Om For the Shire: Coming Home Through Tolkien, Tarot and Jung
Two very nerdy Mellons, Molly and Libby, begin a new adventure... For the Shire: Coming Home through Tolkien, Tarot and Jung.
In this podcast we geek out about the Lord of the Rings and explore its characters through the archetypal portals of Tarot and Jungian Depth Psychology.
We share how these books have shaped us, given meaning to our lives and carried us to the crack of doom… and back again.
Please join us on this road as it follows ever on and on.
"May it be a light for you in dark places, when all other lights go out."
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Samwise the Brave: A Tarot Reading from the Edge of Mordor (01:36:17)
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 dark. Frodo is fading. Slipping further from himself with every step and the old certainties no longer hold. Sam has followed faithfully across half the world. Now the path ahead asks something different of him. He can no longer simply follow. The question is sharper, heavier: can he choose? Can he lead?In this episode of For the Shire, we invite Samwise Gamgee to sit down for a Tarot reading at the edge of all things. Together, we explore the weight of responsibility when love and duty pull in different directions, and what it means to stand still long enough to truly decide. We trace the tension between heart and mind, between feeling what is right and thinking what must be done. And, the cost of holding both at once.What does it take for a gardener to become a guide? What inner fire stirs beneath Sam’s quiet devotion, and what kind of strength emerges when celebration, companionship, and hope are no longer behind him, but ahead?This reading asks how Sam might step into agency without losing tenderness, how he might act without becoming hardened, and how, when the road seems blocked and the way unclear, he might remember to reach not only for Frodo but for his own sword.Love the pod? Please buy us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/fortheshireIf you'd love to geek out with us, reach out to fortheshire.pod@gmail.com or follow us on @fortheshire.pod on Instagram. Co-hosted by Molly Davis and Libby Rose Waite.Music by Steve Ernenwein, host and composter for The Dreams that Shape Us Podcast: https://linktr.ee/dreamsthatshapeus / https://linktr.ee/aqthedreamwalker
Arwen's Choice: Follow the Evenstar into the Night (01:21:29)
“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 where love goes when it dies. Does it follow life into the mystery, does it slink down into the soil with the decaying leaves of Lorien, does it disappear forever? If you could choose, which type of love would you pick? The in-conquerable, immortal, evergreen love of the elves? Or, the doomed, fated, grief laden love of the mortals?Arwen chooses the latter. Though the sting of this choice was a bitter one. In this episode, we bring Arwen back to life through song and in doing so, the Lay of Luthien is sung once more in the glades of Arda. And a little bit more of the magic is breathed back into the world.In the soft twilight between myth and memory, Arwen reminds us that love’s truest power lies not in its endurance, but in its willingness to end. In her choice, we find the pulse of all mortal things; the beauty that breaks because it is alive.This is an episode for those who have loved knowing it would hurt, who have chosen the fleeting over the flawless, who understand that every goodbye is also a kind of grace.Join us, as we follow the Evenstar into the dusk and see what light remains.Love the pod? Please buy us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/fortheshireIf you'd love to geek out with us, reach out to fortheshire.pod@gmail.com or follow us on @fortheshire.pod on Instagram. Co-hosted by Molly Davis and Libby Rose Waite.(FYI - We didn't manage to work out video... but this will be uploaded to YouTube soon!)Music by Steve Ernenwein, host and composter for The Dreams that Shape Us Podcast: https://linktr.ee/dreamsthatshapeus / https://linktr.ee/aqthedreamwalker
Will you look into the Mirror? (01:39:51)
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 honour to her own ring, Nenya, the Ring of Adamant. It is Nenya that sustains the heart of Elvendom in Middle-earth, that lends her Mirror the gift of foresight and reflection, and that keeps Lothlórien safe even when Sauron’s shadow falls most darkly across the land.Lothlórien, “the Land of Blossom Dreaming.” There is a dreamlike quality to both Lórien and this podcast, as we attempt to follow the shifting path of Galadriel’s story through Tolkien’s ever-evolving legendarium. Tolkien himself revised her history many times, and in the final month of his life, he returned to her once more, describing her as:“brilliant in mind and swift in action; she had early absorbed all of what she was capable of from the teachings the Valar thought fit to give the Eldar.”Yet it took Galadriel thousands of years to truly master the magnificence of those teachings. Only when she learns to embody all she has endured, created and sacrificed does she finally pass the test and earn her return to Valinor. She does not return to reclaim her old names or noble lineages, but to carry the weight and wisdom of her long years under the name her beloved Celeborn gave her: Altariel in Quenyan, Galadriel to us.We also honour that our own roles—as Tarot Reader and Psychotherapist—find a strange reflection in Galadriel’s Mirror. In the spirit of her foresight, we close our episode by gazing into those waters ourselves: Libby looks into the Mirror to glimpse “the things that are, the things that were, and some things that have not yet come to pass,” while Molly, taking up the Helm of Galadriel, offers a mini Tarot reading of what emerges from its depths.Will you dare to look into the Mirror with us? Listen in, share what you see, and tell us what Galadriel stirs in you.Love the pod? Please buy us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/fortheshireIf you'd love to geek out with us, reach out to fortheshire.pod@gmail.com or follow us on @fortheshire.pod on Instagram. Co-hosted by Molly Davis and Libby Rose Waite.(FYI - We didn't manage to work out video... but this will be uploaded to YouTube soon!)Music by Steve Ernenwein, host and composter for The Dreams that Shape Us Podcast: https://linktr.ee/dreamsthatshapeus / https://linktr.ee/aqthedreamwalker
The One Ring (01:41:13)
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 Tolkien himself. It gave him something solid, something glinting in the dark, to seize amidst the vast, swirling depths of the mythic world he was weaving. Down in the endless blackness of the Misty Mountains, the Ring gleamed, metallic, crisp, and cold, and Bilbo’s fingers closed around it. So too did Tolkien’s imagination close around this talisman, forging from it the legend that would shape his life’s work.And so we, in turn, hold fast to the Ring. We follow where it leads:Into the underworld,To the fiery chasm from whence it came,To the hidden realms beneath the seen world where ancient forces stir and archetypes rise.On this journey we pass through the lands of animism, of mass consumption, of charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and The Tower. Each step draws us deeper into the heart of the story and the heart of ourselves.And so we ask you, listener:What is it that you have in your pocket?Love the pod? Please buy us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/fortheshireIf you'd love to geek out with us, reach out to fortheshire.pod@gmail.com or follow us on @fortheshire.pod on Instagram. Co-hosted by Molly Davis and Libby Rose Waite.Music by Steve Ernenwein, host and composter for The Dreams that Shape Us Podcast:https://linktr.ee/dreamsthatshapeushttps://linktr.ee/aqthedreamwalker
The Gifts of Galadriel: Christmas Special (01:27:03)
“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?
From Galadriel’s gift of the Light of Eärendil, we take a whistle stop tour through the history of Elvendom on Middle Earth. We discuss the Eldar, the people of the stars, those born under the night skies in the First Age of Beleriand. The ones who chose to stay in the dark realm of Middle Earth rather than follow the call to go to the undying lands. It’s a beautiful choice. To stay in the land of decay, decomposition and disintegration. And the choice is an astonishing one when you yourself are immortal.
We honour the choice to stay and fade with every passing season.
We live in a society which would have us turn always towards the light, to distract from the deadening expanse of the landscape. But there is something soul making in our choice to dissolve with the fading light.
As soon as we trust in winter, we can trust in the return of the spring.
May this Solstice bless you all with the shimmering dark.
“May it be a light for you in dark places, where all other lights go out.”
If you'd love to geek out with us, reach out to fortheshire.pod@gmail.com or follow us on @fortheshire.pod on Instagram.
Co-hosted by Molly Davis and Libby Rose Waite.
Music by Steve Ernenwein, host and composter for The Dreams that Shape Us Podcast:
https://linktr.ee/dreamsthatshapeus
https://linktr.ee/aqthedreamwalker
Faramir: Steward of Ancestry (01:10:11)
"... 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 little narrative purpose.
Or does he? In this episode, we explore Faramir as an expression of unconscious energy itself. A bridge between worlds. The steward of an ancestry that encompasses the promised strength of the world of men. And though it is Aragorn who returns to the throne of that world, it is Faramir who steps aside to place him there.
Perhaps stepping aside for what is good and just is the strongest thing any of us can do.
"For myself, I would see the White Tree in flower again in the courts of the kings, and the Silver Crown return, and Minas Tirith in peace."
If you'd love to geek out with us, reach out to fortheshire.pod@gmail.com or follow us on @fortheshire.pod on Instagram.
Co-hosted by Molly Davis and Libby Rose Waite.
Music by Steve Ernenwein, host and composter for The Dreams that Shape Us Podcast:
https://linktr.ee/dreamsthatshapeus
https://linktr.ee/aqthedreamwalker
To the King: An Embodied Tarot Reading for Théoden Ednew (01:23:26)
"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 men to do in the face of such hate?"
It seems a perfect time... for a tarot reading.
Join us in this episode for a tarot reading for Théoden Ednew in memory of the beloved Bernard Hill. Our brother, our captain, our King.
"I go to my fathers. And even in their mighty company I shall not now be ashamed."
If you'd love to geek out with us, reach out to fortheshire.pod@gmail.com or follow us on @fortheshire.pod on Instagram.
Co-hosted by Molly Davis and Libby Rose Waite.
Music by Steve Ernenwein, host and composter for The Dreams that Shape Us Podcast:
https://linktr.ee/dreamsthatshapeus
https://linktr.ee/aqthedreamwalker
The Beacons Are Lit: The Return of the King (01:18:17)
"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 world of Middle-earth but also within our own lives and the broader context of the world.
We discuss endings and life cycles, from the perspective of both the macrocosm of the trilogy but also the individuation journeys of our beloved characters. As Gandalf eloquently puts it, the journey doesn't truly end with death. He speaks to the cyclical nature of existence, where endings often mark the beginning of something new. In the macrocosm of the trilogy, we witness the culmination of the struggle against darkness and the ushering in of a new era of peace. However, this victory is not without sacrifice, emphasising the bittersweet reality of endings.
On an individual level, the characters' journeys mirror the process of individuation and personal growth. Each character undergoes trials and transformations, ultimately finding their place in the world and within themselves. From Frodo's burden of carrying the One Ring to Aragorn's acceptance of his destiny as the rightful king, these arcs reflect the complexities of the human experience and the paths we must navigate to find fulfilment and purpose.
The lighting of the Beacons of Gondor symbolises a beacon of hope amidst despair, a rallying call to unite against overwhelming odds. In the context of our discussion on contemporary issues such as the ongoing conflict in Palestine and our own activism, these moments resonate deeply. They serve as reminders of the power of hope in the face of adversity and the importance of collective action in striving for a better future.
If you'd love to geek out with us, reach out to fortheshire.pod@gmail.com or follow us on @fortheshire.pod on Instagram.
Co-hosted by Molly Davis and Libby Rose Waite.
Music by Steve Ernenwein, host and composter for The Dreams that Shape Us Podcast:
https://linktr.ee/dreamsthatshapeus
https://linktr.ee/aqthedreamwalker
Corners of the Mind: Hobbits as Ego Consciousness (01:50:38)
"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?
Are you a Merry, Pippin, Frodo or Sam? Let us know what you think of this episode by emailing fortheshire.pod@gmail.com or reach out on @fortheshire.pod on Instagram.
Co-hosted by Molly Davis and Libby Rose Waite.
Music by Steve Ernenwein, host and composter for The Dreams that Shape Us Podcast:
https://linktr.ee/dreamsthatshapeus
https://linktr.ee/aqthedreamwalker
Dream Nidra from the Woods of Lothlorien (00:27:14)
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 it when you awake. I prefer to voice record my dreams, so have my phone nearby as well.
This Nidra invites a Middle Earthern dream but you may end up elsewhere. Trust that your unconscious will guide you to whatever it longs to show you.
Music by Steve Ernenwein, host and composter for The Dreams that Shape Us Podcast:
Dreaming in the Misty Mountains (01:26:48)
Ten withered outstretched fingersreaching into the darknesspalms searching for the pull of the Ring.He waits in the darkrelentlessly holding on.I lift my soft, sensitive, loving skinto meet the ragged worn surfaceof his hopeless hands.At first he doesn’t notice the changingforce of palm to palm.I wrap my fingersaround the gnarled mountainsof his knuckles. Cling to himand the parts of methat I have also cast adrift.
Meet us on the slopes of the Misty Mountains, get carried away in the slipstream and into the current of Dream.
We didn’t know where this episode would take us. But of course, we ended up in the liminal. The eagle flying between the solar light of consciousness and the first sliver of the young moon. The hairs on the back of necks rising in the space between the lifting fog and the starless sky. The hesitation between being repulsed and reaching out in awe.
We explore two dreams, one of Frodo’s and one of a listener’s.
We look for what is at threat of being lost. Where we can listen to inner guidance to point us to what we already know. How we can let our fingertips plunge ever deeper into the fertile soil of the Dreamworld.
You can listen to the Dream Nidra from Lothlorien here.
If you have a Dream you’d like to gift us… email fortheshire.pod@gmail.com or reach out on @fortheshire.pod on Instagram.
Co-hosted by Molly Davis and Libby Rose Waite.
Music by Steve Ernenwein, host and composter for The Dreams that Shape Us Podcast:
https://linktr.ee/dreamsthatshapeus
https://linktr.ee/aqthedreamwalker
Elrond: The Bridge Beyond Nightfall (01:20:38)
"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 strong to bring them over the mountain passes." - JRR Tolkien, The Hobbit
If you are feeling despair, if you are wearied, if you are afraid… meet us in the house of Elrond Half Elven. Where we still linger, after landing here three chapters ago. But why would we leave, when we are surrounded by healing, hearth and hope.
In this episode, we explore the bridge between past and future, myth and reality, mortality and immortality. This chapter is dedicated to Elrond. A complex character and we move between worlds, books and the major arcana as we attempt to do justice to this essential Tolkien archetype.
Co-hosted by Molly Davis and Libby Rose Waite.
Music by Steve Ernenwein, host and composter for The Dreams that Shape Us Podcast:
https://linktr.ee/dreamsthatshapeus
https://linktr.ee/aqthedreamwalker
Palantíri: An Embodied Tarot Reading for Gandalf the Grey (01:20:13)
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 moment and offer him a gift... a tarot reading, from our very own Molly.
This episode was an experiment in trust, and well, it really paid off. This is a deep dive into Gandalf; Mithrandir, Tharkûn. We explore his story through a very potent half-Celtic Cross reading. We hope you enjoy listening as much as we loved recording this.
Find us @fortheshire.pod to see the imagery in Molly's spread and more inspiration for our next epsiode.
"Wisest of the Maiar was Olórin'. He too dwelt in the house of Lorien, but his ways took him often to the house of Nienna and of her he learnt pity and patience."
Fellowship Part 2: Dharma and Death (01:01:50)
"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 love declare their allegiance to Frodo and his dharma. And off they set, on a journey to Mount Doom that is doomed from the first footsteps. Sometimes, the road to dharma is fraught and tangled.
We also step back in time for some respite in the house of Tom Bombadil, the original Fool.
Finally, we honour the sweet sacrifices we make to one another, when it is our dharma to follow those we love on the path of darkness, despair and Death.
May Lórien always be the place that holds us and the pains which are too great to carry alone.
“I made a promise, Mr. Frodo. A promise. Don't you leave him, Samwise Gamgee. And I don't mean to, I don't mean to."
Please let us know what you think, follow us and find us on instagram @fortheshire.pod
Fellowship Part 1: Dharma and Thresholds (00:44:46)
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 many thresholds, the layers of the known are peeled back and the Hobbits are exposed to new dangers. But, a mysterious stranger appears as an unexpected guide...
Join us for this unravelling of dharma, depths and fraternal devotion in the Fellowship of the Ring.
"It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you'll be swept off to."
Eowyn: Shieldmaiden of Experience (00:53:13)
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, complicated and rather contemporary expression of the female experience. We loved celebrating her journey from prophecy to reality, and hope you will too.
The Integration of Opposites: Non Duality in The Two Towers (00:45:05)
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, Legolas, Frodo, Sam and Gollum and celebrate the power of friendship and ask, what are you holding onto?
