First Footing....

This morning I received an email from Tarosophy advertising a new course called Tarot Life. The course runs for 12 months and each month is accompanied by an instruction booklet available on Kindle or as a PDF. I have been looking for a Tarot study for the New Year and this seems perfect. I have purchased the book and worked out the initial steps.. very exciting. I will use my blog to record my results now and then and keep ypou updated with how its going. Even if noone ever reads my blog, it can keep me updated and act as a reminder... well, in theory!

So its the last day of 2012. This time last year I was about to leave the UK and return to New Zealand. I was not happy about that. I looked forward to seeing my home again and my older girls and my goats and cats, but leaving my mum and my sister and Dilly my best friend, was not easy. Not to mention leaving the cool winter weather for the humid heat of Nelson. I have no idea where we were at new Year, what time zone we were crossing, it went by unnoticed, although I was awake the whole 26 hours we were in the air. I do remember the airport staff at Heathrow were lenient with our extra hand baggage, as a salute to the season though, so that was nice!

Today, reflecting on the year I thought I would devise a 3 card spread to give me a snapshot of this past year. I have called it First Footing after the custom in Scotland, my Motherland.

The spread was designed to show where we excelled in our life journey and personal growth in the past year, what we want or need to leave behind, and what we should pack in our rucksack to take with us when we go first footing!


First Footing Spread


1****2****3


1. What you will leave behind in your footprints as you leave the old year
2. Your biggest path of growth this past year
3. What you will take with you as you step into the new year 

So... these are the cards I drew for this spread. I used my Deviant Moon deck as it was one of my most used this year, especially in the first half of the year :)

5 of Pentacles, 9 of Pentacles & The Tower from Deviant Moon Tarot

 

1. What you will leave behind in your footprints as you leave the old year - Five of Pentacles


Leaving behind hardship and poverty seems like a good thing to me! Although this card seems to be about judgement from how I see it. The watching eye in the church, the female character sneaking around, as if ashamed to be seen. Also the Judgement card is number eleven and I cant help but see the two chimneys as an 11. The poor naked creature appears to be bathed in moonlight from her colour, which brings to mind Diana, the Moon goddess, who was also a goddess of chastity. She was also a patron of slaves, and they would always be given sanctuary in her temples. Interesting, so she could be seeking sanctuary, from judgement, the undeserved judgement of society who shunned her, because they only saw what they wanted to see. Far from a loose woman she could be running from the rape of society.

All these things are good things to leave behind, there has been judgement, but the strongest judgements have been self imposed... as they say, we are our own worst judges!


2. Your biggest path of growth this past year - Nine of Pentacles

This is a funny old card.... nine different Pentacles  hang in the sky, the masked creature is chained to a small skull that looks like it came from a gravestone... could this be mortality? The earthly life. And those Pentacles could symbolise riches in heaven, or in the spiritual world rather than the physical. She has had some setbacks in life, with no arms, and the loss of one foot. But the foot has been replaced by a wheel, which will enable her to move faster maybe. Kind of a built in scooter! In spite of her Venetian style carnival mask and lack of limbs, she does have an air of confidence. Her dress looks well made but with the moon buttons this could be illusion, like everything is not what it seems.
She may look well dressed and bodily incomplete, but she is actually more whole than many, as she is rich in spirit . Her mask could symbolise her lack of presence in the material world and like the moon carved into the stone she walks on, this turns the traditional meaning of the card on its head rather. Her robe could actually be that of a holy or spiritual order, and the mask be her veil, sheilding her from the eyes of the world. No arms could be a way of showing that she reaches out with her soul for wealth rather than grasps with her hands at happiness in material wealth. I see this card here, as being about the importance of enlightenment and spiritual growth.

Also of interest is that 2012 for me has been a 9 year, and the card is a 9....this could signify that the spiritual development that started this year will go on to become stronger in 2012


3. What you will take with you as you step into the new year  - The Tower

Here I see the breakdown of illusion, and falsehoods. The moonlight is burning through the tower causing it to begin its collapse. The tower itself is actually very small, and so the falling man could actually be in a dream or an Alice in Wonderland kind of world. Perhaps the moons light has set him free from the tower, and although it had seemed a huge thing, we now see how small is actually is. Like the line from the Eagle's song, Already Gone which I have quoted before:

"So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains
 And we never even know we have the key "

Self imposed imprisonment has come to an end, and it may feel like you are falling and losing security but actually you are gaining freedom from a prison that was way too small and confining to fit who you really are. The other guy lying down could be the prisoner who is now being put to rest, .... he could represent self criticism, judgement..... like in the first card....Makes sense!

A very blessed and wonderful 2013 to you all......

Thanks 2012.. for everything.

20 12 2012

I had to do a special 2012 spread for today.... what with the double 2012 date.. and all adding up to one which is pretty neat for the end of an era and the beginning of a new one. Then we have the Solstice coming up, when we in the South send the Sun back up to the North heading back the way it came 6 months ago.... it is all very exciting.

I don't believe the world will end tomorrow, but I do feel something will happen that has been building up for the past 9 years at least.... I have felt changes, getting stronger and stronger, but they are hard to put into words. It is almost a "knowing among" those in the world who are ready. A connection, some very strong energy connecting us... as I said, it is hard to put into words!

So here is my deliberately drawn 20 12 2012 spread:

The Wildwood Tarot 2012 Spread

Of course it is very different to the spreads where the cards are drawn at randon, but the cards here fit the date and the current changes going in perfectly.

The Great Bear is often called Judgement in the Tarot, but I prefer this version. This card is at the Winter Solstice on the Wheel of the Year which of course is exactly where those in the Northern hemisphere are about now. The bear sits guarding an ancient passage grave, ready for the winter sun to shine in and awaken the soul inside. Throughout the dark sleeping months they have had the chance to learn much wisdom, to help them with the next cycle of life. Behind the bear the constellation of the Great Bear is shown in the sky and what looks like the Northern Lights shine out around him. With the ancient yews the bear guards the grave. The only judgement is that of ourselves, and how we choose to live our lives. Nothing can be hidden or forgotten. This is the time of stillness, where we lie quiet, like the sun on the solstice, before moving back around the wheel.

The Mirror, card number 12,  reflects the inner secrets of the soul lying in the tomb, looking into the Mirror he can see his deepest fears and most hidden thoughts, nothing is hidden here, the Siren holds up the Moon to light the mirror and dispel illusions... maybe she scries with the Moon. A crane with a medicine back around its neck sits by the serpent woman, he looks old and wise and he guards the secrets in his golden bag. The body in the boat lies still, at peace and the boat heads for the Otherworld to rest between journeys. The transition cannot be hurried, the water in the lake represents our subconscious where healing takes place during sleep. Everything in this card seems to reflect what is going on in The Great Bear card.

 The past couple of days a Great Cormorant an NZ native, who looks very crane like has been hanging around my pond..which also has an island with three tree's. It has a boat too but the boat is out of the water at the moment...!

The 2 card, The Seer has many elements of the other cards, the medicine bag, the water which she appears to be drawing energy from or seeing visions in. She wears a Shamans cloak, evidence of meeting with the Shaman on the inner journey to the subconscious. She has gained wisdom and her will is set as signified by the carved staff which she holds in her left hand. She gazes into the water calling up the creative dreams and inspirations and guides them to take root in the earth with her right hand. The water represents emotions, all the feelings and emotional healing can now be put to good use in the earthly world if you know how to channel them.

The Wanderer, is another card which shows a time of stillness between the solid ground and the emptiness between the Wanderer and the forest. There is a rainbow bridging the gap hope for the future, and a means to cross the divide to the next cycle. The Wanderer has his arms open, welcoming that which is to come, the newness and unknown future.  He knows he has everything to learn and in knowing this he is the wisest of all. Although there is some slight hesitation there is no stopping now, one foot is ready to take the first step, leaving the old and entering the new. A time of new beginnings, new hope and another cycle.

Once again the The Mirror or 12 card, reflects the meanings of these two cards and the whole cycle is reflected back and forth. Each time we gain knowledge, wisdom, truth and courage.... if we take that leap of faith and allow it to happen naturally.

I have to do things now and want to get this posted while the date still holds, but I am sure I could get much much more out of this spread.