The next card in the Cave & Lantern Oracle Deck is Take Root.

This is a card of slow growth, foundations, and inherited versus chosen belonging.

Before the tree of our life can produce flowers or bear fruit, a considerable amount of time is spent developing the roots first. Visible signs of growth can take time. Much of what makes later flourishing possible is unglamorous, cumulative effort.

At the beginning of our lives, many of these foundations are handed to us by our family and culture. We may inherit healthy and nourishing traditions, but also shame, fear, and outdated expectations.

As adults, we have the ability to revisit what we inherited consciously. This can be done with the support of therapy, self-reflection books, a journaling practice or support groups. We can ask which roots we want to continue nourishing and which we are ready to relinquish.

We can also begin growing new roots. Small daily practices like meditation, breathing exercises, yoga or tai chi, can all tangibly soothe the nervous system and create a felt sense of stability and nourishment within.

This card asks: “What kind of life is growing from the ground I am tending now?”

The healing mantra is: “I grow deeply and securely from the ground of my own life.”