Sacred Trust

This week I'll be using the Sacred Sites Tarot, created by Massimiliano Filadoro and illustrated by Federico Penco; it was published by Lo Scarabeo. This morning's draw is the Ace of Pentacles:

This is an image of Machu Picchu ("old peak"), an estate in Peru built for the Incan emperor Pachacuti about 1450. It was abandoned during the Spanish Conquest a century later and remained hidden except to the locals. American historian Hiram Bingham brought it to international attention in 1911; he also took home hundreds of artifacts from the site. It has taken until November of 2012 for Yale University to return the last of the artifacts taken. Although earthquakes and weather systems threaten the sacred site, the biggest danger to Machu Picchu is the thousands of tourists who visit. In an effort to protect its natural and cultural significance, UNESCO has made it a World Heritage Site. The Ace of Pentacles reminds me I have a sacred duty to take care of the resources I've been entrusted with, whether my health, finances or this lovely earth that is my home.

The other deck I'll be using this week is the Haindl Rune Oracle created by Hermann Haindl and published by U.S. Games. Today's draw is "Yr:"

The Old Norse Rune Poem associates this rune with the yew, a tree known for its longevity. The Icelandic Rune Poem connects it with a bent bow and arrow - a sign of protection. Like the Machu Picchu site above, if I want something to last I must take care of it. And sometimes that means laying down some firm boundaries to protect those things.