is unexpected, but that we can keep our balance. Let yourself Go with the Flow, and know there is Guidance even in the most turbulent times. Be real. Be your Self. The Gods, and the Guides, are with you.

Head On!

May 7: The Animal Totem for today is "Boar." Wild Boars roamed freely through the forests of Britain and Ireland, as 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 honoured. Some grades of Druids were called "pigs" and 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. 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.

The Fire Tends To All--Tarot BlogHop, Bealteine 2012

You've gotten here, I hope, through the Tarot Blog Hop, from the writings of Alison Cross  Welcome to the home of the TarotWitch, the next stop on your journey. Have a seat, have a cuppa, bask in the warmth of my HearthFire, and let's talk....

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This is round three of the world-famous "Tarot Blog Hop", an interactive set of essays and spreads by many Taroteers all around the world. This Sabbat's topic, linked with the Festival of Bealteine, takes its focus from the primary symbol of that Festival, the Bealteine Fire. And the topic tells us that The Fire Tends To All. So---what do we mean by that?

I decided to think about this blog draw in a rather less literal way--I usually create spreads in harmony with a concept that is generated by the question posed. But this time--no. This time I decided to simply work in harmony with the element itself--Fire. I had various reasons for this....

For one thing, we do not usually think of fires as "tending"....indeed, most of us think of fires as something that need to be tended. I have heard, often, from my father who was a "woodsman before being a woodsman was cool", the catch-phrase, "Fire is a good servant but a bad master." It wasn't until I fully grew into myself as a Witch that I began to question this idea. I had read much by then about the elements, and in so doing had come across the Celtic idea of fire as not being part of the Triad of Land, Sea, and Sky, because it was instead a living Being. If Fire were considered to be a living Being, should one see it as a "servant" at all? Or, perhaps, should one see fire, in every context, as a companion, as someone working WITH one on the Journey?

I have adopted this view in my journey with Fire, and it occurred to me in the idea of this Hop that if Fire is, indeed, a living Being, then it is sentient. And if it is sentient, then it can, indeed, "tend to all". And if Fire is a living Being, a life force, the "spark" of Life that is celebrated on many levels at Bealteine, then how better to discover in what way "fire tends to all" than simply to ASK?

My draw, therefore, based its format on the concept of getting information from Fire itself. I simply called Fire by its name--and it occurred to me that I could use that to generate cards. In the presence of the Living Flame, I drew one card for the alphabetic position of each letter in the word "fire", and related these positions to the position of cards in the Major Arcana of the deck I was using, Tarot of the Old Path. So--F.I.R.E. gives us the numbers six, nine, eighteen, and five. And therefore, in order, the name of Fire corresponds to these four cards: The Lovers, The Wise One (Hermit), Illusion (The Moon), and The High Priest (Hierophant). And so, then, from Fire's own Being, from the very Name of Fire, how does "the Fire tend to all"?

F: The Lovers: First, Fire draws us together. as knows anyone who has ever been on a camping trip. The glow is compelling, and the warmth is essential to our comfort, our balance, our ability to participate fully in the moment. Look at the Lovers, the primal union of opposites, and think of the way it is to sit with others around a campfire. We forget our differences, we see the glow in one another's eyes, we huddle closer for warmth, and we get to know one another without boundaries or barriers. The Lovers represents connection, and the Fire tends to that connection wherever it lives. The only Fire represented on this card is the Fire of the Sun, but the Fire of passion is clearly represented in the way they look at one another. So here Fire represents that warmth and light that connects us to the Other, even, and especially, the Other who is not-like-me. And this, in our community and in our society, this communion with the Other, is a kind of "tending" we ALL need.

I. The Wise One (Hermit): Interesting...first we are reminded that the "Fire tends to all" in assisting us in connection with the Other, and then we are told that the Fire reminds us to take ourSelves apart and ruminate in solitude. Hmmm....

Well, not so odd, really. Notice that our Wise One bears his OWN fire, right there under his cloak. Anyone who knows me will know how this idea resonates with me, and how I have repeatedly been known to tout the concept of needing to tend one's own Fire before one attempts to share oneSelf with anyone else. Perhaps the Fire is reminding us that this solitude and contemplation is the road to Wisdom, and that without permitting ourselves to be Tended by our own Guides, without caring for our own Inner Fire, we will have nothing to share. And Fire tends to us, to permit us to glow from within. And it is thus that we become---well, Wise Ones. I love it that the letter representing this card is "I"! Could Fire have made its message any more clear?

R. Illusion (The Moon) In typical esoteric fashion, the Universe, with Hir famous sense of humor, has given us, in the draw generated by the very Name of Fire, a card that is wholly (holy?) Water. And so, in this watery realm, how is the Fire tending to us? Well, if you look at the name of this card in this deck, and really look at the picture, you'll get an idea. This card in this deck cautions against, in the words of Lawrence Ferlinghetti, "mistaking any thing for what it may not be". The card reminds us that the light of the Moon is an Illusion--it's a dark, cold rock hurtling through space, lit only by its reflection from and interaction with the Sun. So, then, Fire reminds us, it is warmth and light that will "illuminate" the situation for us--Fire tends to our awareness by casting Light on situations and issues so that we will not be drawn into false impressions and actions because we have mistaken illusion for reality. Fire sheds Light. And that is another way it Tends to All.

E. High Priest (Hierophant): Here sits the final avatar of the Fire's journey with us, the place where our study, companionship with others, self-care and avoidance of illusion may finally take us. The High Priest is the representation of one who has attained self-knowledge, arcane wisdom, and the ability to share with and teach others. The Fire has brought us to the threshold of wisdom and understanding, and reassures us that if we continue to act in accord with Light, Warmth, and Illumination, we too may achieve this place of awareness, and we too may be able to pass down the illumination the Fire has accorded to us.

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And now, why don't you continue your journey by Hopping over to the Blog of Donna L. Faber, here...Happy Hopping! And Blessed Bealteine!

And if you need to find your way back to the 'Hop, here's the Master List...

Where Have We Been....?

Well, let's say--it's complicated....

Seems as if my own focus on doing certain things every day has been rather interfering with what I was supposed to be....well, never mind. Let's just say that things got interesting, and my focus reverted to moi-meme and who and what I am supposed to be--....My, my...that IS, well, interesting....That's twice now that the word "be" wouldn't permit me to put a gerund after it--I think that's the point. It has been about what I am supposed to Be. And that meant, nothing has been going on except inside MOI. And that's important, and that's ok. I hope no one has held hir breath waiting for TarotWitching--because sometimes you just have to tend to the tree, instead of plucking the fruit. So--we'll be back on the first of May, with a contribution to the Tarot Blog Hop. Until then--be well, be your Self, and tend your own Flame--I am.....