Card 1: The Hermit - IX
The keywords to remember here are Guidance, Retreat, Caution, Withdrawal and Meditation.
~ The Message of the Hermit is ~
Turn away from the distractions of the outer world, and seek guidance. In silence and solitude discover new depths, and refresh your soul at the source of all life.
The Significance of The Hermit:
At a certain stage in our lives, and in our spiritual journey, it becomes important to withdraw from the distractions f the outer world to focus on the inner quest. Every night as we fall asleep, we journey to the Otherworld, and when our physical body dies, we make that journey also. But it is important for us to turn within at other times too - hence the value of meditation, and of spiritual retreats.
An Inner Call:
You may be feeling the call to begin meditating or to take a retreat, as if some inner need is trying to make itself heard. Sometimes that same need manifests as the desire to find a spiritual teacher or to receive guidance. This card may indicate a teacher, counselor or wise person, or it may be referring to an inner guide. Druidry and Wicca teach that in the Otherworld inner guides exist who can help us on our spiritual journey, and who can offer us support, and even specific teachings. To be effective, we must be able to retreat from the world of the senses from time to time, to connect to the source of life that lies beyond the phenomenal world.
Do not be tempted to make important decisions, for now is a time to withdraw from the distractions and dramas of your everyday life. Don't worry about abandoning these decisions for a while - there will always be distractions, and probably every so often dramas, if you ever wish to turn to them again. Instead, let them take care of themselves as you follow your intuition to go deeper. The guidance you receive may well help you to find ways to resolve your problems and move forward that would never have occurred to your rational mind, caught up in worry and details. Trust in the light of The Hermit and, even if the path ahead seems dark and lonely, know that your inner guide and their animal-spirit companion are close by, to counsel and protect you.
Card 2: Strength - VIII
The keywords to remember here are Unconditional Love, Courage, Faith, Power with Awareness,
'Wild' Wisdom, and Compassion.
~ The Message of the Strength Card is ~
You will find the Wild Wisdom that sings in the depths of your soul. Nwyfre will flow more strongly through you as you open to the compassionate strength of the Goddess within.
The Significance of Strength:
A central idea in Druidry and Wicca alike is that we need both the wild, natural self that exists inside us, and the civilized, or cultured, self that is the result of our education and upbringing. Here, in this card, we see their union: the boar represents the wild, animal side of our nature, while the woman represents our more sophisticated, cultural self. By uniting these two parts of ourselves, we become empowered in a way that connects us more deeply with our humanity - and at the same time with our own divinity.
The Meeting of the Wild and Civilized Selves:
Drawing this card in a reading may indicate a generous and wise person in your life, or it may signify that you are entering into a deeper relationship with the forces of life and of Nature. Some spiritual and religious teachings tell us to shun these forces, but DruidCraft celebrates them, showing us how we can open our bodies and hearts to the energies that flow through the cosmos, which can heal, empower and enliven us.
These energies are collectively referred to as Nwyfre, and a central feature of practicing DruidCraft lies in discovering how to pen to Nwyfre and how to use it for magick - to improve our own lives and to help others. To do this, we need to open to the refining and deepening powers of the Divine Feminine. This means learning to trust in life, learning to have compassion towards others and ourselves, and it means centering our lives in love. By doing this, the deeper mysteries open to us. Instead of our lives being ruled by our instincts, lusts or passion, they are ruled by compassionate love, and these powers are then integrated with our humanity and our awareness. The result is a sense of mature strength that brings with it a faith in the ultimate goodness of life.
Strength teaches us that we can develop mature strength of soul and character not by avoiding conflict, but by handling it with compassionate awareness, trust and love. By doing this, we develop an ability to relate in a way that honors the natural flow of passion and life-force.
Card 3: Nice of Wands
The keywords to remember here are Final Challenge and Caution.
You may be going through a period when you have emerged from a struggle, but are defensively or guardedly waiting for the next problem or conflict you believe will appear. You are worried that just when the struggle seems to finally be over, something worse will come along. If you have this feeling it may be justified, and you may need to remain cautious. It is likely, however, that the final battle will be an internal one, in which you come to grips with the sources of fear and conflict that ultimately spring not from outside but from within. You may have battled your way through life, a characteristic of the Wands, and your sense of being wounded in the past may have made you isolate yourself as a means of defense. The challenge now is to open to wholeness and healing.
The card could also be offering a different message - that you have accomplished something, but that you are finding it hard to fully accept your achievements, your strengths and talents. It can also indicate recovery from an illness, and this will be enhanced as you come to open completely to the reserves of healing energy that are waiting to flow into you.
