Reversals to the Moon's Tune

Reversals are something I've been all over the map with during my Tarot years, from reading them religiously to not using reversals at all to reading them as I've felt inclined. I've settled now into a place with them that suits my intuitive self but also gives me some structure, and that is to read them according to the Moon cycle. It allows me a way to articulate them within both the reading and the larger container of the mutable cosmos itself. I like the fact that their energy changes as the the moon's energy changes, that source of reflective light, that celestial body with its tidal pulls upon our own bodies. The reversed cards become living energies and much like the Moon, reflect the light of our awareness as we bring it to our interface with the cards.

Reversed cards that appear when I read on a New Moon are seeding energies, just giving us a glimpse of their potential, still needing the dark to germinate. There is a question as to their true nature. Are they passing whims or the beginning of something yet to manifest? Reversed cards that appear during a Waxing Moon are that nascent energy in a more decisive form, definitely growing towards awareness, stronger and more conscious than New Moon reversals but still not fully awake. Full Moon reversals are strong cards, they hold the balance of both waxing and waning energy and yet are still not realized and could go either way. They are fulcrum cards with much depending on the surrounding cards and the querent to guide the interpretation more articulately. Reversals read during a waning Moon are read as dissipating energy. In between those phases are the micro phases of 1st and 3rd quarters, balsamic and dark moons which are subtler aspects within the Moon cycle.

Right now we're leading up to a New Moon on the 26th. It will be in watery, intuitive Pisces. A dreamy moon, a psychic moon, a moon of vision and imagination. Reversals that come up during this time can be interpreted through this lens. A reversed card would be influenced not only by the waning lunar energy but also by its particular qualities. Add in the fact that it will also be a Solar Eclipse. A few days ago I drew three cards from a deck by Caroline Smith called simply, The Tarot Pack. I asked the deck for an opportunity to work with reversals for the purposes of this post, to explore what they might tell us in light of this waning Moon. And how fortuitous that two reversals appeared on first draw.

Tarot Pack Deck by Caroline Smith

I drew Changing Rx (Death), Fire Prince Rx (Knight of Wands) and The Wheel of Fortune. Two reversed cards beginning a three card reading during a waning moon suggests to me that this person is coming out of something. Changing/Death suggests perhaps a challenging period of transformation. The Fire Prince Rx might indicate it was a particularly tempestuous/dramatic transition or that it involved someone of that temperament. Here Changing/Death appears as a tree person but reversed the branches that would normally reach for the sky are instead taking root in the earth. I could look at this through the lens of bodywork and feel that the ego needs strengthening to be able to effectively navigate this new terrain.

The Fire Prince shines his light towards the reversed Changing card. His red color and flaming torch positioned in the earth rather than air encourage me to think root chakra work or even, due to the torch, Earth Star chakra work would be beneficial. Along with Tree pose daily for the experience of being rooted. Together the two cards make me think of The Hanged Man and a sense of being unsure how to proceed, of feeling stuck. The sigil of Water ascribed to Changing has reversed to become the sigil of Fire and vice versa for Fire becoming Water. A new view is being asked that is at odds with everything we’ve been oriented around.

The Wheel of Fortune card following these two brings to mind the phrase, 'spinning my wheels'. Perhaps there is frustration and an inability to see our way through. But the Wheel of Fortune is a good reminder of impermanence, of mutability and the phrase, 'this, too, shall pass.' Both the Sphinx and Snake are looking towards the two previous cards such that the fruits are still hidden. Snake energy is transformative energy, skin-shedding energy and Sphinx holds mystery, secrecy. The stripes on the trunk of the 'Changing' card have now become the headdress of the Sphinx suggesting the experience has been weathered well, it crowns the person. But with the Sphinx looking towards the past things are not quite ready for the present moment of embodiment. With the New Moon being in Pisces I’d say pay attention to dreams and visions as to next steps, perhaps creating some sacred space on the New Moon for these three cards and then listening for any guidance that might come forwards. And on like that.

I have found that when I work with readings this way reversals actually give more detailed and comprehensive information than if I read everything upright. It's an ongoing learning process and one I'm sure will continue to unfold and rearrange itself accordingly.

Five of Cups ~ No Feeling is Final

Five of Cups ~ Tarot de St. Croix by Lisa St. Croix

Late night Tarot work is the best kind of Tarot work 🌚 The house is silent and there are no calls on my attention save what's in front of me.

The Five of Cups has been following me around the past couple of weeks. I think I've pulled it four times at least. I often think of it as the 'self-pity' card but as I looked more closely at this depiction of it from the Tarot de St. Croix the triple moons on the Cups began to really stand out. Combined with the fact that we're working with the water element here which is about flow, about movement and a slightly different understanding began to emerge.

I realized that this card has to do with being so caught up in the negative that you forget that 'this too shall pass.' You forget that emotions and feelings have a season and cycle like everything else. They wax and wane just as the moon does. What this card really speaks to is nature's law of mutability and our reactions to it.

In that vein those two upright Cups across the river, with their triple moons, their nod to the ebb and flow of our emotions, their cycles, speak less to the idea that there are always blessings to be counted and more to the fact that 'no feeling is final'. And what we see in this card is a woman so wrapped up in her state that she's lost sight of this basic law, impermanence. Her contracted body cloaked in the density of black fabric, her back to us, speaks of someone utterly absorbed, holding on even, to their emotional body with their physical body. Because of course the two are intertwined. The emotions have their home in the body, in our tissue and tendons, muscle and fascia such that when our bodies move and flow freely, generously, our emotions can move and flow with the same kind of freedom and generosity.

It only requires the figure in this card to yield to the natural movement and flow that is life, to make space for it by not holding on, simply by looking up and outwards and recognizing that these difficult feelings, like all feelings, 'too, shall pass'.

Tea, Tarot and Tonglen

Page of Wands ~ Knight of Cups ~ Tarot de St. Croix

A quick afternoon tea break with a new fave tea, Da Xue Shan Ancient Tree--a raw puer, as the rain continues its dance. I've been reflecting on the two cards I pulled this morning, the Page of Wands and the Knight of Cups from the Tarot de St. Croix. This deck takes me unusual places, speaks to a such a different interpretive lens than I'm used to.

Looking at this pair, the Page directing his Wand skyward, the Knight receiving the universe in his Cup, what immediately came to mind was doing the practice of 'tonglen' today, a Tibetan word that means literally giving and receiving. Through the use of the breath one alternately takes in the suffering of others through the inhalation, holds the 'other' in the heart and then breathes out compassion, succor and recognition.

You can be as general or specific as you like with 'other'. I might do a mini on-the-spot version of this if I find myself feeling particularly happy, well-cared for, loved. Just a simple pause to soak up all that good feeling, really acknowledge it and then on the outbreath ask that it be dispersed wherever it might be needed. And sometimes when I'm with my family and we're feeling particularly connected I pause, feel, give thanks and then imagine somewhere in the world where a child is experiencing the inverse of this, pain, abuse, a lack of love. On the out breath I consciously direct it there asking that it be received by that kind of need.

It enlarges me, reminds me of our interdependence and has the effect of creating a kind of inner spaciousness that helps me feel the truth of my place within the larger cosmos. Mary Oliver's words come to mind here,

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting --
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

Shining Tribe Tarot ~ A Healing Journey with Color and Shape

Shining Tribe Tarot by Rachel Pollock

I recently acquired this deck after a several years of not feeling any pull towards it but I'm drawn to working with vibrant color and bold shapes these days. This more primitive form of expression bypasses the mind that wants to analyze and parse and speaks instead to a simpler though no less intelligent awareness. In my experience this art form  has the effect of grounding body and psyche.

There are seasons and cycles for both kinds of imagery and right now the kind of naïve art found in Rachel Pollack's Shining Tribe Tarot is what is nourishing me along with a few other decks in a similar vein. There is a shamanic feel to this deck, which is to say, a feeling of the sacred earth and it potential to inhabit us in various forms through various perspectives, animal, vegetable, mineral and spirit. The figures bristle with life force and the lines, spirals and other universal shapes call out an ancient wisdom that resides in and as our very cellular structure.

The card to the left inspired a night of artwork in response to a question about creativity. The flowing river streaming off the horse's back inspires a similar feeling of flow and freedom, the colors a wave of joy and energy. The chains around the sun have been broken, the inner critic has been silenced, constriction loosens, light shines. The verse heading up the description for this card in the LWB speaks to this sense of freedom and abandon, this thawing of creative fluidity:

The roar of wings,
The ice chains shattered
in the the laugh of the horse.

Minors from The Shining Tribe Tarot ~ Rachel Pollack

To the right are a few of my favorite Minors. Their bold shapes and colors speak directly to a kind of raw pulse of life energy. I'm learning to becoming more in tune with this, listening to its wisdom and responding from there. I think my favorite Minor in the whole deck is that Six of Birds right in the middle.

The suits have been renamed, Trees, Rivers, Stones and Birds which translate to Wands, Cups, Pentacles and Swords respectively. And the Court cards have also been renamed Vision Cards. In place of royalty we've got Place, Knower, Gift and Speaker as Page, Knight, Queen and King.

Place allows us to enter the suit and feel its presence and energy in our lives. Knower depicts understanding the inner qualities of the suit. Gift speaks to the arrival at a certain point in our lives where we can use these qualities. And with the power of the Gift we can, as Speaker, take that knowledge out into the world to share.


The Vision cards are unique to this deck and while the author correlates them with the Court cards in a traditional deck in terms of the progression of a maturing relationship with the element depicted the difference, she says, is that the Vision cards don't signify actual people but rather take us into an experience of ourselves through the lens of the particular element involved.

Vision Cards from Shining Tribe Tarot ~ Rachel Pollack

The Majors have mostly remained the same save for five. The Hierophant has been renamed Tradition, The Wheel of Fortune has become The Spiral of Fortune,  The Hanged Man becomes the The Hanged Woman, Judgement has become Awakening and The World has become World-Shining Woman. They, too, speak to an ancient wisdom-strength. Left to right here we see The Empress, Tradition, The Lovers then second row, Strength, The Hanged Woman, The Tower and third row, The Moon, Awakening and World-Shining Woman.

Shining Tribe Tarot Majors ~ Rachel Pollack

The cards invite engagement on an almost a child-like level, child-like in the sense of not being bound by limit, allowing the imagination to imbue the simple shapes and colors with personal meaning that soars to heights, and digs deep into the depths both.  The imprint of the RWS system is there but almost like an echo. It feels like a deck I'll use for personal readings, journeying and creative exploration.

Four of Birds ~ Shining Tribe Tarot ~ Rachel Pollack

I decided, Rachel Pollack-style, to ask the deck what the nature of its soul was, what card spoke most deeply to that characteristic. I pulled the Four of Birds. The first thing I noticed was the large falcon-like bird swooping towards the bird-woman on the rock. Birds in dream and myth often represent the soul and seeing them here so intimately connected with humanity speaks to the relationship it has with our own bodies.

The card is traditionally one of rest, restoration, healing and these elements are evident here. The verse that goes with it says,

The wind kisses,
the rock sings.
The water shimmers,
the Sun laughs.
The birds touch her eyes,
the bird lifts her face,
the birds sweep her skin.



This is such an evocative description of the healing power of the elements and of conscious bodywork. And of surrender which the bird-woman embodies in her open, seated position on the rock face, on the edge of things, holding nothing back, trusting in the great expanse of the next endless moment. I'm reminded of a line from one of Rumi's poems that says, 'Birds make great sky-circles of their freedom. How do they learn it? They fall and falling, they're given wings.' 

The woman in the card is on a vision quest and has climbed the mountain to seek an encounter with the Spirits. Here we see her resting, one hand in a small pool of water and it is in that moment of rest and ease, of self-care that her vision, in the form of the great Bird Spirit, appears. This card was inspired by the healing vision a friend of the author's had while recovering from a long illness. In it she was resting on a ledge and being supported and healed by all the elements. What a beautiful response from the deck to my question. Its soul nature as that of a verb, a channeling, healing through the elements, through contact with both heaven and earth, through a body at ease and self-care. Perhaps it's because this is precisely where my interests lie right now that this deck speaks so deeply to me. I'm letting the elements teach me, guide me, live in me so I can better offer myself to the world around me as friend.

Star Above, Star Below

Page of Cups ~ The Star, Tarot de St. Croix ~ The Stars, Devas of Creation Oracle

Stars are the theme today in both my Tarot and Oracle card draws. We tend to think of stars as occupying a place in the sky but I recently learned of something called the Earth Star, a chakra that is the grounding point of the whole chakra system and which each of us has located in the soles of our feet connecting deep into the earth to a place of light. I love this idea of light in matter, like the lotus in the card above, life-giving and grounding roots hidden in the muck, flower blooming in the light. I've been working with both this and the root chakra and today after drawing my Tarot cards I brought my earth star chakra consciously into the mandala asking for guidance from it through the devas in the Devas of Creation Oracle by Cilla Conway.

Tarot de St. Croix by Lisa St. Croix

Seeing all the stars in this reading made me smile. Nothing like a bit of literalism from the cards. At the same time I felt a depth of gratitude for the wisdom and inspiration of my own internal star. This depiction of The Star from the Tarot de St. Croix shows Nut, Egyptian goddess of the heavens. Her body arches across the sky wearing a robe of stars that reaches the length of her body and up onto her head to form a crown. Here, in the deep velvet night, she is bending over a desert village below her. She directs her blessings onto a small pool of beautiful, clear water which flows outwards and into a generous river to run beside the village.

In the desert water is a valued element, sacred and, for its scarcity, to be used with intention and gratitude. Here she gives what is most precious, water. Her pose is one of ease, there is no effort here, she simply Is, flowing with and as beauty, inspiration, guiding light, life. I tend to think of The Star as muse and inspiration rather than hope, as she who nourishes hope rather than hope, the inner vision which sustains the heart, itself.

Beside her the Page of Cups, she of imagination and dreamy visions, sits on the water's own version of a star, a lotus. Her nakedness speaks to her vulnerability, her shining unadorned spirit. She wears a garland of flower-stars on her head, echoing both Nut and Innana, Babylonian queen of Heaven and Earth, who is often depicted wearing a crown of stars. Behind her three smaller lotuses are in bloom speaking to her creative powers. In her hands she holds a small pool of water and she meditates here on the waters of life, her head naturally inclined towards and in deference to the heart. In so doing she naturally and unselfconsciously calls forth the majestic and inner life-giving energy of The Star. The Universe can't help but respond as we offer it the gift of our presence unmediated by the egoic self. In many ways this card echoes for me that biblical line, Ask and ye shall receive. Which doesn't mean, ask and you'll get what you asked for, but instead something subtler, more lasting than that to the effect of, in the asking itself is the receiving. Asking opens us, it softens us. To ask is to be vulnerable, to hope, to dance with the unknown. To ask is to claim space on this earth. 

The Stars ~ Devas of Creation Oracle ~ Cilla Conway

Claiming space is an integral part of both root chakra and earth star chakra work. With the latter one connects to the very energy of the Earth herself as we're asked to visualize long roots growing from the soles of our feet downwards some 18 inches into the earth and connecting to a source of light there, our own Earth Star. In this way She roots us deep into her womb. Today I brought my earth star chakra into the mandala asking for guidance through the devas from the Devas of Creation deck. I drew the Deva of Stars 👁👁

The LWB describes this pic as the dance of twin beings who comprise a star: light and energy. It goes on to speak of Inanna and her crown of stars. The synchronicities between the three cards I drew today abound and are compelling in their clarity, their stark 'hello'. Together they form a strong affirmation for me to continue working with a focus, the earth star chakra, that I kind of tacked on to by whim.

But whim is the point of The Star card. It's an inspirational impulse that bypasses reason, logos and the analytical mind and goes straight to the heart of what engages our creativity, our sense of beauty, our healing for at its root The Star energy is healing energy. Sometimes it's as simple and as clear as that.

Six of Wands :: The Flame of Inspiration Arrives Home to the Body

Six of Wands ~ Wild Unknown Tarot ~ Kim Krans

My card for this month is the Six of Wands, the card of 'Victory.' This depiction from the Wild Unknown Tarot speaks quite naturally to the movement and direction of Fire. From the Sufi perspective Fire rises, Earth moves horizontally, Water flows downwards to find its level and Air is unpredictable movement and the space within. Ether is the stillness out of which they all arise.

The base of the card is a tangle of menacing Wands, so dense that no light shows through. Gradually individual Wands appear as the eye travels upwards into white light and then to the butterfly itself. Its colors of green and blue connect to the elements of earth and water and as it's a creature of flight the air element naturally comes into play, the wands themselves are fire. The backdrop of white space very much has a feeling of ether about it, stillness, silence, expanse.

What does this say about the traditional meaning of this card? That freedom/victory is balance, that it rises above? The butterfly's two antennae mirror the sign for victory and peace both but more interesting to me is that they mirror the Wands below. As if victory and peace require us to assimilate in a skillful, conscious way that which we wish to master, to overcome. This reminds me of Chöd practice, the Tibetan buddhist practice founded by Machig Labdrön in the 11th century in which one offers oneself up to the demons, which is to say to anything that obstructs the achievement of freedom which generally comes down to an attachment to egoic thinking.

Machig Labdron ~ Artist Unknown

Lama Tsultrim Allione has translated this into an accessible practice for the western mind while maintaining the traditional form in her Feeding Your Demons work. It's a valuable tool to use at any time but it feels particularly resonant for the current and fraught-with-demons, our own, that we find ourselves in. I wouldn't have associated this card with Chöd work but as this is what has presented itself to me and it's my month card I've decided to follow up and attend a class towards the end of the month with one of Tsultrim's students on this very work.

In the RWS deck the image is that of a warrior returning from battle carrying the carrying the wreath of victory. He is surrounded by a crowd to welcome him back. His victory is applauded, acknowledged by his community. Success as an interdependence. And while that is less explicit in the teachings of Mächig Labdron it is the foundation of any buddhist practice, that it be for the benefit of all beings.

I particularly like the version from the wonderful Tarot de St. Croix by Lisa de St. Croix. I have found this deck to speak so clearly for me and was a bit surprised by its clarity as the color palette of predominate orange is not one I'd normally gravitate towards but it is a stellar deck for me.

Six of Wands ~ Tarot de St. Croix by Lisa de St. Croix

In this depiction we see Brigid, Celtic goddess of the sacred flame, of inspiration and creativity. Her robes flow around her like fire and her head is crowned with a greening wreath echoing the vibrant ground she stands upon. I love the way her flame is the one that everyone is lighting theirs from, she is the source of light from which others may succeed, might carry their own torch of victory.

The two women in the background with their head coverings add another layer of mystery to the card. They remind me that 'victory' can be quiet, it can be humble, can take place in the background. The quiet connection of these two women around the candle makes me think of Jesus's words, "where two or more are gathered in my name, I am there." Which is another way of saying the Beloved begets Herself. S/he IS the communion that arises out of love's flame. The body as place of arrival.


In the Thoth deck the card is called, Victory. We see a representation of Jupiter, planet of expansion, in Leo the astrological sign of expression and assertion, with the purple background overlaid with fiery orange Wands. Thoth system has its own details and perspectives that don't always appear in the RWS or Marseilles systems but looking at this card I do get a feeling of majesty, of one-pointedness, of vision and mastery.

Thoth Tarot ~ Six of Wands ~ Victory

The Eye of Horus on the tips of the top two Wands speak to that clarity of vision, that clear-seeing that is needed to forge ahead. I like the inclusion of this symbol as it brings in the feminine in the form of Wadjet, who personified the Eye of Horus. She was the tutelary deity of Lower Egypt and later associated with Bast, Sehkmet, Mut and Hathor. The lotuses on the bottom two Wands mirror this feminine energy with the Phoenix on the tips of the center two Wands.

This blending of masculine and feminine energy echoes the Major associated with this card numerologically, The Lovers and this gives me a further clue as to its nature. As in the beautiful card of the Tarot de St. Croix it says the heart must be involved, engaged, there must be a union of opposites of some kind for victory to arise. In many ways this card is the result of the two preceding cards, the celebratory feeling of the Four and the friction of the Five. It is a card of great personal power.

Rosetta Tarot by M.M. Meleen

Rosetta Tarot gives a nice rendering of this card with a slightly more pronounced feminine slant. The creator includes Sehkmet as two golden Wands. She has folded hands and a headdress with the symbol for Jupiter and the lion tails on either end further this feminine leonine energy. The Wands are shaped like the Olympic torches to signify that sense of triumph and victory. The central Wands are flanked by phurbas, a ceremonial knife symbolizing the cutting away of illusion. These are topped with triple vajras another buddhist symbol associated with the thunderbolt. The lotus Wands towards the base of the mandala complete the balancing feminine element.

As in the Thoth representation there are nine flames here which the creator links to the card of the same suit entitled, Strength. Nine also relates to the Moon numerologically and that lunar, reflective, feminine energy is brought forth. It reminds me of the Tarot de St. Croix version with its feminine receptivity to the sacred fire.

We're about half-way through the month now and so far it has definitely had elements of creative breakthrough which I suppose is a form of 'victory'. I've felt quite inspired the past couple of weeks and was acutely aware of this recent Full Moon as it was in fiery Leo. Being a Fire sign myself this confluence seems to have impacted me in a productive and positive way. My Full Moon ritual was rich in a way that I've not experienced before being more of a New Moon woman. I'm interested to notice how being aware of the card's energy generates the energy. Or perhaps it narrows my lens to focus on how that energy shows up in my life. I shall have to be on my toes for next month's Five of Wands theme but for now, as this card suggests, I'm content to enjoy this sense of mastery.

Egyptian Goddess Wadjet ~ 'The Green One' ~ Eye of Horus

Pele : Trusting Your Core

Dark Goddess Tarot ~ Ellen Lorenzi-Prince

Yesterday I drew the Ten of Fire, Thyone, Greek Goddess of Divine Frenzy and today more Fire for us. Pele is the Dark Goddess wanting a voice. Hawaiian Goddess of the Volcano she is Amazon of Fire in this deck.

We lived in Hawaii for awhile on the island of Maui. We spent some time on the Big Island and it was there that I was introduced to Pele's presence in a visceral way while at Mauna Kea. Apart from watching the lava flowing into the ocean and having to be mindful of the effects of her potent gases on the lungs I also met her through the soles of my feet. Walking over her in the form of a'a and pahoehoe, the two different types of hardened lava that form much of the surface land in that area.

Pahoehoe Lava ~ image by Leigh Hilbert

I had the experience of the earth itself being in continual motion from the inside out. That though the surface felt static it was in fact constantly dancing, spiraling, twisting, turning, rolling, folding in on itself and unfolding. It was seeing the lava, pahoehoe in particular, that did it, seeing how it cooled and then hardened even as it flowed.




Looking at this card reminds me of this experience, reminds me that like Pele, I too, have an inner core that is constantly in motion. And that there are times it's necessary, vital even to respond from that place of simmer and bubble. It also encourages me to know that, like my meeting of that new landscape on Mauna Kea for the first time, I, too have new and undiscovered territory within, ancient, sacred, wild. It is land to trust, a fire to grow into, to make pilgrimage to breath by breath, sensation by sensation.

As I write this the rain is coming down buckets. Quite a contrast to the elemental energy of this card. But the elements call to all the different wildernesses of our being. The rain says flow, yield, find your level, just as Pele says rise, don't hold back, want what you want with your whole body. See what flame she leads you to be.

From There Come Maidens, Very Wise

Norns by Ludwig Burger {1882}

Today's Dark Goddess wisdom is the result of a slightly different focus question. After pulling cards for a week and posting the channeled response I was feeling less might be needed. There is so much info and advice 'out there' currently and frankly right now 'active silence' is the direction I'm drawn to. However I like to honor my commitments and I did commit to communing with this mandala of goddesses for the purposes of the collective. As such today's question focused around the need to continue sharing their wisdom, was it necessary, was it useful?

Dark Goddess Tarot ~ Ellen Lorenzi-Prince

Three of Earth ~ The Norns. They are the Norse Goddesses of Destiny, and their pithy message is, 'Small stitches weave the world. Do your part.' Doesn't get much clearer than that. These three mysterious female beings are goddesses of Fate for the Norse and Germanic peoples. Named Urd {What Once Was}, Verdandi {What Is Coming Into Being}, and Skuld {What Is Yet To Come} they shape destiny by carving runes into the trunk of the tree, or, in some sagas and poems, by weaving destiny like a web or tapestry.

They live in the roots of Yggdrasil, the World Tree and their task is to tend to the tree maintaining its health until 'world's end' by drawing water from the Well of Urth to nourish the roots. The health of the tree and the lives of humanity are intertwined for the tree contains the worlds that humanity experiences. A dragon lurks below and gnaws away at the roots.

According to Norse mythology The Norns shape what will happen through pouring the sacred water, etching runes into the trunk and by spinning and weaving. They circumscribe what can be done, putting boundaries in place, laying down primal laws, creating the warp and weft of livingness. Ellen Lorenzi-Prince suggests that when they appear in a reading the focus is on cooperative effort. She says, "Offering what you have and can do may be a blessing for another. Look for opportunities to share your skills." As I asked about how useful my collective card pulling and channeling was this advice feels very on point. It's not for me to determine the worth of an intuitive message or offering. That is really none of my business, my business is simply to get on with it by sharing the fruits of my attunements. She goes on to warn of saboteurs, one's own inner ones, and advises not to feed that dragon through conflict or doubt. Hum a lullaby, she says, keep them calm and distracted and keep doing what you do.

Yggdrasil ~ Artist Unknown

From the Poetic Edda,

There stands an ash called Yggdrasil,
A mighty tree showered in white hail.
From there come the dews that fall in the valleys.
It stands evergreen above Urd's Well.

From there come maidens, very wise,
Three from the lake that stands beneath the pole.
One is called Urd, another Verdandi,
Skuld the third; they carve into the tree
The lives and destinies of children.











The practical suggestion for this card is to "write down what you want to happen as if it has already occurred. Be wise with your wishes. Make one for you, one for another and one for the Tree. See how, in the story of you create of your own life, goodness can grow from what you do." Not a few moments earlier I had written down a wild dream I have of traveling to Bohemia with some of my tea and tea sets and Tarot decks. No itinerary other than connecting with the natural landscape and its people through tea ceremony and cards. This confluence of my wild intention and the card felt like a generous affirming, nourishment, watering something deep and as-yet-to be seen but conscious nonetheless.

Last night I finished Uprooted by Naomi Novak. The theme had to do with a dark woods and something called the Heart Tree. The serendipity is not lost on me. In this case however the Heart Tree had been poisoned by hatred causing an insidious corruption to take root and spread throughout. It is written in the style of a fairy tale and as I read over the information on the Norns and Yggdrasil today I found the parallels striking. Not so much the story lines, there are only a few stories really, which are constantly being borrowed and repurposed, but more the timing of my finishing of this book colliding with my direct question and drawing of this card this morning.

Perhaps we are the World Tree, the clear stream of consciousness running through the roots of our collective psyche and the need to purify it with continual attention to detail, to the heart, to silence and the messages it contains. To fight against doubt, against the divisive and poisonous fires of dualistic thinking. Something about interdependence, about the part we all play in each others' lives and the constant tending to and awareness of the grace of these roles, their sacredness, their vital life-giving energy.

Labyrinth of The World Tree by Yuji Himukai, 2014

Witch of Water :: Purification of the Elements

Dark Goddess Tarot ~ Ellen Lorenzi-Prince

Over on my IG account I've been pulling a card from the Dark Goddess Tarot each day for the collective, as a way to navigate the times we find ourselves in from the wisdom of the divine feminine in her warrior form. Becoming more aware of what nourishes the body and what detracts from it I asked about self-care and what that would look like today for those of us attuning to dark goddess wisdom. Today's Dark Goddess wisdom comes from Haya-Akitsu-Hine, Shinto Goddess of the Sea. She is the Witch of Water, Witches in this deck being the equivalent of Queens in a RWS deck.

Haya-Akitsu-Hine encourages us to "live our ethics and beliefs on a regular basis to walk the blessed way." In this way standing for truth and justice is its own blessing, she says, its own holiness, because it is alive with the sacred ground of your breath and body. She suggests that to see where power lies look beneath the form to its essence. When form dissolves energy remains to be reshaped and created anew. I have an image of dissolution when I read this, of crystals dissolving into liquid form.

Being a goddess of the sea, Haya-Akitsu-Hine's wisdom on a practical level means it's a day for the alchemy of salt and water. I'm reminded of Karen Blixen's truth that, 'The cure for anything is salt water — sweat, tears, or the sea.' Today I'll be heading to the ocean to immerse myself in its untamed energy--wind, sand, sky, saltwater, to receive her blessing with my own wilderness body.

If the ocean isn't available to you a bath with salt in the water or other cleansing herbs is a fine way to purify. The point is to immerse yourself in the salinity of the elemental moment, to give yourself over to saltwater and ask that the life-draining particles of shame, fear and negativity you carry be cleansed, dissolved and carried away. Before posting this I stood out in the pouring rain and blew the conch, sound being another way to purify atmosphere, it both calls and dispels. Life energy abounded as I felt the vitality of elemental energy streaming in through the sound of the conch, responding to its call. May your day be blessed with life-giving energy.

Sacred Conch ~ All being comes into form through sound.