Spreads Archives < Arwen, Professional Joy Seeker

Will You Join The Fairy Dance?

Another part of the Tarot Blog Hops that is a huge love of mine are all the spreads that turn up. This one was light on spreads but the ones that were there? Spectacular. Inner Whispers is Chloe McCracken’s blog. I adore her blog. She does a card a day from various decks every week. She’s the author behind the upcoming Celtic Lenormand that is being illustrated by Wil Worthington. Can. Not. Wait. And I’m not a Lennie fan. 😀

Anyway, here is her excellent spread. Unnamed, Chloe! (inside joke). So I’m naming it!

Fairy Dance Spread by Chloe McCracken

1) What dance will I be lead on over the time from now until First Harvest?
2) Where will it take me?
3) What offer would I do best to refuse?
4) What will I return with?

Read the full blog here to see how Chloe answered this spread.

Here are my answers using the Wild Unknown Tarot (pretty awesome pre-sale going on this deck right now too.)

1) What dance will I be lead on over the time from now until First Harvest? Four of Swords

I have to admit that this card triggers an ear worm for me. That’s a song I learned in Girl Scouts.

“On a wagon bound for market
There’s a calf with a mournful eye.”

It is, I believe, a Jewish folk song about being taken away from your homeland and not fighting for what you want. And, on doing a bit of research, I learned that it was written for a Yiddish play. The song was recorded by Joan Baez, Donovan and Patty Duke. Here are the words:

Translation by Kevess & Schwartz

On a wagon bound for market
There’s a calf with a mournful eye.
High above him there’s a swallow
Winging swiftly through the sky.

How the winds are laughing
They laugh with all their might
Laugh and laugh the whole day through
And half the summer’s night.

Dona, dona, dona, dona,
Dona, dona, dona, do,
Dona, dona, dona, dona,
Dona, dona, dona, do.

“Stop complaining,” said the farmer,
“Who told you a calf to be?
Why don’t you have wings to fly with
Like the swallow so proud and free?”

How the winds are laughing …

Calves are easily bound and slaughtered
Never knowing the reason why.
But whoever treasures freedom,
Like the swallow has learned to fly.

So what does that mean t me? I think this Four of Swords is a reminder that resting is good but I may not have as much down time as I might like from now til Lammas (First Harvest). And I need to make sure I am doing what I want to do. If I bitch and moan about what is happening, then I must remember that I can be the calf or the swallow. (and yes, I sat here and sang the whole song. 😀 )

2) Where will it take me? Nine of Cups

Well that’s a nice place. 😀 That’s the card of heart’s desire for me. If I make sure I lead in the dance rather than follow (life’s a dance..sometimes you lead, sometimes you follow), then I may find myself in a dream come true.

3) What offer would I do best to refuse? The Magician

If a thing seems to be too good to be true, it is. That comes leaping to mind sans musical accompaniement. I know you’re thrilled about that. 😀 But I see this Magician as offering power with strings firmly attached. I’ll watch for that offer and definitely refuse it. Y’all help me remember that. 😀

4) What will I return with? Three of Cups

Well what a lovely outlook, yes? Heart’s Desire and the card of Seek Joy, y’all. I can live with that. So I need to mind my herd mind and watch for offers with strings. Otherwise I’m good to go.

How about you? Why don’t you give this spread a try! And stop by Chloe’s place. Tell her Arwen sent you.

Processing The Hard Stuff: A Reading for T

Today’s card is not a card. It’s a reading. I shared this spread about a week or so ago. I asked folks to let me know if they wanted to be in the drawing. Then I drew a name. Even though she said I could use her full name, I’m going to keep it to T. She can reveal in the comments if she likes.

————————————————————
Processing The Hard Stuff, a reading for T.

1. What is this stuff really about?

The 7 of Air comes up. This card shows a person studying a map. They are VERY concerned with how to get where they think they should be. The trick here is—if they would put the map down, they would see they are much closer than they thought.

The hard stuff T is going through right now is simply the process of understanding it is where she’s meant to be. No studying of the map could have helped her miss this hard stuff because she has to go through it to see where she is.

That sounds convoluted. I will tell you all a secret. T happens to be a dear friend who just went through a truly hellish year (and a half?) full of loss. I think this card is simply telling her to stop trying to figure out why and just move through it as gracefully as possible.

2. What makes it so hard?

How intriguing! Another seven comes up. This time it’s the 7 of Fire which is a woman at a forge. She is hammering out a piece of steel. This card always makes me think of the Goddess Brighid who was something of a multi-tasker.

This card makes me think T is trying to do too much at once. I think she needs to take it one hard piece at a time. You know that old saw about how you eat an elephant?

One bite at a time.

3. What am I doing that is making it harder?

In retrospection, I find that I don’t like this question because it seems to blame the querent. I don’t like that, do you? But the card I get is one that makes sense.

It’s the card of listening to old tapes and not getting rid of old emotional responses. It is the 8 of Water in which a woman is swimming away.

The key for T here is that she can’t swim fully away as long as she keeps holding on to those things that are serving her. And that can be her own feelings of how she SHOULD feel compared to how she does feel. Honor your feelings, my darling. Honor them and not what others say you should or shouldn’t be feeling.

4. What can I do to make it easier?

Oh lovely. The Guardian of Fire shows up to remind T that she must feed her own passion but that she can lean on others around her. She has to remember that fires need to be fed or they will go out. So you can see this in two ways.

One, she needs to stop feeding the wrong fire.
Two, she needs to rekindle her own passion for life.

I would ask her what personal light has gone out that she needs to turn back on.

5. How can I best support myself while I process this?

*THUD* The card that turns up here is Death. Knowing what I know of her hellish year I wanted to throw this one back to the bottom of the pile. I resisted–barely.

Change is what this card is about but it is also about Death. Understanding Death and what the loss of a loved one means is something my beautiful T has had far too much of. But I think the support here is from actual support groups for those dealing with the loss of a loved one. T, honey, have you reached out to any grief groups? That’s the first thing I thought when I saw this card.

6. Who can I turn to for support while I’m processing this?

The Four of COins is that person who helps you budget yourself in terms of not just money but how much you give of yourself to others. They are your rock, your foundation and your kick in the a** when you try to do too much. They watch over you like a squirrel guards its nuts. Their primary role right now is to make sure that you take care of yourself while you process all of this hard stuff.

7. What will be the benefits of processing it?

What a joyful answer you get, T. It’s the Ace of Water. This shows a salmon fingerling who has yet to leave the safety of where she hatched. In order to grow, she’s going to have to swim out but it’s so scary. The good news is that you are in the middle of your scary stuff right now. Processing all that has happened (good and bad, darling) has given you the knowledge that you really can survive anything. Good things come to those who swim out into the deep water of their own emotions. Growth, baby, growth.

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Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

Ace of Water, Gaian Tarot

Who’s The CEO of Your Life?

Today’s card reminds me of a post from Tia Johnson. She runs The Violet Sanctuary Spa, LLC. Tia is an attuned Reiki practitioner, Gateway Dreaming™ Coach, certified by Denise Linn, Certified Crystal Healer, by Hibiscus Moon Crystal Academy and ANGEL THERAPY PRACTITIONER®, certified by Doreen Virtue, PhD. Plus she’s just got this amazing glow about her.

We are in Leonie’s Amazing Biz + Life Academy together. Tia shared a post titled You Are The C.E.O. Of Your Life that really resonated with me. In this article she asked seven questions. Me being me–I grabbed my beloved Gaian Tarot to answer them.

And the reason this reminds me of the Eight of Air is because of these people sitting in council with one another. They are doing more here than just listening. They are offering advice when asked. They are supporting the speaker on their journey. They are the board members.

The Violet Sanctuary Spa’s C.E.O. Of Your Own Life Spread

1. Who are the board members in your life? That is the people you go to before you make your final decisions, explain your goals to and so forth. Make sure they are trust worthy people who want to see you thrive and be happy in what you choose to pursue and/or change in your life.

Nine of Earth–What a lovely card. This is the card of the accomplished human relaxing and taking stock of their surroundings. This is perfect because the people I go to for advice (and they may not even realize it) are those who seem secure in their own life. They post positive, uplifting things. They write about the good in their life as opposed to the bad. They are my compasses in a way because I point myself in the same direction.

On a personal, I-know-them, basis I turn to my best friend, my lover and my sister. Each of them fulfills a different type of role but all of them want to see me thrive and be happy. I trust that they will not tear me down or heap negativity into my world.

2. What are the ‘departments’ you have in your life? In other words, you have different friends for different things. With whom do you dine, go to art exhibits, party, shop? It’s best to know what roles people play in your life so that you’re not expecting more from them than what they can offer.

Temperance–This card made me smile. It’s the card of balance and moderation. I am blessed with a variety of humans in my world. I can express my creative, playful self by calling on artistic types. My writer self is nourished by other writers. I’m not much of a shopper (more of a GGG “get in, get it and get out” type.

The departments would be Creative Arts with mini-groups for Written and Visual, Social Management which is spearheaded by my friends who love to gather to play games at their house (we aren’t much of a go out crew), and the Food Department which is most definitely led by my beloved Day Off Husband (that’s a joke we have because he’s my go-to guy for a lunch date on my day off.)

3. What executive decisions must you make? Are there people in your life that you need to release? Give them the pink slip! Is there something about yourself that needs to change? What planning and restructuring needs to be done?

Death–Whoa. The Gaian Tarot isn’t one to mess around. Guess I need to identify these folks fast. I’ve been doing that a bit but now I must focus more. I need to eliminate those who dwell in the negative.

I’m certainly not saying that there is no negativity in my life. What I am saying is that I won’t give it time. I won’t feed it. I won’t use my energy to nourish that. That includes dissing others who don’t fit my world view. I will simply disengage quietly and go on about my business.

Death. Really, Gaian Tarot? Really? Still laughing!

4. What is the purpose of your organization aka life? This one may be a tough question to answer because you may be unsure of your purpose. No worries. You can start with thinking about the things you love to do or how you have helped people. For example, are you good at and love giving advice? There’s a talent just waiting to be discovered!

Fool–Or, in this deck, the Seeker. Um, again with the literal, Gaian? If you’ve read my blog a bit, you are probably nodding your head as well. I just revisited the question that started me on this journey.

What if your life’s purpose were simply to seek joy? How hard would that be?”

That is why I say, “Seek Joy, Y’all.” And it’s why I added “Pass it on.” I want you to say that every day. I want you to write it on receipts when you pay your bills. I want you to make it the way you say good-bye. It will be international. I’m determined.
5. What are your daily functions? At my job, it’s communication and execution. I would suggest communicating with yourself, Spirit, and others each day in regards to how you feel, your needs, wants, and so forth. You don’t have to go into great detail with Spirit and other each day. Keep it simple! You can just say to someone, ‘I would love it if the weather was warmer.’ Just be expressive and get that throat chakra going! By executing, you are living, you are doing! Don’t remain day dreaming to long! Come back to the physical world and direct your energy towards something good by doing something as simple as holding the door or complimenting someone!

Seven of Fire–Another literal pull from this great deck, this is the card of the quintessential multi-tasker. I see this blacksmith as one side of the Celtic deity Brighid. She is a healer, a smith and a poet. I like to joke that she can make the sword that will bring you back to her to be healed and then write an epic poem about the battle. Lord have mercy, does this nail my daily functions. So Spirit, I’d love it if I had a better way to manage my tasks.

6. What are your goals? Make short and long term goals and work towards building a road map so that you will remain on track!

Explorer of Air–See how high he climbs? Each branch is a step towards his end goal of reaching the sky. He is the communicator of the Explorers (knights) in this deck.

Goals:

Publish something new in fiction as Marilu Mann. Cai and I are working on this now. 🙂
Publish How A Fool Does Wander First draft is finished. Have to wrote proposals.
Write letter asking those two people on my BIG SCARY DREAMS list to say “Seek Joy, Y’all.” Have upped list to three. Must write letters. 😀

Those are just a few. Thanks to the , one of my big dreams for 2013 is already under way. No lie! You can do it too. It’s not too late. It’s never too late, y’all.

7. Who are the stakeholders in your life? Meaning, who has invested in you? Your parents? Your friends? Your co-workers? Strangers who believe in you? By stakeholder, I don’t mean those who provided you with financial support only, but also their time and other resources. Who were the people who believed in you from the very beginning and remained by your side? Those who believed in you just as you were about to give up. Or, those who helped you get back on track.

Child of Fire–Now this one surprised me a bit. Here is our curious young heart who is ready to feel the passion. S/he has such joy on their face, right? It’s not just the warmth that is creating that pure happiness. It’s the beauty of the fire. See it in your own mind. The red, the yellow, the blues, the white as they dance safely across the log. Know that this beauty is reflected in your own soul. You are the stakeholders in my life. You who have been here. You who have just joined me. You who gently remind me that I know so much more than I give myself credit for. My friends, my family, my spiritual brothers and sisters–thank you for being a part of this journey

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

8 of Air, Gaian Tarot, Joanna Powell Colbert, 2010

Some links in this post are affiliate links.

Is This The Answer?

So the other day, Jodi Chapman’s blog turned two. She shared a video in which she asked three questions. So I turned those questions into a Tarot spread.

The Jodi Chapman Asks Spread

1. What does your soul want you to know?

This terrific Three of Cups tells me that my soul wants me to know that it is okay to trust and to love. It is more than okay. It is satisfying and fulfilling to have deeper, more meaningful relationships with others.

There’s a fear somewhere in the back of my heart still that I’m not enough. It’s one I fight every day. Do you? Some of the tricks I use are to face that fear squarely. I tell it out loud that I’m more than okay and that I’m more than good enough. I work on myself to stay positive.

It occurs to me that I don’t do that always. There’s a group of friends who like to trash talk one another–and I’m in the thick of it when it gets going. I have to decide if that is okay or if it is not working for me.

I love that the three characters here each have a different tool in front of them. Not your average three gals, are they?

2. What makes your soul sing?

Oh the Six of Swords and the fabulous flying machine! They are off on an adventure, aren’t they? I love this card of high-flying thoughts and focused forward movement.

It does make my soul sing when I look at my goals. When I review what dreams I’m working on bringing into fruition. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again! The Create Your Incredible Year Workbook+Planner has galvanized my life, y’all.

I can see where I’m going and have steps on how to get there. Want to join me? You can. It’s never too late to start building, creating, .

3. What dream are you ready to leap into?

Now here’s an interesting response. Another Cup card (emotions rule the Cups) but one of the more morose ones, generally speaking. Yet I see this as truly one of my dreams.

Why?

Do you see his position? He’s relaxed. He’s settled back. True, his expression might be that of a pouty baby, but his feet are up. For me, I’ll forgo his facial whine and focus on his posture.

Those two books on the desk are very important as is the scroll to his far right. The books are the two I have in progress–both are non-fiction Tarot books. The scroll represents four letters I must write if I am to take the first step of one of my other Scary Big Dreams.

And see the fourth cup? Up on the shelf behind him? That one is so beautiful compared to the plain ones on the desk. I am ready to grab that cup and fill it up with even more joy. That’s the dream I’m ready to leap into.

To show you how to seek your own joy using Tarot as a tool.

Do you want to have a conversation with me about how to seek your joy? About how to find your bliss? Are you ready to get honest with yourself and do the work?

I’m here when you need me. Contact me and let’s set up a time to spread the cards to see where you need to correct your own course.

If you join my newsletter, you will be able to take advantage of the newsletter-only discounts I sometimes offer.

I really think Jodi asked some great questions, don’t you? Check out her Coming Back to Life eCourse here.

Now tell me what your dream are you ready to leap into?

Steampunk Tarot, Llewellyn Tarot, 2012

Seek Joy Y’all, Pass it on!

Redo, Revisit + Free Reading

Today’s card is a do-over. See it’s 11:40pm Thursday night and I have to be at work at 7am tomorrow. So that means I have to write your daily post tonight.

This post is my Joy Seeker’s Spread. I’m feeling so happy tonight that I want to give away a reading today.

So, one person who shares this post via Facebook or Twitter or Pinterest will get a reading from me. Leave a comment telling me you shared it and you will be in the running. I’ll pick the winner and announce them on Saturday’s blog.

Points if you know why I chose the ~~King of Pentacles~~ Err, make that the Emperor, from the Joie de Vivre Tarot by US Games to use for this post.

I Got Fired!

Arwen Lynch, professional joy seeker, shares what getting fired means to her.

In this year’s Imbolc Tarot Blog Hop there were a number of intriguing spreads presented. The one I kept coming back to was from Chloe of Inner Whispers Tarot. She’s a talented reader in the UK. Her original spread with her own reading using this deceptively simply spread is here.

I kept hearing a song by Emerald Rose called “Fire In The Head” which is a reference to a shamanic practice. The chorus runs like this:

Fire in the head…I’m a flame in motion
Fire in the head…I’m a sword that’s sharp
Fire in the head…I’m a drop in the ocean
A shield in battle and a string in a harp.
Fire in the head…I’m an eagle soaring
Fire in the head…I’m a spoken word
Fire in the head…I’m a torrent pouring
A grain of wheat and a cauldron stirred.
Fire in the head!
Found onBending Tradition,Emerald Rose,2000

A side note of excitement! Emerald Rose will be playing at the Oscars party for the Peter Jackson movie, The Hobbit, in just a few weeks. If you like kick-ass music with a Celtic flair, you need their music. Trust me on this one. NEED THEIR MUSIC. 😀

Now on to the spread for me. I got surprised by my cards (big surprise, NOT). The transitioning and absolutely literalness of how they move from one to the next is typical for me with this deck. It is my personal reading deck, the Gaian Tarot. It is not uncommon for this deck to be so literal as to be funny. And I’m not the only reader that finds this to be true of the lovely Gaian.

Fire In The Belly Spread by Chloe McCracken

What is the fire in my belly? Seven of Fire
Click for full

I know you, Woman at the forge. I see you creating something stronger by hammering it out.

I also see her as the ultimate multi-tasker. Still here in this moment, I see her focused on what she is doing. The flame seems important in this reading. It i reaching up like a dancer. Do you see the arms reaching up there? That imitates a drawing I just did in a therapy group. A figure rising up glowing and growing. The blacksmith has intention in every blow, every strike of the hammer. None of them should go astray or it can meen more work. That’s important I think.

I have this sense of urgency about some things that I need to do. Creating a Professional Joy Seeker’s course is one of those. I want to do teleseminars where I gather with like-minded humans who simply want to seek joy. Who understand that negativity exists but we don’t have to feed it by focusing on it.

The fire in my belly is about what I am intentionally creating. Yes.

How can I stoke the fire? Elder of Earth
Click for full

What a great card to follow the blacksmith. Now we move to the calm, confident King of Earth who is using what she has to make something new. I see her as the woman who helped the ewes at lambing, then sheared the wool, carded and cleaned the same wool and is now spinning it into yarn. The shawl she wears is wool she produced and even dyed before crocheting it into something to wear. She understand the value of seeing a project through from start to finish. Not a micromanager, but someone who is involved.

I must be involved. I must make sure my focus is on the project at hand and not rabbitting all over the place. I have a serious case of monkey mind at times. It’s one of the reasons I practice the art of Zentangle to quiet my mind.

But to create this Professional Joy Seeker’s course, I need to understand things from the ground up. I need to investigate the tools that will be necessary for this. I must step into the shoes of the confident and calm Elder of Earth.

What bright flame will spring from it? Explorer of Fire
Click for full

Now how about them apples, y’all? From the hard-at-work, single-focus blacksmith to the productive spinner to the fire dancer. Now do you see what I mean about this spread being deceptively simple? So many three card spreads skim the surface, but this one? No, not this one.

The bright flame that will spring from the fire that I am stoking in my belly is me as a leader of joy seekers. I see me dancing forward just shimmering with energy. Magnetic, visible, follow-me, dance-with-me, joy all around.

But this also tells me that I need to make sure my energy is focused on the right things. I do have a tendency to go off course a bit there. I want to do it all.

But the blacksmith, the weaver and now the fire dancer all know one secret.

Focus on what you are doing. Keep your intentions clear. Don’t get spread out too far.

And look at this… Earth surrounded by fire. Earth warmed and protected by flames. I can certainly live with this.

This is a valuable lesson I learned from the eBusiness Goddess course I took last year. It really made me look at what I do and how I do in a completely different way. What I love about this course is that it doesn’t assume you work an 8-5 traditional business. I guess you could say it freed me of some long-term blocks I had about what “real” business is.

Thanks again to the brilliant Tarotist, Chloe, for this fabulous spread. It’s made a difference in my life today.

Gaian Tarot, Joanna Powell Colbert, Limited Edition (less than 150 left)

Reduce, Recycle, & Reuse

This card frustrates me because I’m a writer, dammit. How on earth does this answer where should I stop directing my energy? If I am to support greater personal sustainability, shouldn’t I keep working on myself? What the hell, Universe?

Today I am sharing a reading done using a spread created by fellow Tarot consultant, Carolyn Cushing and her partner John Laux. I had chosen this spread as the Spread of the Month for the Gaian Tarot community I am part of.

What I didn’t know is that John crossed the Veil the day I did this reading for myself. I’m very sad for Carolyn’s loss. I held off on posting this because of that loss.

This spread is an amazing one. It shows an amazing understanding of how Tarot can be used to really dig into yourself.

The original spread can be found here.

I hope you will try this one as well.

Reduce, Recycle, Reuse: A Layout for Personal Sustainability

REDUCE

#1: Where should I stop directing my energy in order to support greater personal sustainability? 3 of Air

I need to stop being so focused on getting all the details right. I need to let go of fears of pain based on past experiences. I may be over focused on analyzing every little piece of why I do what I do.

I think my bottom line is that I fear that this card is saying stop writing but maybe it is actually asking me to think about what I write about.

Oh. Sorry Universe. I think I may have knee-jerked on this one. Let’s move on to the next card.

#2: How can I make this change in how I direct my energy? Ace of Fire

This is so visually opposite the 3 of Air. In the first that I need to stop, I am focused on the page in front of me. Here I am being told to slither out of my shell–to focus outward.

Hey ho, Universe. I think I get this. Stop being so focus on my navel and focus on my nose instead.

REUSE

#3: What energy is already available to me to draw upon for greater effectiveness? Lovers

Loving myself. Loving friends. Loving partner. I have love to draw on to succeed. Little I can add to that one.

#4: How can I access this energy? 10 of Earth

Community and commitment to the journey. That what falls renews in new ways. I can continue on my path understanding that what is behind me is not lost. It is not mine to worry over any more but it is not lost. I have a companion on this path so I must continue that momentum forward. Slow and steady is the key.

RECYCLE

#5: How can I shift my energy use into a different form to open up new possibilities in my life? Canoe

Ah…I need to drive myself more. I need to control my momentum so I am heading the right way. This card always makes me remember that I can’t let others drive for me. I can let them help. I can ask for directions. But in the long run, I am responsible for where my life goes.

#6: What / who can help me make this shift? 2 of Cups

Interesting that this card is, for me, the mini-lovers. It is the personal aspect of love where the Lovers (as seen in the Reuse section) is the spiritual aspect. This is about physical connections. I see this as a reminder that face-to-face is where it is at.

If I do the Quintessence of this reading I get 2+7+10+6+1+3=29=11 which is Justice. Balance. I had several balance reminders in this spread, didn’t I? Lovers as well as the 2 of Cups. And isn’t it interesting that this Justice represents protecting what is endangered. There’s more to think about there. More to chew on…maybe even gnaw on.

The Quintessence is an idea I learned from Mary K. Greer’s work.

Justice, Gaian Tarot, Llewellyn, 2011

Seek Joy, Y’all. Pass it on.

Burning, Changing & Power

That’s a heavy challenge. I’m not even certain I know where to begin with this much less how to begin.

Today’s card is not a card but a reading. Joanna Powell Colbert, creatrix of the Gaian Tarot, has a spread for Samhain. I did it last year and here it is again. This spread is one that I find hits in a very personal way.

I offer this so you can see a new spread as well as see how a reading can make you dig into yourself a bit

1. Offering: What or who is dead or dying, that you need to honor? 6 of Earth

This seems interesting since this card has been showing up over and over lately. Even when I’m just shuffling the deck, it will pop out. What is the message the 6 of Earth is saying to me? Is this about being more involved? Is it about giving more? Giving less? I admit to being very confused. Then I looked more. The two things that pop out are the sunflowers and the banner. Alma Tierra. Well Tierra is land, isn’t it? But what is Alma? Off to research. I’ll be right back.

And I got chills. Alma de Tierra means soul of the earth. So does this mean Earth Soul. Is that what I need to honor? The earth is in dying mode right now so this may be the Gaian’s propensity towards being spot-on literal. I need to honor the dying earth. So how do I do that? Good things to think about in this time of turning inward.

2. Challenge: What task does the Elder of Fire ask of you? Moon

Priestess. My first thought is that I am being asked to return to the place of being a priestess. I admit that I’ve moved away from that. There are so many reasons why. But here are the changes being honored–dark, waxing, full, waning. Repeat. The fish (is that a trout or a salmon?), the owl and the howl. Yes, I like to rhyme sometimes. The owl and the howler are messengers while the fish is wisdom but also a messenger. It is like earth (howl), air (owl) and water (fish) have joined together and I am the woman catching the changes representing fire.

That’s a heavy challenge. I’m not even certain I know where to begin with this much less how to begin.

3. Center: Where do you find your center of power? 2 of Water

Sweet joy. In the simple companionship of two souls who know one another on a cellular level. I think this speaks to the challenge. To meet that challenge I must reconnect with this idea that companionship is where it’s at. I lead a fairly physically solo life. Not so much here on the interwebz, but my day-to-day is not filled with soul-filling companionship. Perhaps I need to figure out how to sustain myself with what I have or reach out to make what I lack less?

4. Opening: What new sweetness is wafting in on the scent of burning herbs? 9 of Earth

I have to admit my inner self gave a fist pump along with a “can I get a WHOOP WHOOP?” shout of happiness. Who doesn’t want the 9 of Earth as their new sweetness? And this is an interesting harkening back to that very first card of honoring the soul of the Earth. This is the promise that all things cycle (hello Moon). All things die. All things are reborn. None of this is useless. It all feeds something or someone somewhere somehow. I look forward to this prosperity of community and of self.

5. Wisdom: What secrets do the ancestors whisper to you this All Hallows Eve? Child of Fire

I hear them say that I need to take the risk. I need to burn. I need to let my passion out even when I fear others will see me as a foolish child who doesn’t know the dangers that wait. The Ancestors say to me, “Arwen, touch that passion. Feel that fire. Show others how to be passionate joy seekers like the child of Fire.”

See his face? Pure sweet unadulterated joy for the beauty that is the fire. He’ll be okay. I think even if he plunged his hand into the hot center that he would be okay. Faith and joy. I am told to carry on with faith and joy.

See Joanna’s original post here. I did this spread last year. I was very interested to see what my Center of Power card told me then.

Bowls, Bodies & Bridges

I created this spread for the Litha Tarot Blog Hop on the 21st of June, 2012. Today, I do the spread to show you how it works.

Arwen’s Bridge Spread

Pick something you loathe. Let’s say “I need to lose weight.” Replace it with a word or a phrase you like. Let’s say Continue reading “Bowls, Bodies & Bridges”