2021 guidance card, and musings on the Wild Rose

My Guide card for the year ahead is the Wild Rose
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While it can be all too easy to see this card as relationship bliss, I think it can oversimplify things.
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The suit of Summer (Cups) deals with emotions, and interactions with others outside ourselves. The number two usually indicates two forces, or two entities. Possibly a duality, or opposites combining.
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While the idea of joyous connection often conjures up ideas of lovers it is possible to push the boundaries of a bit further. This can be a connection with any two forces and extended beyond romance to platonic, familial, or even ideal work relationships.
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Wild Rose asks you to take note of what it is you’re happily connected to, and that can be yourself too. How do we nurture and care for these relationships? How to we maintain and show respect to what we love?
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When we find ourselves being overly critical it’s important to take a step back. What is it we enjoy and appreciate? It can be a rebellious act to genuinely come forward with a willingness to connect. And it doesn’t need to feel as cheesy as some “love heals all” saying, too.

wondering about lawns, the Magician card.

I find it interesting that grass is so interwoven with domesticity.
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There is an element of control, of mastery, with the lawn and at times it feels like an overly simple one. With all the ways to connect with plants it can be strange to think that this one, one that is so familiar with so many, has been nearly stripped of all its natural magic in most of its human interactions.
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This matches well with the shadow side of the Magician. This youthful spirit has discovered the simplest elements of magic: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water (illustrated as the four suits of the tarot in the Smith Rider-Waite version). They have an excited energy and the desire to master and utilize these new found tools.
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Like most lawn owners, the Magician is not corrupt, just naive. This desire to break everything down into basic categories, and master the world around us is a human drive. this force can be used for good if we come about it with curiosity and an understanding that everything is more complex than we can imagine. Categories can be helpful as long as we don’t loose sight of the intricacy those classifications may overlook.
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Try not to get caught up in dogma as you begin this exploratory journey (your own or someone else’s). Try to relinquish the desire for control with a fresh interest in what is. You can only become a master when you’re flexible to let everything else show you what it has to offer, not forcing it to fit your agenda.
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While the lawn may be what many think of when they see Grass, try not to forget its wild ancestors that blanketed the plains, nourished the majestic fauna, and created seas of green beings that hold much more knowledge than we ever gave them credit for.

Eight of Summer, Purple Loosestrife

When this card appears you may be feeling stuck and stagnant- something many of us can relate to with the current state of things.
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Loosestrife is often called an ‘Invasive’ a term I once embraced, but have found myself picking apart the actual concept and now view with a more complicated lens.
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This purple plant was introduced to North America where it quickly took hold- something that can happen with enthusiastic flora offered an ideal environment with none of its usual restrictions. This created a situation where Loosestrife was crowding out wetlands, and creating stagnant waterways void of much variation.
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The card asks us to draw attention to what it is that’s making us feel stuck. Outside factors are valid, but are there things within ourselves that are holding us back?
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Habits, expectations, and mindsets can all be harboring factors causing this stagnation. And while it may seem easier to change external ones, if you’re feeling stuck often, perhaps there’s something inward that can be addressed.

familiarity breeds contempt, the Four of Summer

It can be too easy to get caught up in any kind of routine. It can feel challenging to face things we see everyday, the people we surround ourselves with, and motivating ourselves to do routine daily tasks with vigor and enthusiasm.

Sometimes you just want to look at all that and scream. We want to blame it all for the feelings of grey monotony in our lives.

Familiarity can breed contempt.

But we mustn’t forget that we have a role in how we see the world. If we were caught up in an overwhelming slew of changes, we would crave this level of comfort and regularly.

This is the lesson of the Four of Summer (Cups), Desert Sage.

While it is easy to project our discomfort outward, and a change of scenery definitely can be a useful tool, we also can’t underestimate the power of our own thoughts. Examine what you’re dissatisfied with. Is it a thing you may have outgrown and need to move on from? Or are you assuming you’ve experienced every nook and cranny of that experience, and it’s lost it’s power of magic or wonder?

It’s these assumptions and things we “take for granted” that make things feel mundane. Perhaps it’s time to shed those preconceived notions so we can explore these grounded relationships even more.

And if it’s still not for us, yes, let go of it! Thank it for its wisdom, protection, and support. Release it with no resentment.

But we hold the power to change our interaction with what we do and see daily. Own this power within.

it is said that Lemon Balm dispels melancholy...

Lemon Balm is a unassuming little plant, but it’s subtle powers have me absolutely captivated.

It is said that Lemon Balm dispels melancholy, and in my herbal journey I was a bit skeptical of statements like that. However, for me, it holds true.

It’s nothing too earth shattering. No immediate, noticeable charge of electricity. But it does offer a gentle lift, and usually that’s all I need.

I don’t need to be rocketed into elation, but I would like to loosen the hold of despair now and again. So that I can work within that space, that mood, without being consumed.

Ten of Summer (cups) is just that- a delightful feeling of pleasantries. We’ve just been through a myriad of emotions in our journey. We feel tired, exhausted, but full of joy and light from the breadth of experiences and connections we just endured.

Ten of Summer doesn’t have to be all rainbows and puppies. This moment of joy doesn’t have to be that blatant. Listen within, do you feel that glow in your heart? It might be subtle, but if you tend to it, it will only get brighter.

on balance, Temperance

Photo by Hayley Harper

It’s no coincidence that Fall and Libra season begin on the same day. We are being asked to look at the scales within to make sure things are in balance.

But it’s important to understand that sometimes the scales need to be tipped to move their way back to center.

You may be pulled to pacify all that is uncomfortable, but if what you’re siding with does not align with your peace is it truly worth feeding into?

Cattails sit along the water’s edge filtering out the still pond to keep it alive and thriving. Keep a clear mind of what it is you want to see and cultivate in the world. Do what you can to filter out the toxins.

Observing from the sidelines may feel counterproductive, but if you keep your awareness active to what you are observing this act is not purely stillness. You are finding your roots, clinging to the edge, and creating a grounding element within yourself.

From there you can jump into the fray and not get caught up in the shifting world around you. To remain true to Justice in the midst of chaos is Libra’s highest calling. It’s immediate urge to quell unpleasantries is best used with intention and purpose, not for comforting others at the cost of your own values.

You’re just undoing your own work when you try to please what is not serving you. Or your community.

flexibility is such a vague concept, the Hanged Man

As the seasons change and 2020 is still pushing us to uproot what we accepted as “normalcy” the powerful message of the Hanged Man is important to reflect on.

Flexibility can feel like such a vague concept. You can try to roll with whatever life throws at you, but without any idea of what keeps you rooted it’s easy to get washed away. Being flexible doesn’t mean you’re passive, or need to forget your values. Being a doormat is hardly “going with the flow” because you’re actually attaching yourself to someone else’s decisions instead of surrendering to the chance of the greater unknown.

And knowing what keeps you rooted doesn’t mean you stick your heels in the mud at any potential changes that arise. Stubborn behavior is not grounding, it is a resistance to see the multiple pathways that are offered, and potentially limiting yourself through assuming your imagined path is the only one possible.

The Hanged Man asks us to walk the space between those two extremes. It’s being malleable. Some days require a bit more grounding. Some days need a bit more surrender. And knowing yourself is key to interpreting your own compass. As well as accepting you are ever changing. sometimes you need to healthily question your own motives too.

don't fear the Death card

There is nothing to fear when the Death card appears... unless you’re resistant to endings.

While many worry this card is an omen of a literal death, it is actually more metaphorical. It calls upon a need to let something go- or come to a close. Often whatever it may be is deep rooted; a habit we have carried for a long time and leaned on in times of scarcity, hurt, or despair. We may imagine that this trait is just a part of who we are, and we feel reluctant to part with it. But holding on is just limiting our growth and potential.

Learn to let go of what no longer serves us. To no longer fear the mini-deaths we need to live through to keep on living. Take time to revere and thank whatever it is we’re moving on from, for its place in our lives, but know it’s time to part ways. And something we can’t even imagine will suddenly spring up from its place.

planning for the future, Two of Spring

This card.
For whatever reason Crocus, two of Spring, has been a card that keeps occurring for me- often in reverse. I’d look at it, feel a bit confused, and push it out of my mind.
But suddenly, today, it hit me with such clarity I don’t even understand why it was so confusing before.

Two of Spring (wands) is all about that first stage of planning for the future. You’ve been hit with that new inspiration energy and you’re ready to get that head start on some long term goals.

Teamwork can also be another important aspect of this card. The one part I truly grasped more than I think was necessary. While asking for help, and working as a team can be important and valuable aspects when working toward your dreams, you don’t have to wait around for the exact person to appear. Examine your goals and explore what avenues can take you there, and perhaps as you clear all of this up the right help will effortlessly show up.

Only you can know exactly what the right path towards your future can look like. And while it’s constructive to make plans, also be careful not to hold too rigidly to them. Leave space for the unexpected opportunities to arise as well.