2018 Samhain New Moon Oracle of the Waters

October 31^st may be Halloween, but it is not Samhain. It is but an arbitrary date and day like any other in a modern, man-contrived and Vatican-imposed calendar. The cross-quarter days – the days halfway between the Solstices and Equinoxes – astronomically and astrologically occur at 15° of the sign of the season. Tomorrow, November 7, is when the real Samhain energy wells and flows, and when the floodgates between this world and the Other are truly open.

Water is the element that has all dominion over this powerful time. On this true Samhain day, the Sun reaches 15° of Scorpio and is joined by the Moon; the invisible, submerged New Moon. It is also Jupiter’s final moment at the critical degree of Scorpio before moving into its second home of Sagittarius.

The Moon forms a favorable, creative trine to Neptune, that supreme ocean lord whose power is currently enhanced by retrograde motion his own home, shared with Jupiter, of Pisces. This Moon also creates opportunities being sextile to the chthonic water-dweller, and younger ruler of Scorpio, Pluto.

Water is my path and my deity. My way is the flow of the Daughter River to the Mother Sea, where the sweet, fresh waters that quench us mingle with the salty womb that bore us; the way of the falling rain, the fleeting morning dew and mists. I listen to the Water and I speak for Her.

This Samhain’s message and lesson comes from both the sweet waters and the salted.

The energy and power of Water reaches its darkest, deepest fathoms in the fixed water sign, the sign of upheaval and transformation, secrecy, deception and death. The salt of the benthic womb of She who is both Mother and Destroyer – Tiamat, Thalassa, Yemaya, Ran – gathers into eerie brine pools at the bottom of the oceans, into the most intense concentration of that essential substance.

These dense pools are like submerged salt lakes, existing at the edge of comprehension where underwater shores form one of the most mind-bending between spaces on Earth.

Life at brine pool, image courtesy of the EV Nautilus

It is from this realm that the first message comes, from the primeval matrix best represented by the dragon goddess and coiled serpent, Tiamat, the Sea Herself.

In the somewhat Lovecraftian, so-named Grimoire of Tiamat, Asenath Masen states that “…the salty waters of seas and oceans can hardly be considered a nourishing substance. They do not quench the thirst of living beings and they do not make the crops grow. The waters of Tiamat are dissolving, corroding, poisonous and deadly.”

While an understandable point in context, to an extent, this is not altogether true. There are some living things that do not have thirst to quench. There are some living things that are indeed nourished by the deep salt of the sea. The waters of Tiamat are not poisonous and deadly to everything.

Much life is to be found at the sweltering mouths of hydrothermal vents, as well as at the shores of the staggeringly saline brine pools, even though they can be toxic to some marine animals. These few creatures to whom they are not toxic, however, exist and are called extremophiles. It is from these submarine shores and these extreme creatures that we receive a powerful message…

You are all living in extreme times. Many of you are living in extreme conditions, be they literal, physical surroundings and circumstances, or intense, extreme emotional states. These are likely the most burdensome and noxious emotions that are running highest and burning you out – fear, anger, hatred, depression, anxiety, regret, sorrow, loneliness, and all manner of loss that is the result of unwanted change.

But not all that is corroded and dissolved by change need be mourned or missed. There is much to be learned and to be gained from extreme states. Some of you will be poisoned and defeated by them and others will grow through them.

You must learn to adapt and to navigate the harshest conditions with confidence and self-control. Be present in all that you are experiencing and feeling, and find the balance between embracing and understanding those feelings – even the most painful and uncomfortable ones – and thriving in spite of them. Or because of them.

Rise above and beyond what you think simple society or any pretender is expecting of you. Look at yourself and ask what you expect of yourself, and why, and learn to be true no matter who may end up judging or shunning you. Know that those who do so are not worth your time as long as you stand in truth.

Transformation has nothing to do pleasing others, or with lowering or weakening yourself. It is for, by, through and because of the Self. Transformation is a choice, but one that may be made for you if you don’t find that balance.

The Depths of the Sea by Sir Edward Burne-Jones

But there is a light overhead. There is peace and passionate renewal to be found after enduring and rising above the turmoil. In the second part of the message, the fresh rivers, lakes and the falling autumn rains ask us to then surrender, to simply…

Rise up.
Let go.
Breathe.
Flow.

You have been like the monkey who got his open, slender hand into the narrow trap but will not release the petty prize in his closed fist which is now too large to let him escape. It is time to release your death grip on all that is trapping you in your pain, your sorrow, your anger, your illusion, your delusion. Give up the game. Relax and let go.

Sometimes your best laid plans and intentions are simply not meant to be. It is time to drift with the currents of life and trust that the cosmic rivers will carry you to safer, sweeter shores.

Perhaps you have been obsessing over everyone else and what they are doing. You may be worrying about everyone but yourself. You cannot control them. You can only control yourself, your reactions and your choices.

Soon you will heal and you will dwell by the waters of life that glisten in the Sun, no longer toiling or sorrowing deep in the stinging, extreme crucibles of Fire and Water that are forming you into the diamond you are meant to become.

“The Kelpie” by Herbert James Draper

May you bravely dive down deep into the sea of transformation during this Samhain time, and in so doing rise up and connect to your higher self and the higher truths that are ever reflected in and carried by the primordial, cosmic waters that flow all around us here on Earth.

Transformation: Scorpio New Moon Oracle

scorpio-1907.jpg!HalfHD Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis

“Scorpio” by Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis 1907

Tomorrow’s New Moon will occur in Scorpio at 6:42 a.m. EST.

Scorpio is probably the most famous and yet infamous sign of the zodiac, one that even the astrologically unaware seem to know and have some opinion about. I have a coworker who is very intelligent and (as usually follows) somewhat jaded, has a pithy, dry sense of humor and can be prickly in ways, but is quite likeable. I asked him recently when his birthday is, and, at the time, it had just passed. I said, “Oh, so you’re a Scorpio!” to which he knowingly replied “Yep…nothin’ but trouble!”

While this man probably knows little about astrology over all, he certainly knows enough about himself and the sign of Scorpio to believe in it and to understand what it says about his nature.

When your average person hears “Gemini”, they probably don’t immediately think of the Twins. When they think of Aries or Capricorn, they may not know or easily recognize that they are the Ram and the Goat, respectively. However, when you hear “Scorpio”, there is no room for doubt about what it is.

R. I. Pocock (1894) Scorpions of the Malay Archipelago

from “Scorpions of the Malay Archipelago” by R.I. Pocock 1894

The scorpion is a dark, frightening, secretive and deadly creature. So, there is an inherent fear attached to this sign and much of what it represents. Scorpio is a sign filled with contradictions, reflecting both the best and the worst of human nature. So, while there is fear, there is also an understandable fascination.

Scorpio’s element is Water and it is ruled by both Mars and Pluto. Mars was the traditional ruler of the sign before Pluto was discovered in 1930. Both of these planets are appropriate rulers for the brooding, powerful sign, though Pluto especially so – Pluto (Hades in Greek) is the distant, mysterious god of death and the Underworld.

Another very fitting symbol for Scorpio is the mermaid, as Gail Wood suggests in her book “Sisters of the Dark Moon: 13 Rituals of the Dark Goddess”.

“Victorian writers and artists were fascinated and repelled by the mermaid, to see a beautiful woman from the waist up and then to see her legs and her sexuality fused together in a powerful tail; did that mean she controlled her sexual activity? The power frightened them and the idea that they had no access to her spirituality bewildered them. They wrote about her and they painted her, but they never learned her secrets. Hans Christian Andersen tried to tame her by taking away her voice or her soul…No matter how hard anyone tries, the mermaid remains a powerful symbol of watery mystery, the key to emotions, love, and sexual pleasure. Her mystery is revealed to only a few and her song often draws the unthinking into the shallows and the rocks.”

“The Mermaid” by Edvard Munch 1896

Scorpio rules the genitals and reproductive organs and, therefore, unresolved emotional issues, abuse of/addictions to sexual activity and other such repressions or difficulties will often manifest in these parts of the body. Scorpios can be very prone to venereal or urinary infections and other such ailments.

Women especially (whether Scorpio or not) may experience an array of health issues in the reproductive system because of uncontrolled or suppressed emotions, stress connected to love and relationships or unhealthy/excessive sexual practices.

The New Moon phase is a time for scrying & divining, reflecting, healing and setting new goals and intentions. It is a time of renewal and hope. If you have had any troubles with relationships, emotional and/or sexual health or have just felt lost or disconnected from the divine and your higher self, this is a perfect time to restore balance and focus on transforming negatives into positives. Indeed, almost above all else (especially in its more positive aspects), Scorpio is the sign of transformation.

“The Crystal Ball” by John William Waterhouse 1902

This also supports the idea of mermaids representing Scorpio – not only were many known mermaids from lore originally human, but mermaids have traditionally had the ability to turn themselves into completely human forms at will, much like the Celtic selkie (a similar creature that is a seal who turns into a beautiful woman when she removes her magical sealskin).

I’ve discovered that this has been commonly depicted by Russian artists especially; many of their paintings of mermaids show them visiting the surface world in human form.

“Mermaid” by Konstantin Vasilyev

mermaids.jpg!HalfHD 1879 Konstantin Makovsky

“Mermaids” by Konstantin Makovsky, 1879

The earliest known mermaid that we have record of is Atargatis (known as Derceto to the Greeks), the ancient Syrian mother goddess. She had a mortal lover named Hadad, but she accidentally killed him in the throes of her divine passion. She was so filled with grief and guilt that she threw herself into a sacred lake to drown. However, the waters and the fishes therein knew of her divinity and would not let her die, but instead transformed her into a half-fish, preserving her womanly beauty from the hips up.

Derceto, from Oedipus Aegyptiacus by Athanasius Kircher 1652

Derceto, from Oedipus Aegyptiacus by Athansius Kircher, 1652

Atargatis is a goddess near and dear to my heart at all times, but this particular New Moon (and whole season) is ideal to work with her for any healing or transformation, especially from the woes of love, emotions and relationships.

She understands loss and sorrow on a deeply profound, personal level and this, combined with her already-existing motherly attributes, makes her a very empathetic and comforting goddess.

She represents the new forms that can be born out of tragedy and loss and how, once we heal, we can be even more powerful and special than ever before.

Atargatis is the goddess I chose to channel for this Scorpio New Moon Oracle, and so of course I use the Oracle of the Mermaids.

The upper, human portion of a mermaid represents that which is above the surface: the mundane, corporeal and temporal world. Her tail represents that which is hidden below mystic waters: intuition, magic, the mysteries of sexuality, life and death, and the Otherworld.

So, the first card for this reading represents the human part and our tangible, day-to-day lives. The second card represents the submerged tail of our inner psyches and power, personal mysteries and Spirit.

I asked Atargatis to show what we can all learn or what needs to be worked on – in regard to those two portions – during this dark, watery, transformative time until the next new moon in bright and burning Sagittarius.

First Card – Dreams
Second Card – Imramma

from “The Oracle of the Mermaids Guidebook” by Lucy Cavendish: Mermaids cannot always reach you when you are on land…When you cannot be reached through the song of the waves, you will be reached on the waves of the sleeping brain, and in them you will be told what it is you need to let go of, what it is that fascinates and drives you, and what it is you yearn and hunger for. …When this card shows up, it is a sure sign that the mermaids are reaching out to you through the oceans of your sleep time.

from “The Oracle of the Mermaids Guidebook”: You have long divided yourself into your parts: your emotions you keep so separate from your head. On Imramma, the lines you have so cleanly divided all into will blur, and you will at times no longer know what is real or unreal. But all the while we will sing you onwards, calling you forth, so you continue to follow the journey of the soul. You will gather so much, and experience such awe, that you will feel at times you may be dreaming. But you are not.

Atargatis speaks…

You may well be surprised to see “Dreams” representing that which needs attention or can offer you lessons in your tangible, waking, everyday life…for what of your human experience is more directly linked to the hidden depths and mysteries of the soul and the subconscious mind than dreaming?

However, that is the key – to acknowledge and understand how blurred are the lines between this world and that one, and that dreams are a gateway from your mundane life to the deeper meanings and higher truths that give your life meaning. Dreams serve many purposes and, in many ways, they are just as “real” as what you experience when you are awake.

This physical world is in fact but a shadow of the real world, as attested by the Oglala Lakota hero Crazy Horse during his profound vision quest. So don’t dismiss the one third of your life that you spend submerged in the oceans of dreams, and don’t ignore or doubt the messages you can receive therein. That which seems of the other world is actually crucial to your survival in this world.

During this time of year especially are the borders between the worlds nearly invisible, so take advantage of these opportunities for learning and growth and make a point of meditating on and recording your dreams.

Immrama* are Old Irish tales of heroes taking sea journeys to the Otherworld, including the islands and challenges that must be encountered and overcome along the way, and often with no chance or plan of return. This is a deep spiritual journey that can take a lifetime, and the idea of no return refers to the permanent change that such journeys and evolutions of the soul often entail.

Now is an ideal time for such personal journeys and explorations, and you may even have certain opportunities soon to take such a voyage, whether literal or spiritual and metaphorical. Let the dreams that you experience in your physical, mundane life (the shadow world) lead you into your personal journey where you can experience the real world.

There are many who would have you believe that what is real is false and what is false is real…use your intuition to avoid these traps. Believe in that which your soul cries out to believe in and to know.

We mermaids rule these realms of dreaming, journeying and the ethereal waters of spirit and magic, and we know the truths that the material, corrupted world attempts to conceal and destroy…call upon us for strength, guidance and healing and know that you are far stronger than you believe. But it is your belief – or lack thereof – that makes all the difference in both worlds.

bather-between-light-and-darkness-1935(1).jpg!HalfHD Rene Magritte

“Bather Between Light and Darkness” by Rene Magritte 1935

*Lucy Cavendish misspells the term “Immrama” in her Oracle of the Mermaids, and also incorrectly refers to it in the singular, as when she says “…embarking on an Imramma…”, when the term is actually the plural of immram.

featured image “The Little Mermaid Dissolving into Foam” by Edmund Dulac

Samhain Oracle of Persephone

Received on astrological Samhain, 11/7/17 at 6:45 a.m. (EST) using the Healing Light Tarot

“The Healing Light Tarot draws inspiration from an ancient Celtic concept. It relates to the periods of Dusk and Dawn, where the veil between this world and the spiritual realm is at its thinnest. This is a time for visions, realisations and, above all, healing. The other main motif in this deck is the mandorla, the oval shaped portal created when two circles overlap and a symbol of the divine feminine. The mandorla is a healing gateway so I’ve placed one on each card. Where it opens, healing and wholeness can be found.” – Christopher Butler

Evocation

Kore, Maiden of the Fertile Earth Above, Queen Persephone of the Dead, and Sacred Center of the Five Rivers of Hades…hear me this Samhain dawn and accept this offering of pomegranate juice. Hear the question of those who would seek your wisdom during this season of death and endings, and tell us how we may balance and integrate the above and the below; how we can learn from your story and your brave walking between the worlds of the living and the dead, achieving ultimate balance.

The Three Card Spread

“You mortals see the light of a star for eons after it has collapsed and dissolved back into the void of its origin. The light has unspeakably far to travel and yet, even after its own origin has died, still it travels…still you see it even from light years away and for many years to come.

Death, a sacrifice, is present even in one of your most comforting symbols of hope, magic and dreams coming true. But it is the truest testament of what can and does endure after death, and what can only come about because of death.

How long have you watched and mapped the stars and yearned to travel beyond the borders of your planet? How long have you gazed up in hope and placed wishes upon them? How long have you seen your ancestors’ visage in the stars, and those of gods and monsters and sought to join them all in the celestial plane?

Yet still many of you fear and even demonize the gate through which this will be achieved: death. Death who is as sacred as life, for death feeds life and all life becomes death. Do not fear or force the cycles of nature or they will force you into them in a manner not of your choosing. You cannot and will not flourish if you are ruled by fear or discord.

Fear will make you weak if you surrender too much to it. Instead you must be strong. One can feel fear and not be ruled by it, for strength and courage do not require the absence of fear. They require only that you overcome the fear and know that you are beyond it.

Know that many of the things and people you fear probably fear you more, like scurrying, distracting roaches. Or if you simply despise them, perhaps they despise you more. Too many of you are far too concerned with what the wrong people think of you and your personal truth, and this robs you of your strength.

And too many of you judge yourselves far too harshly and yet also everyone around you. This prevents you from building the foundation with yourself that you need to progress. To be rooted in strength is the only way to successfully grow.

Let this hope and this strength spur you into action. A wand is a tool of power, a conduit, a source of inspiration and illumination, a means to penetrate the mysteries of life and death. There is nothing to be learned of life or death without a spirit of adventure, a willingness to not only speak but to do, and neither falsely.

For nothing can hide in the light of cosmic truth, or even in the shadows. They may conceal temporarily, but shadows only exist because of light and both are truth.

If you lead or teach no one else, you must lead yourself and you must know that in the end you only dwell in and only have yourself. You are a lone champion in a desert of ancient mysteries, and you may only save or control or enlighten yourself.

But, like the Star – even long after it has died – you, your actions, your truth, and the path you forged, even if only you were blessed enough to tread it, will echo and ripple through time and space, melding into the energy of the One, ever cycling within the unknowable cosmic dance of all creation.”

Dante_Gabriel_Rosetti_1882_-_Proserpina_with_Pomegranate

Proserpina with a Pomegranate by Dante Gabriel Rossetti

Breath of Balance: Libra New Moon Oracle

Hail to the North Wind that sings
Hail to the South Wind that warms
Hail to the East Wind that speaks
Hail to the West Wind that weeps
Hail to each breath I take into my body

– from “Neolithic Shamanism: Spirit Work in the Norse Tradition” (Destiny Books, 2012) by Raven Kaldera and Galina Krasskova

The word for “breath” in many languages is also the word (or closely related to the word) for “life force” or some variation thereof. In Old Norse it is ond. In ancient Egyptian it is the ka. In Chinese it is chi. In Sanskrit, prana is a collective term for types of cosmic energies responsible for body functions and is specifically the first which enters the body through the breath.

This month’s New Moon occurs in Libra on October 19th (about 3:00 pm EDT). Libra is the cardinal sign of Air and, being depicted by a set of scales, is most basically and obviously concerned with balance.

The themes of balance began with the Autumn Equinox and were aptly illustrated by the energy of the White Tiger (see The White Tiger of the West: Autumn Equinox Oracle). This energy continues and concludes with this new moon before the Sun enters into Scorpio.

Now is an appropriate time to look back over the last few weeks and ahead to the rest of fall and winter, which have the potential to be very healing and renewing but also very revealing, and maybe not always in seemingly “positive” ways.

In the west, we frequently think of Libra and the scales in terms of truth, justice, law and order, thanks to the legal system’s use of the anthropomorphized Justice – a woman, often blindfolded to show impartiality, holding a sword (strongly connected with the element of Air) and a set of scales.

However, this was not the original symbol of Libra. The ancient Egyptian glyph for Libra stood for the month when the harvest was weighed before it was sold or stored. It was the Romans who ascribed law or legal concerns to the symbol.

artist: Jeff Dahl

Originally, the sign Libra was Khonsu the child, whose name meant “traveler”. He had the symbol of the New Moon on his head and was the son of Ra and Mut or Hathor. He became the symbol for the ripened crops ready for harvest.

Khonsu is the god of light in the night and, as such, is invoked for protection while traveling at night, from wild animals, and for healing.

The breath and keeping one’s life force or energies in balance are the foundation of health and wellness, and it is when we are out of balance that illness occurs.

Each New Moon is an opportunity for a fresh start, for healing and recovery, and for setting new intentions for new cycles.

Marcia Starck says, in her book “Healing with Astrology”, “Anatomically, Libra rules the kidneys and bladder, which regulate the liquid contents of the body and eliminate waste products. If one is not clear in relationships and not eliminating emotional patterns, problems in these areas may develop.”

Venus, Libra’s planetary ruler, governs the throat and thyroid glands, kidneys and bladder.

Doing pranayama, or “breath control”, is a wonderful exercise, particularly for this Airy time, to help calm and balance your energy. It is also a great starting point for any meditation or shielding exercises, and for any magic workings in general.

For this Libra New Moon Oracle reading, I chose to pull one card from my Tarot Mucha deck to sum up the main energy and message of this Moon. I chose this deck this time because it is particularly beautiful and, again, Libra is ruled by Venus, who of course is concerned with beauty, as well as health, order and stability. I strongly believe that beauty is also key to much comfort and healing, and surrounding yourself with beauty and making yourself beautiful (inside and out!) can do wonders for your energy and outlook.

The single card depicting this New Moon’s message is…

The Wheel of Fortune

The Wheel of Fortune represents destiny, fate, chance, witnessing miracles and seeing the mysterious threads of life all weaving together. It is also about turning points and change, movement, crossroads, uncovering patterns and cycles and developing or heightening awareness.

Note the various symbols of change, time, movement and “chance” in this image…the circle of flowers, the windmill in the background, the hourglass, the dice on top of the hourglass.

So much in life seems like mere chance and coincidence, but things affect other things in ways that we may not always see. In my experience, the more coincidental something seems, the less it really is. There is much more interconnection in this world and in our lives than we realize. Taking the time to slow down, to breathe, meditate, observe and reflect can reveal how much more there is than meets the eye.

Healing also takes time and patience, and often requires us to let go and trust in higher energies and time itself. Sometimes an illness just has to run its course, and the catching of a certain “bug” or illness usually feels like “bad luck”. This can be true to a point, but remember, no illness ever occurs without there being some imbalance somewhere.

I also felt compelled to pull a single rune for this New Moon Oracle as well. I use the Elder Futhark exclusively, which is the oldest (hence “Elder”) known system of runes and the foundation for two other systems, the Younger Futhark and the Anglo-Saxon. The runes were received and given to humankind by Odin, the wise wanderer, hermit, poet and warrior god.

409px-Georg_von_Rosen_-_Oden_som_vandringsman,_1886_(Odin,_the_Wanderer)

“Odin the Wanderer” by Georg von Rosen, 1886

I felt that a rune pull was appropriate for this New Moon as Odin is elementally associated with Air, and also knowledge, speech and breath, specifically the breath and voice of the gods. I also associate Odin with Fall and Winter, more-so than with any other time of year.

The term “futhark” is a sort of acronym, being made up of the initial letters or sounds of the first six runes – Fehu, Uruz, Thurisaz, Ansuz, Raido and Kenaz. The word “rune” comes from the Norse word runa, which means mystery or secret. When informed practitioners say “rune”, they are usually referring to at least one of the Norse/Germanic futharks specifically, as these are the true runes.

Any other symbol system that uses the term “rune” (witch’s runes, the so-called Janarric runes of Raven Grimassi’s invention, dragon runes, “Celtic runes” – a huge contradiction – etc) is simply borrowing the term to mean “symbol”, but they are so much more than that.

I use a rune set that I made myself from cedar, and anointed with blood while intoning the name of each rune. This is, in my opinion, a very important part of using the runes. Making your own and infusing them with your life force creates a great deal of power that, with the right intention and focus, can only result in both effective readings and magic workings.

The single rune that I pulled to represent this Libra New Moon’s energy and message is…

Thurisaz

Thurisaz is an ancient name for the god Thor, and the root thurs means giant, referring to the ice giants (among others) defeated by Thor. In fact, one of Thor’s main roles is to keep the giants – the Jotnar – who constantly threaten humans in Midgard at bay.

Does thurs make you think of anything else…? The day Thursday, perhaps? This literally means “Thor’s Day”. Interestingly enough, this New Moon is occurring on Thursday. The runes very often are, if nothing else, rather dry, to-the-point, and deadpan, and frequently downright tongue-in-cheek.

However Thurisaz is also connected with protection and healing. The symbol itself most obviously resembles a thorn, another translation and meaning ascribed to this rune. Thorns can protect, as in a thorny hedge around your home, or, of course, can be very harmful. In fact Thurisaz is one of the most (if not the most) powerful runes in the Futhark, especially when it comes to harmful or offensive magic, and therefore one of the easiest to backfire in such workings.

Thor and Jormundgandr, the Midgard Serpent

It seems that everyone everywhere right now is getting sick. I came down with a bad cold almost three weeks ago, and I have just recently been feeling almost completely recovered. My husband is recovering from pneumonia, several of my coworkers have been sick, my sister recently fell ill with the same cold, and several other relatives and friends’ relatives that are even far out of state have also been ill lately.

Has it just been a run of serious bad luck? Bad timing? Is there a specific reason for these so-called “cold seasons” and “flu seasons”? Either way, there is obviously a great deal of imbalance, and perhaps simply within everyone’s immune systems, if nothing else.

Thurisaz, in the context of illness and protection, can refer to the prevention of illness, and it is often easier to prevent something than to cure or fix it. We can look at this in terms of more than just physical illness. There is much imbalance, “negativity”, hurt, sorrow, loss etc. that can be prevented far more easily than can later be rectified.

So, between the Wheel of Fortune (fate, chance, choice, movement, turning points) and Thurisaz, we can gather from this New Moon that it is a time of changing cycles, of clearing out, of restoring balance and recovering, and focusing on maintaining health and the part that beauty plays in our well-being.

Thor is an Earthly, handsome, sensual, fertile, powerfully loving god, and I have always fancied beauty to be just as important to him as it is to Freya or Venus. Make your health a priority this fall, and prepare your body, mind and spirit for the colder days ahead. Thor is a god of summer, but his influence and strength can be felt and evoked to help temper the harshness of winter.

Be strong, be well, be true to yourself and do all you can to beautify yourself, your home and all you do and say, and the dark beauty of autumn and winter will open you up to the magic and power that will only grow as the veil continues to thin.

“A touch of Autumn” by Eyvind Earle

Featured image: “Libra” by Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis, 1907

References:
Neolithic Shamanism: Spirit Work in the Norse Tradition by Raven Kaldera and Galina Krasskova
Northern Mysteries and Magick by Freya Aswynn
Healing With Astrology by Marcia Starck
http://www.skyscript.com
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khonsu
http://www.learntarot.com/

The White Tiger of the West: Autumn Equinox Oracle

Illustration from a Chinese Medical Book, Song Dynasty, Shaoxing Period, 1159 AD

Illustration from a Chinese medical book, Song Dynasty, Shaoxing period, 1159 CE

As the new moon grows and summer wanes to its end at Mabon, the Autumn Equinox, I welcome the White Tiger of the West – a celestial guardian of seven of the twenty-eight lunar mansions of Chinese astrology, and one of four symbols assigned to each of the directions and seasons. Autumn is the season of the West, and the themes of balance and light & dark that are related to Libra are also illustrated by the White Tiger with its black and white stripes.

While the element that the Chinese associate with the White Tiger and the west is metal, we in the western hemisphere associate water with the western quarter. I find this to still be fitting as tigers are in fact fairly watery creatures, being one of the very few (or the only) cats who actually enjoy being in water.

1137px-White_Tiger_in_the_wet by bjorn christian torrissen

white Bengal tiger, photo by Bjorn Christian Torrissen

Cats in general are frequently associated with water, however, and not necessarily because of any tolerance of or even affinity for physical water; it is their fluidity of motion, their subtlety, their keen sensitivities and awareness that makes them energetically watery.

I once read about a certain old folk belief that cats used to be serpents, which are of course strongly connected to water as well. If you spend any amount of time observing a cat – with their extreme flexibility, their sleek movements, speed and impressive senses and instincts – it is not hard to see the similarities between cats and snakes and, therefore, cats and water.

The energy of the white tiger, particularly the White Tiger of the West, includes that of change and adaptability. One of the most obvious themes of autumn is change and transformation, specifically the ending portion of such cycles – the opposite Sabbat on the wheel of the year is Ostara, the Spring Equinox and the birthing transformation.

Very appropriately, the waxing moon is today in the water sign of mystery, revelation and transformation – Scorpio.

This is also an aspect of water, constant change. As much as I can’t stand the rest of the wildly inaccurate and insensitive misfortune that is Disney’s Pocahontas, I can’t help but adore the main songs from that movie. The opening lines of “Just Around the Riverbend” are perfect and frequently echo in my head – “What I love most about rivers is: you can’t step in the same river twice, the water’s always changing, always flowing. But people, I guess, can’t live like that; we all must pay a price. Do we safely lose our chance of ever knowing what’s around the riverbend?”

But even we, as people – humans who crave permanence and control – must at least try to live like that, to be more aware of change and cycles and being willing to be part of its natural flow. This newly waxing moon and now the Sun taking us into the golden equinox brings a wonderfully fresh breath of balancing, Libran air, peaceful endings and hopeful beginnings as a comforting reminder of the ever-turning wheel of life.

Autumn Oracle of the White Tiger

The leaves turn and begin to fall, the nights grow longer and the air cooler, and the wise, regal White Tiger of the watery West slips gracefully and silently through the amber forest, bearing wisdom for the turning season…

Again, as for the new moon, I used the Shadowscapes Tarot to receive a message from the White Tiger, and drew the top card after shuffling the deck and cutting it once. I then felt moved to also select the card from the bottom of the deck – the shadow card. Fitting for the black and white tiger, much like the “Light and Dark of the Moon” spread used in the September Full Moon Oracle.

It is also fitting that we see, yet again, fire and water or…

Three of Wands and Ace of Cups

White Tiger Speaks,

Everything is about balance. Balance of life and death, of dark and light, of speaking and remaining silent, of the inner and outer world. The sun is now entering the sign of balance – Libra, the scales. Be still and silent here…take the time to balance your scales. To see what is both within and without. Is there harmony there, or only discord? Or do they both ebb and flow?

The message of the Eight of Cups in the last New Moon Oracle is reinforced by the Three of Wands – both speak of moving on, of discovering and growing, of travel, expansion and exploring the unknown. It is natural for you humans to fear what is not known or understood. Fear is the enemy of growth, and it is the enemy of understanding.

The river in the valley below the young woman in the Three of Wands flows from the Ace of Cups – it is her faith, her spirituality, her inspiration and magic. These are the things that help you stay in balance and that allow you to find your personal truths. She looks ahead, she plans ahead, she is a visionary and a pioneer.

While she knows that fear is her enemy, she also knows that she must have discernment and intuition to navigate her course. She even has her wise, feline companion at her side to remind her and guide her, as I am here to guide you through this season in which magic grows and the deep waters of the spirit flow.

It doesn’t matter if your cup is half empty or half full; either way it will stagnate. You must ever empty and refill it. May you find learning and comfort in both its fullness and its emptiness.

The Chinese “Wáng”, or “King” symbol, which can be found on the forehead of every tiger. The three horizontal lines represent heaven, man and earth, and they are unified by the vertical line, the king. Or the White Tiger.

Hattara_Sonja_with_his_white_tiger utagawa kuniyoshi

“Hattara Sonja with his White Tiger” by Utagawa Kuniyoshi, 19th century

May your equinox and whole autumn season be richly blessed
by the majesty and protection of the White Tiger of the West!

References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Tiger_(China)
http://idp.bl.uk/education/astronomy/sky.html
http://yokai.com/byakko/
http://www.learntarot.com/top.htm
http://www.shadowscapes.com/

Featured image – English Birch at the Parc du Mariemont in Wallonia, Belgium by Jean-Pol Grandmont

The Oracle of Water

water knows

oracle

2018 Samhain New Moon Oracle of the Waters

Transformation: Scorpio New Moon Oracle

Samhain Oracle of Persephone

Breath of Balance: Libra New Moon Oracle

The White Tiger of the West: Autumn Equinox Oracle

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