Horse (Each)– Running free

Today’s card is Horse  from the Druid Animal Oracle . Just after my Beltane reading, which was all about moving forward and just before my birthday, this is a very fitting card. How I would love to climb on this horse, hold his manes tightly and run free over the meadows. To feel the wind through my hair, the sun on my skin and to let go of any control I thought I might have had. To be able to surrender to the wisdom and guidance of this magnificent animal.

The keywords for this card are: The Goddess, The Land, Travel

“The card shows a gray mare with the chalk hill figure of the White Horse of Uffington, Oxfordshire, in the background. Carved on one rock is the symbol of a key, and on the other a mounted warrior. The sun is prominent in the sky above.

The spirit of Horse calls us to journey, to travel. This may manifest itself as a desire to travel in the physical world, or we may be drawn to voyaging in the inner realms. She brings us energy and speed and connects us to the power of both the land and the sun. 

The horse-goddess (Epona) is the  patroness of the complete life-cycle of birth, death, the afterlife and rebirth.” (guidebook)

Epona is normally portrayed as a woman either sitting on, or surrounded by, horses. Originally she may have been another form of the Great Mother Goddess because in some cases she is also portrayed with a cornucopia, a symbol of the land, abundance  and fertility. She has also been portrayed as carrying keys, which may indicate her role in the underworld.

I think coming across this high spirited energetic horse goddess will be a great  kickoff for my personal new year J

Wolf –Alone or part of the pack

For today I've  drawn a card from the Druid Animal Oracle: Wolf- (Faol). The keywords are: Intuition, Learning, The Shadow

This card shows a wolf stalking in the forest near the source of  the river Findhorn in Scotland. The last wolf in Britain was killed here in 1743. It is around February, the last month of winter and the first of spring. In the foreground we see snowdrops, the flower of Imbolc, the beginning spring.

“The wolf brings a strong sense of faithfulness, inner strength and intuition. But the wolf brings learning too. Sometimes you need to cross barriers, to take risks, to go beyond the limited compass of "normal" behavior in order to learn and grow, although crossing these boundaries may seem unattractive, even painful. You need not fear the inner power and strength you feel when you spend time alone. Come to know your deepest self and even in the darkest places you will find courage and spiritual companionship.”

I've never been afraid of my own company; of being by myself. Maybe because I am a typical lone wolf. I also can relate to the territorial boundaries which a wolf sets out and protects. But when we go one step further it gets difficult. The book talks about crossing the barriers and go further into unknown territory, to learn and discover what lies beyond the normal everyday routine. That is scary for me. I can travel miles into my own darkness but I find it very hard to go out, socialize and be one of the community pack again. I do go out and am able to enjoy it, but I cannot say it is my favorite pastime. I go to town with my girls, I ride my bike for exercise and I do my shopping etc. but I rather keep to myself and relax at home where I feel secure as a part of my own little pack (sometimes I wonder who is the alpha J). I don’t enjoy big gathering’s, parties and so on. It gets too overwhelming for me; too many impressions.

So back to the wolf.  I am very fond of this animal. Like the hare, I meet him often in my visualizations and I feel comfortable when he is around. He just is there where I am, and  it feels like he is guarding me. So all and all a good card to draw 

Bee (Beach) - Strength in numbers

Druid Animal Oracle

For today I've drawn a good card for the weekend from the Druid Animal Oracle: Bee. Its keywords are community, celebration and organization.

“The card shows a queen bee resting on a stone. In the background we see the House of Mead Circling at Tara as it may have looked at the height of its powers. In the sky the noonday sun shines brightly and we see Ur, heather, growing by the rock which is carved with the Ur Ogham.

Beach invites us to celebrate. You may have a special reason for celebration, or you may simply need to celebrate the wonder and mystery of being alive.”

The bee teaches us we can live together in harmony as long as we uphold some kind of structure in our family and society. Each of us has a place in it which comes with its own responsibilities. But there is also time to celebrate. That is why we have “invented” the weekend. We gather together, enjoy our company and loosen up a bit; feeling fulfilled about our achievements of the past week. 

This weekend S. her boyfriend is coming to stay with us. Dental stress has faded. The weather is fine. Lots of reasons to feel good and celebrate. But it is also a reminder that I can delegate some of the work and I don’t have to do everything myself.

Otter: Let’s play

Druid Animal Oracle

This very joyful card for the coming weekend is from the Druid Animal Oracle. Otter is all about playfulness and enjoying yourself, and when this is somewhat difficult, this card also represents help and protection.

“The card shows an otter looking for salmon. A member of the weasel family, and a relative of the beaver, the otter is equally at home in water or on land. It is able to stay underwater for up to four minutes, and for safety the entrance to its riverbank home lies below the water-line. The otter uses its tapered, powerful tail as a rudder and as a tool when building, while its webbed feet make it a strong swimmer. Living mainly on fish, it is noted for its playfulness and sense of fun.”

Otter invites us to play. To let go of all the drama and the seriousness of life for a while. It is not telling you to leave everything behind and give up, but just to take a step back and relax a bit. Leave the to-do list for what it is and do something just for the fun of it. It doesn't matter what, as long as you free your mind from the daily hustle

Sometimes I notice my tendency to organize even my “playtime” too much. Making goals for creativity can work rather stifling J. Perhaps I am suffering from the February blues, when we notice it is hard to stick to our, often too ambitious, New year’s intentions. So I will let Otter guide me to a more "go with the flow" attitude.

When I was a child, I could never have imagined that playing could be so difficult J

“Otter shows us that being playful can even lead us to catch the salmon - the fish prized by the Druids as the totem of wisdom.”

Salmon – Life is worth the effort

Druid Animal Oracle

For today another card from the Druidcraft Animal Oracle: the Salmon. The keywords are: wisdom inspiration and rejuvenation. We see the Salmon leaping from the water to pluck the seed of a Hazel tree (the tree of wisdom) from the air. For the druids the salmon was the oldest and wisest animal of them all. It is in the nature of the Salmon to return to the place of their birth to mate and spawn. It is a very dangerous and difficult journey to return to their source. They have to overcome many obstacles.

Sometimes it is wise to recapitulate your life’s journey to understand where you've come from and how you've got here. And through that wisdom you can be inspired to continue where you've  left off or perhaps make a change for the better.

Salmon is teaching us to use our intuition; to listen to our gut feelings and to be kind to ourselves and others when it gets difficult. Sometimes we do have to swim upstream to follow our bliss. Who said life was easy. But Salmon knows it worth it when she finally spawns. It is quite understandable the Queen of Vessels from The Wildwood Tarot is also depicted as a Salmon.

Blackbird is calling me

This week I've bought for myself the Druid Animal Oracle (Deck only). First because it includes each of my favorite animals (owl, hare, wolf and bear) and second because the cards are painted by the great illustrator Bill Worthington. I am already head over heels in love with the Druidcraft Tarot and the Wildwood Tarot so this animal oracle was a match made in heaven.

For today I've drawn the Blackbird( Druid Dhubh) (keywords: Enchantment, Inner Call and Gateway) In the background we see the entrance to a dark cave. When we enter this cave we can travel between the physical and the spiritual world.

It is dark, the sun is setting, the stars are appearing in the sky. That is the time the blackbird sings and calls us. He points us to follow our spiritual path to discover our the secret caverns of our souls and he urges us to become fully aware of what we are capable of and what we really want.

Yesterday, while reading a post of Neopagan priestess I came to realize I've been disconnected from the Great Mother for quite some time now. After clearing my altar in the end November nothing much has been going on which has to do with my relationship with the Divine. And suddenly I realize I am missing something. 

My first reaction is to do quite some research and set up a solid practice involving the Goddess again. But I know this is not the right way for me now. My monthly theme is letting go, so I want to let go of the need to read and study to find the perfect blend of goddesses which fit nicely together qua pantheons and age but rather let my intuition guide me to the aspects of the Goddess I really want to explore and identify with. There will be plenty of time left to study afterwards. I know I need Her as a mother to guide me and protect me. The rest will follow when I enter this cave, meditate and let go and let Goddess.