Weekly Forecast: September 19-25

Sometimes when I do these readings, a phrase comes into mind that sums up the theme of the cards. The one this week? “Surprising progress.” I’m seeing this in our final card, The Nine of Wands, and in many ways we’re walking backwards into the awareness of a rather substantial personal achievement. Getting there, however, will take lots of rest and space, and a feeling of frustration or lack may be bumping around in our heads, demanding attention. The real challenge will be to listen gently, and then continue to give ourselves the calm and quiet we need.

The Nine of Wands is the pinnacle of the fiery wands suit. Unlike the ten, it shows a moment of balance (the ten, on the other hand, shows excess and burnout). In many ways, we’ve worked ourselves right up to the edge of that burnout, and edgy feelings may pop up frequently this week: dissatisfaction, restlessness, the desire to push for more, workaholism, insecurity.

Wands are charming cards; who doesn’t love the glow of a fire? Yet once ignited, these fires can get out of hand. We’re given a helpful reading this week that urges us to pay attention to the places where we’ve been burning at a high heat - what have we been pushing for, expending vast stores of energy? Often, the impetus is to keep going and seek more, more, more. But what if we’ve reached the perfect spot?

Fire metaphors aside, there’s a lot to be gained in paying close attention to how our efforts have yielded results, especially if they’re not immediately obvious to us. We have two powerful cards that touch on themes of rest, solitude, and healthy detachment from material and social concerns in this reading. We need space, in other words, to gain perspective.

Having the Four of Swords and The Hermit is a resounding endorsement for chilling the f out. Sure, we start with the gentle invitation of the Four of Swords, which tells us to give our minds a break by putting down our worries and pausing the constant ticker tape of analysis and judgment. But that’s followed with the grand archetype of wise solitude and slowness themselves: The Hermit. Now is a time to honor the messages of our bodies; if we’re tired and feeling depleted, rest. It’s not just a matter of practicality, it’s an invitation to walk towards deeper wisdom.

Take a moment right now to investigate where you feel exhausted, particularly mentally. What thoughts have been pinging around your brain, brushing your skull each time they ricochet? The Four of Swords is a clear invitation to hang. up. those. swords. Put them away, tell them to rest. You’re still aware of them, of course - they’re hanging on the wall in your stony, cool, and quiet inner-sanctum, after all. They just don’t hold as much power; you’re not actively swinging them around. Practices like meditation, exercise (oddly), sleep (and dreaming) all tap into the calm energy of this card. Basically, anything where you’re not using your analytic brain.

I like how this card is leading the charge, showing us that, on an instinctual level, we’re aware that we’ve reached an important milestone. See if you can reframe your desire to check-out, pump the breaks, and reassess as a voice coming from your intuition or higher self. Sometimes this can get muddled in our judgmental selves, so pay attention to unkind thoughts that label your desires as lazy, unproductive, or tied to procrastination. Rest is just as crucial to growth as striving upwards. And we certainly don’t want to burn out and, in the process, perhaps burn down any of our recent achievements.

This is where The Hermit comes in. Something in our lives deserves attention. Maybe it’s a burgeoning realization, an insight that flashed by on our speedy run through life that calls our for revisiting. Pay special attention to these intuitive curiosities and respect the tidal pulls of your yearnings and interest. The Hermit, as you may guess, is a solitary card. There are some questions only we can answer for ourselves, and the Four of Swords and Nine of Wands are telling us we can neither seek outside answers nor validation. This requires a visit to the mysterious, deep waters of our subconscious and a brave look at our inner wisdom.

A lot of this may be tied to the Nine of Wands, which denotes huge growth in our external lives - wherever we’re creating, as in using our will and energy to effect change, we’re being met with success and attention. Does it feel slightly overwhelming? Is success sending us into an emotional tailspin? Be alert to any urges that send you into a frenzy of motion: seeking collaborators and opinions, working excessively, editing something that’s already done and working well, filling your schedule. These will have an undertone of panic and fear; that if we stop, it will all crumble, hence the distrustful expression on the main character’s face. Yet the wands are planted firmly in the ground - what we’ve built has established itself and is flourishing. We need to step away, both to let it continue on its merry way and to finally see the entirety of what we’ve built.

This week, embrace:

• Listening to your body

• Rest, relaxation, quiet

• Solitude

• Reflection

• Regrouping

This week, avoid:

• Pushing through exhaustion

• Overcomplicating or editing something that’s already working

• Overexposure to outside voices (this would be a great week for a social media or news break)

Get creative:

• The Four of Swords: We touched on dreams only briefly in the reading above, so let’s focus on them here. Pose a question to your dreams before you go to bed, particularly one that’s been elusive and tricky to answer. Do this every night of the week, gently and with no expectations. It may take some time for you to either remember your dreams or find an image or theme within them that resonates, but keep at it. A specific dream of piece of a dream will emerge that makes you feel something. The feeling is the point, not the analysis. Carry it with you as you go about the week. Sometimes it’s just enough to bring your awareness to your dreams and witness the powerful transformation that happens in our subconscious when we rest, even if we don’t understand it entirely. Of course, you’re also welcome to record, explore, and do more in-depth dreamwork, but I think just a light hand is more than enough here.

• The Hermit: Look at the star in The Hermit’s lamp. This character is drawn forward by a singular light, small but powerful enough to illuminate each next step in the darkness. Take your larger life journey seriously this week and see if you can distill the main question or theme that’s animating your life right now. Write it down and keep it with you, using it as a light to guide you when you feel lost or confused about your next steps.

• Nine of Wands: I love this grumpy card. Who among us doesn’t feel like we’ve gotten whacked on the head a few times on our way to success (or survival)? This card asks us to both acknowledge how tired and dinged up we are and counteract the natural glumness that comes from expending a lot of energy. So, take a look around you and consider all the thing that are going well. What endeavors have come to fruition? Where have you stuck the landing? In other words, look at all the wands you successfully planted in the ground. You did that. Let it sustain and satisfy you.