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When the Unexpected Happens : The Wildwood Helps

We all get things that happen to us unexpectedly, that’s a part of life. 

How we deal with the unexpected is what makes us unique & very individual. To be the best person in such situations, can the Tarot help?

The quick and honest answer here is; yes, it can!  The Tarot can show us options, give us advice on how to handle it, what to pay attention to & sometimes, even when to walk away.

It’s often noted that the Tower/Blasted Oak is the card that says; curve ball! The unexpected hit & it hit hard. Not just a Cat 5 hurricane, but a tsunami & earthquake hit our lives somehow, or as it feels like, all at blooming once!

So, when the unexpected happens, what do you do to combat it? Drink coffee? Eat chocolate? Both? Make a G&T? (Not for me, can’t drink the stuff, I’m a whisky/real ale type of girl!! 🙂 )

You can stew on things for an age. Personally, I turn to the Tarot cards & see what they have to offer by way of advice & insight.  I usually draw 3 cards, then expand on them if I need them.

The Cards. The Spread & Interpretation

1/ What is positive in this situation? – Major 5, The Ancestor
2/ What is negative in this situation? (Also, what am I really focusing on, because frankly, we do focus on the negative in general initially, don’t we?) – Major 15, The Guardian
3/ What’s the best thing I can do here? – 8 of Stones

unexpected

1/ The Ancestor shows that there’s strength in following your own path here. You already knew that things were needing to change, so now that they have, walk your own path & be aware of your surroundings. You’re at a gateway to the future you want, the positive is it’s a blank page. With the wisdom you already have, you can write this blank page as you wish it to be written.

2/ The Guardian shows that the negative here is your fear. It’s okay to be afraid. It’s not okay though to succumb to it & not do anything about it. This card is also about how you’ve gotten used to being. It’s amazing what you get used to being like, isn’t it? However, it is time to change & change yourself, your environment, your circumstances for the better.

3/ The Eight of Stones is an indication that this unexpected event isn’t a flash in the pan. The best thing you can do you here is work at it. It’s going to need some real change on your part, some effort, some hard work. The change will happen where you focus your energies. So keep your focus on your goals & what you want to achieve. It’s worth being dedicated for a short while, focused.

Conclusion & other stuff:

Be yourself, your true unique self. You can say to others the magical word of “No”. It’s a complete sentence! You can go your own way. You often need to just do things for yourself but trust in yourself to do it. Fear isn’t about not being frightened, but rather, that something is more important that the fear. So what is more important to you? Work at resolving it. You may go around the issue a few times, chipping away at it as you go around, but that’s OK. You don’t have to do it all in one day or even two! Just a little each day will help!

If you want to book your private Tarot consultation & want some help gaining insight and clarity through the wisdom of the tarot, you can do that right here.

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The Wildwood : The Importance of Numbers Repeating

Numbers repeating in a Tarot reading can indicate other meanings.

Numbers are everywhere, even when we don’t realise it. The size of our shoes to the height & weight we are, how many biscuits we’ve just devoured or how many cups of coffee, carbonated soft drink etc. we consume in a day/hour… they’re everywhere! Even the roads have numbers on them, which at times, is just as well!

In a Tarot reading though, numbers are vital & help structure the Tarot. That’s why the Tarot is different from Oracle cards. It’s this numerical structure that’s important & I’m not sure where it came from. Either the Golden Dawn or with Arthur Waite or even before them. (If you know, educate me in reply, I love replies!)

Having a basic understanding of what each number means can help, so here’s a link to some explanations & my quick personal run down.

One’s: Think of these as your seeds, your mono-pods. Not great at standing up on their own, but needed & useful. They’re often the start of things.

Numbers 2 from the Suit of Bows, Wildwood TarotTwo’s: Think of your legs & arms here! Far more useful but like a toddler, takes a bit of balancing & finding your feet/coordinating things with them.

Three’s: Okay, a little like a 3 legged stool, better for comfort & sitting on than a monopod but it can unbalance things if you’re not careful. Triangles are good, squares are stronger, which brings us to the

Four’s: Okay, think of your table legs, the dining chairs, the sofas. They have four legs, they’re quite stable & can hold a bundle more stuff than the three-legged-stools can!

Five’s:  Things are a little unstable again. Gone is the stability but it’s heading towards new things. You have to grow, so the 5’s are all about changing the status-quo & removing what doesn’t work whilst you replace it with something that works a little better.

Six’s: Back to having six legs, again. If you don’t think that’s useful, ask an insect like the ladybug/ladybird or an ant.

Numbers Continued:

Number 7 from the suit of Swords

Seven’s: This is one of my favourite numbers & this to me, is all about finding the growth within yourself now. It’s not about external issues, it’s about internal issues, growing. The 7 of Swords & its honesty is a prime example. (Card is from The Gilded by Ciro Marchetti)

Eight’s: This is infinity standing up in my view: anything is possible, barriers can be broken through. It’s double stable so have the internal confidence of the suit & go for it!

Nine’s: One step away from the ten, which is the highest number you can go to! You’re nearly there, just a little more effort, work, determination, grit, character & you’re there! So it’s claimed.

Qabbalah & Numbers:

Qabbalah Tree of LifeTen’s: well, the end is here! As far as the numbers go, that’s as high as the Minors run to. Majors are a different kettle of fish & I have no idea why they have the numbers they do. These ten’s are the end of the line, it’s time to backtrack or jump to another line. Have you ever seen the Qabbalah Tree of Life? If not, it’s right here. <–

It’s believed we start at Malkuth (10) and we work up to Kether (1) (if I’m wrong, please correct me, for goodness sake!)  We can come back & take a different path & there’s no set path. We each encounter the Majors on these paths as we travel from 10 to 1.

 

Numbers are SO important & not just for how old we are. It helps us rationalise & put things into logic. Not everything needs to be logical though, I’ll grant you! I haven’t learned what the stations mean & since I’m not Jewish, it’s a little harder but if you’ve the time, Google might your friend here. (The arms between the stations are numbered, hence why those cards are there)

Other Use of Numbers in the Tarot:

It’s also important to note that sometimes, numbers that are missing are just as important as what comes up. If you do a Celtic-cross & say you draw 3 4’s (Arrows, Bows & Stones, for example) the missing element of Vessels is likely the key that is needed to bring about the action of the stability that you/querent needs in their life.

Numbers that are NOT there are just as important as what IS there, as the case above shows. Having lots of pairs as well becomes interesting when you get different elements in the pairings. It’s just as exciting if the elements are the same; it shows a lack of the other elements, which are either not needed or desperately lacking. It comes down to the client’s situation. Watching the numbers can give you a heads up as to which one it is, or not.  It’s also important to trust your gut as a result in this situation. The image here was taken for the #31DayTarot challenge but it can demonstrate how a number just “comes up” in a spread. Which element is missing here? That says more than the three that are present say. What do you think?

There are much more uses for numbers in the Tarot, including to how many cards you draw for a reading itself. A Celtic-cross is usually 11, but it can be more (and I’ve drawn more in a Celtic-cross) but if it’s less, it’s not technically a Celtic-Cross.

The Wheel of the Year can be huge, with 3 cards per month & sometimes (as I have done!) more than 1 deck (I used 4 for a client) & my octangle dining table covered from one end to the other with Tarot cards.

So, as you can see, numbers are just everywhere, they are part of the fabric of life, they’re interwoven in all that we do from the time we wake up, to how long we sleep & when we go to sleep.

It’s time now for a warm beverage. I think we’ve both earned it!

Remember, you can book your private Tarot consultation right here!

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Priestess Tarot : It’s All Change for me!

Don’t panic, I’m not going anywhere! I’m able to change things around as the new academic year gets underway.

Now that all the kids are in school full-time (bar any sickness they might incur) I’m able to take day time bookings. 

This change is quite a scary time for me, though the kids seem to be in their element! For the first time in a decade, I don’t have someone asking me for sweets, lunch, food, to help them with the toilet. I don’t have two school runs to do (half day collection from the nursery) & I can please myself! Whilst the daily housework may now get done in an hour (rather than 3!) I have more time to dedicate to you, to help you by offering Tarot consultations.

This is a big change from the few hours each evening I had spare. The kids are great & know when mum is working. I have things laid out for them if I have to work when they’re home (with time differences, that sometimes happens!) or the eldest (who is getting so tall!) can forage for things that they need.

So I asked the Tarot, today: What can I look forward to with this new chapter of my life? Here are the results:

change

Cards & Conclusion: 

 

Card 1: What should I embrace at this time? Queen of Bows
This is quite exciting! I wasn’t expecting this card, there were a few I didn’t want (The Journey, for example) but this is quite good! Embrace my passions, follow my heart, keep my wits about me & grab chances as they come! What else does this hare say to you that might apply to me? (This is my inviting comments, don’t be shy, I LOVE comments!)

Card 2: What should I reject at this time? Two of Vessels
This is another surprise card & I know instantly what it means: Don’t get caught in suddenly being “free” so you can do everything everyone else wants me to. I have to be disciplined, I have to set boundaries & times. That I can do. Don’t just forget about the work because I feel like doing something else. If it’s going to better my ability to help others, then great, go with that change. Otherwise, don’t indulge in the Venus aspect that this card can display. Though, a coffee & a biscuit is allowed!

Card 3: What should I really enjoy at this time? Six of Bows
This is about enjoying the abundance I have. I’m lucky, I have a roof over my head, I have a comfortable, warm, dry, well-kept house (It was tidy last week, so sorry you missed it!) & so, be grateful for what I have that already blesses me. In some ways (because I’m human too!) I forget what I have already, we always want more & not all of it is needed! (Need a new laptop, but that’s another story!)

Finally; 

So, to bring these 3 cards together; have my wits about me, look around for opportunities to embrace, don’t get caught in the “Venus” trap of too much “me” time, focus on what you have already & enjoy it!

If you’d like to help me fill my now rather empty diary & work towards that new laptop I so need, you can book your consultation right here.

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The Wildwood : How can it be Syncretic?

Is it necessary for the Tarot to be syncretic?

This was a question that I received from the Twitter-verse.

Being honest, I had to look up the meaning of the word, syncretic when it was first posed to me. And several times since. I’ve got to love adding new words to my English vocabulary.

Syncretic means “to encompass all things”, in the simplistic term. I’m all for simple, clear communication, so I’ll try not to over complicate the answer, which can turn into an essay if I’m not careful!

Does the Tarot have to be syncretic? There are plenty of decks out there with references to the Qabbalah, i-Ching, numerology (in general), astrology. Certainly, there’s numerology involved (we use numbers to identify the cards in lots of different ways).

In my view, to have a Tarot deck that encompasses ALL the divination elements from Qabbalah to runes, Hebrew to Chinese Astrology & i-Ching, would make it a particularly busy Tarot deck before we even look at the card itself. The Hermatic Tarot is quite close I think to achieving it, but even that deck stops short of combining a lot of ideas.

Hermatic Tarot - a possible syncretic deck?

The Wildwood though isn’t syncretic. It’s not going to pull in everything from everywhere else. It doesn’t need to. It’s got a lot going for it already. It’s got its Wheel of the Year, tied into the seasons & times of the Pagan Year. It still has its scary figures, The Blasted Oak (Tower), The Guardian (Devil-esque) The Journey (Death) and so much more!

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I currently believe (& I say currently, as my views can change like everyone else’s as we learn more) that the Tarot doesn’t need to be syncretic. It’s almost impossible for it to be that! I’m happy to talk about it, happy to have my views changed & reviewed to either match that, or not.

If it is syncretic, what decks are syncretic? I’m keen to hear your views in reply!

To book your own consultation with the systems I’m familiar with, you can do that right here.

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To School Or Not To School, The Wildwood Answers

Working out a tricky step for ourselves that involves time & finances is exactly what the Tarot ordered. Do we carry on with the education & school?

The Tarot is great at helping us reflect on decisions of this nature, let me show you how.

Choosing between two options is something we all come across in life. You might not use the Tarot to decide what’s for breakfast or lunch, but to go & further educate yourself or not, is something we really need a few voices on so we can make our decision.

The option to further our education by going back to school (or not) is often a tricky one. Finances aside, it’s sometimes the fear of “being the oldest” that we baulk at. The “odd one out” for me, personally, isn’t something new. But it might be for others or you. So, what do you need to know?

The first thing is knowing that you’ve got choices ahead of you.  You may already know what those choices are, which is great, but sometimes we don’t know what they are. The cards can help us figure out which way is the best way to go. It’s more than likely ratifying what we’re already thinking & that is okay too!

The Cards & The Choices;

Option 1: To not continue my education at all – 7 of Vessels

Option 2: To continue my education now – 5 of Bows

Options 3: To continue my education later – 6 of Vessels

This can quickly become a 9 card layout, as I tend to draw 3 for each option. Why 3? It’s better to assess each option as a mini story board, rather than as a single card. You get to view the answer with diagonals, in columns, not just rows. You get a more objective viewpoint that way. But for the purposes of this blog entry, I’m going to be drawing 3 cards about school & the options it brings. One for each. (Otherwise, it’ll be way too long to read!)

The 7 of Vessels is quite clear I feel here; to not pursue furthering your education or going back to school, will make you mourn as if you’ve suffered a loss. You love to learn, to be at school. It might a social thing as well as an educational thing, but I sense you’ll really miss it if you don’t follow that path.

 

 

school

The 5 of Bows is another one that’s quite clear with the message here. To continue your education makes you feel empowered as if you can take on anything! I sense you love learning, you love finding out facts & fitting more pieces of the jigsaw of life together as you go.

Gaining knowledge is what gives you empowerment & I suspect it’s a little like a drug: the more you get of it, the more you want it & you can’t bear to be without it. What a drug to be addicted to!

The 6 of Vessels I feel is a sad one. If you really have to park up the education or further schooling at this time, know that you will come back to it. You’ll miss it too much to not come back to it at some point! You will reunite with it because you’ll be wanting to return to it for your own emotional well-being.

That’s great if you’re aware of why you’re putting it on the back burner & you plan on actually getting back to it, rather than just leaving it as a dream that will never happen. You may as well do card number 2 if you do that!

The Conclusion:

The best card out of these three is the middle one, the 5 of Bows. Staying with education is likely your best choice, because of what it does for you on a number of scales. If you choose to leave it behind you will mourn it, but you’ll move on. Putting it on hold, to come back to later is also an option, but only if you really can’t do the extra schooling for one reason or another. It is something you will come back to. If card 1 is any indication, the pull of education isn’t something you can ignore for long.

 

Please be aware that this reading, whilst the question is genuine & the reply is too, is superficial for the purposes of the blog. To get a real in-depth reading, you’ll have to book me for one, right here. 

You can find The Wildwood Tarot at The Wildwood Site, here & a blog entry here.

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Tarot Blog Hop : The Litha Contest Begins

It’s Blog Hop time & I managed to catch the train on this one!

This Litha Hop celebrates the contest between the Oak King, Cernunnos, the Green Man &  his “Tanist”, or chosen replacement, Lugh, the Holly King, or Red God.

BLOG BEFORE | MASTER LIST | BLOG AFTER

For Litha, our wrangler, Aisling, gave us this as a backdrop for our Blog Hop today.  “This Hop celebrates the contest between the Oak King, Cernunnos, the Green Man, who is God of the Waxing Year and fertilizes the land with plants and babies in women’s wombs, etc., and his “Tanist”, or chosen replacement, Lugh, the Holly King, or Red God, who brings the Harvest and creates the Waning Year by means of blood sacrifice of animals so there will be meat, reaping the grain and vegetables and plants, and otherwise clearing the fertile ground and taking the results of the Green Man’s cycle of fertility, making it the Red God’s cycle of harvesting.”

She also points out that this is two aspect of the same being, just in two guises. So we’re asked to find the two faces & then reconcile them this Litha.

The cards & Interpretation:

LithaShe then asked us to do 3 main things with this Litha Blog Hop.  The first was to pick out my “significator”. With this deck, well, that was fairly easy. This is how I see myself when I’m reading the cards.  In typical Aisling style, I need to explain to you now why I see myself as this card. In truth, I do try to do this, but I’m human after all. However, when I’m reading the cards, I’m the one being objective, the one that says what’s in the cards (that may already be going through your head). I say the unspoken words, that is after all, why you’ve come to see me.

She’s also about giving you options, the possible paths that you can take. That is what I believe this Seer sees in that cauldron of hers.  Of course, we can’t see the path before us, all we see is how bad it can be & how hard it can be.

justiceTo combat The Seer, the “other” side of her is The Woodward. He’s more than Strength, he’s the emotional backstop when fate or the situation is beyond that of normal hope. The Woodward is beyond the state of limbo, he’s been stripped of any emotional baggage that may hold sway over you. He’s free, the same as that Lynx is. He can come & go as he pleases. He’s a balance between the energy of The Hunter & The Guardian, he’s the protection & inspiration.

It’s not easy balancing life, we have to find the courage within ourselves. The Seer isn’t one for being strong within ourselves physically, she’s more the mental one. This fellow, you can see is strong. You’d take his word as it came out of his mouth.

The Rest of the Cards;

How do I understand these two, in my mind?  Ace of Arrows

This card suggests that I keep it simple, don’t over-complicate things. Let the simple things help tie the two facets of this pairing together. Don’t ask for too much from others, or expect it from yourself. The Seer is quite passive, the Woodward isn’t. I sense that she’s happy to “hand things” over to The Woodward at this time of the year.

Litha

How do I engage that will & show my passion? 6 of Bows

Enjoy the abundance that I’ve created. It’s not often I get to sit & just “be” with nature, with the kids. There’s always something that needs doing.  I’m getting better at just enjoying it, but that doesn’t mean that there’s no more work to get done! I’m just being told to enjoy it.

How do I act upon that in practical terms? Page of Stones

The Page of Stones says watch, observe, take hints, take it slowly. You can observe the differences, embrace it but you don’t have to act on it if I do not want to! The power is mine to embrace. Notice that this is the second time the Lynx has come out? I’m loving this quiet big cat.

How do I use my intuition between them? King of Vessels

The King of Vessels comes to help out. Most people don’t like him, but I rather do understand him here. He’ll move on if conditions aren’t to his liking, he trusts his judgement. His message here is; trust my own.

Conclusion:

There are a lot of elements at play here (it was set that we addressed each element) and I have advice from each quarter. Keep it simple, enjoy the moments, watch & observe, then take action if I am happy to.

Thank you for reading & enjoy the next hop!

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The Father’s of The Wildwood

It’s Father’s Day here in the UK & the Wildwood has its celebration of the fathers in our lives.

They can range from those who are very direct to those who are gentle and guiding. Which Tarot cards fit?

Father’s are an important part of our lives. Sometimes, we’re lucky to have uncles, grandfathers or older male cousins to bless our lives with. Sometimes we don’t get to be that lucky, we may not even get a male role model until we get to school. Sometimes, it is not even then, it’s secondary (high school) before we encounter a good male influence.

We have some great Father Like cards within the Wildwood. Before we get to the spread, I wanted to show you a few.

10 of Arrows

Now, I could (really should) use my Parents Spread that I created last year (the UK celebrates these days at different points to the USA, in case you think I’ve lost the plot)

father's

And so, we have our spread, we have the cards, let’s match the two together, shall we?

The Reading:

What do we need to appreciate about our fathers? Princess of Swords

How do we not show that we love our dad’s?  7 of Wands

How can we best show that we love them? 8 of Wands

I’m taking these cards hold a message for my 3 children, towards their father this time, rather than me towards my dad.

What do the kids need to appreciate about their dad? That he’s direct with them and honest. Okay, his eloquence may not be up to the par of either granddad yet, but daddy has time to learn that finesse. Until then kids, get used to daddy telling you like it is.

How do they show that they don’t love him? Well, they rebel, they fight back. They bicker with each other & whine about how they can’t have their own way because daddy has said no & mummy won’t “stick up for them” against daddy. If Daddy’s told you no kids, chances are, I have already said no more times than I’d like to anyway. 😛

How can they best show that they love him? Well, by taking on board what it is he’s told them! Whether he’s asked them to do something, or he’s said something already, to not repeat it & test the boundary 30 seconds later. By acknowledging what’s already been said & getting on with it, will help everyone, especially the kids!

Father's Day Spread with the Illuminati Tarot

Conclusion:

I really think that the last card is going to be the eye opener. I see that happening with the eldest more than the younger two, but they’ll get there, eventually! How they get there is the fun (!) part though, isn’t it?

I’ve used the Illuminati Tarot by Eric Dunne & the images are (c) to him. The spread is my own & you can use that to your heart’s content.

With blessings to you, your endorsing male figure (whoever they are) & a bright, sunny, wonderful day!