#thetinyivy

Root: General picture of the coming season— Fortitude

The Victorian Fairy Deck’s version of Strength focuses on steadfastness— not just the dauntless absence of fear, but also what carries a person past it. The image is remarkably pleasant, bringing to mind that both the bees and their fairy keeper benefit from their relationship. At first blush, I’d wager that you stand to gain in a similar way.

Stem: What got you here— Four of Spring

This particular version of the card emphasizes celebration and a rite of passage. The figures illustrated may be dancing, but there is a mannered quality to their movements that’s echoed by the perfect, delicate arches behind them, a take on Corinthian columns. It tends to indicate that you’ve recently been through a gauntlet, socially or otherwise, and come out okay. The tone of the joy here isn’t so much subdued as it is orderly, not unrestrained but not lessened for it.

First branch: A possible path or event—  Knight of Spring

The seeker of adventure, ever-moving and ever-changing. Bold, yes, but not always circumspect. I get the sense that this works for him, though; that fortune favors his heedless valor. This seems like a quality that could enter your life, either in you or through another person. 

Second branch: Another of the same— Seven of Autumn, reversed

Upright, this card shows the maker of what looks like a currant wine pausing to sample his vintage, more for assessment than enjoyment. Reversed, though, that logic and care are absent. The barrels he’s perched in front of look not neatly stacked, but ready to roll and crash. This card warns of a lack of patience, of the mistakes that are made when one doesn’t pause to consider but instead rushes onward. Perhaps doing the wrong thing, perhaps doing the right thing poorly— and who could say which is worse?

Broken branch: Something to watch out for— The Seeress, reversed

While her visions connect her to every being in every world, it’s easy for her to get lost in them. She sits on a fly agaric and leans back with the power of what she witnesses, and it seems almost like she’s being taken away by the honeysuckle vines that surround her. It’s different from just going with the visionary flow, more cloying and insidious, because she’s taken away from her very self. Beware of being similarly enveloped, because it can cloud not only your sight, but your understanding. Step back if you need to.

First leaf: The end result of the first branch— Five of Autumn, reversed

Two fairies, with their wings worn and clothes ragged, watch a feast from afar. Their hunger makes the golden colors seem more dull, and yet there’s a warmth here, like embers. This reversal spells more than the need itself, but what would happen if they approach the revelers, if they are included. Perhaps the boldness of the previous Knight could see you fed and welcomed.

Second leaf: The second branch’s ending— Knight of Winter

Another bold figure, this one aggressive rather than merely adventurous. He’s plunging in, but holding his sword in a loose, oddly expressive way— not the most effective of battle stances. That lack of patience previously hinted at seems to devolve into heedlessness. Reckless valor might sometimes serve, and the rest of this spread seems to show that it can, but not in the absence of skill.