Earth, Moon, Sun Spread

My lovely Animal Dreaming Oracle Cards (purchased on a trip to Australia) were calling me to come and play, so I am using them for a 3-card reading provided by deck creator Scott Alexander King in his guidebook to the deck (deck and book published by Blue Angel Publishing).

The spread is called the Mother Earth, Grandmother Moon and Grandfather Sun Spread. Here is the layout:

And here are my cards:

(1) Connection to the Earth Mother

Here I am looking for a card that represents my connection to the Earth Mother, one that reminds me to honor every living thing as my brother or sister.

BROLGA (Dance)

The brolga is a type of crane formerly known as the “native companion.” This is the first time I have heard of this bird by this name. The “Dance” association in this oracle deck comes from the brolga’s elaborate mating dance. In my case, this creature is showing me that dance can be my bridge into other worlds, and that I can experience the unity of the Universe through dance. I love the mental image this gives me of joining all creatures of the Earth in a life-affirming dance.


(2) How to honor primarily feminine influences in my life

Here I am being advised how to honor the mothers, grandmothers, sisters, wives, and daughters in my life.

BAT (Rebirth)

It is quite appropriate here that the Bat symbolically recreates the act of birth when it exits its cave, with the cave being an ancient symbol for the Womb of Mother Earth. I am being encouraged to face any emotional issues I might have with any woman in my life, to remove any obstacles that might prevent life from flowing smoothly. I must be open to being reborn.


(3) How to honor primarily masculine influences in my life

The influences this card helps me to honor are those of fathers, grandfathers, brothers, husbands, and sons.

PLATYPUS (Women’s Wisdom)

I almost cheated and drew another card for this position. “Women’s Wisdom” seemed like a really odd thing to try to associate with “primarily masculine influences.” But I decided to persevere with the Platypus. Before now, I did not know the Aboriginal legend of how the Platypus was birthed from the forbidden, unlawful union of two souls. In retribution, the Elders turned her into a Duck and him into a Water Rat. From the egg the female produced emerged what we call the Platypus – a furry duck-billed creature with webbed feet.

The Platypus is said to look to her inner yin and yang for guidance, honoring her innate masculine and feminine qualities. Here then, perhaps, is how I honor the masculine influences in my life – by allowing them to complement, blend with, and balance my feminine influences rather than rejecting or repressing them as being foreign to my “female nature.” The deck’s creator writes: “Women are natural dreamers, visionaries and mystics, but they must embrace their masculine aspects in order to realise the full potential of these gifts.”