A symbol shared in two or more cards can create a secret path between those cards. This can bring additional depth to either card should they arise in a reading.
Today’s secret path is created by the crane bag which is found in both 2 The Seer and 12 The Mirror.
In The Seer, the bag is hung from her staff. In The Mirror, it hangs from the neck of the foreground heron.
What exactly IS is a crane bag?
In Irish mythology the warrior/god/hero Manannán Mac Lir made a bag made from crane skin (Corrbolg) and kept many magical treasures in it. Crane Bags are still made and worn today by practising druids (from leather and other materials – not actual bird-skin I hope!) and other people who work with magical intent.
Contemporary crane bags might contain charms, knives, your tarot deck, runes, maybe something to scry with, crystals, incense etc. You can really set it up for your own magical needs and create something unique to you.
In these two cards, both bags are different. The Seer’s is larger and probably full of practical bits and bobs that she has picked up and enjoys for her own ritual purposes. The figure in The Mirror is clearly magical and thus hers will hold fewer practical items, so it can be smaller and maybe (like Mary Poppin’s carpet bag or Dr Who’s Tardis) magically contain multitudes!.
How can this crane bag symbol inform our interpretations? The Mirror plays the role (partly) of The Hanged Man in The Wildwood and talks about the surrender of our ego necessary to allow our healing journey to begin.
By remembering The Seer when The Mirror arises, we can add the energies associated with The Seer to our interpretation – let yourself be open to insights from dreams, trance-like states and meditations in order to let the Mirror’s healing process begin.
And when the Seer arises, we can recall The Mirror and know that in order to access those dreaming states, we must be patient and, like the Mirror, we should not try to force the insights. Let go, and allow them to come to you.
Of course, the reinforced message may be simpler and more straightforward – it could be time to make a crane bag!
