Two Vehicles

This week I'll be using the Gaian Tarot, a deck and book set created and self-published by Joanna Powell Colbert (now published by Schiffer). I'll also be using the Goddess Oracle, a deck and book set created by Amy Sophia Marashinsky and illustrated by Hrana Janto. Today's draws are the Chariot and Freya:

Lose your mind and come to your senses.

~Fritz Perls

This Chariot is a canoe, paddled by a serious fellow intent on his getting to his destination. The eagle offers the medicine of fierce attention, the salmon tenacity, and the black and white orcas balance and harmony. His self-discipline and focus allow him to avoid emotional triggers and physical distractions, keeping him headed in the direction he desires. While such concentration is laudable, he might heed the message of the orcas and spend some time in his body instead of just in his head. The mind needs the vehicle of the body, and Freya (Norse goddess of beauty, passion and fertility) suggests we appreciate it and pay attention its wisdom too. 

Still Hope

From the Classic Tarot, the Star; from the Constellation Cards, Cygnus:

Go down, sit in the dust, Virgin Daughter Babylon; sit on the ground without a throne, queen city of the Babylonians. No more will you be called tender or delicate.

~Isaiah 47:1

The Star shows the first naked figure in the Marseille tarot, implying that one has been stripped bare of all pretenses and resources. She pours her jars of water back into the stream, as if now recognizing that she took what was not given. Robert O'Neill suggests that this card might be describing the Fall of Babylon to the Persian King Cyrus the Great. Isaiah depicts Babylon as a former queen who loses everything because of her arrogance, mercilessness and selfishness. Though the biblical chapter ends with "No one shall save you," the owl and stars suggest there is still wisdom and guidance to be found. Cygnus ("swan"), according to myth, was a devoted friend or lover of Phaethon who scorched the earth with the chariot of the sun and was subsequently struck by Zeus with a thunderbolt. Grief-stricken, Cygnus dove over and over into the river trying to collect his bones. The gods were so touched by his devotion, they turned him into a swan and then placed him among the stars. Life often gives us a wallop, perhaps the result of our unwise actions or at times just as a random incident. However, wise hope is ever present if we have the ears to hear and the eyes to see it.

Stepping Down

From the Classic Tarot, the Ten of Cups; from the Constellation Cards, Hydrus:

There's no passion for being found in playing small, in settling for a life that is less than you are capable of living. ~Nelson Mandela

The three by three arrangement of cups overseen by the larger chalice suggests contentment and harmony among a group that is solid. There are leaders - whether of a family, business or social organization - who have the ability to make each person feel heard and appreciated, connecting everyone with a mainstay of kindness. Yet the turned over large chalice also implies that the head feels it is time to step down and let someone else hold the reins so that they can pursue other interests and passions. It may be a manager who retires and spends time doing volunteer work or a matriarch who decides to travel the world. Hydrus lies in the southern hemisphere, and its name refers to a water snake. Water snakes spend time on the ground and in trees as well as in water. They tend to be aggressive and bite if threatened. Breaking out of a peapod may leave those left behind feeling vulnerable, and they may attempt to convince their guiding star to stay. But decisively stepping away from such a position can help us find our own joy while allowing others to develop confidence in learning new skills.

Plot Twist

From the Classic Tarot, the Knight of Batons; from the Constellation Cards, Centaurus:

When something goes wrong in your life just yell 'PLOT TWIST', and move on.

― Molly Weis

The Knight of Batons is known for his focused energy; if the Page of Batons is a shotgun, the Knight is a rifle. Both the horse and the Knight gaze at the club - the man in adoration and the horse with impatience. Once he sets his mind to something, he is unshakable and will be galloping in pursuit like a wide-open locomotive on rails with no switch to be guided in a different direction. In his buoyant enthusiasm, he fails to see that life rarely offers a straight shot at anything. Centaurus is one of the largest constellations in the southern sky. In Greek mythology, Centaurus was a deformed child who found no peace among humans and so moved to the mountains of the Magnesian mares. There he became the father of the centaur race. As Tuli Kupferberg said, “When patterns are broken, new worlds emerge.”

Humility, Not Bravado

From the Classic Tarot, the Hermit; from the Constellation Cards, Sagitta:

Looking at the Hermit's simple staff and clothes, it's hard not to contrast his simplicity and humility with the pomp and power of the pope/Hierophant. In Renaissance Europe, hermits rejected society's values to lead a solitary and spiritual life. A hermit was often seen as a symbol of virtue; as such, this deck assigns the keyword 'prudence' to him. The Hermit reminds me of an elderly grandfather who takes you fishing: though he doesn't say much as you watch the corks bob up and down, when he does, it is wise and golden. A constellation in the northern sky, Sagitta (Latin for 'arrow') represents Heracles’ arrow in Greek mythology. Heracles was a hero and divine protector of mankind. This pair of cards reminds of a quote by Bill Wilson: "Prudence is a workable middle ground, a channel of clear sailing between the obstacles of fear on the one side and of recklessness on the other." Such awareness cultivates "the kind of courage which is born of humility, rather than of bravado."

Restlessness

From the Classic Tarot, the Page of Batons; from the Constellation Cards, Pictor:

I could not help it: the restlessness was in my nature; it agitated me to pain sometimes.

― Charlotte Brontë

This Page of Batons holds his staff as if he's rowing a boat. His curiosity has an energy to it that craves action. He's like a pot of water that starts on simmer but soon comes to a blistering boil, rattling the top on the pot. He desires to rid himself of this imaginative restlessness by channeling it into something, but whatever he begins doesn't hold his interest for long - mostly because he doesn't have the skill or knowledge to progress very far. Pictor is a constellation in the Southern Celestial Hemisphere. Its name is Latin for painter, and is an abbreviation of the older name Equuleus Pictoris (the "painter's easel"). The easel is made to support the work of the painter. In the same way, a mentor might give structure and support to this Page, recognizing his ability while offering him the skills to develop it.

Dig Beneath

From The Classic Tarot, the Seven of Coins; from the Constellations Cards, Serpens:

You need to go deeper, not wider.

—Darius Foroux

The vines in this card seem to hold empty sepals (the structures that hold the bud or fruit), implying that one cycle has ended and another will soon begin. There are three 'incoming' coins, two 'protected' coins and two 'outgoing.' Lee Bursten* suggests that Sevens encourage us to 'Go deeper.' In other words, don't just look at the surface of things; dig down into the soil and investigate the roots of what is being seen. Find what has shaped and formed the current situation. Serpens (serpent) is unique among modern constellations in that it is split into two parts. In Greek mythology, Serpens represents a snake held by the Asclepius, god of medicine. When we dig deeper, we have a chance to understand; we have a chance to heal or correct what is wrong and to continue with what is beneficial.

*Universal Tarot of Marseille Guidebook