Daily Angel Oracle Card: Nine Of Arrows, from the Wild Wood Tarot, by Mark Ryan and John Matthews, artwork by Will Worthington

Nine Of Arrows: “Dedication”

Card Description: “A figure clad in skin robes decorated with patterns of leaves, stands in a clearing amid the Wildwood. She is holding a bow as though it were an instrument, the back of the bow cradled in her arms and an arrow held against the string as if it were the bow on a fiddle. Around her, repulsed by an invisible shield, are another eight arrows.”

Card Meaning: “The spiritual warrior dedicates their arrows of inspiration by playing the bow as an instrument of summoning. The inner oath helps keep one on a balanced footing by dedicating skills to a greater good.”

Reading Points: “To heed the calling to dedicate one’s life to any skill, spiritual path, belief system or philosophy requires sincerity, self-discipline, and hard work. It is a sacred summoning that requires time and effort. For those who hear the calling and become spiritual warriors and protectors of the land, responsibility and sacrifice are also required. To deny that the human species has had a negative effect on the planet’s climate and atmosphere seems totally redundant. The growing awareness of our individual impact on the ecosystem may take on greater significance in the future. We cannot predict what effect our avarice and rapacious exploitation of the land will eventually produce, bu the dedicated defender of the soil must protect the living legacy we leave for our children. To teach by example the value of respecting other’s beliefs and philosophies in honouring the land is immensely important. Sometimes a simple daily ritual reminds us of the oath we have taken to conserve and protect the environment. Dedicate yourself to the task of preserving the land and be a part of making a difference.”*

~ By Mark Ryan and John Matthews

To me she represents the Devic or Elemental realm… how her hair ends in feathers and leaves cover her scarf… her robes blending with the growth patterns of the trunk of the tree. She is slightly forlorn, but also very focused on the task at hand. She is using her arrows in the most magical way; as instruments of peace and scared service, not as weapons in the traditional sense. She wishes only to heal, to assist, and to send her intention out far and wide knowing as she does so, she is capable of making a difference.

Just as each and every one of us can make a difference as we change our ways. As we choose healthy lifestyle choices for ourselves, our families and our Sacred Mother, Gaia. We choose sustainable resources, we choose not to use plastic, and we choose to reduce, reuse, and recycle. We can choose to plant a garden or a tree and nurture it free of chemicals. We can choose to support local farmers and businesses. We can choose to walk, bike or take public transport or to share transportation with others.

We can choose to make a difference. A big difference.

And this difference is made one person at a time, one choice at a time. Coming together as the collective to say NO where the governments do not bother. Where the laws do not support the environment or the people. We can use our leverage as a whole to put companies out of business by simply not purchasing from them. But learning to grow our own crops. By not stepping foot in the big box stores… or at least slowly weaning ourselves off. By choosing experiences over possessions. By refusing to fill our living spaces with clutter and stuff. By teaching our children that a plastic toy that lasts a few min at hand and a millenia in the landfill is simply not an option.

We can set an example by being different, choosing differently and living by our own code. And encouraging others to do the same. Teaching the children to do the same. Building strong communities.

Because no one is going to make these changes for us. And by the time they catch up it will most likely be too late.

Choose today, right now, to do something differently every day. Bring your own bags. Bring your own cup to the coffee shop. Shop at the local consignment shop. Donate what you are not using to someone who needs it. Plan a garden, even if it means a few pots on your patio. Plant a tree. Do something that makes a difference. And do it with ease, grace and the joy of helping to heal the damage that has been done. The damage that we can no longer sustain, make excuses for or tolerate.

For our Great Mother.

And so it is

Namaste

Dee

~Archangel Oracle

*Wild Wood Tarot, by Mark Ryan and John Matthews, artwork by Will Worthington