Ciderwell's Sacred Day's of Yule 2020 - Tarot of Druids

[Ciderwell]

Lately my dreams have been very vivid and slightly disturbing. So, having concerns about sharing dreams online I ran a spread using the Celtic Wisdom Oracle - like how a Wiccan might cast a circle - for protection, and peace of mind.

(There are 40 oracle cards in total. 8 cauldrons and 32 archetypes based on the ancient Celtic myths).
So, 4 oracle cards surrounded the face down 'Tarot of Druids' card, north south east and west.

North - Lady of Life
East - Lord of Life
West - the Adultrach
South - the Hunter

The Adultrach is interesting. She was the King's second wife, usually much younger than the Queen.
In mythology she represents the faerie woman, Fand, who becomes the demanding lover of the King. She steals him away to the great jealousy of the Queen. The King falls into a lovesick coma and agrees to go with her into the Otherworld.
The Otherworld or Fairyland might as well be the twilight realm of dreams … will find out tomorrow … when I turn over the Tarot card.

I think the Hunter represents the Season of Yule, the setting sun being the end of this year.

[Ciderwell]

Dec 20th

1. Mother Night of Dreams:

This card reminds us to look for a particular message
in our dreams tonight. The ancients believed that our
dreams on this night foretold some of the
important events in the coming year.

Knight of Cups

I can't remember any dreams from last night. However, the message I take from the Knight is that maybe a more meaningful dream is waiting up ahead. This comes from the symbolism on the cauldron's in the above post: a man wrestling with a lion on the Lady of Life, and a horse and rider on the Lord of Life. (And, I recently had a lion and a horse show up in a tarot spread.)

The LWB says that the Knight of Cups has, Great Amorous Passion. That's all well and good, though I see the white horse as having the Great Amorous Passion. That horse has a glint in it's eye as if to say - I'm Macha, Goddess of the Sea, shapeshifter and bringer of glad tidings! - whether or not the Knight can remain sober and seated:)

[Ciderwell]

Dec 21st

2. Yule - Winter Solstice:

This card shows us how best to connect to the Light within and without
- it symbolizes the Birth of the Sun.

3 of Swords

Not sure what to make of this. Although the bladesmith is seen to be using a furnace I can't tell what this has to do with 'the birth of the sun'. Unless it has more to do with 'the light within and without'.
The 3 of Swords is often said to be a card of deep emotional sorrow, but to my mind I see this depiction more closely related to the Sola Busca - 7 of Pentacles. As described by Giordano Berti in his talk on the Symbols and practices of spiritual Alchemy.

🕈 Had a good sleep last night and lots of interesting dreams, so much so that the 3 of swords now makes sense.
The 'birth of the sun' has to first go through ferocious chemical change, until … Let there be Light.
It follows, as human beings born of stardust, we too use our chemical biology with the sole purpose of giving meaning to our lives, of which to make our spirit shine. There is no greater human achievement than this.

[Ciderwell]

Dec 22nd
3. The Time of Beth:
This card points to the inner blocks and resistance that
is holding us back from following our dreams.

Ace of Mistletoe (Wands)

LWB says: New discoveries, start of activities.
My initial reaction is to a small list of electronic music projects I've compiled, but, lately they have become seriously inactive. I wonder if the youth playing the dord can help me find some insight into this frustrating quandary.

🕈
And funnily enough, on googling more information on the 'Dord' I found this article from the Merriam-Webster online dictionary:

'Dord': A Ghost Word
The story of an imaginary word that once haunted our books.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-a ... ghost-word

What made me smile was the ghost word 'Dord'' was next to 'Dore Furnace' (see the 3 of Swords above), and also 'Dorian mode' the musical scale.

[Ciderwell]

4. Hopi Time of Renewal
This card indicates the best way for us to seek purification and renewal,
and to build tolerance for others.

Ace of Swords

Today I tried dowsing of sorts using a silver celtic cross, and got another Ace.
This kinda irritates me because it feels much too personal, even though I was thinking of others while dowsing the card. So I did a little research into the Legends of King Arthur to see if I could find out what Excalibur might actually mean.

The thing about mythology is that it can often be very flexible. There are many differing versions of King Arthur and his magic sword. And magic swords predate Medieval times. Excalibur could be Caladbolg, the sword from Celtic myth that could chop off the tops of hills, and make rainbows as it cut through the air.

Some legends say Excalibur was forged on the Isle of Avallon, where King Arthur was taken after his death at the Last Battle. The Isle of Avalon now being where Glastonbury tor is located

Glastonbury tor.jpg (23.94 KiB) Viewed 1593 times

- a round hill with a flat top.

Although the origin of the name 'Glastonbury' is unclear, the Isle of Avallon can mean 'the island of fruits'. And Avallon is mostly associated with apple orchards … from which, 'Ciderwell' brings me back to the personal nature of the Ace of Swords and, where I shall leave it for now.

🕈 In conclusion, it would be nice to connect the Ace of Swords with Glastonbury and the great sword Caladbolg but I think the picture is showing a winter scene, and with the last leaves of autumn in the foreground this has to be the first day of Yuletide, the 21st of December. Lucky me!

[Ciderwell]

Feast of Mothers

This card shows how we can connect with the spirits of our ancestors
for communion and to ask for wisdom and guidance.
It is also a time for Christians to reflect on the birth of Christ.


Knight of Wands

I'm Macha, Goddess of the Sea,
shapeshifter and bringer of glad tidings!

Merry Christmas

[Ciderwell]

Festival of Life - Christmas Day
This card shows us how to connect directly with Spirit.

Ace of Cups

As the ace of cups connects directly with spiritual force this does appear suitable for the Festival of Life. Though I do wonder if three aces are more of a warning than a jackpot. The sacred wooden goblet of the Celts and the legend of the Holy Grail point toward Eastertime, not Christmas. Or like Rachelcat's 3 of Coins it's probably just as unexpected as it is appropriate.

[Ciderwell]

Yuletide, Kwanzaa

This card shows us how to express nurturance, to attend to our
families and to express the protective energy within us towards others.

Temperance

Achtan - mother of Cormac mac Airt,
and future High King of Ireland.

A good Major Arcana for Yuletide; the depiction
of nurturance and protectiveness.

Peace be with you.jpg (13.25 KiB) Viewed 1516 times

[Ciderwell]

🕈 If you click on the Temperance card above and look closer at the enlarged picture you will see there is something wrong with her eye. At least that's the feeling I get. As if she were looking inward rather than down at her child. My suspicion only creates fuel for the imagination!
The World Heritage Encyclopedia Edition has some interesting things to say on the subject of Atchan.

Achtan jpeg.jpg (14.21 KiB) Viewed 1486 times

World Heritage Encyclopedia

Achtan was Art's official mistress, to whom he had given a dowry of cattle.

Then this entry says:

[The child...] was carried off in infancy by a she-wolf and reared with her cubs in the caves of Kesh (Keash, Co Sligo), but a hunter found him and brought him back to his mother. Achtan then took him to Fiachrae Cassán, who had been Art's foster-father. On the way they were attacked by wolves, but wild horses protected them.

This falls into line with the Adultrach and the Hunter from the first post. It makes me think that Achtan was actually Fand, and the child was secretly taken to Otherworld, as part of a mother's wisdom to give her child a better education and broader outlook on life. Fiachrae Cassán could translate to Fairy Castle, and that means magic, lots of it.

[Ciderwell]

Birth of Freyja:
This card points to issues of love, luck, artistic and creative expression and female wisdom.

Morrigan (the Empress)

I meditated on visiting the Fairy Castle, Fiachrae Cassán, but still I am out of practice at guided meditation and was unable to maintain concentration for very long. Albeit, I was only permitted entrance as a garden … er yep, an honest to goodness garden … Buddhalike statue, surrounded by fountains, flower beds, and exotic trees. The cards were spread out in a grand hall high up in the castle where I was to present myself before a beautiful shrine swathed in swirling light …

I drew the 10 of Chalices and as that card had already appeared recently I chose the next one to it. I'm sure there's a joke in there somewhere!
Morrigan is one of the Triple Godesses, and as I've already mentioned Fand and Macha, this is definitely a power card.

I can't wait till tomorrow

[Ciderwell]

Feast of Alcyone: - Dec 28th
This card gives us a personal inner message - one that speaks directly to our heart and spirit.

Brigh (Priestess)

Definitely one of my favourites - Brigh of the Eternal Fire and the Sacred Well - (which makes three ladies in a row).

The last time I was at a bible class I never did understand the meaning of the short cut through the wheat field, in the Gospel of Mark. I thought it had something to do with bread and holy communion ... but I see now it was more a parable about what our feelings are. If the sum total of your life can be measured in wheat growing in a field, then the difference between the harvest and the Grim Reaper's whetstone is the difference between Heaven and Hell.

And the cute little bunny rabbit - that's none of your business!

[Ciderwell]

Day of Nymphs - Dec 29th
This card encourages us to connect to our playful side, our inner child
and how best to cultivate this aspect of ourselves.


Queen of Swords

I rolled dice to select this card, but left the room before looking at the numbers …
bloomin' faeries!

[Ciderwell]

Day of Rest:
This card shows us how to walk our path in a relaxed and confident way....with the ability to deal with stressful situations in
a philosophical, detached way.

5 of Pentacles

At last, an Aguinum egg. I've been keeping my fingers crossed for one of these rarities.
The Rider-Waite casts a modicum of doom and gloom over the 5 of Pentacles, but this being a Druid's Egg and powerful talisman against such negativity, I'm well pleased. I had drawn the Priestess Brigh again so had to choose another card. As for the question I asked, this card leaves me puzzled and I'll just have to wait and see who put the egg outside the door. 🕈 (We had our first snow flurry yesterday).

[Ciderwell]

12. New Year's Eve, Hogmanay - Dec 31st
This card shows us how to release the old and let in the new.
This relates to both our external lives and our inner being.

I'll just have to wait and see who put the egg outside the door.

Lug (the Magician)

I suppose Lug externalizes the musician in me, and internalizes the magician -
both serving a need for fabulism.

Thanks CoT and
Happy New Year everyone,
see you later in the year.

[Ciderwell]

I watched the sun set for the last time this year. In reverence to the Hunter
(from the first post) of this Sacred Yule -
and to close with, drew the sad Princess:

Some hard promises and conditions bind you,
but you don't have to feel yourself cursed or unlucky.
Check your dreams and visions. What your ancestors did
doesn't have to be the way you do things. Touch the power
of your aspirations and feel the motivation to go on.