Oh may the winds be fair and the great sea be calm.
May we follow our course surely from dark until dawn.
The bright stars above us and the great sea below,
And the Graces surround us wherever we go.
Lisa Thiel, Seafarers’ Prayer, from The Invocation of the Graces
(inspired by the Carmena Gadelica).
Another encore this magical Solstice Week, from a frequent and very recent visitor. As the Sun reaches Her zenith in the sky in the Northern Hemisphere, and our friends below the equator observe Yule, we welcome back the Three of Wands.
Since it came calling so recently, I will forgo the extra long analysis (which, to be candid, is something I am curtailing somewhat anyway, thanks to the big changes now underway).
If you wish to refresh your understanding of this image in the Waite-Smith deck, you can go back to just a little over a month ago, here.
Instead, let’s focus on what the return of this card may mean here and now.
A Big Week Ahead
There is a lot going on in cosmos this week, including a Grand Trine when Jupiter stations retrograde on Sunday the 20th. Yes, right smack on the Solstice, which arrives at 11:32pm, Eastern time.
But first, our week kicks off with the second of the three exact squares between conservative stabilizer, Saturn, and rebellious challenger Uranus. Because they are both big, slow-moving (from our perspective on Earth) planetary giants, these showdowns between them are setting the tone for the whole year.
But their slow dance becomes climactic during the exact “hits” occurring in 2021, and the second one is Monday.
Elisabeth Grace did a brilliant job of explaining the importance of this confrontation when the first one occurred, back in February.
For this week’s big event, Robert Wilkinson writes:
The friction of Saturn square Uranus is helping us to understand our ability to make conscious choices about what to do and what can be ignored.
This square allows us to see the permanent patterns behind all things even as there is tremendous catabolic activity breaking down old structures, rules, and limitations. We all are seeing what’s important and learning to ignore the unimportant while expressing our part to play in the larger spiritual group(s) we’re involved in, demonstrating good Leo and/or Scorpio energies as circumstances require.
Trust the process which brought you to this point of revelation and relative peace and enjoyment, since it opens many doors to new vistas.
Because the void created by a square is both the problem and the solution, show heart, strength, nobility, courage, concentration, and the willingness to release to attract…
Though the generic energies are erratic and intense, be patient as you work with the material to concretize the emergent Aquarian energies. Uranus is revolutionizing our approach to substance, and Saturn is showing us a new social order. The two together will bring forth the best of the structures of the new era dawning at this time.
Making choices by seeing the bigger picture? Check.
Opening doors to new vistas? Check.
In the Three of Wands, the Magician-like figure gazes off into the distance. He has stepped through the magical doorway now behind him (and also shown in the Two of Wands), and is now watching to see how what he has set in motion will proceed.
Annie Heese adds her perspective to this momentous event:
Saturn forms a square to Uranus on June 14th, generating some friction. It’s the second of three such hits in 2021, the first of which occurred in February, and the final and third one set to happen in December.
At the root of tension is a clash between our need for freedom and spontaneity and our need for structure and stability. Ideally, we can find creative ways to satisfy these diverging needs, perhaps by giving form to our ideals and quest for progress.
Rules and limitations are harder to tolerate, but without some lines drawn, life feels too chaotic.
Attempts to assert our individuality, freedom, and originality tend to undermine our feeling of groundedness and security. Yet, we are not satisfied when we conform.
There may be sudden and unexpected twists that force us to do something different or free ourselves from old habits.
Note how our card reflects exactly this dynamic tension. The fiery Wands want to move, transform, and shine. But the Threes are a synthesis and harmonizing influence. As I have commented in the past, this is one of the most contemplative cards in the Wands suit, which far prefers action over reflection.
The figure stands on the light-filled hilltop, watching the ships. These are vessels that travel the wild seas, carried by winds that can be capricious and dangerous. So they must be sturdy, snug, and stable, sailing the waves of every circumstance.
What We Have Set in Motion
Sometimes it is hard to wait for results when so much is riding on our hopes.
What threshold have you finally crossed? Having made some important creative or enterprising decision, what outcome would you recognize as success?
This week we come to the mighty turning of the Wheel of the Year. In the Northern Hemisphere, the daylight hours that have lengthened ever since our final celebration of the Advent Sun Wheel ritual now pause and begin to decline. The Oak King must relinquish His throne as the Holly King ascends once more.
Summer arrives in the North, and the final darkness of Winter descends in the lands below the equator.
And the Tarot has us waiting on the precipice, gazing out at what we have willed into being.
Fair winds are blowing. Change is assured. Let us adjust our sails and catch the tide.
And may the Graces surround us wherever we go.
This post first appeared on Beth Owl’s Daughter — Inspiring Enchantment & Illumination With Tarot & Intuitive Guidance, please read the originial post: here
