Lammas Tarot Blog Hop: My Harvest Table

Welcome to the Tarot Blog Hop. This time around we have twenty writers all blogging on the same topic. Perhaps you are visiting me from Alison Coals' blog. When you finish here, hop over to Chloe's Celtic Lenormand blog. If you find a break in the chain, visit the Master List.

Today is Lammas, also known as Lughnassad. It is the cross-quarter day between the Summer Solstice and the Autumnal Equinox. It time for the Tarot Blog Hop once again.

At this turn of the Wheel we celebrate the first harvest. Our wrangler, Arwen, has given us our topic. We are all to answer this question in whatever way we see fit.

What can I share from my table to enrich my community?

I thought it would be fun to do a tarot spread to answer that question.

I divided the tarot deck into its suits. I decided to draw one card from each suit to provide the reading. The card I drew from the Major Arcana would represent my table. The Cups card would be the beverage. The veggies would be represented by the Wands. The Pentacles would supply the grains and the Swords would be the proteins.

I am a member of many communities. Since this is the Tarot Blog Hop I wanted to focus this question specifically on my tarot community of peers, mentors, students, clients and friends.

My table is the platform on which my work is based. The card I pulled to represent that table is the Hierophant.

To me this says that my work, and my sharing in my community, is based on the expertise and spiritual wisdom gleaned from two decades of professional tarot, as well as from the wisdom of my own teachers and mentors. The Hierophant is often about written teachings. When I first started learning tarot the books by Eden Gray and Mary K. Greer were invaluable to my journey. Now I write tarot books that offer lessons to assist the journeys of others. I also offer webinars, many of them free, to my community. Within the community, my table is teaching - the teaching I have received and the teaching I now offer.

On the table we have beverages. What libation can I pour for my community? From the suit of Cups I drew the Page of Cups.

I love this card. There are so many references that are appropriate here. On one hand I see this card as simply “A message of love.” It reminds me that the ultimate purpose of the work I do is to put people in touch with Spirit, which we experience as love. The Page is also a student. While the Hierophant reminds me that I am a teacher, the Page of Cups reminds me that I am also eternally a student.

For our meal we have a generous helping of fresh vegetables, as symbolized by the Wands. The Wands card that I drew is the Four of Wands.

The Four of Wands can often represent community gatherings and events. Over the years I have organized and participated in many community events. The Four of Wands is a reminder to continue to gather with my community by holidng and attending events. The Four of Wands is also a card that discusses marriage. As an ordained minister I often have the privilege of solemnizing sacred unions. Weddings can be some of the happiest community gatherings.

The term “Lammas” was originally "Loaf-mass". Sprung from the Pagan holiday of Lughnassad, Loaf-mass was a time of Christian charity. People would gather grain and bake bread to give to the poor. Lughnassad is specifically a holiday of reaping the grains.

In this spread grains are represented by the suit of Pentacles. The card I drew is the Three of Pentacles.

To me this card is about professionalism – being a master of my craft. The Three of Wands blends creativity with hard work to achieve a great finished product. Because tarot is somewhat maligned and misrepresented in the mainstream I do think it is extra important to be a good example of tarot professionalism, as do many of my peers. It is from this grain that we are able to create something new in the world. We create respect for who we are and what we do, just as the craftsman in the Three of Pentacles has earn respect for his work.

The suit of Swords represents the proteins of our harvest meal. From that suit I drew the Ten of Swords.

The Ten of Swords can be a very painful card. It is here that I do what all good tarot readers and mentors do. I try to use my skills to offer comfort - to alleviate pain and fear for my clients, my students and in support of my peers.
So often in spiritual communities there is sadly more competition than cooperation. The Wiccans even have a name for it – “witch wars.” Our ability to work together and support each other as a community celebrating each other’s successes and sharing the lessons of our experience with each other is what makes our community strong as a good meal makes the body strong.

These, then, are the offerings of my harvest table - the Hierophant, the Page of Cups, the Four of Wands, the Three of Pentacles and the Ten of Swords, which I interpret as teaching, learning, love, community gathering, professionalism, comfort and cooperation.

A blessed harvest to you all!

The illustration for this post is a picture of the four tools, or four suit icons, baked in bread. This was a tradition of the Pocono Tarot Picnic, a harvest celebration held by our tarot community in Northeastern Pennsyvania - a wonderful community gathering indeed.

Now it is time to visit the next post in the Blog Hop, Chloe's Celtic Lenormand.
If you are working backward, visit Alison Coals' blog.
If you find a break in the chain, visit the Master List.