posts on Elements
home
 |
| Photo by Content Pixie on Unsplash |
Energy and Associations
There a lot of different ways to read the minor arcana in tarot, but the framework that works best for me is based on the elements.
I have been reading tarot since I was 13. I find it helpful to journal on my readings. This gives me a chance to reflect on the cards and whatever situation I’m reading on.
As an AuDHDer with alexithymia I find tarot, journaling and dreamwork especially helpful. Not the kind of tarot where you throw down cards hoping for a glimpse of what’s coming. The kind where you write and reflect and arrive at something new.
To me the elements can provide a good starting point (for the minors).
Swords
Air | Winter
- Current of divine / archetypal inspiration
- Human intellect and insights
- Clarity
- Thinking and reasoning
- Overthinking and anxiety
Cups
Water | Spring
- The wellspring of the unconscious
- Human intuition and psychic knowing
- Dreams
- Feeling and relating
- Withdrawal and confusion
Wands
- The inspiration of the Muse
- Human creativity and creative inspiration
- Expression
- Communication and purpose / identity
- Overwork and burnout
Pentacles
Earth | Autumn
- The energy of nature
- Human connection to place / nature
- Grounding
- Building and growing
- Materialism and attachment
|
|
|
I celebrated the Solstice with some wonderful friends in one of the loveliest settings you could imagine. The weather was questionable to begin with, but we were thrilled to see the overcast morning turn into a beautiful sunny afternoon with just the right amount of wind. Between the solstice fire and the pond was a wide expanse of green, where dogs played and humans exchanged tarot card readings and friendship.
As part of our solstice ceremony, each of us was given the opportunity to place an offering in the fire. Mine was mugwort and sage donated by a dear friend, a handful of rose petals from my garden, a fortune cookie message I found resonant on a half-forgotten difficult day and a hand written commitment to the things I mean to accomplish between this solstice and the next. Standing before the fire I released all the fear and insecurity I could muster and prepared myself for the new energy to come.
The rain held out until our gathering was about to close, then fell full-force, dousing our fire and rushing our goodbyes. Thinking about the day later in the evening, it occurred to me that each of the elements had been especially well-represented. This, I thought, has meaning.
Committed to my new journey and direction, I had approached this solstice as a student, reading about the old ways and the Wiccan connection between the Summer Solstice and the journey of the god. But I didn't want to approach Midsummer in terms of a single element or the masculinity of the solstice sun and in the end I didn't. Instead I experienced the living dance of wind and fire, the steady containment of the earth, the falling, clearing curtain of rain, and the sacred alchemy of fire and water.
When I as a child in Michigan, I loved the snow.
Growing up in 1960s, without the benefit of game consoles or computers or cable TV, we found everything we needed in our own imaginations and the vivid, brilliant magic of the natural world.
We accepted that world however it came - donning slickers for the rain and layers of wool and nylon for the snow. In winter we built snow forts and snowmen and skated on frozen ponds until the early darkness fell. We were not impervious to weather but we possessed a hardiness that I no longer own.
At 57, I find that I have a mixed response to winter. I do love the first snowfall but the second and third and fourth days of that snowfall don't always excite me. My skiing days are behind me. I don't care for shoveling or for icy roads. There are days when I find our Northeast PA weather challenging and enjoy the cozy comfort of my home.
To degree this attitude is understandable. In winter our homes become our refuge in the northern climates. They protect us from the cold and the wind and the bone-chilling dampness of ice and snow. But this is not entirely good. The energy of our interior space isn't continual replenished by the elements - as is the atmosphere outside.
Behind our closed doors and windows the air is still and dry and the earth outside is often covered. Our connection to the elements and the important energies they provide is tenuous at best. And, to varying degrees, we all need these energies.
For some of us our emotional, physical and spiritual well-being depends upon our relationship to the natural world and the resonant energy it supplies. I am one of those people, and I do my best to connect with the elements at this time of year in two important ways.
The first is to bring the elements inside and into our awareness. Suggestions on doing that can be found below. Keep in mind that these are ideas I am developing and working with right now and I will updating you on my progress through the coming weeks!
Air We can invite the element of air by cracking the windows when we clean - if only for a few minutes - at least once a day. Because air is an element of motion, it enjoys a clear path. This can be provided by keeping our inner space clean and organized throughout the winter months.
When we are done cleaning, we can honor the element of air by burning incense and taking a moment to appreciate the movement of this element's revitalizing current. We may also choose to feed the creatures of the air by keeping our bird feeders stocked.
When we are done cleaning, we can honor the element of air by burning incense and taking a moment to appreciate the movement of this element's revitalizing current. We may also choose to feed the creatures of the air by keeping our bird feeders stocked.
Water We can get in touch with the element of water in several different ways. Long winter baths work well, as does drinking plenty of clear, fresh water. Most of us tend to drink less water in the winter and this is just as detrimental now as it is in the summer.
We might also consider introducing a water element into our interior space. I am considering a small aquarium but will probably settle for a simple bowl of water filled with colored stones and floating candles. We might also make an effort to keep the birdbath free of ice as much as possible so that the birds can take a drink when the weather is dry.
We might also consider introducing a water element into our interior space. I am considering a small aquarium but will probably settle for a simple bowl of water filled with colored stones and floating candles. We might also make an effort to keep the birdbath free of ice as much as possible so that the birds can take a drink when the weather is dry.
Earth Earth can be brought into our homes directly in form of potted plants which have the added advantage of radiating the living energy of growth. If you have an herb garden, as I do, consider bringing some of the plants indoor for the winter. I didn't act fast enough this year to bring in my parsley, oregano, thyme and mint but I did save the rosemary and have two beautiful plants wintering in my kitchen. Next year I'll have space for the rest!
Additionally, we can remember the creatures of the earth by leaving food outside for the squirrels, rabbits, stray cats and other animals struggling in the cold.
Additionally, we can remember the creatures of the earth by leaving food outside for the squirrels, rabbits, stray cats and other animals struggling in the cold.
Fire Last, but never least! In this season of increasing darkness fire and light are essential for our well-being. And, surprisingly despite our cold weather dependency upon the element of fire, it is increasingly taken for granted.
Thanks to electricity, we have light whenever we want it. Through the ready abundance of fuel, most of us are warm from the beginning of the season to the end. We might not give the element of fire a lot of thought - at least not until we get our our heating bill - but it does come at a price (to both our pocketbooks and our planet). This price must be paid, however, because, in winter, fire guarantees our survival.
Electricity and central heating have made our lives more comfortable but they have also allowed us to become less aware (and appreciative) of the heat and light the element of fire offers. To offset this, we can choose to really immerse ourselves in our respective festivals of light and to light a candle every night to honor the lifesaving element of light.
But I promised a second way of connecting to the elements. What is this second way, you may ask. Open the door and go outside!
You don't have to stay out there long but you will find, as I did this morning, that it's the getting out that's hard and that time spent outside is incredibly revitalizing.
And the best part is, that once you're outside, you don't have to DO anything to experience the elements. They are all waiting. The air is wet with tiny molecules of ice and snow and it is always moving. The earth is solid underneath our feet. And far away in a gray sky, a pale winter sun is shining.
Ideas come easily in this season of air. And this morning, as I shoveled a narrow path down to the street, I was inspired to write this post and to put the things I've discussed here to work in my own experience of the season.
This year, I have resolved to make the best of winter. I resolve to dress warmly. To build up my tolerance of cold. To clear my inner space and honor each element in turn. By doing so I honor not only the elements in their season but the energy of life.
May you do the same <3
For more on making the most of this incredible season please see: Embracing the Seasons: 7 Steps to a Better Winter
For more on making the most of this incredible season please see: Embracing the Seasons: 7 Steps to a Better Winter
This is the weapon of a Jedi Knight. Not as clumsy or random as a blaster. An elegant weapon for a more civilized age. — Obi-Wan Kenobi
I have always identified with the Queen of Wands not only because I'm a Leo but because I'm strong and creative and a few other things that go along with that particular suit on a good day (and a bad one). From time to time however, I reflect upon the Queen of Swords and I recognize that this card represents me too, whether I want it to or not.
The suit of Swords is not a happy suit and we have only to look at Pamela Colman Smith's depiction of the cards it contains to understand that.
Traditionally Swords are associated with air, winter, wind, cold, strength, sharpness, intellect, independence, violence, loneliness, power and ruin—and Colman Smith has incorporated these themes into the Rider-Waite-Smith. And the RWS has become the tarot deck of choice for many readers as well as a interpretive point of departure for many alternative decks—with an emphasis on the negative.
I have never seen a person cheered by Colman Smith's Ten or Three of Swords!
The popular imagery of this suit is may appear tragic. So tragic that it is easy to forget that the symbolism of the suit would have been different when the cards were first introduced. They would have reminded people then of a passing age, where the sword was a weapon reminiscent of chivalry and the nobility. Some might have described the sword in the same way Obi-Wan Kenobi described the lightsaber.
When tarot was new, Wands, the suit of spring and creativity, victory and manifestation, would have been associated with the peasantry or at the very least, the craftsman. Cups, the modern suit of love and happiness—the clergy. Pentacles, which now suggest prosperity—the merchant class.
In this system then, Swords would have represented the class most respected by society at large. And, at its best, the suit is worthy of respect. It symbolizes strength, independence, intellect, and courage, and these are fine attributes in any estimation. Loneliness, as implied in a reading predominated by swords, may be a byproduct of these characteristics in the same way that violence and ruin can be a potential consequence of decisive action. And yet, I cannot dismiss the inherent sadness of this dark queen.
Perhaps it is only a product of the season. Winter is, in northeastern Appalachia, is an austere and unforgiving time that encourages introspection and dark thought. Even in our modern age, it is a season of survival, and I feel this very keenly when I force myself outside on the coldest days to walk the frozen ground.
It takes a certain degree of determination to live this season well and I think that is, on a level, what the symbolism of this suit is fundamentally about.
The Queen of Swords is an independent queen. She rules the wind, winter, and herself with a strong and not necessarily gentle hand, but she is the one I think most of us want to be when we face a challenge.
Representing, not only the nobility, intellect and the most difficult time of year in northern climates, she is courage, maturity and self-determination. I can draw very direct associations between this card and the season it represents. A time of year, but more significantly, a time of life.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Translate
Social Icons