Kami of the Hearth
According to Z. Budapest’s book, The Grandmother of Time, November 8 is a day to celebrate Kami of the Hearth. I’d never heard of Kami of the Hearth, but I like working with hearth and kitchen energies, so I thought I’d add her into my personal calendar.
I did some research. According to the Japan Talk website, there are eight million kami. They are spirits honored in the Shinto religion. Another site I visited said it can take up to ten years to learn certain Shinto rituals, because they must be performed perfectly.
Well, that makes it a little more complicated to decide to honor Kami of the Hearth a week before the designated day!
Looking at the Japan Talk site again, it seems Inari is the closest Kami to what I consider the hearth — she takes care of “rice, tea, fertility, and worldly success.” The fox is her totem — which also happens to be one of my totems. Patricia Monaghan has similar information about Inari that in her Book of Goddesses and Heroines.
The debate then became, do I honor Inari or a nameless “kami” of the hearth? Could I possibly honor both? Could I create simplified rituals to honor them, and then grow those rituals over time?
That’s what I’m trying to do today. I’m going to give thanks to Inari and to the unnamed hearth kami. I’m keeping my eyes open — when I visit Asian stores in the coming months, I will look for Japanese fox figures and small shrine buildings that I can use creating a larger, more permanent shrine to Inari/kami.
I will read more about Shinto practices, although I won’t train for ten years or be able to learn the “perfect” ritual. I will honor the spirits as best I can in the tradition I’m creating, and it will be, as life, a work in progress.
Two of Pentacles in the Tarot
Every Samhain, I do a reading using three decks whose layout mirrors a clock face. November is twelve, December one, January two, and so forth, with the thirteenth lunation in the center.
I use the Goddess Oracle, pulling one goddess to work with during the month. Then, I choose one deck as the “action” for the month and another deck as the “energy” for the month.
Last year, the Steampunk Tarot was the Action Deck and the Celtic Dragon Tarot was the Energy Deck. The upside is that you get to work intimately with those decks all year. The downside is that you can’t use the decks for any other readings that year (at least, in the way I’ve set up my altar and energetic work with those decks).
This year, I’m using the Witches’ Tarot as my Action Deck and the Medicine Woman Tarot as my energy deck.
When I did my reading on Samhain, my November goddess was Kuan Yin (Compassion). But both the action and the energy card were the Two of Pentacles. And, in my daily advice reading, the Two of Pentacles keeps coming up (I’m using the Tarot of the Four Elements for that).
Obviously, I need to balance this month.
That is absolutely correct. I’m working with two new clients, and my schedule has changed to accommodate them. I thought I was on a steady track with some other writing, and that’s been thrown into jeopardy.
Even though each card is a Two of Pentacles, each is a slightly different shade of meaning. Each image is different and striking.
In the Witches’ Tarot, the figure is a buff man holding a barbell with two pentacles painted on it, being offered green cash by several hands. It deals very much with physical force, energy, work. Which makes sense, since it’s the “action” card for the month.
The Medicine Woman card, called the “Two of Stones” shows a woman kneeling by flowing water, washing stones. It’s about one’s relationship to resources and reciprocity. Again, it makes sense as the “energy” card for the month. Redefining my relationship to the material work, neither giving too much, nor holding back and being untrue to myself.
And Kuan Yin reminds me to have compassion, as much for myself as for others.
The Two of Earth in the Tarot of the Four Elements deck shows two growing trees, each with a pentacle in the middle. It reminds me of the need to work together, and not rush into a new business relationship or make decisions too quickly. Find the kindred spirits and work slowly. Based on the disappointing news that changes the direction on a good many things received Monday evening, that, too, makes sense. A reminder not to make long-range decisions when upset, but work with others, review options, and make informed decisions.
Digging deeper, Gail Fairfield’s Choice-Centered Tarot tells me I am choosing a new physical, financial path. That is certainly true with the new work coming in, and with the decisions I have to make based on Monday night’s information (not trying to be cryptic, just can’t discuss it yet). It’s also a reminder to conserve energy, to use it wisely, not blow it all out or hold it all back. Again, ties in to the positional meanings of the cards for the month.
Janina Renee, in Tarot: Your Everyday Guide goes even further, pointing out the need to take on additional responsibilities, and the sense that we often feel pulled between our inner and outer lives.
Some other decks depict the Two of Pentacles as someone balancing on a tightrope, or holding one pentacle aloft and the other closer to the ground. Those would be different shades of meanings.
The decks I’m working with turned up cards that have the direct shade of meaning that makes the most sense in the situation. That’s why I believe, when faced with choosing decks in a reading situation, you are drawn to different decks at different times, and the deck with the most relevance has the strongest pull.
These cards are a comfort, that I can work my way through the month’s challenges in a positive fashion, while also reminding me that it will take work. In other words, much as I’d like to curl up in bed until the New Year, that is not an option on any level.
The next post will be on November 16, Hecate’s night.
Namaste!
Kemmyrk 