Ace! Tarot Blog Hop – Imbolc 2017

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Welcome to Alison’s Alembic!   You may have arrived here as a stop on the Tarot Blog Hop from either Karen's The Pure and Blessed Way's or Chlöe's Inner Whispers 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 Candlemas, is a cross-quarter festival , marking the end of winter and beginning of spring (in the northern hemisphere). 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 (Yule) and the Vernal Equinox (Ostara) -  so if you’re living in the southern hemisphere, you’ll be celebrating this in 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.

Birth, beginnings… a time of hope, a time to look towards the future, and what might be.

 Our wrangler for this Imbolc blog, Arwen Lynch Poe, has asked us to look at the Aces in the tarot.  The Ace represent the seed, the thing we plant and then go on to nurture as it grows. Each Ace holds the seed of the energy of its suit, be it the creativity and fire of the Wands, the ideas and … of the Swords, the … of the Cups or the … of the Pentacles.

With this in mind, Arwen has asked us to answer the question -

“How can I best foster the energy of the Aces in my life?”

- in whatever form we choose, be it a spread, a poem, a recipe, or whatever our imaginations come up with. I’m excited to see what everyone else is writing about!

And me? I’m fostering Ace energy by creating Ace haiku…

Ace of Pentacles (trimmed):© Shadowsapes Tarot

Earth full of promise

Nurturing, stabilizing,

Ready to take root.

Ace of Vessels (trimmed):© Wildwood Tarot

Well-springs’ constant flow

Carries seeds of love and joy

To fresh hearts and homes.

Ace of Swords (trimmed):© DruidCraft Tarot

Clouds lift, storms abate,

A sword cuts through, points the way,

Stimulates new thought.

Ace of Flames (trimmed):© Margarete PetersenTarot

A small spark of light

The flame grows higher, hotter:

Ignition, blast off!

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 – The Pure and Blessed Way or Inner Whispers. The Master List can be found here.

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DruidCraft Tarot created by Philip Carr-Gomm and Stephanie Carr-Gomm, illustrated by Will Worthington, published by Connections

Margarete Petersen Tarot, AGM-URANIA/Deep Books, 2004

Shadowscapes Tarot created by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law and Barbara Moore, published by Llewellyn

Wildwood Tarot created by Mark Ryan and John Matthews, illustrated by Will Worthington, published by Connections

Mabon 2016 Tarot Blog Hop: Foodies Guide to the Tarot

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Welcome to Alison’s Alembic!   You may have arrived here as a stop on the Tarot Blog Hop from either Completely Joyous or Kismet's Companion.  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! 

In the northern hemisphere, we're approaching the Autumn Equinox, also known as Alban Elfed, as well as the time for paying tribute to Mabon. It's the time of year when we’re poised between light and dark, with the hours of daylight and darkness being equal in length. It’s also the culmination of the harvest that was begun at Lughnasadh.  At this time we celebrate the beginning of harvesting grapes, making wine, bringing in the sheaves for the canning, preserving, and other ways of gathering the fruits of months, sometimes years, of effort and care.  

With all this in mind, our co-wranglers for this particular Blog Hop, Jay and Arwen, have given us the title Foodies Guide to the Tarot to work with.  As our ancestors – ancient and more recent – would have been harvesting and beginning to store food for the winter, my thoughts turned immediately to the idea of preservation....chutneys, pickles, jams...all those jars of goodies/goodness that would fill the cupboards, ready for winter.  

Although my usual method of cooking doesn’t involve measuring things carefully, I’ve learned that when it comes to baking and preserving, precision really is important. Everything has to be in balance, otherwise nothing sets properly or tastes right.

Now, I’ve never, ever been able to re-create my dad’s mustard pickle (also known as Piccalilli, although I have no idea why!).  As Dad’s no longer around to consult, I thought perhaps I could ask the tarot  for some guidance.

What do I need to do to find the right balance and produce the ‘perfect’ pickle?

There are four basic steps to the recipe, so I’ve drawn a card for each from the Sharman-Caselli tarot deck.

Card 1: The raw ingredients. 2 lb of mixed vegetables – beans, cucumber, shallots, cauliflower...cut them into small pieces and sprinkle with salt.

Four of Cups (trimmed): ©Sharman-Caselli Tarot

So, what do I need to remember when I choose these?

The Four of Cups. Don’t just pick what’s in front of me. Have a closer look, and see if there are any hidden ‘gems’ lurking at the bottom of the pile/vine/stem/whatever. 

Look for the very best, and don’t settle!

Card 2: Preparation (part 1). Boil 1 pint vinegar and 15 chillies for 2 minutes. Then let this stand for an hour before straining.

Ace of Pentacles (trimmed): © Sharman-Caselli Tarot

What to be aware of at this stage?

Ace of Pentacles.  Just remember I can accomplish my goal – taking raw ingredients, fresh from the earth, which will carry me through the winter.  Fortune favours the bold!

Card 3: Preparation (part 2). Mix ½ lb sugar, 2 oz mustard, ½ oz turmeric, and 2 level teaspoons cornflour. Blend with a little of the cooled vinegar.

Bring the rest of the vinegar back to the boil and pour over the blended ‘sugar and spice’. Boil it all for 3 minutes.

Four of Swords (trimmed): ©Sharman-Caselli Tarot

Advice here?

Four of Swords.  Take time to let this work. Curb my natural impatience. Let it boil for the required length of time!

And also perhaps, spend some time thinking about how Dad used to do - maybe he'll send me some hints somehow...

And finally, Step 4: Remove from heat and fold in the strained vegetables. Pack into prepared jars and cover.

The Fool (trimmed): ©Sharman-Caselli Tarot

The Fool Reversed. Don’t allow myself to be distracted – focus on what I’m doing so I don’t make any careless mistakes.  

And if anyone would like to try this out, please let me know how it turns out!

Thank you for stopping off here on your journey through this Mabon Tarot Blog Hop!  Please do come back and read some of my other posts – and if you’re a Facebook user, you can find me at Alison’s Alembic.  

 

The next stops on the Tarot Blog Hop are - depending on whether you’re moving backwards or forwards through the list – Joy Vernon's Completely Joyous or Vivianne Kacal's Kismet's Companion. The Master List can be found here.

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Sharman-Caselli Tarot created by Juliet Sharman-Burke, illustrated by Giovanni Caselli, published by Connections