Yule Tarot Blog Hop 2015

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Welcome to Alison’s Alembic!   You may have arrived here as a stop on the Tarot Blog Hop from either Katalin Patnaik's or Chlöe's Inner Whispers blogs.  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! 

This is the Yule Blog Hop, celebrating the Winter Solstice that falls on December 22 (in the UK), for those of us in the northern hemisphere – the solar festival sacred to the Old King and to the reborn ‘Sun Child’, whom we find in various incarnations – Mithras, the Mabon, Jesus. 

Solstice means ‘sun still’, and refers to the sun seemingly being at a standstill – its turning point, the ‘shortest day’.  Up to now, the hours of daylight have been decreasing, the nights longer.  In a few days though, the sun ‘stands still’, the Wheel of the Year seems to stop, and time appears to hang...but from now on the light will start to increase and days will lengthen. So, the sun stands still, the Wheel of the Year seems to stop, and time appears to hang.

The Winter Solstice also marks the festival of Yule. Days later, Christmas arrives. Kwanzaa is also celebrated around this time (26 December-1 January). Hanukah, the Jewish festival of lights, is already well underway this year, having started on the 16^th, ending on the 24^th.  Many of these traditions involve gift-giving, the theme of this year’s Yule Tarot Blog Hop!

Our wrangler, Arwen, has asked us to join in the Office Party and to create a winter gift for you.  Well, this was a no-brainer, really, after the events of the past year... but to explain that I need to go back to the idea of Yule, or Alban Arthan as it’s also know in the Celtic world.  At this time, we (again, apologies for the northern hemisphere bias) are at the time of greatest night, and are waiting for the ‘rebirth’ of the sun.  I’ve been thinking about the idea of rebirth a lot lately... this year I’ve lost two friends to cancer, another two friends have lost parents whom I was also close to, a beloved dog has died. Two other friends are living with cancer – I choose to see it that way now, rather than ‘battling’, which was how I had been seeing it until recently.  All year I have felt overwhelmed by all this loss and death, even though I know it’s part of the cycle of life.  But it was only a couple of weeks ago, when I was invited to a colleague’s baby shower, that I had this moment of clarity.  This child, who’s due to arrive at the end of the year, is a reminder to me that this is all about rebirth, about new life, about the turning of the wheel.

Rebirth (detail): DruidCraft Tarot

The DruidCraft’s Rebirth (Judgment in other decks) sums this up for me.  There, in the entrance to the temple-tomb at Newgrange, is the reborn child – the child-Fool that, in the Sun card, rides the horse in the brilliant sun of the Summer Solstice.  To his left, a priest blows on his horn, calling “the soul to wake up, to be reborn, to accept its life, reap its rewards and begin a new cycle” (from The DruidCraft Tarot, Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm, Connections 2004).  Not only will I see my colleague’s baby as a symbol for renewal, I also hear the sound of that horn calling me to grow with the light of the sun as it increases each day.

My gift to you, then, is this ‘Call of the Horn’ spread:

What are you being called to leave in the darkness?

What are you being called to bring into the light?

The cards I drew are The High Priest (V) and the Four of Wands.  I need to leave behind my need to adhere to rules and structures that are no longer serving me, and to give myself a chance to enjoy what I’ve achieved and let myself have time to rest at home.  That’s the best gift I could possibly give myself – and I hope you enjoy yours too.

I wish you all great joy, good health, harmony - and a year full of creativity!

Thank you for stopping off here on your own journey through this Yule 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 backward or forward through the list – Katalin Patnaik's blog or Chlöe's Inner Whispers blog.    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 2004

Sagittarius in the Druidcraft court cards: quest for fire!

Last but not least, by any means – Sagittarius in the court cards. But which one – or ones?  Different traditions have different astrological correspondences when it comes to the Court Cards.  Generally  (but not always!) these correspondences depend on how cardinality, fixity and mutability have been assigned.  As Sagittarius is the mutable Fire sign, we’re looking (in the system I follow) at the Knight of Wands. 

Knight of Wands (detail) - Druidcraft Tarot

The Druidcraft’s Knight of Wands charges towards us on a horse that looks as though it’s flying through the air.  Fire is represented by his red cloak that billows out behind him, and the red blanket beneath his horse’s saddle.  The mutability is in the action, his flying through the air, eager to seek adventure and travel the world. 

This Knight won’t stay long in one location, but takes what he’s learned with him.  Like all the knights, he’s on a quest for knowledge, which is in itself quite Sagittarian – but this one is primed for action and adventure!  The fact that he’s so confident and positive works for him; he doesn’t consider the possibility that he might fail in his quest, an attitude which often leads to successful outcomes – but can lead him to become over-confident or fool-hardy!

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

Sagittarius in the Druidcraft Minor Arcana: The Ten of Wands

The Ten of Wands, in the astrological correspondence system I follow, corresponds to the last ten days of Sagittarius (12^th-21^st December), and is linked to Saturn in Sagittarius.   

Cronos

Sagittarius is the mutable Fire sign, so we’re looking at transforming what’s been established into something else.  It combines a fiery passion and creativity with the expansiveness and benevolence of Jupiter, the ruler of Sagittarius, to give us the visionary, the explorer, the philosopher.   Yet Saturn is almost the opposite of Jupiter; where Jupiter expands, Saturn contracts. It sets boundaries and places restrictions – it makes us aware of limitations.  Remember that Saturn is the Roman counterpart to Cronos (or Kronos), the Greek god of time and chronology – as well as being the father of the Greek pantheon.  So the limits or restrictions that Saturn imposes are often to do with time...

Ten of Wands (detail): Druidcraft Tarot

There are certainly Saturnian themes at work in the traditional meanings associated with the Ten of Wands.  Oppression, heavy burdens, struggling...we see it in the Druidcraft’s Ten of Wands, as the man trudges up the hill laden with staves.  The fiery creativity of Sagittarius has become hard work, a heavy load, something with which we struggle.  We’ve taken on too much, we can’t deliver – we’ve over-reached ourselves, exceeded our limitations.  

 But – and it’s a big ‘but’ – who’s forced us into this position? More often than not, it’s ourselves who’ve imposed the pressure.  And if not ourselves, it’s us who ‘decide’ we can’t do anything about it. The solution? Take some time – ah, see, this is where Cronos comes in! – lay down that pile of wands or whatever it is that we’re holding onto so awkwardly, and slowly (Saturn again) work out the best way to carry them towards our goal.

So, Saturn in Sagittarius is not all doom and gloom! It can represent the need to establish ourselves through beliefs and aspirations of long-term goals.  In aiming towards those philosophical, far-off ideals and goals, there will be a willingness to put in the hard work necessary to achieve them, resulting in a sense of satisfaction – and perhaps even a sense of stability or security.  

This combination can also symbolize the ability to accept, in a very expansive and broad-minded way, a number of duties and responsibilities – often taking on more than can be dealt with!  There can be a tendency to organize things ‘on the run’, to ‘wing things’ (think of those wings on the Sagittarian figure), and may be constantly changing the agenda to suit changing situations.  Not always a bad thing – being able to ‘think on your feet’ is often an advantage!

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

Sagittarius in the Druidcraft Major Arcana (part 2)

There’s another card from the Major Arcana to look at while we’re in Sagittarius, and that’s the card that’s associated with the ruler of this sign. Jupiter rules Sagittarius, and in the system of correspondences that I follow, Jupiter is linked to the Wheel of Fortune.

Remember that Jupiter, the largest of the planets in our solar system, is composed almost entirely of gas.  When gas is heated, it expands... so Jupiter has come to represent growth, expansion, and benevolence (in astrology, the planet is referred to as the 'greater benefic') - as well as good humour and good fortune.  There’s the link to the Wheel  - changing fortunes.  Circumstances change; the wheel is constantly turning – things expand and contract, our fortunes rise and fall.

The Wheel (detail) - Druidcraft Tarot

In the Druidcraft Tarot, we see quite a different depiction than that in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck and those based on it. Here we have Arianrhod, the Celtic goddess, drawing a circle in the sand with a stick – or as the accompanying book names it, the Circle of Life. The sea will wash away her work when the tide comes in, a symbol for the inevitability of the turning of the wheel, and the cyclic nature of life.

I have become even more aware of this cycle recently, having lost three friends in the space of two months, while awaiting the birth of a friend’s child at the end of this year.  What goes around, comes around. Nothing stands still, the only constant is change.

When Arianrhod finishes drawing her circle, she will stand back, knowing that the tide will sweep it away. She will cast her circle again and again, knowing that she can’t hold the sea back. It's about standing back and seeing the bigger picture - about not putting boundaries on everything but allowing things to expand and develop at their own pace. Let the wheel keep turning.

Often it seems we have no control over what fortune awaits us – but in fact we can choose what action to take when we’re confronted with new situations, so it’s not entirely out of our hands.

Life is unpredictable, Events may appear to be random – but are they? And can we recognize the silver lining, the blessings in disguise – the Jupiterian ‘benefic’ - when they do happen?  We feel the warmth of the Sun shining down on us, and experience the joy and benevolence that comes with good fortune and unexpected gifts.

Of course, what comes up must go down, but the Wheel doesn’t indicate which way it’s turning; we rely on other cards in a reading to determine that.  When heat is removed from a gas, it contracts – Jupiter the planet can’t expand indefinitely!  Fortunes change – what we do know from this card (and Jupiter’s association with it) is that something new is coming, be it a downturn or an upwards one.

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