Sabbats, Seasons, and Tarot Spreads

Now that we’ve moved into the new year, I’ve put away my Christmas and Yuletide tarot decks. For this upcoming “Weekly Reading”, I’ll be using one of the newest decks in my collection. It’s the Wise Earth Medicine Tarot by Lalania Simone.

Some readers like to do “deck interviews” upon receiving a new deck. I’ve tried it a few times, but it just doesn’t work for me. Especially since I’m a collector and may receive several new decks each month, the answers from any interview don’t really “stick”. Again, I tried it, I didn’t like it, deck interviews just aren’t for me.

Instead, I prefer getting to know a deck through using it. I brought out this new deck for my yearly “12 Months Ahead” divination on New Year’s Eve, and I find the illustrations and card concept ideas intriguing. And so I’m moving forward with it, using it for our “collective” reading for this first full week of January.

What card do we have today? It’s called “6 of Earth” and it’s represented by an Elephant. Here, take a look.

As you can see, there are a few keywords printed on the card. Kindness. Giving. Receiving. These are definitely ideas associated with the 6 of Pentacles — which is what this card would be called in more traditional decks.

I’ll admit, I was puzzled by the “elephant” symbolism, so I turned to the guidebook included with the deck. There I learned that elephants are symbols of “deep wisdom and compassion.” Elephants know the importance of caring for other members of their herd. They frequently bring food and water to sick or injured members of the herd.

We know the importance of giving to others, and the 6 of Pentacles is a good representative of the need for provide for our less fortunate brothers and sisters, to nourish those around us, to make investments of time and money.

That’s only half of the card’s meaning, though. While the emphasis is definitely on our need to give to others, we have to remember that, as the old saying goes, “You can’t pour from an empty cup.” The meaning here, of course, is that we must nurture and nourish ourselves, otherwise we’ll have nothing to give to others.

Sometimes that attitude is seen as a bit selfish. It’s not. It’s a necessary and fundamental truth. We can’t give what we don’t have. If we have no energy, we can’t help others. If we have no peace of mind, we can’t offer any understanding or compassion to those in need.

So our 6 of Pentacles is a reminder this week to consider both sides of the “giving and receiving” equation. Be sure they’re balancing out, that you’re not depleting your personal resources in an attempt to help others. Yet don’t use “self-need” as an excuse. Help when and where you can.

Another adage to consider with this card is the Biblical injunction to “Cast your bread upon the waters…” The meaning of this verse from Ecclesiastes is that we should give freely and generously, not with the intent of getting something back in return, but from the goodness of our heart. In doing so, we are opening ourselves up for future blessings.

I’m thinking back to the elephants here. I don’t think any elephant carries food to a sick herd member in hopes of getting something in return. Elephants care for one another because it’s the right thing to do. We can learn a lot from today’s Elephant.

Be kind. Give generously. Don’t expect something in return. But give to yourself, too.

As this week begins, where are you on the giving-receiving scale? Do you need more for yourself? Or are you in a position to give? That’s today’s question. Think about it, and we’ll see where our reading takes us tomorrow!