For the Shire: Coming Home Through Tolkien, Tarot and Jung

The nights grow longer and longer, and the days are dim. Samwise awakens at dawn and turns his face toward the dark East, imagining, somewhere far away, a sun still lifting itself over green hills, lighting the faces of all those he has left behind. Rosie Cotton smiling into the morning. The Shire breathing, warm and alive. But here, at the Threshold of Mordor, there is no dawn to break the long d...

“He halted amazed, thinking that he had strayed into a dream, or else that he had received the gift of the Elf-minstrels, who can make the things of which they sing appear before the eyes of those that listen.” What happens to love after it dies? For the elves, it never can. It is carried over to the Underlying Lands, where it will ring forever green.  But for mortals… for mortals, we don’t know w...

Will You Look Into the Mirror? Join us as we shine a light on Galadriel, one of Tolkien’s most enigmatic and powerful beings. We trace her sweeping arc, from her origins in the blissful light of Valinor, through exile and long voyages across Middle-earth, to the deep wisdom and quiet power she wields in her later years. We explore her entangled history with the Rings of Power, giving special honou...

Mae govannen, dear listeners, and welcome to Season 2 of  For the Shire . We begin, as all great tales do, in shadow, by turning our gaze to the One Ring: That which devours. That which disembodies. That which destroys. “What have I got in my pocket?” A riddle, a chance, a doom. The Ring holds many powers, but perhaps its greatest gift was not to Bilbo, nor to Gollum, nor even to Sauron. But to To...

“If Elves indeed still dwell here in this darkening world.” We're back! For a special festive episode where we explore the symbolism of gift giving in Lothlorien.  Every member of the Fellowship is given a parting gift by the Lady of the Light. Does she know what will befall them all? What do her gifts symbolise and how do they shape the narrative as the Fellowship cracks at the Falls of Rauros? ...

"... modest, fair-minded and scrupulously just, and very merciful"... I am sure I did not invent him. I did not even want him, though I like him". Tolkien on Faramir Faramir emerges suddenly from the shadows of Ithilien towards the latter part of The Two Towers. We've never before heard of him by name, have had no warning of his presence running up to this moment and in some ways... he serves...

"Hail the victorious dead" 3 March 3019, The Battle for Helm's Deep It is just before dawn. The hour when it is always darkest. Theoden King waits in the Hornburg. The screams of his men have lessened through the night as the Uruk Hai have silenced them in their droves. Theoden hears the brutal thuds of club on wood, as they begin battering down the door, crying "bring out your king!". "What are m...

"End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path. One that we all must take. The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass... then you see it!" Being together and seeing Return of the King live in the Royal Albert Hall, undoubtedly added layers of depth to the experience. In this episode, we explore themes that resonate not only within the worl...

"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit." We're back! And finally discussing a topic that prompted us to make this podcast in the first place.... the hobbits as the four aspects of ego consciousness. Thinking, Feeling, Sensing and Intuiting. But who represents each function? Do you agree? And, how can we use the cognitive functions to help us better understand the minor arcana in tarot?...

Welcome to this dream incubation Nidra. If you are new to Dreamwork, setting the intention to dream is important. In Yoga Nidra, this intention is called a Sankalpa. Asking for a dream is an invitation to your unconscious to guide you deeper and deeper in. Do whatever you love to do to make yourself comfortable, ready for sleep. Have a notebook by your bed so you can pour your dream language into...

Ten withered outstretched fingers reaching into the darkness palms searching for the pull of the Ring. He waits in the dark relentlessly holding on. I lift my soft, sensitive, loving skin to meet the ragged worn surface of his hopeless hands. At first he doesn’t notice the changing force of palm to palm. I wrap my fingers around the gnarled mountains of his knuckles. Cling to him and the parts of...

"His house was perfect, whether you liked food or sleep, or work, or storytelling, or singing, or just sitting and thinking best, or a pleasant mixture of them all… all of them, the ponies as well, grew refreshed and strong in a few days there. Their clothes were mended as well as their bruises, their tempers and their hopes. Their bags were filled with food and provisions, light to carry, but str...

It's just before dawn on the morning of 25 October, 3018 of the third age. The embers of the fires from the night before turn to ash. The stars dwindle, the waterfalls begin to crescendo with the energy of another day. A cloaked figure stands alone in deep contemplation. Gandalf the Grey - steeling himself for the council where the fate of many shall be decided. We meet Gandalf at this very mo...

"So you have chosen death." In this episode we pick up right where we left off - on the banks of the River Bruinen. The Nazgûl have been washed away and we are left with pledges, poetry and sacred pathways. The second half of the Fellowship begins with many meetings, strangers from distant lands, friends of old... gathered together to discuss the fate of the one ring. The characters we know and lo...

So be it, we shall discuss... the Fellowship of the Ring! We begin this episode in the Shire, where we find Gandalf entwining duty with dharma as he sets Frodo off on the quest of a lifetime. "All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to you." We follow the four hobbits as they leave the conscious realm of the Shire and drop deeper and deeper into darkness. As they cross man...

In this chapter of For the Shire we shine a light on a much beloved character, Eowyn. She is the Shieldmaiden of Rohan who rides to war with a broken heart, slays the Lord of the Nazgûl and is plunged into the realm of the unconscious. On awakening, she faces two choices: to follow her despair to The Black Gate of Mordor, or allow her decades of grief to transmute into softness. Eowyn is a complex...

Welcome Mellons! Molly and Libby welcome you to this quest... to explore every crevice of Tolkien through the lenses of Tarot and Jungian Depth Psychology. In this, our very first episode, we begin in the Middle: The Two Towers. This story begins with an ascent into the depths and keeps us there by illuminating the path forward with a sliver of hope. We explore the archetypal aspects of Gimli, Leg...