Full Moon in Aries 2018

Last night I had a really nice evening. I spent it with my sweet friend Ebony who affectionately refers to me as her American Mum and I her as my daughter. She knows how much I adore the moon and will send me a picture of it each full moon. It's such a beautiful way to stay connected with her and to feel special. A monthly reminder that someone is thinking of me and knowing how much I love the moon and even though we are an ocean apart we can feel connected. It's pretty special. And last night it so happened that Ebz and I went to dinner on the night of the full moon. We were just finishing our meal when she spotted the massive, amber sphere rising out of the water. Drawn to her like the sea she shimmered over, we rushed out to the harbour and shared in its spectacular beauty. It looked more like a subdued, icy, rose-gold sun. These are a few photos I was able to capture with my iPhone. I really should invest in a decent camera, but considering, I think they turned out ok. Then the last photo was several hours later when she had returned to her familiar silver magnificence. 

Today I decided to ask the tarot what do I need to release and what do I need to embrace this full moon? I shuffled and specifically looked for the Moon card and each card just to the left and right. It's noteworthy that this is the Full Moon in Aries and the left is a water card and to the right fire - stagnant emotion and thus isolation reflected by the 7 of cups in contrast to the more dynamic energy of community and celebration shown in the 4 of wands. 

Release being overwhelmed with emotional confusion that enevitably leads to lethargy due to emitioanl exhaustion from overthinking. Embrace feelings of stability that can be found by interacting with like-minded individuals who encourage and inspire me to remain curious and explore things that call to and are of interest to me. As my time in the UK draws to a close this really hits home for me. It makes perfect sense, but to add an element of practical application I shuffled again and asked, "How??" The Emperor jumped out:

 Rise above obstacles  

• Be authoritative,
• Look at the bigger picture
• Do not get caught up in the minutia,
• Be my own sovereign
• Embrace a sense of power
• Exude grace under pressure 
• Commit to fostering strong self-worth 
• Be brave damnit

I hope that this Aries full moon brings you all of the positive Aries qualities needed in your life and that you are able to enjoy the beauty of the moon.

*this post brought to you by the Tarot of Pagan Cats

Endangered Sharks

I just tripped over something that Arwen reTweeted and even though I just made a post 15 min ago I had to make another one with regard to this topic. It is about a victory for 5 shark species winning protection from be being slaughtered for shark fin soup. So I grabbed my beloved Tarot of Vampyres deck to ask LaSirene, the Lwa (spirit) who embodies the ocean how she felt about this. She once appeared to me as a hammer head when I needed protection. She had me to shuffle and intentionally look for not just one but two of her significators and the three cards that followed. Her answer was quite clear both times.

As the Queen of Cups - Elementally, I notice that there are 2 water (the sea) and 1 earth (the animals that live in it)

5 of Skulls (Pentacles) - Of all decks, this one really speaks to the gravity of the situation of the 5of P. Look at how this beautiful creature lays there bleeding out after being savagely mauled!

Ace of Grails (cups) - A perfect representation of the ocean and her love for her domain and all of its creatures.

7 of Grails (cups) - Looking at the card it feels like the entire scene is under water. It is as if this is LaSirene conducting a ritual to ensure their protection, possibly even to ensure accountability for those responsible for harming her children.

 

As the Daughter of Grails -

Ace of Knives - Holy crap, if this doesn't speak volumes in reference to their fins being cut off their bodies!

6 of Scepters (wands) - the victory card!

4 of Chalices - Though a small victory was won, there is so much sorrow for the loss of her children. This shows how the sharks are discarded and left to bleed out and die a horrible death after being captured long enough dismembered and tortured.

I can only pray that efforts to protect ocean and all wildlife continues and we do not completely eliminate beings that have existed for millions of years.

 

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F&F Bontanica

Last week I had to opportunity to go F & F Botanica and I am so glad I finally made it. A botanica is a spiritual store where one can get supplies for voodoo, santeria and witch rituals. I hadn't been since before Katrina, or as we say here, "before The Storm" and I am so glad to know that it is still here. The owner Felix is such a lovely gentleman, so knowledgable and so hospitable. I went to get some supplies for a ritual to the Orisha Yemaya because she is the spirit who I called upon to found my beloved new apartment I have in The Quarter. Going to the botanica is kinda like going to the MAC store. You can spend a lot of hours and a lot of dollars quite easily because you will want everything you see. There are so many beautiful statues to the various saints and lwa (spirits in the Hatian voodoo tradition), and Orishas (spirits in the Youban tradition). There are soaps, incense, and more candles than I've ever seen anywhere.





/>So tonight I decided to ask the tarot what was the hidden treasure I found by going to F&F and I used my newly trimmed Robin Wood tarot with my rockstar reading.

Lead Singer - 7 of Cups - I am expanding my spirituality by learning about voodoo. It has been so widely misunderstood due to being vilified by the media and explained from the perspective of outsiders. It is also clearly representing the 7 Orishas
Back up #1 - The Hermit IV - I love being a witch. The aspect of it that I do not like is the lack of a sense of community. I think the option to be a solitary is great! But I have missed having others around me to interact with. The path of my spiritual journey has been what has sustained me through MANY an uphill battle and shone me the light that shines from within my spirit that it took me about 40 years to be able too see.

Back up #2 - Death  XIII - most interesting that both are hooded figures. To me a hood represents wisdom that must be protected and shared in a very responsible manner. Clearly one can see how this applies to the practice of voodoo.
Death is about massive change that segways into a new way of life, and damn if I ain't had a whole hell of a lot of that. I am so excited about the transformations that are taking place and the rebirth I have gone through as of late. Going to the botanica reminded me that my spiritual path is the most sacred aspect of my life. I have to make my own way and make no apologies to anyone for what is the natural course of things just because they may not understand or be comfortable with it.