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Sunday 19 March 2017

Deck Creation - Walking with Morrigan (For Jess Johnson)

This is the third personalised oracle deck I have created but a first for someone I did not know personally; this meant that besides a few initial questions to determine the tone of the deck and the recipient’s personal interests and affinities which I wanted to subtly showcase, I was flying blind and creating based on instinct and intuition. As she is a follower/daughter of Morrigan, I had a level of insight already as a previous deck I made had a Morrigan focus – that can be seen here.

I have found that an idea for the back of the cards usually comes first… when I can visualise the back or close to it, then the story within the deck has begun. I knew it should be set in the woods as Jess is very connected to earth and the deck was going to be very earth based; I knew the image should be reasonably dark because I felt a walk through the woods with Morrigan would be in a shadowy setting; a path felt appropriate but I did not know why… the title ‘Walking with Morrigan’ had not quite come to the fore yet. Though the light at the top of the image I chose shows it to be daytime, in meditation I projected myself into those woods to walk as Jess beside Morrigan and though light was seeping through from the outside world, the shadows surrounding seemed to emanate from the formidable mother Goddess next to me. This felt incredibly comforting and unafraid I explored the surroundings to glean insight for the deck; this was something Morrigan allowed me to indulge in… we did not speak but my intent in being there was to gain insight for the purpose of creating a deck which both respected and honoured both Her and follower/daughter, I felt her permission was granted because of this intent.
The last thing I will mention about the back of the cards is the aesthetic, the colour and the philosophical and metaphorical choices that went into its selection. This picture was originally forest colours – a mixture of greens and browns but that didn’t feel right… with the help of my projecting meditation and photoshop, I managed to get the image to depict the possibility of being both sunrise and sunset at the same time; much like Morrigan being perceived in several different aspects at once. Giving the scene a blue light felt like a perfect choice for the deck of Morrigan and Jess – not only is it one of Jess’s favourite colours but when applied to Morrigan it mirrors many of Her aspects which can seem to be overlooked when she is described only as a War and Death Goddess. I am by no means an expert on the myth and lore surrounding this formidable Goddess but no-one, and certainly not a deity, is just one thing. While Morrigan is considered by many to be the fiery, vengeful and impassioned (and I do see, respect and understand that side of Her), my experiences and research of Her also found control and stability in Her character; stoic and masterful she has a certain type of magnificent freedom which affords such amazing calm… not emotionless but the idea that she feels things so strongly, that she has mastered those feelings and is not at their mercy. To me, this is most capably displayed with shades of blue – the colour of water, element of emotions; it brings to my mind the peace that is felt when one truly knows themselves.

I had not planned to write quite so much about the back but as I am only showcasing the deck and including very little exposition, I thought this would describe a little of my process. The other thing I did want to mention is the title of the deck. I toyed with several ideas, including whether to include Morrigan’s name at all but it felt right that I should and I felt She wanted to be included in the title also. ‘Walking with Morrigan’ came to me very early on in the creation process but I dismissed it initially as too simplistic; I only felt it to be the right title after a walk of my own. I had taken a walk in the woods for Yule/Winter Solstice and felt instantly drawn to notice several things… the hardness of the ground, the light mist that infused the air and a very large crow cawing in a nearby oak. Now, I always pay attention to anything going on in an oak tree because oak is my Celtic tree and I feel (and have been proved right) that if I am to given messages from trees, it will come from an oak. I walked for maybe 20 feet and looked back at that crow, only to discover that he had followed me…. pleased, I walked on.

After about 10 minutes, my black-feathered stalker was still with me and so I took more notice… I knew from friendships with followers of Morrigan and personal research that crows and certainly a persistent crow could indicate that a certain Celtic deity was making herself known. This came to mind at that moment, so I sat on the ground, thanked the crow for his message (off he flew) and as the only Morrigan work I was doing at that time was this deck, I closed my eyes and focused on it; I concentrated on my surroundings, on the unknown title and the image which was already selected for the back and in seconds I saw the name ‘Walking with Morrigan’ on the image as you see it here.

Oracle Showcase
I have used several well-known witchy cycles within this deck but I am starting with the cycle of life… maiden, mother, crone. I chose wolves to depict this because wolf is both sacred to Morrigan and a favourite of the deck’s owner…

The Sabbats were a natural choice for this deck… it felt important to honour the Wheel of the Year and in our first few conversations about themes and tone, I picked up an affinity to flowers and so the high days of witchcraft are portrayed florally – eight cards, each highlighting one of our sacred celebrations…

The elements are the fundamental foundation of the magickal world and so I knew they had to be included in the deck but one’s relationship with the forces of nature is not always peaceful or straightforward and so these cards are a reminder of what the natural world can manifest within us…

Another trilogy, that of Anu, Macha and Badb; I checked with Jess that she subscribed to these aspects of Morrigan before proceeding with the image and card name decisions. The Goddess names are not included in the cards because multiple interpretations felt more important given that so many mythologies surround these Goddesses individually as well as the Triple aspects of Morrigan…

It wasn’t surprising to me when Jess said how much she connected with the moon phases… we all have a special affinity to the moon. These cards are very broad in their naming because I know that every time a witch looks at the moon, regardless of its phase, something different is felt and a new appreciation for magick is born…

Magick is an art best served with the aid of the animal kingdom… whether a pet, familiar, spirit guide or totem, animals touch our lives and craft in many ways… I asked Jess during our first conversations what animals were especially important to her; we covered wolves for maiden, mother and crone but her other answers are employed in these cards with special responsibilities or messages…

Seasonal changes create so much excitement… the first leaf fluttering from a tree telling you that autumn/fall is coming; with this in mind I created seasonal-feeling cards which span the cross-quarter sabbats and encompass the magick in each of the earth’s life phases…

Now, many of the other cards I’ve mentioned have touched on aspects of Morrigan or something that is sacred to her or associated with her but these cards are hers… they describe her and honour her. These cards are here so Morrigan is present within the deck…

When I decided to make cards for individuals I knew it wasn’t going to be all witchy or all deity, that may be a part of it because deities and the craft are part of that person but the cards would be about who they are and how they feel and what resonates with them on a spiritual and physical level. I think that’s why, on these cards only, I’m going to break them down individually…
Starting with ‘Shadows of Nature’ – everyone can see the beauty of a spring flower when morning rays hit the dew of its petals at first light; so much of nature’s beauty is painted, photographed, described when it is flooded with brightness and its glory is obvious but this person recognises that the shadows that play across petals are just as stunning, that shade holds just as much beauty and magick. Also, I chose hyacinths for this card for two reasons; firstly because Jess loves them and secondly because they are a symbol of peace of mind which can also be found in the shadows of nature.

More peace with the ‘Peaceful Vibrations’ of Selenite… finding the right image for this card was a chore; there are many images on selenite on the internet but nothing spoke to me. It took about a week of looking on google and yahoo to find this image and then another few days of playing around on photoshop to get it how I envisioned it. The thing is, Selenite is a crystal which I connect to and Jess had requested it too… it is a crystal of transformation, aiding it’s user in bringing light from higher realms into the body. I called this card peaceful vibrations because receiving that light is subtle and I chose a leafy-earthy setting because selenite is very much a conduit between spiritual realms and physical ones.

Another crystal was requested by Jess – Labradorite. This crystal is fascinating, I knew the name of the card before I found the image and when I researched labradorite it made so much sense… lore relating to the Inuit peoples claims that this stone with shifting colours on its surface fell from the frozen fire of the aurora borealis. I called this card Shift of Shape and Light before knowing this lore; it is a stone of awareness and a stone of unlocking self-potential. Before creating this deck and specifically this card, I had never worked with labradorite, now I have several pieces and use them regularly.

I’ll admit this card was made as a bit of fun but it is a genuine card in the deck… Jess mentioned she loves Doctor Who and being a dedicated Whovian myself, I knew how easily I could incorporate a quote into a spiritual deck… “All of Time and Space, Everything that ever happened or ever will… Where do you want to start?” This is relating to everything is magick, the astral world, the physical world, ancestors, descendants, the universe; magick can accomplish so much and this card is just a reminder of the power that we wield.

Well, here we are at the last few cards; we’ve covered the cycles, the amazing and formidable Morrigan, the interests of the recipient so now to the lady herself… a witch has the ability to raise her power, to invoke, to evoke and she holds the key to everything. These are the cards that encompass that power and then there is the most unique and identifying self-card; this is a photograph of the recipient which has been manipulated with photoshop to bring out her inner goddess – highlighting within her own face reflections of her matron/mother Goddess, Morrigan and illuminating her own balance.

Additional Information

As not all of the cards specifically state the time of year or aspect they are representing, Jess requested a guide to assist her in personal readings which I happily provided at no extra charge…