magical reading

OK..

So, ive got an issue (aint I always, always the one with the problem, thats me! LOL) and so I seek my DPO to shed some light on whats occuring :)

Q - Tell me about this blockage I have about ritual at the moment?
The spread is one Ive just knocked up.

-----4----
-----3----
-----2----
-----1----

Card 1 - the present, what my problem is? Borage
Im staring at that sword.. I think my problem is Im being too 'gentle'. The purpose of ritual is to make communion with the Gods, to work on realising the magick within and without and sometimes that means doing a bit of 'magick' of your own, be it a simple meditation and feeling the energies or chanting mumbo jumbo.
And... Maybe somewhere along the line I've forgotten that. I've got 'safe' too scared to take the sword out of the scabbard and prove my worth to the Gods and thats that are listening.
Ive just looked at the reversal meanings in the book - and it says about Rosemary and how sometimes we forget what is important...
well, I think I forgot something pretty important where ritual is concerned.
Why have I forgotten? Why have I become a bit too 'softly softly'? Folk that know me know Im nothing of the sort in ritual usually lol.

Card 2 - Why do I have this problem, whats the lesson? Plantian
Hmmm OK this is interesting.. I think its reflecting something important. Recently over recent weeks I've been doing more ritual indoors for a varity of reasons, yet for years nearly all my rituals have been outside, in places of power. So the environment is why.
But I used to do rituals indoors all the time... its never been a problem then.
Perhaps also, in the change of environment I have forgotten that even indoors is a sacred place, a part of nature for we are alive in our homes and so part of Nature, part of divinity, its not like the Goddess stops at the door and goes 'oh, no entry for me!' LOL.

So.. its place, its about what I think about that place... and then remembering what the ritual is there for, and that communion can happen anywhere, not just by trees or around sacred stones.

Card 3 - How do I overcome the problem/learn the lesson? Juniper
Ok, its a mind thing.. its about realising what is within is without and without is within.
Like the crane bag that holds all the magical items of Albion, I AM the thing that has all the magic inside me. Ritual is just a guise, a format to open up that connection and let it all shine through. But its nothing to do with place, what Im wearing (or not), its about perspective, about realising it all comes from within. Sod how recently the room was vacuumed lol.

Card 4 - Anything else to share and enlighten me? Chamomile
Chillax girl... So your getting your head around different ideas, different ways of working. But if you get stressed out that how are the words of the Gods meant to shine and flow through?
Be relaxed, be open, the details arent important (even if they are important to you) Im not going to 'prove' anything extra to the Gods if my heart and mind is not open to commune with them.

Wow DPO , your a legend :D

Elemental Herbs.. Air

Ive been pondering a lot on herbs, the DPO and the elements. So I wanted to do a bit of a pondering on Air today, with the plan that over the next few weeks I'll go through all the elements :)

So - air, the element of the Swords and most things sharp and pointy. It links with communication, travel, protection, clean/fresh air, and even sleep and dreams - as good sleep and dream interpretation are part of a healthy mind as well. Also Air deals with the intellect, so the accumulation of knowledge and hopefully understanding. I often think of professions like Lawyers, and crossword lovers with Air, as its that precision of finding the right word, the turning of the grey matter and looking at things from every angle. Air is linked with all winged creatures, birds, insects like dragonflies and bees... Zodiac is Libra, Aquarius and Gemini, the planets of Mercury, Jupiter and Uranus. Sense of smell and sound and the throat chakra.

So what does that mean for plants?!
Well heres my lowdown of my interpretation of Air plants in the DPO..
Agrimony - of liberation and soul flight, feeling free to fly. It is also a herb of purification. I feel that Agrimony is a plant that just makes us think differently at life and lets us see the good rather than the negative. Also, Agrimony is a very tall plant, and height is associated with air and bringing objectivity.
Borage - acting within your own ethical framework, and sometimes that means fighting. The card has a sword in its scabbard saying you should be prepared to fight for what you believe to be right, after a good long think about it and trying to resolve it with words etc. Rosemary is another herb of purification and cleansing the mind of feeling blue, especially PMT induced moody blues.
Celtic Bean - communicating with the dead/ancestors, but also seeing clearly about the ancestors of land. Its easy in our very modernised world to think the ancestors lived a life so deeply attuned to the land and were happy - take off the rosetinted glasses! Also, it cleanses negativity and promoted intergration and acting within our integrity, else the winds will change on you and return what you put out.
Fern - a bolt out of the blue, what the winds suddenly blow into your way and becoming invisible like the wind. Fern also has deep connections to the lifeforce which in Yogic traditions associates prana with breath/air.
Meadowsweet - to celebrate and even instigate change and thinking of ways around a problem (like Gwydion thinking of ways around Arianrhod's wishes).
Mint - as it calms the mind and emotional anxiety and worrying. Also its good for freshening your breath and airways.. also like Menthol.
Mistletoe - its up high in the air, and I feel its energies are a plant to rule complementary therapies which are an 'all-heal' in that they look at everything holistically, no just the symptom/cause/disease of modern medicine (although thats a very useful tactic when feeling ill too!). It cuts what is waste out of our lives, and helps us to reap from our own knowledge and wisdom. Also mistletoe I think its a herb of oral traditions.
Vervain - the star herb of the druids that was meant to be harvested under the light of the rising Dog Star. It promotes good dreams, and frees our minds from our desires, focusing on what is important and not 'temptations', although at the same time Vervain is a bit of a trickster energy, for it is also believed to be an amphrodisiac! lol.



Others herbs of Air are..
Anise - for its powers of concentration and focusing the mind
lemon verbena - a strong cleansing smell, thats good for promoting messages/communication, especially between lovers.
lavendar - its strong scent calms the mind, and promotes sleep and dispells worries and replaces them with a feeling of contentment.
Parsley - for protection as well as purification, for it cleanses the palete and freshens breath as well as the mind.
Peppermint - great for bringing up trapped wind! I also think its a great herb for expressing what really is on your mind, the thoughts that you feel trapped by and unable to say.
Rosemary - for it cleanses the mind from PMT associated blues, bringing you a clear head out of a hormonal chaos, the 'i dont know why I feel so upset or angry' kinda feeling. Also, rosemary helps promote your memory!
Sage - has long been associated with Air, for its purifying incense/smoke, also Sage tea is wonderful for soothing sore throats, and it magically helps us pick our words carefully, thinking before we speak.
Wormwood - for promoting the ability to communicate with the spirit world and the dead. It also is a heavy protection herb, the Mafia of herbal protection.

And lets think of a few of the Tree Ogham for Air..

Birch - the tall silvery lady who bends in the wind. A tree of flexibility, who's bark can be used as paper to write and also great for catching flint sparks to create a fire. This tree blesses new beginnings, like the dawn of a new day.
Ash - A tree of your world view, but also for linking betweeen the worlds. Promotes travelling to them as well as recieving messages from the other realms. Ash always makes me think of arrows, cutting through the air, that firm focused energy out of the chaos.
Ivy - the life force, like prana.. also many pieces of pagan iconography show figures with ivy pouring out of their mouths. It also keeps us focused on our contracts, our word being our bond and keeping to our goals.
Pine/Elm - reaching new heights, climbing to see a new perspective, objectivity. Its also the tree of seeing things with a new revitalised look if you've look been on a path or job that is starting to feel stale, or trapped by a 'glass ceiling' of your own making.

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
/|\

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
/|\

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!