…Instead of picking up my tarot deck for a New Year reading yesterday, on impulse I opened up my Druid Animal deck. Although the images on these cards are lovely, I rarely use the deck, so they are still a bit special.
I was wondering whether to use them the same way as I would have done with a tarot deck i.e. one card for each month, November to October, plus one card for the whole year. After flicking through the “layouts” section, I discovered and used the Arianrhod Spread, which was just perfect.
The Arianrhod Spread
Arianrhod is the Druid goddess of the wheel, the circle and the spider´s web. The spider is a creature whose web symbolises the Web of Life. Sacred to the Goddess, she represents the process of weaving – another idea that is central to Druid ritual and teaching.
In this spread, the first card – representing the Self – is laid in the centre, and eight cards are laid in a circle around this, in a sun-wise sequence that starts in the NW at the place of the Druid New Year, at Samhuinn.
The reading may be used to gain insights for the year that is to come*, or to review the year that has passed. It is ideal for an annual reading on one of the festival days, such as Samhuinn – a traditional time for divination. The sequence of eight cards may relate to a cycle of time other than a year. Imagining the cards spread upon a web or wheel, pay particular attention to the relationships between the cards.
*I decided to use this for the forthcoming year. I also thought that, rather than getting bogged down with studying each card in detail now, that I would look at each festivals´ card, and its´ relationship with the central “Self” card, on the appropriate season. That way, I can incorporate the reading into a sabbat ritual and bring the reading to live as the new year unfolds. Here are the cards I drew:
Central / Self card Adder**: Transformation, Healing, Life Energy
Samhain Otter: Joy, Play, Helpfulness
Yule Raven: Healing, Initiation, Protection
Imbolc Salmon: Wisdom, Inspiration, Rejuvenation
Ostara Fox: Cunning, Diplomacy, Wildness
Beltane Bull: Wealth, Potency, Beneficence
Litha Crane: Secret Knowledge, Patience, Longevity***
Lammas Owl: Detachment, Wisdom, Change
Mabon Hawk: Nobility, Recollection, Cleansing
**I literally gasped in amazement when I turned this card. How perfect for someone who calls herself Vipera Kernewes! This is a wonderfully synchronous card to draw in the Self position. In my other animal deck - Medicine Cards, I have Snake within on my totem pole. I live with snakes around me and have been gifted many precious snakeskins by Sister Snake.
***As I was typing, I felt drawn to link this to the Arthurian Tarot´s High Priestess, The Lady of the Lake, which uses crane symbolism.
Adder Nathair
Nathair offers healing and transformation. Its ability to glide into the darkness through crevices in the rocks connects it to the Under or Otherworld and the realm of Death.**** It is the totem animal of the earth goddess and also the Sky father Sun God and represents our ability to die and be reborn. The energy that enables us to be born on earth is sexual energy, but this also necessitates our death. Befriending adder or snake power will enable you to journey through life gracefully and magically, shedding your old life easily when the time comes – whether that old life be of the physical body or of a stage in the present incarnation.
****Death is my astrological tarot card, as I am Scorpion.
Otter Dòbhran
Dòbhran invites us to play, to “go with the flow” of life and experience – to become a child again. Allow yourself the freedom and pleasure of relaxing and letting go of all your daily concerns. Dòbhran could be prompting you to take a day or a weekend out of your usual routine – to do something purely for fun. Your practical self may tell you you cannot afford the time, but deep down you know that you need to take care of yourself to be of real value to others. Someone may even be coming into your life who will show you how to play again – something you may have forgotten as you accepted the responsibilities of growing up. Dòbhran shows us that being playful can even lead us to catch the salmon***** – the fish prized by the Druids as the totem of wisdom. Drawing this card also confirms in us the sense that we are truly protected.
*****Looking ahead to Imbolc, it looks like that is when I will have the opportunity to catch the Salmon – and what a perfect time for some “rejuvenation”!
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