September Tarot + Animal Medicine Reading for the Collective
Five of Wands + Elk Spirit
It felt like all of a sudden the seasons had begun to change. Moments ago it seemed as though it had been summer. Everything was lush and green and abundant. There was grass and leaves, shrubs and berries as far as the eye could see. It was warm, plentiful, and pleasant. If one was hungry, one had to only look about themselves in order to find enough sustenance to satiate even the emptiest of bellies.
But now it seemed that had all changed. The trees were quickly loosing all their leaves, and soon there would none left. The berries were lessening, and becoming harder and harder to find. Even the grasses were drying out and turning to yellow. The sun was taking its leave, the air was cooler and the nights were longer. It wouldn’t be long before snow would blanket cold and frozen grounds.
Elk looked around herself as she surveyed the quickly changing landscape. A moment of panic overtook her at how she had not noticed the changes sooner, about what she would do in the coming days, weeks and even months. But then she remembered: her kind were survivors, SHE was a survivor. She had been through this before and she would make her way through it again. She needed to remember her roots, her instincts, her very basic survival skills. These were always the things she relied upon as the days shortened, the nights got colder and the food grew scarcer; these were the things she would rely upon again now.
As she found and returned to her place of calm and collected ease, she nuzzled her nose against the backside of her young that was with her. He turned to watch as she stripped a large piece of bark off the nearest, seemingly barren tree and then proceeded to mimic her. The nights may be longer and colder, the food may be less evident and hidden, but Elk trusted and knew that survivors make it through no matter the circumstance.
Heading into the month of September we are thick in the energy of the Five of Wands; and, of course this makes so much sense. For those of us in the northern hemisphere, we are just getting out of those glorious summer months. Many of us have been wild and carefree, have spent the last several weeks in vacation mode (even if we, ourselves, weren’t on vacation), and have abandoned all sense of structure and routine. And then, September rolls around and is like, “Hi friend! It’s time to get all your shit back together! NOW!”.
Because we find ourselves faced with the chaotic energy of the Five of Wands, many of us won’t even know where to begin. We have so many things to do now that the seasons are changing and autumn is approaching. We get off vacation. Have to go back to work. Back to school. Back to the gym. Back to packing lunches, and getting on busses, and finding some semblance of a routine. Even for those of us who aren’t effected by the September to June school system, this month always seems a mess of putting it all back together. It’s like being pulled in five hundred different directions and trying to figure out which way to go first.
Thank whatever Higher Power you believe in that we are being supported by Elk Spirit this month. Elk is a reminder that even though we may struggle with this, even though there will be times when we think we can’t do it, we can. We have done it before and we can do it again. We WILL do it again.
Elk helps us to take it back to the basics. And by that I mean those key, fundamental things that help to provide us with the structure and stability we need to get back to it. The simple things like finding the right eatiing patterns and habits that help to support and nourish your body with the proper vitamins and nutrients. The simpler things like drinking enough water to stay flushed and hydrated. Other simple things like sticking to a good sleep schedule, because if you aren’t adequately tending to healthy sleep hygiene how do you expect to tend to anything else? Exercise. Movement. Boundaries. Communication. Spending time with loved ones who support you. Spending time in ritual (whatever that looks like for you) to support your spirit.
In the chaos of the Five of Wands, when we are being pulled every which way, it is crucial and important to tend to the basic needs of yourself and your loved ones. By running around in a frenzied panic, I am only going to feed the chaos monsters exactly what they most want. So take a deep breath, remember that you have got this month, and start where it makes sense most: from the bottom up.
