The Alchemy Tarot Spread

This is my own little twist to some basics found in most spreads. This is an easy spread for a quick look into any subject.

The Alchemy spread consists of just four cards.

 

APEX is positioned at the Top Center

NEGATIVE INFLUENCES is positioned on the Left

POSITIVE INFLUENCES is positioned on the Right

SELF is positioned at the Bottom Center

 

 

 

When throwing the cards, the order is:

 Self, Negative, Positive and then Apex. 

 

 

 

 

 

The deck presented here is Waking the Wild Spirit By Poppy Palin 

 

Card interpretations below come from my own intuitive eye 

The reading is a 'General' or "What does the Universe want me to know" type reading.

 

The SELF card is as it sounds. It is a reflection of you (or the sitter) in the situation of focus.

The card in this position is 6 of Earth. This is about creative energy combined with passion, it is the driving force and source of joy that keeps one fulfilled in life. This is is connecting to the creative energy that is within as well all around. It is a love of nature and being in tune with nature, inspiration from and honoring everything in life. *If you have been stressed or fatigued, the recommendation is to take a mini-vacation to somewhere you can immerse yourself in nature. Get to know the sounds of the life that lives there and their routines. A lot can be learned from nature.

 

Negative Influence card is 3 of Air. The 'seasons' are changing and thus, one needs to adapt and adjust the routine. What once was not, now is; and there is trouble if one cannot make the adjustment. The challenge here is NOT taking charge of things and making adjustments and tending to the things that need tending. Responsibilities are not being dealt with. This is a need to get your head into the game and get down to business. If motivation is lacking, then it is going to take strength to get the mind into a determined mood to 'attack' the needs in life and get everything in order. The warning applies: Avoid a downward spiral into chaos. Think Ready, Set, Go. While it seems like a lot of work, just getting it done and out of the way feels so much better in the end. Order (and not chaos) is liberating.

 

Positive Influences card is Queen of Earth. The Queen is a wise, skilled and compassionate individual. This speaks of hands on nurturing, the training of others in the ways of different skills and crafts. The Queen has a love for all life. This virtue has animal whisperer qualities and a green thumb. She is one that listens to the sounds of nature and nature for a deeper understanding in how it all works. This allows her to know what her environment needs and what it will give or bring. It is the call of the cows that lets her know a storm is coming. It is the color of the leaves that lets her know what to feed her plants. You have much skill and wisdom and are capable of self sufficiency. You pay attention to everything around you be it natural or urban and thus know what to do, how to do and what not to do. 

Do what you do best!

The Apex card is the card that brings it all together and speaks on the over all energy and situation. The card in the position of Apex is the 8 of Water and speaks of an unpleasant environment. There are 'bad spirits' that are fouling things up and causing problems. There is stagnation and things out of balance. This takes us back to the negative influences card, things in chaos. Like a song the get stuck in your head, certain 'bad habits' have developed and persisted; things need to get cleaned up and put into order. This is not a healthy space for the soul as it bogs down everything in life. Things cannot grow and flourish in this sort of environment. This card's call to action is to cleanse your space energetically and physically, and to cleanse yourself spiritually and emotionally.

 

 

 

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Pagan Way - Ramble Pt. 1

When someone says, "I'm Pagan", it does not really describe that person's beliefs. During the early years of Christianity, 'pagan' was mainly in reference to the old polytheistic traditions of the people in the area. Today being 'pagan' does not offer such a clear picture.
Today, every pagan is different from other pagans in some way. Pagan is an umbrella term as well as a fixed term. One who is Wiccan is considered pagan, but someone who is pagan is not Wiccan. Some Native Americans and Buddhists accept being under the pagan label, and some do not. Some who are Atheists feel pagan. Some see Paganism as a religion, and some are, and some see Paganism as just a sense of spiritual being that is in string connection with the earth and nature.

So what exactly is a Pagan? Ultimately that is up to the individual. No matter how much a 'liberal' pagan may explain the fuzzy parameters to a 'fundamental' religious person, that person will hold on to their own definition....well, that's not entirely true. There are people who will listen and learn. However, I'm speaking about those who are just sticks in the mud.

For me, being pagan is about the natural world, what we know and what we don't know. My father was a scientist who worked to preserve a part of the Amazon rainforest. My affection for earth and life upon it must be in the blood. The animals, the plants on this planet and the rocks and gasses that are light years away, yet can be seen, all fascinate me. It is life, it is energy, it is creation- the Universe and everything in it is my 'god'.

I honor and am an observer and of the Universe and all that is within it. I like to say that the only laws I follow are the laws of Nature, they are the only ones that can't be broken. I am an unofficial scientist who loves and is curious about my subjects. But it goes beyond formal science, beyond modern science, and even back to ancient science....and lets not forget Alchemy.

There is the tangible, the physical; what we can see, touch, taste and so on. There is the unseen physical that we do see evidence of, atoms, cells, viruses, radio waves.

But then there is the unseen, the non-tangible, yet, often encountered, consciousness, love...and Spirit.

Sometimes there is a conflict between science and religion, or religion and science (might be the better way of phrasing it).

There must be something more if for thousands of years humanity has created all kinds of concepts that link physical us with something unseen that is 'out there'. I think at the core, and when true to the faith, religion has a good grip on the Spiritual. But it is man and his mind that muddles things by throwing in stories to prove a point. Someone misses the point and looks to make a point out of a different part of the story. 

I think science is on the right track towards figuring it out, but they are not seeing it from the right angle and there are areas that are not put together, ignored or disregarded that are part of the science of Spirit.

The alchemists had the right idea for their time. To perhaps paraphrase what a spokesman for the association of alchemists would say, had there been one, "We know the Ether (spirit/god) exists. We do not understand it and are likely never meant to understand it because it is so big and vast we could never fully comprehend it, but we still accept and acknowledge its existence."

Spirit was a part of science at one time. Many of the early scientists were also astrologers. For many years astrology was accepted as truth. Then modern science came along and said 'no way, not possible' but astrology endures and survives through the criticism. We have been learning that planetary energy does have it's effects over great distances. Hard to imagine for some that a round ball of elements floating millions of miles away could effect earth. Why? Why is it hard to imagine. We see the effects of the Moon. Yes, it's closer. It feels more within our physical realm because we can see it. There is no reason why another stellar body would not also have an effect on us, in ways we cannot see....the astrologers see it, but they are looking at the tangible; the planets and their positions, and determining from years, centuries of observations and writings, what these effects are. 

....to be continued
Part 2 of My Pagan Way