Blessings Received

For the April 'poem a day' challenge this year, I'm writing haibun to explore and reflect on my new Tarot deck, Forests of Enchantment. 

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Ace of Pentacles / Discs / Coins, in some other decks labelled things like Success or Material Gain, is here called Ace of Boons. The suit is to do with all things physical. As you’ll gather from these names, the Ace is a good card to get, indicating material prosperity.

The ‘enchanted ally’ associated with it is a toad which offers the gift, or magical tool, of a toadstone. Toadstone is reputed to have healing and protective properties.

The thought of having a toad as an ally is repugnant to me. In Australia the only toads we have are the cane toads introduced from South America, which are devastating our native wildlife. They are a very nasty pest, which have proved impossible to eradicate – though we try. I’m glad we are heading for winter, when the unpleasant creatures go into hibernation. 

But I know that in the Northern Hemisphere there are other toads, which folklore regards as magical. If I were to use this deck to read with, I would have to suspend my preconceived ideas about toads and accept the scenario given, in which the toad bears a blessing to bestow on the person receiving this card.

that dark lump

at the edge of the track –

just a rock?