The Wise Woman's Tarot
A Multicultural, Matriarchal Deck and Book
XV. The Awakening
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XV. The Awakening - Hecate/Pandora (Pluto)
The Awakening represents the stage in our evolution when we begin to
remember a pre-existent higher level of consciousness. We remember our own
divine essence.
For this Plutonic card of Awakening, I use the Anatolian (Turkish) image of
Hecate, and the Greek image of Pandora. Hecate is known as the protector of
women, a Goddess of witches and of the dark side of the moon. She is also the
Queen of the Dead and the guardian of the gates and crossroads. The threefold
crossroads are especially sacred to Hecate; it is here, on a moonless night, that
she, bearing a torch and accompanied by her hounds, walked. "As queen of death,
she ruled the magical powers of regeneration; in addition, she could hold back
her spectral hordes from the living if she chose."
Pluto, the ruling planet of this card, is mainly concerned with the concept
of regeneration and the purging of the soul, thus awakening a higher
consciousness. The intense subterranean nature of Plutonic energy is evoked in
this card. Sometimes one needs to crawl through the flaming caverns of hell in
order to find the route to heaven.
Pandora is a figure who got a bad reputation from patriarchal
mythographers. Originally her name meant "rich in gifts, the all-giver, and the
earth, in female forms." Her "box" contained not the evils of the world, but
the secrets of women's knowledge and mysteries; these were never meant for "man"
to see, but were wholly appropriate to be discovered by women.
Pandora is shown kneeling at the center of a threefold crossroad with a
glowing key in her left hand with which to unlock a giant treasure chest. "The
key, an attribute of Hecate, is related to the goddess as opener of the treasure chest of the door to
the world. Finding a key signifies the stage - after great difficulties - just
prior to discovery of treasure."
Beside Pandora is a sacred black stone, one found in many of Hecate's
shrines. In front of her, a fiery tear in the earth's crust exposes her to the
potentially dangerous flames of the underworld, as she moves toward her "box."
The chest is decorated with moons and labyrises, both symbols of female power.
Hecate's tree, the willow, flanks her on either side. Above her, Hecate's
spectral figure, surrounded by her hounds, calls out. Seven rays emanate from
her lips, reaching Pandora's seven chakras, thus awakening her spirit.
On Hecate's breast she wears her circle, "a gold sphere with a sapphire in
its center, hung on a thong of oxhide, used for divination." In her left hand,
a torch blazes, lighting the turbulent night skies. Hecate was also revered as
a storm goddess.
A butterfly flutters through the sky, a symbol of the goddess as
transformer. "In the 2nd millennium B.C., because of their increasing
importance, axes were made in imitation of a butterfly (therefore double-bladed).
When finally the butterfly became a double-axe, the image of the goddess as a
butterfly continued to be engraved on double axes."
When we connect with the awakening energy of this Plutonic card, we feel
compelled to cut away all that does not resonate with the innermost core of our
being. Sometimes this awakening requires that we undergo major life changes.
We view and explore the darker, hidden side of our natures in order to become
more whole. This journey is not always pleasant, and it is very intense. Often our "Awakening" takes us back to people,
places and things from our past for review and reassessment. In this way, we
deepen our understanding, enabling us to let go of old feelings, resentments, and
habits. Past life information may come forward as well to help us realize our
current life's destiny. As we awaken our hidden resources, we have the
opportunity to become all we can be.
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