In whatever form dragons appear, in fiction, legend, or the unconscious, they are powerful. Seen as aspects of ourselves, like any mythological symbol, they represent forces which we may find difficult to come to terms with: the untamed and less familiar sides of our personalities. If the psyche is to be whole, we sometimes need to befriend these deeper and darker sides of ourselves. In keeping with my early experience of dragons as a child, I have also included lighter, tenderer, and more ordinary qualities in my definition of Œdragonhood¹.
The Dragon Cards were conceived as a light-hearted attempt to balance striving after perfection with an acceptance of my human nature, with all its idiosyncrasies and imperfections. What do dragons do? They guard the treasure. The trail of dragons through my life has had to do with gradually coming to accept things the way they are, life on earth as treasure in all its manifestations, including less welcome ones.
You can use these cards in any way that suits you and your own relationship with the unknown. Some people may like to shuffle and cut the deck in order to find their card, others may spread them out and rummage around a bit, others again may find themselves clearly drawn to a particular card. You can spin this process out, turning it into a meditation, or take potluck trusting in the spontaneity of the moment. You may vary your approach every time you use them, depending on your mood. Whether you pick one for the day or for a particular project or occasion, be curious about your first thought as you turn it over. Then let the image take wings in your imagination and see where it takes you. Could there be an opportunity for befriending yourself here? A chance of expansion? A way to have more fun, to be more alive? Or does it seem so foreign that you choose to use freewill to find another? However you use them, may you find treasure here.
About the Author
Polly Waterfield lived at the Findhorn Foundation from 1979-1981. As a musician and a teacher, she has always been involved with self-expression in the service of the whole. She now lives in Cambridge, works as a Suzuki violin teacher, and has recently expanded her creativity into printmaking.
Judi Buttner helped Polly put the Dragon Cards together. Judi is a staff member of the Findhorn Foundation and works in the area of personal development and spiritual mentoring.