A Reading For You

by Annie Gebel

In this reading, I’m using one of my first decks - The Wild Wood Tarot. It’s a stunningly honest and beautiful deck and beautifully connected to nature and the wheel of the year, which turns with the seasons. In that, each card is connected to a different part of the calendar year. So, today I pulled cards from the minor arcana suit of Arrows and the major arcana cards related to this time of year - the end of winter melting into spring.

The suit of Arrows also represents the element of air. So, think about the gifts not only of new sprouts but also of your own creativity and ideas. Your wishes, desires, and dreams are a gift too! How do you put a voice to them? What strategies do you employ to bring them from their airy, conceptual quality, to something that’s beginning to take form - not necessarily a solid form, but something you can begin to truly visualize and feel as a possibility?

Think about these questions as you look at each of the cards and choose which one brings an energy and message you want to continue into spring with. Take a few breaths and read more about each card below.

The woman in this card might be seen as a little confused at first glance. Clearly she’s not holding the bow and arrow like a huntress, yet she looks so at peace and comfortable with the way she’s cradling the bow like an instrument. I can imagine that she might even be able to make music with the arrow pulled over the string of the bow. What do you think? She’s a dreamer and exists in a reality that is outside the box of many. Maybe that’s something you identify with. If so, look at the tools around and within you and consider how you might use them…differently, more uniquely, or with new inspiration. Know, though, that it takes great dedication to learn and master a new skill, especially one that no one else understands. If you don’t see yourself as a dreamer and wonder why you were called to this card, it might have to do with the peace on her face. She believes that all can exist in any scenario and teaches this by example. Where can you lead others in exploring differences, honoring uniqueness, and respecting each other? When you feel a certain peace with your thought or idea of how to do this - dig into that more! You might not know how to make it happen, but don’t discount it because it sounds a little crazy to you. Turn it around, share it with others, journal about it…and begin to turn your conceptual thought into a possibility!

The Archer

This is a major arcana card, which simply means it’s something to sit up and take notice of or pay a little extra attention to. This card is all about potential energy and preparedness. Often we think of the winter months as a time of non-action. What’s actually happening, though, is a lot of literal beneath the surface activity, at least in the case of trees and plants. What about humans? Well, certainly we need rest after all that happens in the fall and early winter, but how else can we prepare for spring? The Archer reminds you to gather all the tools you might need for what’s coming next for you. What will your new growth look like? What will blossom in you or for you this spring? What physical, emotional, social, and psychological tools do you have that can help you tend to whatever seeds have been germinating and just waiting for the right time to poke through to the surface? Journaling, coffee with friends, meeting with a bank for a small loan, practicing your skill? All of these things - and so many other things - are tools that can help you tend to your sprout as it comes up in the next season. So, this card is an invitation to think about all this, gather and prepare, and then hold that potential energy at the ready! So often we want to rush. We’re told we need to be doing something to get ahead or make our mark. If you’re a mighty huntress, like The Archer is, you know that part-

-of the key to success, though, is in waiting for the right moment to let loose your arrow. This waiting can feel excruciating or exciting. Maybe you can breathe with it like it’s the calm before a storm of activity comes with nicer weather. Maybe you’ll need reminders from the supportive people you have around you that patience can pay off in a big way. Maybe you simply need to look inside yourself to remember that you will know the perfect moment to act, and you’re not at that moment…quite…yet. However you react to holding yourself in the ready position, know that preparing now will help you turn that potential energy into an amazing adventure in the next season of your life. It’s coming!

King of Arrows Kingfisher

This message is a lovely one for this time of year. As we start to wake up from long rests or move more into the world this spring, how can we be precise and clear, both with our intention and action? The Kingfisher is a mighty hunter, diving from the air above into the water to catch its prey, because it knows exactly what it wants and doesn’t want. You’re being asked to be very clear about what you need and don’t need in your life to move toward your goals. It’s time for spring cleaning! This card is asking you to not focus solely on the dust bunnies under the furniture, though. You’re being asked if you need the furniture. You’re being asked if cleaning a space is something you want to do or if you’d rather hire out for that or delegate that job to someone else. You’re being asked to inspect all the areas of your life that pull on your energy - people, things, thoughts, tasks - and declutter. This doesn’t mean that you need to get rid of everything and everyone, only that you’re being asked to make a conscious and deliberate decision to have what supports you in your life and to let go of what doesn’t, or at least to set clear boundaries. The other bit about Kingfishers that I love is that both the male and female are beautifully colored. Let this serve as a reminder to you, as you refine your approach in the world, that there are very few set rules or roles. Let this spring cleaning with Kingfisher be the time you recognize your focuses and goals and pursuits in life without the clutter of societal pressures or outdated belief systems. You do you, with calm clarity and wisdom. You’ve got this. No matter which of these cards called to you today, as you let winter melt into spring, let your dreams and intuition guide you forward. I’ll leave you with an Einstein quote as one final thought…

“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.”