I was thinking of my Oracle Deck, the Rainbow Bridge, this morning. I've largely neglected it, and I can't say it's been a "best seller" (I think I've sold 10 decks)...............but it still means a great deal to me, and I spent many years working on it. Just felt like sharing a few of the Cards here today.
WEAVER
"What might we see, how might we act, if we saw with a webbed vision? The world seen through a web of relationships….”
Catherine Keller
A weaver takes threads of many colors and skillfully weaves them together into a beautiful tapestry. We talk about "spinning a tale", meaning a storyteller takes "threads" of different characters and weaves them together into a good story with many inter-woven events.
The name "Penelope" originally meant "with a web on her face", a term that was probably a title for an oracle, or perhaps a Goddess of Fate. But "webbed vision" can also have a contemporary meaning as a way of seeing the world with a unitive eye, all people connected and in relationship to each other. That kind of vision enables you to be a "good weaver" in your community, family, and life. You are a person who helps others to "connect the dots" - a true instinctual networker.
Reversed: You may be having a hard time seeing the connections between people and/or events in your life, partly because you feel so disconnected and isolated from others. Get back "on line" with your life, and reach out to re-connect with whatever it takes.
MANIFESTATION
"Remember that not getting what you want
is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck."
The Dalai Lama
"Be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it" is an old folk saying that has much truth to it. We have all dreamed of having great wealth, or being with the best looking boy in school, or any number of wishes. And sometimes we do get what we think we want, but in one of the great ironies of life, our happiness can soon turn to misery and disappointment. Sometimes getting what we think we want can be the worst thing that can happen to us, because what we want is concentrated on desires that are immature, addictive, vindictive, greedy, or even unconsciously self-destructive.
The "Law of Attraction" demonstrates that we attract that which we focus upon, and consciously (or unconsciously) what we concentrate upon can manifest. Loving and generous wishes attract loving and generous results. Negativity and pessimism just manifests more negativity and pessimism, creating a self-fulfilling cycle. Bearing all of this in mind, now is an excellent time to begin to manifest!
Reversed: You're not able to manifest what you want because of either a lack of belief in yourself, or you are too negative in your worldview.
EARTHMIND
"Speak to the earth, and it will teach you".......Job 12:8
EARTHMIND is included in this deck because today both science and spirituality have converged in our understanding that all life on planet Earth is interdependent, a vast network of ecologies. In 1979 James Lovelock, with Lynn Margulis, developed the Gaia Hypothesis, demonstrating that the Earth is one living, self-regulating organism. They named their theory after the primal Mother Goddess of Greek mythology, Gaia.
How would we live if we truly experienced Gaia as mother, friend, as self? We are the Earth, and it's important that we live and act sustainably, and with reverence, for the benefit of all beings of the Earth. Future generations depend on us. Thank you for your caring, and your efforts.
Reversed: Without caring, effort, and work for a sustainable future, the outcome is reversed for everyone. We're all together on this one.
VISION
In this immeasurable darkness,
be the power that rounds your senses
in their magic ring,
the sense of their mysterious encounter
Rainier Maria Rilke
Among the Lakota, long preparations were made for the Vision Quest. Those who sought initiation fasted, prayed, and prepared themselves to "call for vision". They then went to a special place in the wilderness. When a young man returned with a vision it was shared with the tribe, and sometimes examined to see if it had prophetic or ceremonial significance for not only the individual, but for the entire tribe.
This is a tool we have largely lost. True visionary experience is "soul language"; like dreams and synchronistic experiences, a vision has multiple layers of meaning, and transcends time as we understand it. Visions, like dreams, communicate universal and personal truths, and whether unintended or intentionally induced in some way, can catalyze a spiritual path or a life's work. You are encouraged to "call for vision" in your own way. Do it in a sacred manner, and share and discuss your vision with others of like mind.
Reversed: Visions can be profoundly significant.......but sometimes there is also a fine line between spiritual revelation and highly subjective schizophrenia. Practice discernment.
The Card Deck may be ordered from:
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All artwork is copyright Lauren Raine MFA (2012)
