Witchy Wednesday
Welcome to our first collective reading! I currently have four oracle decks that I am working with for my readings, and each has a unique energy that it calls out with, so I was quite interested to see where the messages wanted to come from today.
I started by lining up all of the decks. There wasn’t an obvious sign for which deck wanted to share, so I started by hovering my hand over the desk I was sitting at and then slowly guided it over each of the decks, looking for changes in how my hand and my heart felt as I hovered over each deck.
The deck that came forward today was the “W.I.T.C.H - Woman in Total Control of Herself” (An Oracle by Angi Sullins- Artwork by Silas Toball). I love working with this deck as it has beautiful imagery and cards, and an insightful guidebook. It was the first deck that I strongly resonated with when I started my oracle reading journey!
The Reading:
I started to shuffle the cards, voicing my intentions to bring out messages for the collective and asked that our guides, our wise and well ancestors, and Spirit sit with us and speak through the cards to share the messages that we are needing to hear.
Card #1
The first card, 14-Lady of Perpetual Rebirth, popped out immediately. When looking at the imagery on this card, we see a woman shrouded in black, eyes covered by a large inverted moth, who is clutching a white flower and a small cage with a skull in it. The background is ominous and adds to the weight of this card.
However, the power of this card lies not in the death and decay, but in the possibility that can spring from it. The guidebook describes this card as “an invitation to clean and clear out what needs to end, in order to welcome the new,” both in the material sense of objects, but also the behaviors and underlying patterns in our thoughts that are keeping us limited. Where are your eyes shrouded? Are there places where you can release what is no longer serving you out of love and compassion for yourself and your highest good?
The guidebook continues, inviting us to “Pay attention. Listen, watch, observe … The new vision, new awareness, new life that is circling you right now will also send out strong signals.” It is easy for us to stay in our comfort zone, with our day to day having little variation, but this card calls us to reexamine our life with new lenses and get clear on what is in alignment with our highest self.
Card #2
The second card that came out was 34-Medicine Woman. On this card you see a crone, holding a flaming bowl, guarded by a bear, and flocked by several crows. It seems as though she is separated from the light of the clearing, as though she were staying shrouded in the cover of the dark forest.
This card holds many beautiful points of wisdom. It seems as though now, more than ever, we are living in a society where we seek healing from an external source. Your head hurts? Ibuprofen is affordable and easily accessible. Starting to feel sick, but are wanting (or needing) to still go to work? Grab a bottle of cough syrup to help decrease the pain and discomfort of your sore throat. While I support you taking care of your body in ways that feel aligned, this card invites us to look inward “to the wisdom of the medicine woman who lives in you.”
This card is an amazing reminder that it is our responsibility to tend to our core needs, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. This may look like canceling the plans and choosing sleep over a long night out or walking away from people or situations that are not in alignment with your highest good. This card “urges you to kindle the warm, gentle ember of unconditional self-acceptance with the fierce love of mama bear, who protects with the tooth and claw of boundaries.”
How can you bring this same fiercely loyal energy into your life and turn inwards to your own wisdom versus seeking the “right” answers elsewhere?
Card #3
Our third card that came through was 1-W.I.T.C.H, which is both the name and the feature image of the deck. We see a woman sitting on a crescent moon of star dust and flowers, wearing a stark red garment, and holding a bowl with an eerie green glow. She also has her eyes closed with an aura of reverence, which, to me, looks like she is sitting in sacred space/ in her power, looking inwards.
This card calls to themes of control, which typically has an air of “domination and restraint.” It invites us to live with a more supportive view, to experience “control through cooperation rather than competition.” This can refer to either (or both!) the battles for control in our own minds or in relationship with others. When looking inward, is there dissonance? Are you down in a shame spiral because there is a very loud voice that is telling you that you need to get up and work out, but another part is crying for good food and a cozy night? Are you unsure if you should distance yourself from someone, but are feeling guilty or scared about how you would do that?
The message that I am seeing here is that in these cases of dissonance, both sides of the paradox are equally valid and you do not need to sink down into shame because you are wanting two opposing things. Where can you meet in the middle? Our thoughts tend to get louder and louder when we try to run from them, but if we hold space for all of this chaos, what are the messages that these loud voices are trying to get through to you? Is there a way to hear them and use their guidance to come to a calm and resolute place where you are making active choices based on your true desires (versus out of fear, shame or anger)?
Card #4
The final card of the reading for this week is 23-Priestess of Priority. We see a woman providing her sight to another. The woman in the front has a bodice that to me looks like a book opening. It’s as if the vision that the other woman is providing is creating expansion and growth.
This card speaks to the aspects of our life that feel urgent or pressing that are actually steering us from our true path. It calls us to reorient ourselves to what is important and to prioritize the activities that light up our soul. Take time to identify what inspires and excites you, and book those things into your schedule. Even if it may seem silly, creating this space will help to boost your mood and set you on a fulfilling path that is in alignment with your true self.
This card may also call you to question the stories that others (or society) are telling you. Do you really want a big wedding, new house, new car? Or are others trying to steer your life in their vision? What areas in your life can you see with new eyes?
Reflection
Our cards today hold some powerful messages. As I mentioned, these may all be for you, dear reader, but they also might not be. So as I string these all together, again please keep in mind only what resonates and release what doesn’t.
The cards highlight the need to shed the old: the old thoughts, behaviors, and patterns that are no longer serving us. We all have this wisdom-to discern, to heal, to grow- deep within us, even if our intuitive voice has grown quiet over the years. What are some small steps that you could take to walk a more aligned path? Be sure to get clear on what is most important to you and to make space for those things in your daily life.
When you are feeling dissonance in your mind or heart, turn inwards to those voices vying for control and ask them to quiet so that you can make sacred space for all of them. It may not be a quick and easy process, but pay attention to the things that your soul is needing, not to what other people are telling you that you should want or need. Look with fresh eyes and trust your inner guidance to lead you down your path. Bring compassion and self-love as tools on this sacred journey, but also bring a fierce determination to make the changes that you are wanting to see in your life.
-SunnyCelly