The Woman's Garden
So What
Pink (Funhouse)
(Pg. 7)
FEBRUARY
Princess Of Swords:
Court Card/Earth Of Air
Transition, Rebellion, Truth;
Amethyst, Aquamarine, Topaz;
Rosemary, Lavender, Basil;
"Changed The Locks" (Lucinda Williams),
"You're So Vain" (Carly Simon);
The Curly-Pyjama Letters - "From Mr Curly to Vasco Pyjama" (Leunig);
"The Rage in Placid Lake" (Ben Lee/Rose Byrne).
Well hello everyone!
I trust that you all had a good New Year, and are home safe and sound from wherever it was you journeyed to over the holidays. And what a start to 2005 - the humungous task of healing thousands of Hearts that were shattered by a completely unexpected event. In this time of similtaneous grieving and enormous public generosity, we are left shaking our heads and wondering WHY? Well, I can't answer that for you, but for me, I was reminded of a few things: how fragile we are; how precious life is; how amazing human beings can be in an hour of desperate need; and how Blessed I am that all of those who I care about most in this world were nowhere near that devastating tsunami.
The forces of Nature are humbling indeed, and deserving of our utmost respect. In many Spiritual traditions, humans are not seen to be separate from Nature, but rather an intrinsic part of Mother Nature's carefully woven web. Our emotions, feelings, thoughts and actions are powerful mirrors of these forces, capable of breathtaking creation and incredible destruction. In the Tarot, thoughts are represented, (in general), by the suit of Swords, (corresponding to the Element Air). Court cards usually represent either the person being read for or someone in their lives. The Princess of Swords is a young woman who is still learning how to wield her sword, and she is laying waste to all that stands in the way of her Freedom. This Princess is an indication that either you need to find your Voice or that you are in the process of doing so. Either way, her energy is fuelled by anger and there is a need to be aware of the damage that this can cause if this emotion is not directed constructively as thoughts, and verbalisation of said thoughts, can either wound or soothe.
Anger is an emotion that we are often at odds with. Either we're pushing it down inside of us, sewing the seeds for any number of health issues, or we're exploding and screaming wildly at some innocent bystander. Anger is not a bad thing. It is a completely natural emotion that serves to warn us that we're REALLY not happy! It's what we do with that feeing when it comes over us that affects our quality of life. Personally, I find this to be one of the most liberating cards in the deck. It's like a Cosmic tap on the shoulder letting me know that I'm being challenged once
again to reprogramme my hard-drive which has been infected with the suppress virus, giving me permission to lose it. This kind of anger can lead to crystal clear vision about the truth of a situation and, as they say, the truth shall set you free.
Until next time, take care!
MARCH
Death: Major Arcana/
13/Scorpio
Transformation, Surrender,
Revolution;
"It's Too Late" (Carol King),
"Butterfly Child"
(Sasha Butterfly),
"Turn! Turn! Turn! - To
Everything There Is A Season" (The Byrds);
Rosemary, Lavender;
Jasmine (oil or flower);
Rose Quartz, Aquamarine, Smoky Quartz;
The Ocean.
Greetings all!
Death is a very challenging card. When it comes into a reading, it usually incites panic; the first thought of course is "oh my God am I going to die?", usually followed by "oh my god is someone I know going to die?". Now, the Death card can indicate this, but more often than not it is in relation to the need for the death of something in someones life; the death of an old way of thinking, an old way of being. Sometimes we find ourselves seemingly "stuck" in our lives and the only thing to do is to let go of the situation that is causing this dilemma - to allow it to die, to end. If we don't do this, then we find ourselves just going round and round and round, creating ruts and we never grow. The results of this for our health can be quite significant of course - we can get sick on all levels, and life just becomes stagnant. So why is it so hard for us to allow Death? Death is a very natural part of life; birth, growth, death, birth; the never ending cycle. We fear Death, we fear if we let go there'll be nothing else afterwards. There are many theories about what Death is and what it involves, but one fairly widely held opinion is that Death is only the ending of something on one level; that nothing ever really ends.
One of the best examples illustrating our fears surrounding Death is the fear of letting go of a relationship even when it has long outgrown its useby date. If I let it go what will happen? I'll be in the dark, I'll be alone, so I better just hang onto this situation 'cause it's better the devil you know. Of course, if we don't allow the endings in life, we experience the same fate as that plant that you never prune, water, or nourish. Eventually, its leaves start to brown, it might develop some kind of disease, it starts to shrivel and it dies, way before its time. This is a good analogy for what hapens to us humans when we stay in a situation, be it a relationship, a job or a lifestyle, that's not right for us anymore. We become like the living dead. Death's inevitable - it's up to you how you spend your time - you can shrivel or shine.
It is important to allow the old to be reborn, because this can only be better than what has been. Death is transformation of an enormous kind and is a very personal time in your life, a time in which you will probably feel that not many people around you understand what you're going through; this is because Death is a truly individual experience. So curl up on your favourite chair, wrap yourself up in your warmest, most comforting blanket and just allow your feelings to rise to the surface. Write them down, let them out, and allow the bitter sweetess that is Death. Surrender yourself to this life lesson and see where the newness takes you.
Until next time, take care everyone.
