Wildwood : The Journey And Change
Posted by
Louise
The Journey card comes out to join us today and with it, the context of what we cannot change joins it. Talk about hard hitting us with a staff, Wildwood!
Major 13
The Journey
So the Wildwood has picked up a staff and wielded it at us to remind us, that the journey we are on isn't something that we can change. The Journey card within the Wildwood links to the Death card in traditional RWS decks.
Death is the Tarot doesn't always mean actual death. From all the readings I've heard about, read, spoken to others about (and that is several thousand now) it's only Death in very rare cases. Usually, it means transformation, change, transition. Things change, that's a constant in this mortal coil, it's one of the certain things beyond taxes and death.
Here we see a crow remove muscle and sinew from the skull of a deer, ensuring that the last pieces of life continue to give life to those that need it and what cannot be taken, nature herself will grind to dust slowly over the years (or make it into a fossil).
What we cannot change is the fact that one day, all of us will be the skull. It happens to us all. We will also change as we grow. The hope here is to improve upon the person we were yesterday, be a better person today and leave for the crows (metaphorically speaking) that which we cannot take with us.
We're all on a Journey of life, it meanders this way and that. Sometimes we fall and graze ourselves, sometimes we fall flat on our faces. Sometimes we surprise ourselves and find our rainbow bridge, as the Wanderer does in the first card of this deck.
The trick I feel we need to employ is the mindset that holds us back, prevents us from changing or from taking what we need in a situation that is no longer suitable and moving on (as the crow does here).
You can't change the fact that things change, so lets deal with it.
Weekly Oracle Forecast : WE 19th May ~ Living the Vision
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Louise
This week we're visited by Dindrane from the Camelot Oracle and reminded that we need to be living our own vision. What is your vision and are you living it?
Dindrane certainly didn't mess around and she certainly wasn't one to sit at home and wait for the men folk! I like her spunk but I'm not sure I like her self-sacrificing nature. Like most of the characters in this Oracle, I'm ignorant of their characters, until I feature their story a little on the blog. Here's some background on Dindrane.
There's some debate between John and Wikipedia, but that does not surprise me. Dindrane was dedicated, of that I have no doubt. She was sure of her path, her life's purpose. To me, she was something of a Seer, she used her intuition, she knew what she was needed for and when.
The context for this week (provided by Tierney's 1000 Spreads) is Romance. Was Dindrane romantically involved during her life? The text from the book and the Wiki page do not highlight on that aspect of her life or give any hint. However, lets explore her dedication and drive in relation to romance.
We strive to find "the one". The soul mate to make us happy. But that isn't always the case. We're not always meant to find "the one", for we're not always meant to find them in this life, we have other things to work on, other aspects of ourselves. Do you know when you've met someone and you can't stop thinking about them? Sometimes we find them, sometimes they're the best friends that stay with us through life, thick and thin and back again.
If we're lucky, the best friend is the one we choose to marry, to spend the rest of our lives and have children with. Sometimes (especially with today's modern society) that person could be the same gender as us and we get to adopt a child, give them a loving and supportive home where others could not.
By following Dindrane's drive to follow her own path, her own heart and with her self insight, we can achieve what we want and need to achieve. In the context of romance, the drive we have can either make or break a romance.
So here's this weeks consideration: What drives your romance? It is spontaneous or is it something upon which you have to work at? I'm lucky, I knew my destiny was with my husband, that we'd have children. Beyond that, we'll follow our guts, like Dindrane. What's your commitment to your current romance? Or to the one you want?
Deck used is the Wildwood Tarot by John Matthews, Mark Ryan, illustrated by Will Worthington. Context card is from Tierney Saddler's Deck of 1000 Spreads (image to be added later)Wildwood : Empowerment & Clothes Shopping
Posted by
Louise
Today we link the Wildwood into a rather mundane task: Clothes Shopping. How can the Five of Bows, with the keyword "empowerment" aid us in clothes shopping?
Five of Bows
Empowerment
The weather for today was mixed and with the need to get out of the house, I ventured forth with just the baby girl in tow (well, more like she was in front) to the local shopping centre. I had a few errands to run, lunch to get and some peace, at last.
Ticking off the first two items was easy. The third, not so much. Who would have thought that shopping for two new pairs of jeans would be such a torment? The card today is the card of empowerment, but I certainly did not feel empowered whilst undertaking this task!
Of all the jeans on offer, only one set caught my eye, but to find another pair with the same cut, length and size had me leaving the store and the shopping centre with nothing. So I posted to my personal Facebook profile, threatening to "go native" as the lack of choice in the clothes department left me feeling rather frustrated. How can this be empowering? Turns out, very, as I had friends from Moscow, Canada, Europe and fellow Brits agreeing with me and suggesting which shops, brands etc. to go and look for. For the last twenty years, I've shopped at one particular store for my jeans, they fit, I knew their sizes and how they fitted me. That is alas the past, for they don't any more.
So now I am empowered to go and explore new shops and avenues, re-learn what sizes and shops I need to go and visit all over again. I have permission from my friends around the World, not just myself.
The truth is, I don't need their permission or blessings, though to have it is fabulous. I need to give permission to myself, empower myself. So that's the crux of today: What do you need to give yourself permission to do? Clothes shopping, self-improvement, read a blog post, get your point across... it doesn't matter, give yourself the permission you need. Empower yourself and if you can, others around you (even if you an ocean apart)!
Weekly Oracle Forecast : WE 12th May 2013
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Louise
I have finally gotten around to my newest feature, the Weekly Oracle Forecast for the week ending the 12th of May 2013. I hope you like the new feature!
Whilst I nurse my daughter to sleep at night, I get an hour to sit and think. No iPhone, no computer, just me, the baby, a bottle of milk, her night-light and silence. Lots of silence. It gives a very busy mum some time to think, ponder, meditate. I have been wondering for a while how to return to the Oracles and this idea hit me on one such meditative evening.
Dagonet
Camelot Oracle
I'm going to carry on with the Camelot Oracle and from where I left off back in February. The next card to join us for our new Oracle Forecast is Dagonet. I thought I knew the Arthurian Legends, this deck is proving me so wrong! Since the birth of my daughter, life has been quite serious, for understandable reasons. It is not an excuse that I am tired when the little lady sleeps twelve hours of a night. I have no one then but myself to blame if I do not go to bed at a semi-reasonable hour. It's not an excuse to snap at the elder two children either and I wonder sometimes what I am stressing out about.
This is the last time I am going to be a mother, at my age (a few years away from the big four-oh mark!) I mentally cannot take any more, even if I can physically. It's not fair on the kids but importantly, it's not fair on me or the husband either.
This card, Dagonet, I mis-read when I first pulled it out. I thought it said Dragonet! I also had to look twice to see if the character was female or male. Reading through the book, it certainly carries a message that I need to hear and I suspect quite a few people do as well.
Dagonet was Arthur's court jester, before Arthur made him a Knight. However, even as Knight, he was a character, a jester. He spoke without malice but he could certainly get his point across and puncture the arrogance of others. He reminds us that no journey is complete without laughter. Wit has a wisdom which can offer light to any situation that we may be presented with. Wit and humour can sometimes open doors where seriousness and force cannot.
What happens when the going gets tough? The tough get going, so the lyrics go. But what if the tough guys are doing it with a grin on their face, laughter in their heart, dark humour rising? If you've ever lived with a member of the working emergency services, you realise that dark humour is necessary sometimes to get through the day, the shift, the week, the emergency at hand. Humour can be as simple as a little candle of light burning brightly, for all it's worth and we all need a little bit of light in our lives.
So this week, the oracle forecast is to remember to chuckle, to laugh and lighten up: Life is way too short to be so serious all the time - promise!
Tarot Blog Hop : Beltane ~ Tarot Rituals
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Louise
This is the third Blog Hop for 2013 but my second contribution (having missed Ostara's entry) and this time, I shed a little light on my Tarot rituals.
Wishing you a warm welcome to my Blog Hop entry, however you've landed on this page. If you'd like to view the other entries before mine, head off to Cher's entry, if you'd like to carry on reading through in the order we're all linked in, you'll find the next link (From TABI's blog) at the bottom.
So, what is the first thing you usually do with a new deck of Tarot cards?
Major 6
The Forest Lovers
For me, I start by looking at each card, looking at the art work. Each artist is different, each deck is different, even if they're same artist (look at Ciro Marchetti's work as three examples).
If the deck I have is second-hand (as some are for I do collect decks as well as use them) I reorder them, look at them, then do the same thing as above: I mix them up into seven piles, then put the deck back together, then shuffle them. I recently did this with the Buckland Romani Tarot that I recently acquired from a friend that was selling her copy, and the Tarot of the Sidhe that I swapped with another Tarot friend.
There are other traditions too that I have employed over the years. If there's a deck I specifically want to work with, such as The Wildwood, I put it under my pillow and sleep with it by my head for a while. This can lead to rather vivid and strange dreams, but that's nothing new most of the time!
When I read, my first tarot ritual is this: I take out the reading cloth that I am going to be using (as shown here, which was made by AniaM) and lay it out flat, smoothing it down. Then I take out each deck, one by one, remove it from its protective bag (most of the ones I have are by AniaM) or box and place them around the cloth, alowing the sitting t0 pick their chosen deck and look through the nine or so I often display for face-to-face readings.
It got me thinking, as I was writing this, about tradition and what the word means in relation to the Tarot. Whilst one of my grand-mothers did read tea-leaves, she and I were very estranged and I hadn't set eyes on her from the time I was eight, until she died, and not very often in those eight years either. I really don't remember what she looked like. Any traditions she had in regards to how she read the leaves were never passed on from generation to generation. I'm not sad about it, I never really knew the woman. As such, I am making my own traditions, doing what feels right to me whilst being aware of what came before me. I'm also passing these tarot rituals onto my children, for the eldest two are asking mummy to teach them "the cards" (as they put it).
What other rituals do other Tarot Readers have? I have a few more, including never using the same deck for the next client. This way, if the same cards come out, they're meant to come out for the person before me. Each deck as it's used is placed under a clear quartz crystal or my crystal shakra wand and "sits out a turn".
I'm keen to learn what other tarot rituals my fellow blog-hoppers have in their arsenal, so if you'd like to jump forward to TABI's entry, please do so via the button below and thank you so much for dropping by!
If you've got part way through and you want to get back to where you started from, the Master List button below will help.
Wildwood : The Decision Lesson
Posted by
Louise
Life is a lesson, there is however no dress rehearsal, this is the exam to beat all exams and a decision is to be made. So what's the lesson?
Two of Bows ~ Decision
It's Sunday and The Wildwood likes to throw down a gauntlet! Combined with the context from 1000 Spreads, we have a better insight into what the Wildwood is trying to convey. Life is full of lessons. Some, we experience in the classroom from the age of four (?) onwards until we decide we've had enough of the education system.
Some of us can learn from books, others learn better from practice and doing, others can sit half way between the two (and can digest what the manual says). Life however, didn't come from a text-book written by man or any deity that I am aware of. The trouble with books (yes, there is a slight issue with them) is that they can be re-written, re-printed and much like movie remakes, can be changed to re-write history in the favour of whomever happens to be doing the re-writing.
Given the events over the past week, the Boston Bombings, the chasing and killing of one of the main suspect(s) and the capture of the other, the earthquake in China, the building collapse in Dhaka, I wonder if something somewhere is making a decision. It saddens me that this is the kind of world I laboured to bring my children into. I can only hope to teach them to make it a better place.
The day has only just begun, so the decision that I need to make hasn't yet happened. It might not happen either, it might be a gift I give to someone, knowledge or information that lets them make a better informed decision. Someone might also provide me with some insight so that I can make a better decision. Or I might just decide something and have to live with the consequences. That's usual too!
Whatever it is according to the Wildwood and 1000 Spreads, I'm in for an interesting day with the possibility of a karmic teaching to be aware of. That's the thing about karma, it can carry on (from what I've been told) from one lifetime to the next and often, bites you in the rear end, just to be sure you understood it was payback for something.
I hope the lesson is not karmic, but a gift. I like gifts, they're so much nicer to have in your life than being a grumpy mummy!
Tarot deck used in The Wildwood with the context being provided by Deck of 1000 Spreads.
Wildwood : The Real Question
Posted by
Louise
The Wildwood wishes to address the real question, the true heart of the matter, not what I want to address, it's what I need to address. Oh boy!
Major 21
The World Tree
I've been feeling quietly rebellious these last few days, since my last post. I've a to-do list for my business as long as my arm, my to-do list for the house and home is longer and like Pru from an episode of Charmed, I need more than two of me! The thing is, where to start on both fronts?!
As far as the house and its chores are concerned, I've started / continued last years project of finishing off the decorating in the office. That can then help me get organised with the business and give me a dedicated area from which to work when the eldest two are at school and the baby is asleep.
Is this enough? I ask the Tarot. The World Tree came out in answer and I then pulled a context card from 1000 Spreads and pulled the "Question" card. Is it enough? is the question I want answered, but it's not the one I need answering. What then is the question I need answering? That took me a few moments to work out.
What I need to know (be reminded of) is that no matter which way I go around the labyrinth of life, I'll get to where I need to be. Either way will take me there, I just have to keep going, start doing (elephant task!) and live my life. Is it the right way, did I make the right choice? What if the other way is quicker?
The fact is, it's not about how quickly we get out of the house that is in the base of the Great Oak Tree, or even how quickly we get back into that house, it's the journey itself. We'll learn what we need to learn either way, this isn't a race, the journey itself is the important factor here.
The apathy and indifference that I have to life at the moment is partly because I am bored and disconnected from my spiritual self. I hardly seem to have any time to breathe, never mind work on any rituals, or enjoy my Tarot. So I have to make the time, as well as do the hundred and one other things I have to do. There is but one of me. Yes, I could ask the husband to help, but I'm picky about my decorating and the finish, plus I can hang wall-paper! Himself however will have bricks to lay in the fireplace soon enough; that I do not wish to do.
So, the real question, extending this out to you today is this: What do you really need to know? Not what you want to know, but what do you need? Take a look at the World Tree card, meditate on this card for a few moments whilst you think of your real question. When you're ready, I'd love to hear it via the comments!
As usual, the deck is my working, trimmed copy of The Wildwood with the context provided by Tierney Saddler's 1000 Spreads.
Wildwood Sparks : Ace of Bows
Posted by
Louise
Sparks fly from the Ace of Bows today as it comes out to join us and I wonder if we will see any more in the next few days?
It's a Sunday, usually a day of rest, right? Not always. In my life, I have more than enough to cater and pander to, being the mother of three children, one of whom arrived only eight weeks ago. So why on earth did I take on more responsibility last year?
Ace of Bows ~ Spark of Life & 1000 Spread context
The answer I feel is simple: I'm a woman, my own person. I'm not just a mother, bottle washer (and yes, I've been doing a lot of that of late and I will be for a good while to come!), chef, laundry-maid, dog-walker... the list is endless but I still need to do something for me, ya know?
I have my own views, my own understanding of things. I don't always agree with everyone and I have no plans on even attempting to, but occasionally, I get fired up enough to respond. Sometimes I find I cannot respond, for I'm too angry, or know I'll say something that I'm going to regret (and no, it would not be nice) so I say nothing at all. At the moment, I'm post-natal, so my temper and fuse is somewhat shorter than normal, but it is improving. However, the sparks have been flying but as my little girl settles down and starts sleeping through the night more, I find that my mood and temper improve greatly.
The context of this post (What To Take From The Past) reminds me that I need to remember why I'm angry, why the sparks are flying. We seem to forget that we're human, for crying out aloud, we're all brothers and sisters, parents, children, someone's relative, regardless of what colour our skin in, what creed, upbringing, education (or not) we have.
I need to recall why that spark kicked off, keep my focus on that. Through anger, we can learn, but only if we want to. People say things to others based upon their education, upbringing, understanding of the world. We need (I feel) to be prepared to move our view-point and change our understanding, or at least be respectful of others with a different view-point. Bullying someone into doing something or not (as the case may be) just to please you or fit your perception of them, isn't acceptable either. One wrong contextual use of a word, a meaning not interpreted as someone intended when it was said, written or thought, doesn't mean they're always going to be wrong, nor does it (or should it) mean that all their previous points are agreed or accepted by others.
Valid points can be made by those we despise, dislike, distrust and (dare I say it?!) hate. Just because we don't like or get on with them, does their point become any more invalid? It certainly makes it a damn sight harder ton listen to though!
My advice (for that is what this is) is to take that little spark from the new topic of conversation, blog entry, post, comment, tweet and listen and more importantly, learn.
This song came to mind when I was writing the above, as tends to happen with me.
The decks used are the Wildwood Tarotby Mark Ryan, John Matthews and Will Worthington. Context card is from the Deck of 1000 Spreads by Tierney Saddler.
Wildwood Hope : Major #17 ~ The Pole Star
Posted by
Louise
Today we have the hope of the Pole Star to journey through. Given the events in Boston, Massachusetts on Monday. Hope seems to be the order for the next few days.
Major #17
The Pole Star
The events in Boston on Monday the 15th came as a shock to most of the World. What was even more surprising was the speed at which the World found out. Yes, the news channels covered the events, however, I find the news depressing and soul-destroying (you hardly hear good news), so I never normally watch those channels. It was Twitter, Facebook and the art of social media that alerted most of the waking world to the events unfolding in that state, myself included.
Before that, I had already pulled the Pole Star card and the Resolution outcome card from 1000 Spreads and with that event unfolding, I knew part of what this card's insight was and what this mid-week blog post was going to be about.
At the moment, the reason for the tragic events of Monday are not clear. There's a lot of theory and not a lot of public fact but a heck of a lot of speculation and finger-pointing, which is not doing anyone any good.
The Pole Star reminds us that we have hope, we always have hope. It's not always Hope as defined in Star Wars, it's not always shiny and fluffy. As Amanda Donnelly pointed out in a post to her Tarot Group the other day, Hope is radical, crazy and doesn't always appear as we wish it to be, neither is it shiny and sparkly.
However, with the events in Boston, there has to be hope. Hope for the healing of those injured. Hope to those families who have lost loved ones. Hope for Justice being served to the right people and that it's not done as a knee-jerking reaction. Hope that the pain of the last few days lessens. Hope that our children grow up safely. In contrast in Iraq, 25 bombs went off on the same day, 66 people died: But the media do not report that. I'm not saying what happened in Boston isn't terrible, it is. But so is the situation in other countries where fellow citizens care not a jot and blow others up. There's hope for them too.
There has to be. That I feel, is the resolution: Hope.
(Tarot Deck used is The Wildwood whilst the context is Deck of 1000 Spreads)
The Blog Returns : With a Change
Posted by
Louise
This is my return and first blog post in about seven weeks, due to the arrival of my very gorgeous and ever-changing, baby girl on the 23rd of February!
Ace of Arrows
The Breath of Life
During the last seven weeks, I think I've pretty much gone through every emotion there is out there: Fear, anxiety, tiredness, anger, grief, mourning, happiness and the jealousy that comes with comparing myself to other mums with three kids. Was I as good as them? What about other Tarot Readers? Did I still "have it"? Should I return now, or wait?
I managed to get some time a few weeks ago to start preparing the blog for a come back, and I thought and pondered about what I would do and when. Those questions above made me think for most of the Easter Weekend and here is what I've decided. I won't be blogging every day, not yet. I'm going to stick to twice a week for the moment to dip my toes back into the water, probably on a Sunday and a Wednesday and give myself the time the children, family and I deserve. These early days are so precious and I know from experience that they're unique to each child and that they'll never ever come again!
Card of The Day Meaning
1000 Spreads by Tierney Saddler
Whilst I was away and up at the various stupid o'clock hours (as the newborn demanded) I got chance to read other people's blogs: a rare thing for me, as I didn't get time to read all the ones I wanted to. But at a 2am feed, I could, providing the site had a mobile plug-in so I could read it on the iPhone! Then I got into comparing my abilities with those of other readers whose blogs I was reading and it took me a few weeks to realise something: I don't need to compare myself to the people whose blogs I was reading. I really ought not to do that, truth be told and when I came across this blog post, I made a decision. I shall try damn hard not to compare myself, no matter how "low" I might feel.
I am also going to be introducing an "angle" for how to read the cards. Whilst I was on leave, a fantastic idea was launched by Tierney Saddler and I had to get it when I saw how it was being used. It's called Deck of 1000 Spreads (site is here) and it can help focus on an aspect of a card and its interpretation in a spread. (A spread is how the cards are laid out).
So with all that in mind, I bid you welcome back!
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In The Last 7 Days
- Wildwood : The Journey And Change
- Weekly Oracle Forecast : WE 19th May ~ Living the Vision
- Wildwood : Empowerment & Clothes Shopping
- Weekly Oracle Forecast : WE 12th May 2013
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- Wildwood : The Real Question
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