Hello, Heartbeats! August is here, and, according to our general collective tarot reading, we have some lightening up to do, some good old clearing of mental clutter. Our tarot deck of the month is The Herbcrafter’s Tarot by Joanna Powell Colbert and Latisha Guthrie, and you’ll find details about all the decks used in this reading further down at the end of this post.
Let’s start by noticing the similarities between the Two of Earth/Pentacles and the Maintain Your Childlike Spirit oracle card. Both of them depict winter scenes that focus on life, joy, color. Despite the snow and the general hibernal silence and stillness, the first card is animated by chirpy lively birds and bright yellow witch hazel flowers, while the second features a fairy on a swing. Interestingly, the joyful elements in both cards don’t touch the ground. We’ll come back to this later. 🐦
The main energy of this week is embodied by the Curandera of Air, the equivalent of the King of Swords. (“The Herbcrafter’s Tarot” takes a feminine spin on tarot, reflecting the relationship between plants and feminine energy – healing, crafting, uplifting, congregating, etc.) Curandera means (female) healer in Spanish, particularly one who uses herbs and other folk remedies. She is the embodiment of herbcrafting mastery. She has knowledge about the life of plants, about harvesting and processing them, applying them properly, and ultimately making vegetal power work for you and the general good of the community. She is wise and confident.
In particular, the Curandera of Air masters the intellectual parts of herbcrafting. Her knowledge is supported by study, experience, and confidence, so she is perfectly aware that telling you exactly what to do, even if it’s right, will not amount to much. You have to build your own knowledge, experience, confidence. But don’t worry, she can always help you with honest feedback and guidance.
Following the Two of Earth/Pentacles, the card of balancing (a delicate and unstable process), the Curandera of Air is also tired of the tension, so she goes on with what she knows to be certain. Is certainty also truth? Not always, but it provides a reference point.
The Curandera of Air is also represented by Rosemary in this deck, which encourages clear thinking. Taking into account that rosemary has been used by humankind (at least) since antiquity, it also speaks about memory and longstanding information, concepts, values. 🌿
But what does it all mean for us this week? It can signify a point of mental saturation, of having enough data (or simply not looking for more) to be confident in our attitudes and choices. It’s time for some clear thinking, rooted in common sense, a rational approach to a situation that has felt like walking on tightrope.
The very interesting development is that this refuge in the mind opens the possibility for essential transformation, and the first step is clearing inessentials from our lives: the Death card. Sacred flowers in Aztec culture, symbolizing life, joy, and solar qualities in different other cultures, marigolds are associated with the Mexican Dia de Muertos as an attraction for the dead. Candles and marigolds are used to blur the line between life and death, to illuminate the unknown. 🕯
And here is where we go back to the beginning of this post, to the expressions of life in the middle of lifeless winter, life that blooms from the inside. Compare that to the vibrant marigolds in their uplifting shades of yellow, orange, and red, brightening the darkness of afterlife and mourning, reminding the dead about the sensory experience of life. On the one hand being alive can be a fountain of joy in the coldest of winters, and on the other hand the joy of life is what lures the dead to the border between worlds. The common thread is enjoyment, because life is to be enjoyed; otherwise, it is suffering.
And so happens that one of the oracle cards for this week is literally Enjoyment. The card says:
Striving and pushing makes life into endless hard work. The more you’re inviting Love to take over, the more enjoyment comes. Allow me to enjoy this life, dear Lord!
Enjoyment may not seem grounded, sometimes it may not even seem appropriate, but it is not about escapism or disrespect. The message of the card paired with the encouragement to Maintain Your Childlike Spirit, doesn’t say you should have childish attitudes, behaviors, or mentalities. Your childlike spirit is that capacity to be curious and excited, imaginative and daring, open and confident; the capacity to believe that there is tomorrow, that things are not permanent, that there are solutions to your problems… or, at least, there are endings and new beginnings. A childlike spirit lives the moment fully, every emotion – pleasant or unpleasant. In this context, enjoyment means allowing ourselves to be alive, recognizing that oftentimes it is our attitudes what makes life harder than it has to be.
So, keep up to the rhythm of love, Heartbeats, because that is what makes you burst in bloom, carrying you through the darkness of the unknown.
🌻
Tarot and oracle decks used for this reading:
The Herbcrafter’s Tarot – art by Joanna Powell Colbert, written by Latisha Guthrie, published by U.S. Games Systems
Nature’s Whispers by Angela Hartfield, artwork by Josephine Wall, published by Blue Angel Publishing
The Wild Offering Oracle by Tosha Silver, artwork by Katie Daisy, published by Hay House
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