Swan Symbolism In Tarot, The Magick Of Finding Your Tribe + One Kickass Audio Recording Of A Real Live Witch Reading "The Ugly Duckling"...
Growing up, my dad used to joke that they found me under a rock on the side of the freeway...
I was quite different from the rest of my family in both the way I looked & the way I behaved. This was pointed out to me often, and so I developed a complex around that.
And- that complex followed me into my first year at Hartland Summer Camp when I was, at just 8 years old, the youngest girl in my cabin- and apparently the strangest- as they dubbed me "Little Weirdo".
I was weird.
I heard that a lot growing up.
Later in life, as maturity refined my rougher edges, weird became "quirky".
Still- it hit me just the same, and I was highly sensitive to being called either...
Not that I did anything to deflect such labels. I actually leaned further into my quirkiness in some weird rebel-without-a-cause notion that found me increasingly isolated & afraid.
I wanted to be understood. I wanted to be liked. So why did I make it so hard for the "normal people" to understand?
I think that something inside me wanted to prove that it was not I who was strange but rather the tribe I was born into...
Something really magickal happens when you find your tribe, a tribe of like-minded people who reflect your true self back at you with love...
You start to bloom.
You start to become who you really are... on the outside.
Being in the company of people who resonate with your innermost self both liberates & comforts.
It says- it's okay to DO YOU.
In fact- that's what we LOVE about you most!
YOU. Just you. Just as you are...
Finding One's Pack : Belonging As Blessing...
When I came upon the story of The Ugly Duckling in Chapter 6 of Women Who Run With The Wolves, I felt as though I had stumbled upon the story of myself.
Which is funny considering that this story of feeling like an outcast is somewhat universal.
If we are all outcasts- doesn't that mean none of us are???
That we're really- when we let down the guard of judgement and the need to put labels on people- all a part of one great big tribe?
I suppose there are many tribes within the tribe, and that is what we are talking about here today- it's what the witchy community has become for me...
It has become the core tribe of support & friendship that strengthens me. I feel valued in this tribe. I feel understood in a way that I never have before, and it's my honor to in turn understand.
So many of you write to me with your personal stories, and if you could see how YOUR story links up with just about every other story I hear, you might breathe a sigh of relief.
It's a relief to know that you are not alone.
It's a relief to know that other people are seeing what you see when you look into the mirror of your own reflection...
Swan symbolism shows up in many myths throughout history, "from the Greek Leda, transformed into a swan after mating with Zeus in this form, to Elsa of Brabant in the stories of the Grail Knight Lohengrin (Wildwood)...
And- I found it interesting that a quick flip through a few of my favorite tarot decks also turned up quite a few swans!
Pictured below are cards from the Wildwood Tarot, The Chrysalis Tarot, and the Vintage Wisdom Oracle...
The Shadowscapes Tarot features swan symbolism all throughout the suit of swords and a few Major Arcana cards.
The way Barbara Moore, the author of it's companion book, describes the Ace Of Swords adds even more dimension to our topic here today...
Yes. That too is another reason to find your tribe- to find the people who will spring to your defense when others try to pick you apart.
★ Have you ever worked with Swan symbolism, perhaps as a spirit guide or animal totem?
★ What did that energy feel like to you?
★ What kind of messages did you receive?
After delving more deeply into swan symbolism for this post, I am now super hot on exploring this energy as it relates to calling your tribe toward yourself on an energetic level.
That might be an awesome bit of MAGiCK to explore now...
Please remember- if you're looking to connect with a tribe of like-minded witchy people, I am launching a super FUN challenge on Facebook next week, which is designed to help you do just that!
Of course- The Psycho-Spiritual Wheel Of The Year is ongoing year round & you can hop on that wheel any ol' time you please :
And- before you go- let me first leave you with this...
I was quite different from the rest of my family in both the way I looked & the way I behaved. This was pointed out to me often, and so I developed a complex around that.
And- that complex followed me into my first year at Hartland Summer Camp when I was, at just 8 years old, the youngest girl in my cabin- and apparently the strangest- as they dubbed me "Little Weirdo".
I was weird.
I heard that a lot growing up.
Later in life, as maturity refined my rougher edges, weird became "quirky".
Still- it hit me just the same, and I was highly sensitive to being called either...
Not that I did anything to deflect such labels. I actually leaned further into my quirkiness in some weird rebel-without-a-cause notion that found me increasingly isolated & afraid.
I wanted to be understood. I wanted to be liked. So why did I make it so hard for the "normal people" to understand?
I think that something inside me wanted to prove that it was not I who was strange but rather the tribe I was born into...
"Have you ever wondered how you managed to end up in such an
odd family as yours? If you have lived your life as an outsider, as a
slightly odd or different person, if you are a loner, one who lives on the edge
of the mainstream, you have suffered. Yet there also comes a time to row
away from all of that, to experience a different vantage point, to emigrate
back to the land of one's own kind." -Clarissa Pinkola Estes, PhD
odd family as yours? If you have lived your life as an outsider, as a
slightly odd or different person, if you are a loner, one who lives on the edge
of the mainstream, you have suffered. Yet there also comes a time to row
away from all of that, to experience a different vantage point, to emigrate
back to the land of one's own kind." -Clarissa Pinkola Estes, PhD
Something really magickal happens when you find your tribe, a tribe of like-minded people who reflect your true self back at you with love...
You start to bloom.
You start to become who you really are... on the outside.
Being in the company of people who resonate with your innermost self both liberates & comforts.
It says- it's okay to DO YOU.
In fact- that's what we LOVE about you most!
YOU. Just you. Just as you are...
Finding One's Pack : Belonging As Blessing...
When I came upon the story of The Ugly Duckling in Chapter 6 of Women Who Run With The Wolves, I felt as though I had stumbled upon the story of myself.
Which is funny considering that this story of feeling like an outcast is somewhat universal.
If we are all outcasts- doesn't that mean none of us are???
That we're really- when we let down the guard of judgement and the need to put labels on people- all a part of one great big tribe?
I suppose there are many tribes within the tribe, and that is what we are talking about here today- it's what the witchy community has become for me...
It has become the core tribe of support & friendship that strengthens me. I feel valued in this tribe. I feel understood in a way that I never have before, and it's my honor to in turn understand.
So many of you write to me with your personal stories, and if you could see how YOUR story links up with just about every other story I hear, you might breathe a sigh of relief.
It's a relief to know that you are not alone.
It's a relief to know that other people are seeing what you see when you look into the mirror of your own reflection...
Swan symbolism shows up in many myths throughout history, "from the Greek Leda, transformed into a swan after mating with Zeus in this form, to Elsa of Brabant in the stories of the Grail Knight Lohengrin (Wildwood)...
And- I found it interesting that a quick flip through a few of my favorite tarot decks also turned up quite a few swans!
Pictured below are cards from the Wildwood Tarot, The Chrysalis Tarot, and the Vintage Wisdom Oracle...
The Shadowscapes Tarot features swan symbolism all throughout the suit of swords and a few Major Arcana cards.
The way Barbara Moore, the author of it's companion book, describes the Ace Of Swords adds even more dimension to our topic here today...
"The swan will fight to protect it's own..."
Yes. That too is another reason to find your tribe- to find the people who will spring to your defense when others try to pick you apart.
★ Have you ever worked with Swan symbolism, perhaps as a spirit guide or animal totem?
★ What did that energy feel like to you?
★ What kind of messages did you receive?
After delving more deeply into swan symbolism for this post, I am now super hot on exploring this energy as it relates to calling your tribe toward yourself on an energetic level.
That might be an awesome bit of MAGiCK to explore now...
Please remember- if you're looking to connect with a tribe of like-minded witchy people, I am launching a super FUN challenge on Facebook next week, which is designed to help you do just that!
(contest ended Summer 2015)
Of course- The Psycho-Spiritual Wheel Of The Year is ongoing year round & you can hop on that wheel any ol' time you please :
And- before you go- let me first leave you with this...
"Do not cringe and make yourself small if you are called the black sheep, the
maverick, the lone wolf. Those with slow seeing say a nonconformist is a
blight on society. But it has been proven over the centuries that being different
means standing at the edge, means one is practically guaranteed to make
an original contribution, a useful and stunning contribution to her culture."
-Clarissa Pinkola Estes, PhD