Tag: tarot

Exploring the Lunar Cycles with Tea and Tarot: Full Moon

Greetings on this Full Moon in Gemini!

The Tea

The summer heat has already set in here in the South. So, as Grandmother moon reaches her fullness, I have chosen apple and elderberry tea to quench the thirst of my wild essence. It’s delicious fruity flavour and aroma is the perfect fit for sultry summer evenings. Both the apple and elderberry are strongly tied to Goddess, moon and earth-based traditions, woven into stories, myth and songs. And with little bits of hibiscus added to it, the tea takes on the colour of blood, a reminder of the deep feminine qualities within. I feel a subtle stirring in my heart with each mindful sip that I take. In my mind’s eye, I see Goddess flowing into me and filling me with the healing medicine that my soul needs right now.

The Tarot

Coincidently, the card that I drew for today’s guidance is the Moon card. It makes me feel that Goddess is speaking very loudly to me through the energy of the moon today, as if sing the wolf call that I’ve been howling to her for so long back to me and saying “I see you, I hear you.” So I am taking her cue to attune to the subtle rhythms of my inner wilds, to allow my intuitive nudges to guide me and to nurture my emotional self. I also feel this card is an acknowledgement of the hard work we’ve all put in to this year and projects that have come to completion. For me, one of those things is the publication of my book, Wild Essence. December is the time when we’re exhausted and ready to both celebrate and release what has been endured. We are also to simply collapse and rest. Yes, there is still more to be done. But let us work wisely and not get too caught up in the chaotic energy of the festive season so that we have time to nourish, nurture and rest our inner essence.

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Exploring the Lunar Cycles with Tea and Tarot: New Moon

New Moon blessings to you all!

What seeds are you planting this cycle? What does your wild essence call you to?

The Tea

I’ve decided to explore the new lunar cycle in with tea and tarot, intuitively selecting a tea for each phase of the moon, and drawing one tarot card for guidance and meditation for each phase too. Since the new moon is a time of seeds, intentions and setting dreams in motion, the tea that I felt called to work with is Chai Spiced tea. It felt fitting and symbolic to draw the energies of a tea made up of bits of bark (cinnamon), root (ginger) and most importantly – seeds (cardamom and fennel) – into my body at this time. And it helps that the warm and deliciously spicy aromas of chai tea always put me in a dreamy mood too, which is the perfect space to get into when setting intentions and painting visions for future manifestation. The words that come to mind when I look inward to draw out what it is that my wild essence desires to see more of in my life are specific and simple – Finding the Goddess in everyday, Resting in the embrace of inner peace and De-cluttering and releasing whatever stands in the way of the vibration of simplicity that I crave so much.

The Tarot

The tarot card that I drew for the new moon is – Father of Earth. This card brings messages about groundedness, connecting with the earth to find stability and inner firmness, finding satisfaction in the discipline of soulful work and thoughtfully focusing on your strengths and self-confidence to complete unfinished projects in order to harvest the benefits. The earthy masculine energy of the card gives me a sense of a provider who is focused on their purpose, with clear set intentions and a sureness that comes from being grounded in the present and grounded in their inner truth. Looking at the card, the clay bowl full of grains in the earth father’s arms stood out to me. I got the sense that the grains are the harvest, the fruits of our soul work, but they are also seeds. While we enjoy the bounty we reap at the end of one cycle, some of what we harvest needs to be stored and planted for a new cycle. Each completion is also a new beginning. Some of the rewards we gain from completing a project need to be invested wisely into a new cycle of production. To sustain ourselves we need to keep something for to replant and continue the cycle of life. We need to invest in ourselves, in our dreams and in our well-being.

This tarot message resonates a lot with me, especially in the context of self-care and my writing life. So I am taking the guidance to heart.

Crystals and Essences

Two other things that are accompanying me through this new moon journey are crystals and African Tree Essences. I’m working with clear quartz and amethyst crystals. They always help me connect with my inner world, visualize and bring the intuitive visions of my wild essence to the fore. The Platbos African tree essences are my all-time favourite flower essences to work with. Platbos is an ancient forest along the Western Cape coast of South Africa. So the wisdom and energetic vibration of the essences made from the blossoms of these ancient trees always have a profound effect on me. For the new moon, I am working with the Pock Ironwood essence, the essence of intuition, to draw out my wild intuitive resources and to allow greater receptivity to the wild whispers of Goddess.

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What is Your Medicine?

The rain is falling gently as I write and the distant rumble of thunder sounds in the background. How these healing waters soothe me! They are like soft Goddess kisses falling from the grey sky, sent to fill my heart with joy. For the last few of days I’ve surrendered to my spirit’s urge to walk out into the garden in the midst of the late spring showers, wet grass beneath my feet. Just to feel the cool drops fall on me. Being washed with the cleansing tears of the Earth is such a sacred way to honour the light of a new day.

This morning, I set my meditation cushion out on the stoep (porch/veranda) to watch the rain. I spent a few moments mindfully drinking buchu tea and reading from Mary Oliver’s House of Light. Then I drew an oracle card and found myself dissolving into the peaceful essence of mystery as I called out to the Goddess, meditating on what guidance she had to offer. I drew the Medicine Woman card and when I listened intently for the wild whispers that came, a question surfaced – What is your medicine?

 In my stillness, a soft inner voice responded – The wild Earth is my medicine. The healing rain. The quiet trees. Steamy cups of warm tea. The smell of cinnamon, jasmine blossoms and the subtle scent of chamomile is medicine. The sound of the ocean. The gift of words – written and read. Heart soothing poetry. The love of the Divine is my medicine. And allowing my fragile feminine soul to space to exist, breathe, create and take in the beauty of the world.

These are the things that nourish my soul, the medicine that brings flow, peace and freedom to my inner landscapes. These are the gifts that I heal myself with. What I’ve also noticed is that some of these are also the things that I inevitably integrate into the medicine that my inner Medicine Woman offers as services to the world for the healing of others.

What is your medicine?

Discovering what your medicine is valuable because it nourishes your wild essence. It is the balm that pieces the fragmented pieces of your soul back to wholeness. And what I keep learning over and over again is that what heals and nourishes you brings you closer to your authentic path. It informs your life purpose. And what heals you also becomes soul medicine that you share with others to help them nourish themselves.

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