Scarab: Inspiring Magic

Decks used: Spirit Animal Oracle- Colette Baron Reid and the Chrysalis Tarot by Toney Brooks. Research credit: Scarab Beetle

Okay, so today we are tapping into the symbolism and meanings of the Scarab beetle. Before I started doing research for this post, I really only knew the Scarab from imagery I’ve seen concerning ancient Egyptian art and the connection it had to the pharaohs. Admittedly, that knowledge wasn’t all that much, so I decided to dive in and see what I could find.

So to begin, Native American cultures tended to view woodland insects and beetles as being dangerous because they could spread diseases and other maladies but they also considered them sacred, and killing them was considered bad news. Often times seeing a beetle carried messages about sex, but more importantly, they also carried messages about the conditions of the harvest. As you can imagine, damage to a beetle might mean damage to the food supply and that wouldn’t bode well for anyone. Outside of this, if one was seen in the home, it might be a positive open of fertility, protection, and love. In some cultures around the world, beetles were kept as pets as they were so revered for their fertility and protective properties.

Aside from this, beetle imagery can be found across many different cultures such as Japanese, Celtic and African cultures. Since I mention Egyptian culture, the scarab beetle often meant good luck, hope, regeneration, and renewal. It also carried connotations of metamorphosis and was considered a potent solar symbol as well. In some cases, these beetles are a call to action to address nagging or irritating aspects of your waking life so you can figure out where you need to clean out the things that are making you feel gross. Perhaps these are unresolved traumas or things in your space that need to be gotten rid of, whatever the case, seeing a scarab beetle is a call to make something good come from the detritus in your life.

So with that in mind, let's get to some cards and see what we can do with this information, shall we?

cards pulled from various decks

Scarab beetle: magic works through you

Papa Legba (strength): calm control and the ability to overcome base desires

7 of scrolls (swords) deceptions, watch your motivations and those of others.

5 of mirrors (cups): disappointments, pain not seen, you have options and places to go. Look up to see where you can go next.

Wheel(The Wheel of Fortune): cycles, what is up will come down and vice Versa.

The Watcher(queen of mirrors [cups]: nurturing, feels deeply, helps others grow emotionally and spiritually.

The Muse (Queen of Spirals [wands]): fiery, passionate, nurturing the passions and inspirations in others

Seven of Stones (Pentacles): take a step back to make notes and assess progress, is the effort you’re putting into a project worth what it’s costing you?

With this reading, I’m getting the sense that there have been a lot of changes and things that you’ve put the effort towards that haven’t yielded the results you want just yet. Perhaps you’ve gone into this cycle with high hopes for your success, but you have had experiences where this hasn’t been the case and you’re feeling otherwise. There have been some deceptions that have come to your attention and perhaps this is causing you some disappointment that you are now having to work on moving away from. The low you may have felt during this time won’t last forever, nor will the pain of the hurt you’re feeling because of other people’s deceptive behavior. Another thing I’m seeing is that during this transition period, you have had to take a step back from the things you’ve been doing and assess whether the effort you’ve been putting into the task you’ve taken on is worth the cost to your person. If you find yourself resonating with this idea, remember that you are someone with the ability to safely, but passionately the emotions and the magic you have in your soul, and even better than that, these changes you're integrating into your space are inspiring and nurturing other people to make changes in their lives as well.