Autumn Leaves: Fire
Transformation, change, transition, renewal.
Big changes feel terrifying but they are necessary when you’re stuck in place or in your life. Set yourself on fire, it will only burn what is false about your identity. It is scary to strip apart what you tell yourself about who your are, but the truth is a powerful tool to transform.
The Haunted House: Air
A house is supposed to be a place of safety.
But when you are experiencing disconcerting phenomena in your house it becomes a breathing creature that can scare you or make you want to escape. What if the ghost is only you, traveling through time?
The Horseshoe Crab: Water
Transition, memory, wisdom, endurance, resilience, intuition.
Ancient ancestral wisdom, remember that these creatures (who predate dinosaurs) have been witnesses on Earth through many calamities and still they survive. Humanity to them is just a quick blink. We are so small in the grand scheme of things. All crabs are influenced by the moon.
The Mountain: Earth
Represents both a challenge and a triumph.
They can evoke a strong feeling of loneliness but to others the mountain represent strength. The Appalachian Mountains are older than bones, older than trees, they predate all forms of life that we would recognize today. If you listen to the ancient primal voice within you, what does it say?
The Open Crypt: Air
Remembrance, inner demons, hiding, shadow-self, changes of state.
You have been suppressing an instinct or impulse.
Open yourself up to your full range of emotions, nothing is black or white.
The crypt is the darkest card in the deck, it symbolizes death, murder and a malevolent haunting.
The Premonition: Air
Intuition, symbols, instinct.
Every person is a part of the collective unconscious.
The answer to the question is already within you. If you wish to know the future, study the past and listen to the voice in your head or your gut giving you an omen.
The Reflection: Air
Introspection, honesty, portals.
We judge ourselves more harshly than we would judge a friend.
Our bodies change over time and show their wear and the evidence of their lives.
We never see ourselves the way other people see us because of the mirror image. Mirrors, even broken mirrors, have historically been viewed as portals, two mirrors facing each other is said to create a spiritual portal.
The Resilient Tulip Tree: Earth
Divination, summoning, protection, rebirth.
The Tulip Tree is sacred, it is an ancient tree related to the Magnolia. It invokes humans to ponder our ancient ancestors, who found shelter under its massive branches.
On the East Coast it is the tallest tree in the forest. It has very deep roots which wander far from the trunk. They grow quickly, have extremely hard wood and have impressive straight trunks.
The Satyresses: Air
Hedonism. Female version of a mythic Roman creature, the satyr.
Twin creatures, evoking Gemini and the two sides to every coin.
A nature spirit, one that is in harmony with the Earth and its creatures. However, they are a companion to Dionysius, the God of Wine and they are hedonistic creatures. Nature rewards pleasure. They contain important knowledge, but must be fooled for someone to hear it.
The Searcher: Air
Indecision, morality, self-reflection.
A feeling of questioning, if you have been lost about which way to turn, follow your gut instinct. Some people are born searchers, they will always wander for something new or something they believe is better. There is nothing wrong with adventure and searching. Everyone must search to find themselves.
The Shipwreck: Water
A stalled plan or a miscalculation.
Not ending up where you expected. There are challenges inherent in life. Loss and grief are a part of life, it cannot be fought or ignored. Everything passes, once the ship was safely at sea and it will return to the sea again.
The Snake: Earth
Transformation, wisdom, creative life force, eternity.
The ability to wait and be patient for the right moment. Snakes shed their skin and literally transform, people also have to shed their skins from time to time, especially when they must adapt to a new environment. The ouroboros is a popular mythical image, the snake eating its own tail and symbolizing eternity.
Smoke Signals: Fire
Dangers, news, purification, warding off negative energies.
A message you’ve ignored or haven’t heard.
If you have questions, walk in the woods until the trees tell you the answers you’re looking for. Smoke can be used for purification and warding off negative spirits.
The Sun: Fire
Hope, renewal, spirituality, life, power.
All of life survives on Earth because of the Sun, our nearest star.
The interconnectedness of all life here, all things are delicately interconnected. Life on Earth would die without the Sun, and it takes its light 8 minutes to reach us. Do not expect things immediately, even light takes its time.
The Tree In A Field: Earth
A feeling of isolation.
It is better to be alone than to agree with a group that is making the wrong decisions. Being right and being moral is not always popular. Stand your ground, follow your mind and your heart.
The Whale: Water
Communication, divine beings, healing, good luck, spiritual protectors.
Whales sing to each other just as humans do, but their ethereal songs echo across vast stretches of ocean. Seeing a humpback whale is a spiritual encounter, remark in their playful nature and the intricacy of their relationships.
The Winter Forest: Earth
Introspection, the truth, resilience.
The best time of year to get to know a tree is in Winter.
When its branches are bare you can truly marvel in the shape and form of the tree, the places of resilience and ingenuity. We would never call a tree ugly, we should never call our own bodies ugly. There is also a threatening aspect of the naked trees and a call for introspection.