Peace like a river

Shining Tribe Tarot, Pollack 2001

On this last day of Shining Tribe Tarot week, I have drawn Place of Rivers. It's nice to have this card because it gives me a chance to talk about the courts in this deck. There aren't any. Instead, there is a set of cards called the 'vision cards'. Rather than being about personalities or archetypes, the vision cards teach us about the power of each element. They are Place, Knower, Gift and Speaker. These are a bit similar to traditional courts. Place cards correspond to the juvenile/novice energy of the Page. Knower cards are like Knights in that they are the champion or the action of the suit. the Gift cards are the Queens and have the inner understanding of the suit. The Knowers have the responsibility of serving the greater community with the suit. Rachel Pollack points out that the Vision cards do not refer to specific people, but to our own personal spiritual development.

So today I have drawn Place of Rivers.

The Earth hums,
the water whispers.
She says nothing, 
she has learned how to listen.

I see a woman kneeling beside a pool. Two rivers empty into the pool. A jagged piece of earth that Pollack describes as a 'rock outcropping' dominates the bottom right corner of the card. Pollack compares it to a sleeping dragon. In the background is a cave, topped by a dolmen. The mouth of the cave echoes the shape and colour of the little pool. There are flowers, grasses, and two trees on the hills.

The Place of Rivers is just as it appears - a place of contemplation, peace and quiet discovery. Perhaps after I get all this off my chest at the meeting with my manager today, and get the ball rolling to return me to my old job, I will feel this sort of quiet peace.