03/06/2025
June is officially the start of winter here in and with this quiet, fallow period brings the celebration, or Māori New Year, which celebrates thr Matariki / Pleiades star cluster in the Ta**us constellation.
Matariki carries deep cultural significance, and the modern name for the holiday is an abbreviation of Ngā Mata o te Ariki -- the Eyes of God. The God referred to is Tāwhirimātea, God of winds and weather. When Ranginui, the sky father, and Papatūānuku, the earth mother, were separated from their dark embrace by Tāne, Tawhirimātea was so distraught, he tore out his eyes and crushed them into pieces, and stuck them onto the chest of the sky, becoming the blind god, who feels his way around the sky and brings wind from different directions.
Traditionally, looking to the stars in the Matariki cluster would help predict what the new year would bring -- each of the nine stars correspond to a different aspect of what we need in life, from food to water to rain, wind, along with themes of remembering loved ones who've passed on, honoring the present, and looking towards the future / making wishes for the new year.
To weave in an appreciation for the stars, I've chosen to work with the by and luckily I was able to purchase a copy of Marie's "Golden Eclipse Tarot Guidebook: A Tarot Guidebook for the Fool's Journey, Zodiac Correspondences and Self Discovery" and her "Golden Eclipse As Above So Below: A Guide to Astrology for Tarot Readers."
While this deck focuses more on Tropical and Sidereal Astrology, digging into the mythology and history of Matariki has really given me a great curiosity around learning Māori Astrology as well, and I'll be exploring this through June and July.
