The Arousing of Goddess Presence ~ Tarot for 14 April 2017

My maternal grandmother, Bridget Murphy, was from County Kerry in Ireland. She was Roman Catholic and no doubt named for Saint Brigid. But before this co-opting by the Roman Catholic Church occurred, Brigid was considered a Celtic Goddess. And she appears in the hidden influence position of today’s Haindl tarot reading.

Goddesses and witches go hand in hand and Brigid has always been a favorite of mine. Women were, at one time, held in higher regard than currently exists. Celtic tradition viewed the mother’s lineage as establishing their primary ancestors instead of the father and conferred civil rights on the women of the clan or tribe. In Brigid: Survival of a Goddess, Winter Cymres’s excellent piece on the Goddess, Cymres writes that:

Motherhood demanded the utmost reverence. Rape was a crime of highest severity, subject to the greatest punishments and not pardonable or subject to leniency (Later, in Her evolved role as the Lawgiver, Brigid would make certain that women’s rights were retained in some form within the new religion).²

And further:

In keeping with the Old Ways, men were not permitted to impregnate women against their will, against medical advice or the restrictions of her tribe. A man was not permitted to neglect the sexual needs of his wife. Irish law also provided extensively for the rights of women in marriage, for pregnancy out of wedlock‚ and for divorce.

In one incident, clearly defining the position of women in this new warrior class, a woman petitioned Brigid for justice. Her lands and holdings were about to be taken from her after the death of her parents. Brigid, however, ruled that it was the woman’s decision to either take the land as a warrior, being prepared to use arms to protect her holdings and her people. If she decided not to take on this privilege‚ half her land should go to her tribe. But, if she chose to hold the land and support it militarily, she was permitted to hold the land in its entirety.²

And from Wikipedia:

She appears in Irish mythology as a member of the Tuatha Dé Danann, the daughter of the Dagda and wife of Bres, with whom she had a son named Ruadán.

She is the goddess of all things perceived to be of relatively high dimensions such as high-rising flames, highlands, hill-forts and upland areas; and of activities and states conceived as psychologically lofty and elevated, such as wisdom, excellence, perfection, high intelligence, poetic eloquence, craftsmanship (especially blacksmithing), healing ability, druidic knowledge and skill in warfare. In the living traditions, whether seen as goddess or saint, she is largely associated with the home and hearth..¹

Goddess stories provide such a rich legacy. I wanted to spend some time acquainting readers with the Goddess before interpreting the cards because of the extreme form of patriarchy that’s in control throughout the world. As we see from both articles, there was a time at least in the Celtic tradition when women had stature and respect that is sorely lacking now. In the hidden position, Brigid represents the resonance of the Feminine Divine ready to reemerge in her rightful place in the world.

Two cards from the Major Arcana, Justice and The Sun appear with the 6 of Wands as the general influences for today, with Haindl using Brigid to represent the Princess of Cups and the 4 of Stones as the outcome. Fire, Water, and Earth are the elemental influences and the overall numerology is interesting. Justice is the eleventh card and as a master number, I won’t reduce that any further or include it in the overall result. Adding up the other cards, a synchronicity appears as we arrive at eleven once more.

11 is considered the master number for illumination, instinct, and a connection to the unconscious. The patriarchal imbalance under which we all live is unsustainable and a course correction is necessary. 11 is counseling us to reawaken the unconscious and unified Self within. With two 11’s appearing in the reading along with Goddess presence in the Princess of Cups, Justice, and Sun cards, awakening and illumination are strengthened and reinforced.

Beginning with the 6 of Wands, six upward-turned spears align in cooperation before a barren background, a vine of ivy winding through the scene. Victory is the title of the card of elemental Fire, suggesting that success is assured by meeting challenges together. Its hexagram is The Receptive and represents yin energy or the feminine aspect of self, reminding us that conflict is best approached when masculine and feminine energies are in balance. A sense of higher knowing, with compassion as our guide, promotes cooperative effort in lieu of a more aggressive approach.

The scales of Justice appear before peacock feathers standing resolutely in the background. A bubble appears suspended above each scale indicating the presence of higher consciousness with this influence. Nauthiz appears at the top right describing the need within. A Norn rune representing Skuld or the future, Nauthiz shapes the self and the world at large. By including it on the card Haindl is telling us that the need within to extend and receive Justice is an intrinsic part of humanity’s foundation.

Aligning with Brigid as the Sun Goddess, The Sun shines brilliantly in the sky, its rays extending outward toward the earth. A single large rose appears in the lower half of the card, a tree-lined road extending in the distance. Unfolding hope and new beginnings are The Sun‘s joyful influence.

The translucent and peaceful countenance of Goddess Brigid appears on the Princess of Cups which Haindl retitles the Daughter of Cups in the North. A narrow creek winds between six large monoliths with a cave in the distance suggesting feminine mystery and inner wisdom. The Goddess waits in calm resolve for balance to return to humanity.

But the 4 of Stones suggests that she may not be waiting for long. The Power of the Earth is this card’s title and illustrates four stones suspended in water. Each stone represents the four elemental influences which comprise the building blocks of the universe and the power of Gaia to rebalance life. The Arousing is the title of the card’s hexagram referencing humanity’s ability to adapt in response to shock and chaos. We feel empowered and willing to take the risk necessary to rebalance our world, recognizing the fallacy of separation and oppression.

The Mother principle is returning, arousing, her voice suppressed no longer. The boys have run amok for too long and women and children have suffered as a result. And now in the words of the so-called new guy, he’s bombing the shit out of anyone his generals choose, thereby washing his hands of any responsibility for the outcome. He needs to be sent home and to his room to think about all that he’s done, confiscating his phone in the process.

Although he claims there’s no one who respects women more than he does, lots of women apparently disagree. He loves women so much that he signed an order authorizing states to drop funding for Planned Parenthood. And now, millions may lose health insurance that they waited a lifetime for all because the so-called new guy can’t understand that the right to affordable healthcare is not only about compassion and dignity, but primarily about that inner sense of Justice that we all so desperately wish would outwardly manifest.

Things have to make sense. And these days, nothing does. And if the bombs continue to fall, our arousing will continue to grow and we’ll be all too willing to take that leap of faith with blessed Gaia in reawakening Goddess presence within, and ensure balance without.

Blessings to our One Family!

References:

Originally published at www.imsteppingaside.com on April 14, 2017.