I’ve been feeling under the weather the past few days (and my, have we had a lot of weather to feel under!), so no draws to post. However, today’s poem is one of my favorites, so I am making  sure it’s posted.

To A Young Girl

Mt dear, my dear, I know
More than another
What makes your heart beat so;
Not even your own mother
Can know it as I know,
Who broke my heart for her
When the wild thought,
That she denies
And has forgot,
Set all her blood astir
And glittered in her eyes.

~William Butler Yeats

The Night Dances

A smile fell in the grass.
Irretrievable!

And how will your night dances
Lose themselves. In mathematics?

Such pure leaps and spirals—
Surely they travel

The world forever, I shall not entirely
Sit emptied of beauties, the gift

Of your small breath, the drenched grass
Smell of your sleeps, lilies, lilies.

Their flesh bears no relation.
Cold folds of ego, the calla,

And the tiger, embellishing itself—
Spots, and a spread of hot petals.

The comets
Have such a space to cross,

Such coldness, forgetfulness.
So your gestures flake off —-

Warm and human, then their pink light
Bleeding and peeling

Through the black amnesias of heaven.
Why am I given

These lamps, these planets
Falling like blessings, like flakes

Six sided, white
On my eyes, my lips, my hair

Touching and melting.
Nowhere.

~Sylvia Plath

The Giants’ Tarot, Raven Kaldera

Today’s Draw: Jord/Queen of Coins; Perthro; Geirrod & Loki/Eight of Swords.

Jord’s influence softens the harshness of the captivity in the Eight of Swords. Remember, though, that a cage, no matter how spacious and comfortable, is still a cage. Your options are limited, and your prospects are not inspiring.

In this reading, the cage may be one of your own making—trapping yourself with your thoughts about the situation, rather than seeing things objectively. Take a look at the circumstances as someone else would describe them. By doing so, you can find a new perspective on things, and so discover new ideas about how to deal with what has been the same old stuff for too long.

If you are truly stuck, you may find that the price of freedom is higher than you are willing to pay. It may require a sacrifice of something that, until now, has been dear to you. It may require you to agree to something you find despicable, something that goes against  your principles. This is where the shift in perspective can be helpful in finding an answer that achieves your goal of freedom without having to compromise yourself.

Perthro, the dice cup, comes along and injects the element of chance into the situation. Unexpected events,  twists of fate, or a surprise ally or resource could materialize, with just the tool you need to pick the lock and break free. Perthro also says that, if you have nothing to lose by trying, to go ahead and try.

This is a discouraging reading at first glance. Once you acknowledge the reality,  tune into Perthro and Jord for guidance in dealing with the problems. As Winston Churchill said, “When you’re going through hell, keep going.”

The Giants’ Tarot, Raven Kaldera

Today’s Draw: Aegir/King of Cups; Ac; Blodughadda/Ace of Cups.

Gosh, with all the Cups cards coming up recently, you’d think the Sun and Moon were both in Pisces. Oh, right. Nevermind.

Today’s cards are the start and completion of the Cups cycle. We are so relieved to see Aegir, encouraging us to keep going, to do the last bit needed to sort out all of the emotional currents and tides of the past few weeks, and oh thank the Gods maybe things will calm down for a while—and, well, no, here is Blodughadda, the Ace of Cups, letting us know that it’s good we’re wrapping up all that, because a new cycle is coming. O, radost’.

Angrboda’s presence in Ac is your grounding energy and your safe space. The rooted strength of the oak tree, firmly grounded deep in the earth through its maze of roots, moves with the storm, but does not break. Angrboda inspires you to find this strength within yourself—it’s there, She would not tell you to draw on something that does not exist—to find it, to connect to it, to use it to keep yourself grounded while the wind and water do their thing. And, when the wind has calmed and the water has receded, you will find yourself stronger and better able to deal with what comes next.

And maybe, just maybe, allow yourself to believe that what comes next may be some sunshine after the storm.

Andromeda, by Perseus sav’d and wed,

The Giants’ Tarot, Raven Kaldera

Today’s Draw: Bergelmir/Six of Swords; Raido, reversed; Loki, Angrboda & Sigyn/The Lovers.

Oh, look. More emotional energies. Bergelmir’s calm, intellectual response to the threat of the flood saved the race of Frost Giants, as well as the human race. Your issues may not be quite on that level, but they are significant and need to be addressed through thoughtful action. Use your intelligence to create a ship to float on the emotional tides, rather than be drowned in them.

Raido is reversed, indicating blocked movement. Step back and view the situation from a higher level (say, the mountain top, rather than in the valley). Use the perspective shift to identify obstacles and devise plans to remove them or work around them.

The Lovers card shows Loki with this two very different wives in a moment of stability. While the card indicates the need for making choices, it’s not an either/or situation. If both options are important to you, find a way to make the choice for both/and. Your higher view perspective will give you new ideas for making the choices work well for you and others involved.

Be prepared for the additional work and energy required to make the both/and choice viable. In order to have y0ur cake and eat it as well, you must bake two cakes. Allow for the extra time and effort, and remember that it’s easier to bake two cakes at the same time, and wash the dishes only once.

Ior, Teiwaz, Algiz

If you are new to working with bindrunes, I suggest you read the introductory bindrune post here, then return to this post to read about this specific bindrune.

This week’s bindrune is for creating strong boundaries and protection. If you are heading into a difficult situation, or find yourself having to deal with undesirable people, or are just feeling generally vulnerable, this bindrune will help you create a solid energy foundation to keep you whole.

Ior (green): The rune of Jormundgand brings to you the magical protection that the Midgard Serpent provides to our realm. Your energies are safely protected inside your circle of energy, and others’ energies are kept out—quite firmly.

Teiwaz (purple): The rune of Tyr, the One-Handed God. Tyr brings in the power born of right conduct and honorable action, strong defense at all times.

Algiz (brown): The strength of the elk and the protective space created by its antlers are yours as well. A secondary association with this rune is sedge grass, which has razor-sharp edges and viciously harms all who try to invade. The two combined offer a reservoir of “touch me not” energy to create a clear field around you.

The bind rune on the left was done in colored pencil. The one on the right was done with fine point calligraphy markers. They are shown in two different media to give an idea of how the same bind rune looks different depending on how it is created.

You could also put a drop of rosemary on the bindrune to clear your mental space and keep your wits sharp, or a drop of your favorite oil  on it to reinforce the energy with your personal scent.

Be strong in your self, and in your belief in yourself.

from Notes on My Father

The old man moved into his night

a boat all lights on the evening harbor.

The island was in small spring,

The sun came out suddenly

struck the tiles

and disappeared again.

What could the old man know now of spring?

He spelled it out like a child the ABCs

comprehending the flower slowly.

Already something like soil

he had become only surface.

This mortal moved into

the crack in coal

the old sack

loaded with the four seasons

the four ages

with deep aging.

Brown spotted hands

and desperate blue veins.

The dawn of his birth

the village was in snow

the melon patch purple with cold.

His father came from the woods

with a dead boar

slung over his shoulder;

he dropped it in front of the fireplace.

Snow and game

small magic signs

around a wintry belly

Silence . . .

someone is swaying in the garden

someone is fondling the soil

the white soil of night.

I’m waiting for the moon to grow

for all to ease in me

to remember

to remember all miracles

the unmet

most of all.

I want to be in what’s being born

and in what’s ending,

I cast spells on my departing father

spells of love.

At the end of night

at the end of the gully

at the setting of the moon

it was me leaving in love

spellbound

exempt in death

all my forces unmouldered

for eternity.

In a green pasture

in a shady pasture

in a barbarous pasture of oleanders

from under comes all this vegetation

I praise

from under begins

the ascent of fate.

~Katerina Anghelaki-Rooke

The Giants’ Tarot, Raven Kaldera

Today’s Draw: Kolga/Six of  Cups; Mannaz, reversed; Mengloth/Page of Cups.

Yesterday’s emotional tides have receded somewhat, but you are not done yet. Whereas Ran brought up a rush of strong emotions, Kolga brings them out gradually, thawing them out of where they have been frozen in memory. The slow reveal doesn’t necessarily make them any less intense to deal with, so Mengloth returns as today’s Hidden Influence to help with healing.

Mannaz, the rune of the Self, is reversed. First, it’s telling you that you may feel unlike yourself, disconnected or dissociated from yourself, while you are sorting out all of this emotional history. Second, it’s warning you that this disconnection may cause you to be distracted or withdrawn, and thus not as aware of protecting your boundaries as you usually are.

With the extra vulnerability created by these emotional floods, it’s more important than ever to be mindful of your boundaries. If you can withdraw today and sort things out in solitude, do so. If not, take extra care with setting your energies, and call on additional resources (talismans, aromatherapy, or other personal practice) to reinforce your boundaries if you must engage with difficult people today.

Today’s poem (selected at random) connects perfectly with today’s draw.

Be softer with you.

You are a breathing thing.

A memory to someone.

A home to a life.

~Nayyirah Waheed