DoW12: Joan Marie

[Joan Marie]

This week I'm feeling the need for something that feels kind of gentle so I am going with the Animism Tarot.

This is a sweet little deck that picked up last year at a trading table at the Northwest tarot Symposium in Portland Oregon. If you left something on the table you could take something. I had an extra copy of Aleistar Crowley's Book of Thoth that I left. It got snatched up pretty quick. And I found me this little deck of animal themed cards.

One thing I love about it is the gently dignity portrayed by the animals. Even the difficult cards seem to honour the struggle with grace.
I just drew the 10 of Wands.

This, according to the guidebook, is the Bactrian Camel.

This beautiful strong animal carries the burden for many and across a vast terrain.
I can say I am feeling this right now.
But like this camel, I don't give up. I keep forging ahead even when it seems a bit lost.
That's just the deal right now.

[Joan Marie]

Ten of Pentacles

Drew this card today and it made me go dig up this photo I took a few years ago in Namibia,

Namibia

Today I will take time to think about the good things that have happened in my life.
I will focus on the luck I have had and the wonderful memories it created.

[Joan Marie]

Bat - 9 of Swords

Chipmunk - Page of Pentacles

Magpie - 8 of Cups

My happy little Chipmunk is surrounded by a bit of sadness. The Bat is hiding away, isolating itself. The Magpie is in such a dramatic pose. Maybe a bit over-dramatic. Wanting to make an exit.

When I fist saw the Chipmunk, the Page, I thought of my garden. Pentacles always make me think of my garden. I got a good start on it yesterday and the weather here should be fine all week. The message I am seeing here is that the remedy to troubling news and the the effects of extended relative isolation is to get with nature.

This was my thinking when I chose this deck for the week. I like the calming effect of it. Staying calm and introspective will be the key to not just surviving these circumstances, but also to making the most of them.

Gardening, Cards, and Art. That's gonna be my week. And keeping in touch with people I care about.

As opposed to hoarding toilet paper and pasta.

By the way, I just want to mention something my son is doing while he is out of work because of virus-related closings. He's making hand sanitiser from rubbing alcohol and aloe vera gel, putting it in little bottles and giving it away to the neighbors in his building and to the homeless in his city. He's so practical! I don't where he gets that.

[Joan Marie]

3 of Cups : Spirit

Page of Wands : Priority

5 of Swords : Mindful of

Card 1 is the Spirit of this day and these leaping dolphins have a lot of spirit.
I have a pet bunny and there is a thing bunnies do called "binking." It's when the are running around and they kick up their little hind-end to the left or right. It's really cute and a sign they are really happy. I haven't seen my bunny do it in a while but today the spring weather got to her and like these dolphins she was "binking" up a storm.

I'm focusing on good things right now. Taking in news in small doses just to keep up. But this situation has inspired me to take time for things I've been neglecting. Not tasks or projects, just appreciation and the motivation that springs from that.

Card 2 is the priority of the day is represented by this Chinchilla. He's pictured here hanging on a bit precariously but not afraid to reach out for the falling leaf that is capturing his curiosity and attention. maintaining enthusiasm and not getting distracted by the situation is the priority.

Card 3 be mindful that there are still dangers and that not everyone is thriving so well. This creates a balance for me that I really need, that I am grateful to have.

I want to say here that I know I am reading these more as the pictures they are than as "tarot" but that's what I like about this deck, It communicates to me in a kind of childlike way that from time to time gives me a nice re-set.

[Diana]

I have a pet bunny and there is a thing bunnies do called "binking." It's when the are running around and they kick up their little hind-end to the left or right. It's really cute and a sign they are really happy. I haven't seen my bunny do it in a while but today the spring weather got to her and like these dolphins she was "binking" up a storm.

BUNNY !!!

[Joan Marie]

I asked the deck to give me one card to summarise this week and this is what she gave me:

Red Panda - The Hermit

Can't really add much to that.
Another week (the second?) of self-quarantine is behind me now.

I'm finding it really hard to focus on anything I would normally. This is not necessarily a bad thing. It's like a shift of some kind. This change of season is part of it. Its like everything is happening, and at the same time, nothing is happening.

Time seems compressed and stretched out. Plans are impossible to make, for everyone. And that feels weird. The best and worst of everyone is showing. The possibility for epic disaster and glorious awakening seem equally plausible and not mutually exclusive.

Being the Hermit, being secluded, is an interesting and safe vantage point to all this.