You Are Indispensable (and why that matters)

I think we need to spend more time recognizing how we’re indispensable to one another.

I know that I talk a lot about the sacred interconnectedness between plant, people, and creature, but when we say that something is indispensable there is a new level of necessity that appears. We can be interconnected, but to be indispensable is to fall in love with our interconnectedness. 

Having posted recently about creating an indispensable herb list right around the same time that a continuing and powerful resurgence of the #BlackLivesMatter movement swept across the US, I wanted to offer a spread that helped us to recognize the indispensable in our lives (Curious about your role as a healer, card reader or magick-maker in #BlackLivesMatter? Come this way). Because if we recognize that our plant kindred are indispensable, we’ll stop destroying our common home planet. If we recognize that Black lives are indispensable, we’ll stop the senseless, grinding violence against our Black kindred. If we realize that we are indispensable as individuals, we’ll begin to love ourselves more honestly and unhesitantly. 

Now a tarot spread certainly isn’t going to change the world. But those who are casting cards will. 

You can use The Indispensable Interview spread to talk with a plant, animal, God/dess, ancestor or living person to help you figure out and communicate the indispensable and necessary relationship you have with them. If you are reading with another person, I suggest working with two decks (or three or more if you’re working with more than one person). Each person involved pulls a card for each question. So if there are three folks casting this spread together, person 1 would pull a card for their relationship with person 2 and another card for person 3, with person 2 and 3 doing the same. Take time to cast this spread, pour yourself some tea, pull out a journal to write in, and allow yourself to settle into the story that’ll emerge. Additionally, you can use this spread to understand your relationship to a cause or movement such as #BlackLivesMatter or a local community cause.

design by author | background image by matthew wiebe

1. Why are you indispensable to me? Get intimate in your knowledge of the other. Sometimes this card comes up a bit challenging, sometimes it is just a mushy love note, and often it is a bit of both.

2. Why am I indispensable to you? You need to know and love your indispensableness in the lives of others and this card will help you do just that.

3. What can we expect to experience together? A bit of a pick into the future with this card. Emphasis is on the experiencing more so than the doing.

4. How can I best share our wisdom in the world? This is a big question. We can become stewards and caretakers and seed-casters of the wisdom that others share with us, but we must learn to do it responsibly, effectively, and with accountability. This card will help you to discover how to do just that. I carry, for example, the wisdom of my herbal teachers and I am responsible for how I share and use the wisdom they have revealed to me to others.

I would love to know your experiences with The Indispensable Interview and ways that you tweaked the spread to fit your needs - comment below to share! If you're looking for more tarot spreads, I have a whole lot more.

My hope for you is that you may know how truly indispensable you are.

May the world around you reflects this truth back to you every moment of every day.

The Triangulation Tarot Spread

When I read tarot cards, whether in-person or for my awesome Tarot Stella or Solstice Star clients, I often feel like I am not so much interpreting the cards as I am eavesdropping on their conversation between one another. For me, the tarot deck is a living book of wisdom that is constantly moving and shifting parts, telling new stories, and uncovering old paths. Some cards are more talkative than others, but when they are cast in a spread they begin to talk amongst themselves about the question presented to them. 

"The pain of this heartbreak is real and cannot be ignored any longer, no matter how many times we are told to 'get over it,'" says the Three of Swords.

"I know," nods the Eight of Swords, "it has led to us to being trapped by our own thoughts and ensorcelled by our feelings. Everything feels darkened now, hopeless and unsteady."

"But the fire of love is not gone," the Three of Wands gestures to a vast landscape of possibility. "It has simply moved. Elsewhere and unseen at the moment, but not truly lost."

In my class on card casting and creating custom spreads, we talk about the importance of the question. The question helps to set up the space for the conversation that the cards can have. Sometimes when we get confusing cards in our spread that seem to make little sense given our question, it's not that the cards are wrong or our ability to interpret them is lacking (though, sometimes the cards are cleverer than us and it is important to continue to cultivate a student's mind throughout your work with divination), but that the question did not allow for the answer to come through. 

There is also the actual structure of the spread to consider when seeking information and insight. If you imagine, for example, each card in your spread to be a chair at the dinner table, what cards do you want to be close enough to each other so that they are able to talk without yelling from one end of the table to the other? In other words, what are the conversations you wish you could be having in order to gain further insight and how can you bring this to play in your spread.

It was in the spirit of experimentation and trying to recreate the complexity of conversations between multiple parties (whether the inquiry is along the lines of a she said / they said question or a question from our conscious mind to our subconscious mind or having a chat with our future self), I came up with the idea of a spread of moving pieces or The Triangulation Spread. While I very much enjoy simple spreads, there is plenty of space in my practice for stretching my divinatory muscles with a more complex piece of casting that I'm about to describe with the Triangulation Spread. Yet, what is fun about the spread is that it can be as simple or complex as you like and you can decide that as you go along as opposed to ahead of time giving the reader greater flexibility in gleaning knowledge from the cards.

The basic structure of the Triangulation Spread is three triangles of three cards each, with each triangle representing one segment or aspect of the inquiry. For the following sample reading, the querent is seeking insight into how to turn their interests - which are many and varied - into a career. The question is:

How can I focus my creative passion into a sustainable career?

All cards shown in this post are from the World Spirit Tarot.

Since our querent has many passions, the first triangle is one of self with a focus on the querent's strengths in order to help them figure out what passions may be best turned into a career path. The first triangle is the foundation stone of the spread - these cards will not move but will still interact with the other cards pulled which will be explained as we go along. For their triangle of self, the querent pulled the the Sibyl (or Queen) of Swords, the Two of Wands, and the Ten of Wands (inverted).  I've given some brief interpretations as a full interpretation of this spread would be a long post indeed! The Sibyl of Swords crowns the triangle and speaks to the querent's underlying theme of storytelling in all that they do as well as a maturity to their craft . The Two of Wands both represents the querent's ability to help others find hope and possibility through telling their stories and re-membering (literally, putting back together) who they are as well the possibilities ahead of the querent in regards to turning their passion into a career. The inverted Ten of Wands recognizes the querent's overwhelm at having so many interests, which has left them feeling stuck and burdened, but since it is inverted the energy is diluted and there is a recognition that the querent is focusing their creative fire (as represented by the wands) as opposed to being completely overrun by it. The Ten of Wands is a reminder for the querent to continue to understand their own story and to own it as part of their work of discovering the path ahead of them.

The next three cards make up the triangle of chrysalis which gives specific insight to help the querent begin to transform their passion into a career. The three cards of the triangle of chrysalis are the Seven of Pentacles, the Five of Pentacles, and the Hanged Man which overlay the last three cards of the triangle of self.  First, we look at the conversations happening between the Sibyl of Swords and the Seven of Pentacles (it's time to actually harvest what you've grown with all of the hard work you've already put in - you're not starting from ground zero even if it feels like it at the moment), the Two of Wands and the Five of Pentacles (it is difficult to help others find possibility and hope if the querent has a limited vision of possibilities about their own success and feel that they are in a permanent state of scarcity), and the Ten of Wands and the Hanged Man (the Hanged Man recommends that the querent transforms the feeling of stagnant stuckness to focused stillness in order to understand that they have all the tools they need for the task ahead even though it requires them to sacrifice self-limiting beliefs and practices).

Once the initial conversations have been listened to, move the cards clockwise the next position. So the Hanged Man sits with the Sibyl of Swords, the Seven of Pentacles states talking with the Two of Wands, and the Five of Pentacles strikes up a conversation with the Ten of Wands. Further insights can be gleaned now with the same cards in different positions. The Five of Pentacles, for example, reveals that part of the overwhelm experienced through the Ten of Wands is trying to figure out what passion will be most profitable which feels limiting and confusing to the querent. The cards are moved one final time to complete the circuit and have their third conversation, and then they are moved back to their original position before the final three cards of the last triangle is cast. 

The third triangle is one of action, recommending next steps for the querent to take on to create a sustainable career from their storytelling passion. The three cards pulled were the Seer (or Page) of Pentacles, the Three of Wands, and the Six of Wands. The Seer of Pentacles, especially in this deck, has a powerful air energy moving through it (see the creatures flying out of the tree above the head of the sitting person) and speaks to the Sibyl of Swords' ability to help guide folks through their reflective journey to finding their own stories and becoming grounded in their truth. The Seer of Pentacles serves as an affirmation that the path of the storyteller will not only be a prosperous and sustainable one for the querent (since Pentacles are a suit of security, abundance, and long-term planning), but the card also illustrates the type of work environment that the querent can create in order to be successful. The Seer of Pentacles is also speaking with the Seven of Pentacles and, in fact, represents the harvest illustrated in the Seven of Pentacles. The Three of Wands is a great continuation of the conversation started by the Two of Wands and continued with the Five of Pentacles - it shows what the cultivation of hope and the exploration of the querent's money and success story can do when it comes to expanding their prospects. The Six of Wands shows the transformation of the figure in the Ten of Wands into the Hanged Man and finally returning home again to community that wants and needs their skills and insights. The Six of Wands reminds the querent that they have a vast support network that they need to tap into when it comes to promoting themselves and developing their business. Again, as with the triangle of chrysalis, these last three cards move around the spread conversing with new cards, gleaning more insight into steps to take for the path ahead. You can move the cards in the triangle of chrysalis again, too, if you like. Imagine the conversation that could be had between the Sibyl of Swords, the Five of Pentacles, and the Six of Wands about clearing out a scarcity complex as part of the work of bringing together community.

What I like about the moving parts of the Triangulation Spread is the fact that it reflects the complexity of the shifting parts of our lives. Moving the cards around can be helpful when a querent feels stuck in one place and has no clue how they're supposed to get to a hopeful card that has shown up later in the spread. The act of physically moving these cards together (which is a play on traditional spellwork in which components of the spell are moved closer and closer together to attract a certain outcome) can be such a simple act but still provide a surprising amount of revelation. As you can imagine, there are many ways to ask questions and shift cards within the context of a Triangulation Spread - I hope you have fun experimenting and share your experiences in the comments below or by using the hashtag #TriangulationSpread in your various feeds (I'm on instagram most often if you're looking to chat). Need more tarot in your life? Come this way!

Have fun triangulating!

All cards shown in this post are from the World Spirit Tarot.

Create Your Own Poetry-Inspired Tarot Spreads

I like reading poetry, I like writing poetry, and I have memorized more than one poem as part of my devotional practice, dispensing them like blessings throughout my day. It is incredible how a simple collection of words, ordered in an uncanny or fantastically simple way, can spin open a heart whether written by someone last week or a thousand years ago. 

I think that Tarot is a poetic art and inspires us to get honey-tongued with our interpretations so that we might illuminate our depths and help others do the same. The ordering of words in the art of Tarot could be seen as the choice or creation of a spread. Many a tarot reader (and herbalist) will tell you that it is less about what cards are cast (or what healing imbalances are readily observable) and more about what questions are asked (and not asked). It can be difficult to determine what questions will be the most appropriate and revelatory, but feeling inspired to form a foundation on which to cast our cards can help us spark to life the right questions for us to be asking. The journey with Tarot (and our plant kin) asks us to expand the playing field of possibility and our ability to interpret our surroundings and inner landscape with inquisitiveness, courage, and confidence. The patch of scraggly trees on the corner of your block can become a sacred grove when our perception is rearranged and so it is with poetry that every day words take on new depths of vulnerability and consequence when they are arranged in ways to break us open, pull us together, and help us feel something that normally such words would not inspire for us.

If you haven't noticed yet at this point, I think the art of tarot and herbalism inform one another. Check out my free Tarot Herbal Wisdom series to learn more about the healing art of plant medicine and the power of casting cards.

So, clever one, if you're looking to stretch your card spread creating muscles and find new ways of discovering wisdom-rich questions, I've created the following poetry-inspired activity for you!

First, gather your deck of choice (it can be a Tarot or Oracle deck or similar divinatory tool that you can use with spreads), a pen, piece of paper, and a poem of choice. 

As an example, I've chosen the following short poem from the collection of the Zi Ye (or Songs of Ziye) which are poems and Chinese folk songs typically said to be written by women from the 6th - 3rd centuries BCE.

All night I could not sleep
because of the moonlight on my bed.
I kept on hearing a voice calling:
Out of Nowhere, Nothing answered "yes."

It's an intriguing poem, describing restlessness and yearning but great possibility. Who hasn't felt spiritually restless on their journey, staring into the dark and yearning for answers? So let's translate the wisdomspark of the poem into a Tarot spread.

There are a number of ways to create a poem-inspired spread. If the poem is short enough and it makes sense to do so, you can make every line of the poem a different card position. So I could create a spread asking the following four questions:

• A description of my current state of  spiritual restlessness. This first card acts like a mirror helping the querent understand what they are experiencing.
• The source of my spiritual restlessness. Just as the moonlight in the poem distracts them from sleep, we can find our own source of spiritual distraction.
• What messages are trying to get through that I am ignoring and/or confused by. In the poem there is a voice calling out from the great vastness of Nowhere and it is named as Nothing. What is calling out to the querent? Alternatively, you could ask What is preventing me from listening to my inner wisdom and/or the wisdom of my guides, God/dess/es, ancestors, etc?
• The card of possibilities. The impossibility of Nowhere becoming Nothing and saying "Yes" is the power of this poem so it feels appropriate to cast one card that allows for possibility and unexpectedness.

That is just one way of interpreting the Zi Ye poem into a spread. If you've chosen a much longer poem where a line-by-line spread would prove cumbersome, you can still identify the overarching themes of the poem. Certain words or lines may stand out to you more than others - follow those to the questions you might ask. The following is a longer poem by Hadewijch II, an unidentified 13th century Christian  female mystic (side note: my little witch-heart fell deeply in love with the writings of female Christian mystics in junior high school and I consider Hildegard von Bingen to a vastly important but too often unrecognized source of wisdom in the Traditional Western Herbalism lineage - let's change that).

All things
are too small
to hold me,
I am so vast

In the Infinite
I reach
for the Uncreated

I have
touched it,
it undoes me
wider than wide

Everything else
is too narrow

You know this well,
you who are also there

Her words make me think of an energetic combination of the Hanged One and Tower cards in the Major Arcana of the Tarot.  For me, she describes something coming undone, chaotic but utterly still. 

Cards from the World Spirit Tarot

There are a couple of themes that stand out to me in Hadewijch II's poem. First, the idea of growing out of your current situation and life choices so far. Then there is the effort of reaching for something that has not yet come into being but it is still having an effect. Finally, there is an undoing of loneliness as Hadewijch II identifies with you or her community or her God as being on the journey as well. Four (maybe five) cards might be cast then, with the following inquiries:

• What have I grown out of? or What is coming undone?
• What am I reaching for that is still coming into being?
  • Another card you might pull at this point could be: How is what is still coming into being affecting me now?
• hat restricts me from reaching and needs to be released?
• Who is on this journey with me? or A message from my inner wisdom, guides, God/dess, ancestors, etc. The last question depends on your spiritual framework or the note you want to end the spread on. You might be seeking solidarity with what is coming into being and want to know who is along with the ride.

Ok, ready to work with your own poem? Read through your chosen poem a few times, jotting down themes and reflections that come up for you. It may take a few rounds for the questions to emerge. Just write down whatever comes up for you - flow is better than restriction at this point. Once you feel like you've gathered enough themes from the poem, begin to transform those themes into questions. So, if longing is a theme of your poem you might ask "What am I longing for?" Arrange the questions into a spread and cast your cards. You might find that in your first casting that you find more nuance in the questions or even the ordering what is asked - the cards can be very helpful in letting us know that if there were to be cast just a little differently - and therefore opening up more space - that more insight might emerge. Play, be poetic, and experiment, clever ones!

I hope that you are inspired to play with your own spread-skills having read through how I create poetry-inspired Tarot spreads. If you do end up creating a poetry-inspired tarot spread be sure to share your experiences and links in the comments. You can also use the #PoetryInspiredTarot to share your creations via social media (I hang out on instagram most often). Most of all, enjoy the process and happy spread creating!

The Foundation Bones : The Herbal Wisdom of the Suit of Pentacles

I am doing a guest post series on the amazing Little Red Tarot blog all about Tarot + Herbalism. Little Red Tarot is the home of Beth Maiden who has created an intelligent and inspiring alternative community for us Tarot folk who are queer, rebellious, multi-cultural, and rad. I hope you enjoy the latest installation in the series all about the herbal wisdom of the suit of pentacles!

All cards shown in this post are from The World Spirit Tarot by Jessica Godino + Lauren O'Leary.

Check out the other posts in the Herbal Tarot Wisdom Series:

• The Windswept Garden: The Herbal Wisdom of the Suit of Swords

• The Well of Memory : The Herbal Wisdom of the Suit of Cups

• The Flame of Desire: The Herbal Wisdom of the Suit of Wands

• The Foundation Bones: The Herbal Wisdom of the Suit of Pentacles

We end our journey through the herbal wisdom of the tarot together in the realm of Earth and the suit of Pentacles.

In the northern hemisphere the element of Earth is placed in the North, while it finds its home in the South in the southern hemisphere.

The Pentacles are the suit of foundations, abundance, and security.

They represent the moments we feel most sovereign in our lives. The suit of Pentacles can also represent burden (especially financial and physical burden), stagnation, and the hardening of the spirit through the traumatic experiences.

When many Pentacles are cast in a spread, I pay attention to foundations – are they sturdy or are they falling apart? I ask questions about whether or not the querent feels empowered in their life or if they feel they lack sovereignty.

The suit of Pentacles asks us to seek out the green, abundant spaces in our life. If we lack such places, we must learn to grow them. If they have become overgrown, we must learn to find the sunlight again to nourish our roots. We are asked to look at our own personal garden habitats especially at the edges where we connect with the gardens of others.

The suit of Pentacles is often seen as the most practical of the four suits, investigating our physical and mundane life, especially the areas of survival including food, shelter, and resources. Money is a keyword that comes up regularly with the suit of Pentacles but that can be limiting when trying to understand the full diverse nature of the Pentacles. Abundance and security of resources add further nuance and depth since we can live abundant lives without an abundance of money because we recognize the security of resources we have access to. I do believe that recognizing abundance in your life (no matter how small it may seem or insignificant to others) is a way to cultivate more abundance in your life and the lives of others. It is about recognizing the resources we do have, especially when faced against overcultures and oppressive systems that seem to have all the money. They might have the money, but damn, do we have the heart and we know how to grow it.

There is also a lot tied up in the concept of worth in the suit of Pentacles.

Am doing work that feels it has worth? How do I feel unworthy in my life or seen as lacking worth in the society at large? Do I feel like I am living in a way that I feel makes my life worthy and valuable to me? When I sit with clients for our first intake, one of the questions I ask them is about the quality of the life and what they do feel they have in abundance. If the question is difficult for them, their homework, along with their herbal remedies, is to explore these questions more in-depth. If you’re pulling lots of Pentacles, you might consider such an exercise, too.

So what are the herbs of earth and abundance?

In general, herbs that are nutritive, alterative, immunomodulating, cooling, and sedating are considered qualities of Earth. Additionally, I consider many herbs that have been classically categorized as panaceas or “heal-alls” as Earth herbs because they often deal with multiple body systems and are restorative to the body, mind, and spirit.

I think about gentle herbs that are deeply nourishing and will act as the foundation for me to build my recipe on such as Milky Oat (Avena sativa) andLemon Balm (Melissa officinalis). 

Elder (Sambucus nigra) is my herb of choice when inviting in the grounding, restorative, and immunomodulating energies of Earth. Elder is known as the Elder Mother and Tree of Medicine in many European folklores and is considered intimately tied with the world of the Good Folk. I can attest to her magick. She is also a badass and is not interested in nonsense – whether the nonsense of a lingering cold or the nonsense of poor boundaries or lack of self-care. Elder is an immunomodulating herb, which means it helps bring our immune system back into balance, and is an incredibly effective protective herb against the ‘flu and other viruses. The herb is chock-full of flavonoids which “bind and disarm hemagglutinins, tiny viral spikes covered with the enzyme neuraminidase, which allows the virus to penetrate cellular membranes” (Brigitte Mars, Desktop Guide to Herbal Medicine). This is in part why Elder remains effective against multiple flu strains year after year.

The berries are more grounding, while the flowers are more elevating and are especially good for ear complaints. Elder clears out toxins from the gut and cools and warms body systems as needed to return the body to health. The Elder Mother can be worked with in multiple ways: you can approach her simply for assistance with rebalancing your immune system and as a cold and ‘flu preventative or you can engage her on a more magickal level. (Keep scrolling to learn more under the Mentor of Pentacles…)

Basil (Ocimum spp.) is a great herb for diffusing an over-abundance of slow, stagnant earth energy in your life. An herb of dragons named after the mighty basilisks that haunt mountains and caves, Basil has a special skill of moving heat and energy through the body. As part of its healing qualities, Basil also stokes our inner digestive fires, helping us burn off toxins and remove them from our bodies. The herb is uplifting and cheering to the spirit. It wakes us up with gentle stimulation and then relaxes the brain and nervous system (you can experience this by tensing your body and then relaxing at once – the relaxation is deeper after the tension). The herb works on both sympathetic and parasympathetic sides of the autonomic nervous system helping the two aspects find balance instead of swinging to one extreme. Basil is one of my favorite herbs for brain fog and to promote cerebral stimulation. I use all kinds of Basil in my practice from the Sacred Basils (Ocimum sanctum, Ocimum tenuiflorum) and your common sweet or garden variety Basil (Ocimum basilicum). I actually think Basil and Elder work well together when more heat is needed in the system in addition to immunomodulating qualities (and especially when you need some badassery in your life).

The Pentacles Court Cards

Seeker of Pentacles: Rosemary

Whether brief or lasting years, many of us have had an experience of feeling sovereign and secure in our bodies. The Seeker of Pentacles is a card of tranquil manifestation where all the parts (the spirit and body comfortably intertwined) come together and what we have desired is coming into being. Yet, many of us know how easy it is for the spirit to be frightened from the body and for reactivity and symptoms trauma to take its place.

The essence of Rosemary helps call the spirit back to the body by helping us to re-member (to put back together) our sense of sovereignty and security in the world. The essence is helpful when disassociation has turned from a useful tool for dealing with the complexity of life to a chronic condition where the consciousness exists less and less in the body. Rosemary helps us to be fully present in our body and life, so that we can nurture the garden of our existence.

Apprentice of Pentacles: Dandelion

The suit of Pentacles deals a lot with work and the work that we find worthwhile. Through the suit of Pentacles we learn to grow the routine and follow-through of work and step out of or avoid the stagnation that we can fall into. The Apprentice of Pentacles embodies the gifts of routine and rhythm and why both are important for longevity of practice and worthwhile work. When the Apprentice of Pentacles is out of balance they can become apathetic and stagnant, but so rigid that they resist change, which is why an essence like Dandelion can be so useful.

Dandelion flower essence can serve two purposes for the Apprentice of Pentacles: it infuses the spirit with sturdiness but also helps us embrace change. The energy is grounding, but freeing which helps our very earthy Apprentice or Knight remember that they are the movers and messengers of the court cards. The essence is also important if you do any sort of social justice work as it helps us tap into the deep reserves of renewing energy that the earth provides.

Artist of Pentacles: Oak

If you ever struggle to connect with the idea of your body and life as a garden that needs care, spend time connecting with the Artist of Pentacles. The Artist of Pentacles is the most magickal of gardeners, tending to the soil, the thorn and flower, and the fruit and berry, with tender care. Their endurance is legendary, their commitment unwavering. They carefully cultivates their resources and has an abundance of nourishing compassion. Yet, they can fall into patterns of overwork and over-giving, stretching themselves thin in an attempt to take care of it all. When offered time to rest and slow down, they say they don’t have the time or luxury to do so, which is why Oak flower essence is such a great ally for them.

Oak helps us to take time off and enjoy the fruits of our labors instead of always feeling a need to give them away. The essence is also very useful for assisting recovery after a long period of illness. Oak helps to lighten the load that the Artist of Pentacles carries.

Mentor of Pentacles: Elder

I’ve talked a lot of about sovereignty so far in relation to developing and reconnecting with your self-sovereignty. The suit of Pentacles, though, also embodies the other side other side of the coin which is authoritative dominance. The Mentor of Pentacles is a wonderful teacher and guide when they demonstrating stability, dependability, self-control, and discipline. They become a tyrant when they seek to dominate others and seek power-over as opposed to power-with. When these patterns arise, Elder calls us out and then invites us in. Elder smashes the idea that to be powerful we must overpower others. She smashes it and devours it and lets it decay.

A wounded Mentor of Pentacles is one with low self-esteem and someone who has lost their sense of worth – in turn they have set about to try and take the esteem and worth of others. Elder flower essence can stop us in our tracks, resetting our destructive powers, and calling us to accountability. Alternatively, if you are someone who has yet to step into your power, embodying the strength of the Mentor of Pentacles, Elder can also be an ally. She won’t mess around or coddle you, but she’ll help you learn how to stand up for yourself, speak boldly in the world, and to know the abundance and worthiness of all your parts.

Herbal Powders

Herbal Powders are a great way to enjoy whole plant medicine and I have used them as a great alcohol-free alternative to tinctures since the early days of my practice. Not only can Herbal Powders be used internally, but many can be used externally as well. In addition to some simple instructions on how to make your own herbal powders, I’ll also suggest the many ways you can use them, whether homemade or purchased from a reputable source.

Making herbal powders can be time intensive, but very simple. You’ll need some sort of grinding device, whether a mortar and pestle, blender, or electric grinder. Grind down the herbs as much as possible, removing any large chunks of un-grindable bits. Then, using a mess strainer, sift the fine powder from the unground herb. It takes time but it’s quite easy, even meditative, to make herbal powders.

Suggested uses for herbal powders:

• Add them to smoothies, juices, or water. Adding herbal powders to smoothies is my most favorite way of ingesting them.

• Mix with honey to make an electuary. You can enjoy spoonfuls of your herbal honey or add it to hot water for an instant tea. I like to • take a small jar of herbal honey with me when I travel as it is a great way to enjoy my daily herbs as well as a sweet treat while on the road.

• Create your own tooth powder.Tooth powders are amazing!

• Use herbal powders topically as poultices and drawing powders. Depending on the herb you’re using you can make a soothing • poultice for muscles aches or a drawing powder for wounds and infections.

• Use them magickally! You can sprinkle and cast them, create sigils with them, carry in charms, or burn herbal powders as incense.

How will you connect with the earth energy of the suit of Pentacles? Post your experiences below as well as any questions you might have about the information already shared. I have very much enjoyed my sojourn these past few months in the Little Red Tarot community and I hope to continue to connect with you in spaces like the Alternative Tarot Network (I’m wortsandcunning on there). Until then, grow wild, clever ones!

Hallowing: A Samhain Spread

The third and final harvest festival of the year, Samhain is the end of the bright half of the year – the roots to Beltane’s flowering branches. The part of our selves that has been slumbering since Beltane, awaken to the call of night, as we join the Spirits, Ancient Ones, Ancestors, Wild God/desses, and their horde as they clamber noisily throughout the land, welcoming in the new year. Our Samhain Tarot Spread glimpses forwards and backwards through the malleability of time and the veil which shapes and bends with greater ease during the Hallow's season. The spread is an attempt to connect us with our oracular inclinations, to notice the omens, and to become a better omen ourselves.

The spread also has a companion reversal spread to engage in a deeper working with your Ancestors for the coming year, explained below.

1. THE MOON. A source of guiding illumination for the death/birth of the year.  A look at the big picture influences in your life at the moment.

2. THE PATH. A glimpse into the very near future.  Pay attention to particular images, symbols, and signs on this card as they may very well be pathmarkings and roadsigns for your be looking out for.

3. THE LANTERN. The point that you use as your current primary guide.  What has captivated your attention and that you are drawn by?  Reversals of this card may speak to a guiding point that is either dim and hard to see or one that is particularly illusory and not of great benefit to the seeker.

4. THE MASK. What illusions are you maintaining for yourself or others?  These masks are not always meant to deceive, but often to protect, survive or adapt to the situation at hand.

5. THE BONES. A reflection of ancestry, family, culture, heritage, etc.  Pay attention to the relics that you keep as symbols of these various heritages.  What purpose do they serve?

6. THE BONFIRE. What needs to be cleansed and offered to the fire in order to move through to the new year?

7. THE VEIL.  What is being revealed?  The parting of the veil affects us in sometimes subtle, sometimes intense ways.  What is being revealed about your deep self that usually remains hidden (whether purposefully or unconsciously)?

8. THE ANCIENT ONES.  Guidance from Ancestors, Spirits, and/or Guides.

ANCESTOR COMPANION SPREAD

Flip the direction of the spread so that the point of the triangle points downwards or towards the reader.  Pulling new cards, the spread can be read for the coming year as guiding wisdom from your Ancestors for each season.

1. Samhain to Yule (Winter Solstice).

2. Yule (Winter Solstice) to Imbolc.

3. Imbolc to Spring Equinox.

4. Spring Equinox to Beltaine.

5. Beltaine to Midsummer (Summer Solstice).

6. Midsummer (Summer Solstice) to Lammas.

7. Lammas to Autumn Equinox.

8. Autumn Equinox to Samhain.

For my beauteous ones in the southern hemisphere, I have a Beltane spread for you! 

Looking for more magickally inspired Tarot spreads? 

You're invited to peruse my tarot + divination series. Or do you want to learn about herbalism and tarot? Check out The Tarot Apothecary. Find all the tarot spreads in my Wheel of the Year series via the links below:

• Hallowing: Samhain Spread

• Darkest Night: Winter Solstice Spread

• Quickening: Imbolc Spread

• Brightening: Spring Equinox Spread

• Fire + Fields: Beltane Spread

• Bonfire Offerings: Summer Solstice Spread

• First Harvest: Lammas

• Balancing: Autumn Equinox Spread

Blessed Samhain, sacred ones!

design by Alexis J. Cunningfolk | background image by Andrea Pol