The Hierophant ~ Times Three

This post is about a series of draws I did on Monday. In a very weird and synchronistic quirk of fate, I drew the same card from three different Tarot decks in a row – I’ve never had that happen before.

First, I shuffled the Tarot of White Cats and ended up drawing the Hierophant. After pondering for a while what it meant for me, I decided to come back to it later and drew a card from the Oracle Tarot. It was the card called Tradition which the Hierophant is renamed in this deck. It seemed kind of freaky to draw the same card from two decks in a row. After studying the meaning of the Tradition card in the book that came with the Oracle Tarot, I decided to draw a card from the Vanessa Tarot. It was the Hierophant again!

Obviously, the Hierophant has some sort of very important message for me but I haven’t really figured out what it is yet. It is a card that doesn’t turn up for me very often – to have it turn up from three different decks in a row is very, very strange. In my mind, I always associate the Hierophant with being almost brainwashed in the traditional knowledge of a religion or a political dogma or something like that. Since, I’m a very non-traditional type of person with no real organized beliefs of any kind, it really makes me wonder what message the Hierophant has. It must be important to turn up three times in a row like it did. Most of the time, I laugh in the face of tradition – I don’t even fix turkey at Thanksgiving and Christmas! Perhaps, I need to be more traditional. It is something I’m going to have to think about and study for a while to find out what knowledge this triple Hierophant draw is trying to impart to me.

I studied the Hierophant in several of my Tarot books but still haven’t reached that “Aha!” moment of knowing what it is trying to say. All the cards are very different in appearance – The card from the Tarot of the White Cats is very RWS but the cards from the Oracle Tarot and Vanessa Tarot are very different.

After the three Hierophants in a row - I was half expecting it to turn up in the next deck I shuffled, the Robin Wood, so I decided ahead of time that I would draw two cards instead. The Nine and Queen of Cups turned up which I wrote about yesterday.

Here is a picture of all three Hierophants:

 If you have some thoughts on what they are trying to say – please post a comment.

Oracle Tarot: Change (Death) ~ A Great Loss

It is a sad time at our house. All five of the kittens and their mother are dead. It still seems slightly unreal, like a bad dream.

Jane and all her kittens had a very deadly cat disease called Feline Panleukopenia, sometimes called Feline Parvo Virus. It is really a dreadful disease. Cats can be vaccinated against it but through my own negligence I didn’t bring Jane to the vet to get her vaccinated. The vet is far from our home and it is really hard to get an appointment so I just put it off.

If Jane had been vaccinated she wouldn’t have caught this horrible disease but probably nothing would have saved the kittens. They might have had slight immunity from her milk if she had been vaccinated but they had been partially weaned for over 2 weeks. However she managed to catch this virus, she would have exposed the kittens to it even if she hadn’t gotten sick. The incubation time of the disease is fairly long, during that time cats are more prone to any kind of infection – that is why the first kitten that died got such a bad infection in the rectal area.

Anyway, Jane got ill with diarrhea on Wednesday morning and was dead by Wednesday night. The first kitten died on Thursday. Two more died Friday night after they started having diarrhea. One more died on Saturday morning and the last one died on Saturday night. Nothing helped to keep them alive. I tried very hard to keep them hydrated by giving them pedialyte with a medicine dropper every couple of hours. I had really hoped that the last kitten would make it. It had been a bit playful Saturday afternoon and was keeping the pedialyte down and even a bit of chicken broth. However, it got sicker all of a sudden and died quickly.

Yesterday, my husband disinfected all the cat stuff he could with bleach. It is one of the only things that will kill this virus. It can live a year, or even longer, in the ground or on other surfaces and infect any cats that haven’t been vaccinated. If you are reading this and have a cat that isn’t vaccinated – please go and have it done right away.

I hadn’t done anything with cards since the whole thing started on Wednesday morning. It made me upset that my last reading with Oracle Ge which had predicted loss for our family came true and I didn’t really want to find out any more bad news.

This morning, I decided to draw one card from the Oracle Tarot, it is a positive deck so I felt safer using it. The card I drew is Change – which would be the Death card in most Tarot decks.  It made me cry a bit – it is so true that there has been so much change in the past few days. It also seemed so fitting to draw this card – even though it has been renamed, I know it would have been the Death card in most Tarot decks.  Usually, the Death card doesn’t really mean an actual death, but this time - it does.

The caption on this card is: Release the Past – something that I really, really need to do to get past the horror of the past few days.

The book meaning for this card talks about letting go of things that are painful, cutting away the deadwood. It will be a while before I can let go of how dreadful it was to watch all of my cats die but I know I have to in order to move on and feel happiness and joy again.

Since the Oracle Tarot is meant to be very positive, the Death card was renamed Change. I like the picture on it – a lady with wings coming out of a cocoon – like a caterpillar that has changed into a butterfly. I hope very much that sometime soon I will be able to come out of the cocoon of grief and disbelief that is surrounding me right now. It feels kind of odd to feel so sad about cats but I had become very attached to them and my life is very, very quiet and empty right now without all of them running around and getting into everything and needing to be fed and cleaned and loved.

Please, please, please – if you have a cat and haven’t had it vaccinated: Do It Now.

Oracle Tarot – Two Cards

When I was shuffling the Oracle Tarot today, I was just going to draw one card but The Fool just flew out of the deck and onto the floor so I thought it should be included in the draw as well. It is very strange how cards just seem to leap from the deck sometimes when you are shuffling.

Here are the cards:

• The Six of Swords with the caption: cautious progress
• The Fool with the caption: spontaneity, taking chances

I think these two cards are referring to the same situation as the Deviant Moon Tarot was a couple of days ago:

The Deviant Moon Tarot – Three Cards

My mind is still going back and forth on that issue – should I just let fate decide about an opportunity or should I try to think of something I could do to force the issue.

These cards seem to be saying – go ahead take the leap and see if you can do something about this opportunity and make progress towards getting away from the status quo.

So, maybe I will. How’s that for ambivalent!

One of the strange things in life is that sometimes when you’ve hoped for something for a long time,  when a chance pops up that what you’ve hoped for might actually happen – you’re not really sure about it anymore.

The kittens are doing well – really growing fast. The two that were smaller have almost caught up with the other three. Jane, their mother, is doing better at taking care of them as well. So far today, there haven’t been any “accidents” to clean up. (see yesterday’s post for more on that!)

The Oracle Tarot – One Card

Late today, I drew one card from the Oracle Tarot:

The Eight of Cups which has the caption – Contemplation.

I like the idea of Contemplation for the 8 of Cups rather than the usual leaving something behind. I also like the 8 tea cups on the blanket and the three question marks on the woman’s nightgown. It looks like she just woke up and glanced out the window thinking - should I even bother getting up today.

Today was kind of like that for me. It had been a sleepless night and I was so tired this morning that I didn’t even want to get up. Lately, I’ve had such a problem with insomnia – I think perhaps it’s a part of menopause. Whatever the cause, it is very annoying and makes for a wasted day as you are too tired to accomplish anything.

The meanings from the book that came with the Oracle Tarot often have a different take on the standard meanings for the cards so I always read what the book has to say about the card. Here’s a paraphrased excerpt about the 8 of Cups:

“You’re in one of those existential fog zones that should come with warning signs: you’re wondering what it’s all about, this existence thing.  Go ahead and indulge this fog – until you can’t stand yourself anymore. Then you can come back to your normal life with renewed energy.”

Hopefully, tonight will be restful so tomorrow can be energetic and productive!

Oracle Tarot – The Star

Late last night, I decided to draw one card from the Oracle Tarot. It turned out to be The Star – what a nice card! While I was shuffling, I was wondering what sort of card would show up – it had been such a confusing day. It was one of those days where lovely things happen along with very upsetting things.

This is a very different look for the Star – a green lady who looks like she is floating in a purple sky holding up a big star. This color combination is one of my favorites. The caption on the card says: Hope, Inspiration, Nature.

When I use the Oracle Tarot I like to read the meaning from the book – sometimes it is very different than the standard meaning for the card.

Here is an excerpt from the book: “You are entering a blessed time of new hope and its best companion – fulfillment. You will be awash with inspiration and the best news is that your sense that all will be well is not simply wishful thinking. You will feel more energized than you have for some time and especially enjoy the magical simplicity of nature.”

Any way you like to define the Star – it is a card filled with hope. I’ve been thinking what a wonderful thing Hope is – it’s kind of like a carrot on a stick thing – it keeps you going because you keep thinking you’ll get that carrot eventually.  If one didn’t have that hope of getting the carrot – sometimes, it would be very hard to carry on. This card also made me think of this line by Alexander Pope about hope: “Hope springs eternal in the human breast. Man never is, but always to be blessed.” The bold italics for ”to be” are mine – I think those two words are the most important part of Hope.

Oracle Tarot – Six of Swords

Tonight I drew a single card from the Oracle Tarot, it turned out to be the Six of Swords which has the caption “Cautious Progress”.

It is an appropriate card for me today. It has been a frustrating day – so many little hassles that seem to add up to one big hassle. I hate days like that. Plus, I’ve been plugging away at cleaning the house and have made great strides but still have lots to do. Then tonight, just before dinner, my little 5 year old grandson called and asked me, “Grandma, can you come to my program tomorrow at my daycare?”. He called me all by himself to ask me – even dialed the phone by himself.

His call made me feel like the lady on the card – even though surrounded by swords she is sitting peacefully in the center of all of them holding onto her bouquet of flowers. My grandson’s call is my bouquet. The symbolism on the Oracle Tarot 6 of Swords is a lot different than the usual figure in the boat but it shows the same thing – moving away from problems and distress.

I like the “Cautious Progress” caption on the card. That is the sort of progress I’m making on whipping this house into shape for my company and also I’m cautiously progressing towards a better mental attitude that expects the best of everything instead of the worst.

All in all, the 6 of Swords gives me a hopeful message. Soon all this work of cleaning will be over and I can look forward to a peaceful visit with my Mom!

It will also be a lovely, peaceful break to go to my grandson’s program tomorrow and watch him and all the other little kids singing songs.

Update: I’m so glad I was able to go to my grandson’s program today! The kids all sang a lot of songs and then the daycare had a really nice lunch for all the parents and grandparents.

Who could ever resist this wink!

The Oracle Tarot – The High Priestess

Decided to draw a single card from the Oracle Tarot today. That card turned out to be The High Priestess – another major arcana card. So far, I’ve done three single card draws from the Oracle Tarot since starting this blog and all of them have been a major card.

This is some of what the booklet has to say about the High Priestess of the Oracle Tarot: You are entering a time when your intuition will be extremely accurate and sensitive. You may seem to be a little distant and aloof during this time; however, a more accurate interpretation is that you are listening to your higher self so intently that earthly practicalities are going unheeded at this time……..

That last part made me laugh to myself – perhaps that’s why I can’t seem to get any housework done lately – I’m so darn intuitive that I can’t think about laundry and dusting and sorting through stuff!

Anyway, I shall enjoy being an intuitive High Priestess while it lasts!

The Oracle Tarot – Bondage

Today, I decided to use the Oracle Tarot for a single card draw. While I was shuffling, I was thinking about how frustrated I am with my family. Everyone wants me or us to do this, that and the other thing and then gets upset when we can’t. For some reason, all my life, it’s been this way.  In my own mind, I call it the Cinderella Syndrome.

The card I drew was Bondage. This is a major arcana card and in most tarot decks it would be called the Devil. In this deck, being named Bondage really suits the book meaning for the card: This card indicates that you feel tied down to a situation or person; that you are unable to be your true self and are acting the way you feel you should……. It goes on: The truth is that you are free. Feeling this way and living in freedom could be achieved simply by shifting your mind-set or attitude………..

This is such an appropriate message for me today and always. Now, I just need to change my attitude and not let my family make me feel guilty if I have to say no to something. Easier said than done!

The more I use the Oracle Tarot, I more I like it. The art work is different but the more you look at it the more meaningful it becomes. On the Bondage card – I like the wings the girl has on her back - even they are tied up and if she could just get loose from all these ropes she could fly away.

Daily Tarot Card – Strength

Today, I decided to use The Oracle Tarot for my daily Tarot card. I hadn’t used it in a while and for some reason it was calling to me. Some people say it isn’t really a Tarot because it doesn’t have the court cards. Usually, I don’t use it like a standard tarot with a specific spread – I just draw one card or three cards with no certain positions to the spread.  When I do a daily draw with the Oracle Tarot, I tend to just go with the message given in the little book and what the card means to me.

This is what the book says about Strength: “Be persistent and be gentle, and approach the dangers around you with clear eyes, and open heart and without fear. Look right into the heart of that which makes you most afraid, and dissemble your anxiety by true examination. Gentle persuasion will glean great rewards, as will courage – under all circumstances.”

I like how the lady in the picture is carrying a heart – perhaps it is her own heart. Sometimes, one must be strong and carry one’s own heart to prevent it from being broken.

It is a pertinent message for me. This is another Major Arcana card, so was my last daily Tarot card. The cards seem to be giving me some important messages lately.