During the 2020 annual meeting of White Oak Grove CUUPS our Board of Directors saw its first significant change in the executive leadership since the group’s inception as Betsy retired from her service as President. Continue reading “Changes in White Oak Grove Board of Directors”
Q: What are card rumors and misconceptions I should avoid?
A: Don’t fall into the trap of accessing popular modern dogma to your tarot readings. Just because they used a specific card attribute in a movie doesn’t mean that they got it right.
Upright vs Reversed: Generally is what it is… for example if the upright card means you should jump into this new venture with both feet, the revered may mean don’t count your ducks before they have hatched. Not all tarot card readers read reversed cards differently.
Death means someone will die!!!! No, no that is not what that card means… Yes, it does mean the end of something, but mortal death is rarely what it is alluding to. Upright can be there is a clear ending to a situation while reversed tends to mean that you are at a crossroads and need to make a decision.
The Lovers- bow-chicha-bow-wow! No, stop that… The Lovers appearing for you does not mean a new partner, blah blah blah. What it most likely means is that there is some sort of duality and the cooperation is needed to help.
Oh crap it’s The Devil!!! Yes, there is cause for alarm with this card, no you are not going to Hell. Well, even if you are, I’m not qualified to judge you. Upright this card may mean frustration with a situation. You have the means to free yourself if you are willing to do the work. Reversed can mean you need to look more internally than externally to figure out what is boxing you in.
This Two Minute Tarot was originally presented by April Kane for White Oak Grove CUUPS August 4, 2019. ©2019 April Kane
Q: How do I know what the cards are trying to say. Is there a guide I can use to know what they mean in general until I am more comfortable with them?
A: There are general concepts that equate to specific cards. Most importantly though, listen to your intuition and look for patterns in your readings. If you get drawn specific cards repeatedly when asking the same sort of questions, you may have your own associations that differ from these.
Ace cards tend to key into timing:
- Wands: Autumn
- Cups: Summer
- Swords: Winter
- Pentacles:Spring
Minor Numbers:
- One: Beginnings
- Two: Duality
- Three: Self expression/ Communication
- Four: Clarity, elements/directions/seasons
- Five: instability, change
- Six: Service, compassion
- Seven: solitude, soul searching
- Eight: abundance, influence
- Nine: Wisdom through experience
- Ten: Ending and Beginning
This Two Minute Tarot was originally presented by April Kane for White Oak Grove CUUPS August 4, 2019. ©2019 April Kane
Not all modern pagans celebrate Imbolc, but many wish to honor the cycles of nature in one way or another. It’s easy to pull together a simple altar space to cleanse and purify your home while encouraging those first inklings of new life from deep within the earth. Spring is beginning to stir. Small trays of crystals for healing and guidance, salt jars with purifying greens, and white candles can add a decorators touch to your home while still keeping the sacredness of your space in the forefront.
What will you put on your altar space this season? Here’s a peek at what’s on mine. Continue reading “Easy Imbolc Altar”
Q: What do the different suits of my tarot deck mean?
A: In short, Staves/Rods/Wands equate to topics dealing with inspiration, creativity, tasks, goals, beginnings, growth. They are associated with the element and astrological signs of FIRE. Cups/Chalice are generally equated with emotions, relationships, feelings, desires, emotions, internal. They are associated with the element and astrological signs of WATER. Swords are the tool of reason, truths, observations, actions, struggles, intellect. They are associated with the element and astrological signs of AIR. Finally Coins/Pentacles tend to refer to material goods, home life, career, manifestations. They are associated with the element and astrological signs of EARTH.
This Two Minute Tarot was originally presented by April Kane for White Oak Grove CUUPS August 4, 2019. ©2019 April Kane
Q: How do I learn to read Tarot Cards?
A: Learning to read the tarot can include going off of the symbology of the cards and what you interpret them to mean, memorizing the book that comes with your tarot deck (everyone seems to have their own opinion with overarching similarities), journaling a daily diary with a meditation on the card and what impressions you get from it, reading books on tarot, taking classes on tarot (paid and free versions are available all over the internet), or diving in through dabbling.
Whatever method you have for your knowledge, tarot in many ways is very subjective. There is an overarching similarity in themes of cards, ie. The World, Death, numerical symbology, etc. however it is up to the reader with the impressions they are receiving with the reading that will likely influence how a card is or is not read. Also, it is the knowledge of the reader that _____ card means _____ that governs what is interpreted. Not all decks are created equally if you only go off of the words of the deck author.
Trust your instincts with the cards and know that there is no “one way” to make tarot work for you. Go forth and TAROT!
This Two Minute Tarot was originally presented by April Kane for White Oak Grove CUUPS August 4, 2019. ©2019 April Kane
Shinto is the indigenous “religion” of Japan. It is not a “full” religion in that it has no written scriptures and is not a way to explain the world. Shinto teaches ethical practices but has no commandments. Shinto: Way of the Spirits was originally presented by Allen Reed for White Oak Grove CUUPS September 2, 2018. ©2018 Allen Reed
A flame within a chalice, first deigned by Hans Deutsch in 1941, is a primary symbol of the Unitarian Universalist faith tradition. Many of our congregations kindle a flaming chalice in gatherings and worships and feature the chalice symbol prominently. What does this have to do with the greek Goddess of Home and Hearth? Continue reading “Hestia Symbolism in the Unitarian Universalist Association”
“I know that I hung
on a wind-battered tree
nine long nights,
pierced by a spear
and given to Odin,
myself to myself,
on that tree
whose roots grow in a place
no one has ever seen.
No one gave me food,
No one gave me drink.
At the end I peered down,
I took the runes—
screaming, I took them—
and then I fell.”
(Havamal verses 138 – 139, “The Poetic Edda” translated by Jackson
Crawford)
If you’re trying to learn Witchcraft—or anything really—a base of know Potion, brew, philter, bath, infusion, sachet, charm or mojo bag, Witch’s bottles and jars—there are so many different kinds of things Witches seem to make, aren’t there? Well, they don’t call it “The Craft” for nothing. Witchcraft and spells often involve actually crafting and enchanting different types of items. Continue reading “Magical Concoctions,Brews and Teas”
Hestia, was the daughter of Cronus, Titan of the Harvest, and Rhea, Mother of Gods. Part of the first generation of Olympians, she was the sister to Zeus, Hera, Demeter, Hades, Poseidon. Hestia is the first and last, oldest and youngest, of the children of Cronus. First born of the siblings, she was the first to be swallowed by Cronus in his attempt to circumvent prophecy and not have his throne usurped by his children. A Homeric Hymn from 700BC tells us that as the first to be devoured by Cronus, she was also the last to be yielded up again.
Cultures throughout the world have expressed in their philosophies and mysticism the use of the elements to express the ideas of body, mind and soul. In the western world the elements most commonly used are Earth, Air, Fire and Water
Aphrodite has two birth stories, with the most commonly believed story is that from Hesiod’s Theogony, that she was born when Cronus cut off Ouranus’s genitals and threw them into the sea. So potent was the sky father that a great sea foam arose and from the sea foam Aphrodite was born and was carried to shore a on a scallop shell, fully formed and radiating beauty. In the Illiad however, Homer it is mentions that Aphrodite’s parents were Zeus and Dione.
Our Calendar of Events page has been updated with the upcoming events of 2019! The board is excited to be bringing in several guest speakers to lead monthly discussion groups, and for the first time ever we will be offering several new rituals this year! Check out our Calendar of Events page and be sure to save the dates!
Swords in Magic
The sword has held a place of power and ritual since it first started being made and used. Continue reading “Swords in Magic”
The Roman God Janus
Janus is the ancient Roman God of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, duality, doorways, passages, and endings. A uniquely Roman God, Janus has no equivalent in Greek religion. However late roman period art from the Greek regions has turned up a handful of Janus inspired Hermes artworks. Janus is usually depicted as having two faces, one looking forward, the other back. This forward and backward, future and past, war and peace dichotomy embodies the nature of the God.
Modern American pagans often consider Poseidon in the summer, when they make their way to beaches across the land. However – in ancient Attica the month of Poseidon feel in mid-winter.
White Oak Grove CUUPS 