Tarot and Dragons: Imperial Dragon Oracle: Second Round(2 of 2)

Position Four: West (the Element of Water)

“Obstacles or challenges I need to be aware of.”

I drew the “Lunar Dragon (18)”, which is “The Moon (XVIII)” of the Tarot.  In this card, a single dragon is holding a moon while sitting between two obelisks.  There is a lunar eclipse but the sun’s corona still shines through since the shadow shows where the light is.  Baggott explains that the energy of this card derives itself from the “shadow self”.  He emphasizes that for the “whole” to exist, the “ying” must be acknowledged as well as the “yang”. 

The “Lunar Dragon (18)” sits opposite “Temperance (14)”.  It tells me that My Dragon Guide wants me to accept the “shadow self” of my disability and my grief over being injured.  Like the tides, my disability has an ebb and flow to it.  As the moon governs the tides, my brain governs my rhythms of resting and working.  By going to the source and not fighting these rhythms, I can complete my classes with relative ease.

Position Five: Center (The Element of the Spirit)

“The potential future if lessons are learned and obstacles are overcome.”

The final card of the spread was “The Seeker (0)”, which is “The Fool (0)” in the Tarot.  Once I accept my shadow self (which includes my disability), I can have a new future of “limitless possibilities”.  My future at the Grey School will be amzing and illuminating.  Baggott writes, “If we choose to align our current energy to this magnificent being, it will take us on a wonderful adventure.”  This also subtly reminds me that I need to include My Dragon Guide in my studies as well.

“The Seeker (0)” shows a green dragon flying triumphantly over the mountains, with the full moon  guiding the way.  Green is the mixing of two primary colors, thereby symbolizing the union of two divergent forces. (Though for my reading, purple would have been more appropriate.)  This symbolizes the unification which follows “Love (6)” and “Temperance (14)”.  This will happen once I listen to the Dragons and follow their guidance.

The subtle energies of the cards were balanced.  “Fertility (3)” is governed by Venus, who rules love, is paired with “Love (6)”.  The energy of Earth is doubled by “Fertility (3)”, while the energy of water is doubled by “Lunar Dragon (19)”.  Meanwhile “Temperance (14)”, which is governed by the Fire Sign of Sagittarius, sits in the position of Air.  “Love (4)”, which is governed by the Air Sign of Gemini, sits in the position of Fire.  These cards point to the balancing of the energies to allow the Spirit to come through.

Conclusion

This reading made me feel hopeful.  With the insight of accepting my disability instead of fighting it, I can achieve much in my studies at the Grey School of Wizardry.  Most importantly, I feel the love of the Dragons coming through in this reading.  The Great Mother Dragon and Peesey gently reminded me of their presence in my life.  They wanted me to know that I can rely on Them for help.

What came out of the reading that I will remember is the love that the Dragons have for me.  They want me to succeed, and to come into my own as a magickal person.  I feel enveloped by the wings of Great Mother Dragon as She holds me.  To show my love for Her and My Guide, I shall continue with  my studies.

Works Used:

Baggott, Andy and Peter Pracownik, “Imperial Dragon Oracle”, U.S. Games Systems, Inc., Stamford (CT), 2009.

Bartlett, Sarah, “Tarot Bible”, Sterling: New York, 2006.
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Tarot and Dragons: Imperial Dragon Oracle Second Reading (1 of 2)

After choosing the “Imperial Dragon Oracle” by Andy Baggott and Peter Pracownik, I used their “Cardinal Spread” to ask about my future studies at the Grey School of Wizardry.  Because of my traumatic brain injury, I was afraid that I will not graduate.  I thought that I will reach a point where the classes will become too complex for me.  Therefore, I was nervous about this reading since I thought the cards would confirm my fears.

My Dragon Guide (Peesey) told me not to worry, because I could always ask Him for help.  Furthermore, He would relay the wise counsel from Great Mother Dragon to me.  With his reassurance that the Dragons would guide me in my studies, I dealt the cards.

Question:  How will I do in my studies at the Grey School of Wizardry?

“The Cardinal Spread”

Position One: North (The Element of Earth)

“Where does the root of the issue lie?”

The card that I drew was “Fertility (3)”, which is “The Emperor (III) in the Tarot.  According to Baggott, the source of energy for this card is “Mother nature”.  He adds that this card’s messages are to “follow your natural instincts”, and to “align with the energies of the land.”

What struck me about this card is that it is the only one in the deck that features a human.  In this card, a dragon is enveloping a woman with her wings.  What I see is Great Mother Dragon holding me in her love.  The root of the issue for me is to trust the Dragons, and to know that I am not alone in my studies.  Moreover, I need to keep in contact with My Guide and Great Mother Dragon. I am reminded that the Great Mother Dragon works through Peesey, My Dragon Guide, to help me further.

Position Two: East (The Element of Air)

“Who is my guide in this issue?”

I drew the card of “Temperance (14)”, which is “Temperance (XIV) in the Tarot.  This card depicts a red and a blue dragon pouring water into a pool in the moonlight.  According to Baggott, the two dragons represent the “ying” and “yang” of life.  Since the keyword of this card is “unification”, it follows that the card’s meaning is the “reconciliation of apparent opposites.”

For me to succeed in my studies, My Dragon Guide and I need to pool our resources.  We are opposites in many ways – He is eager and full of energy, while I am more sedate.  By complementing our diverse natures, we can move forward together as a team.  As a member of this team, I can look forward to graduation from the Grey School.

The other subtext of this card is to unify my two selves – the pre-injury and post-injury me, so that I can succeed in my studies.  Being mindful of this, I need to stop fighting myself, and to channel this energy into learning.  By accepting both the “ying” and “yang” parts of myself, I can progress through the various Levels at the Grey School.

Position Three: South (The Element of Fire)

“What do I need to learn from this issue?”

The card that I drew was “Love (6)”, which is “The Lovers (VI)” of the Tarot.  The root meaning of this card is “acceptance”, which suggests to me to accept my brain injury, work with it, and not fight it.  Until now I have been forcing my injured brain work the way it did when it was healthy. By accepting my brain as it is, I can live with the ebb and flow of my life that my brain dictates.  After learning this cycle of rest and activity of my brain, I can apply what I learned to how I finish my classes at the Grey School of Wizardry in the future.

The two dragons of “Temperance (14)” are now joined as one.  By accepting the love of My Guide and Great Mother Dragon, I learn to love myself as I am.  In this manner, I unite my two halves into one being.  

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Tarot and Dragons: The Dragon Tarot Cards (1 of 2)

My Dragon Guide (Peesey) and I decided that we would meditate on “The Dragon Tarot” by Terry Donaldson and Peter Pracownik.  We both had bonded with this deck, which my Guide thought depicted the many aspects of his home.  Together, we meditated with the cards and began to understand what the various dragons were teaching us.

Our favorite card of this deck was the “Knight of Coins” of the Minor Arcana.  The dragon of this card stands at attention, holding his shield and lance, to guard against intruders to the forest.  My Guide saw this dragon as someone to aspire to become someday.  In this card, the sun rises over the leafless trees of the forest, indicating the need to remain alert for possible danger.  Meanwhile the mushrooms scattered about the dragon’s feet invites more maturity and wisdom.  (According to Donaldson, mushrooms indicate “needed discrimination”.)  Examining the card further, I found a small dragon sitting on the Knight’s back.  (I regarded this dragon to be me, in the role of Peesey’s friend and guide.)  Thus the “Knight of Coins” represents our partnership.

For the “Knight of Coins”, Donaldson in the guidebook writes, “a young Knight stands on duty”.  Then he adds, “A male who wishes to develop the work side of his life.”  This is what my Guide and I thought that the meaning was.  Peesey wants me to guide Him as He matures, while under his guidance, I learn how to protect myself.

In searching for what the small dragon symbolizes, I had to guess at the author’s intent.  Donaldson does not present a large and small dragon as equals.  The smaller dragons are usually younger ones, who are under the direction of the older and larger ones.  This does not seem to be the case in the “Knight of Coins” for the smaller dragon.  I decided the smaller dragon, in this case, was an equal partner of the larger one.  I see Peesey as the larger dragon who protects me, while I give Him guidance as the smaller one.