{"id":1526,"date":"2013-10-31T21:17:08","date_gmt":"2013-11-01T03:17:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/johnbeckett\/?p=1526"},"modified":"2013-11-01T07:04:12","modified_gmt":"2013-11-01T13:04:12","slug":"samhain-divination-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/johnbeckett\/2013\/10\/samhain-divination-2.html","title":{"rendered":"Samhain Divination"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

After the stream of trick or treaters has stopped and the fun of Halloween is over, my thoughts turn to Samhain.\u00a0 Though my prayers will be adjusted for the holy day, our group celebration was last Saturday so I don\u2019t feel the need for formal ritual tonight.\u00a0 As I do almost every year, I break out my Tarot cards and do a reading for the coming year.<\/p>\n

I usually start by reviewing the previous year\u2019s reading:\u00a0 what did I get right, what did I misinterpret, and what did I flat-out miss?\u00a0 Divination is like any other skill \u2013 it gets easier with practice, and by reviewing past results you can improve your calibration for future readings (hint from last year\u2019s reading:\u00a0 when you get The Tower, don\u2019t sugarcoat it).<\/p>\n

This year I did two readings.\u00a0 The first was for myself \u2013 that one will remain private.\u00a0 But then I did a second reading for the overall Pagan community.\u00a0 Where are we on our journey, what are the challenges we face, how can we best address them, and what is the likely outcome if we continue on our current path?<\/p>\n

The overall Pagan community is wide and varied<\/a> \u2013 this reading is in serious violation of Isaac Bonewits<\/a>\u2019 warning that \u201cfuzzy targets yield fuzzy results.\u201d\u00a0 If you\u2019re looking for specific predictions you\u2019re going to be disappointed.\u00a0 But I think there\u2019s value in taking a high-level divinatory look at the state and direction of our movement.<\/p>\n

The cards are from the Robin Wood Tarot<\/a>.\u00a0 This was the first deck I bought twenty years ago and it\u2019s still my favorite.\u00a0 It keeps the traditional card names and meanings but replaces the Judeo-Christian imagery of the Rider-Waite deck with Celtic Pagan imagery.\u00a0 It\u2019s not perfect, but these cards speak to me better than any other deck I\u2019ve found.<\/p>\n

And yes, I\u2019m using the Celtic Cross spread.\u00a0 Most serious Tarot readers I know use a different layout, but this is what I learned first and it works well for me, so I see no reason to change.\u00a0 My one tweak is to occasionally pull three extra cards if a card in the original layout needs more illumination \u2013 if something just doesn\u2019t seem to fit and I need to ask for clarification.<\/p>\n

With all that out of the way, here are the cards I drew and the meanings I took from them.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>1.\u00a0 At the heart of the matter:\u00a0 Two of Pentacles.
\n2.\u00a0 The major influence:\u00a0 The High Priestess
\n3.\u00a0 What we seek:\u00a0 Two of Swords
\n4.\u00a0 At the root of the situation:\u00a0 Queen of Wands
\n5.\u00a0 What is passing:\u00a0 Six of Wands
\n6.\u00a0 What is coming:\u00a0 Three of Pentacles
\n7.\u00a0 How we see ourselves:\u00a0 Five of Wands
\n8.\u00a0 The environment in which we work:\u00a0 Three of Cups
\n9.\u00a0 Our hopes and fears:\u00a0 \u00a0Page of Pentacles
\n10.\u00a0 The final outcome:\u00a0 The Devil<\/p>\n

I see three messages in this reading.\u00a0 First, our collective heart is in the right place (Two of Pentacles, The High Priestess).\u00a0 We\u2019re trying to do the right thing, even if some of us think \u201cthe right thing\u201d means worshipping the old gods and some think it\u2019s becoming skilled magicians and some think it\u2019s becoming environmental activists.<\/p>\n

Second, we\u2019ve had some success (Six of Wands, Three of Cups) and we\u2019re working diligently toward even greater things (Three of Pentacles).<\/p>\n

Third, we make things harder than they have to be (Two of Swords, Five of Wands).<\/p>\n

And that leads to the final card, The Devil (which I\u2019m sure will provide plenty of amusement for our friends on the Catholic and Evangelical channels).\u00a0 But this devil is a trap of our own making, a trap we can easily escape if we let go of our false premises.<\/p>\n

This reading calls us to deeper spiritual practice, to better align our actions with our ideals.<\/p>\n

Remember, this reading is for the overall Pagan movement \u2013 its relevance to any specific group or individual is likely to be small.\u00a0 And remember that the cards show what will be, not what must be.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t like what this reading or any reading tells you, take action to create a different outcome.<\/p>\n

May your coming year be blessed!<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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