Weekly Forecast: January 31 - February 6

Replacing old, destructive ties with a full life: The Devil / Ten of Pentacles / Ace of Swords

weeding out self-sabotage to make room for new growth

We have a juicy reading here, my friends, introduced by none other than The Devil card itself. The only Major Arcana card in our spread, The Devil is giving us a hefty theme to wrestle with: self-sabotage, self-doubt, and the siren song of self-destructive pleasures. Noticing all those “selfs”? As all majors do, this card is directing our gaze towards our inner experience. This week, we have the chance to gaze unsparingly at the choices we make to stay limited, restricted, and wrapped in the chains of The Devil.

Now The Devil is a card I actually love. It sometimes reminds me of a client I once had at an event called “Goth Prom.” He was a slight young man, lurking in the periphery, and when he finally scuttled over for a reading I saw he was wearing lizard-eye contact lenses. Judging by the way he stared at me unblinkingly, he thought these contacts were giving him a confrontational and off-putting aura of mystery. But I didn’t just see his spooky lenses; I also saw his slouching posture and how he was unsure of where to put his hands when he sat down at my table. And then I listened as his stumbling voice tried to project his question over the cacophony of the Goth Prom dance floor. This is all to say that, beneath the provocative eyewear choices, he was quite tender and looking to connect. Similarly, The Devil comes on strong yet is ultimately pointing us towards healing and connection. If we react simply by recoiling - taking his imposing image at face value - we miss out on an opportunity to grow.

Today, I’m looking at the direct gaze of the devil in the center of the card; he’s peering out at us, the readers, wide-eyed and unblinking. I can almost imagine him as a friend trying to catch our glance to telegraph a plea for help - “please get these whining people away from me, they won’t leave me alone!” One part of this card that tarot scholars point out is the loose chains around the necks of the two nude figures - they’re suspiciously loose. Theoretically, they could shrug them off and walk away, but they choose not to. What is keeping us chained to the devil in our life? What habits remove us from a sense of perspective, accountability, and empowerment? And, what powerful message might The Devil be trying to teach us from behind this unhealthy relationship?

Our spread for this week starts with the self - The Devil - and radiates outwards into our everyday lives. Here, we see the Ten of Pentacles, a card that embodies the glorious chaos of a full life. Is there some form of abundance that’s kicking up old wounds, tempting us to retreat to the familiar patterns of The Devil? Or are we simply overwhelmed by the many moving parts our day-to-day entails? As the ultimate expression of the pentacles’ earthy practicality, this ten shows us how beautiful and complex life can be when we’re busy just living it. As I type this, I realize that the experience of the Ten is diametrically opposed to The Devil; in that card we see a retreat from a direct experience of life through dulling our senses in excess, escape, and distraction. The Ten of Pentacles, however, shows us in the midst of the melee - just look at how busy this illustration is! We have multiple generations, dogs, plants, and intricate architecture. What are the structures that give our life shape, both physical and relational? What happens when we busy ourselves tending to these bonds instead of avoiding them?

This is a week to jump into the fray of our lives with the goal of loving and appreciating what we have. And, most importantly, accepting and even celebrating imperfections. The Devil often tempts us with promises of the future, a world where discomfort and disappointment are erased. That’s just an illusion, but it’s easy to get stuck in the darkness, searching for that seductive mirage. Instead, try to ignore the siren song and look to real life for inspiration.

Looking at the imagery in Ten of Pentacles you wouldn’t be surprised to hear that I’m sensing an active and bustling week ahead of us. There’s a tricky, alluring message in this week’s reading, however. The Ace of Swords promises a pivotal breakthrough if we can lose ourselves in the day-to-day. Seeking out this information directly will only frustrate us, so if you’re looking for some insight, play hard to get, turn away from the question, and wait for it to find you instead. Are we coyly flirting with a breakthrough? Maybe. We can have some fun savoring our lives as they are while holding the knowledge that they’ll be changing soon, and in ways that are refreshing and self-directed.

This week, embrace

• Seeing your unhealthy temptations as invitations to heal

• Caring for your body, home, relationships

• Staying true to your everyday rituals

• Checking-in on family, friends, and loved ones

• Activities that feed your health and wellbeing

• A sense of humor with your faults and those of others

This week, avoid

• Aggressively pushing for new information

• Reinventing the wheel

• Self-destructive habits

• Ignoring or putting off responsibilities and uncomfortable truths

Get creative

• The Devil: Shine some light at this card - often the full light of day makes the allure of The Devil’s temptations a whole lot less sexy. Think about (or notice) how you feel after partaking in any of the behaviors, relationships, or thought patterns you identify with this card. When the temptation arises, fast-forward to these insights rather than elevating the spicy idea itself.

• The Ten of Pentacles: Practice reframing the repetition of your everyday life as something to celebrate and a sign that you’re really living. Choose one activity that you have to do every day: brushing your teeth, washing dishes, feeding your dog, cooking breakfast. Each time you do this task this week do so with intention, infusing every gesture with love and care, and making it a devotional act rather than a simple chore.

• The Ace of Swords: Do nothing! Yes, this can be a fun task. Try to enjoy the process of not knowing. Aces are gifts that come of their own accord; we can make room for them, but we can’t force their arrival. Think “amazing epiphany out of nowhere in the shower” energy. So do your best to enjoy life as it is and savor the moments before a new insight changes things.