A Deep Ancestral Well

This is a lock on a door at the old Castlemaine Gaol, a building which certainly holds many secrets.

Just as Adam and Eve ignored God’s command in the Garden of Eden it was inevitable that Blue Beard’s bride would disobey him and use the one key he explicitly instructed her not to use. From the outset, we knew that she was going to go through a door into a room containing a terrible truth.

Apart from the secrets, we, as individuals, keep under lock and key, families have secrets which have been carefully locked away.

Sometimes it is best to keep those safely stored in lock proof places. Entering lock proof places can end in tears. Just as Blue Beards bride came to grief for violating a lock proof place one of my ancestors was transported to Australia from Scotland for having had nimble fingers. The punishment was so severe that after being freed he left Tasmania and settled in Victoria under a new name. It took over a hundred years for this truth to be revealed. Happily, most living Australian relatives were more than a little excited to have genuine convict roots.

Revealing secrets does not always go so well! It can be painful to choose to unlock some of the secrets that have been carefully hidden from view. However, there are very real benefits from uncovering truths. By taking a close look at a family secret an individual may just be freed from the impact that secret has actually had on their life. Most importantly, some genuine healing may take place.I

I was oblivious to my rich maternal ancestory until 1988 when the Queensland Government were searching for a photo of my great grandfather. George Chale Watson was a prominent Queensland surveyor who worked with the group who marked the N.S.W. and Qld. border. He was a prolific writer and his journals offer fascinating threads linking me back to Van Dieman’s Land and Beverly, England.

Holocaust survivors, indigeneous people torn from their families know all too well the pain that comes when you do not know your heritage, when you have no laws set down by forefathers to guide you in your life. A windfall, a chance of fate perhaps, but since my great grandfather was such a lyrical writer I am now able to pour through his writing and retrace the past, walk the old pathways and seek my origins. It is like finding a treasure trove.

If I can restore the past and rescusitate my ancestors and permit them to breathe life they will fill me with pride, a sense of place and just possibly provide fresh directions.

When I have pieced the china back together again, I will be able to display the beautiful patterns and images that depict their lives .

Using Tarot to Communicate With Ancestors

One way to communicate with ancestors using Tarot is to take a photo of them and simply ask if they have a message, any wisdom to share today. In this case I used the Tarot of the Sweet Twilight, a deck I find throws up a fresh perspective.