The Bow of Burning Gold and the Arrows of Desire

It's taken me a little time to get around to using The Wildwood Tarot. It was a birthday present from yesterday's Queen of Arrows in March. I have always enjoyed Will Worthington's illustrations (the Druid Plant Oracle, which I only bought recently, being my favourite), and despite the criticism from others over the change of style for this deck, I really like it. There is a lot more energy and movement in this pack than his previous ones, I feel.

This card makes total sense for me. I knew exactly what it was referring to when I turned it in bed this morning. I have had things which I have needed to get on with for over a month now but have simply ignored and put off. The Archer has a very defined goal and aims at it with her bow and arrow. The dogs beside her are symbolic of her strength and power.

For my looming and future unemployment, I need to produce and propose a selection of workshops for schools. I haven't left it too late just yet, but it is something I really could have gotten on with before now. The Archer reminded me that today is the day to draw my arrow and take aim. I have been meaning to rack my brain for interesting and individual ideas for workshops that I can run and then work out the costs for doing them. I found it interesting to read that the Celts inscribed spells onto their arrows and the Sioux Indians painted theirs with ritualistic symbols of intent. This really made me think of the job in hand. To suggest workshops to my agency, I have had to fill in forms for each and then fire them away, attached to an email. Kind of similar, wouldn't you say?

Even though I am not one for sticking with the book, John Matthew's words for this card really struck a chord today and are worth noting. In his reading points for The Archer, he says 'This is a time to be bold and commit to the hunting of new life and a better relationship with the world, as well as the fulfilment of wholesome ambition. Take careful stock of what you want to achieve, why, and how you want to go about it. Then harness your potential by filling your quiver with all the talents, knowledge and cunning you possess and string the 'bow of burning gold' with the 'arrows of desire'. This feels very much like what I am doing with my proposals. I have tried my best to make them as inspiring and comprehensive as I can.

Today is warm again and the sun is shining. Since I have begun working on my proposals and have also ordered all of my invoices, I might take myself into the garden to read for for the rest of the afternoon. I could do with working a bit further through Matthew's companion book. I had a nice salad for lunch. I've decided to ditch bread and other fatty stuff for a while to see how my body reacts. I am sure that my stomach doesn't like bread, but a friend also told me that cutting it out helped her lose weight. So that's another target to aim my arrows at. I feel bloated and sluggish at the moment. I can't stand people moaning about things and never doing anything about it, so I am going to put my money where my mouth is and have a go.




Illustration from The Wildwood Tarot by Will Worthington