Sacred Circle Tarot: Sacred site experiences?

merissa_88

I love this deck and have been using it for about six months. I love all the folklore about the sacred sites that are included in many of the cards. I have been going online and trying to find written experiences that people have had about some of the holy places in the cards. I have found that their experiences really helped me to understand the cards.



Is anyone interested in this? It would also be really cool if people who have actually visited some of these places could post their own experiences.



I could post a link to some info about some women's experiences at the site in the seven of cups card and how I relate their account to the card meaning. Peace, Merissa
 

merissa_88

Seven of Cups - The Rollright Stones

For me, the seven of cups has always been about distractions that keep me from seeing what I'd truly want and what would make me truly happy. It always seemed to me that there was also a deeper meaning to this card, one that went beyond illusions or fantasies. But recognizing distraction seems to be an important part of this card's wisdom. Here's a really interesting account of some women who had a really beautiful and challenging experience at these stones:

http://www.rollrightstones.co.uk/index.php/articles/detail/a-summer-solstice-at-the-rollright-stones



After reading these women's experiences at these stones, I'm interpreting this card to be about a spiritual test. If you tune into what you really want, this card represents distractions that will test you. If you stay with what you really want, however, that peace and clarity will stay with you.



Is this too outside of the normal interpretation of this card?
Has anyone ever visited these stones?
 

merissa_88

King of Wands -Stonehenge at summer solstice

This card is interesting to me because it connects a sacred site with a particular time of the year. Every year, thousands of people visit Stonehenge at summer solstice - so it's easy to find accounts of personal experiences. And they're kind of all over the place emotionally, a mixed bag.



The King of Wands as the personification of the powers associated with fire reminds me of inspiration, zeal, and creativity. This description of a woman who received a song while at Stonehenge really touched me. It's from a newspaper interview reprinted on her website:

Worcester Telegram, February 4, 2004
http://www.kellianna.com/news.php


"Last summer, while standing inside Stonehenge, Gardner-based pagan-folk artist Kellianna (aka Kellie Girouard) experienced a life-altering epiphany. She found buried deep inside her a song that needed to be sung and, thankfully for her fans, many others that needed to be recorded.


``That was the moment my life changed. That was the moment I decided to record this music,'' she said. ``That one hour I spent in Stonehenge changed my entire life, my focus, my future. I was ready to give up music before that trip.''



For me, this story is the power of fire to heal apathy, self-doubt, and blocks to creativity.
 

merissa_88

Eight of Swords/Bondage: Men an Tol

This site seems to have a dual nature like the card it is associated with. It's interesting as a site because it is aligned with the cross-quarter days instead of the solstices and equinoxes.


Aleister Crowley is supposed to have conducted a ceremony there. So some people associate it with black magic. It's also famous as a place of healing. A woman on a cycling tour of Cornwall decided to crawl through the large holey stone in the middle of the site. When she got back on her bike, she had an accident and was rescued by a police officer who'd "just happened" to be driving that way. So there seems to be some negativity connected to the site.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/oxford/personal_stories/rachel_lackie.shtml



On the other hand, the place is also associated with the most joyful and peaceful experiences of healing like this one.

http://www.sacredsites.com/europe/england/men-an-tol_cornwall.html


The imagery on the card is interesting because the stone alignment is photographed so that it is diagonal to the picture frame. For me, this symbolizes how the cross-quarter days fall during the year. Crawling through the holey stone at Men an Tol or passing through the midpoint of a season can be a very powerful transforming experience because it's hard to see that the environment is going to change very soon.