Hello friends! I thought I would share a little Imbolc oracle reading for anyone who feels called to check it out. I'm doing this in the "pick your message" style, where you see the decks and a stone for each one, and choose which one calls to you as the message you need right now. Then you scroll down to the message you chose! :)
Your choices are: The Druid Animal Oracle with green calcite, The Rider Tarot with blue kyanite, and The Celtic Tree Oracle with selenite. Take a moment and feel which choice resonates with you!
Happy Imbolc! Brighid says, milk and babies! 😊
Druid Animal Oracle / Green Calcite
Cow/Hawk/Adder
The cow represents the Goddess, particularly Brighid, which on this Imbolc eve is particularly noteworthy. Cow has to do with generosity, healing, and nourishment. Drawn reversed, cow asks you to examine how you give to the world. Do you believe your resources to be limited, and so cannot give freely due to fear for yourself? Do you struggle to receive, and ergo to give? Open yourself up to the generosity of cow, and you will also find giving to be much easier.
The hawk is about nobility, and perspective. Hawk invites you to soar above and see your life as a whole. Drawn reversed, Hawk suggests that you might be too focused on detail. You may have high ideals and be focusing on a just cause, but without looking at the wider picture you can go astray and err, even harm others. Be sure to consider others’ feelings and viewpoints – take the time to fly high and look at the whole picture.
The adder is again sacred to Brighid (happy Imbolc eve!), as well as Cernnunos. Adder represents fertility, transformation, healing, and life-force. Adder’s ability to shed its skin calls upon you to know when to let go and transform, whether that is from one stage of your life to the next, or shedding your body when you die. Its new skin emerging after it sheds the old speaks of rebirth and a new beginning.
Green calcite is associated with fire and water – which Brighid is also, as she is the Goddess of fire and is associated with many sacred wells. So this pile is a very Imbolc-appropriate reading! Green calcite also has to do with the heart, forgiving yourself and others, compassion and well-being. It also speaks of positive change in your life, so tying in once more to Adder shedding its skin and manifesting change.
Rider Tarot / Blue Kyanite
Three of cups/Six of pentacles/Seven of wands
I would read this grouping of cards as: if you would like to reach your goals and succeed, you may feel like you are struggling and fighting now, but if you are mindful and do not allow yourself to be overcome with jealousy and greed and instead show generosity and solidarity, you may achieve what you seek.
Blue Kyanite – Kyanite is a stone that builds bridges and clears blocks. It helps you forge your own path and assists with lucid dreaming and astral travel.
Celtic Tree Oracle / Selenite
Elder/Alder/Beech
Elder is about the cycle – life and death, birth and rebirth. It rules over the 13th month (in the ogham/lunar calendar), and the new year comes after at Samhain. Elder trees regrow damaged branches and root and grow from any part, so this is a tree of regeneration. There is no reverse position for this card – the only one upright in this drawing – because it is the cycle itself, the end and the beginning.
Alder is associated with the God Bran the Blessed, whose head is buried underneath the tower of London. The name Bran means raven, and ergo, the ravens at the tower are related: it is said that King Arthur once dug up Bran’s head and then the realm was invaded by the Saxons; to this day it is believed that the realm is safe from attack as long as the ravens are at the tower. As Bran protected his people even after his death, Alder offers spiritual protection in disputes, and oracular guidance, as ravens are sacred oracles. Drawn reversed, it suggests that there is a lack of, or unawareness of the need for, such protection, and guidance is being offered.
Beech is related to ancient knowledge and wisdom. It reminds you that the past holds much knowledge upon which our current foundations are built, and drawn reversed it reminds you not to discount the wisdom being offered to you from long ago. Knowledge is gained at a cost, and it is foolish to dismiss it and repeat mistakes that might have been avoided if you had simply taken heed. The reversed draw tells you to respect these gains and learn what you can from them so that you may build upon them and grow even higher.
Selenite is a cleansing/clearing stone. You can clear other stones by placing them on/with selenite. It is associated with the crown and third eye chakras, and so can be useful during meditation to connect with your higher self.
I find it interesting that every one of these draws came out with two reversed and one upright! I hope that this reading was helpful to someone. I'm a bit rusty but I felt the call to get back into working with oracles. I've never done a "choose your message" style before, only personal readings where I could discuss and look for further clarity, so I've done this as a more "here is the message" and am trusting that the person who needs to hear it will feel where it resonates for them.
Happy Imbolc eve, may you be blessed and happy! :)
Druid Animal Oracle / Green Calcite drew me, the green stone particularly. Interesting reading about all of them though.
Yeah I really like that deck - and that stone, hee hee. Thank you for stopping by! :)
I celebrated Imbolc with a handfull of seeds planted near the Celtic Tree Circle above Vienna .. was a wonderful sunny day and rather warm and I hope Mother Earth will care for my seeds ... I am an August Cedar ..
Oh that's cool, someone planted the whole ogham there? Where is the yew in relation to the others, since they can be toxic to other species if they're too close?
its a pretty large circle and every tree has room enough -- the problem is .. its a plateau above Vienna where its very windy and cold in winter and cool at summer .. so the tropical trees like the figs must be buried out after the September celebrations and are carried to a glasshouse .. this does not really support their wellbeeing and growth (while in some gardens in Vienna figs grow very well) .. also some of the trees do not grow well because of the wind ... the other problem is .. its a public place .. Paganism is not an official religion in Austria and every time we tried it we were rejected .. most of all the catholic church is running against us and they have a lot of influenece .. so the Circle is a compromise .. we can use it for ceremonies but its also public so sometimes people play football there or invade ceremonies to disturb us .. sad story but its ok .. sooner or later we will get our official status .. and our closed private spaces .. its a beginning !
btw every tree is "talking" -- you can listen to the story of the trees, their nature and their meaning in celtic tradition ... the 3rd pic first row ..
That's very cool! It sucks that the Catholic church is trying to interfere. :( As if they haven't already done enough harm over the centuries...
Oh I can see it's a much bigger circle than I thought in these pictures, I love it! I'm sure a lot of the ogham trees would not grow here - I'm in high desert - but we can grow some of them. I'm unfamiliar with fig trees being in the list but there are different lists!
The Gaul or Celts lived in big parts of Europe and what we call "Little Asia" -- todays Turkey mostly and northern Syria . .so they had different climate zones and of course when you are worshipping trees (or the spirits of trees) it depends on the flora of the geographical area you live in ... 1000 BC until the high medieval the climate in Europe was much warmer .. while the Roman Empire, when the Celts lived in central and western Europe, the Med-Sea was more than 3 degrees Celsuis warmer than today and so was the climate .. means no real ice-and-snow winters in cental Europe ... so its rather possible that fig trees grew until a rather high northern climate zone .. and we kept the tradition when it became colder - most of all because our pagan spirits were not allowed anymore and could not develope any longer together with the climate ... so I think its not so important what kind of trees you plant in your circle as long as they connect the land you live in with the sky above you .. its said that trees are the antennas of the earth to reach the skies and the universe .. and thats a good feeling to watch a tree like this ... take what grows in your environment -- and reach your own sky - I am sure the old Druids would smile and give us their blessings for it ;-)
That's why I'm making an ogham oracle set of plants I am familiar with near me. :)
a good site to know, learn and discuss about Druidy is this british Order .. you can learn a lot for free or use their teachings-material step by step .. https://druidry.org
This was an interesting and creative post. Choosing our own stone intrigued me despite my non-involvement in 'these sorts of things.' lol
I chose the Selenite. I'm not sure I understand the whole concept here, but it piques my interest. The stones are pretty cool and the card decks are different from the Tarot style decks I've seen around previously.
Thanks for sharing this creative post. It gave me a few things to think about.
Cheers!
The idea is basically, if there is a message that the Universe or your spirit guides or however you might think of it, want you to hear, you'll be drawn to the right set. Since stones have their own meanings, they are often included, and often what people are really drawn to when choosing since you can't really see the cards yet.
I think of "these sorts of things" as rather a meditative practice, because in trying to interpret the cards to whatever circumstances you have going on in your life, you might think in different ways and see things from different angles, and so even for people who don't vibe with the spiritual aspect, it can still be a useful tool, I think. :) Kinda like bouncing ideas off a friend or talking it out with a partner.
Thanks for stopping by!
Its my first time getting to know of the Imbolc oracle. For me my choice gotta be beech. I have a thing for ancient knowledge I don’t know why though maybe because I have some background in archaeology. Nice write up by the way ..
Thank you! Yeah I am interested in ancient knowledge as well. If I could go back in time, I would want to talk to the Druids of antiquity and learn all the knowledge that was lost when the Romans genocided them/when Christianity squashed what was left.
That would be a great and intriguing adventure if achieved I tell you .
Beech is interesting .. you should be a writer or a wise man who knows the Runes .. in German the word for "letters" like ABCDE.. is "Buchstaben" .. beech sticks , .. because the Runes were carved into beech sticks and via the Gothic language it became German .. but being a master of the Runes also means to be wise ... and prophetic ;-)
According to the Celtic tree circle, the beech tree of life symbolizes intuition and durability. These virtues particularly distinguish the person born under the sign of the beech, as he also finds these qualities in his tree of life. Symbolically, the tree represents a reliable companion at the side of man through life.
Wow! That’s enlightening, thank you for this educative post. 🙏🏽
Love this. What a gift. I picked blue kyanite. Happy Imbolic ❤
Happy Imbolc to you, too! I hope you are doing well in all your snow. We are finally getting some here in Denver.
Thank-you 🥰 Yeah, i am doing great in winter wonderland!!! I am glad to hear you're finally getting snow. ❄❄❄