1st - May Day/Beltane

7th - New Moon in Taurus

12th - Mother’s Day

23rd - Full Moon (Flower Moon)

 

This month, we’ll be using the Songs of Siren tarot deck, by Lady Moon Co. On the back of every card is a big SOS –a way to request aid from Spirit with every card we pull. The reading below uses one of the spreads from the booklet, called Crystal Visions. It is meant to create crystal-clear clarity on a situation that feels murky, whether due to our proximity to the issue at hand or projections from prior similar situations.

The April rain clears, leaving us with a fiery field of flowers and ripe possibility. We enter a halfway point where spring equinox and summer solstice kiss. If April was a bursting pregnant belly, May is the birth of a newborn calf. Motherly love surges for this new life–a fierce, protective love that carefully governs its growth. Maia, the goddess of fertility for whom the month is named, blesses this love, as well as new beginnings and rebirths. Here, relationships flourish, and the May King and Queen are crowned. We are invited to visit holy wells, and the morning dew grants beauty and promotes youthfulness. If we were to engage in wordplay, we would get to the heart of what this month has to offer. “May” is the grantor of permission to pursue the possibilities. We “may” bring in the month of May, by adorning our space with yellow flowers, a symbol of fire and light. “Mayday,” or m’aidez in French, enables us to ask for help from Spirit threefold, and receive threefold blessings in return. 

What’s Happening Now: Nine of Pentacles ~Sailing by Christopher Cross~

 Lyrics: And if the wind is right, you can sail away and find tranquility.

In the Songs of Siren deck, the Nine of Pentacles is represented as a pair of feminine hands gracefully held out. This positioning makes it seem like they are the magical force that suspends nine vinyl records levitating above. We see perfectly manicured sharp nails leaving scratch marks in the air. These nails feel primal, mesmerizing, sensual, and dangerous. Their perfect shape simultaneously indicates someone who is cultured, well put together, and cared for. Further, the imagery of the scratch seems suggestive of a DJ creating scratch sound effects. In this analogy, we are the DJ with nine records at our disposal. There is a dynamism in shifting from the eight to the nine. It feels as though the ninth album in the bottom center has been carefully created from the full collection. It is the fruit of the many, drawing from a wide knowledge base. Our present experience reflects this, in that it is the curated result of many trial and error experiences. 

 

The DJ can pluck any song out of the many, combining and remixing songs and experience in any way she chooses. The result is a magical experience that makes the listener feel as though they are hearing their favorite songs anew. Currently, we are this DJ. We feel confidence in our skills, our ability to draw from a wide knowledge base, and the mastery of our art. We feel our music, art or creation causes us to enter a state of trance and dance that leads us to feel joy, movement, and ecstasy. This enjoyment affects us so deeply that we feel moved to share it with those around us, creating a ripe environment for inspiration, conviviality and play. We know the space around us is not empty, but filled with crackling inspiration that we can access and manipulate. Finally, the card is framed by the following lyrics: “And if the wind is right, you can sail away and find tranquility.” We can make the most use of this line when we recognize that we are secure enough in our own groundedness that we have the power to give rise to any new conditions we might seek to reach our desired goals and tranquil states.

 

Your Role in This: Five of Wands ~Us and Them by Pink Floyd~

 Lyrics: Black and Blue, who knows which is which and who is who

 

At first glance and listen, this card evokes a traditional Rider Waite interpretation of struggle and conflict. Laura Wong’s choice of “Us and Them” by Pink Floyd for this card association suggests an internal war between the Internal Family system, i.e. our various parts. The imagery of five drumsticks hovering over a single drum seems to confirm this. We can imagine that if we attempted to strike a drum with five drumsticks at once, this would sound chaotic. Alternatively, if we got a band together with five different members, the initial practice sessions might clash. Likewise, different aspects of our psyche might present many disparate or contradicting thoughts and ideas, tugging in every which direction. This initial discord occurs, however, in the noble attempt to bring together all the band members’ skills into a greater harmonious whole that amounts to more than sum of its parts. We can see this potential in this card, by the way in which the drumsticks sparkle.

 

The Five of Wands ultimately represents the messy thoughts and work that goes into the act of creation, in order to produce the beautiful distilled result that others want and see. It represents a work in progress, the result of messy trial and error. This comes from the process of getting to know oneself and pursuing one’s art, the honoring of our various facets, and discovering which brilliant path to pursue to make the magic happen. The drum is a template of pure potential. This process can be too daunting for some to even get started. Others, like us, plunge forward and get into the messiness of practice, knowing this is the only way to get to the desired goal. Surrender only occurs when people get lost in the mess, the sense of failure, and forget what they were aiming for. We pushed past this, continually striving, keeping the goal in mind, and this is what got us to the Nine of Pentacles current situation we find ourselves in now. 

 

Outside Influences: Four of Wands ~God Only Knows by Beach Boys~

 Lyrics: God only knows what I’d be without you.

 

In the Songs of Siren deck, the imagery for the Four of Wands is nearly the same as that of the Five of Wands. We see four sparkling drumsticks hovering over a single drum. The drum, aside from pure potential, also symbolizes a shared vision, in which agreement and collaboration are required to ensure its success. In this continued analogy, the Four of Wands can be likened to getting a four member band together. They are all committed and want to work together, and have complementary styles and vision. Together they have the resources in place to be a successful band greater than its individual parts and create a successful album. In coming together, this group will share resources, struggles, joy and abundance

 

The chosen song correspondence for this card, “God Only Knows,” by the Beach Boys suggests that the band in question is our chosen family. The outside influence is a tight knit community whose love for us is sure and unshakeable. They value the way we shine and feel their world would not be the same without us. In this passion-driven process of mutual creation with them, we are advised to focus on beauty, pleasure, enjoyment, ample rest, all of which lend to a fruitful creative atmosphere. Inspiration cannot be strangled out of us by relentless force. When put together in the same room, the group can jam together in a creative ambiance that gives rise to the right conditions for an initiatory spark. This spark is fueled by connection. Time and patience is needed for the results, but the foundation has been built so that they can be long lasting. Together the band members provide each other with the structure, stability, and accountability that allows for exploration.

 

What’s Ahead: Nine of Swords ~I’m Only Happy When it Rains by Garbage~

 Lyrics: I’m riding high upon a deep depression, I’m only happy when it rains.

 

In this version of the card, swords are replaced by microphones. We see small lightning bolts spark off of each microphone, as though they are all competing to be heard at a karaoke event or singing tournament. It is as though they are all too anxious to wait for their turn, so instead all try to sing at once, resulting in a disastrous cacophony. A solitary microphone stands out amongst the rest, in that it is slightly bigger, and surrounded by four microphones on each side. This seems to be our true self, connecting with our heart and values, trying to ring out against all these competing voices. There are our intrusive thoughts that keep us from being able to hear ourselves. 

 

Our personal contribution, the five of wands, is a trying path that will test our ability to persevere through the trial and error of realizing our next pursuit. Naturally as an idea unfolds into reality, our plans will encounter complexities, obstacles and setbacks. We are wont to take this hard to heart and see it as a personal failure. We’ve avoided facing this side of ourselves thus far, but when we enter such a miserable state, we learn that the only way out is through. Our ability to persevere in the face of this is tested, but hope remains in our continued striving. The remedy for this future predicament is to come to center, without allowing this self to get stifled by the surrounding noise. We can sing our hearts out, using art as a container for the heaviness that torments us. The rain —tears, crying, processing emotion in a support group–has the ability to rust the swords and weaken their efficacy. If we push through to the other side, we may reap the rewards of a powerful and steady voice that can cut through the din of negativity and rise above it. 

 

Help From Spirit: Nine of Cups ~Good as Hell by Lizzo~

 Lyrics: I do my hair toss, check my nails, baby how you feelin’? Feeling good as hell

 

Here we see stars falling like glitter from nine downturned cups. In particular, the stars fall principally from a cup in the center, with eight cups tilted towards it, like bells ringing in celebration and support. The cup in the center seems to be the higher self, our own personal fairy godmother within that leads us to express our wishes, and grants their fulfillment.The spirit of Beltane sends us a threefold blessing in response to the Nine of Swords crisis above, which may have us wanting to send out a spiritual SOS or mayday signal. This month, we are encouraged to connect with and ask for exactly what we want; and in response, we shall receive. 

 

Through Lizzo’s lyrics, we are reminded that we are a star that can touch the sky. We have the ability to change our lives, and have it all without sacrifice. When we feel otherwise, we should question those thoughts, and ask Spirit to help intervene. Spirit validates the hard work we’ve done to foster a good relationship with her and ourselves, and wants us to know that this is a well-earned blessing. She offers to help us pick ourselves up, to dry our eyes, and move forward again. A feeling of goodness washes over us and soothes us. Spirit is here to shower us with love and abundance, with gentle blessings and the granting of wishes. She is here to protect our dwelling and those within it, wherever we may be. We are encouraged to connect with the spirit of water – wells, hot springs, baths, and May’s dew, which bestows us with beauty and youthfulness. We are blessed by freedom, truth and love as well. Though this is not permanent, we are encouraged to soak it in this month.

 

The Choice That’s Yours: Three of Wands ~Roam by the B52s~

 Lyrics: Roam if you want to, roam around the world. 

 

This card reveals three drumsticks that sparkle and hover over a shared drum, i.e. vision. We have the opportunity to gather a team together of like-minded individuals to go on a learning or exploratory adventure if we so choose. One of the drumsticks stands out in that it is smaller than the main two drumsticks that are playing on the drum. This suggests that our efforts this month resound a bit softer, as though we are waiting for our turn to play. At this stage, we have the chance to learn from and shadow others who have taken this path before. Our plans are like fledglings that are waiting to grow up. We may find a teacher or someone more learned than us who is willing to show us the ropes. Importantly, we will be learning to play a different, complementary song. We will be learning the same foundational techniques, but creating our own song and rhythm. This is a song that will go to the beat of our own drums and hence fill us with a greater sense of accomplishment. 

 

The song chosen for this card is “Roam” by the B52s, with the lyrics “Roam if you want to, roam around the world.” The most literal interpretation of these lyrics is of course the opportunity to follow the impulse to go on upcoming travel. Rather than a solo endeavor however, this will likely be with a small group of friends, a nuclear family, or group that we have gathered together to go on a shared adventure. Specifically, we are encouraged to go where the wind blows, where Spirit may take us, in a co creative process. We may call on Mercury for help with inspiration and ideas in this endeavor. The Three of Wands lends itself to journeys taken off the beaten path. Though this will very much be a learning process, we have the adventurous spirit, love, and courage needed to embark on this journey. We may even find we inspire others in doing so.

 

Wishing all Threefold Blessings,

 

Angel Intentions