The Wheel of the Year
A Look at the Year Ahead with The Herbcrafter's Tarot
The longest night of the year has passed, and we are left looking toward the New Year.
Each card represents the key energy coming to you during that season.
Winter Solstice | Ten of Fire : Comfrey
Piles of comfrey fill a basket on a crafting table. Leaves hang above the stove to dry. The counter is scattered with jars and beeswax. Oil drips onto the wooden surface. The bulging apothecary spills over with medicine and has little room for any more.
Peace follows overwhelm
Rest and replenish so your experiences can take root
There can be too much of a good thing
Candlemas | Madre of Earth : Creosote Bush
A woman travels deep into a canyon surrounded by scrub plants of the Sonoran Desert. A large, dancing rock towers before her, a flat mesa sturdy behind it. Before collecting medicine, she makes an offering to the land. She raises a clay bowl full of creosote flowers to the sun and sings a song of gratitude.
Be a guardian of the wild places
Share the medicine
The Madre of Earth provides for herself and her community; she creates many remedies
Spring Equinox | Seven of Water : Birch
Birch leaves cover a book of ancient tree knowledge on a rustic countertop. Fresh Ogham staves, carved from fallen twigs, are scattered about. A bottle of freshly tapped birch water sits nearby. Several glasses line the windowsill. The tall white trees can be seen through the window.
Folklore, symbolism and myth nourish intuition
Imagine the possibilities. Choose one option out of many
Beltane | Two of Air : Chicory
Chicory thrives in a meadow. The tall stems pierce the sky, and ground-nesting birds make a home in the dense brush beneath. The flower's blue petals jut out like platforms, hubs of pollinating activity. Bees and moths gather morning nectar, wasps devour aphids, and two white butterflies flitter about the wild field.
Be receptive to guidance
Old ideas can be blinders to new wisdom. Let go of worn out thinking to see an issue clearly.
Summer Solstice | Madre of Air : Motherwort
A stand of motherwort towers over other vegetation. A woman grabs a boline in one hand and grasps a large clump of stems ni the other. The prickly seeds scratch her, but she tightens her grip and begins the harvest. She vigorously cuts away at the dense forest of motherwort.
Make a bold declaration; cut something from your life today that will clear the path to truth
Embrace your sharp edges
The Madre of Air is led by a deep sense of integrity. She cuts right to the point, even if it hurts.
Lammas | Eight of Fire : Ginger
Something cooks on every burner in a busy kitchen. A saute pan is alive with flames; vegetables fly into the air from another pan; a large pot bubbles over with broth. A tray of onions, limes and ginger root is precariously perched on the edge of the stove.
Inspiration comes from all directions
Can you handle so many things at once?
Change is happening quickly. Swift action is needed or you may become overwhelmed.
Autumn Equinox | Ace of Earth : Nettle
A dense evergreen forest is brimming with life. The broken branches of giant moss-covered evergreen trees make way for the sun. A healthy stand of nettles is illuminated. The tiny poison-filled syringes on the leaves and stem glisten in the light.
The beginning of a new project can be challenging
Take the next step, even if it hurts
Find stability and prosperity in fulfilling work that takes root in the physical world
Hallowmas | The World : Pachamama
An elaborate altar lies on the grass. In the center is a handwoven basket filled with a colorful rainbow mandala made of flowers; red poppy, California poppy, dandelion, motherwort, borage, alfalfa, red clover and yarrow. Four sets of stones mark the cardinal directions.
Fulfillment and satisfaction come after great achievement
Life is in full-bloom