Card Drawing October 1, 2017

Good day, soul friends! Happy October! I absolutely love Halloween and Autumn. I hope your week has been easy, that this weekend was full of rest, and that you are ready to get back out there for the beginning of October this week.

Today's guidance comes from the Extra Ordinary Oracle by Amanda & Natty, the Ritual Abuse Tarot by Ryan Sheffield, and the Halloween Oracle by Stacey DeMarco.

Which set of card(s) do you feel drawn to today?

Left - 1, Middle - 2, or Right - 3...

Focus on the image and chose which cards you feel drawn to before scrolling down.

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Did you choose your card, yet?

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almost there!

If you selected the set of Cards 1:

Ballpoint Pen - Committing to something. There is an important piece of information so take heed. There is the ability to create. This is your time to create. So how will you make your mark? Not everything is easily wiped away, so ensure you use your own unique signature. This is your opportunity to imprint yourself into and onto.

Spider - Community and Web-Weaving - Masses of sticky spider webs make any Halloween decorating complete. The idea of a haunted house covered in the “artwork” of a big, hairy spider is classic horror. Even those of us who appreciate our eight legged friends still hurriedly brush off those stealthy webs if we run into them in the dark!

Although most spiders are not venomous, humans have an innate fear of them. Perhaps it is the fangs or the poison. Perhaps it is all those legs and the way they move. Perhaps it is where they live - often in dark, hidden places - or the way our western, popular culture has demonized them by making them giant, fierce and man eating! Some cultures though, revere the spider in very positive ways. In many Native American traditions for example, the spider is the creature that gives birth to all other animals and sustains the web of life. The Goddess Spider Grandmother (and there is also a Spider Woman) is a key deity that brings wisdom, safety and communication to all the tribes. She created and wove all the stars in the sky and makes soft webs for those that are troubled to rest upon and be supported by.

Spiders’ webs can be seen as a symbol of connection, not necessarily entrapment. There is a fine line sometimes between a family or community supporting us and controlling us. This card looks at this discernment. It also suggests you review the way you communicate with the wider community, at work or generally with others and take steps to improve this or do it slightly differently. It also indicates that there needs to be a balance between what you do for yourself and what you do for others… if we give too much to the outside, our strength diminishes and we cannot weave the supporting web for ourselves.

Ace of Cups - "The joy of blossoming." - The Ace of Cups indicates the stirrings of your inner spring of love, joy, new emotion, creativity, and optimism. You are entering a new phase of yourself and life, potentially seeing you enter into a new romantic relationship, friendship, or divinely guided aligned business partnership leading to further growth and opportunity for yourself, your vision and others.

The Ace of Cups may also represent a time of self care and self-exploration. Perhaps you have been feeling the stirring of exciting yet unfamiliar energy within you, calling for you to explore different areas of interest and aspects of yourself. This will feel exciting, adventurous and no doubt at times nerve-wracking as you step further into the soul-guided elements of You that are ready for expression.

Give yourself permission to follow your intuition and gut. Let yourself quiet the noise in your mind.

If you were drawn to the set of Cards 2:

Souvenirs - Take away something from this. All things happen for a reason, so this is an opportunity to learn or change. Indulge in the cheap thrill. There will be something to remember going forward. What do you want to look back and see sitting on your shelf?

Apple - Risk and Reward

Apples have been a symbol of Samhain for a very long time. Apples, when cut in half have a seed pattern that looks like a pentagram and so the Celts held the fruit to be sacred. Bobbing for apples, a game traditionally played at Halloween, has its origin s in the Samhain festival and is one of the oldest associated with this celebrated.

The traditional way to play is to place 3 or 13 into a barrel of water and the game is to try and bite an apple while it floats and bobs in the water. Hands must not be used and people often compete with each other, bobbing at the same time. It is believed that the Romans brought the custom to Britain and there are quite a few images recorded through art of this activity in both cultures. It was said that unmarried women who placed the apple they had bobbed under their pillow, would dream of their future husband. In Newfoundland and some parts of Ireland even today, Halloween is called Snap Apple Night.

Candy apples (apple on a stick covered in toffee), although not quite as popular now as they once were as Halloween fare, are now making a comeback as a fun and simple treat to prepare on this night.

Apples have been an iconic part of mythos from ancient times to modern - the story of the poison apple in Snow White, to the Roman Goddess Pomona's magical apple tree, to the Christians' tempting fruit in the Garden of Eden. Should you receive this "Apple", it's time to look at how risk plays out in your life. Are you hedging your bets and not trying anything new? Do you want change but are not willing to change anything? Are you wiling to risk to get a great reward? Or alternatively, are you risking too much, too often?

If you chose the set of Cards 3:

Mirror - Reflecting. What are you projecting? Be your own receiving end. What do you want to see? Take the time to consider what is you want, and what action will be required to get there. What will the ramifications be?

Winter - The Sacredness of Pausing - Death is frightening even tough (or perhaps because!) it is inescapable. However, as we move into winter, we know it signals a literal and metaphysical death. In some parts of the planet, the extreme weather means snow and ice buries all life and the ground lies fallow and still.

In winter, the earth slows down and there is less light and often more wet weather. Many plants die back, many animals are less active and traditionally, it was a leaner, more difficult time for those who worked on the land for their living. Winter often brought with it the end of a life cycle - a figurative or literal death.

Should the Winter card appear to you, it's time to let what no longer serves you die away. Where it seems natural and right to let things that have been bothering you for some time die back, tale real action to change those things. Anything that is superfluous, "extra" and burdensome - release it.

Three of Pentacles - "The Depth and Breadth of Growth, Success, and Achievement" - Many hands make light work - so goes the saying. And in many ways the Three of Pentacles embodies this idea. Progress has been made with an initial plan or goal and celebration is in the air! The vision and inspiration behind the initial idea has been concreted within the physical world and you are now being called to move into the next phase of the project, enlisting the expert assistance of others.

Trust that you have all the skills you need to navigate forward and accomplish what you have set out to do. Yet, know that collaboration is a powerful way to energize and amplify your venture and message, so call upon those you trust and reach out to others who may be able to offer you knowledge, support, and guidance.

You may feel called to brainstorm (soul-storm) and develop strategy and plans that tend to your heart's creative desires and your mind's eagerness for action and implementation. This will ensure you stay true to your originality and passion.

Enjoy the success you have achieved so far! And build upon this energy to move forward.