Tarot Blog Hop Mabon 2019: What is my harvest, and how do I find it?

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Welcome to Alison’s Alembic! You may have arrived here as a stop on the Tarot Blog Hop from either Tarot and Stars' or Tarot of Change's 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!

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 wrangler for this particular Blog Hop, Aisling, has given us the title

What Is My Harvest, and How Do I Find It?

She’s asked us to focus on the collecting of our personal harvest – what we’ve learned, what we’ve decided is important, what we’ve have decided to get rid of. How are we planning to make productive use of the autumn and winter months? How have we changed, what are we beginning, and what have we completed, and – most importantly, how have we begun to further and more deeply understand our ‘self’?

Aisling’s suggested using the concept of the Three Realms – Land, Sea, and Sky – to represent Body, Mind, and Spirit, and to draw three cards for each of the Realms, nine cards altogether. In each case, the cards will answer three questions, one set for Body, one for Mind, and one for Spirit.
These are the questions:

1. What do I need to know about the current condition of my body/mind/spirit right now?

2. What is the most important thing on which I need to focus in the realm of my body/mind/spirit as I move into the winter months?

3. What is the main content and context of this harvest of better health/new ideas/deeper spiritual resonance that I am going to receive if I focus on these things?


So, here goes! I’m using Stephanie Pui-Mun Law’s lovely Shadowscapes deck.  This is what it looks like, overall – bottom row: Land, middle row: Sea, top row: Sky...

All cards © Stephanie Pui-Mun Law

Starting with the first column (left-hand-side), Body –

Card 1, at the bottom (Land), represents what I need to know about the current condition of my body, my health, right now. The Page of Wands tells me that I’m in the early stages of a new phase, and that it’s good news. That’s encouraging! With this being Wands and the suit of action and adventure, I see this as a pointer to do as much travelling and exploring as I can while I still have good health and the ability to do so.

Card 2, in the middle (Sea), represents the thing that’s most important for me to focus on as we move towards winter in terms of my health, or body. The Ace of Cups suggests more beginnings, but on an emotional front. That’s good too – emotional happiness has an effort on the body, and vice versa.

Card 3, at the top (Sky), represents what it is I will harvest in terms of improved health. The Ten of Pentacles indicates continued good health – not just in the body but in all material areas.


Moving over to the middle column, Mind –

Card 4, at the bottom (Land), represents what I need to know about the current condition of my mind right now. The World reminds me that I’ve achieved a lot this year, even if I haven’t always been aware of it. Despite difficulties there’s also been joy. New ideas for the coming months are about to seed themselves…

Card 5, in the middle (Sea), represents the thing that’s most important for me to focus on as we move towards winter in terms of my mind, my thoughts and beliefs. The Two of Swords indicates the need to stop procrastinating, something I’ve been doing a lot of recently. Find workable solutions – not necessarily perfect ones!

Card 6, at the top (Sky), represents what it is I will harvest in terms of new ideas. Another Two, the Two of Cups suggests a coming together of ideas. Moving from the edginess of the Swords to the softer Cups, from procrastination to creativity – bring it on!

And finally, the third (right-hand-side) column, Spirit –

Card 7, at the bottom (Land), represents what I need to know about the current condition of my spirit right now. The Ace of Wands tells me that a new spark is ready to be ignited, that within me there’s a way forward just raring to go! My spirit is lifted by the thought of travel and adventure of all kinds, and by the creativity that is born through such wanderings.

Card 8, in the middle (Sea), represents the thing that’s most important for me to focus on as we move towards winter in terms of my spiritual growth. The Fool tells me to take a leap of faith. Instead of wondering if I’m following the ‘right’ path, just pick one (shades of the Two of Swords sitting to the left) and see where it takes me.

Card 9, at the top (Sky), represents what it is I will harvest in terms of deeper spiritual resonance. The King of Pentacles is the court card that’s associated with the decan in which I was born, so this has particular resonance for me – I feel a sense of ‘coming home’ with its appearance here. A greater wealth in terms of spirit, some of which may come from voluntary work that I’m involved in, as well as my personal spiritual work.

Even though they cross realms, I’m really struck by the appearance of the first and final Majors in the spread. Those, and the two Aces and two Twos, really give me the sense of new beginnings, which will be very welcome. I’m also drawn to the richness of the greens and golds in the ‘Land’ row; it gives me a sense of being very grounded and supported (which I am). The blue-mauves of the ‘Sea’ row suggest flow, movement (Water and Air) – a good thing on which to focus. And the blue-green of the top row (Sky) suggests emotional, creative and intellectual fulfilment to come…

Thanks so much, Aisling, for this inspiring idea!

And thank you, readers, 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 – Tarot and Stars or Tarot of Change. The Master List can be found here.

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

Libra in the Minor Arcana: The Two of Swords

Now let’s turn to the Minor Arcana.  In the astrological correspondence system that I follow, Libra is linked to the Two, Three and Four of Swords. Today I’m going to look at the Two of Swords, which corresponds to the Moon in Libra. It also corresponds to the first 10 days of Libra – this year, from the 23^rd September to 2^nd October.

Libra is the cardinal Air sign, so we’re looking at creative energy around activity involving thought, ideas, logic, reason.  Libra, as we’ve already seen in previous posts, is also about partnerships of all kinds, but the emphasis isn’t on the passion but rather on the contractual side of things – wanting to ensure equality and fairness within the relationship, be it personal or professional.  Libra, through its rulership by Venus, is the peacemaker, the lover of harmony and refinement.

The Moon is associated with the element of Water, through its rulership of Cancer, and so we have a link to the watery realm of feelings and emotion.  The Moon in Libra, then, will bring sensitivity to what could otherwise be a quite detached, ‘airy’ approach to relationship.  The Moon in Libra will want to protect and nurture those partnerships, and will quite probably be very aware of their partner’s emotions and how they might react to situations. They may also be very vulnerable to their own emotions!

Two of Swords (trimmed):

© Thoth Tarot

So how might this play out in the Two of Swords? I’m going to start with the Crowley Thoth deck, not least because the Two of Swords in this deck carries the keyword ‘peace’.  The two crossed swords in the image pierce a rose; the symbolism suggests surrendering to love (the rose) rather than war. Remember that slogan ‘Make love, not war’?!  The message is about being able to use intuition and awareness (the Moon) to see things clearly so that a decision can be made.  The windmills in the background represent the ideas – the inspiration (‘in-spire’ – to breath in) – in our imagination that need to be brought forward.

Two of Swords (trimmed):

© Sharman-Burke/Caselli Tarot

A more traditional depiction of the Two of Swords can be seen in the Sharman-Burke/Caselli deck. Here we have a woman, blindfolded, with two swords crossed over her chest, sitting with her back to a stormy sea.  There’s a waxing crescent moon in the sky behind her; that, and the fact that her back is turned to the sea, suggest she’s chosen to ignore her emotions.  She wants to protect herself (the Moon, again) from the challenges and difficult decisions facing her.  The blindfold is part of that protection; the challenges are in front of her but by choosing to cover her eyes, she doesn’t have to face them.  No sign of the ‘peace’ that the Thoth’s Two of Swords shows us (although the crossed swords in that image represent the sense of being at a crossroads).  However, the message is similar – hiding from reality takes a lot of effort, and that effort can’t be maintained indefinitely; those two swords will become too heavy.  By drawing on intuition rather than over-protection (i.e. using the Moon’s energy in a different way), a way forward can be clearly seen.

Two of Swords (trimmed):

© Druid Craft Tarot

The creators of the Druid Craft Tarot follow the tradition of the blindfolded woman and the crossed swords, but here she turns her back to us, facing instead into the forest.  Two paths stretch out ahead of her, both leading into the forest but where they will end up is unclear.  By wearing the blindfold, she avoids having to make the decision as to which way to go.  Again, if she were to choose to use her awareness, rather than choosing to hide (thinking she’s protecting herself), she might be able to ‘see’ which path to choose.

Two of Arrows (trimmed):

© Wildwood Tarot

In the Wildwood Tarot, created by Mark Ryan and John Matthews, and beautifully illustrated by Will Worthington, the Two of Arrows also shows a blindfolded woman with crossed arrows against her chest. We also see the scales of Libra overhead, against the backdrop of a stormy, cloudy sky, but the scales are not balanced.  The reading points for this card talk about injustice and inequality – very Libran themes – and the need to balance the scales through honesty.  We’re asked here to question, to use our mental awareness – the cardinal, airy qualities of Libra as well as the instinct of the Moon – to decide what is just and fair.  In that way, the scales will be balanced, bringing perhaps that sense of ‘peace’ of the Thoth’s Two.

If you’ve enjoyed this post, you might be interested in my new e-book, Astrology in Tarot, now available from Amazon.

Beginner’s Guide to the Tarot created by Juliet Sharman-Burke, illustrated by Giovanni Caselli, published by Connections

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

Thoth Tarot created by Aleister Crowley, illustrated by Lady Frieda Harris, published by US Games Systems, Inc.

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

To ruffle or not to ruffle? Margarete Petersen’s Two of Feathers

Two of Feathers (trimmed):

© Margarete Petersen Tarot

Moving on today to the Two of Feathers, which lie horizontally across the face of a large disc.  The feathers point in opposite directions, so again, opposition. One feather looks ruffled compared to the other one - the need to balance opposites? The circle in the background implies wholeness or union. 

It also reminds me of the Moon, which is part of the astrological association for this card – Moon in Libra.  Libra is the cardinal Air sign, so we’re looking at creative energy around activity involving thought, ideas, logic, reason, while the Moon is associated with the element of Water through its rulership of Cancer, so we have a link to the watery realm of feelings and emotion.  Objective feelings – is that even possible?!?

Margarete Petersen writes about meditation, about observing our thoughts and letting them come to a standstill. How apposite to be looking at this today, coming so soon after the Equinox – when we’re poised at that delicate balance between equal day and night!  She asks us to “Feel the power of the space that lies between a dying and a newly forming thought”. (p 73 of her LWB)

Two feathers at rest

Rough, smooth - opposed yet balanced 
Still mind holds power.
 
Margarete Petersen Tarot, AGM-URANIA, 2004

Libra in the Druidcraft’s Minor Arcana: The Two of Swords

Now let’s turn to the Minor Arcana.  In the astrological correspondence system that I follow, Libra is linked to the Two, Three and Four of Swords. Today I’m going to look at the Two of Swords, which corresponds to the Moon in Libra. It also corresponds to the first 10 days of Libra – this year, from the 23^rd September to 3^rd October.

Libra is the cardinal Air sign, so we’re looking at creative energy around activity involving thought, ideas, logic, reason.  Libra, as we’ve already seen in previous posts, is also about partnerships of all kinds, but the emphasis isn’t on the passion but rather on the contractual side of things – wanting to ensure equality and fairness within the relationship, be it personal or professional.  Libra, through its rulership by Venus, is the peacemaker, the lover of harmony and refinement.

The Moon is associated with the element of Water, through its rulership of Cancer, and so we have a link to the watery realm of feelings and emotion.  The Moon in Libra, then, will bring sensitivity to what could otherwise be a quite detached, ‘airy’ approach to relationship.  The Moon in Libra will want to protect and nurture those partnerships, and will quite probably be very aware of their partner’s emotions and how they might react to situations. They may also be very vulnerable to their own emotions!

Druidcraft Tarot (detail)

So how might this play out in the Two of Swords? The Druidcraft follows the tradition of the blindfolded woman and the crossed swords, but here she turns her back to us, facing instead into the forest.  Two paths stretch out before her, both leading into the forest - but where they will end up is unclear.

  

The blindfold, I think, serves two purposes.  Is she hiding, and in so doing, protecting herself (the Moon), from the challenges and difficult decisions (Libra) facing her?  The challenges are in front of her but by choosing to cover her eyes, she doesn’t have to face them. She’s at a crossroads – shown by the diverging path but also the crossed swords she holds in front of her. Hiding from reality takes a lot of effort, though, and that effort can’t be maintained indefinitely; those two swords will become too heavy. 

 

The other way to approach this is to see the wearing of the blindfold as a means of shutting out external influences. By drawing on intuition rather than over-protection (using the Moon’s energy in a different way), a way forward can be clearly seen. She senses the right time to make the decision, the right time to take action, to challenge or to mediate.

Either way, we are still dealing with opposition (the Two), two opposing points of view, which need to be reconciled.  The Libran qualities of peace (also connected to the Moon) and harmony (through Venus’ rulership) are required in the form of mediation and/or diplomacy.  If not an actual opposition, it will be a dilemma – a wavering between two options (the Libran ‘indecisiveness’, which I think isn’t really indecisiveness – more that there are so many things to weigh up that time is required). 

We’re asked here to question, to use our mental awareness – the cardinal, airy qualities of Libra as well as the instinct of the Moon – to decide what is just and fair.  In that way, the scales will be balanced, bringing a sense of ‘peace’ and resolution.

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