I used one of my favorite tarot decks, Voyager by James Wanless. This was probably one of my earliest decks acquired. I know I have a batch from the second printing which dates it to 1986. The deck was done in partnership with a collage artist named Ken Knutson, together they created a deck that synthesizes the archetypes of tarot with astrology, numerology, I Ching, Mythology, Nature and Technology, producing a self guiding tool that speaks with the most universal language I know symbols.

Card 1 (past) STAGNATION - 8 of Cups

When you pull cards from the Cups suit (aka Hearts) you are dealing with the Emotional Body. Notice all 3 cards were CUPS! This tells me that the current ongoing situation the collective is experiencing is definitely about the healing the heart. It also speaks to the element of water and how emotions can be fluid like water. 

In Evolutionary Astrology we describe consciousness to be like water in that the form it takes is dependent on it's container.  

Card 2 (now) LOVE - Three of Cups

Love, the pink rose, is the unfoldment of your heart center, symbolized by the nautilus and blossoming flower. In love you give of yourself (the cup that pours out) and receive of another (the cup that accepts.) Love, the inner union of your projective male and receptive female (Moon) sides, encourages you to flow and flower with another. Love is the glue with which you build community with others, it is symbolized by the communion of fish (Pisces.)

Card 3 (future) FEAR - Seven of Cups

Fear is symbolized by the passing of water and the wave of nausea that accompany fright, anxiety, worry or terror. Fearful, you close up and hide (closed vases, seeking cover), become emotionally withdrawn and unexpressive. You begin to see or invent piranha, lions, insects, seas monsters, prickly cacti, lurking men, snakes and tidal waves everywhere. You grow phobic or paranoid; orchids turn into attacking monsters. 

Your fears get get buried in your subconscious (the ocean bottom) and manifest themselves as bad dreams and nightmares.  As in dealing with anger, you can convert the red adrenaline of fear into energy, alertness and action. The large incense burner symbolizes your gathering of courage to smoke out your fears. 

I have to say I can definitely relate to the last card. Given our current situation, here in CA the entire state, all 40 million of us are in 'shelter in place' mode. About a week ago around 1:00 am I woke up to the sound of my voice shrieking! I could hear a very shaken husband asking me over and over "what's wrong? you OK?" it took me a several seconds to realize that it was me who was screaming. I tried so hard to recall what was I dreaming about but I got NOTHING. This is odd because I have some pretty good recall skills, just ask my family when I give them the 'daily dream report.'  I had one really hazy image of 3 large circles at the foot of my bed but that's it. I tried the next day to recall but nada, I started to wonder if this was subconscious stuff in process of becoming conscious.   

Collectively doesn't this pandemic feel like a process of global healing? Like a phoenix once burned to the ground only to return refreshed, renewed, in all its glory? I don't see the future card 'predicting' more fear, I see fear as the dominating emotion if we don't take Card 2 to heart and learn to soften and open to the ONE thing that can save us all. 

L-O-V-E.

I asked for one more card for some clarity and received this one.

5 - HIEROPHANT

The Hierophant symbolizes the law of life mastery. You are like a child learning through the test of life, and growing through experience into Buddhahood - full enlightenment. The Buddha's bare feet on the ground symbolize the path to enlightenment is through the lessons on this earthly plane. Like the flower which grows out of the compost, it is out of the garbage of life - the storms, rifts, and valleys - that you flower. Converting adversity into opportunity requires meditative awareness of the Buddha - honest observations of your reality with Priestess-like equanimity. 

Like the Buddha, you are a sage who has already mastered many tests. You are a guiding hand, a teacher of others. Like the elephant, you can clear the pathway for others. You are an enlightener like Venus, the morning or evening star. Listen to your inner voice of experience, which is symbolized by the Buddha's ears. 

Do you spy Machu Picchu on the card? I had the opportunity to study astrology there in 2018. The shamanic path is one we can all join.

Please join in the conversation, feel free to comment below or start your own thread by posting an article or making a quick post (like a FB update.) I've made most of the topics open to everyone to author an article. 

I'd love to hear what you are doing to help guide yourself through this days of uncharted territory. 

You can find the Voyager deck on Amazon, it's such a beautiful deck and a steal at under $20 bucks. 

Have a great weekend!

March 19, 2020