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Welcome to Alison’s Alembic! You may have arrived here as a stop on the
Tarot Blog Hop from either Stacey Carroll's or Chloe's Celtic Lenormand blog. Or
you may have found this through TABI’s Facebook page, or though one of the many
wonderful tarot bloggers in the ether... It doesn’t matter – what does matter is that you’re here!
Imbolc (pronounced i-molk
or i-molg), also called Brigid’s
Day or St Brighid’s Day, is a Celtic/Gaelic festival marking the end of winter
and beginning of spring. As the Celtic year was based on both lunar and solar cycles,
the festival would probably have been celebrated on the full moon nearest the
midpoint between the Winter Solstice and the Vernal Equinox (so if you’re
living in the southern hemisphere, you would have celebrated this on the 1st-2nd
August!).
The name ‘Imbolc’ comes from the old Irish “i mbolg”,
meaning “in the belly”, referring to the time of year when sheep and goats are
pregnant, carrying their young. Other
etymology includes “oimelc”, meaning “ewe’s milk”, a reference to the onset of
lactation in ewes about to give birth. Fire and purification have played
important roles in this festival throughout the ages, with celebrations
involving hearth fires, bonfires and the lighting of candles to represent the
return of light and warmth to the land. It’s also traditionally a time of
weather divination, with people watching for serpents or badgers or groundhogs
– depending on where you are - emerging from their winter dens.
Our wrangler for this Imbolc blog, Christina Gaudet, has asked
us to think about “Tarot, Healing, and Creativity” as a subject. I see
tarot – and astrology, which I also use – as a tool for healing. Through the insights that the cards give,
tarot can be used to empower people, helping them to find ways to heal what
needs to be healed, as well as helping them to see how to tap into their
creativity.
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| Sharman-Caselli Tarot |
In the northern hemisphere, we often associate the first
stirrings of nature, the first signs of spring, with Imbolc. It’s a time of
hope, of looking forward to longer and warmer days. Having hope can help in healing. For me, the most potent sign of this time of
year is the emergence of the snowdrops – that sight always lifts my heart, a
healing in its own way, giving me hope.
The
card in the tarot that symbolizes that hope and optimism is, of course, The
Star – the card that’s linked, astrologically, to the sign of Aquarius (which
the Sun entered, astrologically speaking, on the 20th January). In the Sharman-Caselli version of this card,
we see one large star in the dawn sky, surrounded by seven smaller ones, representing
the card’s number, 17; this reduces to 8,
the number of re-birth and regeneration – more promise of hope.
Continuing on in this vein, I decided to look at the card
that corresponds, in terms of planetary and zodiacal dignity, to Imbolc – the Six
of Swords. I usually see this in terms
of a transition, of leaving behind something difficult and moving towards a
calmer place. Often the image is one of
people being carried by boat out of a stormy atmosphere into one that looks
more peaceful – a process of healing.
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| Wildwood Tarot |
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| Shadowscapes Tarot |
So with that in mind, here’s my Imbolc healing spread!
In order to heal,
-
- what do I need to leave behind?
-
- what do I carry with me?
- - what do I hope lies ahead?
Thank you for stopping off here on your own journey through
this Imbolc Tarot Blog Hop! Please do come
back and read some of my other posts.
The next stops on the Tarot Blog Hop are - depending on
whether you’re moving backwards or forwards through the list – Stacey Carroll and Chloe's Celtic Lenormand. The Master List can be found here.
Previous | Master List | Next
Shadowscapes Tarot created by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law and Barbara Moore, published by
Llewellyn
Sharman-Caselli Tarot created by Juliet
Sharman-Burke, illustrated by Giovanni Caselli, published by Connections
Wildwood Tarot created by Mark Ryan and John Matthews, illustrated by Will
Worthington, published by Connections
I enjoyed this. And how nice to see that swan theme echoed in those two very different decks. I will have to give this spread a go. :D
ReplyDeleteSwans keeping cropping up all around me these days - I couldn't not use these cards! Thanks, Arwen.
DeleteWhat a wonderful post, Alison! And, so great to see you pen in the hope of The Star. I was very much reminded of the French Surrealist Andre Breton's "Arcane 17" that he wrote about The Star and eternal hope about his daughter's untimely death. It of course crushed him, and he found more of her beauty in the eternal hope he found in The Star card! And, I love your reducing 17 to 8 as rebirth and regeneration as those two concepts are also married with the 8th House in Astrology ruled by the Death card who SO wonderfully works with your Star card rebirth and regeneration. Thanks for this!
ReplyDeleteI love your 6 of Swords spread... and I'm going to have to seek out the Shadowscapes... I feel a touch of deck lust coming on ;)
ReplyDeleteThank you. I really wasn't sure about the Shadowscapes when I first acquired it, but it's definitely growing on me!
Delete6 of swords corresponding to Imbolc. Never thought of it. I learnt something:) And I love short memorable spreads so thank you for that.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Joanna. I just can't help making the astrological connections...it's the astrologer in me!
DeleteGreat post, and beautiful cards. I live in the far south now but for most of my life I lived in the temperate north where crocus flowers would signal the beloved approach of spring, much like snowdrops. Really nice.
ReplyDeleteI've recently acquired the Shadowscapes, the image is very beautiful. Swans have come up a few times for me in tarot too. I find it to be a marker of spiritual growth or understanding.
ReplyDeleteI like your healing as a journey metaphor...lovely. Will definitely have to try this spread!
ReplyDeleteNice spread and one I'd associate with the Judgement card. I always see that as being about precisely the kind of "stock-taking" exercise that you describe :)
ReplyDeleteA great post! I love the images of the swans in both cards; swans are very powerful totems :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great description of Imbolc, and what a profound-but-simple healing spread!
ReplyDeleteYour post helped me make a deeper connection between healing and the hope that Imbolc brings.
Thanks, Christiana...and I'm really happy to hear that you found something useful in it! Thank you for giving us such a wonderful topic.
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