The World Tree -Our Tarot Card for May

Regular readers know that I choose a tarot or oracle deck at the beginning of each month and pull one card that becomes our focus or meditation for the month.  Astute readers will also know that we just had the World Tree as our symbol for February. I could have chosen a second card, but I believe there is a reason a card comes up. Perhaps, we need to interpret the card differently. Perhaps there is a new message or a message for someone in our community. Perhaps, the state of the world right now begs for us to remember that we are all One, that we are connected to the Universe and that the steady oak survives.

This card is drawn from The Sacred Circle Tarot by Anna Franklin, illustrated by Paul Mason. While many of the cards in this deck highlight a specific sacred site in Britain or Ireland, this card may be from any of the Celtic lands. The mighty oak is a primary Druid symbol. As the World Tree, it represents the axis mundi, the center of the world. The tree which exists in our realm, reaches up to the Sky, and sends its roots down into the ground. As we enter May, we are reminded of the Maypole, and the dance around the Maypole to celebrate the marriage of light and dark, male and female, Sky and Earth.

Note that in this depiction of a World Tree an Eagle soars above and connects us to that Higher Realm. Those of us in the USA may think of the eagle as our national symbol but not know that Scottish chieftains wore eagle feathers as did our Native American tribal leaders.

The snake in the picture, of course, reminds us of the Underworld, the deep earth and the transformational powers below. The author tells us that “At Ostara, spring equinox, the Goddess lays a serpent’s egg-increasing the power of the sun”.

I invite you to spend a few minutes in reflection and/or meditation on this beautiful card. What do you see? What does it say to you? In what ways might its message inform the month ahead?

I also invite you to find a tree in your own backyard or neighborhood. Honor its strength and the good it does for the environment. Take time to sit under its protective boughs, lean against the firm and supportive trunk, feel the roots below as you look through its leafy branches to the sun and sky above.

This is our world. May we be grateful for it.