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 feeling of lack, but it’s tough to pin down. 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?
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: September 26 - October 2
Okay, friends. We have an unusually straightforward reading this week: Embracing our ability to make choices around our resources is leading to growth and action. Not so hard, huh? Reading done? Not quite yet…
Before we get into the details, I’d like to say that, reading beyond the cards, this is a time to enjoy how the power of natural focus frees up space in other areas of our life. We’re touching on themes of pentacles - daily life, material possessions, the physical and tangible - and doing so is bringing us immense clarity. That also means that we can take the pressure off of other aspects that may have been clamoring for our attention in the past, trusting that they’ll work themselves out as time goes by.
Okay, friends. We have an unusually straightforward reading this week: Embracing our ability to make choices around our resources is leading to growth and action. Not so hard, huh? Reading done? Not quite yet…
Before we get into the details, I’d like to say that, reading beyond the cards, this is a time to enjoy how the power of natural focus frees up space in other areas of our life. We’re touching on themes of pentacles - daily life, material possessions, the physical and tangible - and doing so is bringing us immense clarity. That also means that we can take the pressure off of other aspects that may have been clamoring for our attention in the past, trusting that they’ll work themselves out as time goes by.
Our relationships, creative pursuits, intellectual lives… all of these can get some breathing room; better yet, we can go to them when we need pure enjoyment. Take this moment to gift yourself a clean slate, wipe away any stale thoughts or worries, and reassert your presence at the center of your life.
Speaking of assertiveness, we have the most convivially assertive cards in the deck leading our reading for the week. The King of Pentacles is the kind of character who charms their guests with ribald jokes, plies them with delicious food and good company, to the point that, when they leave, most are unaware of the plots and plans they’ve agreed to. Power by seduction? In a sense; but this week it’s not manipulative or canny. We’re able to touch on our abundance and share it with others in a way that invites them along the journey with us.
Accept your natural charms and generosity this week, reach out to others, and don’t be afraid of forge new alliances and hatch new plans via mutual celebration. This is truly a card of abundance, and it’s interesting that it’s coming after the Autumnal Equinox for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. Many things are coming into fruition, many fruits are ready to harvest. What has been ripening in your life that you can now pluck and taste?
It’s important to note that much of this success, while it seems effortless and exciting, is the result of our hard work and stamina. The King of Pentacles finds success in making things appear frictionless, but let’s step behind the curtain and give ourselves some praise and respect for the diligence and follow-through we’ve mustered - the process from planning the crop, to planting it, tending it through the growing season, and now harvesting it. We did it all, working with the environments around us, of course, and it would be a shame to deny ourselves the affirmation of recognition.
And I just have to note that this a week when, if things have been feeling challenging and out of sorts, the varying puzzle pieces that have been confounding us come together. With some help and luck, yes, but also because the time is just right. (Come to think of it, The Seven of Pentacles does channel that moment when, after staring at the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, you suddenly find that one missing corner piece you swore you’d lost.)
Revisit any ideas or plans that have stymied you recently, perhaps even ones you abandoned years ago. You may be surprised to find an easy solution in this present moment. Or that you can suddenly see what you were unable to before. The King of Pentacles is instructing us to accept our accomplishments, integrate them with our understanding of ourselves, and use that confidence boost to address a pivotal change in the Seven of Pentacles.
What’s the deal with this tunic-clad person leaning nonchalantly on their hoe? Are they lazy? Bored? Simply taking a break? Or, perhaps, do they just need to gaze lovingly and longingly at their garden?
Take time this week to daydream and get lost in reverie. It’s actually an essential part of our work process. If something feels like it’s missing, give it time to emerge. As you’ve likely guessed, The Eight of Wands shows us that breakthrough is imminent, and that when it comes, things start to move quickly. Take temporary lulls in action as an opportunity to gather your wits, take a breath, and get a good look at what you’ve built for yourself - the next steps are coming quickly.
Get a carful of seasonal gourds and the largest pumpkins you can hoist; throw a party with your closest friends; host a meetup for your area of expertise; orchestrate a grand gesture of generosity. All the ways you can embody the King of Pentacles are setting up the breakthrough of the Eight of Wands. They’re also giving us both an outlet for our joy and a chance to recuperate before things start moving once again.
This week, embrace:
Generosity
Community uplifts and events
Leading with “soft power”
Self-appreciation
Taking a step back to gaze lovingly at your squash garden/recent accomplishments
Diving into action when the path finally feels clear
This week, avoid:
False modesty
Distraction from the task at hand
Stinginess
Rushing into the final phase without rest and/or a quick moment of deliberation
Trying to turn back after something’s launched
Get Creative:
King of Pentacles: Let yourself really feel this card. While Kings tend to be an outward-facing bunch, there’s something to be said about how we have to know our own power in order to wield it. So, this week, do something to recognize and embody the power you’ve been building to shape your material world for the better. Plan a kingly celebration just for yourself (why am I picturing a medieval banquet/me eating a whole rotisserie chicken with my hands? … this may be my King of Pentacles moment ;), wear some finery for the day and feel resplendent, or hold court with the people who can share their perceptions of your recent accomplishments with love and goodwill.
Seven of Pentacles: This card has the most magic in it for us this week. It’s mysterious, vague, and just the type of tarot invitation for further exploration I love. Do some open-hearted meditation on the image in this card, specifically the boisterously abundant vine the main character is beholding. Close your eyes, settle into yourself, and see how your imagination/intuition/higher-self/subconscious images the recent bounty that’s come into your life. Pay special attention to things that are surprising and not at all what you thought you’d planted when you started this garden.
Eight of Wands: While this card is delightful - think the exhilarating rush of a carnival ride - it can also be overwhelming, especially after all the earthy, feet-on-the-ground energy of these pentacles. Simply build in some room in your expectations of the week for change, new energy (people, tasks, projects), and movement, knowing that it’s just the type of shake-up you need to move to the next phase of this chapter.
Weekly Forecast: August 8-14
Where do we hold our grief? At the surface, a tender heart beating in plain sight, or hidden away behind layers of our choosing: busyness, identity, stories we tell ourselves and others? This week represents a parting of the curtains, one that reveals a surprising path forwards, but also the heart of our suffering. Whether you’ve been grappling with a known grief or have one that’s bubbling up from your past, this is a time to gain new insight while allowing yourself to be transported to a new and refreshing vantage point.
Where do we hold our grief? At the surface, a tender heart beating in plain sight, or hidden away behind layers of our choosing: busyness, identity, stories we tell ourselves and others? This week represents a parting of the curtains, one that reveals a surprising path forwards, but also the heart of our suffering. Whether you’ve been grappling with a known grief or have one that’s bubbling up from your past, this is a time to gain new insight while allowing yourself to be transported to a new and refreshing vantage point.
What’s most interesting about this reading is that it features two of the most visually simple cards in the deck. Both the Eight of Wands and Three of Swords have no human figures in them. Instead, like the Marseilles tarot and playing cards, they feature the symbols of their suit. Eight wands fly in unison towards the ground. Three swords pierce a big red heart. As much as these images are clear (and, in the case of the Three of Swords, upsetting) they also embody a helpful simplicity. This is what we’re dealing with right now. How should we approach it?
I’ve been thinking a lot about healing lately and the assumption in our culture that it’s a linear process, a job of sorts that we have to complete before taking on anything else. Our cards for the week completely scramble this idea. Instead, we have action and growth leading us through healing. Action, in other words, is part of the process. This week, t’s not in our best interest to wait around, languishing, until we’re suddenly “better” or cured of difficult emotions. They may come up, but they may also be surprisingly de-fanged in a context where we welcome them with space and acceptance.
So while grief and pain do factor into this week, growth and motion are happening every way we look. Just look at The Eight of Wands! This card tells us we’re in a time of plans and work coming together with glorious effectiveness. Launch into action, release your arrows, and let the immediacy of getting things done carry you forward. Embrace clarity and decisiveness - this card will touch many areas of our lives and is one worth enjoying. We can trust that any ease, bravery, or conviction comes from lots of planning and practice, so don’t hold yourself back and follow through with both old plans and new. Pivoting, adjusting, and making intuitive decisions (often in the heat of the moment) are all supported by this card.
What if this season of change, coming-together, and refreshing action leads us smack into a puddle of grief? These cards invite us to welcome the experience not as a diversion or mistake, but as a sign that true healing is happening. Growth and healing are holding hands and running side by side, not standing in line next to each other and waiting. Are we pushing up against sharp edges from our past? Bumping into new hardship? This big, obvious heart tells us that we need to go through, not around, our hard feelings. Sure, the skies are blue in the eight of wands, and then grey in the three of swords, but they quickly turn blue again in our final card, the Page of Swords. This character gives us a way and an inspiration for better understanding the root of our suffering. Stepping into this page’s shoes of curiosity, analytic power, and open-mindedness will help part the storm clouds of emotion and give us a sharpened perspective.
Ways that The Eight of Wands could manifest this week:
Things finally coming together leading to fear of success, overwhelm, feeling unprepared
Seeing yourself moving on from old grief unexpectedly, wanting to remain tied to it out of a sense of loyalty
Decisiveness and clarity you struggle to reconcile with your idea of yourself and what your life could be like
An important part of the Three of Swords is that it is the only illustration of rain in the tarot. We see lots of sprouting fields, resplendent gardens, and lush landscapes, but where is the rain to feed all of this growth? It’s here in the Three of Swords, perhaps one of the most unlikely cards to find sustenance and abundance hiding. How can you see your grief, suffering, and other challenging emotions as sources of growth? The water that feeds and fuels what’s growing in your life? The mental acuity of the Page of Swords suggests that we’re more than ready to see with clear eyes and not get swept away by our emotions. It’s possible, we’re ready, and we can walk through the Three of Swords, feeling our feelings, and letting them be transformed into nourishing rain.
this week, embrace:
Motion & movement
Following through on plans
Productivity and checking off to-do list items
Experiencing your feelings freely and without judgment
Taking a new perspective when looking at old problems or struggles
This week, avoid:
Running from difficult emotions
Self-defeating stories when experiencing said emotions
Turning back or giving up
Having to be right/sticking to old stories just to avoid being “wrong”
Get creative:
Eight of Wands: This is such a kinetic card that I want us to avoid overanalyzing it. So, either just keep it in mind as a token on inspiration that reminds you to trust your energy, stay in the moment, and learn by doing, or make some time to experiment with a practice that brings you to the state of flow embodied in this card. I’m thinking automatic writing, dancing, and improvisation of any kind.
Three of Swords: I should have been more explicit up top: I love this card. Maybe it’s because one of my number one hobbies as a teen was listening to Elliott Smith and crying, but I think it’s also because there’s something beautiful about being in a place where you have to express your emotions and can truly experience both the bitter and the sweet simultaneously. So, for this week, I highly encourage you to dig up some old tried and true crying jams and let the tears flow. Or, if that’s too raw (which I completely understand), go back and remember what was happening when those songs cut right through to the center of you. There’s a facet of this card that deals with old/ancestral/primary wounds - do some exploring here and see what wisdom they might have to share with your present self.
Page of Swords: Is this card the nerdiest in all of tarot? I think so… Gift yourself some time this week to get curious and research something interesting. It may be tied to the topics brought up in the Three of Swords and Eight of Wands, too. Is there some new source of information or knowledge that can help you cut through issues that once felt intractable? Remember, though, you’re the one wielding the sword and choosing which ones to pick up in the first place. If anything doesn’t feel right, leave it where it is and move on. Ideas that are meant to shape our story should give us new life and inspiring clarity.
Weekly Forecast: January 17-23
After a week of hard work brought to us by the Ten of Wands, we enter into a brief period of ease and progress. The Eight of Wands is one of the most direct and unadorned in the deck- there’s not a person in sight, just an impressive array of wands in mid-flight. With each arranged just so, the scene looks effortless, and it’s easy to forget that this coordinated volley of arrows must have taken skill, planning, and practice to pull off. Has the toil that we dedicated ourselves to last week finally resulted in clarity, action, and maybe even success? Look to where you’re feeling satisfaction and traction if you’re unsure, and keep in mind that after a long slog, success can sometimes seem suspicious. The Eight of Wands, however, asks us to enjoy the ease we’re experiencing and see what we can do when we’re not burdened with planning, strategizing, and questioning. In other words, sometimes things work out, and we’d be foolish not to enjoy it.
Eight of Wands / Five of Pentacles / Page of Swords
Satisfying progress, wintry struggles, and renewed determination
After a week of hard work brought to us by the Ten of Wands, we enter into a brief period of ease and progress. The Eight of Wands is one of the most direct and unadorned in the deck- there’s not a person in sight, just an impressive array of wands in mid-flight. With each arranged just so, the scene looks effortless, and it’s easy to forget that this coordinated volley of arrows must have taken skill, planning, and practice to pull off. Has the toil that we dedicated ourselves to last week finally resulted in clarity, action, and maybe even success? Look to where you’re feeling satisfaction and traction if you’re unsure, and keep in mind that after a long slog, success can sometimes seem suspicious. The Eight of Wands, however, asks us to enjoy the ease we’re experiencing and see what we can do when we’re not burdened with planning, strategizing, and questioning. In other words, sometimes things work out, and we’d be foolish not to enjoy it.
I know you’re holding the more upsetting imagery of the Five of Pentacles in your head, ready for the part of the reading where I go “but then all your good fortune wanes…” However, I want to stay with this card for just a moment longer. It’s easy to over-prioritize the more “negative” cards in a reading, perhaps guided by the superstition that we’ll stave off misfortune through worry. Yet what we pay attention to and craft our stories around is what flourishes. And, personally, I think the story that the Eight of Wands tells is far more compelling and complicated than the Five of Pentacles.
The Eight of Wands may represent a brief moment in time (how long can these sticks stay in the air, after all?) but it also shows an important achievement. Each of the eights features some aspect of work, whether it’s practical, emotional, intellectual, or in this case, creative. These are cards where our focus and experience are met with energy and magic. What has been working for us lately? Where do we feel the exhilaration of progress? Where have we surprised ourselves with our daring, resourcefulness, and innovation? By seeing what’s working we can begin to integrate important tools, strategies, and approaches. With the fiery wands in play, we can be sure that there’s some surprising energy and heat behind it all; be careful not to overlook or underestimate the power of what sets you ablaze. Just because something comes easily doesn’t mean that it was easy to get there, nor that it’s easy for everyone else. This week we’re poised to get important insight into our unique abilities and what we have to offer to the world.
So, does that feel lofty enough? Because, yes, we’re coming back to the ground and into the slog and difficulty of the Five of Pentacles. While this is not the gentle landing we hoped for, it is, I think, a necessary reality check. In the middle of the week we’ll be contending with some constraints that snap us out of the reverie of the Eight of Wands and its fast-moving progress. Money, time, and the conditions of our life aren’t cooperating, and this may have us yearning to return to the drawing board. But the fire of the wands needs to meet the solidity of the earth to actually grow - think planting the budding wands in soil so that they become vigorous and resilient saplings. Sure, the Five of Pentacles isn’t the spot we’d choose, but like all fives it represents a challenge that could end up being formative if we persevere.
This card shows us wrestling with our ideas around money, means, and what’s enough. Fun stuff, but an important proving ground nonetheless. See if you can face restraint and suffering as a place for learning and editing. We may not have all the resources we’d like to run full speed ahead, but all is not lost. I’m especially drawn to the weather in this card; trees need sun and warmth to grow, but here we have the only winter scene in the tarot. Could our difficult situation simply be a sign that now is not the time? Trees also need water to grow, and it’s here but simply frozen into snow, suggesting that the hardship is temporary. How can we outlast obstacles, use time to our advantage, and recommit ourselves to our path even when it’s difficult?
The Page of Swords appears at the end of the week, urging us to start looking at things from a new perspective. Last week our reading concluded with the Ace of Swords and I’m loving the image of us taking up that shiny sword - a new idea, guiding principle, or worldview - and starting to wield it in our lives. It may be awkward at first, but we’re motivated, and it’s sparkling allure is moving us towards clarity. What might we have to learn about our relationship to money, stability, and “having enough” this week? Are there any beliefs we’re now equipped to cut away, making our own meaning in their place? I see a full circle moment here - after experiencing both success and challenge this week, which do we choose as the story that defines us? This page inspires us to take up our own cause even if we’re unsure how things may work out and trust that we can discern the right path to take, one step at a time. It may not be what we expect, and this week it may be a slog, but it’s also ours to take, and spring is coming. What will start to flourish when the snow melts if we can just hang on a little longer?
this week, embrace
The exhilaration of getting things done
Enjoying being in a state of “flow”
Complex projects that utilize your skills
Movement, creativity, and whatever is feeling energizing
Practicing discernment during moments of stress or despair
Seeing inherited ideas about resources, finances, and success with clear and critical eyes
This week, avoid
Unnecessary spending and other financial risk-taking
Rash decision-making, especially when out of fear
Letting setbacks or external shortcomings define you
get creative
The Eight of Wands: Think of something you’re really, really good at. How do you feel when you’re engaged in this activity? Look for these feelings in other areas of your life - how can you cultivate this state more mindfully? If this exercise brings up anxiety or shame, welcome it with gentle acceptance and explore these feelings whenever you feel comfortable.
The Five of Pentacles: This is a card that’s best faced head-on, so I’m going to give an extremely unsexy suggestion here: look at your budget! While it may be stressful, there’s something ultimately relieving about it. After all, the numbers don’t lie. So whatever form your budgeting takes, from nonexistent to bespoke excel spreadsheet, take the pulse of your financial situation and work on cutting back unnecessary expenditures and adding to your savings. Think of it as plodding through the snow in the card - the going might be slow, but you’re still going somewhere. And before long, you may have the resources to actualize the vision shown in the Eight of Wands.
Page of Swords: The Pages are the cheeky youths of the tarot. When you sense yourself sliding into stress or despair, use your wit to reframe the situation. Can you retell this tale of woe as a satire? A comedy of errors? A rollicking misadventure? Humor can cut through malaise and return you to a place of empowerment and authenticity.
Weekly Forecast: July 22-28
What do we do with our misfortune?
I'm sure you all have noticed the tarot card ominously occupying the center of our reading this week: The Tower. A tricky one, to be sure, this card hits us over the head with the upsetting inevitability of suffering. Painful things happen in life and no matter how much maneuvering or planning we do, we can't steer around it.
What do we do with our misfortune?
I'm sure you all have noticed the tarot card ominously occupying the center of our reading this week: The Tower. A tricky one, to be sure, this card hits us over the head with the upsetting inevitability of suffering. Painful things happen in life and no matter how much maneuvering or planning we do, we can't steer around it.
What's intriguing about this reading, however, is the presence of two fiery wands cards on either side. At first, we might think that the rush of the Eight of Wands is leading us straight into a Tower moment, but on the other side we see an empowered and stable Knight of Wands. It's as if the Tower has hardly harmed us. What's going on here?
A facet of the Tower is that its misfortune and pain comes from the outside. We may have a hand at ignoring some signs to alter our course, making for an even harder fall, but often times these moments come completely from the external world.
If we can't escape the Tower, what we do with its presence makes the biggest difference, and this week we have all the daring chutzpah of the wands suit to guide us.
In the coming days we'll be using our verve, ambition, and actions to transform the Tower most active in our lives. Because the Wands are so proactive, I have a feeling that this Tower facet is already known to us. What areas in our live are causing us the most pain? Is there a chapter in our self-narrative that needs an empowering edit? Most importantly, what can we do about it now?
The wands suit reminds us that motion, creativity, and agency work in harmony. We can think, process, and debate all we want, but our enduring legacy is in our actions.
What's more, acting keeps us in the present moment and allows our energy to move freely, preventing stagnancy and frustration. I have a sneaking suspicion that the Tower this week is actually an old phenomenon being called to the surface. Is there something we're growing right now that challenges how we used to think of ourselves? Sometimes the Tower is more than ready to come crashing down, and the energy it releases is a welcome and invigorating surprise.
Look to the wands suit to explore this area further: What bold moves have you been making lately? How might they challenge old structures and roles you've found yourself in?
It appears as if we've been working towards something and now it's just starting to take flight. We can see this in the headlong rush of the Eight of Wands. Far from being manic, this card often appears when things are flowing smoothly because of a great deal of past effort and planning.
The Tower, then, is a bit of a hologram. We're calling up the specter of past limitations just as we near a breakthrough. Pushing through, however, is giving us all the confidence of the Knight of Wands. Healing, it seems, is on the agenda this week, and we can be sure that continuing to make decisions that further our growth will only transform our experience of the Tower and ourselves more quickly.
Weekly Forecast: March 11-17
What does it mean to make ourselves at home in the world?
The Eight of Wands shows us just how much is happening around us: movement, choices, people, energies, and more. The scenery changes so often - how do we know where we belong or where we even are?
What does it mean to make ourselves at home in the world?
The Eight of Wands shows us just how much is happening around us: movement, choices, people, energies, and more. The scenery changes so often - how do we know where we belong or where we even are?
The Queen of Pentacles asks us to turn away from all this and focus inward. The wildness is optional, after all, or at least a large portion of it is. Pretending we can take it all in and still function is a true fool's errand and a surefire recipe for overwhelm.
Wherever we go, there we are. Usually people use it to curtail any escapist fantasies. Moving to a new town still means we're bringing our same old selves with us.
But what if we look at this saying from a gentler standpoint, one centered in the nurturing lushness embodied by the Queen of Pentacles. No matter where we go or what happens, we will always have ourselves to turn to.
What if our vantage point, our body, and our true self was the home we could come to again and again? This week is the time to direct all our love, respect, and care towards tending to it.
Because life continues to careen forward, as we can see with the Eight of Wands. If we're not careful, all this action can take us away from ourselves, spinning us away from our center and sweeping our feet off the ground. It's better to care for ourselves and invest in the things that make us feel whole, like our life is enough. We are enough. So that these wild currents of life, with all their tempting options and additions, can swirl around us and not sweep us away.
Doing this can be wonderfully practical. After all, what group of cards is more about combining the practical with the magical than the pentacles? Pay attention the home within as well as the literal home you find yourself in. Feather your nest, spend time being cozy, use your space as a sanctuary where you can regroup and stretch into the corners of your full self.
The amazing byproduct of all this is that the frenetic pace of the Eight of Wands can be transformed into the stable Two of Wands. Here, instead of advanced and complicated plans unfurling quickly, we have the oh-so achievable luxury of using our life and our sense of self as a solid foundation to explore options.
Whatever we add to our lives must be in service of the important magic we're already cultivating. Anything else is just a distraction and we deserve our full attention.
Exploring the Minor Arcana: The Eights
In this series we'll be diving into the world of the Minor Arcana. Each segment will group the cards by number where we can engage in their themes and differences. For all the posts in the installment, click here.
If the eights could be described in one word it would be "action." These cards illustrate moments of dedication, movement, and commitment. Often growth-oriented, the eights show us how deciding to put our noses down and do the work can be in turns satisfying, galvanizing, and intimidating.
Eights also have an entrepreneurial bent - they relish using their surroundings to their advantage and have a savvy way of negotiating with the world. In readings, eights are an indication of a path nearing conclusion that could benefit from work and focus. Below we'll look at each suit in depth.
Explore In-Depth Minor Arcana Meanings
The Eight of Wands gives us one of the most visually straightforward illustrations in the deck. Eight budding wands descending through a vivid blue sky. There's not a cloud in sight, indicating smooth sailing, quick-moving action, and plenty of creative inspiration and motivation. This is a card that sees energy unleashed constructively and with no obstacles.
For the Eight of Swords is quite different. This card shows us the paralysis that comes with overthinking. The figure in the card is fenced in by a line of swords, bound and blindfolded despite the many sharp edges available to sever the ties. When we worry too much or fall into the overwhelming possibilities of our choices we lose sight of the end goal and even ourselves.
The Eight of Cups shows a profound emotional journey. The main figure in this card is leaving behind a row of upturned cups, heading up a jagged mountain pass under the light of the moon. The action in this card is personal, pioneering, and brave. It shows us an inward search for new sources of fulfillment.
Finally, the Eight of Pentacles gets practical, as pentacles are known to do. Here we see a literal representation of work. The main character here is busy hammering away at a pentacle, the tree besides him decorated with those they've completed. This card shows us the pleasure that comes with being in the flow when we work, as well as the big strides we're capable of when we remain focused.
All in all, we can see that the eights show us pivotal moments where we're being asked to commit to a task and be present with ourselves, whether it's through our love of work or our nervousness when faced with decisions.
Weekly Forecast: June 12-18
It looks like we have wandsy week ahead of us, darlings. This means action, action, and more action. We’ve got movement on our minds and our eyes are wide and focused. It’s a time to get at it and get things done, so off to work we go.
We’re all jazzed up, but… things start out a bit awkward. With the Five of Wands we get a less than seamless introduction to the week. Things feel at odds with each other, whether it’s with ourselves, others, or our plans. Things just don’t seem to be coming together in the way we’d like them to.
This doesn’t mean we’re not cut out of the task at hand. Hardly! We can look at the conflict depicted in the Five as part of a process that tests our skills and hones our vision. We’ll be asked to see what’s really worth our time. What is a problem we need to solve and what is simply a distraction?
Sometimes things are hard to teach us something new and sometimes things are hard because they don’t work. It’ll be our challenge to learn how to discern between the two.
The Five also sees us contending with egos, both our own and others. When everyone’s wielding big sticks there’s a high likelihood of someone getting poked in the eye, so it’ll be important for us to be mindful of how we interact with those around us.
Once we find a harmonious way to balance our tasks we’ll see the week take off with speed and clarity. The Eight of Wands shows us how we’ll be making great strides in whatever we put our minds to this week. Paired with the Five of Wands this card is giving us a hint that this is a good time to launch into something we’ve been putting off because it seems daunting.
All we need is a little push to break through to a space where decisiveness, daring, and hard work come easily. It’s a time for us to luxuriate in our skills and power at doing what we need to do. It’s a joyful rush of a feeling we’d be foolish not to savor.
At the same time, the Eight of Wands can lead us to overestimate our capability for work and tasks of all shapes and sizes. Why stop going when things are feeling so free and breezy? Well, just take look at the Ten of Wands to get a taste of how over activity can lead to burnout.
In the middle of the week we’re caught up in the rush of action. This is the suit of wands at its unbridled best. But being unbridled means being somewhat out of control, so it’s an abrupt transition when all of a sudden our bodies stop us in our tracks and tell us to hold up. Doing all that work? It’s made us tired and we’d just like to lie down!
The tasks start to feel heavier, and now we’re dragging our way to the finish line. Luckily, the finish line is approaching quickly. The Ten of Wands depicts the last slog to the end. We’ve really made our way through the second half of the wands. We might be feeling tired and burdened, but we’ll be so close to the relief of rest and the satisfaction of seeing something all the way through to the end.
Weekly Forecast: Nov 21-27
This looks bright and beautiful, doesn't it? The cards for this week show an unabashed blooming of emotion. It’s a lovely array to see as we go into this time of celebration and coming together.
Far from being trivial, this week is a moment where we are asked to see the greater imporrance of our relationships to each other. Who says that the warm and fuzzy parts of life come without depth? How can we respect our joy, nurture it, and take it seriously?
I went to the grocery store yesterday and it was full of families shopping. Each cart was overflowing. Some people had piles of onions, others bags of sweetened coconut. What were they going to make with these ingredients? There were mothers and daughters, young families with toddlers, elderly couples. Everyone from the neighborhood seemed to be there.
It was a beautiful scene, and I’m still smiling thinking about all us different, tender people cooking special dinners at the same time later this week.
These three cards here show a similar situation. All the ingredients we’ve collected are coming together. It’s going to be a big, delicious feast - a glimmering thread of connection at a time when many bonds feel stretched tight.
We begin with the Two of Cups, a card of community, warmth, and emotion. It represents a lived-in feeling that boils down to the comforting truth we sometimes forget in our day-to-day lives: Loving each other is no small miracle.
Great beauty comes from something as common as dirt. The relationships we cultivate can blossom into something beautiful. All the things we do for each other, all the little moments, are how we nourish relationships like watering the seed we’ve planted. This takes time and consideration.
Now, however, is the time of blooming. It’s not subtle. It’s gaudy and bright and unabashed. It’s time to celebrate what we have - each other.
The eight of wands, the ultimate card of action and happenings, tells us to embrace our joy this week. To show our care for each other through emphatic actions. In short, now is not a time to be stingy with our love and happiness.
Sometimes it’s easy to tamp down our enthusiasm in the name of moderation. We don’t’ want to be too loud or maybe we’re somehow afraid of inviting disaster. This feeling shows up in the somewhat apocalyptic storm raging outside of the castle in the eight of wands.
Yet when we look to the center of the castle where there are no flames or marauding bolts of lightning, we see that a heart lies buried underneath. This tells us that a solid foundation is one built on love. We cannot go wrong if we focus our energies here, instead of overextending ourselves in rickety towers.
And where does this bring us? The final card, Temperance, shows us a gorgeous vision of unity. It's not the collected, organized vision of unity we might expect. This card is not about control and certainty. It’s about being calm, centered, and an undeniable part of an unpredictable, diverse world full of beauty.
Let’s keep Temperance in mind in the days to come. I believe that we end this reading on a major arcana card for a reason. The bustle of our lives, our routines, our relationships all have the potential to take us to a deeper place. Temperance shows us how being one with the world awakens us to our inner divinity.
As we come together this week – visiting family, cooking, drinking, doing dishes – we elevate the everyday routines into rituals that celebrate the specialness of our love for each other. That's a world I want to be part of.