Welcome, Moonbeams! Glad you could join us for this week’s Tarot & Tea. As the weather chills and the year enters into its dark night, a skeletal figure emerges from the shadows. The Death card, one might say, is not the most welcome of messengers in a Tarot reading. However, it is truly one of the most powerful and profound cards we can receive. Death signifies a transformation that can no longer be avoided. This marks the turning of a page in our lives; one chapter is ending so that another can begin. Fear of this change will do nothing to stop it from happening. True transformation is a gift to be accepted with gratitude. Just as a snake sheds its skin, we must let go of that which we have now outgrown. Although it is anything but easy, this sacred work of dying makes us fresh and new again. The underlying meaning of the Death card is, encouragingly, a promise of rebirth.
This week’s featured tea undergoes a deep transformation of its own. This year’s batch of Immortal Nectar Pu-erh was harvested in 1997! After being partially dried, the tea leaves, which are harvested from ancient trees rather than the typical shrubby tea bushes, are then piled or pressed into cakes. The natural bacterium in the tea leaves is allowed to take hold and a process of controlled decay occurs. The tea is aged in caves for decades before it remerges as one of the most valued treasures of the tea world, with a deep and earthy aroma and mellow, smooth flavor. In addition to its interesting history, Pu-erh has many health benefits. A nice cup of Pu-erh tea aids digestion and may lower cholesterol levels and assist with weight loss by increasing the metabolism. I like how this relates to the Death card and letting go of what no longer serves us!
The deck from which we draw this week is the fabulously soul-nurturing Motherpeace Round Tarot Deck by Karen Vogel and Vicki Noble. Published in the late 1970s, the deck features feminist imagery with a vintage, childlike quality. The engaging and evocative symbolism borrows from 30,000 years of goddess worship influenced by cultures from around the globe. The round shape of the cards gives this deck a very dynamic feel. A favorite of women’s circles and independent practitioners, the Motherpeace Round Tarot Deck is ideal for meditation and fostering one’s journey to inner transformation.
You can find Pu-erh "Immortal Nectar" here:
https://store.moonriseherbs.com/…/pu-erh-immortal-nectar-1-…
And the Motherpeace Tarot deck here:
https://store.moonriseherbs.com/prod…/motherpeace-tarot-deck
#moonriseherbs #tarot&tea #tarot #death #transformation #rebirth#immortalnectar #puerhtea #motherpeacetarot