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May flowers have burst into color everywhere we look - and here in Houston, we’re already seeing the beginnings of summer. The month is bounding forward, full of joy and excitement.
In the US, we’re also approaching Mother’s Day, a time to celebrate not only those who gave birth to us, but everyone who has played a part in our nurture and comfort. Be it a relative, a mentor, or even a deity, their influence helps us find our way through the world. To honor all the mothering aspects that surround us, we’re looking to the Goddess Tarot by Kris Waldherr, available regularly at Indigo Moons. 1: Princess (Page) of Swords Last month, the energy was guiding us ahead with no time to think twice. The Princess of Swords steps forward with clarity and intelligence, prepared to make quick work of life’s puzzles and speak with well-considered insight. She also brings with her a sense of curiosity and adventure. Explore what’s new and exciting, but always use your head. You may need this Sword to clear a few obstacles in your way. 2: Six of Cups This six represents the warmth and comfort of home - but it asks for further examination, as “home” can mean something very different from person to person. If you’re close with your family of origin, you may find solace and uplift in spending time with parents, grandparents, siblings. A phone call, a short trip, or a video chat could rebalance you if this busy season has you feeling harried. What if your younger years were a difficult time? Holidays like these may bring up complex or hurtful emotions, but it doesn’t have to mean despair. If you parented yourself, found a safe place in a family of choice, or embraced a spiritual path, you have just as much right to celebrate as anyone else. 3: Eight of Pentacles After the renewal of a comforting embrace, you’ll have an easier time finishing something that’s important to you. The Eight of Pentacles sees you gazing with satisfaction upon something beautiful you’ve created, fulfilled by exercising your talent and dedication. There may be work ahead yet to complete, but have faith that you’ve arrived at a milestone and proved that you can make it to the finish. Your perseverance has paid off. Take joy in your accomplishment and enjoy the momentum toward your next success.
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 The changing skies of April are past us, and May is bursting forth all around. Planting season is in full swing as the Wheel of the Year turns joyfully from spring toward summer. It’s Beltane once more, and abundance greets us from every direction.
Beltane is a cross-quarter pagan holiday, celebrated on May 1 to mark the beginning of the summer season. Derived from a Gaelic word meaning “bright fire,” this sabbat overflows with life energy, symbolically celebrating the sacred union between the God and Goddess of Celtic lore. Modern celebrations of May Day tend to skirt the issue where symbolism is concerned, but the old rituals were unashamed of purpose: Beltane is a fertility holiday, and as such, is focused on procreation among everything in nature - including sexual union between humans.
Despite this distinctly mature focus, there’s room for people of all ages to celebrate Beltane. It’s a wonderful time to gather early fruits and vegetables, bring in fresh flowers, and enjoy the company of loved ones around a fire pit…or even a grill. Beltane is filled with life’s beginnings and brings the promise of a beautiful harvest to come.  You may have been hibernating and healing lately, or relaxing your grip and getting ready - but spring is here, and it’s time to bloom. Last month was dedicated to processing and releasing. This month, there’s no time to waste. In keeping with the theme of spring’s abundant growth, we’re once again turning to the Spiritsong Tarot by Paulina Cassidy, a popular seller and regular presence on the shelves at Indigo Moons. Let’s dive right in. 1: Transformation (Death) Much of our message last month was to let go of the past, and now we’re seeing the reasons why. A cycle of rebirth is at hand as many of us emerge from a long quiet period. This may show up in your life in a variety of ways: losing a job, the end of friendships or relationships, a move from a long-time home. These events can feel harsh and punishing, but do your best to trust that they’re happening for good reason. In the Spiritsong deck, Cassidy uses Cicada to symbolize Transformation: a creature that must shed its outer shell to grow. You can do this - because you can have hope that what’s ahead will be better. 2: Knight of Acorns (Wands) You’re about to take off running full speed ahead. And that’s a good thing - life has been packed full of circumstances, yet often moving at a snail’s pace. Obstacles are moving out of your way, and you’re ready to jump right over any that don’t. That’s the Boar’s energy: charging forward into the spotlight, afraid of nothing. But remember that this Knight is prone to recklessness alongside his determination and energy. Be bold and driven, but temper your enthusiasm with wisdom. You’ve come too far to crash and burn so quickly, so when you hear that “little voice” inside you giving advice, make sure you’re listening closely. 3: Nine of Acorns Powerful Panther represents that voice, but she’s not so “little.” She’s already been through the fire a few times, and always comes out with her faith and determination intact. Let her awareness and resilience guide you as you race ahead. Trust your inner voice and your personal power, because you’ve worked hard to build their strength. They won’t steer you wrong - they’ll lead you to success and triumph. And after all you’ve experienced recently, you’ve earned it. Susan (aka the Dragonfly Charmer) is an intuitive reader with over 25 years of experience. She also teaches Tarot classes at the shop; her next Tarot Essentials class is coming Saturday, April 23 at 2:00 pm. If you’re interested in online Tarot learning, check out her new Patreon, Dragonfly Academy. Visit her Linktree to book a reading, and for all the other places you can find her.
 The last cold front has pushed through. Your microwave’s clock is an hour “behind.” Restaurants across the city boast buckets of crawfish. That’s right: it’s springtime in Houston.
The spring equinox brings equal amounts of day and night, representing the balance of the earth and rebirth after winter’s chill. And while we may not see tiny buds poking up through the latest snowfall in our part of the world, we’ll watch new leaves and fresh wildflowers dot the landscape. Thoughts of the timeless cycle of nature lead us to celebrate Ostara, the first abundance and fertility holiday on the pagan Wheel of the Year. It began as a festival celebrating Eostre, the goddess of the dawn (from a root word meaning “morning”) in old Germanic paganism.  Perhaps it’s just me, but this February has seemed like quite a long one. It began with a strong new moon at the end of Mercury retrograde, and here in Houston, the weather has been practically extreme: springtime warm and sunny one week, wintery cold and cloudy the next.
All along, the Wheel of Fortune is moving us forward. Just as we’ve started seeing an improvement in the news around public health, a tense buildup on the other side of the globe has exploded into violence. It feels a little like two steps forward, two steps back. Yet spring is coming, as it inevitably does. We’re still on the edge of reemergence from the dark of the year, with days growing longer and optimism not far behind. What energy will we find around us for the month of March?  As a Houston native, I find snowy weather a rare and unusual event. There are many good reasons why our entire region comes to a standstill when anything approaching actual winter moves through.
Because of this, simply recognizing this week’s full moon by name seems somewhat out of reach. It’s traditionally called the Snowy Moon…because it’s the time of year in much of the U.S. when we’re most likely to see snow. Not so in Houston, where we’re frequently known to experience all four seasons in a week, if not a day. Fortunately, there’s a little something to redeem us, because who doesn’t love cute animals? We’d normally think of polar bears and penguins, but here’s a sampling of unique wildlife perfectly suited to wintery climates.  It’s that time of year…when the calendar flips to February, spring is in the air (at least in Houston), and our thoughts drift naturally to love and other related sports. It’s once more Valentine season, whether we like it or not.
Are you in love with love, or are you a skeptic? Seeking romance, content with your relationship, or ready to toss it all out the window? Whatever you feel, rest assured that you can find something valuable in Valentine’s Day. If you read the “Be Our Valentine” blog posts this week, you already know that meanings and significance evolve with time to suit the current era - so why not adapt this holiday for your own purposes? Romance is perfect for some, while you might find that helping your community, spending time with your kids or grandkids, or celebrating your chosen family makes more sense to you. This week we have a beautiful deck dedicated to legendary love - mostly the romantic kind, but with plenty of room for all of us to see how we can get the most out of Valentine’s Day. Let’s get into it!  In modern popular culture, Valentine’s Day is the day of hearts and flowers, a celebration of idealized romantic love. Store aisles overflow with candy boxes, stuffed animals, and balloons in pink, red, and white. Restaurants are packed with couples, some feeling obligated to come up with the grandest gesture or greatest marriage proposal.
The tides have shifted in the last few years - more on that later - but what is it about Valentine’s Day that creates the big to-do about lovers, partners, and spouses? As we saw in part 1, the connection to the ancient Roman festival Lupercalia is questionable at best, but we know a bit more about the Christian saint for which Valentine’s Day is named, and the traditions thereof. Let’s dive in there.  We’ve come to that part of the year where words of love are as sugary as a box of chocolates; where the bouquets are just as often balloons as they are flowers; where the Cheesecake Factory is completely booked. Valentine’s Day: not a day for cynics, but a day for romance! (And history, obviously.)
Talk to certain scholars about Valentine’s Day, and you’ll almost certainly hear about Lupercalia. A festival celebrated in parts of ancient Rome and Gaul (modern-day Italy and France), it was born of what are now mysterious origins. Descriptions range from lighthearted, largely symbolic antics to fully nude debauchery in the streets - yet in the modern age, many insist that there is a direct tie to a Western Christian holiday dedicated to romantic love.  The classic 1909 Smith-Waite Tarot is the standard across the English-speaking world, providing a depth of symbolism and alchemical knowledge. But in the current era, it comes up lacking in several ways: Eurocentric, idealized medieval scenery, one body type - not always relevant to our lives now.
Enter the Modern Witch Tarot by Lisa Sterle. This deck is lovingly committed to the Smith-Waite canon, yet utterly fresh in its execution. The art style is strongly reminiscent of the 1909 deck, sometimes even faithfully recreating a scene. The important difference: the people depicted throughout the deck are outfitted for the 21st century. Mostly identified as women, they have a variety of styles and gender presentations, diverse shapes and sizes, and a range of skin tones. For those of us who have long waited to see ourselves reflected in Tarot, the Modern Witch Tarot deck is just one of many that now fit the bill. |