Your Celtic Cross Greenwood Tarot Reading
The Significator represents you and your current state of being.
The Hare
Queen of Wands
Hares have been linked to the spring (Eostre = Anglo Saxon hare goddess) and sexuality since Celtic times when it was considered taboo to kill them. Prolific breeders, they also represent fertility and potential. Hares are also famous for the 'boxing' ritual during March.
An empowered and energised person, with the ability to utilise their full potential, as long as they are not tempted to use that power against themselves or others.
The Crossing Card denotes that which opposes or influences you.
Strength
Through adversity or the process of rebalancing in life, we often find courage within ourselves that flows from an unknown source. Sometimes that courage has to do with facing an unpleasant but unavoidable truth or dealing with a person or problem that no amount of physical confrontation or emotional bravery will resolve. That is when the true, patient and resolute attributes of Strength come into play.
Strength, drawn from nature's inherent power to renew and overcome all manner of disaster and climatic change, is what we must also have to foresee outcomes and wait upon the turning of the seasons.
Sometimes when faced with a challenging situation we must find our own inner back-stop, the point from which we will not retreat or from which we can move forward with quiet confidence.
The Greenwood ethos has much to teach humanity about calm, resolute Strength.
The Strength card concerns following what you feel is right for you, doing your true will. Society is not supportive of individual dedication to an unusual path, and incredible strength of heart is needed to stay on it.
If one's initial impulse to follow your heart (Ancestor and Archer) has been lost by the pressures and attractions of everyday living, i.e. Lovers, Greenman/Woman, then Strength calls to your heart to rededicate your life. At this stage this might require sacrificing some aspect of it, which leads to the tensions in The Blasted Oak.
The spear of power (air) is balanced by the cup of compassion. This balance cannot be held for long. It is a card of fullness seeking release, a build up of energy that needs grounding, a thundery sky needing rain, passion, anger, pre-menstrual tension, pregnancy about to birth, ecstatic dance or trance that could become oracular, a harvest ready for picking.
It is not an easy energy to utilise yet when surrendered to produces ecstatic liberation that is both tenderness and wildness, a powerful creativity that can be used to transform your life into a dance of the heart.
The Foundation Card addresses the origin of your question.
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 Recent Past represents past events and concerns.
The Blasted Oak
What appears to be a total and random dissolution or destruction of your beliefs and relationships is timely and natural. What was built on shifting sand is swallowed by the sea and you are liberated from being a powerless victim.
Now you have a base on which your true inner strength can grow and rebuild your world. This may happen suddenly, with shocking speed. The trauma may leave you stunned and confused, but the fiery blast that sent you falling to Earth with a bump has also jolted you from a state of trance or dreaming that allowed you to avoid dealing with pro-found and fundamental issues.
Don't be angry or bitter at this passing. For whatever has gone never really belonged to you, so be patient, wait and learn from the process of loss.
You have been out on a limb, clinging on to an untenable situation. The air is charged with emotion. Pent up tears or anger are released. Although these times are often traumatic, this is the first stage of healing; yet there may be a loss of stability as the familiar is replaced by the unknown.
Be gentle on yourself and give yourself time to heal. The thunderbolt could also be thrown at you by a figure in authority, using their power over you, as anger, or intimidation, for instance.
Use the balance of Strength to stand up to them or seek help.
The Crown issues that are significant in the present or may come to pass in the future. This card foretells future events which you may or may not occur, depending upon how you respond to the present situation.
The Hermit
The time of The Hermit is here. Whether he appears in the guise of an outward guide and mentor or simply as a state of mind, you will know it's time to withdraw and rest.
After a long journey through the forest many emotions and experiences need to be absorbed. This absorption is the beginning of understanding - not just yourself, but the universe.
For each person The Hermit comes in a different way. Whether through meditation or solitude in the mountains, whether though simple prayer or the taking of a holiday in solitude, he will light your way to the doorway into the heart of the great oak and the cycle will turn once more.
The Hermit requires contented solitude to re-establish their every day life after the disruption of Samhain. This is not lonely isolation but a stable base from which to visit others.
This time away from hectic activity enables you to explore interests in depth, use your talents (Skill, eight of stones) and draw together all you have achieved and desired throughout the year. (Hearthfire, eight of wands).
The Future depicts that which lies ahead.
The Seer
The time has come to focus your power and let it flow through you. Many dreams or desires related to the creative emotional process are ready to be applied in your day-to-day life and you must now give vent to those hidden or suppressed desires. This may also relate to healing, sexual relationships or partnerships.
Now the manifestation of inner spiritual or esoteric insights into your practical and physical daily life will bring profound rewards and results. It is a sign of maturity.
The Seer may also relate to creative impulses related to art, skills and crafts, and the joy of bringing pleasure and teaching to others.
The Seer acts upon her visions, she is not a passive day dreamer. She can be prophetic, aware of much that others miss. (The mediator between The Seer and the community is The Shaman).
Emotions card signifies the current state of your emotional self.
Mourning
Seven of Cups
A time to honour what is dead, to mourn for what has gone and to learn the lesson of letting go, offering thanks for memories and being at peace with the past.
Ancestors remembered.
... a reminder of rebirth. Grief and mourning for a loss in one's life. Necessary emotional release. An honouring and a respect for that death.
External Forces represents the influence of others in your life as well as trends in your relationships with others.
Spark of Life
Ace of Wands
The turning of the cosmic axis that generates the spark of life. The drill symbolizes the skills that exert control over the environment, directed by the human intellect.
Renewed will and life energy. Sudden determination and action. Return of health. Positive energy. A new force in one's life, as yet unformed and unchanneled.
Hopes and Desires stands for the hopes and desires you have for the outcome of your question.
Frustration
Five of Arrows
Unfocused energy or anger that leads to the archer releasing arrows or lashing out in an uncontrolled manner and missing the target or wasting valuable resources.
A double edged card depending on whether you are the hunter or the hunted.
The card can be a warning - either take flight or stand firm and face the situation.
Ungrounded aims and fears.
The Outcome the ultimate outcome your question. Remember the future is not predetermined. Interpret this card in the context of the entire reading and as an indicator of the path you are currently on, but not bound to.
Instruction
Ten of Arrows
A parent passes on skills, wisdom and ancestral ways with love and tolerance. Instruction and communication between the generations to help use old skills in new ways.
The passing of skills from one generation to another.