This spread allows me to tap into my spiritual self-care and delve a little deeper into my psyche. It helps to really work through my thoughts and how my emotions may be affected by my thoughts.
Using this spread can also be classed as Shadow Work, which is the practice of healing any unwanted behaviors, emotional wounds, limiting beliefs, self-sabotage, or any other blocks, which may be buried in your subconscious.
Shadow Work is extremely important for Witches and our practices, as many of our spells are powered by our intention, through thoughts and emotions. As most of our thoughts and emotions are contained within our shadow side, in our subconscious, undertaking Shadow Work forces us to take a long, hard look at those thoughts and emotions and, when adequately worked through, addressed and resolved, can help us release any hidden resistance within us, which may otherwise have hindered our magickal workings.
To put it all into context, I’ve described below what each of the terms mean.
• Subconscious – This is the concealed part of the mind, the one we aren’t usually aware of, but which controls a lot of how we think, feel and act. Pulling a card for this hidden part of yourself enables to you closely analyse your deepest thoughts and feelings, which you may not even be aware of.
• Conscious – This is related to the thoughts and feelings you are aware of. They are, however, heavily influenced by the subconscious, so if you look carefully at the subconscious card, it can help you to better understand why you may be having those thoughts or feelings in the present moment. You need to be able to discern what the connection is, between the conscious and the subconscious card, and how you manage this connection.
• Higher Conscious – Your higher conscious is likely something you already know, but which you either haven’t understood, or accepted, yet. Once you’ve determined the root cause of your current thoughts, through analysing and interpreting the conscious and subconscious cards, you can then use what you’ve learned, to better understand what the higher conscious card is trying to tell you. This card is thought to show you your ‘truth’ and it is often kept from you, by your subconscious, because of negative or self depreciating thoughts, which cause us to have mental blocks or psychological inhibitions.
Here are the cards that a pulled, after cleansing and shuffling my deck, and meditating on the questions I was going to ask.
• Subconscious – Frog;
• Conscious – Fox; and
• Higher Conscious – Tiger.
Subconscious – The Frog
The Frog and the water element are almost inseparable, as the Frog spends its first few months of it’s life, as spawn, then tadpoles, entirely within this element. Only once the Frog grows it’s legs and loses it’s vestigial tail, does it emerge from the water to explore the land. But no matter how long the Frog spends on terrestrial soil, it has the constant need for the cleansing and rejuvenating properties of the water from whence it came.
Frogs have a habit in nature to become overworked and undernourished, so it’s of vital importance that such sensitive creatures practice self-care.
This card, as a representative of my subconscious, serves to remind me that water assists with cleansing, forgiving and releasing.
I need to be reminded to practice self-care, lest my energy levels be deplete and I run the risk of running on empty. The best form of self-care and renewal for me is a river, lake, ocean or restorative and relaxing bath.
Conscious – The Fox
The Fox is a wise teacher, who bares the wisdom of the earth element. It is also a creature that is quick to learn and adapt, skillful with business and negotiations, due to their charming, but cunning nature, and can also be seen by others as an enchanting creature of mystique and ingenuity. The Fox is also an ideal partner and a loyal mate.
This card tells me I am destined to do what I do, I am naturally drawn to all things magickal and I’m quite an ingenious person. However, I can often be unsure of my identity and often have doubts and insecurities about my abilities and talents. I also need to and recognise when I’m doing too much, or taking on too much, take a step back and make time to rest and recuperate. In order to do this, I need to delegate more, not be afraid to ask for help, start having complete faith in myself and my abilities and make time to go to recharge and recuperate.
Higher Conscious – The Tiger
The Tiger is the embodiment of a powerful and commanding creature, which is more than happy to just wander the jungles and forests, minding it’s own business, but which also has an innate power that only needs to be flexed when needed.
I take this to mean that, in order to achieve my higher consciousness, I need to have trust in the process and accept the knowledge that what I need will come to me when I need it to, but I shouldn’t be afraid to shout when I need to be heard or use more force when required. I should also implicitly trust in myself and awaken to my fullest power.
I also need to connect more with the Divine feminine power of the moon, to help me to relax and reconnect my soul.
I should take some time to consider what makes life full and meaningful for me. Time is fleeting and everyday is so precious. However, with each passing day, it can often feel so monotonous and run of the mill. We’re all guilty of taking weeks, months and even years for granted. I need to make sure I take every day as a gift and ensure I’m using my abilities, my time and my talents to their fullest potential.
Melusina The Green Witch 