Wildwood Tarot - Time of Arrow

Wildwood Tarot - Time of Arrows

I have for the past few days been sitting with the cards and book, trying to figure it out. I am learning the wheel of year. so I may have some mistakes below, I do appologize ahead. the writting below is a mix of my text and from the Wildwood book - by Mark ryan and John Mattews.

Following the Wheel of the Year -

[size=+2]Time of Arrows[/size]

[size=+2]The Ancestor[/size]

Imbolc, Freburary 1

When these cards appear it seems as though things are frozen or stagnant, but forces must be brought to bear now that will break, release, or free the situation. You must find motivation. Purification comes from lighting the fires that will bring about change. Imbolc is the time of purification and preparation. The God is bound within the frozen land, awaiting release. The Goddess bears the fire of the smith that can transform substances, and thereby free the world from winter's grasp. Imbolc tells of liberation from bondage, inertia, or stagnation. the message is that when all seems restricted and confined we must look to the inner fire of our passions. Imbolc calls upon us to remember what motivates and drives us, why do we do what we do? When we remember what originally inspired us we can return empowered to fulfill our dreams.

EARTH/AIR

Guardian and Guide
Helps whoever approaches with respect and an open heart to find their way. The voice of spirit within you will guide and reassure you as you relearn and greet new experiences. Trust you inner voice let it lead you with new eyes and a joyful heart. The Ancestor is strong, patient and wise.

[size=+1]The King Fisher[/size]

Departing Imbolc towards the Spring Equinox, February 1 - February 22
Aquarius, Feb 1 - Feb 18 and Pisces Feb 19 - Feb 22


Totem of the land, brings you the qualities of AIR enhanced by the power of EARTH
(Cross-quater festival day and the next element/season)

[size=+1]Ace of Arrows[/size]

AIR
Breath of Life
A renewal of vitality combined with knowledge of where you wish to be and how to get their.

[size=+1]Ace of Stones[/size]

EARTH
The Foundation of Life
The most potent act is to conceive of an idea and maifest it into proctical material reality. Mind, imagination, creative will, from which to plan empower and fulfilling you material dreams.



[size=+2]The Pole Star[/size]

Imbolc, Freburary 1

When these cards appear it seems as though things are frozen or stagnant, but forces must be brought to bear now that will break, release, or free the situation. You must find motivation. Purification comes from lighting the fires that will bring about change. Imbolc is the time of purification and preparation. The God is bound within the frozen land, awaiting release. The Goddess bears the fire of the smith that can transform substances, and thereby free the world from winter's grasp. Imbolc tells of liberation from bondage, inertia, or stagnation. the message is that when all seems restricted and confined we must look to the inner fire of our passions. Imbolc calls upon us to remember what motivates and drives us, why do we do what we do? When we remember what originally inspired us we can return empowered to fulfill our dreams.

EARTH/AIR

Hold your true purpose and direction in your heart this is a link to your mind.

[size=+1]The Swan[/size]

Entering the Spring Equinox, February 23 - March 16
Pisces, Feb 23 - Mar 16

Time of Stasis - Empowered stillness

[size=+1]Ace of Bows[/size]

FIRE
Spark of Life
Starts the process of creation and empowerment. This takes skill, effort, committment and persistence, but with enlightment, challenges and opportunity.

[size=+1]Ace of Vessels[/size]

WATER
Water of Life
Retains the wisdom ready to renew the inspired quest. Powers of Reason

[size=+2]The Archer[/size]

Spring Equinox, March 21 or Ostara

When these cards appear it is time to create a strong vision, and plant the seeds of the harvest you desire. Much work is ahead, but you goal can be achieved. Ostara is the time of tilling the soil and planting the seeds. The Goddess has returned from the Underworld and is rejoined with the God. This is the divine couple whose union will make the world abundant with life. Ostara/Spring Equinox relates to themes of fertility. In a spiritual sense this season is about the seed of creativity that gives birth to new visions. Ostara also promotes the prosperity of the inner light, which shines to guide our path ahead. In this way we bring growth and vitality to the experiences of our lives.

AIR

Helps you, teaches you the need to understand the process involved of willpower and the techniques required to focus our desires and aim for it, with purpose and integrity.

[size=+1]The Hawk[/size]

Departing the Spring Equinox, March 17 - April 7
Pisces, Mar 16 - Mar 20 and Aries, Mar 21 - April 7

Totem of the land, brings you the qualities of AIR enhanced by the power of AIR(Cross-quater festival day and the next element/season)


Perceptive Traveler
Messenger of Fate " Vision and Power" , The hawk helps and supports you to see through doubts and uncertainty.

[size=+1]Two of Vessels[/size]

WATER:
The initial attraction and exploration of potential. The first spark of attraction between two human beings.

[size=+1]Two of Stones[/size]

EARTH:
Two Hares boxing, ripples of energy flow out from them as if their power and force were manifesting. After drawing on their grounded energy to reach self-empowerment.


[size=+2]The Stag[/size]

Spring Equinox, March 21 or Ostara

When these cards appear it is time to create a strong vision, and plant the seeds of the harvest you desire. Much work is ahead, but you goal can be achieved. Ostara is the time of tilling the soil and planting the seeds. The Goddess has returned from the Underworld and is rejoined with the God. This is the divine couple whose union will make the world abundant with life. Ostara/Spring Equinox relates to themes of fertility. In a spiritual sense this season is about the seed of creativity that gives birth to new visions. Ostara also promotes the prosperity of the inner light, which shines to guide our path ahead. In this way we bring growth and vitality to the experiences of our lives.


AIR

Reminds us of the responsibility involved in our actions and being aware of the consequences. One reap what one sows. Balance will be maintained, Justice is both merciful and irrevocable in its final conclusions. They Keyword here is 'REPONSIBILITY' This is a time to welcome the justice that has arrived with the coming of Spring and the fire of creation.

[size=+1]The Wren[/size]

Moving from the spring Equinox towards Beltane, April 8 - April 30
Aries, April 8 - April 19 and Taurus, April 20 - April 30

Totem of the land, brings you the qualities of AIR enhanced by the power of FIRE(Cross-quater festival day and the next element/season)


Guardian (AIR) of the Winter Mysteries, King of all Birds, Oracle and Keeper of Secret Wisdom.

As a Reminder that the smallest of earth's creatures is capable of soaring to great heights and seeing beyond the horizon.

[size=+1]Two of Arrows[/size]

AIR
Justice, sits like a statue. The scales of natural justice have been skewed by fasle judgements, ignorance or arrogance. Sitting in judgement with unbalanced scales to an untrue premise. False conclusions and unjust decisions, based on disinformation, motivated by fear, greed and prejudice.


[size=+1]Two of Bows[/size]

FIRE
Fire of Decision
Related to the desire to resolve decisions are awakened. Represents not just the potential energy latent within any situation, but the need to direct and manage that energy to achieve your goals.


Please feel free to add your thoughts, idea, etc. about the Time of Arrows. Thanks

Edit: Opps I found that I did make some mistakes, so I have corrected them, my mistakes were that I didn't put the 2's in and I had the aces in wrong spots sorry. There are fixed, IMO if they are still wrong please post, thks

Time of Arrows - Wheel of the Year for Dummies

Lifeisabutterfly said:

Now that I begin this journey I find that the study of this Wheel deserves careful and painstaking attention. Not that it is incomprehensible or overly intricate, like some interminable calculus formula--but rather moved by the desire and need to truly grasp this concept in the most simple and lasting manner.
So I thought that if this is agreeable to those interested--the Iron ones and the Fluttery ones alike--we could take this step by step until it is properly assimilated--a bit like medicine
starting with the first portion in the book which talks about the Time of Arrows.
In this tarot, the Arrows is the equivalent of Air and Swords thus: new thought, clear thought, excellent wording/communication, cutting through fluff, analysis, waking up, worldliness, brain vs. emotions, cold bloodedness, efficiency and all other related concepts.

Click to expand...

Lifeisabutterfly said:

The Wheel is divided in sections like a pie chart each pointing to different periods of the year, which is not too hard to "feel" since most of us live in a temperate zone and have weathered several (many lol) seasons and years already. The 2 main turning points or major divisions in the year being that of that are sun/moon. cold/hot--Midsummer Solstice and Midwinter.

Click to expand...

Lifeisabutterfly said:

Also we find 3 layers of awareness and being deeper and then going outward. The main guardians being the Shaman, The Seer, The Wanderer and the World Tree. I suppose these represent the most key figures in the Archetypal game of life and death?

There are several layers to this Wheel, the innermost being more yin and the outer ones being more yang if you will.

In the same section we now find the Star, which works with the outer conscious layer.The Pole Star is there to encourage us to carry on-(-the February Blahs being upon us and hard to weather if one might think a bit along those lines for a moment) This so we do not loose hope that Spring is real and will come soon, no matter how many clouds and flurries remain.

Click to expand...

In Shamanism, I believe these are the three selves:

Middle Self corresponds to the (Middle World). This is your physical self, but it is much more than just your body. The middle self is your Middle World identity. It is your personality and your ego. It is all your past memories and all your potential future choices. That you must transcend the ego, not be trapped by it, and learn that you have a higher self. You are not the ego, but you need your ego to interact with people in the Middle World. The Middle World is the one with which people are most familiar. It is the realm between the two extremes, where our human world resides. It is the realm of the physical universe, the space-time continuum (contains all places and all times) A mystic who knows how to move in the Middle World can go anywhere at any time. IE: Astral Travel, past-life regression, divination, you have worked with the Middle World.

The Higher Self ( Upper World) is your divine, immortal self. Some think of it as your soul or spirit. It is not a protective spirit in the way most people conceive of a guardian angel, but your own angelic or divine essence. It is the most godlike of your selves, The higher self is beyond space and time, and can see the patterns of this life and all of your lives as a whole. This self is truly wise and loving, the part of you that is most in touch with the divine mind. Your true magickal will, your life's purpose, comes from the higher self. By coming into union with the higher self, your magickal and psychic abilities naturally and safely grow. The Upper world is the heavenly realm above our physical reality, it is the realm of awareness and enlightenment, unconditional love, and divine revelation. It is a very masculine, intellectual and impersonal realm. One comes to the upper realm for information, perspective, and detachment and impersonal bliss. (intellect)

The Lower Self ( Lower World ) is the intuitive, gut level wisdom we all hold ( body's wisdom, subconscious self) when you feel something in your body, perhaps about whom to trust or not to trust, or when you get a sudden flash of insight, that is your lower self speaking. The lower self is linked with intuition, psychic abilities, and magick. It is seen as animalistic because it relies on instinct rather than logic. In truth, it protects us from harm.

The Lower World/Underworld, si the realm below and encompasses the realm of the dead. This is the world of the ancestors and is not to be confused with the concept of hell. The energy is more feminine and emotional, embodying both the nurturing and destroying aspects of the Goddess. It can be a scary place because it acts as a mirror, reflecting whatever we bring to it. It can be a place of healing and rest and a place of challenges. Like the realm of dreams, messages must be pondered and deciphered. This is a place of challenge and testing, where shamans must unravel a riddle or prove their power to claim wisdom and energy. Shamans descend to the Underworld to receive healing energy and to find allies in the primal powers.

When we sleep, our middle self rest, but our lower self is free to do its work, the lower self brings this energy to our higher self and the higher self wants to pave the best possible path for you, so the lower self acts as a messenger. It brings back the wisdom of the higher self, we hear this wisdom as intuition, as gut feelings and in dreams and visions. The lower self does all the work, connecting the higher and middle selves. The lower self holds a power, and manifests the wishes of the higher self and the lower self. The threes selves are also thought of as aspects of your soul, or three individual souls that all human beings have.

I'm still trying to figure out how these 3 selves/worlds are: Heart of the Wood is it the higher Self or not? Inner Human Level is it the higher Self or not? is the Outer Conscious level the Middle self or not?

the Middle world is the bridge between the upper and lower worlds/realms in the middle world, we learn to live from our heart. so maybe this is the Heart of the Wood?

Would like some help here thanks

Lifeisabutterfly said:

We start at Imbolc, 1st of February at the time of the new moon. Springtime is on the horizon with all it's usual signs and signals. According to this system, the Ancestor is the right archetype to greet us here.
Why?
There is an explanation in the book, p. 27 which makes sense but to me but only after reading the book...I wonder if left on my own, this is the archetype I would have chosen. This question could probably lead to too much thinking and second guessing so I think initial trust and acceptance in learning this system is key here.

Click to expand...

Lifeisabutterfly said:

Moving on then. We have in the Ancestor a guide and and guardian which is very appropriate since the still Nature is still asleep and buried in snow, but now we have arrived and are ready to follow the new path, Spring.

Click to expand...

I am thinking that this is the Lower World ( Inner Human Level ) or the Subconscious self. Please correct me if I am wrong thanks

Lifeisabutterfly said:

I think I will stop at that for now, to give us a chance to digest this and chime in with any additional insights and of course corrections! There is much food for thought and it won't do to gulp it all down in one sitting....these are concepts which for the most part have been totally forgotten by humanity and even if it might be in our collective conscience, or unconscience, retrieving those files is a feat in itself! In my dirty, gritty, satellite-ridden city you can't even see the stars anymore!
Anxiously Awaits Feedback.....

Click to expand...

sorry I'll need to come back and finish this, company arrived and I don't want to be rude.
Edit I came back for a quick moment and realized I started it all wrong be back later. sorry

Spring/Equinox - Wheel of the Year for Dummies

[size=+2]The Archer[/size] and [size=+2]The Stag[/size]

Spring Equinox, March 21 or Ostara

When these cards appear it is time to create a strong vision, and plant the seeds of the harvest you desire. Much work is ahead, but you goal can be achieved. Ostara is the time of tilling the soil and planting the seeds. The Goddess has returned from the Underworld and is rejoined with the God. This is the divine couple whose union will make the world abundant with life. Ostara/Spring Equinox relates to themes of fertility. In a spiritual sense this season is about the seed of creativity that gives birth to new visions. Ostara also promotes the prosperity of the inner light, which shines to guide our path ahead. In this way we bring growth and vitality to the experiences of our lives.

Wikipedia:
Spring, when defined in this manner, can start on different dates in different regions.North Temperate Zone locations, spring months are March, April and May.South Temperate Zone locations will have opposing seasons with spring in September, October and November.
In spring, the axis of the Earth is increasing its tilt toward the Sun and the length of daylight rapidly increases for the relevant hemisphere. The hemisphere begins to warm significantly causing new plant growth to "spring forth," giving the season its name. Snow, if a normal part of winter, begins to melt, and streams swell with runoff. Frosts, if a normal part of winter, become less severe. Temperate climates have no snow and rare frosts, the air and ground temperature increases more rapidly. Many flowering plants bloom this time of year, in a long succession sometimes beginning even if snow is still on the ground, continuing into early summer. In normally snowless areas "spring" may begin as early as February (Northern Hemisphere) heralded by the blooming of deciduous magnolias, cherries, and quince, or August (Southern Hemisphere) in the same way. Subtropical and tropical areas have climates better described in terms of other seasons, e.g. dry or wet, or monsoonal, or cyclonic. Many temperate areas have a dry spring, and wet autumn (fall), which brings about flowering in this season more consistent with the need for water as well as warmth.

Unstable weather may more often occur during spring, when warm air begins on occasions to invade from lower latitudes, while cold air is still pushing on occasions from the Polar regions. Flooding is also most common in and near mountainous areas during this time of year because of snowmelt, accelerated by warm rains. Besides tornadoes, supercell thunderstorms can also produce dangerously large hail and very high winds, for which a severe thunderstorm warning or tornado warning is usually issued. Even more so than in winter, the jet streams play an important role in unstable and severe weather in the springtime in the Northern Hemisphere.

Spring is seen as a time of growth, renewal, of new life (both plant and animal) being born, broadly to ideas of rebirth, and regrowth. The term is also used more generally as a metaphor for the start of better times. Spring in the Southern Hemisphere is different in several significant ways to that of the Northern Hemisphere.

The vernal equinox, also known as “the first point of Aries,” is the point at which the sun appears to cross the celestial equator from south to north. This occurs about Mar. 21, marking the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. At the autumnal equinox, about Sept. 23, the sun again appears to cross the celestial equator, this time from north to south; this marks the beginning of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere. On the date of either equinox, night and day are of equal length (12 hr each) in all parts of the world; the word equinox is often used to refer to either of these dates. The equinoxes are not fixed points on the celestial sphere but move westward along the ecliptic, passing through all the constellations of the zodiac in 26,000 years. This motion is called the precession of the equinoxes.

Cave time!

I am going to go into my cave Saturday night and mull over this and a plate of sushi (the salmon and the Queen of Cups are going on a date). This is turning into a seminal study--a Dissertation of the Heart...and I love it.
I do hope we can see this through to the End and will not falter company through this journey my dear Wildwood Friend.
BTW I think my favourite card is the 5 of Vessels...such a tender vulnerability about it...but that should probably be for another thread lol!

Lifeisabutterfly said:

I am going to go into my cave Saturday night and mull over this and a plate of sushi (the salmon and the Queen of Cups are going on a date). This is turning into a seminal study--a Dissertation of the Heart...and I love it.
I do hope we can see this through to the End and will not falter company through this journey my dear Wildwood Friend.
BTW I think my favourite card is the 5 of Vessels...such a tender vulnerability about it...but that should probably be for another thread lol!

Click to expand...

looking forward to your pondering, he he

I've added some info to my first reply to your comment on the time of arrows so scroll up. I hoping for some help. the blind leading the blind fun fun. crossing figure that someone with knowledge of this might be able to answer.