Sanctity of the Sacred

This week I'll be using the Greenwood Tarot, created by Chesca Potter and Mark Ryan and published by Thorsons. Today's card is the Ancestor (Hierophant):

According to Potter's notes, this card is associated with Imbolc, the ancient festival that marked the beginning of spring. Here a shaman (in shape-shifted reindeer form) beats her drum, honoring the earth while encouraging it to wake from its winter sleep. Like the tracks in the snow, there are times when I need the help of a pathfinder to find my way. Such a person guides me in following "my star," here represented by the North Star. I met with a woman yesterday from whom I received an unexpected gift, a gift that made me remember just how long it's been since I did any journeying. It was a spiritual nudge for me to act in order to wake something inside me. Like the two birch trees in the image above, no one can pass through this gate for me - I must do the work myself.

The oracle I'll be using this week, the Pictish Oracle, was something I created based on my research of the ancient (Class I) Pictish stones of Scotland. Alaska Laser Maid, with her amazing talents, helped turn my ideas and drawings into a reality. Her Etsy shop now carries this set. This morning's draw produced the tile known as the "Rectangular Figure:"

Found ten times on Class I stones, these decorated figures may represent a wooden box, coffer, or satchel. Several Class II stones (when Christianity became an influence) show monks carrying similar type bags. For me, it is a symbol of safekeeping, a container in which to put something I hold dear or sacred. In combining this tile with the card above, I am cautioned to avoid "telling all" when it comes to my spiritual path or the inner insights I receive. Some things are meant to be personal and cherished. The wisdom I receive is not intended to evangelize or puff up my ego, but to transform myself.