Last summer, I made the mistake of trying to put a vet-ordered cone on Grim while wearing my “original” Ostara dress. Vigorous slashes to both skin and fabric ensued, and while one is self-healing, the other is trickier to fix. But this other favourite, which I’ve had nearly as long, feels just as fitting for the day.

As spring inches closer, I have felt a strong call to slow down, to zoom out, to look up from the day to day and contemplate longer, fuller cycles of time. There are 52 cards in the Woodland Wardens deck and 52 weeks in a year, so in the spirit of rebirth and renewal, I’m going to try something new in my cartomancy practice – starting now with the mouse and buttercup, one Woodland Wardens card each Sunday to accompany a larger weekly tarot spread.

I am hoping the weekly readings will act as guideposts to reflect on the full year. January has always felt like a strange time to start a new annual cycle… but Ostara, even long before I called it Ostara, has always fit the bill in my heart. Aries season starts today; a fine time to take action.