Next in the series of working through the water-element animals from the Wild Unknown Animal Spirit deck is the Swan. The Swan comes after the Shark, and for good reason. With the Shark, we had to confront and face some of our deepest shadows. The Shark invites us to look into the dark waters of the self, and see what needs to be observed, and acknowledged.
Once we do that, we create a level of freedom to engage with ourselves in new ways, and in ways that channel that edge from the shark into something beautiful, and what is more beautiful or graceful than a Swan?
The Swan resides at the twelfth position. From the Numerologist PRO website: The number 12 stands for the power of the mind, rapid expansion, nurture, physical strength, and knowledge. When the number 12/3 is in the numerology natal chart, the lesson of life is to let go of the illusions of the mind. You learn to stand by yourself and live out your wishes, free from limitations and free from thinking about what others think. Click here to read the numerology of 12.
We will see these themes of expansion, sensitivity, and graceful power that can only come from an animal like the Swan,
Channeling and Creating with Ease
The Swan is an animal that soothes our battered hearts, which makes sense as we are still in the element of water. Swans have a mystical, angelic quality and soften us into a more sensitive space. They mate for life, and have connections to ancient deities, which we will explore.
It’s hard to believe that this beautiful creature was once endangered. It’s hard to believe that with any of the animals that grace our beautiful world. We will explore the metaphysical and energetic invitations with this card, but you can click here to read about Swans in more depth.
The Swan is the card of effortless creativity, sensitivity, grace, and a deep reflective voice that can often only come through in the form of the arts. Once we look into the shadow with the Shark, we now have a better (and perhaps more accepting) understanding of what emotions are lurking within the depths. With the Swan, we can take that understanding and turn it into something to be appreciated: a courageous expression of our vulnerabilities, inner truth, view of the world, and our hearts.
This isn’t just with art masterpieces that reside in fancy art museums. This can be found in poetry, songs, drawings, writings, and more. The Swan encourages us to channel our creativity because, sometimes, that is the only way to say something with such depth. The Swan brings this question forward when it appears: What do you make in this world that speaks the language of your heart? What do you feed your heart with, and can you bring balance to that receiving by letting more beauty come in and sit with you?
In a world so fast-paced, and with 24-hour news cycles that just replay nothing or all the terror of the world, it can be easy to lose our Swan energy. The doom-and-gloom, routines, and emotional heaviness we carry can slip our inner Swans into a place that we neglect. When this card comes forward, it says that in order for the Swan within to be felt and move us into our external situations with more grace and beauty, we have to make time to connect with the Swan in meaningful ways.
Guidance from the guidebook
Some key references from the guidebook
Keywords / phrases: Effortless creativity, Sensitive, Mystic, Elegant Power
When in balance: infinite creative power
When out of balance: agitated, snippy, lacking vision
To bring into balance: solo time, writing
Following the guidance from the guidebook, working with the Swan asks you to take time for yourself and connect to the fluidity of your creativity. Your creativity will look different than everyone else. Yours may be using your hands, your body in sacred dance, your voice, or your words. The method doesn’t matter. What matters is that you make space for invitations of the Swan to take root. As mentioned before, this is often the only way for our inner selves to speak. However, this is often the only place where we understand situations in our lives, or our emotional holds than through creating.
Creating allows our brains and our hearts to talk to us in new ways, or in ways where we will actually listen. When we create, we are also in a space of reflection. When we overload our senses, and don’t take breaks for the Swan within to speak, it can often make it harder to hear. One of the key references from the guidebook, a point that is made repeatedly, is solo time. Solo time is crucial for the grace and softness within the heart to be really felt. It is also crucial that we find comfort in being alone.
If we cannot find comfort in being alone, that is our first step. Slowly starting to spend time with the self leads to finding a creative streak that we may never had found. What a blessing! The Swan also says that we cannot give to our beloveds unless we give to ourselves. We have to find the time and space to be filled with the beauty of this world, and to also put our own unique beauty into the world, and into the lives of the ones we love.
The sad, but beautiful thing with the Swan is that it will never leave us. It will stay in the shadows, patiently waiting for us to come home to this precious part of the self. So, come home to this patrt of yourself, dear one. Your inner Swan is waiting to swim with you in the beautiful waters of your heart.
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Ashlie McDiarmid
Hello there! I hope you liked this blog post. As a tarot and oracle reader, my goal with my blogs is to offer you content, resources, and access to the tools that have transformed my life.
I believe that your own intuition is the deepest form of knowing, but here in my little corner of the internet, I share insights based in intuition and instinct. I share my love for nature, witchcraft, and the wild spirit.
- If your spirit is at home in wild places
- If you feel the need to claim your autonomy as ritual
- If you want to more deeply trust your own intuition
- If you want resources or connections to tarot, oracle, witchcraft, and wild sovereignty, then welcome!
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