Spring's Conjuring

Aries 1 // caring for the world with the 2 of Wands

It’s finally spring! The vernal equinox has brought longer days here in the northern hemisphere, and even though the temperatures are still low (we even had some snow flurries yesterday) the longer days and morning bird song are filling me with hope. We’ve welcomed starling and red-winged blackbirds to our feeders this week, and I’ve been watching the spring bulbs sprout (at least the ones that haven’t been demolished by the deer!) - crocus, hyacinth, and my eagerly awaited giant purple allium!

The lucky few who somehow hid from the deer.

The cross-quarter holidays always invite me to find my well-worn copy of The Lost Words, written by Robert Macfarlane and illustrated (stunningly) by Jackie Morris. I discovered this book a few years ago and have been head-over-heels for it since¹. I leave it out year round, but find myself drawn to these magical poems on the cross-quarters. The book was written “to be read aloud, …[to] summon back what is often lost from sight and care, teaching the names of everyday species, and inspiring its readers to attention, love and care.” Macfarlane is a prolific nature writer and his love of Great Britain and her wildlife is abundantly clear, and Morris’ illustrations are both magical and startlingly realistic.

When we think about the work that needs to be done to combat the climate crisis it’s easy to become overwhelmed and hopeless. But when I think about the things that draw me back to nature, that compel me to cherish the Earth - it’s like George Eliot said, “We could never have loved the Earth so well had we had no childhood in it.” I remember the smell of lilacs blooming. I remember walking barefoot through the creek behind my best friends house, the water so crystal clear that we could see our toes in the sandy bottom. I remember listening for the echoing cry of an eagle on the back property of our church. And I remember the feel of warm dirt in my hands - counting pill bugs, planting seeds, digging holes to the other side of the world.

My favorite book of poems & a few images of the 2 of Wands. Tarot for Kids & the Biddy Tarot

The spring equinox marks the shift into the astrological season of Aries. For the next several weeks the sun moves through the sign of Aries and each 10 degrees (decan) of movement corresponds to a different tarot card. (If you want a little more about my journey with the decans you can read my post from last week.) This week’s card is the two of Wands. Aries is a fire sign and wands in the tarot represent the element of fire too - the element of creativity, imagination, conjuring. Spring is a wonderful time to focus on the fiery, creative potential of these cards. It’s the energy of the sprout bursting out of its seed coat! The sun returning! Babies being born!

In traditional decks² the two of wands is represented by a figure looking out from the turret of a castle. There is one wand nearby, and the figure holds a wand in one hand and a globe in the other. This card was traditionally called Dominion. The figure seems to be just passively looking out, but really there is a fire in their belly, a desire to conquer and expand their kingdom. Ambition. Courage. Preparation. Are they looking at the globe like a crystal ball, or is it the literal “world in their hand”?

Because I was raised in America, where we have yet to truly reckon with our past of domination and supremacy, we can look at this card more critically. Having witnessed the consequences of colonization and seeing the ways dominion can quickly turn to oppression, I choose to think of this card as Stewardship. A steward is still a person who has power to wield, but the word holds more responsibility and care to me. It reminds me of a quote from John O’Donohue: “What you encounter, recognize or discover depends on large degree on the quality of your approach… When we approach things with reverence, great things decide to approach us.” A steward looks out over her land and thinks about tending, not acquisition. The quality of her approach is care and nurturance. The steward’s gaze is not idle however, the energy of wands is still the driving force. It is active and asks - how can I passionately care for the world (or people, or ideas, or work) that has been entrusted me?

When I think about the Lost Words - poems describing words and nomenclature that have begun to lose relevance in our modern world (even removed from dictionaries!) - the poems feel like sacred work. And when I think about the work of rehabilitating our planet, of turning our back on exploitative practices that destroy our ecosystems, I know that work is going to require a fiery energy. If I hope for a world less dependent on oil and plastic, then I have to both plan (research which stores I want to shop at, products I want to use, car I want to drive etc) and act (actually shift my life to take better care of this one and only planet we have)! The systems that have built our world to this point are deeply entrenched in industrialism, manifest destiny & supremacy (oh my). These shifts will require creativity and ingenuity. I don’t think we can compel our children to care for the Earth by teaching them about the horrors of climate change - we will only give them chronic anxiety! We have to get them outside in the glorious world, and read aloud from books like The Lost Words.

Fire cards are also associated with the Major Arcana card of Judgement - we “hear the call” and ask the question: after the fire of our ambitions burn out, what will be our legacy?³ I am the figure on the turret, and there is a fire in my belly. I want a legacy where my grandchildren and great-grandchildren know more bird calls than ringtones, and more names of plants than brandnames. Where we listen to Spell Songs and conjure the Earth’s beauty. Where we spend more time outdoors, just being with the Earth. Where the Great Lakes are our ancestors, and we treat them with reverence. I hope that we are beginning to stoke the fires of climate care, and that our legacy will be a planet that is habitable and abundant and whole for generations to come.

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I want to leave you with a poem from the Lost Words, and since I’ve been enjoying the birds returning this first week of spring I’ll share a portion of Starling:

…Let shade clasp coal clasp pitch
clasp storm clasp witch,
they’d still be pale beside the -

In-the-dead-of-night-black, cave-black,
head-cocked, fight-back gleam of starling eye.

Northern lights teaching shoaling fish teaching
swarming flies teaching clouding ink
would never learn the -

Ghostly swirling surging whirling melting
murmuration⁴ of starling flock.

1. You can find two books of poems, a card game, puzzles and also albums of music inspired by the book! I highly recommend them all! I even listen to the first album during the dark months of the year and the spell songs II during the light half of the year, because I’m a nerd for seasonal rituals.

2. The Smith-Rider-Waite deck is one of the most widely used and recognizable decks - it uses classic symbolism and many modern decks are based on it.

3. I was inspired by this question in T. Susan Chang’s book 36 Secrets.

4. If you’ve never seen a murmuration: enjoy this clip!