T’is the Equinox yet again (pass the mead!) and in Welsh lore and pagan festival Mabon’s hour in the forest clearing around the fire of story. The Earth Mother has such great cycles, both large and small, short and long. And then there are the cosmic cycles of her consort, the Universe (at least according to Greek mythology).

To give us the Earthly context, here’s the story of Mabon, the Welsh hero of the tale of this time in their tradition:

Mabon is the name of a mythic hero of Welsh mythology. He is the son of Modron, the Great Mother, and is “stolen away from between his mother and the wall” at the age of three days. He is sought by his mother for many years, but remains unfound. Finally Arthur, the High King, comes to the search, and over many days he goes from bird to beast to tree, looking, seeking Mabon, but not finding him. At length, the Salmon of Wisdom assists him to find the Lost God, who has now become an adult, and who is powerful beyond expectation, successfully assisting Arthur and his Knights in the Quest for which they have been seeking him.

So, the Earth Mother and her humans have their epic stories together. What about the Universe and his stars? We humans have been looking up at the stars for guidance and story for thousands of years. It’s where we find the cycle of the sun that reveals the solstices and equinoxes in the seasonal round, which told our ancestors when the herds would move, or when it was time to plant or harvest. And we’ve also seen patterns in those stars, patterns that we’ve laid our stories on. In the Western/Greek tradition, those stories built one set of outlines for the constellations and a structure for the study of astrology and astronomy.

Now, though, science has added even more awesome stories to the ancient ones about how the stars move, what they’re made of, and ultimately what we’re made of. So far away, they seem, and yet their “stuff” is…us. You and I are made of the remnants of a supernova. Pretty cool, huh?

Your Epic Spread

So, here’s a little Tarot spread to answer a question about your role in your own story (over the next day, week, month, year; you pick) and where to go to look for a setting, characters, and plot to move your epic along to its happy ending (which is really a beginning, of course!). You will need to have a goal or story ending in mind here. What is it that you really want to achieve in the time frame you’ve given? Then build this divinatory story around that.

Card 1: What’s my setting? Point me in the direction of adventure!

Card 2: Who will be my primary companion (person or attitude, etc.)?

Card 3: Who will be my secondary companion?

Card 4: What will be the main challenge/transformation in the story?

Card 5: What tools do I and my team have available to meet this challenge?

Card 6: What stars should I look toward to achieve my happy ending?

That’ll do. Since we’re talking cycles here in the festivals of the wheel of the year in our blog hops, let’s lay out these cards in a circle, with the first card in the ten o’clock position (on the left) and moving clockwise (from past to future, beginning to beginning) from there. I am totally jazzed to hear your stories if you choose to try out this spread. Go!