Working with the Wildwood Tarot

I use the Wildwood Tarot on a daily basis and I thought I would share a short reading that I did for myself and show you a way to use this pack to find a solution.

I started by asking the question, ‘What part of my personality is holding me back?’ I decided to draw just one card. The card was The Moon on Water.

This instantly gave me an answer. My emotions. I am a very emotional person, in that I tend to work through them rather than my logical, thinking mind. I think this helps my empathy with others and my sensitivity as well as my intuitive side. But at the same time it can cloud my thoughts and stop me seeing clearly. Within this card is an image of the primordial egg under the water, as well as the three cranes. The Crane is one of my animal guides and symbolises intuition and esoteric pursuits as well as being a guide on the journey to the Otherworld. My question was asked in the context of new life on the material as well as the spiritual plane. I am at a phase where I feel an urge to discover higher planes, and delve deeper into the spiritual side of my life. I feel I am at a transitionary period at present. I have been waiting for loose ends to tie up as well as releasing old parts of myself that are no longer needed. I can feel the beginnings of new life at my outstretched finger tips but as yet I cannot grasp it. I wanted to know if I was holding myself back or whether circumstances were more to blame. The egg in this picture is showing me the new life that is available, but it is still submerged under the waters of my emotions. There is more to release and balance to be found before it will come about.

Next I asked ‘What can I do to help myself overcome this?’ The card I received made me smile as it has been turning up a lot for me lately. It was the 9 of Bows – Respect.

I felt this card was telling me to accept that this obstacle stands before me and accept that part of myself that is creating it. It is telling me to respect my emotional side, but also to confront the problems it can cause me once and for all. This is the final challenge before new life comes about. I have to confront it to reach my goal. In my head I heard, ‘Make friends with the Wildman blocking your path’. I stared at the picture for a while before closing my eyes and putting myself in the wood with the Wodwose in front of me. I actually jumped when I saw him in this context as he looked so fierce. Yet I wasn’t physically scared of him. I felt he was there to teach rather than harm. I reached a hand towards him, but he jumped back and brandished his bow and arrow at me, so instead I reached into my pocket and brought out a sandwich (no idea where it came from!). It was filled with golden honey and I offered it to him as I sat down in the path and took out another sandwich for me. My intention was to sit and eat with him. As he slowly and tentatively took the sandwich he turned into a woman dressed all in green who glowed with an inner light that slightly masked the features of her face. But I could tell she was smiling. She stood aside and gestured that the way was now clear for me to proceed. I was filled with a wave of awe, respect and joy. I felt very humbled, yet ready to carry on my quest. I opened my eyes and smiled! Within me I have felt a blockage between my solar plexus and heart chakras. This blockage was rising. I sat a little longer breathing deeply and focused on the blockage. It rose through the throat chakra and the third eye chakra and was released with a tingling sensation through the crown chakra.

So who was the woman? I felt she was the Green Woman but she seemed more of a Goddess than the one in this deck of cards. She had an aspect of the Green woman, but was more than that. She encompassed both my physical, creativity and my spiritual creativity. Perhaps she was my own vision of the Green Woman of the Wild Woods! For me she symbolised a creative blockage removed, as well as a nurturing of my inner self. A healing, understanding of the blockages that I create myself, and a way to dissolve them.

I also found the numbers of these cards interesting. The Moon on Water is 18 which is double 9, The Respect card. Nine is the number of completion. 1 + 8 is 9. Perhaps this symbolises completion on a physical and spiritual level, and the beginnings of a new journey. However you add these numbers together you get 9.
1+8=9; 9+9= 18; 1+8+9=18; 1+8=9 and so on!

Since this experience two days ago I have felt happier, more grounded and ideas have been coming to me again. But more than that, I have had faith that all will be well. I have found it easy to live in the present moment and not allow worries to creep in.

So when using these Tarot cards, or even when you have had a reading from me or others, try using a simple visual meditation to enter the picture and see what happens. What happened to me was totally unexpected. And that made it even more wonderful and more healing.

If you would like a reading with these cards please visit http://www.indigoreadings.co.uk