Hekate Spread

This spread was inspired by The Hymn to Veiled Wisdom and conducted using the Tarot of Oneness by Robin Voisey. Each position is aligned with an aspect of Divine Wisdom and guided by a devotional question. The reading explores themes of health, guilt, creativity, fear, community, and divine trust.

1. Ζηρυνθία (Zirinthía) - Guide me through veils untold...
Question: What am I not seeing clearly about my health and burnout?

The Tower. I see myself falling from a great height, struck by lightning that flings me from the tower’s pinnacle. This is the card of unexpected disaster, often triggered by emotionalism and unclear thinking.

My current physical and emotional state may be unsustainable. The collapse I fear is not just external (job, health), but internal: outdated beliefs about success, productivity, and what “being well” means. The universe is removing what no longer serves me. Burnout may be the consequence of structures built from self-sacrifice or over-responsibility. Their fall is painful, but necessary.

Guidance: Embrace the fall. This is sacred demolition, not failure. Let yourself grieve and let go.

2. Βριμοῖ (Vrímo) - Shake perception’s core...
Question: What truth must I face about guilt and work?

Three of Swords. I see my reflection in shattered glass. My figure is a dark silhouette. My heart is black but glows red with pain. Is the image real or illusory?

I am deeply wounded, physically, emotionally, spiritually. Much of that pain comes from trying to "manage" rather than feel. I've been suppressing the extent of my hurt. The guilt I carry for resting, or disappointing others (especially my boss), is cutting deeper than the situation itself. The illusion is that I owe my well-being to others.

Guidance: Let yourself break. Cry. Name the pain. Stop gaslighting your own exhaustion.

3. Φωσφόρος (Phōsphoros) - Kindle fires of art’s creation...
Question: What is the role of the Eilat Tarot project in my life?

Synchronicity. A golden statue stands on a globe, reaching toward the sun. A radiant bird fills the sky, its light reflected in the sea. A single feather has fallen at the statue’s feet.

This project is not nonsense. It’s sacred play, mystical, intuitive, and not meant to be rationalized. I should trust its unfolding without demanding validation. The fallen feather is a divine sign: “You don’t need proof. You only need presence.” The golden statue may represent me, already standing on wholeness, still reaching toward meaning.

Guidance: Ask for signs. Stop overthinking. Your creativity is a prayer.

4. σωτηρία (Sotería) - Wisdom you bestow...
Question: What do I need to release to be emotionally free?

Seven of Swords. A predator waits above me on a tree branch. The world is dark and silent. I am afraid."

I may be hiding from myself. There’s fear-driven isolation here, born from trauma, perfectionism, or shame. I anticipate betrayal, so I prepare for it constantly. I don’t have to figure it all out alone. My inner predator is a defense mechanism, but it may be keeping love and support away.

Guidance: Release the need to protect yourself from everyone. Begin small, but practice vulnerability.

5. Ορίζοντα (Urízoda) - Knower of the unknown...
Question: Where will I find the loving community I long for?

Embodiment of Cups. (King) A crown and ship-shaped medal hang from a ribbon. A curtain parts. A fish leaps before the crown. Am I meant to wear these symbols?

Emotional maturity and self-acceptance are my path to community. It’s not about finding loving people, but about becoming someone who feels worthy of belonging. Community mirrors my emotional tone. The more I live in truth, the more authentic relationships will flow toward me. The leaping fish suggests a sign will come soon, perhaps through water, dreams, or feeling.

Guidance: Lead with heart, not armor.

6. πολύτιμος μου (Polýtimos mou) - Precious One, embrace me...
Question: How can I trust the divine and feel held?

Nine of Pentacles. A bird is about to alight on a birdhouse hanging in the trees. Does a home await me too?

This indicates a future of safety, serenity, and sovereignty. The birdhouse speaks of homecoming, both spiritual and literal. I am not as far from peace as I feel. Even now, something within me is already at rest. I only need to return to it.

Guidance: Trust the spiritual foundations you've built. You are already in communion, even if it feels quiet.

This spread appears to reveal a familiar arc of soul-work, unfolding in six movements:

1. Destruction of false structures (The Tower)
2. Acknowledgment of the wound (Three of Swords)
3. Opening to mystery and meaning (Synchronicity)
4. Letting go of control and fear (Seven of Swords)
5. Emotional rebirth into connection (Embodiment of Cups)
6. Return to grounded, graceful being (Nine of Pentacles)

This reading offers insight and initiation, a movement from collapse to wholeness, guided by the voices of different aspects of Divine Wisdom.

Card of the Day

 Today’s card: King of Cups (Robin Wood Deck)

Date: Monday 22 March 2021

Initial impressions: trying to stay above the confusing, rushing emotions

Keywords and phrases: Emotionally stable, not controlled by emotions, calm leadership / Manipulative, volatile

UPG: Holy Mother Leah

What’s happening in the picture: A crowned man sits calmly but precariously on a rock that sticks up amidst ocean waves. A dolphin arches out of the water behind him.

Symbols/images that stand out:

• today his silly shoes stand out and the placement of his feet make it appear that he is not firmly seated on the lava rock. 
• his seat is not very high above the waves. He’s going to get splashed. 
• dolphins usually give me a feeling of joy, but this dolphin seems to be traveling to some other tarot card, unnoticed by the King, and uninterested in the King. 
• the “leaves” that form the back of his throne look more like part of a clumsily made costume than part of the rock. 
• the clouds decorating the hem of his robe add to the sense of imbalance. Why is the element of air at the bottom of his robe, so close to the ocean? It’s as if he is repressing his thoughts as well as his feelings. 
• the lava rock once bubbled up hot from the earth, now it has cooled and solidified. It’s old inspiration that no longer inspires.

What emotion is expressed: hanging on tight while trying to look calm— he is grasping his goblet so tightly, that he has broken the stem off of it.

Greeting card message: Feel your feelings. Don’t miss the scenery. Start swimming.

Personal experience at the end of the day: Made it through the day without tipping over, but also without making my life even a little bit better.

Events and situations: Running errands, wondering about some of the women I interacted with briefly when making purchases, not finishing my meal and getting a second drink instead, looking down on aspects of the culture around me

People: Nice Russian lady at the restaurant, large man shouting loudly from street at friends on the patio of the restaurant, new Arab lady working at the makolet

Lessons learned: My comfort zone isn’t very comfortable and it’s time to get up and move on.

New insights: There’s a lack of stability in this king; he is not a version of The Emperor.

**Questions from Biddy Tarot

The Blind Spot Spread

Occasionally people feel they are missing some important piece of information as they review their situation or make plans for the future. This particular spread helps you discover that missing piece.

The following reading was generated by Tarot Smith and the images are from The Diary of a Broken Soul.

XII - The Hanged One

1. This card displays the obvious identity, the part of your self that you are consciously aware of and project to others. The card represents a person who is in limbo while contemplating a decision. It may require a sacrifice without expectation of receiving something in return. The decision must not be made in haste. The experience of contemplation is an opportunity for growth and maturity.

XVI - The Tower

2. This card shows unconscious driving forces that neither you nor others are aware of about you. This is the Great Unknown. Is it be better to hold on to a lie because it gives us hope; or is it be better to know a truth that throws us off the edge of deception into the abyss below?

King of Hearts

3. The part of yourself that you conceal, that you don't want others to know about is apparent in this card. A person of deep emotions who has been taught not to express them. It is important to be aware of them and learn from them.

X - Imprisoned Instincts

4. This is your Blind Spot. This is what you asked about which you should be made aware of by this reading. You may wish to pay close attention to these mannerisms. It is more important to understand your reactions to an event than to understand the reasons for an event. Learn to understand yourself and you will know how to cope.

Balance at the Threshold - a Reading by Carolyn Cushing

Carolyn Cushing offers New Moon Readings throughout the year. In this season, her readings address what you need to leave behind now, how to find your balance, and what can emerge for you.

Carolyn’s readings are always insightful. I am preparing for a journey and have been so busy that I haven’t had time for personal reflection. So her invitation to spend time with her and the cards seemed propitious.

A recent personal revelation and Carolyn’s reading suggest that there is something I must reclaim before I continue with my current plans.

LEAVE BEHIND: What would be beneficial to leave behind in winter’s dark mystery?

Elder of Water

What is the story unfolding in this card?

What is he leaving behind? What is he heading toward?

How does he know which way to head?

How is this a picture of you?

This card makes me want to ask you…

What emotions are you ready to leave behind?

“Who” helps you to do this?

The story is about movement over water, through feelings and memories, to a new place and time. The man in the card is leaving terra firma and stagnation, carried safely in his “ark.”

(Is that mountain in Oregon? My rabbi is in Lake Oswega and another rabbi I might like working with is nearby-- should I take soul retreat in Portland before making aliyah?)

The man in the card cannot see where he is going; he trusts the hints from his intuition and just rows his boat. Although he sits in an awkward position, he holds the oars with practiced ease. This is a picture of me, moving toward a future that I can’t see or guess. I am listening for guidance… and trusting it.

The otter watches the Elder with playfulness and spontaneity, gratitude, and caring. These are attitudes that might aid me.

BALANCE: How to find my right balance at the threshold?

The Tree

What surprises you about this image? What troubles you? What delights you?

Describe the places of balance in this card. How are they maintained? What example do they offer to you for your own balance?

How does the season balance in the whole of yearly cycle? What lessons does it offer to you about balance at this time in your life?

This card makes me want to ask you…

Are you taking time to pause, to contemplate, to meditate as you make this transition?

I can’t answer any of Carolyn’s questions about The Tree, but I wonder if the card represents a need for stillness. As one finds balance in yoga by focusing inward and responding to imbalances, I should seek balance in everyday life, without fear or comparisons, but by responding to each moment and internal movement. (And maybe I should start doing more yoga, too.)

EMERGE INTO: What can emerge for me as I step into the spring’s new light?

Elder of Earth

What is happening here? What came before to make it possible?

What symbolic element most captures your attention? What meaning does it hold for you? What does it invite you to emerge into?

How is this a picture of you?

This card makes me want to ask you…

What would it mean to think of yourself as a master of change?

A woman, who may be both older and wiser, is spinning a tale, weaving together the threads of her past. This is helping her, but ideally, the story she tells will also help other people.

What happened before: dissolution, losing herself and her path.

The land in the image makes me feel secure, but the presence of the deer prevents it from being static or stagnant. The deer speaks to me of grace, gentleness, trusting one’s instincts, caution, and freedom.

The card invites me to regain my confidence and to release fears for my security. I can emerge into creativity. I can transform myself.

Carolyn’s thoughts on the cards are similar to my own.

LEAVE BEHIND: This card offers an interesting visual on “leaving behind.” The Elder is leaving behind the great wide ocean to head toward the shore, his home. He can’t actually see the shore and moves from skill and trust toward this destination. Moving from these ideas to your life, you might think of it as you are leaving behind a vast and seemingly endless sea of emotions to trust your movements toward a new shore, a new life. You are invited to leave behind the emotions that are linked to the place where you have been, perhaps a few happy ones to mark and celebrate and most certainly the deeper murkier ones.

BALANCE: One of my favorite meanings for this card comes from Rachel Pollack where she talks about the Hanged One as surrendering to the spiritual, to one’s highest purpose. To make such a surrender requires sacrifice, but also a grounding in what is most important. That which is most important or compelling, our highest spiritual calling perhaps, is the Tree that supports us as we do this odd looking working. So even as your life is topsy-turvy from making a big change, keep going back to grounding yourself in this calling. The card suggests that taking mindful moments of meditation (specifically yoga if that is already your practice, but if not that, then the form of meditation that grounds you the most) as you go through the transition.

EMERGE INTO: Wow, I love this image here. The Wheel of Change is being used as a tool for creating a life that is abundant nurturing, and beautiful. You’ve met the Wheel of Change and learned its ways. Now you will emerge into the rewards that it offers.

OVERALL: As a story these cards show you shifting from an Elder focused on emotions to an Elder spinning her own Wheel of Change. The point of power through you must pass to make the transition includes: surrendering to your highest calling, meditation, and daring to turn your life upside down.

Blessings on you for the journey!