I use tarot and oracle cards as tools for reflection and contemplation. Rather than divining the future, they are a way for me to look more deeply at the "now."
"The goal isn't to arrive, but to meander, to saunter, to make your life a holy wandering." ~ Rami Shapiro

Thursday, March 3, 2016

Right and Fitting

From the Victorian Fairy Tarot, the Eight of Winter (Swords); from the Haindl Rune Oracle, Odal (Othila):
          According to Weatherstone, this poor maid is being harassed by the children of the fairy family she serves. It's winter and the kids have been cooped up in the burrow for too long. Their boredom has shown itself in their antics and the mistreatment of the hired help. The woman feels like she has no choice but to take whatever they dish out, because she doesn't want to lose her job. But is this just a projection she's made based on an assumption? Is there any hard evidence to back up this conclusion?
          Haindl's painting for Othila/Odal gave me the impression of peeking through a keyhole (perhaps from behind a locked door) and seeing a light that gives hope for release. It is generally translated as "estate" or "homeland," which can be seen as a measure of power and success. Yet a reading of the poem associated with it hints at something else:
An Estate is greatly dear to every man
If what is right and fitting there
He may enjoy at home
With most prosperity.
The second line strongly suggests that responsibility comes with power. The maid's responsibility (if she wants to stop being a victim) is to talk to the parents of the children. The parents (who hopefully want to do what is "right and fitting") could possibly give the children some activities to occupy them. Feeling victimized so often comes down to the hesitancy to communicate, which could easily clear up any misunderstandings.


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6 comments:

  1. Sharyn Mallow WoerzMarch 3, 2016 at 10:44 AM

    I've had this rune oracle at some point. I'd forgotten how the continuity is held by trees and branches. Today I find it depressing though beautiful, I wonder what I thought then?

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    1. thesycamoretreeMarch 3, 2016 at 11:58 AM

      Funny that you would say that. I had the Haindl Tarot at some point, and thought the same thing. :)

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  2. EllenMarch 3, 2016 at 1:13 PM

    I love this version of the eight of swords. To be able to free yourself of limiting and freedom depriving thought patterns by being brave enough to speak you mind. Often never so scary as we expect it to be

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    1. thesycamoretreeMarch 3, 2016 at 1:19 PM

      I thought the same thing, Ellen. :) If I can get past the "what ifs," I'm liable to get past what's bothering me by simply speaking up.

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  3. Inner WhispersMarch 4, 2016 at 9:11 AM

    A very different perspective to "the meek shall inherit the earth" which sprang to my mind with this combination as you described it. Guess it depends on your definition of meek... I like your suggestion better - speak up for yourself, especially as people may not be as critical as you expect :)

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    1. thesycamoretreeMarch 4, 2016 at 10:50 AM

      In my neck of the woods,the meek get stomped into the earth by the aggressive! :)

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