New Moon in February

For this new moon I’ve pulled  one card from the Wildwood Tarot as to what  energy  I should embrace  during the time until the Full Moon in March. I got the Seven of Vessels – Mourning. Perhaps you can imagine my initial reaction to this card. My first thoughts were: how could this be a focal point right now, when I am so trying to find some emotional balance again? But then I knew: We are often talking about releasing and letting go to make room for the new but we tend to forget the work we have to do prior of letting go. Mourning is hard work and calls for a great deal of effort and endurance. It is only through mourning we can become soft and fluid again because when we hold on to grief, often without knowing, we tighten, both mentally and physically. We hold on to our sadness, our loss, in our stomach, our muscles and we bury it deep in the shadow of our soul. This way it can fester and eventually make us depressed. We can’t escape mourning so we’d better get to it.

Usually we are better at mourning our greater losses, the ones we can’t hide away: the death of loved ones, losing a great love etc. We often mourn these losses in the circle of our family and friends. But this card also encourage us to look at the smaller losses, the seemingly insignificant ones.

What immediately came to mind, when I saw this card is how I never have acknowledged my sadness over the loss of my ability to play the piano. I have had piano lessons for more than seven years and it gave me such joy to play this instrument. But due to my nerve damage in my hand I won’t  be able play again. It hurts too much.  Just as we have to be grateful for achieving “small victories” I believe it can be very healing to recognize what we have lost along the way and to say our goodbyes; perhaps with a little ritual, while being grateful for the good memories which we will always keep close to our heart.  

“This will allow our emotions to flow again; to rise and fall naturally and  bring a sense of closure, completion and peace” (guidebook)

Seven of Vessels – Mourning

Seven empty vessels and a decorated human skull at the foot of a large tree are the main components of this beautiful card of the Wildwood tarot.

It is something entirely different than its RW counterpart which is all about fantasy ,illusion and options.

Perhaps it is not according to the guidebook but this is what I read in the card:

What stands out to me is the fact there are all kinds of different bowls. Most of the time when we think of mourning we immediately remember our greatest loss, our biggest bowl. The person we miss the most, a situation which has scarred us intensely. But I've learned the amount of grief increases by various losses (bowls). Sometimes we mourn parts of us we had to let go in order to move on to the next phase of our life (skull). So did I had to let go of being a mother of little children, in order to become a mother of adult women. I had to let go of the town I grew up in so I could follow my husband to a strange part of my country for a job he had found there. My piano was sold because I couldn't play anymore (neck injury) There are also minor events which I mourn for instance the chopping of the most beautiful Cherry Blossom tree by my neighbors.

This is not the place to list my greatest losses; the things I mourn the most. Everybody has their own empty vessels but I guess you will understand what I am getting at: Every day something is left behind. So our bowls gradually increase in number. Does that mean I am crying all  the time. No, sometimes mourning can be as sweet as honey: the most beautiful memories mixed with a longing for lost loves and sometimes finished with a topping of a few heartfelt tears. I always say grief is the downside of love. The more you love the more you will have to mourn.

When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.  ~Kahlil Gibran