Herbcrafter’s Tarot

It’s the Pink Moon, full moon in Libra, sun in Aries, 2022. Everybody knows that the tarot is irresistible, and today I'm using the Herbcrafter’s Tarot written by Leticia Guthrie, artwork by Joanna Powell Colbert, published by US Game Systems. This is an irresistible deck and I’ve already bought three since somehow I keep giving them away.

My focus is on my holistic practice. So much has changed in the last two years with COVID. I shuffle the cards again and again, relishing in their newness, the stiff glossy cardboard with a pleasing back design of various herbs, roots, stems, and butterflies on a pale green background. I mix the cards with my energy and intentions, cutting the deck into three stacks using my left hand (heart), then making a new pile with my right hand (head) while softly saying, “In the name of the Maiden. Mother, and Crone, I'm here by myself, and I am never alone.” Swiftly I draw cards using the classic Motherpeace spread. Since they are new, I turn the reversed cards upright. I’ll think about them more later, most likely around three o’clock in the morning.

The first card is The Significator, my here and now, the main focus. Using my right hand, I pull Three - The Empress - Rose. Threes are the number of creativity, and this is a Major Arcana, a major life lesson. We see a rosary made of red beads with a flaming heart,  surrounded by succulent rose hips, fiery chili peppers, five-petaled English roses (reminds me of Placenta Bush) and crimson rose petals. In the middle is a heart made out of honeycomb, makes me think of the nursery rhyme, “The queen was in the parlor, eating bread and honey.” Upon reading the accompanying book, there is also a Venus of Willendorf, appropriate since the traditional Empress has the symbol for the planet Venus inscribed on her throne. It is a beautiful card. The book says, “Be vulnerable, yet strong. Nurture love and compassion. See beauty and abundance in every stage of life.”

When looking through said book, I like how each card has a little quote, describes the artwork and meaning, and then there's a section called “Crafting” which offers ways to honor the particular card. For this card, one suggestion is to create a rosary out of rosebuds, rose hips, or dry rose petal beads for love and compassion. Considering I'm focusing on my practice and my last name is Rose, I saw this as auspicious and reassuring.

The second one, Source of Strength, is Eight of Fire - Ginger pulled with my left hand. We see a vast kitchen with a wooden cutting board filled with dark brown ginger roots, some sliced to show pale yellows, as well as green onions, a glass cruet of olive oil, a bunch of well-used spatulas in a jar, a copper kettle, something flaming on the stove, a big cooking pot that could be a cauldron. Eights are rewards and Fire represents energy. “Adapt swiftly to unexpected changes. You can handle the heat. Act quickly when inspiration strikes.” One of the suggestions is to craft a magic ginger honey pot, which is intriguing.

The third is the The Challenge card, my particular workshop.  Using both hands now, I pick Two of Earth - Witch Hazel. Two are about balance, and Earth is the physical world - health, finances, material things. The card shows two blue birds twittering on a wicker birdhouse, another one balancing on a branch filled with bright yellow buds adorned with blue ribbons on a wispy, cloudy, slightly chilly day. There is snow on the ground and frosted green trees in the distance. Finding joy in each moment is my challenge. The book recommends, 

 “Full hands, rich life. Balance on the edges of depth and lightness. Find joy in each moment… Your stability may feel at risk but as the flowers promise relief is not far off… Decorate the leafless tree with strands of ribbons for each of your blessings… Cultivate joy. Hang birdhouses from winter trees and pause to sing with the birds while you work.“

The fourth revealed is The Root, which represents what I am bringing up from my deep past, childhood, and past lives. Again using both hands, they hover and choose Fourteen -  Temperance - Camellia. Another Major Arcana, the card of alchemical change. There is an earthy  bamboo tray with three white porcelain cups of steaming green tea, a delicate floral teapot and a bowl full of  fragrant leaves. The camellia has a beautiful yellow center with white petals and waxy green leaves. It's a very soothing card.

“Trust the magic of the present. See the secret in the symbol. Create new magic from what is familiar. Focus on the present moment to bring balance to opposing forces. There is magic in the mundane: ordinary tea bags stop minor bleeding, soothe sunburns, and reduce eye inflammation. Camilla is the oldest, most widely used botanical in history. Let ancient practices inspire fresh ideas.”  The book goes on to suggest learning how to make kombucha .

The fifth card shows The Sky, that is what is most on my mind, as well as energy that is available now. My fingers twitch and finally come together on Twenty - Awakening - Tulsi. Traditionally the World Card, this Major Arcana speaks to global consciousness. An overflowing bowl of dark green sprigs on creamy lace, gracefully adorned by a sandalwood mala with a golden yellow tassel, sprays of purple spears and a tear shaped oil lamp, weeping a single flame.

“Make an offering to the sacred. Awaken to your life purpose. Devotion to your calling is devotion to the world…Sacred service is the call of the divine… Tuls, also known as holy basil… enhances memory, restores energy, and clears toxins.”

The sixth card reflects The Immediate Past, the last six weeks or so, thinking back to the start of Love, Loss, and What I Ate. My left hand simply flips the top card, Nine of Air - Pomegranate. Nines are completions, Air is the mental realm, completing mental thoughts that have caused us anguish in the past. Freshly opened by a hand knife on a wooden table, bleeding  pomegranate seeds, we’re invited to look beyond the windowsill to see the pomegranate tree blooming outside, the mountains beckoning in the distance, a pathway of clouds. 

 “Claim your underworld crown… You are the sky, everything else is the weather… Let go of what you cannot control…  The deeper that sorrow carves to your being the more joy you can contain…Do not hurry your grief… Write your grief with a feather and pomegranate juice…Heal the heart when it is overcome by emotion.”

The seventh card is The Near Future, the next six weeks or so, what will most likely occur as I apply my free will and free choice. My right hand is guided to Five of Water - Goldenseal. Fives are change and water represents emotions. Instantly I feel immersed in the gentle calm gray creek, flowing easily beyond the woven fence. Bringing my focus back, I notice the swaying palm leaves, wispy white flowers in the soft breeze. It is very mossy, very mulchy, a healing space. 

“Seek out healing waters to ease your pain. A restored heart clears the vision. Golden Hope dwells deep underground… Grief is a necessary part of healing, you may be lost in sorrow or depression unable to move forward from a great loss, allowing your feelings to unfold. Goldenseal root medicine teaches us that healing can be very deep… Sadness can open the portal to intuition…Fill a small vial of bright yellow goldenseal water to remind you where hope is hidden.”

The eighth card is The Mirror, self-concept, how I see myself right now. Seven of Fire -  Cinnamon.  Interesting that Eight of Fire was my source of strength.  Sevens are a time of assessment, and Fire is energy - Time to assess my energy in my practice. Here, the rosary is red coral and blue turquoise, with a hammered silver skull, draped across a book with the goddess Ixchel on the front cover and the word Curanderismo on the spine.  There are slices of pale green lime and a jar full of papery brown cinnamon sticks, as well as a mortar and pestle and what looks like a shield of the Aztec calendar on top of a sturdy wooden table. In the background there is a comfy looking flaming hearth.

“Answer the call of the ancients. Seek visions from the ancestors. Take a stand for your whole, authentic self… Start with a study of your bloodlines, learn the history, take the medicine, eat the food of your people, your fore/four mothers will give you direction, use extra cinnamon in breakfast.”

The ninth card is the House card, the environment, people and energy that is around me right now. It slides out effortlessly,  Six of Water - Borage. Sixes are healing and water is emotion. Three fine stemmed wine glasses which float blossoms of blue borage beckon on a lacy white tablecloth. A serene goddess upholds a bowl. Two vases full of lavender spears and a white baby's breath. Imagine a picnic at a tranquil beach by the lake of calm, breathing in the dark green trees and the peaceful blue sky.

“Celebrate milestones old and new. Freely give, freely receive. Let your heart be comforted by the comfort of friends… Borage is a continuously flowering plant that encourages a long-lasting relationship(s).” It goes on to encourage crafting borage flower ice cubes for summer parties or float the flowers in your tub to buoy your spirits.

The tenth card is Hopes and Fears. Often the same thing, I like to think of this card as “how my hopes will conquer my fears.” Six of Fire - Nasturtium tickled my fingertips, asking for a response. Sixes are the number of healing, Fire is energy. The traditional card for being playful. Tall beeswax votive candles on a wooden table, ready to be decorated, anointed, blessed in the middle of this “holy mess.”A  little oil lamp, ready to pass the flame. Three short purple candles, tubes of gold and scarlet glitter. Nasturtiums abound, blood red orange, light yellow striped with secret licks of pomegranate, tickled by a particular friendly green reflected by the twining vines.

“Celebrate yourself and others. Call the circle, make some magic. Glitter and spice magnify power and joy. A table is set for making spells with friends…Celebrate your accomplishments with pizzazz.”

The last card, final outcome, what will most likely happen in the next year as I apply my free will, free choice: Eighteen - The Moon - Datura.  Another Major Arcana, there is a silver bowl with a fully blossomed pale white Datura, while on the outside on the black background we see the stages of it unfurling and unfolding. It is very graceful.  There's a lot of ease in this particular mandala, a reminder of the ebb and flow, seasons and tides in my practice. “Follow your heart. Trust your instincts and intuition. Your capacity for love is limitless. New experiences can cause a wellspring of feelings. Open your heart to spiritual guidance… Face the unknown.”

I bow, and say yes.