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All of the court cards in the tarot represent an advanced level of mastery. They suggest that the energies at work within a suit have reached a level of culmination within us. From ace to king, our growth and maturity is progressively expressed by each of the cards in a suit. When the kings appear, it means that we are now fully capable of demonstrating these energies in our world. The kings represent the authority of the masculine aspect. Here I have included two kings. I hope that you find their special messages to be both interesting and useful.

The King of Wands is creative and visionary. He rules with intuition and inspiration. We can count on this king to bring new ideas successfully into the world. When we act passionately about our own vision, and do things to bring that vision into reality, we are expressing the energy of the King of Wands. The American Kestrel is symbolic of creativity and intuition. This beautiful little falcon is quick and agile, and committed to whatever task it undertakes. It is perched on the Common Hazel tree, which was traditionally used to make wands and staffs for chiefs and rulers. More information about the symbolism in this card is included in the book that accompanies the deck.

The King of Pentacles represents a lifetime of work and service, which manifests as success and achievement in the material world. He is deeply grounded and earthly, and he is dedicated to all that is sacred in our world. He demonstrates to us the importance of maintaining high standards in all that we do, and the importance of being good caretakers of our planet. Symbolically, the grouse is an earthy bird that represents the sacred spiral of life. On the card, the grouse is perched on the blackberry bush. Blackberries are symbolic of money and protection, as well as other meanings relevant to the King of Pentacles. Above the grouse hangs the elm tree. The elm has always been associated with being well-grounded, and it is an expression of earth energies.

The coming of Spring has inspired me to share the Empress card. Here she is, in her nature regalia, surrounded by opulent plants and intriguing symbols which depict her as the matriarch of the natural world. Our planet is her domain. Through her loving heart and great abundance, we are blessed with birth, growth, expansion, and renewal. She is known as the Great Mother, the gateway from which all life forms emerge into manifestation.

One of the blessings bestowed upon us by the Empress, as we study her message, is a keener awareness of the natural world and a deeper appreciation for our planet. She may also draw us into the contemplation of our place in the infinite cosmos. A vast universe of life forms and manifestations exists beyond our senses. All of this is the greater domain of the Empress. She reminds us that all we see around us is a spiritual gift.

Spring is a time of resurgence, with new life bursting forth everywhere. For me, it is an opportunity to open my senses, and take a deeper look into the myriad of life forms that are waking up after the long winter. The Empress encourages us to embrace the earth with thoughtful stewardship and to recognize our planet as a living treasure.

Every month the full moon appears in the night sky as a glowing orb, and then slowly disappears from our view. It is a treasured and familiar sight to everyone. The moon connects us to our planet and the pulsing life around us. It is an unconscious connection, and exists within us at a deep cellular level. The moon represents a world in flux, sometimes being a positive influence and sometimes a negative one.

The Moon card is about the cyclical nature of our world. All life on the planet pulsates with the cycles of the moon. The tides ebb and flow, and the plants and animals flourish and diminish. The cycles of creation and the energy of the moon are in unison. As inhabitants of this world, our connection to the moon manifests through our feelings and emotions.

The moon reminds us to explore our psyche, and uncover the patterns of emotion that influence us unconsciously. Are they serving us well? We have the power to change the negative patterns and encourage the positive. This is personal work which will lead us on the path of the heart.

The Moonflower and the Pink-spotted Hawk Moth are pictured on this card. The Moonflower blooms by night, and is a symbol of luminous creativity. It draws night feeding insects to its fragrantly scented flowers. The Hawk Moth is one such insect, and one of the few with a proboscis long enough to pollinate the tubular structure of the Moonflower. Look at the card closely and you will see the cycles of the Hawk Moth pictured among the leaves of the Moonflower.

The Two of Cups symbolizes the harmony and healing power of a happy union. It is a card of fruitful relationships, sharing, and communicating. It is the perfect card to express the sentiments of Valentine’s Day!

The Two of Cups can be interpreted on many levels. On a deeper level, this card represents the polarity of Nature, which is fundamental to the creative process. Through the union of two, something new and wonderful emerges. With the arrival of spring just around the corner, we will be able watch all of Nature awaken and burst into creative action.

The Two of Cups is included here to wish you a Happy Valentine’s Day, one rich with friends and loved ones. May your heart be filled with caring and gratitude for those with whom you are blessed to share your life.

As our world spins into the year 2017, chaos and discontent abound. It is disturbing to watch the scene unfold, and its scope gives us a sense of helplessness. This brought to my mind The Wheel of Fortune, and its message of a world in flux.

The Wheel of Fortune reminds us that the cycles of the Creative Universe are in constant motion. We may observe this by contemplating the movement of the solar system, the seasons, the tides, and the cycles of the moon, as well as our earthly appearance from birth to death. Why are we here, what have we set in motion in our lives, how do we connect with the rhythms and patterns of Life greater than ourselves? These are all questions connected to the Wheel of Fortune. It holds keys to our own personal journey of growth and expansion.

On the grander scale of Creation, depicted by the Wheel, the world is subject to forces and cycles beyond our vision. Universal laws are constantly in action. As the cosmic wheel turns, great unseen forces are directing us, and guiding us in our journey back to our Source. We are free to choose whether we continue onward as we always have, or take up a new perspective. Perhaps it is time for us to wake up and take notice of a world out of balance.

Here is an opportunity to take heart, and look at the positive aspects of the transformation that is happening around us. Let us recognize the changes in the world as the breaking up of old patterns, making room for something new, beautiful, and awakened to take root. Remember, it is within ourselves that we must begin to initiate the changes that we wish to see in the world.

Quiet the mind, and tune in daily to the evolving Consciousness, the causative principle of all things. Be still and watch it unfold. As we are all united in awareness, we bring to light the higher forces represented by the turning of the Wheel of Fortune. In this card, we have a powerful picture of the evolution of humanity. Observing the positive aspects of change in these tumultuous times is an excellent practice for the coming year. I find this card to be a fascinating study.

During this busy Season, our days often become too hectic and frantic. They are filled with preparing for celebrations, planning gifts for loved ones, and participating in activities with family and friends. It is difficult to find time for what is important. I would like to suggest a special holiday practice.

By creating a few quiet moments at different times throughout each day to feel closer to Spirit, we will be helping to spread Peace in the world. This could also be part of a holiday practice with the tarot deck. We might take a few moments to meditate with our favorite card, with the heartfelt intention of silently sharing its message. Who knows how far our practice might reach if we make time for Spirit to come into the world each day. As a reminder of sharing our inner gifts, here is a wish for the Holidays.

I am wishing you quiet moments to be renewed and to embrace the true meaning of the Season. Through your chosen path into the Sacred Silence, may the Spirit within fill you with the Love of this special time of year. May the peace you bring into the World be shared with all beings in the spirit of Love and good will.

I am including the image of the Four of Swords from the Nature Spirit Tarot. Poised on the card is the praying mantis, an excellent ambassador in the journey of reflection. The mantis understands the power of stillness and calm. In the card, it rests on the great Oak tree, which represents our deep connection to all that is sacred.

Throughout December, all U.S. orders for the Nature Spirit Tarot will be shipped priority mail rather than ground mail. I am doing this to be sure that decks arrive in time for holiday gift giving. This is just a small token of my appreciation for all of you who help me share my work, and send it on a journey of its own, all the way around the globe!

The High Priestess seems to be a favorite with many people. I have sold more prints of this card, and received more comments about it, than any other card in the deck.

When I began to create the imagery, I knew that the High Priestess should be white and luminous. I also wanted to represent her with a silent and mystical creature. The intuitive secrets of the High Priestess can not be explained with words. The owl came to me as the perfect symbol. When this mysterious bird spreads its massive wings, not a single flutter is heard, and the unfathomable silence is remarkable. There is nothing more magical than seeing a snowy owl in a white, snow covered landscape on a clear winter’s day.

In the card, the High Priestess is holding the flower of life, a pattern from sacred geometry that represents the flow of Life within space and time. This pattern is believed to contain the collective consciousness of the planet, known as the Akashic records. This is just one aspect of the vast wisdom held within the realm of the High Priestess.

The other imagery in the card includes the pine tree, the blue lotus, and white and black tulips. And yes, there really are black tulips. The tulip shown in the card is called “Queen of the Night”. All of the descriptions and symbolic meanings are discussed in the book that accompanies the deck.

The High Priestess is the keeper of Divine Feminine wisdom at its deepest level, and she dwells at the portal to the material world. She is immortal and eternal, and holds the cosmic secrets of Life within her domain. It is no wonder that many of us feel the compelling energy of this card, and are drawn by it into the sacred Silence of Spirit.

A Great Blue Heron spends much of the summer cruising up and down the little creek that runs through our property. Sometimes it stops for a meal of small brook trout that spawn in a deeper pool upstream. I often see this serene bird perched along the banks in the motionless pose which it takes at quiet times of the day. It seems to be staring into the void, contemplating what treasures it might bring back, to bless the earth.

The Great Blue Heron graces the Temperance card in the Nature Spirit Tarot. This card speaks of learning to flow with the great stream of cosmic energy that is present behind all manifestation. It symbolizes the process of tempering the forces of personal will, and blending our polar aspects of masculine and feminine to reach a more balanced state. Through astute personal reflection, and striving to attune to the higher cosmic energies, we give ourselves the opportunity to discover inner treasures, and to release our gifts into the world.

The Cowslip and the Common Reed appear on the Temperance card. Fluorite crystals speckle the landscape. The auspicious goldfish also adds to the mystery. All of these elements are described in detail in the book that accompanies the deck.

As I traveled a difficult personal journey this year, I decided to hang a framed print of the Temperance card in my room. This magnificent bird, along with its special message, serves as a vigil. It stands nearby, reminding me to release all of the feelings of distress and anxiety into the waters of tranquility, to quiet my personal will, and to rest in the beauty and healing that exist within.

Here in the northern hemisphere where I live, we are at the height of the summer season. It seems like a good time to talk about the Sun card in the Nature Spirit Tarot.

Like the Sun card in many decks, sunflowers play an important role. I couldn’t imagine a nature deck without these magnificent flowers, and so I, too, have included it in the imagery. Perhaps this is because the enormous blooms of the Sunflower resemble the full sun. Or, it could be because they are heliotropic, which means they turn to face the sun throughout the day. Symbolic meanings for this well-loved flower include seeking the light, illumination, and awakening to new horizons.

The bird on the Sun card is the Golden Eagle. I came upon this account of an ancient myth about the eagle. Its origin was not cited, but I liked it, and decided to share it. It is just one of the countless myths that surround the eagle, a bird which has inspired humanity throughout time.

In this ancient myth, when the eagle reached an advanced age, it was ready to pass from this world. Then it would fly high into the sky until it reached the sun. Now the eagle would fly into the sun, and merge with the solar flames. Finally, it would plunge back to earth and dive deeply into open water, emerging restored and renewed to the fullness of life. Perhaps myths such as this one explain why eagles are symbols of the sun and immortality.

The Sun card represents expansion and regeneration, and the awakening of the soul to full illumination.

The daffodils were so radiant this spring, I decided to write about them, and talk a bit about the suit of pentacles in the Nature Spirit Tarot.

The glorious yellow blooms of the daffodil have inspired many poets and seers. The daffodil began its relationship with people long ago. There are accounts from the 16th century of avid gardeners collecting its wild ancestors and transforming them into the varieties we know today.

I have noticed quite a few reviews of the Nature Spirit Tarot mentioning the yellow flowers in the suit of pentacles. Some identify them as lilies, or other mistaken identities, and some just say yellow flowers. They are daffodils. I envisioned the daffodil flower as the representative of the pentacle from the very inception of the deck.

The daffodil emerges from its bulb, which is deeply rooted in the ground. Plants that grow from bulbs have a close relationship to the energies of the earth, the element represented by the suit of pentacles. The bulbs are dormant for much of the year, and then burst into bloom in spring when the sun returns and nature awakens after a long rest. The daffodil is a robust, vibrant plant that represents sunshine, renewal, and the arrival of new possibilities.

When the pentacles show up in your readings, it is a reminder to observe the nature of your earthly experience. The events in your life reflect the energies you put into the world. I hope the daffodils, and the messages in the suit of pentacles, inspire you to walk through life with a loving and giving heart. As well, through a deeper understanding of their messages, you just may be blessed with positive changes in the world around you.