Cosmic Whispers Tarot

Let's find our stars in the cards . . .

You are here: Home / Archives for imbolc

imbolc

Brighid’s Blue Moon Spread

By

PREVIOUS BLOG | MASTER LIST | NEXT BLOG

So, an interesting trifecta with the Moon’s energy, just in time for the festival of Brighid of the Three Fires and the hope for spring that is Imbolc (which is tomorrow). As many have no doubt heard online, we have a combination of a Full Moon, Blue Moon (second one in a single month), and lunar eclipse all at once.

Here in southwestern Oregon inside the coast range, we did arise at 4 pm in hopes…but alas, the daily fog that blankets our area in winter won out over the Moon and its eclipse. Not a sign of dear Luna did we see. But, hey, there is always the Internet! I got out my trusty iPad and headed over to NASA.gov for the live feed from southern California. And I have recorded it here for you, as it was when I did my draw for the Hop this morning.

Background from our Wrangler, Aisling, on what the card draw is about: “We are celebrating a “Solilune,” a combination of a Solar (Brighid) and Lunar Festival, and it’s dedicated to a Deity who Herself is represented in Her Celtic realm by three Elemental locations, Land, Sea, and Sky, and three characteristics of the Inner Flame, Poesy, Smithcraft, and Healing, as well as shedding her beneficent influence on three areas of human life, Body, Mind, and Spirit . This day also represents a Secret Gift of Spirit, the Blue Moon, representing those things that are rare and precious. Therefore, we will be creating a pattern of triplicity in our draw and layout for this Hop.”

And herewith, the full draw (three rows) from this morning from the Osho Zen Tarot (which happened to be kept in a bag with the Moon on it):

The Reading

1) The Foundation: You will draw three cards, one representing Land (Body), one for Sky (Mind) and the third one for Sea (Spirit). These will indicate for you the physical, mental, and emotional/spiritual focus of your year-to-come. These cards honor the Solar Festival of Imbolc and the Three Fires of Brigid.

The Lovers, Playfulness (Page of Fire/Wands), Beyond Illusion (XX Judgement)

The Lovers here represents the Body, and in the Osho Zen, this card is interpreted in three(!) levels as sexuality, love, and compassion, with the idea being to move up from the first to the third, of course. But still, staying with the sexuality/body aspect, it leads quite nicely into..Playfulness, which corresponds to the Mind here. Play with some sexy ideas and add fire to your inspirations, because this could be a path to seeing through any Illusions that may be holding you back from true compassion and connection to Spirit. Don’t discount the power of Play.

2) The Construction: This Moon, according to the Celtic Tree Calendar, is the Full Rowan Moon. This tree is sacred to Brighid, and represents “Protection from Evil Enchantment.” So the three cards you draw for the second level, the Lunar energy of the year, will represent the answers to the following three questions:

  • What is the energy of the new path that presents itself? Adventure (Page of Earth/Pentacles)
  • From what will I need protection on this journey? Turning In (Four of Water/Cups)
  • What energies of my own or of spirit will guide and protect me? Conditioning (XV The Devil)

Let’s go! The Moon gives us permission to set off toward the rainbow path as a child with all her innocent curiosity (Adventure). And where is she going? Into herself, it would seem (Turning In) to quiet the mind (or at least pay the Mind no mind), for the endless chatter is my spiritual nemesis. The story behind the last image (Conditioning) in this row is that of a lion (interesting since this Moon is in Leo) who grows up with a flock of sheep and thinks he is one, until another lion shows him his true reflection. So, the protection I see is that of knowing Who You Really Are from your adventures, turning in to hear that genuine voice, and then allowing yourself to be visible as You, with no disguises, no compromises.

3) The Surprise: Once in a Blue Moon, wonderful things come forth. Draw your final three cards connected with Body, Mind, and Spirit, in that order, to see what treasures the Universe has in store for you. 

Flowering, Aloneness, The Burden

Well, at least it starts out fun! My surprise gifts include more sexy fun with the Queen of Water/Cups (Flowering) to remind me of the first row and playtime. The Mind, however, is working its own inner light (Aloneness/IX The Hermit), so I’m not seeing a social sexiness going on. And in Spirit, the surprise is that the responsibilities of spiritual growth can sometimes feel like a burden and a slog through multiple attempts at inner healing (The Burden/Six of Air/Swords), and it’s time to shed my egoic passenger and her fears and find a more joyful way to continue my spirit journey (back to Flowering and Playfulness!).

The Verticals

Just ’cause I love all pattern directions, I noticed some interesting messages flowing from the verticals in this draw as well, from bottom to top:

1) Left column (the Body, the new path): Allow the Flowering of your mature, sexy self and step into Adventure as the innocent you are, for at the end of that path is a great partnership with love and compassion.

2) Middle column (the Mind, the challenge): Know thyself (Aloneness), Turn In and tune in to the silence and away from the chatter, and then you will know just how to play (Playfulness) a new tune.

3) Right column (the Spirit, the protection): Shed your ego Burden, then your Conditioning restrictions, and you will emerge from the Illusion into Enlightenment.

Meanwhile, the sun has lightened the foggy sky, and soon that cloud will lift. I’m sorry I missed the Moon this morning, but glad for its guiding energy in this draw.

Let me know what you learned in the comments and don’t forget to visit my neighbors, Karen Sealey (prepare to laugh), and Jay Cassals (prepare to go deep), and all the other great writers in the Hop.

PREVIOUS BLOG | MASTER LIST | NEXT BLOG

Lenormand Shift—Imbolc Tarot Blog Hop

By

PREVIOUS BLOG | MASTER LIST | NEXT BLOG

250px-Snowdrop_imbolcWelcome to the first hint that winter won’t last forever, the Imbolc festival and Tarot Blog Hop. I know it can be hard to believe that we are on our way to summer, but even here in the depths of South Texas, where the length of day and night don’t change all that much by season, the days are discernible longer. So, have hope, my friends in more northern climes, as the snow howls all around, summer is still coming, thanks to the inevitability of orbital mechanics and the Earth’s axis tilt. 🙂

When Karen Sealey of the Pure and Blessed Tarot came up with her theme for this blog hop—Oracular Anomalies—I had a bit of at time thinking about which Tarot cards in which decks really “threw me off” and got me to shift my thinking about symbolism, meaning, and reading the cards.

Topsy-turvy Galaxy (NGC1313) ESO
Topsy-turvy Galaxy (NGC1313) ESO

I thought about how the Thoth tarot (Hanged Man on the left) had opened my mind to the complexities of adding Kabbalah and astrology, as well as Egyptian symbolism, to the Tarot, but it wasn’t so much of a stretch from the Rider-Waite-Smith esoteric interpretations I was already used to. And my study of the earlier Marseilles (Hanged Man on the right) and other pre-Golden Dawn decks gave me basic context for the Tarot, but they didn’t really turn me upside down and all around. Nope.

12_hanged_man_thoth12_hangedman_marseilles

And then I remembered the Lenormand. First it challenges by saying it’s a system for reading and not dependent upon a certain set of cards, although the 36-card decks currently used are really just another modification of playing cards, but in a different direction than Tarot (smaller rather than larger deck, like taking out all the Majors and some of the Minors as well).

Then it says, this really is about the real world and practical problems, and sometimes life trajectories, but here, on planet Earth, not in some woo-woo spiritual universe and not necessarily about your psychological well-being (although you can address psycho-spiritual questions with the system). Wow. Some folks use the Tarot this way as well, but since sometime in the 20th century (often debatable as to exactly when), the Tarot went to a psycho-spiritual place for a lot of readers, and became a counseling tool rather than a fortune-telling tool. Lenormand takes us back to the idea of the cards as messages about what’s coming up next on the querent’s timeline. So, below, in a daily draw (specific questions are better), the message might be that money’s (Fish) flowing into your work, (Moon) for sure (Key) ( I would expect the possibility of a new check for my work).

2012-07-19_len_3card_draw
Fish – Moon – Key from the White Owl Deck

So, the Moon isn’t about emotions? For some readers it is; depends on what set of traditional meanings you choose to use. Totally different from Tarot, which has lost a lot of its contact with traditional fortune-telling meanings (take a look at Arthur Waite’s little white book to get an idea of some of the arbitrary ones), largely I think because it was harder to memorize than to just go with the archetypal meanings in the symbolism (but I still don’t get the Seven of Swords—it’s always complicated).

Although some folks have seen the Lenormand cards as smaller and simpler Tarot cards and have used their normal intuitive card-by-card method to read them, I think they are missing the gift in this system. Because the Lenormand system is made to be linguistic (image = keyword(s)), and read like a phrase or sentence, the usefulness I think is in reading multiple cards together. This method harkens back to the way pre-Golden Dawn historical Tarot decks were read as well, with relationships developed on the visuals of color and position of figures among the cards.

So, I thought to myself: This is neat, this is so different from the image/visual intuitive method currently used in most tarot readings. Once I learned a bit more and got into larger spreads, I thought that this Lenormand method could benefit my tarot reading and bring back to me a focus on relating the cards in a narrative story. Cool!

So here’s my favorite part about this new “anomaly” in my Tarot learning: the 3X3 spread. This is a common monthly or longer forecast used with the Lenormand method, and I’ve been having fun using it to expand my Tarot skills. Here’s what it looks like with tarot cards (Ciro Marchetti’s Gilded Tarot Royale):

2013-oct_monthly_3x3

The fun and time come in using the actual Lenormand method to combine cards top to bottom, diagonally, and skipping around in diamond formations to create a really deep story for the month ahead. I’ll leave it to you if you want to see the detailed pattern analysis from my original post on this spread, located here. If you’d like to see how it works with actual Lenormand cards, you can check out my post using Ciro Marchetti’s Gilded Reverie Lenormand, here. I also recommend Andy Boroveshengra’s book on Lenormand, available over at Amazon.com, here.

New Year blessings and hope for spring!

To continue on the hop, just follow the signposts below, depending on which direction you came from, to the lovely Louise Underhill’s Priestess Tarot (to the left) or to the equally lovely Arwen Lynch’s Tarot by Arwen (to the right). And if you get lost, you can always regain your bearings by consulting the master list.

 PREVIOUS BLOG | MASTER LIST | NEXT BLOG

Breaking Through—Imbolc Tarot Blog Hop 2014

By

 PREVIOUS BLOG | MASTER LIST | NEXT BLOG

250px-Snowdrop_imbolc

Welcome to the first signs of abundance to come, the first milk of the ewes, the stirrings of life beneath the snows, the Imbolc Tarot Blog Hop!

We’ve had more freezes this year in Houston, Texas, than in several of the previous ones, so the grass and subtropical shrubs are brown and leafless, although the Chinese fringe flowers continue to thrive and will produce little pink flowerettes soon.  Oh, and we still have a bloom or two, plus leaves, left on the roses. Roses actually seem to like it better in the cool weather. We rarely get the snow that falls farther north, but the damp cold of January does feel like England, and a cup of hot tea goes down nicely. Whether you’ve come in from Chloe McCracken’s Inner Whispers in one direction or from the Joanna Ash’s Sun Goddess Tarot blog (from tropical Singapore, no less!) in the other, welcome!

brighde_Stuart-LittlejohnOur lovely Hop wrangler, Christiana Gaudet, has given us an inspiration to celebrate Brighid, the Celtic goddess of healing and fertility (or in this case, creativity). Brighid, or St. Bridget as she seems to have morphed into in her Christian guise, is one of my very favorite Celtic deities. Here in Stuart Little-John’s artistic eye, she’s surrounded by what looks to me a sword of great intent, a crook to herd the pregnant sheep, the snow-drops a-blooming, the healing serpent emerging from the newly thawed soil, and a swan who will soon be tending her young. She carries the torch of eternal light while the trees in the distance still sleep. Earth, air, fire, and water, the whole universe, waiting for the sun to arc just a little higher.

“Imbolc” or “Imbolg” means “in the belly” and refers to the season where sheep and goats are carrying their young, the first domesticated mammals to be born in early spring, and therefore are, or will soon be, lactating. Wait! Milk and snow = ice cream! A very tasty thought, although I think I’ll have mine by the fire at this time, thank you.

One good way to break through the cold fog of spring’s early morning and expose what might be striving in the womb of your heart is to set the beautiful images of Tarot down and see what the cards, and you, say will lead to the healing that opens the gap for creative beauty to surface.

I know my best creative work has often come from healing some inner fear or sorrow and then finding the opening to grow into something new. Lately for me, new creation has meant knitting, although sometimes I feel like I’ve ripped out and started over more than I’ve stitched. 😉 I love the process of making stitches more than the final product so far. I wonder if snow drops enjoy the sting of the snow as they unfold and stretch into the sunlight?

How do challenges inspire you to do more creative work and play?

Let’s use this Imbolc spread I developed last year with some modification for this year’s theme to see what sorts of breakthroughs we can find:

1) As it seems: What’s on the surface? Is it crusty or soft with new rain from released emotions? Where’s your obstacle to growth, or has it just now dissolved?

2) As you will: Reveal your great desire, that push to see the sun. Why do you want to grow into something new?

3) As you feel: How does it feel to stretch and grow past those barriers? Tears or laughter? Or deepest calm?

4) As you move: Will it be all easy and flow, or will you be “ripping out” and starting over more than once?

5) As you are: What is really inside you that longs to see the sun?

Ah, lay them out then, your five cards, in whatever shape you like (a star, flower petals, the face and ears of your favorite ewe, even) and see what comes up out of the snow. And let me know in the comments, if you will. I love to chat!

I will leave you with my Rebirth card (#20) for the Cosmic Whispers deck, since Imbolc is  all about the beginning of a new cycle of growth rising up after the deaths of winter have passed. Bright Blessings!

20_rebirth_cw_watermark

And when you’re done, don’t forget to visit my neighbors (links reprised below) or head over to the master list to get re-oriented after a break.

PREVIOUS BLOG | MASTER LIST | NEXT BLOG

“In the Belly” Tarot Blog Hop–Imbolc

By

250px-Snowdrop_imbolc

Welcome to the first signs of abundance to come, the first milk of the ewes, the stirrings of life beneath the snows! Here in the subtropics of southeast Texas, the winter garden is just sprouting with cabbage, cauliflower, onions and and potatoes, although it did freeze night before last, but so far, all is well. We rarely get the snow that falls farther north, but the damp cold of January does feel like England, and a cup of tea goes down nicely.

brighde_Stuart-Littlejohn

Brighid

This is the time to celebrate Brighid, the Celtic goddess of healing and fertility,  or the lovely Ground Hog, weather maven of spring. Cute as the ground hog is, I think I’ll go with Brighid, or St. Bridget as she seems to have morphed into in her Christian guise. Here in Stuart Little-John’s artistic eye, she’s surrounded by what looks to me a sword of great intent, a crook to herd the pregnant sheep, the snow-drops a-blooming, the healing serpent emerging from the newly thawed soil, and a swan who will soon be tending her young. She carries the torch of eternal light while the trees in the distance still sleep. Earth, air, fire, and water, the whole universe, waiting for the sun to arc just a little higher.

Meaning of Imbolc

450px-German_ewe_grazing_closeup

“‘Imbolc’ or ‘Imbolg,’ the name of this festival in Celtic regions where it originated, means “in the belly” and refers to the season where sheep and goats are carrying their young, the first domesticated mammals to be born in early spring, and therefore are, or will soon be, lactating.

This day marks the end of Winter, and the Lore of the Celts says the last wintery blasts of January are the Cailleach, the Old Hag of Winter, howling her frustration that the new Maiden Goddess is stepping her foot on the land to melt the ice and cause the water, and the milk, to flow.”

Imbolc Tarot Spread

300px-Imbolc_Festival_February_3rd_2007

So, “what is ‘in your Belly’?’ at this first hint of springtime?

One good way to see through the cold fog of spring’s early morning and expose what might be growing in the womb of your heart is to set the beautiful images of Tarot down and see what the cards, and you, say may come to birth later in the year.

Here’s my Tarot spread, then, for Imbolc:

1) As it seems: What’s on the surface? How is your belly covered; what are its colors?

2) As you will: Reveal your great desire, the gold beneath your cloak.

3) As you feel: Rub your belly; what do you feel inside?

4) As you move: Should you face the wind, or flow with the current; how should you move?

5) As you are: What is really inside you that longs to see the sun?

Ah, lay them out then, your five cards, in whatever shape you like (a star, flower petals, the face and ears of a ewe, even) and see what is revealed.

Here’s my try at it, using Ciro Marchetti’s Gilded Tarot Royale:

1) As it seems: Eight of cups. Feels like I’m leaving things behind, like the red-garbed fellow facing away from me in the card, leaving his cups, his feelings of old, while the moon seems to rise as the sun sets far along his path.

2) As I will: Another Eight, of Wands this time. Hard wood staffs with crescent metal ends fly across a field filled with…sheep?!! as the sun shines on the far horizon. So, perhaps I, too, wish to take flight, leaving it all behind and moving on to greener pastures.

3) As I feel: The Two of Cups. A lady and man face each other over two golden goblets with a rainbow and a blue planet hanging above the water below, and a fish jumping between the cups. I feel loved, cared for, partnered in my desire to move and change.

4) As you move: King of Wands! A dashing young dark-haired king sits a bit anxiously on his throne–looks like he’s about to jump up. He’s got those same scarlet clothes, only a bit richer looking, than my friend in the Eight of Cups. And he carries one of those wands, like the ones in the Eight of Wands. I think I’ll be facing the wind with this guy. No going with the flow here. He’s going to be taking the lead, and so should I.

5) As I am: Four of Wands. Wands yet again; creation, movement, risk taking, going for it-ness. Ah, but the four is a place of rest and celebration. I have the structure built (four flower-draped wands in a field), my loved ones with me (family stands within the structure) in my new home near the mountains. I am home.

Yep. That sounds about right. Before I finish my creation, I will move, in lots of ways, physically as well as spiritually and emotionally until I and my loved ones find a new home to settle in and grow in.

So, if you are so inclined, do try out this spread and see how it goes for your “belly.”

© 2013 – 2020 Joanne Sprott