By Lalia Wilson
For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere the weather is warming up, the outdoors is beckoning us, and many of us are getting ready to plant herbs, vegetables, or flowers. The natural world looks most promising in spring. Everything is an exciting potential. Our hearts fill with joy and our spirits with excitement!
Some tarot decks connect more easily with the natural world than others. Even those that easily connect may be less connected to spring than other seasons. Here are some decks, with example cards, that may show you new aspects of this season and the natural world.
Let’s start with The Herbal Tarot by Michael Tierra and Candis Cantin and published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc. This is a 78 card fully illustrated deck, with card VIII as Strength (Cayenne) and card XI as Justice (Plantain). Each card features a different herb and each herb’s medicinal or gustatory effect correlates with the associated meaning of the tarot card. While the scope of the 78 cards exceeds my knowledge of herbs, the ones I’m familiar with are right on target. Here are some examples: The Ace of Cups is the Lotus. The Three of Wands is Saffron—a spice whose cost by ounce is probably the highest of all spices and whose history in trade dates back over 4,000 years! The Tower is Garlic. The Nine of Swords, a traditional card of insomnia, is Valerian, used over history as a relaxant, and stimulus of dream-state or psychic experiences. The Page of Swords is Dill, an herb used to focus the mind. The “Suspended Person” card XII (The Hanged Man), is kelp, a sea vegetable that grows down instead of up. The breath of spring is seen in the green fields depicted in the Ace of Pentacles—Whole Grains.
The Wheel of the Year Tarot by Maria Caratti with art by Antonella Platano is published by Lo Scarabeo. This entire 78 card deck is attuned to the seasons of the year, yet some particular cards resonate with spring garden fantasies and plans. The Pentacles appear to be growing rich through the cultivation of grapes and producing wine. In particular see the 9 of Pentacles which shows the grape harvest, and the 10 of Pentacles that shows the wealthy family patriarch and matriarch surrounded by grapes, wine, and money. The 10 of Cups shows the happy family with children, a dog and a cat, surrounded by chalices and flowers. The 2 of Wands shows what looks like Jack and the Beanstalk, as a young man and woman are putting up poles for their beans.
My favorite connection to the natural world is the Gaian Tarot by Joanna Powell Colbert, published by Schiffer. Let me point to four specific cards of this 78 card deck—first card V The Teacher (The Hierophant is its more common name). The Teacher holds a plant and may be telling us about the natural world. Then let’s look at three earth cards that are most closely related to gardening. The Guardian of Earth (Queen of Pentacles) is in his field examining the corn crop. The Nine of Earth, traditionally a woman in a garden with an exotic bird, here is a woman in a field of blooming lavender. If only we could be there to smell the breeze! The 6 of Earth (Pentacles) shows a farmer’s market with a plentitude of different crops and flowers available. But most appropriate to our theme this month is Card III—The Gardener! She is usually The Empress, but The Gardener particularly fits her fertility and the natural world.
See more from these decks in the Tarot Scopes article this month. Let your thoughts turn to spring and pull out one of these decks to help you get in the mood for gardening!