From the
Badger's Forest Tarot, the Ace of Crows (Pentacles); from the Gemstone Oracle, "Malachite:"
I have to admit VanderHoeven confused me at first with this image of a crow and a bird bath. I generally associate birds with air (Swords) and water with emotions (Cups), yet this card represents the Ace of Pentacles. However being ground foragers, crows do spend much of their time on terra firma. And here's what I learned about these corvids and bird baths: they often use them as a place to deposit their food. Since they don't have strong beaks for tearing flesh, they'll leave things such as rodents in the water to "tenderize." And because a nesting mother needs water as well as food, crows will let food soak up water before taking it to their mate (and babies too). Those pizza crusts weren't just randomly dropped in the bird bath after all. In a very unusual way, this card does symbolize the resources that are available for tangible development.
The quote and keywords chosen for malachite are:
Strange, that some of us,
with quick alternate vision, see beyond our infatuations, and even while we
rave on the heights, behold the wide plain where our persistent self pauses and
awaits us. ~ George Eliot
protection, a need for
caution and prudence, avoid impulsive behavior
In her quote, Eliot speaks of those compulsive desires that another more rational side knows is not a good idea. As someone who frequently gets attracted to new card decks, art supplies or books, I can relate. Malachite's message is to wait, do some deeper research and then decide if what I long for is really worth having. Often what looks wonderfully bright and shiny at first turns out to be just a piece of soggy pizza crust.
"Behold the wide plain where our persistent self pauses and awaits us." Pithy and evocative, gotta love GE. Middlemarch was a fave in college.
ReplyDeleteMalachite came up for me in a reading last week and it's been on my mind ever since. I love the variegated greens. Soggy pizza crusts, not so much ;)
Malachite is one of those stones that is so beautiful, it almost doesn't seem natural - all those green swirls!
DeleteI can't believe I didn't know that about crows. Maybe I'm not sure I believe it anyway. But I love how they all go to work in the morning and come home together at night. I always give them a good morning and a good night.
ReplyDeleteI'm always finding bizarre stuff in my bird bath; at least I know why now. :)
Deletehttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/crows/crowfaq.htm
Crows are so incredibly smart.
I didn't know this fact about crows either. Maybe if we let our decks and books soak in a bit longer we would get a better understanding of them and get to know them inside out.Then the need of the next quick fix ( a new deck or art supplies) will lose its temptation. This is of course easier said then done :D
ReplyDeleteIf I let my brain soak a bit before jumping into some activity or buying something, I bet it would eliminate a lot of wasted energy and money! :)
DeleteYes, I remember feeling very confused by this card. Your explanation makes so much sense! And I love your comment about something shiny ending up just being soggy pizza crust :D Striving for something new, but with care and prudence, does sound pretty pentacle-y...
ReplyDeleteI had to do a little research to figure out this card, but once I found the information, the meaning clicked for me. :)
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