The Faeries answer my question!

I asked the Faery Oracle Cards this question: What is the best way for me to get out from under my Bank of America debt?

Here is the answer: The Journeyman

Key words: Adventure. Independence. Polishing of skills. Travel.

Overview: All the great ones - the saints, the bodhisattvas, and all of those who are filled by the spiritual light - have been on this journey. They went into the wilderness stepping, like fools, off the safe paths, into the waiting hands of their gods and goddesses. This is the journey of life, a pilgrimage that begins in ignorant trust, passes through all of the doubts, fears, ups and downs, probably all of the delusions and certainly all of the confusions. Through it, we learn slowly, painfully, a new kind of trust, a trust in the process, detached from the goal.

About the image: Our young Oengus Journeyman, bless him, is stepping out on the journey of life, positively glowing with enthusiasm. Even his toes sparkle. Bright handsome, and educated, he has completed his apprenticeship in faery crafts and magics, but he has not yet achieved true mastery of his trade. To accomplish this he must leave the protection of his master and step out onto his path as an independent journeyman craftsman. He is testing himself and his knowledge in the world. He hopes to eventually achieve the status of Master maker. Right now he knows a lot of facts, has all the basic skills, but probably knows less than he thinks he does. He is about to learn about the skills of survival - bartering, persuading, selling, buying wisely, enjoying life, making friends.

Oengus still has lovely playful, childlike qualities, and now it is time to learn to care for himself. No one is looking over his shoulder to see that he does his work right and eats properly. Oengus may take chances and even make mistakes sometimes, as we all do, but this is how we learn. He is now confronting (and being confronted by) the real world. Here, he will discover that excuses don't buy bread and that the quality and integrity of one's work and actions are what counts, but he has been well taught and pretty well knows this already.

He has romantic dreams of being a great hero, of becoming the supreme master of his craft, and of winning a faery princess. Some of these dreams will come true - perhaps all of them.

Here we see an innocent being walking trustfully into a situation for which he is not fully prepared (and indeed, cannot be fully prepared) or for which his preparation is as yet untested by reality. He is innocent of previous practical experience of the path he is now treading or the realm of life into which he is moving. This card could be called Innocent Encounters Reality - which is by no means a bad thing.

His faery godmother is lurking somewhere, just out of his sight - as faery godmothers tend to do. Her expression is both gleeful and worried. Her hair is already whiter than it was before he began, and she is keeping her wand fully charged at all times. Although this is his journey and he must undertake it himself, almost everyone needs (and is given) a little faery godmothering from time to time. Good-natured innocence attracts faery guardians - it attracts helpful beings on all planes and in all worlds. It may also attract those who would abuse that innocence, but as long as our intentions are good, our guardians will offer good guidance. We are blessed and cared for - if we allow ourselves to be.

The world is before Oengus with smiles and teeth. Oengus has optimism, cheerfulness, magic skills, and a diligent faery godmother. Oengus grows within us when we step bravely into the unknown, developing our potentials with hope and optimism and an open heart.

Key words: Adventure. Independence. Travel.

Reading: A long path ahead - we hope. This card speaks to the need to perfect skills in working and living, but it acknowledges having a sound grounding in the basics. Optimistic, innocent, and willing to learn, Oengus also shows us that intuition serves us well - but only if we pay attention to it.

Sometimes, we are operating from theory alone, and our knowledge may or may not be well grounded in reality. This card does not necessarily refer exclusively to beginnings; it can also signify a progression along a path, moving into the unknown from the known, a new phase in an ongoing process. The card may also represent untested concepts or ideas, and suggest a need for balance between the intuitive and the rational as one approaches the unknown.

Something to think about: Consider where you are going. What are your long term goals? What are you doing that is helping you move toward them?