The Hare of the Wildwood

Since I did my reading yesterday, I have been getting more and more into this deck. I abandoned the Mystic Medicine oracle I had chosen this week as it still grates on me somehow!!! It needs more intense cleansing obviously.... next full moon it will be out there, and also for the Solstice, which according to what I have found on the web actually occurs here at 12.15am on Saturday 22nd... Phoebes birthday.....

So I laid out the Wildwood cards in the Wheel of the Year and it helped to see them like this and associate the different suits and Majors with their place in the seasonal cycle. The card I drew for my daily draw today was The Hare.... whose time in the wheel we have just passed through..... the days coming up to Midsummer. 

 Wildwood Tarot 

This gorgeous artwork by Will Worthington shows a magnificent hare standing in mountain terrain with the full moon behind him. He looks in command of his countryside, strong and alert to danger. He has a  Green man mask by his feet... symbolic of the continuity and fertility of nature and its cycles. What a beautiful and majestic creature this hare is! Wonderful art!

The Hare means a lot to me, I have been fascinated with hares all my life, I have hare art all over my home, I have done a Welsh pilgrimage to the Patron Saint of Hares and spent many years watching them back in East Anglia. A couple of years ago we had a pet New Zealand hare for a while who came to live with our beloved Snoopy. He was a wild creature, unlike our gorgeous wee mini lop bunny, and we called him Jerusalem. He got on really well with Snoopy who loved having him as a friend, but eventually as he got older, he left us. I cannot keep animals in cages. He didn't go far though and he would come back and visit sometimes, or we would spot him hanging out at the gate to our drive.

The Wildwood book has some beautiful words for the Queen of Bows:

"A companion through life, sympathetic and understanding, leading you to a deeper awareness of what is needed to bring success to your every enterprise. Wise and witty, gentle and kindly the Queen supports you and strengthens your resolve."

This a a fantastic companion for me at this time, I should know the Hare is always there for me and this is a great reminder of that energy. Hares are messengers, they cross through age and culture, bringing you to where you need to be. Their tracks in the fields are complex, but designed to be for them only to be able to follow. They have no underground homes like their rabbit cousins, and so they keep safe by their wits, their amazing senses and their speed. Those huge ears and big eyes are not just for show.

Hares are often related to the Moon and lunacy in mythology, and they are also shapeshifters. The Hare was said to have offered to lay down his life for Buddha in order to feed him with his own flesh. Buddha saved him however and painted his image on the Moon, to be seen forever by all who looked up, as an honour of his selflesness.

The hare will return here often.... as he has in my life...

Fallen Angels Thrice

I decided to do a three card spread with the Fallen Angels Oracle cards today, as I rarely do spreads for myself using oracle decks.

I did a simple three card spread, using these questions:

1. How did I get to this point

2. What is the status quo
3. What action do you advise

Here are the three cards I turned up:

Eligor, Amdusias and Ipos - Fallen Angels

1. How did I get to this point - Eligor

Eligor is the 15th demon summoned by Solomon. According to demonology and the Goetia, Duke Eligor imparts courage and fighting spirit to those who summon him, and causes their emotions to swell massively by giving them their ideal love, he can also kindle lust. He has the power to see hidden things and the charisma to win the favor of those of higher status. He causes war and can summon armies, and is skilled in military operations. Another gift he has is the ability to make even his enemies treat him as a friend. Because Eligor can predict the patterns of the future he is able to plan accordingly to his best advantage.

The card shows a radiant winged horse with a city illuminated with gold. behind the city, in shadow stands a tall tower or cathedral with a cross on top. The word on this card is Conflict.

I guess the image illustrates a state of conflict between church and state, although the city could also almost be on fire, from the glow. The winged demon himself looks alight with flames.

He definitely stands out from the crowd. Looking at the head of the horse though, its as if you can see the skeleton beneath the flesh, maybe he is all for show, looking like the magical unicorn of fairy tales when inside he is just ordinary bones.


2. What is the status quo - Amdusias

The second card I drew is Amdusias, whose keyword is Harmony... that's nice to know :)

King Amdusias is the 67th demon in the Ars Goetia and is represented as a human creature with the head of a unicorn and claws instead of hands and feet. He is said to be in charge of the music of hell, and is sometimes depicted with a trumpet. This demon is associated with thunder and like thunder his instruments can be heard but never seen. Amdusias is a demon of the night, he can bend tree's at will and can also be an excellent provider of a familiar when you need one for a secret mission or the like.

On the Fallen Angel card a white unicorn with silvery wings is shown in a dark forest standing beside a fallen Celtic cross. I guess the word Harmony derives from the musical aspect of this demons nature. Looking at the image I suppose the cross and the forest floor and the unicorn do look pretty harmonious though. Nothing seems out of place. The foliage of the forest has grown up and around the cross as though accepting it. The card mentions coming together with friends in peace. There are probably many many unseen friends of the unicorn in his forest.


3. What action do you advise - Ipos

The third card I turned over is Ipos, 22nd of Solomons demons listed in the Goetia, and described as having the head of an angel, body of a lion, tail of a hare and the feet of a goose! Ipos has the ability to see past present and future. He can also inspire confidence, witticism and intellect, in the least of men.

The card image shows a stone angel with flowing hair standing by a rough looking cross. To the right of the angel are a few loose feathers. A big fat full moon shines down on the scene, from a purple night sky. The word on this card is Caution.

With all the animal parts he consists of he certainly has some skills.. the strength of a lion, the ability of the hare to cross between the material and the spirit world, the flight of the goose and the looks of an angel! Enough to draw anyone to him, plus his built in talent of giving you the "feel good factor"!

Why caution? The moon is a giveaway here, symbol of illusions and delusions. Ipos is a creature of the moon and can drive you to madness and disaster or bestow you with good fortune and health, depending on whether or not you have courted her favour.

I think I get the message... ;)