Weekly Forecast: March 20-26

We’re using a different deck than normal this week, for no other reason that that it was the closest to my morning writing spot - nestled in bed under a crisp, white duvet. Our cards have a similar energy, a focus on finding comfort and rest in difficult situations. Because, as you’ve likely noticed, The Tower is starting things off this week. What’s crumbling or has crumbled recently? What is making you tired?

The Tower is also present in our reading for the month of March which makes me think this isn’t necessarily a case of an obvious, immediate, or new “Tower moment:” catastrophe, misfortune, an abrupt ending. It’s more likely that we’ve been aware of and holding our experience of this card for some time, watching something dissolve slowly. This week the bigger story of that dissolution is coming into clear focus.

Now this is where our reading gets interesting. Instead of doing something with this new knowledge and perspective, we’re being invited to rest. The Four of Swords appears next, and I can’t help but imagine the two figures in the original Rider-Waite-Smith illustration falling from the burning tower… and into a cozy, inviting bed.

See where acknowledging and seeing things for what they are, even and especially if they’re upsetting, brings you a sense of release and even peace. I love how artist Mary Elizabeth Evans illustrates this version of the Four of Swords: the top half of the card almost seething with winding black, white, and red rectangles while the main character of the card rests peacefully in atop teal clouds in a green sky. No matter how intense and compelling ideas and messages around what things in your external life could or should mean, see if you can simply let it be as it is while prioritizing rest and healing.

The Four of Swords shows us a healthy way of dealing with our minds. We often place logical thinking as the primary function of our minds, yet we also use them to dream (and what could be less rational than the loopy, symbolic world of our subconscious?). This is a time to let go of controlling the narrative, “figuring things out,” or striving to understand, label, or identify. Simply letting go, trusting that things will filter through as needed, and stepping away from The Tower facets of your life, will be incredibly refreshing and, eventually, transformative.

Sometimes the frenzy of The Tower can be exhilarating; when something’s on fire, we know that the only task that matters is putting out the flames. But maybe The Four of Swords is also signaling that part of us is bored with this old dance. Be especially aware of things you’re tuning out, no longer seduced by, or even annoyed with. What is putting you to sleep? Respect this instinct as a message that you’re outgrowing stale dances of drama.

We have bigger things to tend to, and these are not about putting out fires or preserving structures just because they’re crumbling. At the end of the week, Strength bursts onto the scene, so if you were worried that all this napping was sheer laziness, you’re in for a surprise! I feel like this card appears when we realize we’re wrestling with the right problem; it’s deeply satisfying and such a contrast to the panic that comes with The Tower. Notice how focused and aligned you feel when you’re building something that matters to you - how the problems and challenges bring you closer to yourself, have you learning something valuable. Now isn’t that quite different from the panicked rush to survive that arises in The Tower?

Let yourself slowly wake up into your powers and goals as the week wraps up. Enjoy creating something for yourself, working with reality, and daring to sculpt something fun, meaningful, and completely different than what’s fading into the past.

Potential surprise/reframe:

There’s actually two I’m seeing here:

1. While we tend to talk about the cards, especially the Major Arcana, in terms of our personal journey, it may be that this week we’re contending with other people’s experience of The Tower. Is someone in crisis (most likely of their own making), sucking up oxygen with their panicked demands, or consistently framing their setbacks as catastrophes? Is it making you tired?? This would be a good time to step away and focus on the reality you find gratifying and constructive (Strength).

2. The Four of Swords is feeling like a mysterious invitation to me this week. This card is quite subtle, so we’d do well to create moments of stillness and silence for ourselves so that we can hear the nuanced messages bubbling up from our subconscious. Listen to your body, rest when you need to, and notice what feels easy, enjoyable, and restorative instead of what you think “should.”

This week, embrace:

• Stepping away from the drama

• Rest

• Meditation, mindfulness exercises of all kinds

• Engaging with the reality you want to reinforce

This week, avoid:

• Burnout

• Overcommunicating, half-baked ideas

• Leaving your center, abandoning your own perspective

There’s actually two I’m seeing here:

1. While we tend to talk about the cards, especially the Major Arcana, in terms of our personal journey, it may be that this week we’re contending with other people’s experience of The Tower. Is someone in crisis (most likely of their own making), sucking up oxygen with their panicked demands, or consistently framing their setbacks as catastrophes? Is it making you tired?? This would be a good time to step away and focus on the reality you find gratifying and constructive (Strength).

2. The Four of Swords is feeling like a mysterious invitation to me this week. This card is quite subtle, so we’d do well to create moments of stillness and silence for ourselves so that we can hear the nuanced messages bubbling up from our subconscious. Listen to your body, rest when you need to, and notice what feels easy, enjoyable, and restorative instead of what you think “should.”

Weekly Forecast: February 20-26

After weeks of big, existential readings we come down to earth and into a somewhat chaotic situation. I’m hoping, however, that this contrast will be refreshing, as we take what we’ve learned from our experience of Major Arcana cards like Strength, and apply them to the minutiae of our daily lives.

And, to be honest, it sometimes feels good to get back into the rhythm of taking care of business, and no card expresses this mixture of strenuous action and deep satisfaction better than the Seven of Wands. Tasks, projects, bids for attention - all manners of requests on our time are surfacing in the beginning of the week. See where you can find pleasure in checking things off your to-do list. Have you been stuck in your head, deep in analysis, planning, and hypothetical scenarios? The demands of life might feel like a welcome change of pace. Let your focus land on the task that’s immediately at hand; it’s likely that another one is right behind it, and you may enjoy this game of whack-a-mole once you get warmed up to the intensity.

There’s also something mysterious underneath the motion and occasional stress of the Seven of Wands. Sometimes this card can reflect an internal angst that’s surfacing through hyper-productivity or lots of motion. Are we trying to outrun something? Propel ourselves into a future we can’t quite pinpoint? What’s clear, however, is that we have something important to work out, and the only way to do that is through action, experimentation, and actual lived experiences. In this moment, mild discomfort, irritation, and friction are an important part of the process and not a sign to abandon our course of action.

I’ve written a lot about how the sevens in tarot have this strange, fairytale logic, and in the case of the Seven of Wands, it’s a moment of trust: that our instincts will lead us to the right path; that our mistakes will train us for what we’re truly after; and that our intuition and subconscious will be working their magic under the surface as we strive to live a life that’s meaningful to us. Am I asking us to view feeling harried and overbooked as a sign of spiritual growth? Maybe I am! What’s clear, though, is that we have to move our way through this; stopping is not an option.

The wands suit can usher in a great deal of change. After this initial phase of action, see what new information has revealed itself. What are you working towards and what path did you just clear (even if unintentionally)? The Eight of Pentacles holds down the center of our reading, representing a place of concentration and productivity. Scattered energy becomes focused, deliberate, even meditative. Trust that your big goals will be realized so long as you do the work, then try to enjoy doing that work, uninterrupted.

Looking at these two cards, I get a sense of a busy life, well-lived. This is not a time for reinventing the wheel; we’re busy refining and settling into the routines we’ve worked so hard to establish. Yet if there’s a sense of boredom or stagnation in these places (which, let’s be real, can happen) the Ace of Swords arrives at the end of the week as a beacon of inspiration. A new idea, arrangement, conversation, book, or other conduit of information is jolting us out of our usual assumptions and pushing us towards a new horizon.

All of these cards, however, appear quite harmonious, and this is a tarot reading that seems to be describing multiple levels of a busy and whole life. With that in mind, it’ll be important to respect and embrace the many layers to our existence. This is not a time to be threatened by the facets of your humanity, in other words! There may be no problem to be solved at this moment, even if the demands on your time occasionally feel challenging, imperfect, or conflicting.

Potential surprise/reframe:

The Ace of Swords is doing something interesting here. It’s unclear whether its energy represents a new chapter just starting to emerge or a welcome contrast to the busy, solid rest of our reading/lives. And in any case, the whole point and challenge of Aces is that we don’t know and we shouldn’t try to figure it out! Resisting the urge to make a new idea or experience “into something” can be quite a challenge, yet it seems as if we need some lighthearted wonder in our lives right now - we’re doing so much with these complicated, adult other cards as it is. See where you can feed your natural curiosity, think outside the box, and, most importantly, let surprising and new forms of information into your life. Aces are gifts from an outside source; whether it’s a person, resource, experience, or any other conduit, be sure to cultivate openness so that you can recognize and receive it when it comes.

This week, embrace:

• Determination

• Focus

• Multitasking

• Monitoring your energy levels

• Intellectually stimulating activities

This week, Avoid:

• Distraction

• Taking on tasks that don’t benefit you

• Procrastination/Avoidance/Daydreaming

Weekly Forecast: February 13-19

The Knight of Pentacles is the only knight in the tarot deck whose horse has all their feet on the ground. Standing on a hillock overlooking a freshly-plowed field, the yellow pentacle in their hand matches the vibrant sky - the object of this knight’s attention matches its environment, all signs point to go, and the work is about to begin.

It’s not a flashy card. There’s no rushing, charging headfirst into battle as one might imagine a knight from a fairytale would. Bravery, according to the Knight of Pentacles, lies in diligence and perseverance. What goal have you set your sights on and how will you commit to actualizing it this week?

Frankly, I tend to find this type of energy irritating and unnatural - I’m much more of a wands-person, preferring to jump into things in a fit of passion. Knowing where you stand on the spectrum will be helpful in plotting your strategy in the days to come; for some, it will be easy to embrace the Knight of Pentacle’s slow and steady pace, while others will find this type of movement more awkward initially. But this week we’ll be particularly concerned, even fixated on, balance and longevity, making planning and deliberation especially important. What can we do to create things that last? How can we take baby steps forward when we have big, big dreams?

The Four of Swords sets the stage, telling us that time resting and reflecting at the beginning of the week will serve us well as we begin to make more tangible, concrete moves. This card also tells us that we have 3/4 of the pieces of information we need to choose a path (notice the three swords neatly hung on the wall above the reclining figure); the final one lies in our intuition, that weasel-y, trickster part of our mind that needs time and space to emerge. And when it does, it’s usually in the form of a riddle, confounding dream, or vague feeling.

This is all to say that, even if you don’t feel like you have the 110% clarity and conviction you’d like, that’s okay. It’s likely that you’ll be pushed over the edge and into action by a feeling, sensation, or intuition. Let that be enough and then get to work.

We have two fours in our reading, one on either side of the Knight of Pentacles. I find this intriguing since this number deals with the theme of structure. If we’re to follow the Knight’s path towards the right (the direction of “the future”), we move into the territory of the Four of Cups. So, a move from intellectual structure to emotional structure is taking us towards our goals. Scary! It can sometimes feel as if we’re abandoning logic and reason, the security of the easily-explainable, when we undergo this type of transition. Yet for anything to last, we need to have a deeper meaning animating it, and that’s what we’re striving for this week. Thankfully, we have the practical and methodical Knight of Pentacles undergirding this shift: What happens if you value the feelings brought up in your quest to build something as the important breadcrumbs leading you to the future, innovation, and fulfillment?

Potential surprise/reframe:

We haven’t talked all that much about the Four of Swords, but this card is holding a lot of weight in the reading, telling us the work we can do to set the stage for our big projects. As a swords card, it informs us that this work is mental: How can you make your mind a safe space as you start to build something new?

I’m sensing a connection to our card from last week (and the card of the month), Strength. We’ve been taking the time to really see ourselves, accepting our flaws and foibles and invite them into our identity with both acceptance and a firm hand. See where you’ve made your own mental space a more welcoming, hospitable, and gentle space for yourself. How can you look at your ambitions and plans through this gentle lens? It seems as if we’re poised to make some breakthroughs with regards to self-criticism, comparison, and perfectionism. Be proud of it.

This week, embrace:

• Introspection

• Staying in the moment - approaching each task as it comes

• Long-term plans for career, lifestyle, or investment

• Trusting your intuition for the next steps

This week, avoid:

• Lofty, unachievable plans

• Perfectionism

• Crowding your mental space with other people’s opinions

• Rushing

Weekly Forecast: February 6-12

Well, dear readers, in a rare moment of straightforwardness, our reading is telling us that the main themes of the month are making themselves known to us at the beginning of the week. After all, Strength is our tarot card of the month. Let’s enjoy this! Take note of what you’re grappling with - it will be an ongoing project for you in February - as well as the areas you’ve been growing. The latter is actually the crux of our reading: What formerly wild, rejected, or misunderstood side of yourself has been coming into lovely focus as of late? How can you push through the last stages of integration and welcome it into your heart?

I love the progression shown in the cards here - the mythical encounter shown in Strength softening into the everyday, human interaction in the Six of Cups. Strong, seamless transitions between cards often belie a much bigger story, and this week is a pivotal time in our personal journey towards self-compassion. Take a moment to elevate this facet of your life, paying special attention to how the often grinding nature of Strength has been slowing down; what feels natural, gentle, and authentic that once felt like a struggle? I’m thinking here of personality traits or parts of our stories that have felt hard to integrate with our sense or self or larger narrative. How can we thank ourselves for the hard work it takes to welcome in imperfection, difficulty, and misfortune and make something beautiful?

Sharing what you’ve learned and where you’ve been is an important next step in digesting our recent (and ongoing) experience of Strength. Spending time with trusted friends, giving back, and lavishing tenderness on those who’ve been at our side through tough times will be both gratifying and centering. There’s a lot of work to be done (as we’ll see in our next card), but tending to our relationships, hearts, and softer side will be crucial in the beginning and middle of the week.

I’d also like to point out the change in setting as Strength gives way to the Six of Cups. What was once in the wilderness is now safely enclosed in a human space. Look around you and see how you’ve built up emotional safe spaces for yourself, both in your relationship with yourself and with others. Do you need to shore up or maintain any of these “spaces” (think self-care practices, affirmations, boundaries)? This card can also suggest doing a brief audit of your emotional inner-sanctum, being on the lookout for any intruders or relationships/situations that aren’t in your best interest.

While the first half of the week may feel slow, tender, and even sticky at some points, the Knight of Wands arrives on the scene bringing a massive change of pace. It’ll be important to use this energy mindfully; while this card is immensely powerful and energizing, there is a chance that we’ll accidentally walk back on some of our recent progress. Think before you act, make sure your values align with your decisions, and be mindful of stepping on other people’s toes in a fit of passion.

Potential surprise/reframe:

The part of Strength that’s coming through most powerfully to me in this reading is the moment of contact between the main figure’s hand and the lion’s head. It’s as if it’s fading into the exchange happening in the Six of Cups next to it: an older child giving a cup holding a white flower to a younger child. Perhaps there’s a similar moment happening within us this week, as we discover that the fierce lion we’ve been trying to tame is really just a small child looking for a gesture of acceptance.

In this sense, this week isn’t about doing more work (The Knight of Wands), but recognizing and appreciating the work we’ve already done to accept and make peace with ourselves.

This week, embrace:

• Loyalty to yourself: your values, experience, worldview

• Focus on active themes or struggles

• Self-compassion, curiosity

• Intimate relationships

This week, avoid:

• Pretending you’re struggling with yourself more than you actually are (i.e. over-identifying with Strength when you could be transitioning to the Six of Cups)

• Acting rashly and undoing your hard work

• Attacking your own progress

• Rushing in general

Weekly Forecast: January 30 - February 5

What do you do when you’re looking for a feeling? The Four of Cups sees us starting the week with a nagging sensation that something’s missing. We’re yearning for something in the realm of the cups suit - love, connection, spirituality, or intuition - but we're not sure how to articulate it just yet. In situations like these, challenging feelings can be important guides; pay attention to where you’re yearning, pining, lonesome, or bored. What happens when you just sit with these experiences, much like the figure in the Four of Cups?

Depending on your situation and personality, this can range from a tolerable experience to something torturous. But the Four of Cups gives us the opportunity to really feel through our present moment so that we can embrace the opportunity that’s just right for us when it arises. Rushing through, in contrast, can lead us to add more to our lives mindlessly, causing us to miss out on important realizations about who we really are.

So, as the week begins, make plenty of room for reflection, both as a mindfulness practice you engage with continually (inviting yourself, for example, to just observe your feelings and let them flow through you instead of rushing to judgment) and in the form of designated chunks of time: an evening meditation, a solitary walk, or time with your journal. It’ll also be important to ground yourself in what is working in your life so that you’re aware of how anything new will either add or detract from it. What is supporting you, giving your life meaning and a sense of emotional fulfillment? What might these things have to say about who you are and your ability to craft a life for yourself?

An intriguing part of this reading is that, buried in what seems like an emotional or relational problem, there is a crucial insight into our practical, everyday lives. The King of Pentacles comes into the reading midweek, suggesting that our emotional yearning may be masking some actionable changes we’ve been mulling over for quite some time. Is it more comfortable to feel emotionally dissatisfied than tapped into the power and responsibility of shaping your life?

I don’t say this to be judgmental; it seems as if there are important insights in both cards, and maybe the confusion is part of the process. Yet the power of the King of Pentacles emerging at the center of our reading points to some sort of blockage in our energy. Re-casting ourselves as the protagonist in our lives and then acting from this place of power will help move things forward in unexpected ways, both emotionally and practically.

Stepping into our personal authority and ability to make change will be both refreshing and a little overwhelming; on the other side of this card is the fast-moving Eight of Wands. So if we feel bored as the week starts, we may be looking back at that experience wistfully as things really get going around the weekend. Yet The King of Pentacles is holding down the fort for us throughout; we get to make our own choices, and what’s more grounding than that?

Potential surprise/reframe:

I’m really drawn to the King of Pentacles in this reading. The Four of Cups is all about waiting - feeling things out, digesting our emotions, and practicing receptivity in the hopes that we’ll be better able to accept an important gift when it arrives. In contrast, this week’s King is “the King of making a life for oneself.” How can making/shaping/adding to our lives in a prosaic, pentacles-y way remove some pressure from our experience of the Four of Cups?

If we’re feeling stuck in the world of emotion, it will be helpful to double-down on what we can do in the physical and everyday. Make changes, plan out your finances, see where you can streamline your routines and even enjoy your life a little more. Doing so may help clear any blocked channels that are keeping us small and dissatisfied in other areas.

This week, embrace:

• Sitting with your feelings

• Focusing on emotional balance

• Taking responsibility for your daily life, career, or physical health

• Acting when things feel aligned and are gaining momentum

This week, avoid:

• Seeking affirmation or attention to compensate or fill a void

• Hiding from your true feelings

• Downplaying your skills

• Stopping yourself from committing to action out of fear

Weekly Forecast: January 23-29

A mental storm is subsiding at the beginning of this week, dear readers, though not without some turbulence. We initially find ourselves in the position of the Page of Swords - eager, looking for answers, and kicking up a whole mess of confusion in the process.

You might remember that we ended our last week’s reading with the Four of Swords, a card that denotes a growing awareness arising from a period of rest and reflection. So, in other words, something extremely helpful and even exciting has just come into focus and our first response is to grab it like the shining sword in this card, wave it around, and start thinking even more! Nevermind that our central struggle over the past few weeks has been a result of thinking too much.

It will be important to have the same amount of compassion and kindness we direct towards children available for our tender selves this week; the pages of the youths of tarot, and like this group we’ll be moving forward with some ungainly awkwardness, especially in our thinking. Where have you been eagerly, even aggressively, searching for answers lately? And how helpful has this actually been?

Swords are an intellectual group - they want to understand the events in life in an organized, often linear way. It’s likely that we’ve been approaching some facet of our experience similarly, looking to have a cut-and-dry answer and, like the pages themselves, finding the process a little messy. But perhaps, as this reading suggests, our current situation doesn’t actually need and explanation, it needs an experience; the type of movement that can only happen in our lived, physical lives instead of in the confines of our mind.

The Three of Pentacles shows us being guided to this new focus and, unlike the solitary Page of Swords, we have company. Pay attention to the relationships in your life across the board - where are you being invited to collaborate, share your experience, and build something new? Find your people, reach out and let yourself be surprised by the abundance of inspiration and movement that comes from doing so. This is a beautifully potent time for stepping out of the abstract and conceptual and into the real, embodied, and interpersonal realms of everyday life. We’ll have to try our best to shrug off the burdens of the swords mindset as we make the transition, so be alert to nagging messages of perfectionism. Does a part of you prefer to wait in the wings planning, strategizing, even criticizing potential future actions? These voices are best gently pushed aside this week as we prioritize interactions, collaborations, relationships, and working on things in real time.

What makes this week’s reading particularly promising is a visit from The Empress, our final card, that suggests the stumbling we undergo via the Page of Swords and the collaborations we embark on through the Three of Pentacles are part of a much bigger story. If our thoughts (and, more importantly, tendency to run forward with them without discernment) have been keeping us small, how might our actions and relationships be constructing a new reality at the same time? The Empress tells us that our daily lives - the things we do, the projects and people we commit to - are growing to eclipse the limiting messages of the Page of Swords. Of course, this will also feature some tension. Be kind to yourself as you’re growing and your life grows along with you.

In contrast to The Emperor, The Empress embodies a version of power that’s centered around openness, presence, sensuality, and the cycles of nature. This is not a card that builds tall walls to keep danger out and then puts on a full suit of armor to defend them (though, to be fair, this approach has its time and place). Look to what makes you feel comfortable in life and consider how showing up as yourself and granting yourself the environment to thrive gives you a deeply rooted sense of identity - an inner authority that can’t be taken from you. Investing in these comforts is far from frivolous - what might happen if we relax into our lives, let them nourish us, and act from this position of security?

Potential surprise/reframe:

This is one of those readings I could go on and on about. There’s a beautiful invitation happening in The Empress that each of us will have to accept (or not) in order to explore fully. But I would like to say that this week is a fruitful opportunity to interrogate assumptions and ideas around what you deserve, especially if it’s connected to pleasure. Just look at the splendid muumuu in this card! This person is reclining on luxurious blankets and pillows (I bet they’re velvet) - how can you do the same?

This may instigate some conflict with the Page of Swords, but they’re no match for the gravitas of The Empress. Be alert for self-limiting thoughts, especially related to what you “should” have/be/enjoy/experience, that fall apart as soon as you interrogate them. The silliness of the Page of Swords will be helpful here, and may tie back to ideas we inherited from our childhood that don’t have a place in our adult lives.

Because the true power of The Empress comes from their ability to feel and experience life - it’s sensual pleasures, the reality of being a body moving through a physical world, and all the joy and possibility that comes from it. Cutting off our awareness or even punishing ourselves by limiting our access to creature comforts, moments of beauty, and physical connection of all types does not serve our growth as individuals or as responsible members of the collective.

This week, embrace:

• Tender, even humorous awareness of our attempts to explain away our desires, self, or situation

• Collaboration with others

• Reaching out to our community

• Reciprocity

• Embracing our responsibility to care for ourselves

• Power in enjoying/participating in life

This week, avoid:

• Overanalyzing

• Negative self-talk

• Perfectionism

• Rigid stances towards life - making more rules when you just want to relax

Weekly Forecast: January 16-22

Strength is a card that operates on quite an impressive spectrum. Sometimes we’re wanting to figure something out - a big question about our life, ourselves, or our situation - and we approach it head-on, struggling valiantly for understanding. And sometimes we do a stranger dance, one of fits and starts, as we approach our question from different angles, retreating to process, and returning again to re-engage. It’s this odd shuffle that’s animating our lives this week as we try to suss out something important in a complicated situation. Yet no matter how confusing it may seem, this card’s appearance in our reading is a big encouragement. Now is the time to work towards a breakthrough; let’s roll up our sleeves.

This week we’re well-aware of an issue, or at the very least, that something is bothering us. Before we move on, take a moment to commend yourself for this awareness! Sure, it’s not as satisfying as a cut-and-dry solution, but this reading is inviting us to revel in the creative potential of struggle. Consider what area of your life is feeling murky or in need of editing. Strength is not a card that shows up in times of clarity; it shows us in the muck, trying to tame the lion, and being intimate with an issue on a more feelings-based level. Don’t fight the reality of the situation - this is a time to accept what is and redirect focus to how you’re operating in this specific context. What are you learning about yourself? How would you like to be?

Speaking of which, this image illustrates the classic struggle between the ideal self (sometimes called the “higher self”) and the instinctual self. Conflict between the two can help steer us towards actions that are more aligned with our values. Ask yourself:

• Where do my actions feel in opposition to or without connection to my values and goals? and

• What actions or behavior go against my instincts, intuition, and desires?

Because even though we may think it’s essential to aspire to the angelic self in this card, it’s equally important to work with and integrate our "animal” self. Look at your life and see which is running the show at the moment, and then try to work towards a more sustainable balance. Pretending to be a saint can be just as harmful as living a life of unbridled hedonism.

Our next two cards give us specific instructions for how to engage with the issues being brought up by Strength. The Seven of Cups shows us gifted with an unusually powerful imagination this week; allow yourself to throw any and every idea you have onto the table. Don’t limit your visions - there’s treasure to be found amidst the trippiest, most outlandish scenarios for your future. Be aware, however, that this headspace can feel a little heady. You may find yourself feeling scattered, lacking focus, and lost in the clouds. Go with the current while it lasts, giving yourself room in your schedule to meander and daydream.

At the end of the week, we come back down to earth via the calm rationality of The Four of Swords. Give yourself time to sit with everything that’s come up, organize your thoughts, and wait for a realization that feels right. Silence, solitude, and self-reflection are helpful tools during this time, and point us to the next steps we’ve been seeking. They’re not of the flashy variety, however, and our experience of Strength this week is more of a slow-burn than majestic breakthrough. It’s our task, however, to see this subtle awakening into awareness as equally, if not more, important.

Potential surprise/reframe:

There may be a false battle going on between our imagination and intellect this week. In other words, is the struggle shown in Strength actually between the Seven of Cups and Four of Swords? Do we feel like our dreams can’t match up with or inform our rational decisions? The thing about Strength is that all the conflicts it encompasses are generative. While it may take some time for the two characters to understand each other and move in harmony, they get there eventually with dedication and commitment to learning. See what gentleness and patience you can muster so that these sides of yourself can meet on supportive terms.

This week, embrace:

• Staying with complex situations

• Remaining open-minded

• Wildly imaginative brainstorming

• Time to gather your thoughts

• Rest, gentleness, patience

This week. Avoid:

• Rushing to conclusions from a place of discomfort

• Giving up

• Chasing perfection or lofty ideals

• Operating solely to fulfill immediate desires

Weekly Forecast: January 9-15

It’s time to give ourselves the structure, security, and protection we need in order to finish a long process of grieving.

Light stuff, right?

Our first weekly reading for 2023 is presenting us with a call to arms, and in some ways I’m happy to see this assertive energy in a time that can sometimes feel diffuse or dreamy. If your’e not a fan of New Year’s resolutions or drawing gentle conclusions out of complicated circumstances, The Emperor is a card for you. How can you step into your role as the authority in your life? This image is confrontational and imposing for a reason; it’s likely that this will be a time for us to take public stands, assert boundaries, and take action to shape our lives in ways that can protect our energy, integrity, and accomplishments.

This isn’t, in other words, a time to be overly polite, compromise on issues that really matter, or equivocate. For some of us this can be a challenge, and it’s actually quite likely that a challenge is what’s bringing us to this place. Notice where you’ve been backed into a corner, confronted, or forced to take a stand. How might this experience be teaching you something valuable about yourself?

The Emperor is a card that asks us to take up space and acknowledge that, in doing so, we may have to protect ourselves in the process. You’'ll notice that this figure has a suit of armored boots poking out from under their robes; taking the time to make sure your (healthy) defenses are up will be immensely helpful in the days to come. Dress to negotiate, but make sure your suit of armor is polished and ready for battle, too.

So, have you noticed the card in the center yet? Yes, The Ten of Swords is making an appearance this week, but it’s not telling us that our strides under the influence of The Emperor are destructive or foolhardy. Instead, this card is alerting us to a painful but necessary ending, one that has to do with our perceptions and ideas of reality and ourselves. Is adopting a more proactive, authoritative role in your life ruffling feathers or pinpointing relationships that aren’t supportive? Does taking action to make changes in your life illuminate failures (real or perceived) in your past?

While it’s not a pleasant card to experience, The Ten of Swords is the important conclusion to a long story. When our load of swords - ideas, values, memories, communications - becomes too much to bear we collapse. What limit have you reached this week? It’s important to grant yourself all the grace and patience you require during this time. Feel it all and try not to analyze your experience too much - the last thing you need is more swords in your life. Instead, notice what hurts and gently start to remove it from your life by either walking away, saying goodbye, or making this important transition to a new phase.

And what would this new phase be? We have the jarringly celebratory Six of Wands on the other side of this scenario. This is a situation in tarot where it seems like things are happening on two levels: personally, we’re experiencing a necessary but painful contraction - looking inwards to release our “old swords” causing us injury - and publicly, we’re embracing our leadership and taking a stand to shape our lives (and likely, careers) in ways that are leading to immediate success.

It’ll be important this week to make room for our very tender internal journey through the Ten of Swords so that we can be present for the big strides happening via The Emperor and the Six of Wands. Can you feel like a puddle and be celebrated? This reading certainly thinks so, and it’ll be our challenge to let in support, celebration, and success while dealing with a painful and ultimately healing transition.

Potential surprise/reframe:

When I went to photograph this reading I was struck by the pair of The Ten of Swords and Six of Wands and thought of this question: How might falling on your face actually be a huge victory? The swords are a poised group of cards and they always want to find a neat and tidy narrative. Messiness, in other words, is what they try to avoid at all costs… until things become too much, hence this hot mess situation with ten swords in your back. In our reading, however, this is followed by the victory parade of the Six of Wands. Pay special attention this week to what is actually happening over what you’re thinking. It’s likely that people around you are lifting you up, maybe even impressed by your resilience, seeing achievements in your struggles where you may not have the perspective to recognize them as such.

THis week, embrace:

• Taking a stand

• Advocating for yourself & your best interests

• Noticing what’s injuring you

• Self-compassion and rest

• Praise, opportunity, and support

This week. avoid:

• Backing down or ceding progress

• Overanalyzing suffering or discomfort instead of simply feeling through it

• Over-scheduling (this is definitely a time to clear as much space as possible)

• False modesty

Weekly Forecast: December 12-18

After a tumultuous week that has us focusing on what was ending, we’re now directing our gaze to where sustenance, beauty, and inspiration is flowing with natural abundance.

Last week was ruled by The Tower - that quintessential card of upsetting endings - yet it was also bolstered by the magic of the Seven of Cups. No one moment is entirely “good” or “bad",” and just as The Tower has room for beauty, beauty holds plenty of room for suffering. Yet it’s often this contrast that makes important ideas and sources of information visible. So, this week, we’re gifted with the awareness of an important wellspring, one that’s setting the stage for our next phase in life.

And, as the dust settles more and more, we’re starting to see how this source is ever-present and constantly flowing. What happens when we center our lives here instead of the hard walls of, say, a Tower?

The Ace of Cups is an undeniably gorgeous card, one we haven’t seen in quite some time. If last week had us scrambling to dream ourselves forward despite the chaos of something ending spectacularly, this week the chaos has subsided to reveal a more unified understanding of what really matters to us.

It’s crucial to note here that the cups are a group of cards that speak to feelings, not thoughts, concepts, or practices. We can direct these feelings into actions, of course, and translate some of their messages into ideas, but at their core, cups are about the watery and mysterious world of our emotions, spirit, and intuition. Experiencing and understanding this part of our lives comes easier to some than others, so be gentle if you struggle with validating and trusting their messages. Aces, however, are all about awareness and acceptance, nothing more, so just try to stay with what feels good. It’s likely that in dreaming big last week you gained a new understanding of what truly gives you sustenance - real spiritual and emotional sustenance. Let that be enough and see what your burgeoning awareness might reveal.

The rest of this reading plants us at an intriguing juncture. It’s time for a change, but not one we’re being forced into. This week we’re taking back the reins and mustering our energy to forge our own path forward. If you’ve been considering an impactful change in your daily life (Seven of Pentacles), this is the time to start making some decisions about it (King of Wands).

And let’s take a moment to appreciate our “elemental array” we’re working with - water (cups), earth (pentacles) and fire (wands). No airy swords in sight which tells us that this is not a time to analyze or deal in concepts or abstractions. Our inspiration is flowing, we have a solid foundation/resume, and now is the time to step into our role as the authority over our life and energy and do something.

If that feels pressure-filled, simply return to the Ace of Cups because there is no better card to represent authentic, heart-centered motivation. It’s been watering our efforts for some time, as shown in the lushness of the Seven of Pentacles, but we’re also ready to take things to the next level. Again, this is not about reinventing the wheel, but it is about finding new pathways that can give you increased satisfaction and avenues through which you can express your skills, talents, and charisma.

The King of Wands is an immensely charming card, and it tells us to live big and celebrate who we truly are. This is, after all, the King of Fire. What has you lit up right now? What is the source of your personal energy, creativity, and sense of mission? As a publicly-facing card, this King asks us to take responsibility for our gifts - they’re meant to be shared so that their fire can give warmth and light to others.

Notice how the King is also turning to the left, beholding the cards that come before them. Sometimes taking a “fiery stance” feels intimidating or confrontational, even. But this reading is wonderfully balanced; we’re aware of where we stand and that awareness, in fact, is what’s giving us confidence and informing our actions. There’s plenty of water to control a fire if it burns too wildly. There’s plenty of earth to soak up and be nourished by the effusive and plentiful water. In these conditions, taking a chance is not a risk, it’s a joyful requirement.

This week, embrace:

• Identifying sources of pleasure, beauty, and inspiration

• Naturally-occurring healing

• Letting things in, not forcing them

• Calm and grounded assessments of your daily life and career

• Your personal authority, energy, and vision

• Making changes with all these in mind/guiding/supporting you

This week, Avoid:

• Fear-based decision-making

• Rushing plans

• Discounting what comes easily or feels good to you

Get creative:

• Ace of Cups: Identify one thing that makes you feel amazing and do it more often. Bonus action: Obligatory Ace of Cups ritual bath (because how could I not?) - A heaping cup of Epsom salts, fresh mint, rose petals, and a few drops of sweet orange essential oil.

• Seven of Pentacles: Find or consecrate a houseplant you already have to represent your eighth pentacle - what do you want to grow and tend to in your life right now? As you care for it, envision this project or venture flourishing.

• King of Wands: The Albano-Waite-Smith deck we’re using this week is really making this king seem extra-fiery, so I think we should do the same. Find a power outfit, preferably red, and wear it all week or on a day when you need to be seen, get your point across, or muster your energy.