Daily Draw for Tuesday November 20, 2018
I want to start posting a card of the day. Maybe some of you will find it helpful. When people say that they’d like to get into Tarot but they don’t know how to begin, this is how you do it. Back in the year 2000 when I received my very first deck, the Faerie’s Oracle by Brian Froud and Jessica Macbeth, this is how I learned: one card, per day. I always pulled a card, then took a good long look at it, had a conversation with it, then jotted it down in my journal. After I did that I looked up the meaning in the book. Very often than nought, Jessica Macbeth and I were on the same page, or “same card”, so to speak. Eventually I got through the entire deck and each card felt like a friend. I’ve continued a similar process for all of the decks that have come into my life. I believe that with Tarot the meanings of each card are pretty standard, but the artwork makes all the difference, and each deck has it’s own things to say. You only have to use our intuition and listen.
Today I’m using the Herbal Tarot by Michael Tierra and Candis Cantin. This deck lead me to my herbal course with the East West School of Planetary Herbology so I owe it a lot. The card I pulled today is the Ten of Wands: Prickly Ash Bark. This card is ruled by Saturn in Sagittarius, the fire element and the number 10. “I aim for achievement”. When this card comes up in a reading it reminds us that the work has been worth it. We are almost at the end of our journey and very soon we may lay down our burdens. Now, perhaps the only reason we have burdens to begin with is because Sagittarius is an “all or nothing” sort of guy. He never does anything half-way and he loves the challenges that life brings him, and Saturn certainly brings a lot. Perhaps you’ve been in this situation before: you are all ready carrying a lot on your shoulders and then someone close to you asks you to take them to the airport. You say “yes, of course.” Then maybe someone at works asks you to pick up their shift. “Yes” again. Then your significant other asks if you can have dinner with the family. “How can I say no?” This continues on, and then all of a sudden you look at your calendar and you are booked with no time left for yourself. Or perhaps it has nothing to do with outside forces and YOU are the culprit. Maybe you have taken on so many creative projects that there is no possible way that you can get to them all, or if you do, you forget to eat or sleep and burn-out occurs. I think it’s safe to say that we have ALL experienced both situations. It’s ok to think of yourself. It’s ok to say “no” before your load becomes too heavy to bare. Now if this is you and you have all ready taken on to much, don’t worry, the number 10 says that you will be able to lay those burdens down very soon. You’re at the end of the line, and since “10” breaks down to “1”, it is telling us that it’s important to think about taking care of your SELF. The question then becomes, “Once I reach the end and I’ve looked after my self, what next?” The other question is, “How do I keep mySELF from being in that situation again?” However, if all of your burdens are out of your control, remember this: Saturn will only give us weight that we can truly carry. Perhaps you are stronger than you think.
Now, being that this is an Herbal Tarot deck, each card has an herbal ruler. The herb that is mentioned in this deck for the 10 of Wands is Prickly Ash Bark, a stimulant and detoxifier that helps bring about better circulation. It will bring you some extra fire and help stimulate you for that great last climb. It will also help you detox all of the burdens that you have taken on from others, and help you release pain in the joints and stomach brought on by emotional and physical trauma. Body, mind and spirit are always connected. Remember, you have enough on your shoulders, you don’t need to take on any one else’s weight. That sort of thing just causes muscle strain and stress.
During my readings I always like to lay down a Lenormand card with my tarot or oracle cards to bring focus to the message, in this case it’s not a card at all but a charm that I got from the Lenormand Casting Charms from GreenWomanCrafts on Etsy. I’m still learning how to play with these but I absolutely love them! The charm I pulled is the Lily. When Lily shows us she talks about bringing peace into your life. The sort of peace that usually is only found in the mature individuals that have “been there and done that”. You can learn a lot from your elders. Maybe someone you know that is older is struggling right now with their burdens. Offer them a hand or an ear to listen. Or maybe you have felt that your struggle is your own and no one else has been where you are now. I guarantee that you are not alone, and there are caring people out there that have all ready been through the fire that can help you take those last few steps to find peace. No one is alone. We are all in this together. Have a great day!