Transparent Plants

OK, no maybe not quite transparent plants.. but the DPO with the Transparent Tarot (TT).

As Im so EAGERLY awaiting the new Transparent Oracle to come out (oh when oh when will that be!) I thought I'd get used to playing with cards transparently with the TT. Its been ages since Ive used it for reading, and its been neglected and only gets brought out to show people how Tarot is a very exciting world, i mean, see through cards! Thats revolutionary!

When I was shuffling I was hopeing to keep the cards all in one order, so that I could turn the cards and have them all facing their proper ways, no flipping or whatever, but that didnt happen. The cards went ping out of my hands, they wanted to be mixed around so they are. I wont go into detail of the MI or the flipped images or not, but let the composite speak for itself.

OK so 3 card draw with the TT and a Plant Guide from the DPO..

Mind (mental) 6 of swords
Hmm looking at that boated figure, and I guess so far today my mind has been drifting like a boat on some still water. Just floating. I got really inspired by a friend of mine who asked me about tarot and Jesus, and that started a whole new train of thought from what I have been previously thinking.
A floaty day isnt a bad thing though, because Ive let ideas come forward that I havent really let forward, like using the TT and spending all day cleaning it lol.

Body (physical)High Priestess
Maybe its the doing what I feel inspired to do. This morning I had no inkling to open up my TT and play with it, but I felt the urge to go cleaning, to find my TT and think 'it could do with a clean' and from that sparked a very interesting conversation.

I suppose the floating free mind and listening to what my intuition just said to do has really given me surprises and new insights that I thought of before.

Spiritual -5 of swords
Hmm this I dont understand. I feel very positive and upbeat about my spirituality. I do my bits and pieces that are important to me, rituals, observances etc.
Theres an idea in the TT book that Em wrote 'it is a reminder that there is no need to fight those who do not understand or agree. The only person who needs to acknowledge and embrace your beliefs is you'(p161 TT book).
Now, that is an interesting idea, as even doing the TT in a reading today has made me wobble about what my DPO PDR is really about? Can I blog about it? Should I do it secretly on the forum and hope no one notices?
Ya know - Sod em.. its my blog LOL. And, I still have my DPO for reflection :)

Together the composite image of my TT draw today is interesting. The figure of the 5 of swords is lost in the words of a book, does it matter if Im inspired by books that I 'shouldnt' be? Or do I have to do things 'by the book' but who wrote the damn book in the first place? Me I think LOL. I do worry a lot about being a hypocrit, but if its my own rules I break it means Ive outgrown the ones I originally made.
Hey, why am I justifying myself? I only need to acknowledge and embrace this! But its nice to share :D
The 6 of swords is like its just on the edge of the cave entrance made by the cresent moon of the HPS. Is it going in or out? Sometimes I think I think too much lol

Its a nice composite.



And the DPO card? Meadowsweet again..
Hmm that same message is echoing around the place. Interesting... And I wanted to share the message that I got from last night, but you wouldnt believe me if I did tell you ;)

And if I overlay the TT composite with Meadowsweet I get a very interesting image. The cards seem to follow the plants stem in the card, from bottom right to top left, and theres the HPS moon that seems to sever the plant and the 2 minor cards. Its like theres a message - I need to march to the beat of my own drum.. not to worry about other people, to have an open mind to get the odd whisper from the Gods.




Funky stuff!

quick draw

Im off to the pub later, meet some friends I havent seen in a while. Where does the time go?!


Anyways, todays quick draw is Meadowsweet . I always have Damh's song, Oak Broom and Meadowsweet in my head when I think of this card. Infact, I'll put it on as I type !

SO... Meadowsweet, in the book it talks about celebration, of mead and enjoying shifts and transitions. And indeed we will, as the Moot will be at a different pub, first moot of the new year (coz of all that damn snow we kept getting) etc. So it will be very funky to see people :D

However I feel there is more here than the obvious. Those bees are looking at me as if there is a hidden message, but I cant see to work it out. Maybe there will be a 'message' of some sort that will be revealed tonight?

Hmmm, I'll get back this one.

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.