The Moon Card

The Moon is all about illusion, mystery, dreams, intuition, and a little bit of danger. There is a spooky element here, so I thought it would be appropriate to discuss this around Halloween!

 

When The Moon falls in a reading, pay attention to what you might be avoiding. Sometimes it's an obvious thing that you simply don't want to confront, but if you continue in that vein, what was an inconvenient issue could blossom into a very big problem. You're probably ignoring something that you need to deal with.

 

The crayfish represents the deepest subconscious. When the tide is high, we don't see what's beneath the surface of the water, so we don't give it much thought. When the tide goes out, we have a glimpse at what lurks on the ocean floor. It is not to be ignored--it's as much a part of our world and our evolution as things we see clearly every day.

 

The moon is the symbol of madness (lunacy) and femininity, of our most basic animal urges. Think about the concept of the werewolf--it's mirrored here in the dog and the wolf in the foreground (the former is domesticated, the latter is wild). The moon's light is reflected, not direct, hence all the illusion. It brings our secret side to the surface: suppressed feelings, clandestine motives. You must acknowledge these things or they'll find a way to take over.

 

Purge those deep memories. Look beyond the illusion. Pay attention to your dreams and your subconscious instincts. Once you bring what's in the darkness into the light, you can move forward in a less altered state. Use your imagination, but don't confuse fantasy with reality. This is a very psychic card and, at times, shows that you have an uncanny and very deep attraction to another person...or vice-versa. To wade through the message of The Moon, trust your instincts and be completely honest with yourself.

 

For some more clues to the meaning of The Moon card, compare the version from the Rider-Waite deck above to The Moon from the Halloween Tarot to the right. (I admit I'm partial to this particular version with the French bulldog representing domestication in opposition to the werewolf. Cute!) Note all the arrows lending to the confusing, illusory aspects of the card. The crayfish makes an unexpected appearance, and the castle in the distance signifies finding your way through the chaos to a place of stability. Comparing the same card from different decks is a great way to expand your insight. Look closer--you might find more!

Apple Lore

With autumn hitting its stride (and Samhain coming right up), there's no better time to explore the fantastic folklore surrounding the good old apple. Apple lore could fill a book, so these are just a few tidbits.

 

Apples are a big part of Samhain in many ways, including their place in the traditional "mute supper" (see my October 7th blog post on Samhain traditions and lore for details). If you happen to be looking for love this time of year, there’s a very old-school Samhain apple tradition just for you. Peel an apple in front of a mirror on October 31st, and make sure to keep the peel long. Throw the peel over your left shoulder while still looking in the mirror. When you turn to examine the peel, look closely—lore has it that you’ll see the first initial of the name of your true love in its shape.

 

When you cut an apple open, you’ll see a five-pointed star, or pentagram. Four of the points on the pentagram represent the four elements—earth, air, water, and fire—and the fifth represents Akasha, or the human spirit. The pentagram is a very powerful symbol in both ancient and modern magic (and in Christian tradition, where it symbolizes the five wounds sustained by Christ), and its appearance in the apple has given the fruit elevated status in its use in magic, spells, and potions. Apples are said to be highly protective when used in any form: consumed, rubbed on the skin, worn dehydrated in a Juju bag on the person, etc. The apple’s traditional link to good health is well-known.

 

In Judeo-Christian tradition, the apple is assumed to be the fruit of the tree of forbidden knowledge, though this fruit was probably initially a fig. When this story spread to Western Europe, the fig was replaced with their own local sacred fruit, the apple. In Norse folklore, the apple tree was the tree of immortality. The goddess Idunn was the Keeper of Apples, and she fed them to other gods and goddesses to keep them forever young. Apples were representative of wisdom and love to the Norse as well.

 

One of my favorite legends is tied to Avalon, the eternally beautiful island of the dead and land of faeries where King Arthur was taken after he was fatally wounded in the Battle of Camlann. “Avalon” comes from the Welsh word for apple, “afal” (pronounced “aval”); Avalon is also known as Avallach, the Isle of Apples. Arthur is taken there by Morgan le Fay and her two sisters to be healed and live life eternal. This is yet another example of the apple’s link to longevity, immortality, health, and rebirth.

 

Even the Evil Queen’s "gift" of a poison apple to Snow White has its roots in old beliefs: the Medieval church believed that apples could be purposefully enchanted, then given to unsuspecting victims to cause them to become demonically possessed. Then there’s bobbing for apples, also called Snap Apple in Scotland (where Halloween is also called Snap Apple Night). Tradition dictates that the first to bite into an apple while bobbing would be the first among the participants to marry. This is just another one of many forms of divination practiced around Samhain.

 

Apples are everywhere this time of year. When you bite into a fresh, crisp Granny Smith, or have an apple pie, apple cobbler, apple cider, etc., give a little extra thought to the long and remarkable history of this little wonder fruit!

The Halloween Tarot

There are so many Tarot decks out there that I can't even keep track anymore, and that's a pretty cool thing. No matter what you're interested in--cats, dragons, Arthurian legend, photo collage, specific artists (Hieronymus Bosch, Salvador Dali, etc.), Celtic traditions, vampires, crystals, and on and on--there's a deck in that theme. I happen to be nuts about Halloween, and when I first saw the Halloween Tarot by Kipling West (U.S. Games Systems, 2003; this link is for the deck and book set) a few years ago in a metaphysical book shop, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It wasn't until I finally purchased it just a few months ago, however, that I really fell in love with its numerous charms. I initially thought that this might be kind of a fluffy deck; the colors are bright, striking, and whimsical, and the images are not "dark." Even traditionally unnerving cards like The Tower, Death, and The Devil have a lighthearted bent in the Halloween Tarot. A curious black cat appears in every single card of both the Major and Minor Arcana, and we follow its journey like we would follow The Fool through his. When I finally did a reading with the Halloween Tarot, any illusions I had about it being fluffy were dispelled. These cards were crisp and clear in their message, and, most importantly, I had a lot of fun reading them. I re-discovered Halloween! Traditional Tarot suits are Wands (fire), Cups (water), Swords (air), and Pentacles (earth). The Halloween Tarot makes excellent use of these elemental correlations and gives us Imps (in place of Wands/fire), Ghosts (Cups/water), Bats (Swords/air), and Pumpkins (Pentacles/earth). Court Cards follow the typical Rider-Waite structure of Pages, Knights, Queens, and Kings. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I'm including several images from the deck below (some of the Major Arcana; a Court Card from each suit, and a Minor Arcana card from each suit) along with brief comments: I love this Death card. The growth/change/rebirth theme is wonderful here. In Temperance, the artist and alchemist themes are apparent as the witch happily mixes her concoctions. There's a lot going on in these cards. Frankenstein is the steadfast Emperor! The Bride of Frankenstein as The Empress is a fantastic symbol of the creation of new life, and she expresses her nurturing side with her cat. The solitary Hermit is shown as a mad scientist, keeping to himself and spending his time gleaning knowledge. In The Tower card, the traditionally terrifying image is made more whimsical in the spirit of Halloween. Strength makes clear the impact of finesse over brute strength. The image on the right is the fully reversible backside of all the cards. I prefer my card backs to be reversible so that I don't know in advance if the card will fall right side up or reversed. Examples of the suits of Imps and Bats. Happiness and celebration are clear in the Four of Imps, and the woman in the Eight of Bats is wrapped up in toilet paper by mischief-making bats as if in the midst of a Halloween prank. She can easily escape, but chooses not to. Examples of the suits of Pumpkins and Ghosts. The woman in the Nine of Pumpkins is content and successful as she tends her garden. The three Ghosts celebrate, intertwined, over a starlit pumpkin patch. One each of the four Pages and Knights. One each of the four Queens and Kings. If you get a chance to read with this deck, definitely give it a go. As I said, I was surprised at and so pleased with the results (shame on my preconceived notions!). When I was a kid, Halloween was fun and spooky, and a time I looked forward to all year; as a grown-up, I find that I'm reminded of those feelings when I pull out this deck. I consider it a gift.

Some Samhain and Halloween Traditions and Lore

With October 31st looming, I thought I'd share a few random tidbits on its traditions. I'll use Halloween and Samhain interchangeably here; for details on where these names come from, have a look at my October 3rd blog post covering the history of Samhain/Halloween. Now go ahead and impress your friends with some lore:

• It's been said that the traditional orange and black associated with Halloween come from the colors of bonfire flames against the black sky.

• Some herbs associated with Samhain: mugwort, as a divination aid (used in incense, a sachet, or a bundle during Tarot reading, scrying, pendulum work, seances, tea leaf reading, crystal balls, and so on); mullein seeds, for abundance; rosemary, to honor the dead (very strongly linked to Halloween).

• This is a popular time of year for petition magic. Do it right on Halloween if you can. Write what you desire on a small piece of paper. Light a candle, preferably black, though orange, white, silver or gold work well this time of year, too. Concentrate on what you want or need, and burn the paper. This practice stems from the old Celtic Needfire, which is just what it sounds like: a bonfire is created during a time of need (common for Celts at the New Year), and an effigy representing that need is burned.

• Stones associated with Halloween: obsidian; clear quartz; amber; ruby; diamonds; carnelian.

• A "mute supper" is an old Samhain tradition to honor the dead. This supper is eaten in silence, by candlelight, typically on a table with a black cloth. Chairs are left empty for the deceased, or simply one chair, and a black candle is lit and placed at each vacant setting. A silent opening prayer is performed. Why all the silence? It was thought that the spirits were more likely to come in the quiet. Guests should come with a hand-written note for their ancestor(s) or other departed, which is placed under that spirit's plate prior to dining. After the meal is the silent closing prayer, and the guests leave the room quietly, returning shortly to discuss their impressions. At this point, it's tradition for each guest to participate in some form of divination, either in pairs or as a group.

• Traditional Samhain foods, often part of the mute supper, are: meat of any kind with rosemary seasoning; all sorts of nuts; anything that includes pumpkin, turnip, squash, or apples; potatoes; roasted seeds of pumpkin, turnip, and sunflower.

• Samhain saying in reference to the Wheel of the Year: "The Wheel turns, the veil thins."
• Legend goes that if you hear footsteps behind you on Halloween, don't turn around...it could be a spirit following you around!

 
 
 
 

October Announcements

I have five great announcements for October, including TWO giveaways! Check out Interactive Tarot on Facebook for future announcements that pop up here and there. 1) Gorham Art Fair I'll be at the Gorham Art Fair again this year! I had a BLAST last year and am so looking forward to it once more. It will be held at the Shaw Gymnasium in Gorham, ME (behind Baxter Memorial Library off of Ballpark Road at 75 South Street--it's a little tricky to find, but will be well-marked for the event) for two days: Friday, October 28, from 6-9 pm Saturday, October 29th, from 9 am-3 pm.  A 30-minute Basic Full Reading will be only $20--half-price! This is an ideal time to get a Tarot reading. As I noted my previous post about Samhain, the veil between the worlds is very thin this time of year, particularly around the 31st; divinatory powers are typically at their peak, and messages tend to be even clearer than usual. For more information about the event, check out the Gorham Art Fair Facebook page or the Gorham Art Fair site, or send questions to gorhamartfair@gmail.com. Come see tons of wonderful artists, have some great food, and hear some fantastic music! 2) Enlightenment Expo  I'm so excited to announce that I'll be participating in the Enlightenment Expo this year, hosted by the wonderful Dede Eaton of The Magick Closet!      Sunday, October 9th, from 10-5      Fireside Inn & Suites, 81 Riverside Street, Portland, ME Admission is $5 for access to TONS of amazing metaphysical practitioners, vendors, jewelry, guest speakers, and music! I'll be doing 20 minute readings for only $20. I would REALLY love to see some friendly faces! 3) Photo Giveaway Though I've been reading cards for 20 years, I "officially" started Interactive Tarot as it is now about a year ago. In celebration of over 100 fans on the Interactive Tarot Facebook page since then, almost 100 newsletter subscribers, over 1,000 Interactive Tarot Blog hits (since I put the counter up about four months ago), and several daily website visitors, I'm having a BIG giveaway! My dad is a lifelong photographer, and the prize is a photo he took of Portland Harbor (Portland, ME), shown below. While this isn't immediately Tarot-related, this represents where I live, and it's part of what has shaped my perspective and the way I read the cards. You can enter by clicking "Like" on the Facebook page giveaway posts dated October 1st and 3rd, or you can send me an e-mail at jennifer@interactivetarot.net with "Photo Giveaway" in the subject line. It's that simple. I'm proud of my dad and I love his photographs. This one is signed and in a hand-cut double-mat! Photo is 8"x10"; outside dimensions are 11"x14". Winner will be drawn on October 19th. 4) Evil Eye Bead Giveaway This is a newsletter-only giveaway! Just reply to the newsletter e-mail with "Evil Eye Bead Giveaway" in the subject line, and you're entered. To subscribe to the newsletter, click here, and you'll get the current issue within 24 hours. Once-monthly issues will follow, and you can unsubscribe at any time. Below is a photo of all the bead colors: green, yellow, blue, clear, red, and purple. If you win (and THREE of you will), you choose the color! They're lampworked glass with a sterling silver core. Great to wear on a leather cord, chain, or Pandora-style bracelet. The Evil Eye is an ancient symbol that, when used as a talisman, fends off negative or malevolent vibes. Who couldn't use a little extra help in that department? I'll draw three names at random on October 12th, the night of the next full moon. 5) Regular Monthly Engagement Thanks to my amazing and very dear friend Maria Castellano-Usery, I have a regular monthly gig that I'm THRILLED about! An incredibly talented artist, Maria participates in the First Friday Art Walk in Portland, Maine, and has so graciously offered me space to do readings for this event each month. It's the first Friday of every month (which you've probably gathered) at 647-A Congress Street from 5-8 p.m. The best part: a full half-hour reading of about 10 cards is only $20; as I mentioned above, that's half-price! Even if you don't feel it's time for a reading, please do stop by to say hello if you're in the area and soak up Maria's beautiful, happy, inspiring art. You can also check out her website in the meantime: www.brushstrokesbymaria.com. The atmosphere is fun and lively, and Maria always provides great food and drinks (her homemade guacamole alone is worth the trip!). Walk-ins are welcome, but if you'd like to guarantee a spot, just send a request to me at jennifer@interactivetarot.net or, better yet, via the Interactive Tarot Facebook page. If you're not yet a fan of the Facebook page yet, by the way, stop by!

An Abridged History of Samhain, aka Halloween

Who doesn’t feel the spooky vibe on and around Halloween? There’s plenty of history to give us all good reason for the goosebumps, that’s for sure. While the roots of Halloween (aka Samhain, pronounced SOW-in) and its traditions aren’t crystal clear, there are certainly prevailing notions with historical pedigree. Halloween and Samhain are essentially the same thing, though the term Samhain came before what we know more popularly as Halloween. Before we get to that fine distinction, first things first: let's go back about 2,000 years to the Celtic Pagans who started the whole thing.

 

The Celts lived and breathed the rhythm of the seasons and the land, which is hard for us to even conceptualize in our age of automation and an easily accessed, year-round food supply. The time of the harvest was critical to the Celts, and the harvest at Samhain was the final harvest of the year for them. This day also marks the Celtic or Pagan New Year and the start of winter, and as such, it is a time for endings and beginnings. Whatever harvest remained was left to rot, falling back to the earth where it would feed the soil and ultimately be reborn as a new harvest over the coming months. Because this symbolism was so crucial and all-encompassing for the Celts, whose very lives were tied to the weather and the turning of the year, this became the time when they would honor their dead. They determined that Samhain marked the time when the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead was at its thinnest. Even today, this transitional time of year is prime for ghosts and spirits, both angry and kind, to communicate with and walk among us.

“Samhain” means “end of summer.” The Celts would have harvest festivals on Samhain that, in part, celebrated the kindness that their sun god, Baal, showed them prior to the reaping. The Druids (Celtic priests) were a proactive bunch, so instead of simply waiting for the dead to stop on by, they would dress as scarily as possible—antlers and animal hides and the like--to ward off any evil spirits preemptively. (Sound familiar? Halloween costumes!) The Celts would also use bonfires to banish ghosts, and made offerings of plants and animals, which were added to these bonfires. When the fires burned themselves out, they Druids would interpret the charred remains (like reading tea leaves) to gain insight into the circumstances of the coming year. This perpetuated the strong ties between Samhain and  divination.

 

Just as the bonfires would scare off any looming ghoulies, so, too, would the head-shaped lanterns the Druids used for that very purpose. This was likely the forbearer of the jack-o’-lantern, though in Great Britain it probably originated as some other vegetable, like the turnip, since pumpkins weren’t local and didn’t catch on until Samhain reached America. Samhain certainly wasn’t all about banishing ghosts, however; welcoming and celebrating the spirits of the dead was just as important, if not more so. The Celts would leave out goodies for the well-loved spirits of dearly departed—think cookies for Santa at Christmas. This is likely how trick-or-treating originated: if the living relative didn't leave out any food, the jilted spirit might not take too kindly to that and wreak a little havoc.  

The Romans had similar festivals around the same time in honor of Pomona, their goddess of fruitful abundance (including the very seasonal apple orchards). It wasn’t until Christianity really picked up speed around 400 C.E. that the Celts and Romans felt pressure to put a lid on their festivals honoring the harvest and the dead. Christians were threatened by the stronghold of Pagan beliefs, particularly with regard to Samhain, so they moved All Hallows’ Day (now commonly called All Saints’ Day, a day of reflection and prayer for saints that both did and did not already have their own calendar event) from May to November 1st. November 2nd became All Souls' Day, a Christian day to honor the dead in their own traditions. October 31st, then, became All Hallows’ Eve, which morphed over time into Hallowe’en. Ditch the apostrophe, and here we land in 2011.

Halloween came to the States shortly after we were liberated from England in the late 18th century. Obviously it struck a chord: we’re still dressing up, lighting bonfires, carving jack-o’-lanterns, trick-or-treating, practicing various forms of divination, and scaring ourselves with ghost stories and other tales of the dead.