Your Celtic Cross Greenwood Tarot Reading

Harvest

Six of Wands

Time to reap the harvest of previously sown effort. A moment of acceptance of gifts and blessings that are a reward for generous and wise forethought.

It is time to reap your harvest and give thanks for its bounty.

Foundation

Ace of Stones

The primal rock from which all can be measured. Cup and ring = emergence of life. A still and stable point from which to plan and measure your life.

Mythically the foundation stone means the first dry land on which life could begin. Also the first created form, matter, the mother stone, the firm ground from which one can begin one's journey and measure the eight directions, the birthing ground, the navel stone.

The Labyrinth is the place where your journey begins; the first steps; the cup and ring marks represent the source, your emergence into this world.

A new stability enters your life.

The Stoat

Page of Wands

With a fierce hunting instinct and its ability to live underground, combined with the changing colour of its fur from white to red (the symbols of winter to spring) and its black tail, the stoat has strong mystical links to the sovereignty of the land.

Renewal of an alert determination. Realignment with the sacred will of the land. Secrecy and magical sensitivity. Playfulness. An ability to slip out of situations.

The Guardian

A challenge has arrived in your life. The situation may be very complex. It may even have profound implications for your life and how you deal with the world. It may manifest itself in the form of a profound inner realignment or the facing of some physical outer predicament. Whether from the labyrinth that is the human mind or from some external source, the challenge that presents itself now must be seen for what it is: an opportunity.

If something has been hidden or repressed, if a situation has been left to decay or become unhealthy, now is the time to take control of your fears and deal with the insecurity with courage and integrity.

Always be aware that however threatening or difficult this tricky situation is, you can only become stronger and more resilient from the experience of understanding and accepting any inner darkness.

The Guardian has forewarned you, therefore you are forearmed. Look into the eye of The Guardian and let him feel your power, then step onto the path to continue your journey, for your right of passage is assured.

This card is concerned with facing skeletons in the closet, fears long suppressed and often irrational, traumas in your family background that you have forgotten but that may resurface as panic attacks; ghosts that you cannot lay to rest and haunt your sleep. Seek support to help you calm yourself.

For those whose boundaries have been confused and previously invaded, befriending and healing your guardian will change your life.

Endurance

Five of Stones

The inner strength and courage to protect yourself and survive the challenges of life. This may mean a withdrawal from trauma to focus emotional power.

... watching lightning strike the home, the emotional centre.

Temporary withdrawal, looking on, unsure of how best to handle the situation.

This inactivity initially taken as self-protection, can become over-passivity.

Responsibility

Ten of Wands

The challenge of dealing with responsibility brings a need for inner fortitude and stamina. This requires courage. The weight of the burden may be heavy. Face this with resolve and welcome this testing experience with enthusiasm.

A feeling of being burdened, weighed down by the responsibility of work or caring for others. Try to delegate and lay down some of the load.

Breath of Life

Ace of Arrows

The Uffington chalk hill figure breathing the vitality of life - a renewal of vitality combined with knowledge of where you wish to be and how to get there.

Tender and gentle love that revives one with the 'kiss' of life. Renewal of inspiration, a reconnection to life, truth and wisdom, spoken from the horse's mouth.

The Shaman

Now you may hear the beat of a drum or the song of the wind. It may be the dancing of light on water or the midnight barking of the fox, but whatever awakens your desire to return to the wild, The Shaman within you is ready for initiation into the mysteries.

It may manifest itself in the form of a desire to study an esoteric science or philosophy and apply what you learn to the world. It may involve travel or even a personal sojourn for the sake of gaining confidence and experience. But however the desire to begin a new spiritual chapter emerges, you are now in an emotional and intellectual position to bring forth real change in your life for the benefit of everyone.

This process of focusing, mediating and applying wisdom and knowledge from the Otherworld to bring physical effects to everyday reality is the work of The Shaman.

Being a shaman, able to see the complexities of life and death, and acting on this knowledge for the benefit of all, can be a heavy burden to carry. (Responsibility, ten of wands).

The Shaman has a deep rooted balance within themselves, and can assume a place of status within society without compromising their integrity and losing sight of the higher purpose they are working for.

The Fool

You have come to a junction or turning point in your life. It may be an unconscious state in which you feel the tide has turned or sense something is going to happen. In a way it already has.

Your spirit must move on and the leap in the dark beckons. This may mean leaving behind or giving up some baggage or burden that you have carried with you from the past.

Now is the time to be clear and not let fear of falling or sad disillusion with the universe hold you back. Let your imagination carry you into a new set of possibilities. It is a time to travel hopefully and open your arms to new and challenging aspects of the universe.

A young and beautiful figure opens their heart to the universe. Clothed in feathers and greenery, they are illuminated by the heart of the Greenwood. There is a playful and naive aspect to their character. and they hold the sun and moon in their hands like balls. Although they are suddenly inspired by insights into another world and life, and are open to exploring it, they do not have the understanding or responsibility necessary for grounding it.

However, it is often The Fool that sees more of the patterns of life, however momentarily, than those whose feet are firmly on the earth. So in this card The Fool has a ‘vision’ of their future journey, a labyrinth, shimmering with stars behind them.

The Fools' soul is re-animated, but just as a butterfly may live for only a few days, this state of divine illumination is not to be maintained for long periods.

The path forward is explained in the card. The knotted kerchief (of red and white-one's essential energy) contains one's previous experience. The Fool must pick that up and take it with them, rather than leaping blindly, unwilling to face responsibility for the potential re-creation of a pattern of behaviour that needs breaking.

Note that the 'Fool' stands unaware of the precarious slant of the cliff, and is out of their tree; i.e. standing above the tree that is their grounded body. The Fool must fly off the cliff and follow the inner voice of their heart (as yet undeveloped) the small white deer, so that they can walk on the land and meet the first guide on their journey (The Ancestor).

Reindeer

King of Cups

The picture shows male and female reindeer as both sexes have antlers. Male reindeer rut in the autumn for dominance of the herd and the antlers are a potent symbol of sexual power.

Fly agaric is also found at this time and the reindeer appear to eat this highly toxic red fun-gi and seem 'drunk'. Some shaman drank the purified urine of the reindeer for its hallucinatory properties once the toxins had been removed.

Drawing this card denotes companionship, deep friendship. A sharing of profound understanding, a mutual love of knowledge from the past.

Possible creation of a home together, a sense of home-coming and enduring friendship.