Wiser Than Before

From the Greenwood Tarot, the Eight of Cups; from the Rune Cards, Birch/Beorc:

We are the old people we are the new people

We are the same people wiser than before

~"Cauldron of Changes" chant

Potter's Eight of Cups includes the cauldron of transformation, a chance to pour all of the elements of oneself into the vessel in order to be changed for the better. This is not simply a geographical cure or trading in an old set of companions for some new ones. It is the realization that internal changes need to be made so that we no longer react to life in our usual habitual ways. Birch trees produce winged seeds that lack a hard outer shell, allowing them to germinate easily and quickly. For this reason it is a pioneer species, one of the first trees to 'rebirth' a land that has been disturbed by fire or storms. When we remove the hard shell of our mindset, we are able to see from a wider perspective and respond in more skillful and wholesome ways. A transformation truly takes place.