Rejection from Morrigan?

As Samhain approaches, I've been feeling the inkling that I need to honor Morrigan. It's something I've been thinking about for the past few months and something that I plan to do slowly and simply since I do not already have a relationship with her. I know it isn't to be taken lightly.

I am unsure if she is calling out to me.

I decided to pull 2 cards from my Shapeshifter Tarot Deck and asked the following questions:

• What is my current relationship with Morrigan?
• What can I do to improve my relationship?

The answer to the first question took me by surprise. The card I pulled was "Rejection."
The answer to the second question was "The Shapeshifter," a card that signals a time of self-introspection.

At first glance, I got the impression that she was immediately rejecting forming a relationship with me for whatever reason. I can't begin to understand Her needs and Her goals. I admit that I was a little bit discouraged and I wondered for a split second what could be wrong with me. That was the moment something clicked.

Perhaps all of this is a test to determine if I will stick with it. Perhaps this is her way of telling me that I need to decide what I want before a final decision is made. I choose, possibly incorrectly, to believe that she is giving me a moment to think things over and make a rational decision and go from there.

I still intend to honor her during my Samhain celebration with a poem that I will write (I should get on that). I reckon that showing someone respect isn't a bad thing even if there's a possibility that they don't want anything to do with you. At most, she'd ignore me and at worst, she'd scold me for annoying her.

For the followers of Morrigan, has something like this happened to you? I'd love to get your perspective.

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On a side note, as I finished writing this post, I was overcome with the scent of apples. What could that mean?

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Why Tarot?

Anni's latest prompt for the group had me twiddling my thumbs for a bit at first.

My first instinct was to respond with all of the benefits that knowing what is to come can provide, but that wouldn't be an accurate response. I don't believe tarot cards can predict the future but I do believe they give us insight into a variety of outcomes based on our choices if we put them in the right context. Some of you may be rolling your eyes at me since there is a very thin line between telling the future and providing insight in outcomes. I can't blame you one bit.

Part of what draws me to the tarot is the mystery, specifically how they work. I don't have all the answers but I enjoy reading all of the theories. What I can affirm to is the fact that whenever I use either of my tarot decks, the cards just seem to get me and what I'm going through. Whether that is because of my mindset and my view being present in how I interpret the cards or because they are actually connected to a higher source, well, I can't quite say. As of right now I am okay with that fact.

The only other method of divination I've been drawn to are runes, and those have an impersonal feel that I can't get over when I use them. But the tarot is somehow different. When I shuffle the cards and place them upright before me, it's like I'm writing a story and connecting the dots. Exploring the cards and their meaning, I think, is the fun of the entire process. Using the tarot feels right to me at this time, and that is a reason that I can acknowledge even without understanding why that is.

I could provide you with the simple answers, such as the artwork makes me feel a certain way, or I feel magical when I use them, but those answers would be inaccurate. For me, in this moment, the answer to "why tarot?" is simply that I connect with them more than any other system.

Perhaps I will understand more as we continue on this journey.

Discovering Tarot

My first solid memory of tarot is seeing the cards in the James Bond movie, "Live and Let Die." I thought they were interesting but I was probably only 12 or so when I saw the movie on television, so my mind was likely filled with video games and school vacations. I probably thought of them as nothing more than a game because I wouldn't have known any better.

Years later, while thumbing through an Azuregreen catalog, I saw an ad for the Shapeshifter Tarot deck. The main image called to me and from that point on it was added to every wish list I had, but it never seemed to materialize in my hands. I went through a rough patch in 2013 and found my local Unitarian Universalist church and an Earth-based spirituality group. I emailed the group facilitator and was invited to an upcoming meeting where people were encouraged to bring their main tarot deck.

My mind flashed back to the Shapeshifter Tarot deck and I knew it was my time. I ordered the cards and companion book on Amazon and I still remember how excited I was as each day passed because I was one day closer to receiving them. I was in awe of their imagery and connected with them immediately. It wasn't anything more than having the feeling that I was meant to have them and that was enough. 

I took them to the meet up and we learned about creating tarot spreads. The facilitators were kind and fun, but I was lost since I was still so new to them. I eventually packed them away as other aspects of life took precedence. I broke them out on occasion for random 3 card readings for myself, but the companion book was always in one hand as I tried to decipher their meaning.

It is now 2 years later, and though I recently purchased The Gilded Tarot deck, I am especially excited to explore the cards that my journey started with.

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This blog post was prompted by a question asked of the members of the Tarot Together Facebook group. Click the group name to be taken to the page and join us!

3-Card Guidance

I am feeling good today. Here's why:

13-God of Water: Manannan mac Llyr

"The God of Water brings with him generosity, personal commitment, loyalty, unconditional love, and divine rapport. Diving into the masculine polarity of the soul, swim willingly into the dynamic mature masculine energy within. Integrate the spiritual with the physical and mental; your shapeshifting talent is now ready to be developed."

2-Love

"A time of balance and harmony is achieved after difficult times. You are at peace with yourself and others, subconsciously preparing for positive changes to come into your life."

3-Mastery

"The seeker has come through a time of inner or outer crisis and is facing the rewards of positive action and reaction. If you are still in the backwards of a trial, persevere - for you will triumph in the end. Your goals and dreams will soon be achieved."

Man, I am feeling blessed today. Talk about a perfect message at a perfect time. Coincidently, I have been seeing Manannan's name a lot recently. I wonder if that is by design or by coincidence?

Note: Quoted sections come from the accompanying book of the Shapeshifter Tarot. Some words have been removed in relation to other prophecies that don't apply to my situation. 

Um...okay?

I was thrown for a loop during my daily tarot and oracle card reading (I alternate between decks to get a well-rounded message) this morning and I wanted to share it with all of you. I drew the "9-Darkness" card from DJ Conway, Sirona Knight, and Lisa Hunt's Shapeshifter Tarot.

The meaning: "The seeker is going through or will face a time of great loss, suffering, and misery. Burdens -- self-imposed or actual -- will be heavy during this phase thus creating mental and emotional anguish."

Yuck. Just what I need to deal with. 

Despite the message, and the gravity of what it means, I'm trying to look at it as a positive because we all grow from the most troubling times we face. I know I have before and this time will be no different. I was hoping for an optimistic "you're at your creative apex and everything is right with your world. Celebrate." I guess it just wasn't in the cards.

See what I did there? Until next time, folks.

An Unexpected Surprise

I wanted the Shapeshifter Tarot deck ever since it came out all those years ago. I was a teenager and not working, and my parents weren't exactly supportive of my studying Wicca. I gave them a Christmas list one year with a couple of Scott Cunningham books, a list of candles in assorted colors, a few ritual tools, and a meditation CD I was interested in. I was told in not so many words that there was no chance of me getting any of those items, and yet they didn't specifically tell me I had to give up my studies for fear I would rebel and grow my hair long.

Finally getting my hands on them a few years ago was like a dream come true. I instantly was amazed by the accuracy of the deck, and the images tie perfectly into Celtic Shapeshifting and the meanings of the cards; I was hooked. It never occurred to me to look to the cards for answers to the path I was going to take (Celtic Wicca). I had the cards for some time and I knew that there were cards representing different Celtic deities, but it never occurred to me to pull out the cards for Lugh and Danu and take a look. At least, not until now.

Danu is presented as The Goddess of Earth, though I think that association is more correct in reference to Anu. Some would say that they are one and the same but I would question that, though I admit that I still have a long way to go in terms of research and correlating the mythologies of all the different Celtic peoples (mostly the Irish and Welsh). 

Think of this card as the King of Pentacles as that is what the card would be in the standard tarot deck system. The keywords are "fruitfulness, networking, relationships, and family history." 

Lugh is presented as The God of Fire. Another possible inconsistency arises here since most of my research points to him being a skilled warrior and magician, as well as a God of Light and of Harvest. 

In a typical deck, this card would be the Queen of Swords. Keywords include "power, authority, and wise counsel."

The confusion seems to occur when different but similar cultural mythologies are smashed together, especially uniting the stories of the Irish and Welsh. It then becomes incredibly challenging to differentiate between the two, especially after some time has past. We all do the best we can and I don't doubt that for some Lugh would resonate more with them as a Sun God than a Light God. Is it semantics between the two or are there profound differences? I see similarities, of course.

Although I was leading you in a round-about way, the point of this post is to remind you to look for imagery wherever you can find it. I am blessed to have a statue to represent both Lugh and Danu, but these cards could serve equally in the same capacity. 

Other deities and heroes/heroines included in this deck: Cliodna, Taliesin, Gwydion, Arianrhod, Angus Mac Og, Belenus, Bridget, Nimue, Cerridwen, Manannan mac Llyr, Branwen, Tarvos, Medb, and Cernunnos.