My home turf is known for it’s apple trees. You’d be hard pressed to go without seeing one for more than half a block.

May is hands down the most beautiful month of the year, in my neck of the woods. It usually marks the beginning of “real” spring, a wondrous season that lasts about a week where all the flowers explode into a riot of color. Then the wilting, hot, humid summer arrives with its battalions of mosquitoes and biting flies and midges. But for one glorious week of perfect temperatures, and soft rain showers chasing golden sunshine with rainbows, it is heaven on earth.

Surprisingly, I didn’t have a hard time choosing decks for this month! It came really easily to me what I wanted to work with. Unsurprisingly, I am craving spring colors, and a good dose of nature (for the most part!).

Seems like purple is the theme of the month! Clockwise from top left: Eldrich Overload, the Shadowscapes Tarot (large Czech version), The Mushroom Hunter’s Tarot, The Raven’s Prophesy Tarot, The Garden of Lucid Daydreams oracle

Again, I took a pretty big leap of faith in my self and chose TWO decks I haven’t used at all (The Mushroom Hunter’s Tarot and the Eldrich Overload Tarot both Kickstarters I received recently)–so I have a big learning curve ahead of me! On the other hand, I tempered this with two decks I’m very familiar with that should come easily to me, the Shadowscapes Tarot (my first deck I was truly dedicated to learn from) and The Raven’s Prophesy Tarot (a deck I’ve had a while and used here and there but never focused with intensively). And, because it seemed to just fit perfectly, I grabbed The Garden of Lucid Daydreams oracle.

Here’s my monthly draw. I wanted to mix it up a little bit; I drew my cards in reverse order, and I’ll read them in reverse order as well! I’ve been reading exclusively upright cards this year (as opposed to in the past I’d read reversals that jumped out) and I think I will continue doing this since I’m learning a lot from limiting myself to only upright readings.

(Spoiler Alert from Future Stacy: This gets all up in the feels, so if you don’t like that, move along!)

From The Raven’s Prophesy I drew 20 Judgement. Wow, talk about starting a drawing strong! So, I have to admit, I’ve not read the book series this Tarot is based off of. When I bought the deck I didn’t even know there was a related book series! I keep telling myself I’m going to read it…some day. I still plan to! Anyways, I have a love/hate relationship with the imagery in this deck. It is beautiful, thought provoking, but also very simple. I can struggle with simple. The companion book is wonderful, but the meanings (probably tied with book themes) aren’t always intuitive to me.

At first glance, I see the royal crown perched atop a book with ruffled pages and inserted notes (looks like my typical messy notebook!). The crown demands attention–you have many (unknown, perhaps) responsibilities with your glory. As the Judgement card, it makes me think of a heir who at their parent’s death must step up and become the monarch. Whether you want this or not, your life is going to change. You have the rule book, you’ve studied it and have done many things to prepare, but nothing can be learned by books only. Learning happens from doing, and now you must do.

The guide book to this tarot speaks to being at a crossroads of your own choice (rather than the crossroads in Death and The Tower which are largely places you don’t seek). You have a choice to go one way, or the other, but you must move, and from that movement, you will grow. I personally this past month made a huge life decision that will forever change my lifestyle, but I have so much to learn and I feel like I’m constantly being tested by this choice to see if I can meet the demands, yet at the same time I MUST meet demands–I have no choice! Okay, a spooky card that gets us straight to the point!

The Oracle card I drew from The Garden of Lucid Daydreams is 51, Shelter. I love this oracle because it doesn’t really make you guess at all at the meaning of the art. We see a group, a family (or community, as the guide book offers) clutching at one another to keep them all safe. Despite the challenges you are called to address in the Judgement card, you are well supported, well loved and cared for–others will not let you fail! Put faith in other’s abilities to help you, and don’t be afraid to ask for help–in fact, now is a good time to ask for what you need!

This card, being so family oriented, may also be calling on me to strengthen the rather weak connections I have in my own (broken) family. A relative of mine is passing away and it strangely gave me the opportunity to speak to individuals who I believed all but abandoned me, and it seems we kinda get along! Perhaps if I want to establish family ties, I have to stop waiting for them to get it together and instead be the first one to reach out and bridge that many years gap of exclusion.

Next (starting from the right) I drew the X of Pentacles from The Mushroom Hunter’s Tarot. Being a amateur mushroom hunting enthusiast myself, it was delightful to see this charming and well thought out deck on Kickstarter. I didn’t need to read the guide to get the gist of this one–that is a LOT of truffles! You have wealth and stability, you are comfortable and successful.

The Eight of Swords came out of the Shadowscapes Tarot. I really like this eight of swords, the swan is in real danger of being cut by all the thorns, but if she only calms and sees how the humming bird can carefully navigate, she too can free herself. But her dangers are real. That bramble witch is not a nice person, and there are the skeletons of her dead brethren beneath her that were unable to keep their wits about them and died from panic and poor problem management. Such a mood card! I too am so aware of all the bad things that can happen from this drastic lifestyle change I made, and along with all the other little problems of life in general, it can all feel very scary and overwhelming. BUT! Big picture–others manage this sort of lifestyle and so can I! I must use my head and navigate things slowly and logically and I’ll get out of any mess I may find myself in.

And finally, from the Eldrich Overload Tarot, I drew the Page of Swords. This deck is loosely RWS and this card is definitely hearkening to the more traditional RWS look and feel. The meaning as described in the Codex (guide book), is quite different though than the “standard” meaning; you will see this page has a muzzle on. She has been silenced and punished for rash actions of standing up for what she believes. But she has learned her lesson to look now before she leaps! She still is very much learning her art of war, but now she understands prudence and the importance of planing. Do not assume that because you have one bad experience, or several, that this is your fate. Life will throw difficult things your way, but you learn from them, even if you get bumps and bruises. The tenacity to keep learning and doing what you believe is right will keep you moving forward down your path.

My draw for this month acknowledges the struggles and my anxieties of changing my life. I have made the daring leap forward, but I have the community and financial support to aid me in my growth. My fears are real, but are completely navigable if I keep a cool head and use prudence to go forward. Between the swan learning from the small swift humming bird and the daring page who goes forth despite her bad experiences, there is a tone of using teachers and wisdom to grow.