August Oracle Card - The Grove

I chose Jane Burn’s sweet little Celtic Oracle Portal to the Sacred Trees for this month’s bonus card. I did so for 3 reasons. I am in the middle of her latest webinar, The Powerful Transformations Hidden in the Betwixt and Between. This is the season of the Lion’s Gate portal and other celestial phenomena. And, I am working with the theme of portals in a project of my own.

This is not a traditional tarot. It consists of a carefully selected and beautifully described set of trees which were sacred to the Celts. Each tree held and still holds special meaning and significance. Jane offers a healing ritual and a meditation after each tree’s place in Celtic lore is described. As Jane says, this “shifts the energy of the situation” and/or offers “ the blessing that the card is signifying”. I love that explanation. It also expresses my purpose in sharing a monthly card with you.

The Grove, illustration by Judith Bird,  is the card that popped out from the deck. How apt for summer. I recently spent a few days in the Adirondacks where our host took us to a beautiful nearby state park. A number of sacred tree circles lined the creek and were easily accessible. Our host had just read about forest bathing and asked us to share the experience with her. As we explained, this is akin to bathing in a pool-it is the silent appreciation of being in the forest and welcoming the energy of the trees into our inner being. Our friend, initially challenged by the idea that it was “no more” than sitting silently amid the trees, was surprised by the power of the experience.

The Druids met in groves. The circle was a sacred configuration to the Celts. Ancient fires, stone circles, and sacred groves brought people together, raised and focused their energy, and provided a place to honor their ancestors and the elements of the natural world. This card suggests a gathering of resources,  a sense of support, the value of community.

The meditation and ritual offered by Jane, like “forest bathing” ask that you enter a grove of trees and experience their energy and wisdom. If you do not have access to a forest or even any trees, meditate on the picture on the card itself. See yourself at the center. Imagine going clockwise and then counterclockwise around the circle.

Ask throughout the month what messages the trees have for you or merely bathe in their energy.