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: 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.

Weekly Forecast: January 10-16

Kind of Cups/ Ten of Wands / Ace of Swords

Deep wisdom providing the courage to make a final push towards clarity and inspiration

I’ll be honest, I’m excited to see the King of Cups leading us into the week. An understated and sometimes overlooked member of the tarot court, the King of Cups embodies values that often get pushed to the side in a world that moves fast, talks faster, and is quick to jump to conclusions. This King is not rash, easily swayed, or willing to sacrifice integrity, even in the face of immense pressures. It’s this energy that urges us to step into the week with focus and determination.

When I see the King of Cups, I’m always inspired to stop for a moment and take a deep breath. Once I’ve left the wild spin of my mind for that briefest of moments, I usually find myself checking into my body - feeling my feet against the softness of my house slippers (yes, I am working from home, why do you ask?), smelling the steam coming off my cup of tea, or noticing soreness in my clenched jaw. I might even be inspired to explore my emotional state as well. Is there something I’m not saying that has my jaw so tight? Do I need to get a glass of water, maybe think about how to articulate something important? The King of Cups leads us down similar paths of awareness, inviting us to follow the breadcrumb trail of our physical and emotional reality. We must, however, stop to accept the invitation, and follow it without judgment.

I’m seeing a similar “take the next step” energy at work in the coming days. We have a lot on our plates and we’ll need to muster all the wisdom and equanimity that the King of Cups has to offer. We have a lot of work to do in our external life which is why it’s equally important, even essential, to do so from a place of self-awareness, compassion, and self-esteem. The King of Cups embraces his role as a leader of himself and others. We may be given opportunities to use the wisdom we’ve fought to earn through our personal healing practices in the larger world, extending compassion in difficult situations and leading by example. Looking at this card, we can see that, despite being in the middle of a boisterous and action-packed ocean (check out that bizarro whale and bright red ship!) the King is, in fact, seated on a sturdy throne. Its stone base may float through some magic, but since the Minor Arcana are centered around the physical world, I like to imagine his throne extending as a pillar through miles and miles of deep ocean. What hard work have we done to construct emotional and spiritual stability for ourselves? What gives us quiet strength no matter what wildness happens in life around us? Now is a time to tap into these sources as we grapple with important work and big challenges.

The Ten of Wands shows us the nature of our undertaking. We’ve been toiling for quite some time, taking an idea or opportunity from its exhilarating beginning to near conclusion. Though we’re weary, we’re also almost done; the Ten of Wands illustrates the last few steps before the end of a journey animated by the fire and inspiration of the wands. What important endeavors have we been working on? How can we honor our commitment and see things through to the end?

This card can also come up when we’re simply so exhausted that we may not remember or be aware of the huge load we’re carrying, our perspective narrowed as we simply fight to keep moving forward. While we can trust in the process and continue nonetheless, don’t hesitate to recenter by returning to what inspires you - looking at the wall of wands and rediscovering the single idea, value, or event that started it all (in other words, seeing the Ace of Wands within the Ten). What was the spark of energy that started this powerful and, at times, overwhelming fire? How can you use that energy to finish the tasks at hand?

The King of Cups stands behind this card with reassuring calm. It would be wise to stay our course, he advises, and to avoid any mishaps or mistakes that spring from emotional reactions instead of wise, emotionally resonant decisions. The Ten of Wands is as many wands as you can get in tarot, and sometimes a collection of sticks is a bonfire waiting to happen. This is a time to practice patience with others and to simply observe our emotions before taking them as gospel truth or a call to arms. We certainly don’t need any more fire in this reading; allow yourself to relax in the deep waters of the King of Cups when difficulty and stress arise.

So, yes, a challenging week and one where we’re grappling with exhaustion and burnout, but what’s at the other side? The Ace of Swords gleams just beyond our burden of sticks - a breakthrough is on its way, and a shift in energy, from action and striving to awareness and ideas. Perhaps we’ve encountered some glimmers of new information, either as a result of our current projects and struggles or… they’ve simply appeared out of thin air. Aces are enlivening gifts and we never know when they’ll appear.

Towards the end of the week be sure to welcome and explore any new ideas, opportunities, or connections, particularly if they’re connected to swords-y topics: learning, communication, information, and mental clarity. Aces have an impish, alluring quality to them: what’s calling you forward, enticing you towards newness, or sparking your interest? It’s essential, however, not to push things (look at all those wands we’ve been carrying! We clearly need a break). We must rest and recuperate in order to be ready for what’s new. And what’s could be more in line with the wisdom of the King of Cups than that?

This week, Embrace

• Self-care routines that keep you grounded

• Bringing nonjudgmental awareness to your emotions

• Taking time to recenter around your experience and values before acting

• Perseverance and follow-through

• Curiosity and lighthearted learning or intellectual exploration

this week, avoid

• Abrupt changes, radical edits, or wholesale abandonment of longterm projects

• Getting caught in the emotions, drama, or the conflicts of others

• Downplaying your work and contributions or side-stepping acknowledgment

• Burdening new ideas or points of curiosity with over-planning or expectations

get creative

• King of Cups: Set aside some time for solitude, close your eyes, and journey inward with the intention of finding your peaceful center. Notice the sensations that arise when you feel connected to yourself, along with any images, memories, or impressions. Find whatever feels most powerful, whether it’s a single thing or a combination you weave into a powerful whole (I like to image my “inner sanctum” as a specific place, for example). When stress arises, call this image to mind and draw on its power and quiet any hubbub, drama, or confusion in the world around you.

• Ten of Wands: Look at all the tasks in front of you and ask yourself the question: Does this connect back to an important spark? While the Ten of Wands represents a final push, we can also accumulate the weight of needless worries, unnecessary tasks and busy work, as well as the expectations and demands of others. Use the memory of your initial inspiration to burn away any of this energy-sucking additional labor.

• Ace of Swords: Let your wandering mind roam free and pick up a book, article, or podcast about something completely out of your wheelhouse. I’m feeling strong “twenty tabs open in your browser” energy here - do share any interesting discoveries and let yourself get weird.

Weekly Forecast: June 17-23

This weekly forecast is asking us to embrace the spirit of newness. It's a refreshing change of energies, a shift from the traditional mindset of The Hierophant to the creative action of The Magician.

While it's important to gather information, study, research, and look to existing options, that energy can quickly become stultifying. Where do we, in all our unique glory, fit in? 

Plus, we can always learn more.  At what point, however, does this become a placeholder for the actual steps we need to follow if we want to be out in the world, making our dreams come true?

There's a sense of safety that comes from planning and tradition. These paths and places are known quantities. There are rules, examples, pre-ordained paths to follow. 

Our cards right now are giving us a little push out the door right now. We're ready to start practicing things in the big old world on our own. Embracing this shift in energy will be quite fun and energizing. The Magician sings when he's creating in the moment. With all of the tools of tarot laid on his table, he knows that he has all the pieces he needs to make something truly great. 

So, if anything, this is a time to learn by doing, to break free from any blueprints that don't quite feel right, and to bring our plans into conversation with the larger world. We can learn by doing and put our skills, talents, and interests front and center. 

What do we need to further our own vision right now? What are we itching to start, experiment with, or make happen? Anything that falls outside of this realm - especially the lovely distractions - can take a break out of the spotlight for now. This is a time to put ourselves in the center and get to working some magic. It's all leading to a new found sense of clarity in the Ace of Swords, so let's enjoy the ride and see what we're capable of. 

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Weekly Forecast: May 13-19

We have a nice and uplifting forecast for the week ahead. It's not a time for intensity, hand-wringing, or choice fatigue, though if those are present in our lives (as they often are) we have these cards encouraging us to skip in another direction. And what direction might that be? One that points towards a passionate engagement with ourselves.

The Lovers is a card few people would turn down. The name, the imagery - it's all delightful and carries a romantic overtone that's often missing in everyday life. But who says that has to be the case? As a major arcana card, The Lovers also asks us to elevate our understanding our our situation. Is something boring, quotidian, or frustrating really all it seems?

Even more excitingly, this powerhouse card is followed by the Ace of Swords and the Queen of Cups. I've often written how The Lovers, in addition to romance, deals with the theme of choice. Here, we have two cards that often get stuck at opposite ends of a spectrum: The intellectual breakthrough of the Ace of Pentacles and the intuitive expertise of the Queen of Cups. This week, however, our real choice is between engaging in old routines that uphold this false dichotomy and reaching for something wilder, bigger, and yet-unexplored.

In other words, it's time to go for it. Now, whatever that 'it' is will vary for each of us, but common themes will be that it seems somehow too radical, too much, and too romantic. We might find ourselves thinking that the seed of a new idea - The Ace of Pentacles - can't coexist with a peaceful and emotionally integrated self. Or that being practical necessitates sacrificing our more soft, spiritual side. 

The Lovers says, with loving candor, that that's all utter ridiculousness. If we don't choose our higher path, one that says all parts of us belong together and that we can fashion something authentic out of our unique selves, how can we say with any certainty what's possible? 

This card also tends to appear during pivotal moments of expansion - times when we break from the pack to do our own thing. At first this can seem foolish and risky, but, as major arcana cards emphasize, we only need to answer to ourselves. In other words, when making big moves like this it's key to prioritize our own opinions, desires, and instincts. 

In this case, we have both the exhilarating newness of an idea and the mature self-possession of the Queen of Cups. What magic can we create with this combination? Something truly singular and toe-curling, that's to be sure. So take the next step, trust yourself, and dare to move ever so slowly (or quickly) into the wild future you'd like to build. 

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Weekly Forecast: August 28-September 3

The beginning of this week is staring slow. In fact, it might seem like a slog where we're trudging along barely able to put one foot in front of the other. The five of pentacles is challenging us to move through obstacles while taking them in at the same time. Often we'd rather rush through to the other side. Instead, this week our lesson is patience and perserverance.

The figures in this card have seen better days. When we meet them in the five of pentacles, they're hobbling through banks of snow dressed in rags. Of course, tarot speaks in symbols, so we won't be literally cast into the streets as beggars. However, this mindset will be present in our lives, most likely in our day-to-day. In some way we're feeling impoverished and engaged in a struggle to get by. 

The rest of the reading calls on us to rethink this mindset. Our struggles aren't indicative of a long road ahead. Instead, they show us pushing through a turning point, after which we'll be feeling much more secure and prepared for what's next.

As we begin our week we might be seeing this suffering only in ourselves. The key of the five of pentacles, however, is to widen our gaze and recognize those struggling along with us. There are two people in this card. Perhaps they're helping each other along the way, offering encouragement when there is nothing else to go on. Now is an important time to reflect on how support, friendship, and solidarity have helped us through hard times. 

So while we may be feeling put-upon and out in the cold, we actually have more to offer than we think. Another beautiful facet of the five of pentacles are the pentacles themselves. They glow above the struggling people, illuminating their way even though they don't stop to look up for the source. What beliefs and guidance has helped to move us through hard times? Look to it now for support. These intangible things are much more important than we often think. 

In reexamining our current difficulties we're also being forced to reexamine our acheivements. After all, there's nothing like some harsh contrast to make us realize how good we have it now. The seven of pentacles shows us breaking out of our struggles and into a feeling of gratitude. Like the gardener in the card, we're taking a break to look at the fruits of our labor. Keep this in mind when deep in the sticky difficultires of the five of pentacles!

The introspective mindset of the seven of pentacles will inspire us to reach out to others who are struggling. In what ways can we offer help and support? How can we cast a warm glow on other people's lives like the window in the five of petnacles? WIthout struggle it's difficult to have compassion. Since we're dealing with pentacles here there's a focus on action that has a tangible benefit. Small things add up to bigger accomplishments, as we can see in the seven. Focusing on work and small acts of kindness will ensure that our good thoughts don't simply stay thoughts.

All this engagement with our ideas around suffering and altrusim is leading to a mental breakthrough. The ace of swords is bringing us a burst of clarity and purpose at the end of the week. We'll be feeling renewed and aligned with our values, maybe even starting to embody something we've only thought of for the first time. Our path here is well-earned and solid: we'll have truly brought an ideal into being through our own actions. 

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Weekly Forecast: July 31 - August 6

This week's reading is a shiny and exciting one. When I read tarot I am very effusive. It's just my nature. And sometimes I draw a group of cards that has me saying "ooh!" before I can stop myself. This is one of them.

Aces bring an air of energy with them, the effervescent feeling of new beginnings. This week we have two: the ace of swords and the ace of pentacles. 

Things have been a bit wandsy around here lately as we've been focusing on action, projects, and getting things done. It's good to kick up a little dust when we get moving, but sometimes it can gather into a dust storm, obscuring the rest of our lives and maybe even choking out some of the greenery along the way.

This week shows a radical shift in energy, a clearing of the storm to reveal a new placid yet exciting landscape that we're able to see with clear eyes. We're experiencing new thoughts, ideas, and inspirations that will be leading us to new opportunities to change our daily lives for the better. And in the meantime? Life is looking good.

When two aces show up in a reading there can be a tendency to be split in two different directions. Sometimes all the possibility can be overwhelming. Right in the center of our reading, however, we have Temperance, a beautiful card that symbolizes wisdom, calmness, and balance. It's the perfect recipe for well-informed and exhilarating decisions.

In a sense, we're being inspired by the idea or inspiration represented by the ace of swords and channeling it through the lends of Temperance. We'll be taking the space to connect with oursevles, deeply consider our values and goals, and then start to make them into reality.

There are a lot of gifts within our reach this week. Most likely they're already at work in our lives, manifesting themselves in our relationships with friends, community, and creativity. Limitations are out the window. Instead, look for inspiration and support wherever your gaze lands. We're sure to find it in many different places, some expected and some delightfully surprising.

We have a lovely, uninhibted pathway between our mental clarity and physical reality right now, making it an ideal time to channel our insights into practice. Think planting a garden and tending it gently instead of running full speed ahead. The earthiness of the ace of pentacles shows us that we're interested most in cultivating something that will sustain us and enrich our lives, not set us off on a wild, freewheeling adventure.

If you're feeling the urge to nest, embrace a new lifestyle change, or enrich your relationships, now is the perfect time. There's a lot of deep meaning to be found in the everyday this week. We're ready to link up our thinking selves with our feeling selves, a profound way to increase groundedness, well-being, and a loving relationship with who we truly are. 

Embracing calmness and connection will illuminate the possibilities that have been hiding right under our noses. We're tuning into a new channel, and preparing to accept a new opportunity that's forming. And yet the newness isn't radical or foreign. It's an extension of how we are in the world and how we'd like to be, a slow unfurling from bud to blossom. Did you see the path leading out of the garden in the ace of pentacles?  When the time is ripe, we'll be heading out towards a new way of supporting ourselves. Until then, we'll do best appreciating and cultivating what sustains us in our already beautiful lives. 

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Weekly Forecast: February 27 - March 5

Cards by The Fountain Tarot

­­­­Have you ever had a flash of inspiration? Or an experience that radically changed the way you look at the world? Moments that open your eyes to something entirely different?

This week sees us moving out of old patterns and into a brave and exciting new direction. In some aspect of our lives we’ve been staring at a blank wall, hoping for change. Like most walls, it looked solid and unnegotiable. Not something flimsy you could take a hammer to, but the kind of wall that only a wrecking ball could smash to smithereens. Maybe we didn't even notice it in the first place.

A lot of the stories we tell ourselves about change involve us rising to the occasion, taking control, and making things happen. We’re the hero of the story, the person who harnesses their power and creates their own destiny. 

But this narrative can be exhausting. “Am I really responsible for everything?” we might think. In this story, there’s so much striving and struggling. And, to make things even lovelier, failure is personal.

If we don’t get what we’re after it means it’s our fault. We’re not pulling on those bootstraps hard enough! But what if we don’t have boostraps? (Who does in this day and age?) And what if we don’t feel like pulling?

Luckily, the world doesn’t work like this. We’re not meant to be straining all the time, making the veins on our forehead pop from effort. Revolutionarily enough, there are forces of the world that are out of our control. 

If we believe wholeheartedly in this myth, we’ll be constantly disappointed when things don’t go our way. But if we don’t? Well, the world gets much more interesting.

Remember The Tower from last week? This is a card that expertly sorts out these two worldviews. If we’re obsessed with control and personal success, the random outside forces that The Tower represents will certainly seem catastrophic. Everything is falling apart! It’s ruined! It’s… my fault!

But as The Star and The Ace of Swords told us, embracing an open mind and making space for what’s out of control can give us an incredible opportunity. When the lightening recedes and the dust settles, we can either rebuild a better tower or move on to something new.

And sometimes we need The Tower's force to break through the walls we can't see or move ourselves.

The Ace of Swords has followed us from the calamity of The Tower last week and is now front and center. This tells us that however The Tower manifested itself in your life last week, it was for the better.

This week is where we begin to really experience the clarity that comes after a big storm. We’re feeling refreshed and invigorated. Beyond that, we’re seeing new avenues for change we didn’t before. The wall has been torn down and the way forward is clear.

The Fountain drives home the idea that our universe and our lives are complex, unpredictable, and full of possibility. That our lives aren’t simply plunked into a predictable framework and left to run their course. The universe is much bigger than us, and we’re free to revel and play in all its possibilities.

This card was created specially for The Fountain Tarot (perhaps another sign that this week is all about thinking outside the box.) The creators couldn’t put it better: ”The Fountain card is the eternal context beyond human experience in which anything and everything can happen.”

Anything and everything can happen? Well if that seems intimidatingly vague, have no fear. The Ace of Swords is bringing its powerful intellectual force into our lives for some much needed clarity. It looks like we’re already hatching some ideas and plans that, like a sword, are sharp and ready for action.

The new thoughts and ideas that are emerging represent the beginning of a path. It’s all fresh and inspiring right now, so pay attention to what’s on your mind while the clarity lasts. Now is a good time to journal, meditate, and think things through. You can be confident in your perceptions and abilities – use The Fountain card to inspire you. Think expansiveness and possibility. How would you like to explore it all?

This leads us to The Lovers, suggesting that the changes and ideas we’re hatching are going to bring us closer to a complimentary person or situation. When we have a clear idea of who we are and what we want we’re able to attract what we truly need.

Figuring this out, as seen in the Ace of Swords, is like polishing a glass lantern. The changes of the past few weeks have done an excellent job and things are looking shiny. Now our true self, our inner light, is shining brightly for all to see.

We can expect this new shininess to attract people and opportunities in the week to come. Using our newfound sense of clarity and direction, we’ll likely be able to determine who and what is worthy of letting into our lives. Whether romantic or otherwise, the coming connection we make will be taking us down a lush and creative path.

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Weekly Forecast: February 19-25

Cards from the Tarot del Fuego

This week is packed with events and energy. There’s going to be an upheaval, the kind that we can’t avoid. Thankfully we’ve been channeling some grade-A serenity that will come in handy as we navigate the shakeup. There’ll be a mixture of peaceful little moments, satisfaction, and drama.

What can we do with this grab bag? Do we have to get swept up in the chaos or is there another way out?

The answer is yes, but before we get into all that, let’s take a look at one of my favorite tarot cards, The Tower.

This card commands attention in any reading. It’s impossible to ignore a tower crumbling in flames. The image is one of the most arresting in the deck, along with old favorites The Devil and Death. Though not warm and fuzzy like the Six of Wands or The Lovers, these cards are what make tarot such a powerful system. They account for the struggles and bumps in life. Without them we’d have lukewarm readings with no depth at all. And we wouldn’t be able to plan for the less than perfect moments in life.

So what do we do when the tower crumbles? Or, as in this epic illustration by Ricardo Cavolo, giant tiger paws destroy it?

The answer is, while it’s happening, nothing.

There’s absolutely nothing we can do against giant tiger paws as tiny humans. We just get out of the way and watch our tower get torn down from a safe distance. We don’t even need to run around screaming and waving our hands. It’s best to conserve our energy and remain calm.

The Tower shows us instances where forces outside our control swoop in and shake things up. It doesn’t have to be wholly traumatic, but it will definitely be noticeable. The landscape is going to change drastically and we’ll need to do some rebuilding when the dust settles.

This card indicates that some structure in our life is about to be dismantled. The change will leave us reeling, but in most cases, it’ll be necessary and pave the way for more growth. Though we may not have made the decision to initiate the change, chances are a part of us was ready for it.

Consider the tower itself. The walls are thick and clunky – built more for keeping people out than inviting them in. We probably didn’t build it in the first place. Taking it down brick by brick would be time consuming and intimidating. Luckily, or not, the universe has swooped in to make a change for us. The only question left is how we’ll rebuild.

Interestingly, underneath the drama, we’re in quite the pretty place this week when it comes to our personal and emotional lives. The Star is a bright-eyed card that shows the peace and beauty that can emerge when we’re solid in our identity and engaged with the world. Our self-esteem is just peachy and we’re doing a good job of feeling our feelings.

In other words, we’re more than prepared to hold our own during a little chaos.

There’s a quality of playfulness and ease to this card – the feeling you get when things are flowing naturally. We feel good, we notice the world around us, and we’re able to nurture ourselves in the best ways possible. In this mindset, when something makes a tower crumble we can see it as outside our control. Most importantly, we know that it’s not the way the world always is. We can see the sun shining through the dust and trust that we’ll be back on track soon.

If we pay attention to this powerful undercurrent, we can coast through the upheaval of The Tower with minimal hairpulling. Water puts out fire after all. Perhaps the watery fish arms seen in The Star are just what we need to deal with those marauding tiger paws. This week our attitude counts the most. Sure, the burning tower may command our attention, but it seems that we have bigger goals that will whisk us past this dramatic tableau towards something even better.

The aftermath of The Tower comes in the form of an ace, truly the most overt card we could pull to tell us that the mayhem and change is worth it. Aces symbolize new beginnings and energies arriving in our lives. It’s the breath of fresh air that clears the dust away.

In this case, something from this week’s shakeup will cut away a lot of our mental fog around an issue we’ve been considering for a long time. Tied with The Star, this ace suggests that a truth we’ve held close to ourselves is bursting forth into a clear thought and mission.

This is A LOT of energy swirling around and our dear ace tells us it’s just the beginning of a new ride. We must stay grounded with the energy of The Star if we want to avoid getting burnt out by all this fiery passion and change.

Take time to survey the scene, take it all in, and take care of yourself. Embrace all that’s watery because the world is heating up. That means paying special attention to your feelings, finding joy in the world around you, and making space for your own creative expression.

With that in mind, buckle up, because it’s going to be a wild and exciting ride.

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