I use tarot and oracle cards as tools for reflection and contemplation. Rather than divining the future, they are a way for me to look more deeply at the "now."
"The goal isn't to arrive, but to meander, to saunter, to make your life a holy wandering." ~ Rami Shapiro

Sunday, December 14, 2014

Watch for High Tides

From the Llewellyn Tarot, the Queen of Cups; from the Beasts of Albion, the "Brock (Badger):"
           The Queen of Cups could be described as imaginative, intuitive and compassionate. But what I notice about this pen and watercolor image is the water level. Waves swirl around her feet but do not cover her heart or head. Even in this realm, there need to be boundaries. Otherwise, her imagination that might be expressed in the arts might end up as crazed scribbling on a bedroom wall. Her intuition could turn into paranoia, where everyone is a potential enemy and every situation a conspiracy. Her compassion might become codependency, as she begins to think her happiness depends on making everyone else happy. Don't let the tide catch you off guard, Queen.
          Badger has gotten a bad name he doesn't deserve. This fellow is steady-going and home-loving; he only turns into a furry Hulk when his peace, security or family are threatened. His motto is "live and let live" - unless you cross those boundaries. His fierce strength and power make him an admirable defender, yet those same qualities make him tenacious when he meets an obstacle or challenge. I'm sure he'll be on the lookout for anyone trying to flood his burrow with emotional drama.
       

6 comments:

  1. An excellent way to approach the holidays. Keeping some boundaries are a lifesaver

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  2. I'm listening to the Red Wall books this fall, the current one begins with an unlikely otter/badger pair. I had to look up what a badger looked like. Hoping to get lucky in a comparison I googled "badger and otter". A video was the first return was of an otter and badger playing together. I'll put 'hope to see a real badger' on my wish list. I saw wild turkeys for the first time in October.

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    1. We have river otters here, but no badgers. I'd like to see one too (though not in a zoo). (-scurries off to Google "Redwall books"-)

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  3. Aha, just passing this along--I discovered this when working with the Badgers Forest Tarot: the badgers we get in North America (both Canada and then US) look different from the badgers in Europe and the UK that are depicted on this card.

    Ours look more like small wolverines. Still stripey but they don't have the same snout. The American Badger is pretty close but has different colouring and slightly different head, and the Honey Badger looks more like a sloth/skunk or something--weird.

    After growing up reading The Wind in the Willows, I was gutted to find this out!

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    1. Heehee, the "The Wind in the Willows" is where my early information on badgers came too. Going to have to go Google some images and compare the different types!
      ETA: Just had a peek at the honey badger - it is VERY different looking!

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