Faeries Oracle

Card 29 - Ta'Om the Poet

Clear sight. Poetry. Erotic energy. Laughter. Not getting into serious mischief.

For quite a while, as I looked at Ta'Om's portrait, I really didn't have a very clear idea of his character. He looks so serious, so pensive, so thoughtful - but that wasn't the energy I felt coming from him at all. He had me baffled and fooled. Then my son (also a member of the Oracle discussion group) looked at him and noted, "But he's wearing a mask - he's laughing at us. He likes to speed ahead of us, then stand inside a tree and watch us go by, thinking up mischief for us to fall into. Then he flows ahead, like a river, but much faster, up over the hills, and lies in wait for us."

That felt right, but Ta'Om looked at me with such wounded dignity that I almost got confused again. Then he started laughing and dashed off. I wondered some more about him, and one of the other faeries said, "He's a fine traveling companion if you have a taste for adventure, bawdy songs, high flights of poetic fancy, and very, um, down-to-earth observations. A fine, fine fella!"

Ta'Om's boundless curiosity leads him into some strange places, and he is quite happy to take us there with him. Ta'Om's wings, like ours, are neatly folded at his back and not readily visible. He is still learning to use them properly and thinks he is better with them than he really is. He wants to encourage us to unfold our wings and doesn't hesitate to lead us into situations where we almost have to fly (metaphorically, sometimes) in order to survive. When I was young, I think it was he who encouraged me to climb up lots of trees and high buildings I couldn't easily get down from, and I know it was he who encouraged my son to do similar things. He is very fond of children. Like him, they are usually willing to try anything.

Ta'Om has a poetic spirit, which involves much more than just the writing of rhymes. It is about being able to see things as they really are, and in that reality to recognize all beauty, even the beauty of necessity and diffi culty. This is not an unthinking, reflexive, immature, "everything is for the best" attitude, but an understanding of the beauty of what we learn from joy and sorrow, from ease and hardship, from pain and pleasure. Ta'Om also wants to show us how silly it is to be so very solemn about life. He laughs at himself, he laughs at us - sometimes he laughs so hard he gets cowslip wine up his nose and then everyone else laughs at him. He doesn't mind that, as long as we are laughing.

Ta'Om is also the young apprentice shaman, barely beginning on the path but with a boundless interest in all things magical and mystical. He'll try anything and encourage you to do so as well, but you might find it advisable to show a little more sense than he does sometimes. He plays the panpipes, but not very well. He also chases the dryads and has much more success at this. He has a lust for life, wine, females, and song. He claims he was born on the Blarney Stone (which 1 doubt) and consequently has a wonderful gift for words (which 1 don't doubt at all). He loves children, writers, and blithe, adventurous, uninhibited spirits. He is a storyteller with a great imagination and has the power to inspire others to action with his words.

Starter Reading

When Ta'Om turns up in a reading, his presence suggests that youthful spirits and energy abound. This is the time to do exciting things and to tackle projects you've been wanting to do but for which you perhaps felt you didn't have the time or energy. It may even be the time to write about them, but you probably need to do them first.

Ta'Om often shows up in readings for people who have a talent and inclination for writing - poetry, adventure, fantasy, or anything else. Possibly the only thing he ever gets very serious about is his writing, and he will spend all the time he needs searching for just the right word. Speaking and writing with conviction and sincerity and the ability to persuade others are indicated by Ta'Om's presence, along with an outpouring of ideas.

You may also find yourself thinking about romance and deciding that you want more of it in your life. This doesn't necessarily mean looking for someone new; it might well involve putting some romantic fizz into a relationship that has become overly routine.

Reversed

This card reversed can indicate confusion about what is really true, or it may suggest that we are being silent when in fact we need to speak up. It can also indicate lies found out. You can get into a lot of trouble with Ta'Om. Just use a little common sense. If you don't have much, here is your chance to develop some instead of spending your brain energy making up excuses for foolishness. This card reversed in a reading suggests that exercising good sense is of some urgency lest you wind up head over heels like the reversed Ta'Om.

Faery Guides and Guardians