Pierced

I am a few weeks into the Shadowscapes Tarot, and with each turned card, my breath is still taken away by it's beauty and depth. I don't think I have owned a deck where I have liked every single card, but each of the seventy-eight in this one sparkle so beautifully. Since I bought it, I have seen it's reflection in the world around me. I have noticed more swans on the river than before and have seen them acknowledged in paintings and sculptures on my travels. Similarly, I cant tell you how many owls I have seen in shops lately - crafted out of wood, brass, china, or clay. They are everywhere. The deck heightens my sensitivity to nature and the natural world around me.

Before drawing today's cards, I was reading about the Celtic festival of Lughnasadh. Sometimes known as Lammas, it is named after the god Lugh, who's name means 'light' and 'shining'. Today is the eve of the festival, which begins tomorrow, and is a time for us to thank the sun for it's rays, as people harvest the first of a bountiful crop which will see them through the winter months. Even though The Sun card is not based around Lugh, due to reading about Lughnasadh, it was he that I saw when I turned the card this morning. The dashing young man, who also put me in mind of the model, Luke Worrall (the name Luke also means light), rides beneath the burning sun on the back of a bird. It's heat can singe the birds feathers in the same way that truth, warmth, and goodness can burn through dishonesty, lies, and secrecy. In a similar way, the Ace of Swords cuts through doubt to bring clarity.

As I have been drawing two cards for the last couple of days, I have been using the second as a mere shadow - highlighting something in the back of my day - as Lugh has done here. After last night out, I feel brighter and fresher than I expected to. However, the flip side of the Ace of Swords could enforce pain later or cause fatigue during the days which follow.

I sometimes see the ace as a bringer of message and communication. But not all of it's messages are as bright as today's Celtic god. My best mate called me for a long and overdue chat this morning. Even though it was great to hear from her, she brought more news of a friend of ours, who is terminally ill. In the same way that the Ace of Swords can pierce the body of a swan, I was emotionally pierced and upset by the conversation.

Illustrations from The Shadowscapes Tarot by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law