Mother’s Wisdom
Here we are with my fourth personalised oracle deck as
I present to you ‘Mother’s Wisdom’; these cards have been created for the wonderful,
unique and incandescent Jennifer Hodgson. I am still fascinated by how my
consciousness forms the words to use and why I choose certain images for these
cards, I get perplexed by how themes emerge and how concepts for combining all
that reach fruition and become a deck of cards by which someone can use them as
a mirror to reflect something can’t see.
Seasonal
Wisdom
This deck starts with a love of cemeteries; I tied that
love into seasons because it was so easy to imagine walking through a cemetery
at any time of year. I imagined blossom floating in the breeze and landing on the
headstone of a woman called Annabelle Foster who died 1896; I thought about
sitting at my grandparents graves in the heat of summer and planting roses
around the crosses with tiny gold plaques that mark who they were; now, autumn…
autumn is a graveyard… isn’t that the most delicious expression of devotion to
something ethereal? I appreciate this card so much and it’s wording, despite
being one of my favourite lyrics from an Adele song, felt so natural; the
winter card played into a few themes and the decision to centre it on illusion
came from the other side of walking through a cemetery… the feeling when you
imagine bones beneath your feet and see the leafless trees and it appears so
consumed by death… but the thing is, it’s not. The beauty of a spiritual belief
system like witchcraft is having the knowledge that bones under foot are
remnants of lives lived and bare trees are resting before that big power surge
for next spring. These cards, as much as they are designed and created for Jen,
they reminded me that everything has seasons and that no matter what gets lost
or what gets found, no matter where we find light or shadow through life, the
seasons will always change, the people we love are always with us and that
death truly is an illusion.
Elemental
Wisdom
Elements seemed like a natural choice as I moved away
from seasons and with Jen’s love of castles being possibly equal to her love of
cemeteries, that is what I focused on for these cards. The elements are the
foundation of magick, they are what we trust in to empower and carry our
spells, to protect our circles and to give a spiritual structure to the divide
that exists between the physical and astral plains. Fire probably isn’t where I
would usually start but for some reason, it’s what came first; I thought about
what fire represents… passion is what stood out and it certainly applies to
Jen; I can imagine spontaneous flames erupting when she expresses emotions…
anger, lust, fear, excitement; even without knowing Jen amazingly well, I can
sense that about her. It’s a strange knowledge to have, sensing the passion of
another person which it what led me to the earth card and the realisation that
earth carries all mortal burden. I thought about hardships and burdens, I
thought about how many people were living their lives in between where I sat,
so excited about creating these cards for Jen and where she sat, excited about
seeing them; I thought about all of those lives, how many tears were being
shed, how many arguments were happening, how many people were disliking
themselves or blaming themselves for something that wasn’t their fault and then
I thought about how all of those people are being supported by the earth; maybe
just physically for most people but for witches… it grounds us and it
facilitates spells, it’s strength and fortification gives us stability. This
writing is getting longer than I planned but here we go with my thoughts on the
Air card… I took some time with this and considered all the things that make
this element magickal because this is my element and every thought, feeling and
emotion that we all have is air based, every scent and every sound, everything
that triggers memory and imagination… those things are found in this element
and are represented by it. The infinity of imagination is definitely what I thought
when I saw the image of castles in the sky but it’s everything else that completes
the thought that freedom of the mind. And, as for water, it was all about
reflection and depth for me… I knew that right away: self-reflection, depth of
emotion and how finding time to be still and find your centre is a catalyst to
amazing insight. I’ve been a practicing witch for twenty years and nothing has
ever made me reflect more deeply than this element and so the naming of this
card was an easy process.
Wisdom of the
Moon
Our Lady Luna has appeared and her phases are reflected
in these cards as beacons of inspiration, devotion and energy. Many of us
consider the moon a compass for our magick and so I went with that thought in
creating these cards… I considered the moon’s journey in naming the cards and
how it is imagined when choosing the images; I thought of how it illuminates
our skies and lifts our hearts to create the Divine Emerge of Light as we see
it reappear from its rest in the dark, when it’s new and it waxes for the
renewal of cycles or starting new ones. I thought of how much energy goes into
the full moon; how it’s beauty resonates within the minds of everyone, not just
the witches and the power it inspires within us to be brave and to trust our
hears; for we are the Sovereign of our own destiny when we experience the awe
and splendour of seeing the ripe energy of her majesty. No sight is more
humbling than the waning crescent and as the moon reaches her cronehood, we
embrace her as a symbol of endings or fruition. I chose the more positive
imagery of immortality because no ending is truly an ending… it is the
beginning of something else and so as the crescent arcs to the left, we see the
road to eternity open to us, in one form or another. I think the dark moon is
my favourite time of the lunar cycle, the darkness is only obscuring her light
and yet she appears completely absent; Imitation of Absence is such a powerful
card because it is a reminder that not everything is as it seems and just
because something is not seen, that does not mean it does not exist; something
that we, as witches, are all too well aware of.
Aspected
Wisdom
It seems immortality is a common theme within this deck
and though that was unintentional, I think it is apt to bring it up with this
set. As a Triple Goddess, Morrigan embodies the cycle of life, death and
rebirth and so it felt more than natural to incorporate those aspects of her
power into the deck and butterflies seemed like the ideal choice to depict
these powerhouse archetypes; though not associated with Morrigan, they are the
face of transitional phasing in the animal/insect kingdom and I chose them also
because Jen has mentioned them to me in notes on her life when we were
discussing the deck. Individually the cards are: Impressions of Immortality
(for Maiden) – that feeling in your youth that you will live forever and in
Morrigan’s case, she does; Ever Watchful, Ever Mindful (for Mother) – I personally
struggle to pick out Mother-type traits for Morrigan but in conversations I
have had with her daughters I consider this card to be encompassing of her
Mother aspect; Unsurpassed Understanding (for Crone) – there is something to be
said for the wisdom age, for humans and for deities, it felt necessary with
this card to highlight that and show that when the colour and ‘zing’ of youth
fades, you are left with understanding of more than you could have imagined in
your youth. Finally, to the Triple Goddess card itself and the empowering
words: No Power Greater than a Woman; I struggled with the name of this card
and wondered if it seemed sexist but those who follow Morrigan and witchcraft
in general, though accepting and understanding the importance, influence and
power of men and masculinity for balance and fertility, have a predisposition
to preferring a female at the highest power. I do not wish this as a sexist
comment on witchcraft or the community and I am not against men or masculinity
in anyway but for me, witchcraft takes the lead in matriarchal religions.
Wisdom of the
Wheel
Oh, sweet wheel of the year… always turning, always
changing, ever the source of comfort, wisdom and balance. These cards were a
challenge to harmonise and yet I felt each one vibrate with contentment when
they were finished, a reaction which I partook of too. They do tell somewhat of
a story but the individuality of each card makes each sabbat stand proud
without its neighbours. Believing was the perfect accent to Imbolc because at
Imbolc we are starting to see the light and it feels like the start of seeing
what has been missing. The initial choice for Ostara was ‘mirth’ but ‘happiness’
seemed much more synonymous with Spring. Power made sense for Beltane because
the power of the earth and the sun and the Goddess is rising. Balance for Litha
was the personal choice of Jen and I could synchronise with that thought as
Litha is the midway point between Ostara and Mabon and the image for it is one
my favourites… makes me think of drinking iced mint tea on midsummer night’s
eve with candles all around.
Strength was a natural choice for Lammas because though
days are getting shorter, August is one of the hottest months and we feel the
strength of the sun’ the harvest is also strengthening and ripening. Mabon, oh
Mabon… my favourite of all the Sabbats; I personally refer to it as ‘the dying
of the light’ but light at Mabon is fighting a losing battle to the shadows and
that is why I considered it a courageous element. At Samhain we change feeling
completely, the darkness thickens and the veil thins; is it any wonder this is
where the deepest connections to self, to spirit, to the earth are at their
most potent. And Yule, time to sit by the fire or walk through the frosty woods
and enjoy the quiet and the calm of hibernation, seemingly barren branches and
hardened ground.
Chakra Wisdom
It’s interesting to contemplate all the chakras at once
and I won’t lie, it was an issue because I knew exactly what to do for the root
chakra, it was an instead concept that hit me like a ton of brick (or a ton of
drums in this case). Though outside of the notes Jen gave me, I decided the
whole chakra set should be instrument based and I almost pulled it off… Sacral
went slightly awry on that concept but the colour blended so well and chakras
are a part of Buddhist traditions and with the Buddhist views on all life being
sacred and mortality being something to be revered and pleasurable, to me that
speaks highly to the pleasure of mortality being a focus of the sacral chakra.
The Solar Plexus card was another that came to me almost instantly and the harp
seemed like an amazingly fitting choice; the harp resonates with my solar
plexus with such synchronicity that nothing else would have fit into this card.
When it looked how it does now, I showed Jen to see if she agreed with me and
thankfully she did. I began with this image for the heart card but decided it
wasn’t right and so went through several versions before returning back to the
beginning and something about the idea of heart strings was what pulled it back
into the centre spot of the chakras.
This beautiful flute was one of the incarnations of the
heart card but it fell into place as the throat chakra and emerged to look
rather magickal and delicate although with a wonderful message of being heard.
For the third eye, I moved away from the instruments because it is the silence
of the astral gateway that caught my imagination and the bridge is that journey
to find it. I did return to those instruments, sort of, in the form of wind
chimes…divinely tinkling and vibrating in the unseen element of air, how else could I have so beautifully depicted
the portal to the gods. So, there we have the seven main chakras but I included
the aura here too because it is also of energy and in the same vein of
perception as chakras and I returned to the instruments to express it with
cymbals – bright with energy and resonant with the vibration of its
surroundings, I feel my aura crackle with the sound of the cymbals.
Mother’s Wisdom
There is no part of this deck that is more expressive
or inspired than these eight cards which I have named ‘Gifts of Morrigan’. I
felt called to these cards and have even added them to my Book of Shadows. I questioned,
astrally and during a personal reading, what gifts were imparted by Morrigan to
her daughters and these are the answers that blessed my consciousness. Eye of
the Corvid is in high contention for my favourite card of the deck, indicating
the gift of Prophecy and shimmering with insight and wisdom. The Magick Within
is the galloping force of Enchantment, Sorcery and Magick which emanate from
the Celtic powerhouse with gusto. Change is Inevitable beautifully addresses
the subtle song of transformation as Morrigan bestows her ability to shape
shift. Won Before it’s Fought is a contraction of what the card is actually
called… ‘The Battle is Won Before it’s Fought’; as a war Goddess, Morrigan is
most definitely blessed with the gift of strategy. The Veil Descendeth; I don’t
even think ‘descendeth’ is a word but as a Goddess of Death, Morrigan is
entitled to a new word and the descending veil is the gift of death. I knew
Sovereignty would make an appearance somewhere within the deck but I didn’t
realise it would be this powerful – wolf for the Alpha-mentality and majesty
for a royal vibration but with a Latin-style twist. Staple of my Morrigan decks
has become a card named ‘Of Blood and Bone’; this particular card is the other
in high contention for my favourite card of the deck; raven skull fading into
or emerging from a bloody background seemed incredibly poignant and desperately
fitting. Finally, to Gilding the Soul… this card required an act of meditation
and a little thinking outside the box to reach fruition but I was gifted with
this dark and shining flower during meditation as I was given the spirituality
of this Queen.
Reiki Wisdom
Almost before I started this deck, the idea for these
cards was apparent; I am not a Reiki practitioner but I have studied its philosophies
and energies and I knew they would give a very calming and sturdy presence to
the oracle as a whole. The Cho-Ku-Rei is the Power symbol; it emits power like
the atom bomb of the astral plane and so to concentrate that power is a
blessing worthy of my dear friend Jen and that is why it is in this deck. The
Sei-He-Ki symbol is the union of divinity and mortality; the connection, the
common ground, the mirroring between the two and so to have this card here in
the deck charges it with divinity. I do hope I spell this next symbol correctly
– Hon-Sha-Ze-Sho-Nen; damn, I’m good – lol! This symbol is an incredible tool
for those who send healing, though I am not attuned, I add it to my healing
spells for a major energy charge because this is the distance healing symbol
and it doesn’t just heal over the distance of space but also time. The
Dai-Ko-Myo is the symbol of understanding; it translates to ‘Great Enlightenment’
or ‘Bright Shining Light’ and so what better card to use for the lovely Jen… a
lady whose soul is Pure Transcendence.
Wisdom of
Goodbye
It was a strange feeling to conclude this deck; I had
enjoyed creating so much that I almost felt lost when I reached this last card.
That’s why it felt necessary to mark that this was the last card in some way.
Jen had mentioned she loved owls and I had failed to capture them in another
part of the deck so this was my chance… ‘Time to Fly’ felt appropriate as a
last card with a second meaning of spreading the wings to take off toward
something rather than away from something. A very special card which I hope has
touched Jen’s heart like it has mine.
Jen has made a video for her youTube channel when she
opened the cards and had a look for the first time at the finished product. See
her video at the following link:
Mother’s Wisdom
Whilst all
animals sacred to Morrigan and foxes are also sacred to Joey… I feel she
connects most profoundly to wolves and as I scouted around Google for images I
knew what I was looking for… the wolf had to be a silhouette because this is an
astral wolf and to the everyday world, the astral is in shadow and I felt the
need to mirror that. The second thing I knew was a must is that this
silhouetted wold must be howling; whilst most would assume that as in
popularised supernatural fictions the wolf would be howling at the moon, I
disagreed; Joey is connected to the whole cosmos and the moon just didn’t feel
enough for her wolf. This background I chose to set the wolf against was edited
in photoshop to give a slightly orangy hue because orange is a colour which
automatically brings Samhain to mind and Samhain is a thinning of veils…
bringing what lays beyond the veils closer as does a wolf call. This brought to
mind an eternal cycle of the wolf calling to the cosmos and the cosmos
answering.
The Morrigan is well known as a Triple Goddess but using cards just
stating Maiden, Mother and Crone didn’t seem to incorporate that Morrigan owns
these states of being and shifts between them to exist and experience divinity
in each aspect. For example, ‘Maidenhood’ is the sphere of youth… all the
desires that will forge ones future. Creating a card for each stage of divine
life brings forth the drives of each sphere and opens each to interpretation.
This triad is based on the names given to the most well-known
aspects of Morrigan in her Triple Goddess form as Maiden, Mother & Crone. These
aspects were given individual cards because Joey specifically relates to their
essences and each has attributes which can be applied to a given situation that
is being questioned in a reading.
These cards relate whole-heartedly to the most common image of
Morrigan – She is a Goddess of Death, She is a Warrior and She is often
associated with blood and bone. While I know that limiting Morrigan to these
stereotypes is narrow-minded, a deck devoted to Her which doesn’t include them
would seem incomplete.
It may seem obvious but all three of these cards are related to
universal/cosmic energy… Starry Night relates to Joey’s store, or at least the
inspiration behind it; Orion Dreams is an interpretation on a connection to
Orion that I’ve heard Joey talk about in some of her videos and in private
chats.
This triad has more subtle connections – there are many things in
this universe which will lead someone into the Craft and these cards are some
of the most common – the search for wisdom of the unknown and unseen; feeling
you are on a path which must be followed; recognising how when illusions are
shattered, what remains must be truth.
