When Stability Falters: Lessons from the Great Mother Archetype
+ Register for The Empress Reimagined workshop is this Saturday!
Hi all,
How has this month been for you so far? Our family has been recovering from a series of summertime colds, which has made everyday life, work, and responsibilities a real challenge.
I’m reminded of the Oracle’s divination I drew for us as a collective earlier this month, which is now feeling oddly prophetic in hindsight.
The last few weeks have certainly been a V of Pentacles struggle. Health at a low, diminished energy, in need of support (and childcare!) but unable to receive it since we are all sick. It’s interesting to see how ruptures in the realm of the pentacles (the grounding, sensate areas of life) affect the wands (vitality, inspiration, energy for life).
When stability falters (whether in the body, emotionally, mentally, etc), we lose the ability to channel and expand creative energy, the II of Wands rx. It underscores just how essential having a stable base is. Without firm ground beneath us, the sparks of creation flicker out before it can take form.
Reflecting back on the Oracle’s guidance, though, I’m reminded that these are natural rhythms of life. The Great Mother provides, we are nurtured and held. Then, a downturn happens, and she takes away, leaving us bereft of all that sustains. It’s never the end, just another part of the cyclical process.
Temperance was the symbol of holding these tensions together, so a deeper understanding can emerge. I think that’s my current task, to endure through all parts of the cycle, to stand in the liminal moments, becoming wise to these mysteries.
If you’d like to read/listen to this month’s full Oracle, head here!
Register for The Empress Reimagined workshop
On Saturday, September 13th at 11:00 AM PST, we will gather for this month’s workshop to reimagine The Empress through the lens of the Great Mother archetype, exploring her full complexity in myth, symbol, and psyche. We’ll draw on figures like Demeter, Inanna & Ereshkigal, Venus, and Baba Yaga to illuminate her bivalent qualities, and consider tarot combinations that reveal new dimensions of her presence in our inner and outer lives.
A few recent podcasts to check out!
If you’re not familiar with Soror Mystica, it’s the podcast run by the incredible Cristina Farella (from
) and Mariana Louis (from Persephone’s Sister). Each episode explores the symbols of life through a broad archetypal lens (usually from their astrological and tarot perspectives). I’ve been invited as a guest for the last two episodes, the first on alchemy, and the most recent, on the Great Mother. It’s a great primer convo if you’re planning to attend this month’s class too! and I have been continuing to post episodes on our shared podcast, the Golden Shadow. Our last one was on the experience of parenthood for us thus far…featuring a special little guest in the intro :)Join the conversation
How has this month has been unfolding for you? Where have you been feeling the presence (or absence) of stability? Have you noticed themes emerging from the Great Mother or The Empress? Join me in the comments, even just to say hello.
Feel better soon!💜