Cult of Tarot Forum

Sacred Days of the Vernal Equinox 2021

Deck: Pagan Otherworlds Tarot

I think that this is going to be a highly important reading. Let's see how the opening signpost for this decade goes.

Day 1 15.3. Cybele and Attis Festival - Today is the first day of week-long celebration of Cybele, the great Mother Goddess, and her youthful consort Attis. Today's card talks about love and eros in your life, and how you can celebrate them.

The VII of Cups Reversed says that the best way I can celebrate Love is by being true to it, disabusing myself of the illusions passion can weave upon those caught in its web. I must remain steadfast, and not permit myself to be lured by temptations which may mar my bliss.

I like how apropos the suit of the card is.

Day 2 16.3. Gahambar Hamaspathmaidyem - Today begins the Zoroastrian Holiday Gahambar Hamaspathmaidyem, celebrating the life cycle of human beings, from creation to death, and the presence of angels. Today's card connects you to your own path in life and the angel/power/energy that protects you.

Judgement Reversed informs me that being heedless of the lessons that my experiences should have taught me is blocking my progress in my life path. Of the mistakes and sins that I acknowledge to have committed, I must still seek forgiveness not only from God but from myself. I know that I've always been my own worst critic/enemy, but I will try.

I take note of how fitting this arcanum of rebirth is for this holiday. This day also mentions angels and I'm blown at how this card also features one, a winged herald who sounded one of the seven trumpets in the Book of Revelations. This can only confirm the presence of my guardian spirit, whose existence I never truly doubted, in my heart of hearts.

Really though, I've only begun using this deck for readings yesterday, and I'm amazed at how unwaveringly on point it is.

Day 3 17.3. Liberalia - On this day, the Romans celebrated the Liberalia festival of freedom. Today's card tells you how you use your freedom and encourages you to be really free of bonds that limit your personality, talents and longings. What are the bonds you have to break to be free?

The Hierophant Reversed says that the unimpeded pursuit of knowledge is the most positive way in which I celebrate the freedoms that I presently enjoy. However, I must be wary lest this very capacity wrap me in chains, as learning that has calcified into dogmatic thinking is wont to do. I must not be afraid to be receptive to novel ideas and systems if I don't want to be fettered to comfortable thought structures that may have served me well for quite some time, but which are in reality hindering me from awakening to higher truths.

This is the third straight day that I've drawn reversed cards. Just means that I have quite a bit of stuff to work through.

Day 4 18.3. Ugadi - The Hindu holiday Ugadi is celebrated in some parts of India as the New Year. Its traditional food represents the different tastes: sour, salty, sweet and bitter. Today's card shows you how to balance the flavours in your life, to be able to enjoy it to the fullest in the months ahead. How can make you make your life more flavourful and enjoyable?

The IX of Swords tells me, on the surface, that I must learn to still my anxieties and pain by realizing how ephemeral these concerns ultimately are, and by balancing them with a sense of gratefulness for all of my blessings.

The companion book to the Pagan Otherworlds gives a more enduring ramification for this. It states how this is the very card of transformation while warning that one's metamorphosis into a metaphorical swan does not release him from his past, which must still be acknowledged. As in the arcanic progression from La Mort to Tenperance, it is through the consummation of this transfiguration that he will be able to achieve a measure of blissful equilibrium. The numerological expression holds: 9 = 1 + 3 + 1 + 4 -> 13 & 14

And yes, I finally drew an upright. It might not be a traditionally auspicious card, but the IX of Swords in this deck is one of the loveliest that I've ever encountered so I don't really mind.

Day 5 19.3. Eostre/Ostara - The Germanic goddess of spring is celebrated with eggs, rabbits and the ringing of bells. Today's card reminds you of a bell ringing in your life, a bell that calls you forward and that you didn't heed or overhear until now. Understand what this bell wants to tell you, and in the coming month, try to make its voice heard.

The Seeker is the twenty-third major of the Pagan Otherworlds, and is meant to symbolize the querent himself: i.e. me in this case. Subscribing to this meaning, its Reversed aspect, mirroring three of the four cards I've drawn so far too, suggests that I should really take stock of my present condition. While it seems like everything is still going swimmingly, I must accept that for the past few years my life has been topsy-turvy, aimless, and suboptimal. It cannot hold for much longer - I must consider my options and pursue a feasible path before circumstances take over and force me to make desperate decisions.

Taking a more esoteric vantage point, The Seeker also denotes the quest for knowledge leading to revelatory encounters with the divine. Its Reversed aspect warns me that I've only been exploiting the divinatory facets of the Tarot so far, contenting myself with the manifold advantages its serene coasts provide while ignoring the considerable bounty its unplumbed waters offer. Without a deeper communion with the Tarot, I'm sealing off the rich archetypal narratives it provides, preventing these from truly touching my life. Without partaking of the deeper lessons and wisdom it offers, I'll be cutting myself off from a fount of stories that might inspire me, guide me into imbuing my future with a sense of purpose and meaning.

Day 6 20.3. Spring/Vernal Equinox - This is the day of balance between day and night, when new things grow and push through the earth, when Kore/Persephone returns from the underworld and brings flowers with her. Today's card calls you to contemplate on creativity and renewal in your own life. Where do you resist change, and where should you embrace it?

The X of Cups enjoins me that even in times of general harmony and happiness, I must not be afraid of rocking the boat, so to speak, if great opportunities with reasonable chances of success present themselves. I must be more aggressive in pursuing my agenda; I should not be afraid of upending a favorable status quo to progress on my path. Change is inevitable anyways, and if the current circumstances play to my advantages then I should pursue them with vigor and industry.



I returned all the cards that I've drawn so far back into the deck just a few moments after the vernal equinox, and asked what this period, from then until the coming summer solstice, will be like. Unfortunately I drew the X of Cups Reversed. Additional cards portended some troubles in my relationship with my family, so I should try to be more solicitous and take more care in dealing with them.

One curious thing though: for my second reading I shuffled the deck quite a number of times. When I gathered back my sacred days cards, all of them were in the exact same aspect as when I initially drew them except for the X of Cups of course. What are the chances of this happening?

Day 7 21.3. Harmony Day - In Australia, Harmony Day celebrates inclusiveness and acceptance. Today's card asks you to probe your own hidden prejudices, and what you can do to become more open and tolerant. Challenge yourself to inform yourself and get to know cultures, topics or people that held irrational negative associations for you. How can you become an ambassador for inclusiveness and harmony in your society and immediate surrounding?

The III of Wands advises that I should not just shun or close out people whom I take an irrational dislike to. If I were eventually placed in a situation where I have to work with them I should try to at least feel them out, discover their strengths/positive attributes, and see how we can synergize our efforts to our mutual benefit. This way I can accomplish my goals and expand my horizons whilst eliciting a minimum of ill will.

Day 8 22.3. Minerva Day - Minerva/Athene is the Roman/Greek goddess of intelligence, rational thinking and objectivity. Today's card asks you how you use your intelligence and talents, whether you give them the proper place or whether you feel you have undeveloped potential. What can you do to make the best use of your mental powers and intelligence?

Temperance Reversed warns me that I'm not using the intelligence I've been gifted productively. I have to allocate more of my head space to pursuits that have significant import, and cut off activities that may be pleasurable but confer debatable advantages. Like: I have to focus more on reading books and imbibing instructive entertainment while drastically reducing my consumption of unrewarding diversions like social media and witless shows.

I may be using my brains, but to what end? My plans mostly benefit solely me - it's time to give back.

Day 9 23.3. Hilaria - The Roman holiday of Hilaria celebrates laughter and fun. Today's card throws a light on the place light-hearted fun and humour have in your life. Do you laugh often enough? The card challenges you to find things that make you laugh and forget your worries, and do them regularly from now on.

The Waning Gibbous teaches me that only with a substantial and sustained effort to break free from bad habits and to effectively deal with triggers that feed some unhealthy fixations would I truly be happy. Easier said than done, I know. Though of course I've always considered these truisms, in the past I mostly dealt with them perfunctorily, without much resolve.

It's high time I come up with actual pragmatic strategies to remedy these. And yes, to actually carry them out to the letter. All the plans in the world would accomplish nothing if I don't implement them, giving them my full commitment. I have some great resources for these anyways, and we won't want them to go to waste.

Keywords: Learning, Release, Fixation

What a pleasant surprise. I didn't expect to draw a lunar card for this reading, and since it's unique to Uusi Tarot decks I had to consult the companion book. These additions are what made me decide to include reversals in my readings with this deck. Although reversed meanings were not discussed in the book, the Waning Gibbous, for example, is provided a separate entry from the Waxing Gibbous card, even though the former is just the inverted aspect of the latter.

Day 10 24.3. Earth Hour - On this international day, people stop to think about the environment and the use we make of it. Are you doing all you can to keep and preserve this earth? Today's card asks you to find your own connection to the Earth you live on, whether through environment awareness or the voice of your spiritual tradition. How are you connected to this Earth and how can you honour it?

The New Moon posits that my relationship with the Earth is cleansing, creative, and regenerative. It's always fresh and refreshing, which is so apt for this season. I guess I manifest this best with my rudimentary gardening skills heh. My mom have always said that I have a green thumb. Even simply watering plants gives me a sense of contentment. Taking care of her whole garden with its commercial-grade blooms when she's away on business is a treat.

I so love looking at greenery, especially when it's sunny outside and they're glistening with dew or fresh water. It invariably has a tonic effect on me, lowering my stress and yeah, making me feel light-hearted. Maybe this is a reminder that I should spend more of my time communing with nature.

The Pagan Otherworlds never fails to surprise me. For today's holiday, I was hoping to draw a card from the suit of Pentacles, or a major with an elemental earth correspondence. I didn't expect to be given a lunar card instead, depicting something extraterrestrial - literally out of this earth! Prior to shuffling my cards I was thinking of how Earth Hour this year is scheduled three days hence, really, so that may have had an impact on my draw. I so love this deck.

Again, for the interpretation of this card I had to consult the companion book for the author's meanings.

Day 11 25.3. The Annunciation - The Christian holiday of the Annunciation celebrates peace, hope and new beginnings. Today's card shows you where you have to make peace - with memories, people in your life or other painful matters. Let them go and don't beat yourself up any more.

The Hanged Man instructs that I must bid farewell from the part of myself which revels in being the outsider. It's time to embrace the orthodox, the tested, the true. I think I'd flourish best in a traditional milieu anyways.

I should also aim to be more tactically aggressive from now on, and neither be afraid nor hesitant to press for advantage. All within the bounds of decorum of course. I should only give to others after I have partaken for myself. Admittedly though, I won't be able to apply these to my family, but to others outside this circle, I can learn to be more implacable. I still have to keep appearances though, especially in polite society. I don't want to seem too grasping.

This is the second card in a row that I also drew in my deck interview. There, The Hanged Man Reversed appeared as the Nature of my deck, i.e. the card that best expresses its essence, what it truly is. Since its opposite aspect is indicated in this spread as something I must let go, I guess I have no choice but to welcome the Pagan Otherworlds even more warmly into my life.

Day 12 26.3. Preparation of the Temple of Luna - On the final day of our 12 days, we prepare for the annual Roman festival in the Temple of Luna, the Moon goddess. Today's card tells you how you can become more attuned to the intuitive, quiet side within you, how you can make your spiritual work more meaningful, and how to integrate your shadow into your life. It's the message of the Moon for the spring days ahead while the influence of the Sun is rising.

The Eight of Cups Reversed enjoins me to stop dilly-dallying and to be more proactive in meeting my spiritual goals. This is not the time to retreat into myself in solitary contemplation. I have all the tools and guidance that I might need in order to conduct a wider esoteric purview. It helps that the personality of my deck meets this open, efficient, and zesty spirit of exploration. Under this aspect, the Moon in this very card shows some interest and support for this path, hallowing this journey with the blessings of Luna.

Since this is the holiday of a moon goddess, I thought I might either draw another lunar card, or maybe The Moon or The High Priestess. This deck once again surprised me by delivering an unexpected card that does showcase the moon in it. The companion book even alludes to her presence, with some relatively considerable text devoted to her meaning.

I love how these sacred days helped me truly connect with my deck, setting the stage for the very odyssey that this final day has been urging. I shan't let this momentum go to waste.