Finding Freedom: Tarot and Tea for Aries Season
Hello, friends! You can find links to the full zodiac seasons series below!
One of the aspects of astrology that I enjoy the most is not about predictions or the shaping of personalities, but the alternative way of observing time that it offers. As a practitioner of an earth-based religion, there is a lot of emphasis on participating in the cyclical and spiralling nature of time which often means gazing beyond the confines of a calendar mandated by decree by imperialist powers. (1) Since astrology, and especially lunar astrology, is one of the oldest forms of marking the passage of time and season, it can be a fascinating and inspiring calendrical system to use. When we use a system like astrology to observe time, we're connecting to something that would be familiar to many of our star-gazing ancestors, and I find it grounding to find myself in time by engaging what is happening on the earth beneath my feet and the skies above my head (practicing the hermetic axiom As Above, So Below).
Observing astrological time, I know that when the Spring Equinox rolls around, we are entering Aries season which is the first sign of the zodiac (for those in the southern hemisphere, Aries season coincides with the Autumn Equinox). When you read about "Aries Season" or "Leo Season" online they are referring to the period of time that the Sun is moving through a particular zodiac sign. Each season of the twelve sign zodiac lasts for about a month and are always sequential (i.e. after Aries season comes Taurus season, then Gemini season and so on).
The first day the Sun moves into Aries is the first day of Spring (i.e. the Spring Equinox which lands around March 19 - 22 each year). So I know that as the Earth is beginning to shake off the last remnants of winter, as the trees become ever more green with leaves, and as flowers are starting to appear throughout on the land I live with, that this is also the time when the Sun is moving into the sign of quick-moving, energetic Aries. I feel deeply interconnected with life when I make these observations, when I ask myself what is the spring of the place that I live in, and what does the season of Aries mean in the particulars of the space that I dwell (including my body).
For this year, I wanted to offer a practice of observing space and place, so that you might feel grounded and connected to the land you live with as a practice of love and resiliency. To observe is to engage is to remember yourself back into the interconnectedness of life. Beginning this month with Aries, we'll move through the twelve signs of the zodiac as I have done twice before with you, first through my Astroherbology series and then through my New Moon series.
Zodiac Season Series
I have made note of the terrestrial season in the Northern Hemisphere (NH) and Southern Hemisphere (SH).
NH: Spring / SH: Autumn
NH: Summer / SH: Winter
NH: Autumn / SH: Spring
NH: Winter / SH: Summer
For each season of the zodiac you'll find a tarot spread and a tea recipe to inspire your practice as well as a repeated set of prompts that you can journal with (or discuss with friends or covenmates) to help you be grounded and centered with the seasonal changes around and within you.
The tarot spread can be used during Aries season or any time of the year that you feel a need to connect with the energy of the sign. Every sign of the zodiac is in our birth chart, every star is shining on each of us, and though they move through the sky, revealing and hiding themselves from view, we can always connect with the specific energy of a sign. As someone who practices the art of astroherbology, I've also included an option in each spread to incorporate some body-based star wisdom. Same for the tea recipes you'll find in this series - they can be used throughout the year whenever you need them!
Feeling excited? Then let's get started with our friend, Aries the Ram.
Aries is a sign of impetus and change. Like the two other fire signs of the zodiac, Aries assists us in figuring out what helps us get free.
Aries asks us, "What would you do if you decided to let go of fear just go for it?"
While just going for it isn't always the practical or reasonable approach, what answering this question does is help you connect with your courage, something which the energy of Aries can help us to define. The following Aries Season tarot spread helps us find sources of energy to inspire us, identify what is blocking our energy, and connect with our courage to help us move into our freedom.
Finding Freedom
Aries Season Tarot Spread
Card 1 & 2. That Which Energizes You
These cards are the head of the Ram, the symbol of Aries, and help to highlight the things which energizes you most, including things, people, creatures, and places which inspire you. These are things which you might seek to bring more into your life during Aries season so that you are better able to connect with the energetic flow of the next month.
Card 3. That Which Blocks Your Energy
The gift of Aries is to live with unhindered energy so that we are able to ebb and flow as we need to. This card highlights how our energy gets blocked, especially during the recent past and present. Pay attention to the relationship between this card and the two preceding cards.
Card 4. That Which Frees You
This card can help you connect with the answer to the question posed earlier - "What would you do if you decided to let go of fear just go for it?" Here we can explore a practice or practices which helps to free up our energy and inspiration.
Card 5. A Message for Aries Season
A general message, signs to pay attention to, and perhaps next steps to take as we move into Aries season.
Bonus Card. That Which Guards the Head.
If you feel connected with the philosophy of astroherbology you can pull an additional card to help you understand the current energies of your head, including physical experiences and energetic ones, what tension or wisdom you might be keeping there. I encourage you to take a somatic approach with this card - when you pull it and see the energy, follow the feelings and sensations that it evokes from your body to understand its meaning.
image via @bakdandraw
A Tea for Aries Season
How do we nourish the energies of Aries? As an energetic sign that is quick-acting and traditionally guards the head (click here for a full list of traditional correspondences for Aries), we need herbs that will help us keep our cool without losing the spark which inspires us. Nettles (Urtica dioica) is a great herb for the change of the seasons, helping to nourish our bodies as an herbal multivitamin, improve circulation, and clear the head of any end-of-season fog. Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) helps the busy bee energy connect to the community song of the season, supporting the energy to do and go alongside the need to plan and rest. It's also supportive of brain health helping to strengthen Aries energy in our body. Finally, Rose (Rosa spp.) rounds out our blend, bringing red Aries energy into the visual magick of our tea, along with their ability to open us up to possibility.
To make your tea combine the following herbs:
1 part Nettles (Urtica dioica)
1 part Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)
¼ part Rose (Rosa spp.)
These proportions are only suggested guidelines, so feel free to play around with them to your liking. As you make your tea, slow down, breathe deep, and infuse the blend with your intentions for the season (or whenever you’re drinking this tea to connect with the energy of Aries). If you’re looking for more breathwork practices to help you connect with the energy of the season, come this way.
image via @anniespratt
Seasonal Reflections
What does the land feel like, look like, smell like this season?
What is coming to the surface from within me?
What is receding within me?
What am I feeling grateful for?
What am I grieving for or feeling challenged by?
What am I feeling inspired and where is it calling me to this season?
What am I calling to me?
What am I called to give?
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Here’s to the start of a new turn of the zodiac wheel and the start of a new season!
I hope that you’re feeling a little more inspired at the start of Aries season knowing that there are plant allies to connect with and tools to explore the energy within and around you.
If you’re looking for more information about the magick of spring, come this way. Here’s a recipe to support your spring dreaming and a more in-depth tarot spread for the season of Ostara. Enjoy!
This post was made possible through patron support.
❤︎ Thanks, friends. ❤︎
Footnotes
(1) The Geopolitics of Gregorian Calendar is a short summary read if you want to learn more.
