Woad - a taste of freedom

For today I've drawn Woad from the Druid Plant Oracle. The keywords are: freedom, Bardistry and Warriorhood

In the picture we see a fully grown Woad plant. The leaves were used  to extract a blue dye which the Picts, the ancient British warriors, used to paint themselves with before going to war. This was very clever indeed it because besides frightening the enemy, it also prevented wounds to bleed to severely because Woad has styptic properties. It was also used for dying cloth. Nowadays Druids use it to dye their Bardic robes.

The spear and the boar are both representative of warriorhood.

When you look outside at the clear blue sky you will often sense a feeling of freedom. How wonderful it would be to just fly away. This is the same shade of blue as the dye made from Woad leaves. To obtain this sense of freedom our inner Bard, our creative self, urges us to express our creativity. Not only to think about it but to really put yourself out there. Whatever you create is worth the effort because it is yours. You have to fight for your freedom; to aim for what makes you happy and fulfilled.  Without the desire to achieve what you really want, it is possible you’ll put your own need to create aside for the needs of everybody else. Or maybe worse, you will hide your true creative self behind needless chores, afraid to fail or perhaps to succeed? So put on you warrior paint and pick up your pen. pencil, brush or flute and  aim for  what makes your heart sing!

Lately I've noticed how I can feel totally free when I'm writing. Time seems to fly. I love to puzzle with words and sentences or to freewrite and accept everything what is pouring out of my pen, I am less afraid to fail than with my drawing and painting. Not only do I write daily for this blog but I also write in Dutch, just for myself. It is something I've always done but lately I enjoy it so much more. I think the combination of writing and tarot really has opened countless doors for me.