Ace of Clubs: Sunbeam (and bursting bud) This is the suit of fire. The club symbol represents leaves sprouting from a club cut from a tree, a tree that has grown from sunlight and spread its leaves in the Spring light. Therefore, this is the card of the sun, which powers all life. It symbolises the start of a successful project, a birth, courage, initiative and sometimes sheer cheek (because you need a dose of that to achieve anything). It can also signify a new love affair or friendship. Whatever or whoever comes into your life can fire you up and inspire you. So be a wild child now and let a drop of sunlight shine from your eyes.
Two of Clubs: Stags Drawing the stags indicates battles of will. The two parties are of equal strength. Each has something to say. Each has rights to be considered. The challenge is to look eye to eye and be honest with one’s self and the other person. Sometimes you have to fight for what you believe in or what you need. Be clear about what it is. It may be a feeling rather than something you can name. Attend to your solar plexus.
Three of Clubs: Swallow The Swallow is one of our migratory birds, flying from sub-Saharan Africa each year to breed and raise their family with us. So this is a card of travel. It is also a card of expanding interests and communication. A card of Summer, meaning dreams will be fulfilled in the Summer but with the warning to also prepare for Winter. A card of cycles – monthly and yearly, and responses to different situations. Hopes rise and fall then rise again. Success comes from adapting to changes as they arise and being prepared for them. This is a card of progression, of surprising yourself and others.
The Swallow is a bird we associate more with the countryside than the town so drawing this card can also be an encouragement to get out into the countryside.
Four of Clubs: Poppy The Poppy represents a new foundation. Their 4 petals are very evocative of the Root Chakra. The new foundation often takes the form of a new home, though it could also be a new workplace or a change in the home environment. Greater freedom is required for self-expression hence the changes. The Poppy also represents the principle of joy in your life. It’s time to have a good belly laugh!
Five of Clubs: Buttercup The captured sunlight in these petals! The burst with extra nectar provided especially by the flower as an extra reward for the insects that visit the Buttercup. This Buttercup symbolises bounty and the response of gratitude. Gratitude is an important emotion for opening the heart. It can be a subtle and unacknowledged feeling. It can feel like you are giving something away but you usually gain more than you give. Some people take advantage of gratitude but it is not a mistake to feel gratitude. Try not to let such experiences close you down from the vital communion with life that is gratitude. Meditate on someone who embodies this quality, or on your Crown Chakra. If this chakra isn’t open there may not be enough joy (or the accompanying feelings of gratitude) in your life. This card also simply represents being in the bustle and fray of life in an enjoyable if rather hectic way.
Six of Clubs: Eco-Warrior This is the time to become an eco-warrior, if you haven’t already, or step up the game. Seek comrades for your campaign and work together but do not be afraid to lead too. Remember that the true leader is always led. If being an eco-warrior doesn’t grab you, remember that fighting for human rights and dignity also protects the earth. In fact, it is the only guarantee of its survival.
This can also be a card of defending your own rights. This can be a most effective way of helping others – setting an example for others to follow and raising awareness. There is a unique perspective on the world that needs revealing – the only way anyone else can see it is by stepping in your shoes and seeing through your eyes.
Anger may be a problem for you if you drew this card, which can be a difficult emotion to have to experience regularly. How do you stay calm in the face of abuses and outrages? Stay focused on the positive and always reach for the light and you will come through. This is also a card of victory.
Seven of Clubs: Hazel Hazel is the magician’s and the dowser’s wand. The energy of Hazel is lively and inventive. Through ingenuity and self-belief you will succeed. Be assertive too. Assertiveness is a breath of fresh air to all around. All gain when one person is assertive as it releases energy and gives encouragement to others. This is a card for making things happen. It is also the card of the story-teller and poet.
This is the depicted in the legend of Connla’s Well, a beautiful fountain near Tiipperary overhung by nine Hazel trees. In Celtic lore Hazel trees and Hazelnuts are kernels of wisdom and this is where we get the expression “in a nutshell” from. As the hazelnuts fell off the trees into the water they were eaten by salmon and this produced the bright spots on their body. The Salmon then became the carrier of the wisdom of the hazel tree.
Eight of Clubs: Swift The fastest bird on the planet (the Falcon is only fastest when it swoops using gravity to aid it), these birds look like arrows flying through the sky. For the first two years of life they do not land at all, even sleeping on the wing. After mating on the wing when they reach maturity in their second year they finally land, usually on the side of a building, to build a nest. Can you be like this bird? Can you let your imagination soar? Things will happen very quickly now. There is an offer coming your way. Act fast not to miss it. The Swift is about opportunity and timing. They also indicates excelling in sports and enterprises. A person with these qualities may enter your life or it may represent yourself.
Nine of Clubs: The Wood It is time to “Wonder at the astral dreams of trees That alone make them rise out of their nests And aspire to heaven on the moon’s gentle beams.” This card can indicate war-wounds, metaphorical or otherwise, injuries, strains, illnesses from overwork or stressful situations, aching shoulders, tense jaws or headaches etc. You need the healing balm of the wood. Each tree releases natural aerosols. All have different qualities – antiseptic, anti-cancer, relaxing or uplifting. Your skin absorbs what you need from the trees. More importantly, so does your soul. This card shows you have been overworked or work has been bad for you in some other way. This may not necessarily be paid work; it could be voluntary work, (including work you have set and supervise yourself), work in the home or the work of finding work. Do some relaxation, simply being aware of each muscle and letting it go with the breath. Stretching exercises will also help. Spend time in woods, meadows, gardens or wherever you can find communities of plants.
Ten of Clubs: Blackberries “Blackberries” is a country name for Clubs and there are plenty of these superfoods here. This card shows abundance. If the season is right, pick blackberries after they have been washed by the rain and eat them straight from the bush; better than any “superfood” you might buy in a carton in a supermarket. This card shows abundance and flavour in many ways. They can also show that you have too many things going on for you right now. You need to bring some of these to a conclusion or put them on the backburner for the time being if you cannot find a new way of doing them that is less demanding. There is a danger of putting too much out and not enough in.
Jack of Clubs: The Acorn Elf The Acorn Elf indicates a loyal friend or helpful person around you. It is time to put on your thinking cap or allow someone else to help you. The sooner you deal with a troublesome issue the sooner it will be solved. Where now you see no solutions, soon you will see many. This card also indicates intelligence and being a good problem solver generally. Meditate on the Brow Chakra and imagine the back of your head smiling. This will open your brow chakra and help you think more clearly.
Queen of Clubs: The May Queen (Hawthorn Tree) This card indicates success in outdoor projects as well as organising ability. She is the card of the Goddess and symbolises the power of mothering in all its forms. The radiant Goddess energy may be expressed through men as well as women and transsexual and intersex people. She has affinities with theatre, dance, music and festivals. The May Queen, who is a May Tree before she is any other kind of embodied being, asks you to serve her through the following qualities: warmth, generosity, creativity, caring for people and animals and confidence. Alternatively, this could be someone else in your life.
King of Clubs: The Oak The Oak tree has extraordinary strength and vigour. Through his great vigour it becomes the great provider to all around it. The Oak is also the survivor. This card speaks of stamina for an ambitious project, humour and earthiness. You need to recognise these qualities in yourself or someone around you. As with all the cards it is not gender specific and the Oak may also be a female tree in essence (all Oaks are actually bisexual like most of our plants, having both male and female flowers).