Monthly Tarot for August 2018

Here we are again in a new month so let’s take a look at the cards to see how the month may unfold. I’m using the Wildwood Tarot today because it’s awesome. Seriously, the cards are amazing. I haven’t used it yet in the Exploring Tarot series I’m doing, but I will soon. It’s nature-oriented and doesn’t reflect a religious or patriarchal perspective which I appreciate. The deck creates its own language in that its authors have changed the names of the suits as well as the Major and Court cards. Pentacles become Stones, Swords are replaced with Arrows, Wands with Bows, and Cups become Vessels and the royalty of the Court cards are replaced by animals from the forest. But one of the coolest things the authors do in the accompanying text is to arrange the cards from the Major Arcana along with the position of the four suits into the Wheel of the Year. That, along with the new names, gives this Arthurian-themed deck its real magick. I really love this deck!

Again, I’m using a significator followed by a card that challenges and one that supports us during each week. The cards break down as follows:

• Major Arcana cards ~ 3 ~ The Forest Lovers, The Ancestor, and The Green Man
• Court Cards ~ 2 ~ the Queen and Page of Arrows
• Stones ~ 2, 8, 9, and 10 ~ Earth ~ physical/material
• Bows ~ 8 ~ Fire ~ will
• Arrows ~ 2, 5, Page, and Queen ~ Air ~ intellect/thought
• Vessels ~ none ~ Water ~ emotions

Earth and Air dominate in balance with a small influence from Elemental Fire along with three soul archetypes influencing from the Major Arcana. And the overall numerology for the month is 5, or change. The weekly numerology is below:

1. Two ~ balance, polarity
2. Four ~ structure, Mother Earth energy
3. Five ~ change
4. Three ~ catalyst, triplicities

So with the housekeeping out of the way, let’s look at the cards.

Week One

 

A young couple stands before a tree decorated as a Maypole. The Forest Lovers are engaged in a handfasting, pledging their love and commitment to their new life together. Representing Maid Marian and Robin Hood, the forest is alive with new life during Beltane, the time of harmony, birth, and union. Traditionally titled, The Lovers, this card represents the integration of polarity within along with balance and choice. We experience not only the self but also the self in others. The golden light behind the couple represents the unity consciousness gained by their union. As significator for the week, this card is suggesting that we may experience some issues regarding inner balance.

The Ancestor appears in the position of what challenges us this week. Replacing the traditional Hierophant, we see the triskele emblazoned on the drum held by the ancient guardian. In this deck, the Ancestor is female and standing between two birch trees in the quiet snowy landscape, she represents the gateway to our collective Akashic consciousness. The Ancestor reminds us of our eternal existence and that all knowledge need only be remembered. If we’re unaccustomed to going within as we access our intuition to achieve clarity, the challenge this week may be to do just that.

In the position of support, we see a shaman sitting in front of 9 standing stones reaching up to the full moon above. In the 9 of Stones, the healer holds a snake in one hand representing rebirth and what the authors refer to as a torque of lordship in his left. Titled Tradition, the 9 of Stones represents the Akash or the greater unified presence of all. The moon’s light cascades over the standing stones illuminating the shaman, providing him with ancestral insight.

It’s clear that this first week of the month is taking an inner focus with balance its theme. For some of us, that may be difficult or something we may not have even considered as valid. But we may find as the month goes on, a return to that inner focus may be what keeps us aligned and in control.

 

Week Two

 

Skill is the focus of the 8 of Stones and is the significator for the second week of August. We see a craftsman dressed in a loincloth carving something from stone, his skill evident by the various carvings before him. He sits in a cave, a natural stone table holding three lighted lamps illuminating a handprint on the wall. Traditional interpretations involve apprenticeship and an attention to detail. The numerology of eight signifies practical manifestation and this week we may want to focus on the practical application of our skillset or perhaps increasing those skills in preparation for the future.

A swan glides serenely through the water as cattails rise up fro the water while a knarled tree provides shade. The Queen of Arrows is a beautiful card in any deck and represents a woman who walks her talk and stands in her own power. She has a quick wit, is well-read, and has an active intellect. As she moves through the water, the Queen reminds us to let go of ideas and beliefs which no longer serve us. A solitary figure, the Queen prefers silence to the mindless chatter of others, preferring solitude over engaging with fools. Given its place in the position of what challenges us this week, we may need some quiet focus to achieve progress.

When I was growing up, I lived in Alaska where hunting for food was part of our life there. Moose, caribou, sheep, and mountain goat were plentiful at that time and I remember hearing from fellow hunters how goats would actually jump from high up on the side of a mountain. Goats are weird and goofy enough, I know because I used to have some, but to think that they could fall to their death was just too much for me to handle. In the 5 of Arrows, we see a shaggy mountain goat leaping toward danger as a hunter shoots a fifth arrow in its direction, the other four unable to find their purchase. Frustration is its title and given that I’ve owned a couple of goats, I can understand the hunter’s frenetic activity. Goats have zero boundaries and if a door is left open, they will enter. I had one that looked in my back door one day, bleated, and then proudly walked in, down the hall and into the living room where I was sitting in a chair. So it’s easy to let emotions get away from us. But since the theme of the week is skill, and the 5 of Arrows appears in the position of support this week, we might want to be aware of how we get in the way of our own progress.

 

Week Three

The Green Man replaces The Emperor in the Wildwood Tarot and appears as the significator for week three. We see the same theme on the cauldron from the 9 of Stones with the individual on its face holding a torque and snake. The Green Man holds a spear and a horn as he stands over the cauldron of rejuvenation. The Lord and Lady in other decks, The Green Man aligns with the Green Woman creating abundance and plenty. This is the masculine force in nature, the benevolent father, protective and pragmatic. From the Green Man we learn ambition balanced with discipline.

In the position of what challenges us this week, we see a blindfolded woman holding two crossed arrows, her foot resting on her bow while a feather balances a pile of coins on the scale above. The 2 of Arrows is titled Injustice and suggests a more negative interpretation than other decks illustrate. But here we see an imbalance in the scales above which may give insight into that choice. My own interpretation suggests taking a more dispassionate view of conflict and imbalance to reach a more balanced perspective.

The 8 of Bows illustrates a gathering of friends in front of a fire in celebration. In the position of support this week, that’s a welcome experience to be sure. We’re clearly celebrating the abundance promised by the Green Man born of group effort and skill. Hearthfire is its title and depicts the warmth found in friendship and generosity between others.

Given we’re in August, this may also indicate harvest time and the sharing of abundance with others.

 

Week Four

 

I love the artist’s use of forest animals in this deck. In the 2 of Stones, we see two large female rabbits standing up in battle with each other. Challenge is its title and may suggest conflict between two women this week. Rivalry and the struggle that brings may set the tone for this week. Our position or authority may be threatened and we need to find a positive (non-violent) way of dealing with that. As significator, this suggests either a difficult beginning to the week or difficulty overall.

A wren clings to a snowy branch in the Page of Arrows. The Page in traditional decks suggests a student or a message or perhaps undeveloped potential. The wren appears alert and her presence may suggest that someone could be spying on you or is behaving intrusively in some manner. But in the position of challenge this week, the Page of Arrows is suggesting an intellectual approach to deception in lieu of the conflict found with the rabbits in the 2 of Stones.

The final card of the reading is the 10 of Stones representing Home. I have to say, I love this card. We see a stone archway adorned by carvings of both male and female figures. Through the archway, a mud hut stands, two standing stones rising on either side of its entrance. A tree appears to grow out from within its center. The authors of this deck view this as a home that is built by community involvement instead of one that is ancestral suggesting a unified purpose. A sense of within and without is also present in the card so this hut may also represent a longhouse used by all the villagers with the stone archway representing the entrance to someone’s personal home. In the position of what supports us this week, we need to be mindful of the importance of family and community in our lives. It’s easy to become isolated, particularly when life becomes difficult or changes happen that are unforeseen. This is a reminder to include others in our lives, especially those who might be unable to reach out themselves.

 

So in summary, the first week of August has us assuming an inner, more reflective focus with an emphasis on maintaining a sense of balance. We’ll want to maintain that quiet focus in the second week of the month as our skills become important as the challenge this week is to avoid getting in the way of our success.

Discipline comes into play in week three and the challenge may be to ignore the naysayers around us to, particularly those sabotaging behind the scenes. It’s not that we want to turn a blind eye to people who might not have our best interests at heart, but that we don’t lose focus if it occurs. And it looks like a celebration of abundance may be in store for this week as well, so stay focused on what’s truly important.

Finally, in week four we may experience some rivalry this week possibly from another woman in our lives or at least some difficulty at some point during the week. Instead of diving into any conflict we might experience, we should step back a bit and wait for more information before acting. Sometimes the best response is none at all especially when responding might, in the long run, threaten something more important.

Overall, the numerology for the month is five or change. And it feels like the greatest change we might experience this month involves our choice of reactions to the challenges we face this month. It appears as if the cards are suggesting that we keep our own counsel and refrain from reacting to the nonsense of others. Sometimes drama from others only gains strength if we give it attention. So this month, let’s keep our focus on what we want to accomplish instead of on the foolishness of others.

Blessings!