All is groovy

Had some fabulous next day! Got a letter in the post and its made me very excited about what lies ahead for me. Its one of those mystical magical things that will diffuse throughout all your life and bring you all sorts of groovy stuff !

And theres project X and even project Y possibly happening on the horizon :D

BUT tonight is a time to really appreciate the full moon in all its glory. After finishing my shift yesterday, having a shower, having something to eat and just settling back to reality, I couldnt do what I had planned. But I did have a good look at the moon as mars chased it around the place. Reminds me of those Beltaine ritual plays of the God chasing and trying to capture the Goddess, only it was when the Goddess wanted to be captured that they met. hehe.. Mars really did try to have the moon :P

So.. tonights plan is to get down and magical and cleanse my bag and cloth that Sulis made me! Hopefully I'll get time to do some sort of reading with it.

I do have a confession though - my Deviant Moon came today and I am in total love. Its so 'bonkers' and twisted and I really love it, especially with its one of a kind wrappers :D I feel TORN.

I guess this is why we have a primary reading deck and not just a one deck wonder! But this is good, it means I get time to re-evaluate the experiment and see where I want to go with the DPO and this blog.

And coz I cant write here without having a quick shuffle, my thoughts at the moment point to Fern.
Im really drawn to the edge of the waterfall, there is that placid pool amongst the ferns on the top of the hill/mountain, and suddenly the water falls down the hillside. Its like that long trek on the rollarcoaster, straining to reach the top. Theres a moment of peace, of utter stillness as your cart is balanced on the apex, and then woooooosh your down and up and looping the loop! Like the eerie calm before the storm because its charged with energy for what is to come.
Thats how I feel, happy yet charged for all the stuff thats about to happen or even not happen. But I know that what happens is meant to be and what falls at the wayside will be deadwood.

Woad - advice and friendly word of caution

Gosh today has been a busy day - most of my days seem to be busy ones at the moment, hence no posts since sunday (which seems an awful long time ago!).

Today I have come to the blog as I pose a question to my DPO..

'What do I need to know/be aware of about X?' Yes I know X is mysterious, but then life is by its nature very mysterious!

I decided to pull one card, using reversals and got Woad Ux
First thing that I was drawn to was the spear.. like an arrow but not. Spears are bigger, heavier and speak of a style of fighting that is slightly closer combat than arrows. Meeting your foe face to face on a battlefield.
But theres the same fierce flow of energy that comes with an arrow, of throwing your spear and then pulling it out of a persons body to give them a coup de grace. The spearhead reminds me of a flame, but not a flickering flame.. one that is strong like a blue gas flame, that will grow and burn brightly against the horizon.
Even the trees are full of this energy, a knot in the holly tree looking like the curl of a ram's horn, decorated heavily with ivy.
The stones seem to be set up like an altar, a place to celebrate our warrior spirit, a place to go when we need a bit of courage, to fuel our fires.

So.. what do I need to know about X? well fueling fire isnt a bad thing. Woad is not about aggression for the sake of it, but to give us singlemindedness to achieve aim. Maybe this is why spear is different to arrow, as you only have one spear, one idea, rather than the option of firing till your quiver is empty. So I need to be aware of that with X in that I need to focus my energy very carefully, not seem 'fluffy' and frayed at the edges. A woman who knows what path she is on and wants to commit to it.
I also feel that X will be a great resource for me to really fuel my own passions, shedding light on things I havent tried before, have done and see in a new light, or just different because of who Im with!

I know woad makes a blue dye, but here all I see is yellow, rays of sunlight, fire and flames. I look at the plant itself and see the long stalk, showing that having one path can lead to many roots or many flowers, lots of opportunities. Its about putting purpose into the chaos and finding 'form'. Like in Kabbalah terms we talk about how if 1 is the dot then 2 is the line - to dots joined together.

Also, I feel that Woad is a kind word of warning too. Think about all that you have and have fought for previously and how you are in a space of 'maidenhood' as shown in the Lady of the Hunt spread/reading. That is yours to keep, knowledge to fight with and experience to fight for - you are not dependent and willing to bend over to it. I need to stand firm, and stand free even though I may be 'joined' A line is still only 2 points joined up together :)

and I think generally there is a feeling of 'Oh just GO FOR IT!' :D Exciting times folks

Yarrow play

Tonight I thought I would try something different with the DPO. Rather than a big reading or reading anything specific, I thought I would just ask the deck for a card I can focus on right now.
But, to be different I took out all the cards that Ive seen recently in my readings, so I had a pile of mostly 'unknown' cards to me. Gave it a shuffle and I had Yarrow.

Now Im tired and its been a long day, but for whatever reason the book interpretations just didnt work for me. There wasnt a feeling of 'aha' and Im too tired to go hunting in my other books for another book meaning that will fit.

So, in my half sleepy state I picked up the card and just closed my eyes thinking of the plant, of what I know of it, the shape of the leaves etc.

'Arrow' it said.
'Yes I know your Yarrow, how'd ya do?' I say
'Nooo not yarrow, arrow'
'eh?'
And then I had a few flashes of images of arrows, of arrow heads and fast flying energy. There was a mention about learning to 'read the arrows'
'Life is energy, and energy tends to fly around like arrows. So you need to read the arrows to know where the energy is a)coming from b)going to c)avoid it or step in its way'
How interesting!
'So' I say 'is this why people picked yarrow to make divination tools out off? To read the arrows?'
'Would you say the same to a tree? Asking if all it is is the sum of what someone makes out of it like a table or a chair?'
'Erm, no, I guess not. Sorry'
'Thats ok'

and then it went.

Blimey. LOL. So reading the arrows, lots of energy flying about. Sometimes I guess we need to be careful of what we say or do, because that energy flies out to the universe and somewhere along the line it'll hit into someone or something. Its funny I was doing a reading with another deck and got a message about Cupid and his arrows.. anyways, back to DPO.
So we can divine to find the arrows, where arrows would go if we hit them in one direction or another, whether we want to step into the path of an arrow or not.
I suppose with all these arrows around we might want to consider making a shield, or having a good cleanse so that the old arrows dont affect the changes of the new ones. Like a snake changing its skin, or putting on a good few layers or white base coat before painting a wall. We need to be free from our old energy impacts before we can make way for new ones.

How interesting!

TarotSulis.co.uk

A week or so ago I contacted Sulis from TarotSulis about making a bag and spreadcloth for my DPO. We exchanged a few emails and lots of photos from Sulis of materials and colour choices etc this is what I got....


Here is the 'reading side' of the cloth, with the bag :D As you can see my DPO are very snug in that bag! You can't quite see in the bag, but the inside is a golden yellowy silk, so the cards are always kept in sunshine :)
I picked the colour of the reading side because a) i dont like black and b) it matches the print and c) red is like the red ochre earth, the blood of the land etc. Reminds me of a very special place not too far from here that has a spring water with a high iron content, the 'red'spring :)


Here you can see the print side of the cloth, with the bag and the reading side :)



And here you can see a few cards I pulled at random :D


As you can tell, Im totally IN LOVE with this set. Im so grateful to Sulis for putting it all together and being so patient with me :) The deck is so happy in the set.

Ive never felt this about a cloth and bag, but I feel that at the Full Moon I'll do a cleansing and consecrating of the deck, the bag and the cloth to bind them all together as one happy family!

Thanks again Sulis - they are just fantastic and I couldnt have imagined them any better!!

Assumptions and Integrity

Hello folks,
Now Im going to sound like a Principle sending a naughty letter home - and I really don't want this to be the case. However, I feel like I need to. Im a woman that likes to speak her mind (sometimes to my misfortune but hey, Im being honest!) and so here it is.

This blog for me is like an extension of Sacred Space. Here I can put down my thoughts and interactions with the DPO. I find this to be a wonderful thing. What I find even more wonderful is that people want to read my wafflings!

However, dear reader, you have a responsibility to yourself on reading it. If you are here to support me, a fellow PDR player that likes to read and share in the journey that is PDR thats fantastic! You understand where this is all coming from, and you are always welcome. But in reading someones readings, you have to be careful. Obviously here I won't go into a huge depth and detail about how readings relate to my current personal life. I will try to be a bit broad and give the basic jist of how I think the plants connect with whats going on. Do not however, try to assume and fill in the blanks for yourself, thinking Im obviously meaning this or that. I have lots of things going on in my life, often all at the same time, and I could be waffling about any number of things! You could be convinced Im reading about one topic, when really it was actually referring to something quite different.

So, I ask you dear reader to use your noggin (thats your brain). Ask yourself why you are here? What is your intention reading these pages? I ask you to search in yourself, reflect upon it with your honour and your integrity. Do not presume or assume, be just be here to sit with me and enjoy the plants. To share in the journey, to sniff the daisies and feel the Sacred Garden both at day and at night.

And on a random note altogether - I can't get Juniper out of my head at the moment lol.

Lady of the Hunt spread

Someone on AT mentioned doing the Lady of the Hunt spread from Tarot for all Seasons (Christine Jette, who by the way I think is a brilliant tarot author so you dear reader should go and buy her books!) and it inspired me to do the same.
I feel theres a new phase, a new energy thats around me that wants me/needs me. Of course I have no idea what this is, so Im hoping to find out more about this new energy! And as darkness falls outside and the moon is rising, that Bent slither shining brightly with Orion keeping Her company, now is the time to do it :)

Forgive the spread lay out not looking very rounded-cresent-ish, but its hard to do a semi-circle in numbers and dashes LOL.

--1-----------
-----2--------
---------3----
--------------
---------4----
-----5--------
--6-----------

And card 7 is the base card.

Card 1 - This begins the new phase (what brought you here, what you have already prepared thats important now). Flax Ux
I love this card, Im a spinner both spindles and on a wheel. It was also a meditation that a friend ran years ago that got me into herbs and plants. We walked through her garden and randomly picked a plant that we feel a connection to. Without knowing what it is we then went on a meditation to connect with that plant. I later found out mine was Flax (thinking it was Vervain and obviously failed miserably in my ovate herbal 101 LOL).
So, Flax to me speaks of that moment, of really connecting with the plants. And this connection to the deck, to the outside world and the wild plant kingdom.
The book talks about communing with spirit, feeling part of the web of wyrd and just feeling connected to the universe. And I do feel that now. When I started this blog as part of the PDR (Primary deck reflections) project from the Aeclectic tarot website, I was very honest about it all. I didnt know how much I was able to commit to it, how long I'd be able to do it for etc. I didnt even know what I'd talk about! But I've been inspired. Going to the OBOD gathering last solstice really ignited a flame in me that had been fading and then that spark caught with all this food for thought from the DPO. This blog has been that little change/tweak I needed to get my focus and feel the magic.
And I feel so much more connected to my druidry, my healing path, my tarotoholic and seeing path. Flax shows how all parts of me are weaving together (think back to Betony on my lack of facebook page reading!). Definitely got the right 'head' on now :)

Card 2 - This shapes the new phase (outside influences, events and people)Borage Ux
Ah that old friend :) The warrior part of me has been creeping in again. I dont think I need any borage tea to get myself feeling brave at the moment! I think Borage is just saying that I have a very resilient personality, I tend to keep going. I planted Borage a few years ago and it still grows in the pot/planter whilst all the other plants in it have died (I did warn you I was a rubbish gardener!).
The book mentions forgetfulness and I never really understood what that meant - but I think I do now. I get so bogged down in the details, in the how and why I just fail to move. When I say 'hey i'm going to do xyz whatever the weather' it tends to happen! Like me driving to glastonbury, like me starting this blog, like me announcing to the world I am going to the 2010 Tarot Conference in London in October. I have no idea how to get there, where it is and I wont know anyone there (OK I know folks from the AT site but not actually physically met them before).
So, jumping head first can be good :D
I feel it also suggests that I need to just let go and forget whats been and gone, dont let the ties drag you down.

Card 3 - The centre (the main theme, opportunity or challenge, this is the focus of the spread) Bramble Ux
This seems odd, the 2 previous cards have been very inclusive, very open and receptive. Now we have Bramble that has a fence... I feel like there should be sign on here saying 'do not pass'.
I feel here is that now I am aware of the connections (Flax) and my independence to jump around the place (Borage) that I need to preserve this 'mobility' I now have. I've had a feeling like this before, to celebrate my Maidenhood. OK so its not *THAT* maidenhood (I hear ya giggling as you read this), but Im at a time of my life that has no big attatchments, no huge responsibilities. Course I have my nursing studies, my tribe, my family etc, but they are expressions of me, none of them bind me, none of them make me feel trapped or have to explain myself. Perhaps this reflects my singledom in that, for now, a bloke in my life is just not where my energy should be right now.
I have freedom, I have time to explore all of what Spirit has instore for me and that needs to be protected, by me and by THEM. Although I imagine THEIR thorns are a bit bigger than a bramble's lol.


Card 4 - This is what is needed to succeed ( the elbow-grease to make it materialise, the follow up to magical workings etc) Puffball
Awww I love this froggy friend. Frog is an energy I feel very connected to, and was important to me on my Bardic journey :) The Frog card in the DAO has mushrooms on, so its only fair these Puffballs have an amphibious friend too.
The book echos Flax but on the Inner Realms. I've done the physical stuff to make connections, to find my place on the Wyrd and make myself 'known' again. Now Puffball suggests I need to do lots of work on the Inner Realms, with THEM and with Spirit. I did a ritual last night for the first time in ages that was just for me, and I felt so nourished and connected. I need to make time to be out under the stars and calling on their names as I call on the elements, I need to toast to the rising moon and the setting sun. Its not easy with shifts, with REALITY, but I need to make that time. Its important, its necessary.
This could also be why Bramble has appeared and spoken of my 'Maidenhood' because its hard to be dedicated to ritual and personal practice when someone wants you to pop over for coffee 'sorry hunny Im too busy outside freezing my arse off talking to Ursa Major tonight for coffee and cuddles' doesnt go down well - plus I feel guilty saying no to people!
But this all needs to be grounded in humility and service to Spirit. Not to make me feel 'holier than thou', which isnt very me anyways, but can happen to anyone. Plus work will balance me out. No finer way to feel humble and grounded than dealing with wee and poo LOL.

Card 5 - The Direction you are headed (future outlook)Mandrake
Hmm well the beginning of romantic love isnt really appropriate here.. the coins in the card seem right but not right at the same time. I feel perhaps its just a card of good luck, of a good omen for this fertile period.
The stuff about relief from pain is interesting, but I dont know how it can relate.
This is obviously a card I need to meditate on :)
I do see that is has a warning though - of obsession. Whilst I LOVE working with the DPO I can see that it needs to be carefully balanced. So, like last weeks big reading, theres that suggestion that it needs time to amplify, to settle, to be processed and digested. Not just lots of random spreads for the sake of playing with the DPO.
Hmmmm.
Card 6 - Advice card (what you need to do next). The Banes
Oh Im excited to see the Moon in this card! Granted its a full moon, but I can live with that LOL. Perhaps thats a very obviously symbol to do a next big spread or magical working at the full moon, keep the power and momentum going?
The book talks about the unexpected. And the unexpected brought me to this place, the PDR threads, going to glasto and even my break up. Whilst it was very unexpected and random, I can see that it was obviously for reasons that aren't meant for me to know just yet. So theres that slight surrendering continuing, that the unexpected occurs, we experience the love, the joy, the tears and the turmoil and then we process. Gods I make it sound like an initiation of some kind... oooh goosebumps as I type that.. interesting!!!!

Card 7 - The base card Juniper
:) I do love this card. I have all the 'know-how' in my bag of tricks (the cranebag in the card). Its in me, in my heart, in my head, and now its the time to just see and feel what happens. I've done this with working with Horse, and now it seems Im to do it again with the plants.
Juniper has a common ally with the Justice card in the DCT, of spider. Thinking about it Flax too is associated with webs and spiders. oooooh. One thread has gone, another is made, the scales have tipped and something new is here in my life! How fantastic!
One of the keywords to Juniper is Magic :D Whilst is only magical if you accept the wonder, dont poke at it, dont demand to know why or feel threatened when you are put on a path without your full 'consent' before hand.

On another note, I haven't physically met a juniper tree/bush before. Perhaps i need to get my hands on one :) Of course, all I'll want to do is put on a long beard and shout at people for eating my juniper berries (Life of Brian reference, is you havent seen it, I demand you watch it!).

What a spread, lots of stuff going on, lots of positivity and a new perspective of what I have been randomly connecting to recently. See, there is a great synchronicity in the universe! There is also so much blue! I need to ponder this further, what blue and the plants could mean. Hmmph


Oh and I would like to thank Guided Hermit from AT for finding me that 'why me' processing end of relationship spread :) Its a fab spread and I have used it, but I've decided to not share it here as I felt the plants were trying to kick me out of focusing on whats been and severed and focus on this new energy, this new 'purpose' the Gods have planned for me :) But I do thank you! Taking Juniper to heart, Ive dealt and processed stuff and to post it up would just rehash it for me, infect the wound etc. Plus, it keeps things honourable and above board.

And last random note, Sulis on AT is making me a bag and reading cloth for my DPO. If you'd like to see her work, please look at her website Tarot Sulis for her bags, her cloths and for readings. Its been a pleasure walking the creative process with her and I look forward to showing off my bag and cloth when it appears! Of course, piccys will be taken and here for you all to see :D

Blessings from the serenity of the moonlit Garden
/|\

Moons and Druids part deux

Image of the cresent moon taken from this astronomy site

Did you see the moon last night? That very thin slither of the cresent? That shiney silver blade high in the sky? It was just stunning! I had to go out and do a bit of ritual and celebrate the Bent One, with a Silver Birch and and milk based beverages. It was very illuminating and a very nourishing and empowering experience :D I feel I've connected to that wildness of Heather (see previous post about why Im waffling about Heather), of community, and there was a message for me as well! Those bees are interesting critters huh!

So, Im back to having a loopy lunar moment, and dug out all my 'druid something' cards - the Druid Animal Oracle (DAO) my DPO and the Druidcraft Tarot (DCT) looking for moons in all their glory.

Now, I do have a confession to make. I really never got on with the DAO. Sure its pretty and sure it's nice, but I just saw pretty pictures. I never felt the animal energy spring from the deck, when I know others prefer the DAO to work with than ANY tarot deck out there (yes its SLIGHTLY sacreligious, but I like them and so I forgive them lol). But doing this has made me connect to something in those animal cards so maybe I'll play with them more with the DPO.

So... waxing moons (apologises to those in the southern hemisphere but I gotta call it like I see it here from the UK).
DPO - Mistletoe
DAO - Hare
DCT - Moon (i know its got the whole moon, but the only shiney bit is the first cresent), High Priestess, Prince of Cups

Full Moon
DPO - Mugwort, Ivy, The Banes
DAO - Owl, Crane
DCT - Queen of Cups

Waning Moon
DPO - None.
DAO - Blackbird
DCT - Seven of Swords, Star, Ace of Cups, Hermit

Dark Moon
OK this is a bit speculative because obvious these are just night scenes without a moon, which I think would be good dark moony cards
DPO - None
DAO - Bear
DCT - Ace of Pentacles, Death and possibly the Queen of Pentacles.

Now what does that mean? I dont know LOL. But its really interesting. Why is there no waning moon or dark moon in the DPO? And So many Cresents in the DCT and only one true full moon in the whole deck?

And one random thing Ive noticed is how similiar Yarrow and the Adder cards are so similiar! And ya know - I never liked those elemental dragon cards.

So, loopy lunar stuff continues. But that Bee in the Heather card really got me wondering about bees so thats why I picked up my DAO again.

Its tempting to get bogged down in the thinkery of it all. Why do I seem to go lunar loopy, what does it mean etc But I remember the reading I did previously here and I just need to be brave and go with it and see where the journey takes me.

Inspiration firing, Brilliant!

But I did have a look in Herbcraft (Franklin and Lavender) and saw a list of herbs to the phases of the moon - which I think would be interesting to note here,although again, knowledge that as yet is not yet fully digested.
Waxing herbs white rose, camphor, lily, cinquefoil, mugwort, aloe, ox-eye daisy and poppy
Full moon herbs cinquefoil, red rose, mugwort, dandelion, frankincense, marshmellow and poppy
Waning herbs garlic, myrrh
Dark moon herbs garlic, parsley, willow and forget-me-not

Now I dont completely agree with that list, but its an interesting place to start from eh?!

A guide for my healing process

So, second relationship break up in less than a year. What a track record eh? LOL

So I thought I'd draw a card as a guide for the process of healing my heart once again and I've drawn Heather. It was funny, as I was shuffling and thinking about how Im feeling now, I thought of Heather and its interesting how it turned up :)

Im not sure of copyright etc at the mo for me to post up the cards, but I figured I would post a pic of some mountain heather. The above pic is one I found on the web from Maison de Stuff, I hope they dont mind, but it was such a fabulous picture I just had to share. And I've also got Damh the Bard going round my head, with his version of Wild Mountain Thyme, whilst we are all around the blooming heather. Or rather, drunk as skunks in a pub on the Clee or Glastonbury Town Hall :D

A piece of heather that I used for some other healing work with Spirit that I did recently came from Lake Vyrnwy, so perhaps I need to take a trip out to visit some wild and rugged places at the mo. The great outdoors is such a place of nourishment and inspiration to me, so I should make an effort and go out and do things that will make me feel better. Of course, right now all I want to do is hide under the duvet. Very warrior-woman of me LOL.

The little huts of the community are really important to me. My friends, my druid community, have been an amazing and overwhelming network of love and support for me over all the recent wobbles. I am so honoured and humbled to have such people that I can call friend. Like worker bees, we all support and look after eachother. :D Not to mention the folks on Aecletic Tarot, who have been supportive, helpful and wonderful, the kindness of 'strangers' is just beyond words right now. Ive had random support from the most unlikely of places, co-workers and even my ex who said such lovely things to me. So im seeing a lot of positivity and 'lucky heather' in what feels a pretty shitty time right now. Although I have a 0-2 score with love (im trying to find a funny angle to it all, im not being flippant, just, me), I am loved, honoured and respected - held safely so I can experience, process and do what I need to do. Theres not many folks that can say that about their lives!

Bees also to me, I feel, speak of communication. And that has been a problem over recent weeks. Communication has been icky, has been misunderstood, under the influence of honeyed mead, and sometimes not even there at all, like a Bee bashing against a window. So perhaps now its time to make communications as clear as possible. Bees also to me link with messages from the Gods, whispers on the wind etc. Perhaps I need to listen to what Spirit has instore for me now :)

Theres stuff in the book about heather promoting rest to the weary. And after 2 relationship breakups, my heart does feel very weary. Sure I'll survive and I'll keep going - during all this turmoil and emotional highs and lows ive surprised myself with my uni course and getting brilliant grades (hey, gotta blow my own trumpet!). But emotionally I feel I need a little support. So, when I go to bed tonight Im going to do some imagining and stepping through the Heather card, or maybe even visit the Sacred Garden and see if I can find Heather in that inner landscape to share its healing with me as I dream :)

And to end, here we have the Princess of Swords from the Druidcraft tarot, high in the heathers :)

ETA -
I did go to sleep thinking of heather, and today I feel full of energy and much more rested and at peace with things. Its sorted my head out a bit more and emotionally I feel much more stable and in a better place of some more processing :) Granted I cant remember anything in my dreams that could relate to the card, but I just trust that its work happened on the Other Realms :)

So I decided this afternoon to hit some books - Culpepper, Greives Modern Herbal, Cunninghams Herbal, a Druid's Herbals (Ellen Evert Hopman) and Herbcraft (Franklin and Lavendar) and in the older texts of Culpepper and Greives there is NO MENTION of heather at all. Now I've looked under all sorts of odd names but I cant find anything. But I did look up some interesting correspondences to heather so I think I'll look into these a bit more as I learn more about these plants :D
Gender Female
Planet Venus
ElementWater
I dont know what I'd do with this information, but its interesting that whilst I agree with female and venus, I dont agree with water. Water makes you think of just general emotion and intuition. I want to think of heather as rain... I get such cleansing glee from rain (its my frogskin!) and heather has a magical history of rain-making. Its that soft rain that the wind beats hard into your face, that takes your breath away yet totally revitalises you. Its the sudden heavy rain that makes two friends dart for cover and become lovers under the tree etc.
I really love heather :)

Plants and Modern Technology

Ok.. last night, for a variety of reasons that I dont want to go into, I decided to delete my facebook page.

So I thought I'd ask the DPO - What unexpected lesson will I learn from being without a facebook page? Betony Ux was my reply.
And its the carved celtic head lying on the floor that i find disturbing here. The book meaning of healing discord, protection etc are nice, but none of it seems to address what that severed head means.
So, heads to me reflect living in your head, words swirling round and round, like a 9 of swords moment.... so perhaps the severed head says that deleting facebook will bring me some space away from things swirling, and I can find space to breathe and for inspiration to come in. I think of the story of Bran and his severed head, which saved his people, brought stories and inspiration, and then later protection to the land, perserving what was precious to him as his head was buried (until legend says Arthur came and dug it up LOL).

There are bits in the book about communication, which is important considering Im asking about facebook. Facebook is a way of communicating with people, but the people I love the most Im in regular contact with anyways, and the ones I dont talk to who are on my facebook, well, is it worth me having that connection to them, like a constant string attached me to if we arent in such regular contact? Maybe it'll be interesting to see who of my facebooky friends seek contact, or are prepared to actually make an effort to contact me properly rather than just the odd reply on a status message. And ya know, who gives a crap about status messages anyways LOL.

Betony is a healing plant, antiseptic and antibactarial properties, like Mistletoe being an panacea.
Its also woundwort - that cleans a wound and then promotes healing... I hope that is true, but I feel that would be VERY unexpected if that happened. But I feel it could reflect healing my connection to my other bits of me, that have been neglected because ive been so addicted to the damn website - my spinning, reading etc. So in a way its putting that severed head back on, but the right 'head' on.

But I know I spend way too much time that is healthy on facebook, and I think I need to be reading more actual books rather than looking at peoples facebooks.

Druid Plant Calender 15 Jan - 14 Feb

Ok so following on from the other post, this is month two of the Druid Plant Calender.

After shuffling I got Chamomile
I do like this.. it offers fresh energy and revitalising that is soft yet flowing. Not the big BURST of spring energy, but just that washing away of the snow and those first few days of spring sunshine to warm our skins.
Also, its usually in this period that you keep your nostrils open for the smell of spring on the wind, like the smell of the chamomile leaves :D
Even the dainty flowers look to me of a waxing sun, new, delicate and growing in power.

And after the whole festive period, we do get a bit of a lull, a lack of zest for life, so maybe drinking some chamomile tea will help keep the blues away and get us all in the mood for spring :D

my week ahead

OK im getting braver now, going to go for a spread with 7 cards and the DPO. In a bid to put the past week behind me, I'm going to read for the week coming - so between now and the 17 January.

The spread...
------1-------------7---
--------2---------6-----
----------3-----4-------
-------------5----------
Its the horseshoe spread, that is well used and loved by most tarotists out there, and I do love it. I usually like to play with the Umbrae version of it, but as I'm doing a reading for this week coming and not to look at the future 2 weeks and beyond.

1st card - past Borage Rx
its not been the time to get angry or get even. In fact theres been a swallowing of some anger and feeling upset and wanted to fight my own corner. Its been appropriate to keep the sword in the scabbard. Even words havent been a weapon to use (if you think about swords/air/words in the tarot). Others might think I have been apathetic, been very quiet and not running into war like I usually would. But its been the better option at the time, considering Mercury Retrograde its best to say nothing at all lol.

2nd card - present Vervain Ux
That the decision to be quiet has been the right one for me at this time. That I have spent time working within my own power, finding and healing and procesing stuff. Im at a point where I feel very groovy and happy with my lot, and trusting in Spirit that what is right will weave in or out of my life. But Im very grateful to all the stuff I have and have had. Sounds a bit fluffy and wishy washy, but its very true :D

3rd card - near future Cuckoo Pint Rx
I feel here that this is another warning that before the end of the week, things are going to seem rocky again. That things will come together one way or another, but not without a very awkward moment or two where I'll want to shout and scream 'my truth' when really its just spitting venom. It would seem silly after carefully holding my tongue to finally pop and ruin all the hard work i've done!
Having said that I am working nights next week, and a lack of sleep and general grumpyness will not help me speak my truth in a fair and eloquent manner. Lets try to remember the lessons from the week previous Sarah lol.
Yes, that flower of the cuckoo pint does look like a tongue.

4th card - answer - Mugwort Rx
Wait for the tide to change. Do not try to force things to change or to unmuddy the waters myself until Spirit is ready to let me see.
Its hard, I want to jump up and down and demand an answer from a few people right now - but its best to just ride out the storm and wait till things are calmer.
Perhaps definately wait till a new moon and mercury goes direct again on the early hours of friday morning.
Perhaps it would be good to not to any readings etc until after friday then after this, i dont want to muddy my own waters and get lots of conflicting ideas. I've done work over the weekend of sitting and surrendering to Spirit, so I should just keep on with it until its time to see things again.

5th card - people/energy surrounding querent - Mint Ux
Well that looks quite tranquil and pretty. One might almost say boring LOL. A getty with no boats, no where to go etc. But its only more journeys, more distractions Im looking at, rather than focusing within.
Or focus on work, getting paper work done, getting over working nights etc.
Perhaps seeing the world from sunset to sunrise will be an interesting way of changing my tides (which funnily enough my last night is on friday night, so it could be that things will feel clearer from saturday onwards?)

6th card - attitudes/hope and fears - Comfery Ux
Well, comfrey is bonewort - it unites and puts things back together. So with the warning of cuckpoo pint to make sure things heal up in the right place and without me losing my temper. The book mentions healing something from the inside out, and I feel I have done a lot to work on personal stuff, so Im waiting to see if that comes through into bringing some sort of resolution to 'external' stuff. We'll see.

7th card - outcome of 3rd card/whole layout Nettle Rx
Stop being so irritable LOL.
Hopefully I'd have learnt over the last few weeks that ya know, things happen for a reason and we say and do crazy stuff...
I do have a bit of a catholic tendency to keep birching, or nettling myself over an issue, beating myself up over and over after its well and truly gone. So the idea of the layout is to just move on, stop beating yourself up. Theres no more big 'stings' left, I've dealt with things as best as possible and the rest is up to the Gods.

The base care is Burdock Ux
yes I have done my best to get the learning from the past week or so, and i hope I am still processing it. But not in a place to just get a quick result, as the destination isnt important, its the journey, its the learning and its being hopeful. I think at one point I did feel like throwing in the towel last week, but my 'attachments' my friends have been wonderful in reminding me of whats groovy about me and groovy about my spirituality. Even when ya feel like crap, its fertilizer for roses to grow later :D

Overall - dont be a pillock, hold your tongue and dont lose your temper (well really try not to) and wait to see what the universe wants to unfold for you. I was sat infront of the fire earlier on with my dad and I was there quiet happy just feeling warm and snug, and he comes along, keeps jabbing at it and somehow KILLS the damn fire! So, the lesson here is just dont poke, let it flow and enjoy the rewards of everyone and everything in nature doing its thing..

reminds me of Crowley - Love is the Law, Love under Will.
And I never thought this morning I'd link Crowley with the DPO LOL.
I also guess that this will be the only posting of a reading that I'll put here on the blog for a week, if I take the advice to heart in the Mugwort card.
Of course, I'll have to remember to draw a card around the 15/16th for the Druid Plant Month ahead!

Adios Amigos
/|\

Musings on the Sacred Garden

Last night I was shuffling the cards before bedtime, something I often do when I just want to sit and feel whats happening around me.

I was shuffling the DPO and I was thinking back to some of my original musings, on the plants and the idea of if ogham trees form a grove, then druid plants may form a garden. If they do then this is a place I can visit on the OtherRealms!

So, I sat back and continued to shuffle, occassionally looking at a card if it flipped over or when I wanted to peak at one and just got myself into a meditative state. I put aside all the real life stuff, all the thinkery that happens in my head and just relaxed.

I found myself walking along a path in the forest. The Hawthorn was in bloom and the Blackthorn deeply in leaf, the ash trees were chasing the oak leaves to see who would turn green first. I heard the odd buzz of an insect and just generally tapped into this very vibrant spring energy as I walked.

Soon the path came into a clearing with a small boothy and then a few people busy working at some flower beds. It was just off this sacred grove path and there were women tending to the plants. 2 were digging, skirts hitched to their waists, and the other one was on the ground thinning out some shoots. I stood for a while and just watched them work. I'm rubbish at actual gardening and they seemed so involved what they were doing that I didnt want to interrupt them.
As I stood and watched them working at flower beds and raised borders I noticed that there was a garden path, a wavey path that went through some of the beds and to an archway, so I followed the path.
The archway was made out of stone (I think I expected something made of climbing clamatis or something) which was covered in thick ivy. The stone was cool by dry to the touch, slightly crumbly under my fingers like sandstone but it wasnt a red stone. After touching it my fingers smelt of 'green' sort of freshly cut grass-ish. It seemed to me the archway was there way before the garden was, but Im not sure why I'd say that.

Walking through the archway was an area that was just wild. It wasn't a clearing from the trees, and infact I dont remember seeing any trees at all. There was the rush of water in the distance but I didnt see a stream or river. There was just plants growing everywhere. Some starting to bloom, bees greedily rushing from flower to flower. I almost felt like I was interrupting a very important conversation as I stood there soaking it all in, and after a while the tension seemed to ease in the 'wild garden' (I have no other word for it). I just felt deeply nourished by this place, it felt very old, as if the seeds from the new cultivated garden (in comparison to this older garden) had come from here. That these were the 'Oak Men' of the plant kingdom. Looking back on it, I should have looked close to the ground to see if there were any plant sized ents! (Ok slightly batty idea, but an interesting one!).

I stayed for as long as I felt welcome, but it was so blissful there in the sunshine. Birds singing, insects all over the place and plants just humming together. I wonder if deep within the groundcover of plants are some remains of standing stones or some sort of worship site?

Walking back on the path, through the archway and there again I saw the 3 women, only this time on what appeared to be a 'tea break' (I believe these are VERY important to gardeners, but being the worst gardener in the world, I wouldnt know LOL). One was keen to talk to me and called me towards her with a smile on her face, a smudge of soil where she had scratched her nose as she worked the earth.
I know that we communicated but I cant remember what we had shared, only that I am aware that somewhere in the Gardens there is another one to find! But it doesnt always come out to play. How exciting!

I then started to leave the realm that I was and felt myself returning to my body once again, still shuffling, still aware of the snow covering my house, my inability to drive anywhere because my car is frozen, and felt deeply honourd to have experienced something of the Sacred Garden and the folk that tend to it!

Friday's 2 card draw

Todays cards that i've just pulled are Primose and the base card was Meadowsweet. (reversals shuffled in but didnt come up)

Primrose has that wonderful winter glow with the snow covered the ground. My house is covered in snow and its even frozen up my car (so lost without my car!). But I keep drawing primrose and Im always at a loss for what it means to me. Maybe I keep drawing it on days when I just get a burst of creativity and awen?
On the Primrose card there is Cowslip which is such a wonderful delicate flower. I have yet to see one in the wild (although its so small I could miss it!) but I have grown it in pots. Part of the lore around cowslip is to find out what has been revealed - reminding me of the Awen from Ceridwen's brew, of a radiant brow :) Not saying mine is radient, but maybe the odd lightbulb is on lol.

The base card is Meadowsweet, asking us to mark transitions with celebration. Often linked with Beltane and handfastenings. Some of the lore also refers to how Meadownsweet may well be sacred to the druids because of its ability to flavour mead and its pain relieving qualities.
Well Im not drinking mead tonight, but it'll be interesting to see what may be revealed and how it will be celebrated!

coz so far, i aint got a clue!

PCG

Well this is a blatant bit of OH MY GODS..

but my wee blog got featured on Philip Carr Gomm's blog!!!!



How awesome is that!


I'm sure I'll get to post something relevant to the cards sometime tonight!

But whilst Im doing some self-promotion, here is a link to a seminar I did for the OBOD message board based on working with tarot and how it weaves into my druidry.


I have something to share thats a bit fab! But later, dinner first and then I'll start posting DPO stuff

end of tuesday's card

So I've drawn a card to reflect how I am at the moment - apres la wobble, after good chats with fabulous friends (who I love, thank you!) and just in general.
I got Lady's Mantle

Now this a tough card, because the imagery on the card itself isn't great. You have the plant, with the perfect dew drop in the plant, and then a Sheila Na Gig.
OK so maybe we have LOTS of imagery really lol.

The book suggests meanings of connecting deeper with the Goddess, the more intuitive and emotional aspects of our beings. Well I've definitely done that. I have looked into the bubble and found truth and hopefully a bit of wisdom. I also have sore eyes lol.

What I do think though is that Lady's Mantle may be offering a way forward. Rather than looking for ways of feeling underwhelmed with myself, look for small things that make me feel better about myself and what I have in my life. Its so easy to look in the mirror of the Dewdrop and see negativity. Sometimes we need to be kinder to ourselves and see the good - because that is also true!

Well thats my thought, and I am keeping to it. Its a very nourishing thought for me at the moment.

Base card was Heather so perhaps tomorrow I'll be able to make better use of my improving mood post-processing hurhurhur;)

Monday's Daily Cards

OK, Monday morning before work I pulled three cards..

Borage, Woad and Mistletoe Reversed
The base card of the pack was Juniper

At half 6 in the morning I thought 'what the hell?' and thought nothing of it. Today I can reflect on those cards with something really interesting, which sort of follows on from the reading I did on Sunday.

Borage I feel relates to needing personal courage to deal with stuff on the inside. Lore comes to mind about people putting borage in their shoes to be safe and couragous on a journey, or for warriors to drink borage tea before going off into battle. It deals with our own inner wobble, that crisis of confidence, that insecurity, that voice that keeps nagging at us and stills it. It fills us not with outward artificial energy, but with our own vitality of who and what we are. Its so easy to forget!
I got so caught up in my bubble yesterday I did self implode (see previous posting if your that nosey!). I needed to stop hiding and deal with why and what I was upset and that had knocked my energy off centre. Not easy but had to be done. For me, true courage is me crying. Im rubbish at it, I feel like I shout at myself whilst I cry because Im meant to be brave and strong and keep it all in - well NO. Infact letting it out was far braver, far more couragous. I feel Borage did give me a bit of help.

Woad is then the next step. Once you realise you have an issue, you've confronted it in your head, you need to DEAL WITH IT. So Woad was that outward I need to speak to people, stand up for my truth and hear their truth and tell them what I think of them.
Not easy.... and very odd for me to do that in a place of owning and being open about my emotions, rather than just masking them behind anger and using the anger to bury my emotions.
So yeah, that was my 'body paint' to contact what had upset me and let them know, talk about it, discuss it and see what occurs.

Mistletoe Reversed shows that sometimes, what you think was one harvested tree, still has unexpectd fruit to grow. I thought I had process things and come to terms with stuff - but then a new stage in that process begins to unfold. First you have the wobble, then the processing, then the clarity :)
So yeah, rather than the very dire 'oh know whats going to be stripped and pulled out of my life now by Ceridwen's scythe' thought on monday morning, has now turned into something really postive that shows how I have stuff to learn still - and thats groovy!

The Juniper to me highlights that cleansing. I needed that emotional 'wash out' to just help with the processing. I needed to cry, to tie up loose ends and feel whole again. And I do feel Im on that way now.

I really do feel these plants are more than just an oracle.. they do offer their healing energies so much, as if their magic is helping you through your stuff! How awesome is that!

the Druid Plant Calendar - an idea

OK so after all that waffle about moons and calendars I thought about it some more.

I like the idea of the Druid Tree Calendar - but we all know its a bit made up and fake. Well, more than a bit... quite a lot LOL

So I thought about creating a druid plant calendar. But rather than sitting and logically doing it I want to see what the cards pick and then see how it connects to what occurred. Im not referring just to me in that period between moons, but in general - nature, the earth, the general kinda vibe.

But I do think that it needs to be done between the dark moon and first cresent of the moon. No idea why, just a feeling and Im going with my feelings.

So I am going to cheat by asking the deck which plant generally reflects the current lunar cycle. Its a sort of backdated cheque sort of reading, but it should work, for plants know more than most that Linear Time is an Oxymoron :D

I got Madder..

This I will need to ponder further on with less waffle (well, try to have less waffle) later lol

Edited to add after the moon period of Madder has happened

Now Im in the void, the no-moon between this plant and the next (which is Chamomile!) I thought I'd put some thoughts on Madder.
And this period has got madder and madder, or more weirder and weirder LOL. Looking at the ragging on the Elder tree and I did infact do some form of ragging over this period. Interesting huh?
The darkness of this time of year is ruled by Elder, and so by Madder, the weird dark unknown stuff that happens, the darkness of the year, the darkness of the womb, the darkness of the Cauldren of Annwn.
During this time we've had lots of snow, and I cant help be think of the Blood on the Snow, the sacrifices that we offer to improve our lives from one solar year to the next in the form of resolutions. We might even ask for advice from our Elders to pick the right ones, the tweaks other people can see we need to make - a bit of objectivity, as the darkness can fill us with paranoia and insecurity. OR,it could reflect how we often want to sacrifice our Elders as they drive us mad after spending all that time with them over the festive period. LOL.
Resiliance and strength is needed through the cold, the dark, the up and down of family life.... and all the reasons to get pissed with yule and christmas and new year and going back to work again lol.

The Moth i think is such an intrigueing animal with this plant. It is the guardian of the darkness, it will lead us to the light, lead us through the other side and seems always secure that the light will be there - even when we fear we'll never see it again.