Weekly Forecast: September 5-11
When I started turning over our cards for the week I felt the excitement rising: the gloriously fulfilling Ten of Cups followed by the free and celebratory Four of Wands? And then… womp, the grief of the Five of Cups. Certainly not the rising crescendo of joy I’m sure we’d all appreciate. Yet there’s a constructive tug hidden in the melancholy end of our reading, so bear with me. Let’s dive into why the mournful figure of the Five of Cups is actually quite encouraging, more of a section healthy path than an injurious detour.
When I started turning over our cards for the week I felt the excitement rising: the gloriously fulfilling Ten of Cups followed by the free and celebratory Four of Wands? And then… womp, the grief of the Five of Cups. Certainly not the rising crescendo of joy I’m sure we’d all appreciate. Yet there’s a constructive tug hidden in the melancholy end of our reading, so bear with me. Let’s dive into why the mournful figure of the Five of Cups is actually quite encouraging, more of a section healthy path than an injurious detour.
This reading is about how good things - growth, expansion, and particularly meaningful connection - can uncover deep hurts that need to be felt. It’s not the usual narrative where our joy simply multiplies. The Ten of Cups looks like a card of happy endings, but it’s not the happy endings we’re familiar with in film, novels, or television. The ones where, having achieved a romantic partnership or crowning accomplishment, the story ends. The main character is fulfilled and content at long last.
While I’ve seen this card appear in situations where people are idealizing the happy ending, chasing these simplified narratives, this week is about the true expression of the cups suit at its best - open, loving, generous, visionary - and what happens after the happy ending. Where the real, complicated, and meaningful magic happens.
With the Ten of Cups starting the week it’s likely that there’s an abundance of joy and connection available in our lives. Things are coming together, we’re being seen by those around us who really matter, and all sorts of gifts are becoming visible under the resplendent rainbow of cups. Take a moment to be proud of the work you’ve put into your relationships, including the one with yourself. How have you been growing your connections with others, taking risks to both reach out and receive? Love is in the air in all its shapes and forms. Appreciating the love here right now and the beauty it gives to your everyday life is absolutely called for, and it’s likely you can do some celebrating with the ones closet to you.
Speaking of celebrating, The Four of Wands springs from the magic of the Ten of Cups with an exciting invitation to collaborate, create, and innovate. It’s likely there are new partnerships forming, so pay attention to who sees your unique spirit and can work with you to enact your plans, whether they’re romantic, creative, or practical. This card is all about open structures creating just enough scaffolding and freedom for truly great achievements. I always think of a bonfire when I see this card (wands are associated with the element of fire, after all) and how you need to be sure there’s enough room between the branches for oxygen to flow, otherwise the fire gets stifled and snuffed out before it can blossom into something spectacular.
Be aware of the power you hold to shake things up, to make space in your life for that creative oxygen to flow, and the people who are excited to build with you. Don’t be afraid to do things differently or step outside of old patterns and approaches. What’s most important is that you keep things light, flexible, and enjoyable. Work, travel, and activities out and about in the world can all be fun instead of laborious this week. This is also an auspicious card for launching new endeavors, bringing likeminded people together, and partnerships of all shapes and sizes. Follow where your energy is flowing naturally, join hands with people who share your passion, and start creating.
It may be that all this action and abundance grows overwhelming towards the end of the week. Just look at all the happenings in our first two cards - both are full of people and movement. Taking time away will be crucial if we want to recharge our batteries, and most importantly, we’ll likely need the solitude to tend to some complicated feelings triggered by flourishing and being seen.
I’m struck by how the two cups cards show grief hidden within fulfillment. Five is half of ten, and it’s as if the bounty of the Ten of Cups includes within it some of the pain of past losses. Having felt the joys of the early days of the week, we may find ourselves brought back to memories of times when things were not so joyful: when loss swept through our lives; when what we had got swept away and we had to pick up the pieces and move on; when we had to make a difficult choice to choose more for ourselves at the expense of a fading dream or path.
It will be helpful to view these emotions with kindness and see their appearance as a reminder to tend to ourselves, integrate our past with our present, and gain perspective on how far we’ve come. Make time for yourself to feel freely, commemorate any losses or milestones that rise into your awareness, and to thank your grief for being just one of the cups nested in your current experience of abundance. Because the Ten of Cups is about feeling it all and loving life for it, even when it’s hard, and especially since you’ve grown to a point where you can hold it all and love yourself for it.
This week, embrace:
Appreciating and enjoying your close relationships
Relaxing into what’s working out in your life
Abundance! Celebration!
Invigorating creative and romantic partnerships
Thinking outside of the box
Launching new projects
Honoring the grief you carry and the form(s) it’s taking right now
This week, avoid:
Overthinking things (notice we have no swords here??)
Treating grief as a sign of failure
Pushing through burnout… and into more burnout
Get creative:
Ten of Cups: Like all cards in all readings, this will appear on a spectrum for each of us. For some, it’ll be abundantly obvious while for others it may take some sleuthing to uncover. In either case, take a day in the beginning of the week for a little experiment: approach everything as if you already have everything you want. Notice the beauty around you as if it’s just for you. Let yourself really take it in. That’s it. There’s gifts all around you. Now, imagine and act from the idea that even more is coming your way. What does it feel like?
The Four of Wands: I can’t believe I’m about to do this, but behold this entirely cringey scene from the classic cinematic masterpiece that is… Garden State:
I have to admit: this totally captures the energy of the Four of Wands. So, I’m giving you free rein, whether you’d like to channel Natalie Portman’s manic-pixie- dream girl freestyling or not, do something utterly weird and outside the box at least one time this week. (And then tell us about it in the comments below.)
Five of Cups: This week is really asking us to lean into and respect the memories, themes, and feelings brought up by the Five of Cups. Looking at it now, I’m noticing that I’m drawn to the bridge to the left that symbolizes new paths forward after loss. So, I think it would be a beautiful gesture to take a walk by yourself (or imagine being accompanied by your pain, grief, or melancholy) - perhaps even one that has a bridge where you can look down and envision the emotions and memories flowing through you - “water under the bridge” - as you move forward.
Weekly Tarot Forecast: April 25-May 1
I am so deeply relieved to have a reading that falls on the jauntier end of the tarot spectrum this week. No Major Arcana cards, no stabby swords, just a pleasant array of minors showing us primed for some lighthearted creativity. Sometimes I think, however, that these lighter moments are because of the heavier themes that have come before. The clouds may part this week, and you may find yourself back on the ground just puttering around; take the time to appreciate being able to focus on the small things. I think we’ve all earned it.
Four of Wands | Seven of Cups | Three of Pentacles
I am so deeply relieved to have a reading that falls on the jauntier end of the tarot spectrum this week. No Major Arcana cards, no stabby swords, just a pleasant array of minors showing us primed for some lighthearted creativity. Sometimes I think, however, that these lighter moments are because of the heavier themes that have come before. The clouds may part this week, and you may find yourself back on the ground just puttering around; take the time to appreciate being able to focus on the small things. I think we’ve all earned it.
We start things off with the energizing openness of the Four of Wands. We have accomplishments worth celebrating, and this card urges us to bring in our friends and loved ones to lift up the good things. Doing so cements and fosters alliances, brings enjoyable levity, and stokes our internal fire. This is a time to sing praises loud and clear, gather and cavort, and generally enjoy your life.
The Four of Wands also suggests that our grip has been lightening around some key issues in our lives. Whether of our own accord or simply a change in the emotional weather, this change has made room for a new influx of inspiration, zest, and pleasure. Take it seriously. You’ve seen the tarot deck - there are some gnarly cards in there! - the joy and rest we can achieve in the beginning of this week will not only nurture us, but give us a look at what works best.
Pay attention to what it feels like when life doesn’t feel like it’s on fire. Are you enjoying working with less pressure, jettisoning your perfectionism in favor of off the cuff magic? Does loosening up your personal rules yield creative bounties? The Four of Wands is about finding power in flexible and open structures. Allow yourself to experiment. collaborate, and follow your emotions and intuition.
Inspiration is a key theme for us this week, as we’re dealing with three of the suits of the minor arcana: wands, cups, and pentacles. Where the wands sees us reveling in action and connection, the cups inspire emotional and spiritual passions. (Thankfully, this is all being grounded in the earthy pentacles at the end of the week, so don’t worry if you’re feeling some trepidation with how far you fly in your imagination.) I enjoy readings with a balance of suits, and it’s worth noting that there are no swords here - stepping our of our analytical mind will be both fruitful and enjoyable.
The Seven of Cups sashays into the scene mid-week; all our collaborating and creating is kicking up some big dreamy energy. Stare into what’s tickling your fancy or sparking your interest. Consult your dreams when you awake, envision your future, and explore possibilities for your life. This card can bring a whole array of magic, not all of it warm and fuzzy. This is a time when we can also learn a lot about ourselves from what feels edgy, frightening, or too much. (Note the skull in the side of the cup on the bottom right, not to mention the spooktacular ghost and various reptiles popping out of chalices.)
As the week comes to a close we descend from the clouds and plant our feet firmly on the ground. The Three of Pentacles shows us that there are some worthy collaborators awaiting us there. What projects are you engaged with, particularly ones in the early stages? This is a time to start building in earnest, and with the support of like-minded and ambitious supporters.
Zooming out, this reading has a satisfying coherence. I’m feeling that this week will be on that’s very focused on a topic - an area of our life, project, or relationship. Embrace this and let your energy flow. We’re finally in a place where our energies are aligned (think creative-spiritual-emotional-practical) and things can start to move quickly.
This week, embrace:
Gatherings, collaborations, celebrations
Gleefully breaking, bending, or re-creating the rules
Dreaming with wild abandon
Forming alliances
This week, avoid:
Being overly cautious
Unnecessary busywork
Rejecting facets of your life because they aren’t “perfect”
Get creative:
Four of Wands: This is so simple: Have a party. It can be a party for one, a casual dinner with candles to make it fancy, or something bigger. Whatever you do, make sure to center the achievements and successes of everyone present. The wands have a brash, unsubtle charisma. Lift up your accomplishments, sing your praises to the heavens, see what happens when you let yourself live big.
Seven of Cups: I’ll never forget when a dear friend of mine called this “the Pinterest card,” (shoutout to you, Lucas, you’re legend!), so in the spirit of that observation, get Pinterest-y. Collect images that evoke a future you’d like to manifest. You could draw, collage (aka the classic vision board), or hop on the app. Whatever you do, make sure you give yourself free rein to get weird and loopy. Pay particular attention to images, ideas, or things that feel “too much” and ask yourself, “why?”
Three of Pentacles: Think about the people who make you feel the most grounded. Who calms your energy, sets you at ease, and makes you feel like new things are possible? Make a promise to yourself to seek out these people in one small way during the week.
Weekly Forecast: July 15-21
What does it mean to give ourselves the space we need to heal?
We often think of isolation or solitude when it comes to nursing our emotional wounds. Indeed, this approach can be helpful. In seeking to retreat from the confusion of the outside world we can better see what needs care and attention.
What does it mean to give ourselves the space we need to heal?
We often think of isolation or solitude when it comes to nursing our emotional wounds. Indeed, this approach can be helpful. In seeking to retreat from the confusion of the outside world we can better see what needs care and attention.
But isolation and stagnation can quickly spring from this approach when it's taken too far, which is why we have Temperance in the center of our reading. This week, it seems, we're processing some painful experiences through the Three of Swords. Instead of retreating, however, we're being invited to usher in the freeing energy of the Four of Wands.
Sometimes the Three of Swords can bring up feelings of fear: What if we're walking towards needless pain and suffering? I've found, however, that this card usually refers to past wounds being awakened through present experiences. A hand brushing against a bruised area.
With Temperance at the center we have a particularly empowering stance. How can we use our adult wisdom to channel the initial discomfort of the Three of Swords into something else?
There's a fascinating interplay here - difficulty inspiring motion. It's not the tired idea of having to suffer for art, or struggle equaling value. Rather, we're being asked to take our challenges and old wounds and move with them, seeing if they have anything else to say.
Which brings us to the Four of Wands. In tarot, these cards speak to structure, but the Four of Wands has a very iconoclastic take on the concept. It is, you might say, minimal: What is the minimal amount of guidance and stability we need to flourish?
In the Four of Wands we see creativity, joyful expression, experimentation, and community. How can we balance and blend this with the energies of the Three of Swords?
Some things that come to mind: Breaking out of our exclusively solitary mode of healing, bringing insouciant energy to old limiting ideas, making art from past traumas, going to the gym after a good crying session.. I think you get the point.
With Temperance in the center we're in an excellent position to play with all of these techniques and then some. Choosing to peer into the intersection of creativity and struggle will be quite rewarding. And it might uncover a far more uplifting facet to our already familiar struggles.
Weekly Forecast: May 27-June 2
We have a clear and beautiful reading for our week ahead, though I'm sure many of us are feeling apprehensive with the Three of Swords as our final card.
We have a clear and beautiful reading for our week ahead, though I'm sure many of us are feeling apprehensive with the Three of Swords as our final card.
A wise tarot reader practice is to always start with the most difficult card. Our attention is there already, and skirting around it only builds tension. Not to mention we're unlikely to pay attention to what comes before when we wait for the dreaded shoe to drop.
So I'll start with the Three of Swords first, though in this case the sadness it represents isn't dropping in a harsh or dramatic fashion. We have some cushioning here, most notably in all the hard work we've done to show up for ourselves. It's our job this week to muster all our care, curiosity, and protective force on our own behalf when difficult emotions arise.
It's an ideal situation: giving ourselves the respite we need when things get hard. And what wisdom can we gain when we let our upsetting Three of Swords moments get solace from our brilliance and nurturing?
Now, onto this bold card. Many can guess what it means, but this enigmatic and punchy illustration has a lot of nuance. So, for those of you reading who aren't in the grips of an emotional crisis, fear not. Like the clouds pouring rain in the background, the feelings represented in the Three of Swords have all the varying intensity of weather. It rains, it pours, and sometimes it just sprinkles.
There's also an interesting facet of this card in that sometimes the smallest slight or misfortune can awaken huge recesses of doubt, grief, or confusion. One sword can feel like three piercing your heart and the storm seems endless. Seeing these moments for what they are can curtail a sense of panic and fear. Sometimes we need to let it all out, and a small moment gives us that opportunity.
Whether we're dealing with a minor emotional storm, a moment of upset, or a deeper struggle, we have incredibly good company this week. The Queen of Pentacles is holding down the center of this reading and, like her, we're being encouraged to hold space for ourselves and all our emotions with the dedication and dignity of a true ruler.
As a Queen in tarot, she's not interested in ruling over. I think of these characters as stewards - noble caretakers familiar with and respectful of all aspects of their terrain. So what happens when things get stormy? What does it mean to be the protector, expert, and loving steward of our emotional self? We draw in our resources, care for ourselves with all our patience and love, and know that it will pass.
It's a wonderful match for the restless, analytical energy of the Swords. This Queen instructs us to ground ourselves in daily life, making room for our "negative" or challenging emotions within these stable structures. We must stick by our routines, continue our meditation practices, make ourselves healthy and nourishing meals, even if we don't feel good or up to the task. We can also give ourselves space, gathering our resources around us to gain strength. We do these things for a reason and, like this Queen, part of us knows that the saving grace is in the little things.
Speaking of which, this reading isn't all about sticking steadfastly to routine in the face of spiky emotions. What's a Queen without a crown or a flowing set of robes? Similarly, we might want to try to interject some splendor and majesty into these daily rituals. Feather our nest, care for our bodies in a decadent way. Doing these things can show us how much we value ourselves, a self-coronation of sorts, and doing this when we feel down is especially moving and powerful.
Because we're not flailing in the wind here. The Four of Wands that started this reading off shows us getting back to the basics. No the basic ideas of the swords or the basic physical needs of the pentacles, but the basic actions of the wands. Sometimes uncovering what's essential to us - what we must do to fulfill ourselves - kicks up some existential panic. Cue the Three of Swords. Yet in this case we're prepared, loving, and ready to step in and give ourselves what we need.
This week is a time to do as the Queen of Pentacles would do: Be a steward to your tough emotions, create as cozy and supportive a home for your feelings as you can, and get back to the basics of what you truly need to feel alive and your true self.
Weekly Forecast: April 1-7
Can doing less bring us more?
This week we're being asked to step back and evaluate the rituals, tasks, and obligations we're engaging with. Are they bringing us satisfaction? Are they moving us forward? And, most importantly, are they even ours to begin with?
Can doing less bring us more?
This week we're being asked to step back and evaluate the rituals, tasks, and obligations we're engaging with. Are they bringing us satisfaction? Are they moving us forward? And, most importantly, are they even ours to begin with?
The Hanged Man is a card whose enigmatic presence often foreshadows some frustration. After all, we're often told that doing more is the key to any breakthrough. How can we make headway if we don't have any momentum?
Yet this idea that we can somehow will perfection and progress into existence is dangerous. Often it's a trick to keep ourselves occupied and distracted so that we don't have to sit with out itchy and inconvenient feelings.
Our feelings, however, are often far more interesting than we give them credit. The Four of Cups shows us feeling a tinge of ennui as we begin to slow down. We think we know the lay of the land and it is, to be frank, boring.
But the more we sit with things as they are, the more they're able to reveal themselves fully. This week introspection and quiet are our friends, and while we can expect some resistance - pesky inner voices and doubt, for example - we're really collecting useful and surprising information.
The Four of Wands is our final card for the week and it shows us where we're going - the reason why we're feeling called to take a step back. This card is a beautiful illustration of the importance of freedom and space in our lives. What do we need to feel enlivened and creative? How much structure is just enough to keep us feeling safe and oriented? And how much openness and room for growth do we need to stay on our toes, inspired and ready?
This is a gentle group of cards in that it's not asking us to do anything radical or wild. It's just that sometimes, in our busy and intense culture, it sometimes feels radical to stop and take stock. Now is a wonderful time to ignore all that pressure-filled messaging. The Hanged Man and the Four of Cups show us operating under some intense and powerful intuitive guidance. Trusting our feelings and internal compass won't lead us astray.
And sometimes it's difficult to see what's no longer working and hard to recognize that what we're doing may not even be for our benefit. The Four of Cups asks us to peer inside our cups - our relationships, emotional expenditures, and energetic output - and see whether they're flowing both ways. Does giving outwards bring something back in? This can be through gratitude, personal satisfaction, inspiration, support, and more.
If, however, a cup turns out to be a secret sinkhole, sucking our energy and leaving us feeling depleted, now is a wonderful time to say goodbye and accept a new, fulfilling opportunity on the horizon.
In order to flourish we need freedom. The wands suit inspires us to see space, movement, and energy as our allies. Think about the element associated with these cards: fire. When building a bonfire you don't want to stack sticks together, one against the other. There's no space for oxygen to circulate and, thus, no fire.
We have to travel light and leave room for our flames to grow, and this week is all about being mindful of what we have in our lives. Anything extra, crowded, or uninspiring doesn't have to be there and letting go can usher in the energy we need to thrive.
Weekly Forecast: March 19-25
The Eight of Cups has been following me for the past few weeks. It's been coming up in readings, conversations, and my thoughts as well. Though I'm pretty sure I've called each of the 78 cards a favorite at this point, I've been especially drawn to this eight lately.
Why? It's a beautiful and brave card. Seeing the German artist Kitty Kahane's interpretation of it is especially moving. This card shows us important moments when we dare to ask for more. Not more in a greedy sense. Or more in a arrogant sense, either. The Eight of Cups shows us daring to expand our emotional worlds, opening up to the vulnerability of who we are, and seeking fulfillment despite "having enough."
It can be a lonely journey - we are following our own instincts, after all - but, as this card shows us so beautifully, we bring our connections, relationships, and joys with us. The "enough" that we may be tempted to stick with ends up being the supportive foundation that allows us to journey into the unknown. We can see this in the water flowing between the two cups - one in the hand of the journeyer, the other standing solidly on the ground.
Breaking from the status quo and choosing to look for more adventure, connection, or fulfillment can be nerve-wracking. Doing so involves exposure; we're taking a risk and stepping away from the pack. And indeed, this sentiment shows up in our next card, the Nine of Swords. Taking the first steps towards something new is bringing up a lot of anxiety this week. We'll be grappling with our monkey minds as we feel pulled to turn over every stone, analyze every move we've been making. Did we look weird when talking about this new passion project? Did we bumble through a presentation? Look foolish and unprepared?
Making new headway is never easy. Otherwise it wouldn't be new. There's a certain learning curve that, while being inherently stressful, is also very necessary. In fact, it's what drove us out of the comfort and stability of the Eight of Cups in the first place. That was too simple and familiar. Now we're grappling with the feeling of being a stranger in a new land. Remembering where we came from can be a helpful antidote to our Nine of Swords feelings, both in the sense that it can give us contrast - we needed something new for a reason - and support - we have a beautiful life and rich connections to draw from in this tender new phase.
The Nine of Swords does carry with it a deep sense of grief. It's personal. We're leaving behind an old idea of ourselves. Digging under the top layers of whirring thoughts and fears to uncover this will be helpful as we process our experiences this week. What part of ourself do we have to say goodbye to as we begin to learn new things and engage with the world more fully? Though it may seem odd, it's easy to get attached to the idea of a past self, especially when we're just emerging into something new. Think of it as a butterfly yearning for the safety of its cocoon. We can't return to being caterpillars, cozily ensconced in darkness. We've turned into something with wings and it's time to learn how to fly.
While the churning emotions of the Nine of Swords can fell all-encompassing, they're just another stage in the process. Soon, surprisingly, they'll fall away into an action-packed and comfortably (who saw that coming?) public phase. The Four of Wands is a lovely affirmation of the risks we've been taking. Yes, growth can be hard, but when we face it head on we emerge into the freedom and possibility we've been seeking.
The Four of Wands deals with the dynamism of structure. Our new situation is allowing us to be both free and focused. The emotions and thoughts of the cups and wands are invigorated with creativity and action. We're finding the environment we need to move full steam ahead with our passion projects. This is quite the roller coaster of cards, so it will be important to treat ourselves with care in the days to come, leaving lots of room for quiet processing in between all the happenings. And, most importantly, reaching out to our support network to gain perspective on our growth.
Exploring the Minor Arcana: The Fours
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.
The fours in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck are all about stability and structure. From the creative dynamism of the threes we now need context and constraints to orient ourselves. Think of the four cardinal directions or the four walls of a home. The fours represent the forces, places, and mindsets that make up our world, asking us how and where we contain different aspects of our lives.
So how do each of the suits reflect these themes? Some, like the wands, embrace them wholeheartedly and without conflict. The action of the wands, with its boundless optimism and confidence, responds well to an open and airy type of structure. Others, like the four of cups, grow listless and bored by the constraint. Being a suit ruled by water, cups require fluid and flowing boundaries.
Let's look at each of the fours in more detail below:
Explore In-Depth Minor Arcana Meanings
The Four of Wands shows how creativity flourishes when channeled into an open structure. It can't reach its full potential when floating around in the air as plans and dreams. Instead, it needs to be enacted and put to work, and doing so brings great harmony and satisfaction, not to mention room for growth. We see a happy pair or people standing before a walled city, raising boquets before a beautiful arbor of four wands. Moving away from the predictability and structure of the city and towards a life based around their ideas and actions has brought them joy and freedom. Quite lovely stuff, indeed!
For the Four of Swords, structure is a welcome balm. All the careening thoughts of the swords suite need to come to rest. Here we see a figure reclining within a peaceful stone structure. All their swords are hung in place around him, unable to cause any harm. This shows us how putting down our thoughts and allowing our minds to rest is healing and leaves room for growth. What's more, the glow from the stained glass window represents the unexpected messages that can come to us when our minds are clear and receptive.
The Four of Cups is interestingly restless. Cups, in all their watery glory, need to flow and bend around obtacles. Being contained is against their nature and can result in stagnation. Here the figure in the card appears bored and listless, focused on his three cups and unable to see the fourth being offered to them. The fourth cup, however, shows how water always finds away around blockage. Emotion and connection are always around the corner (and boredom is impossible to keep for long).
Finally, the Four of Pentacles shows both the pleasant safety and ultimate limitation of material security and comforts. Hanging onto what we have is all well and good, but it prevents us from reaching out for more or receiving new gifts. The body language of the figure in this card is closed off and fearful. Ultimately, they must choose to relinquish the illusion of safety and control if they wish to go somewhere different in life.
In the fours we see how structure and boundaries can be welcome respites, helpful homes, or stagnant stops along our journeys of life. How do you view the fours in your tarot readings? Share in the comments below and stay tuned for our next installation on the mischievous and pivotal fives!
Tarot Cards for Spring
Last week we had a visit from the Ace of Wands. It was a very on the nose tarot reading: a waxing moon (increasing energy) with a sprouting branch emerging from the clouds. To me, this was Tarot-ese for “Spring is coming!” And it had me thinking, what other cards personify Spring?
The way I read, time shows up as a feeling instead of a moment. So we might see a certain feeling emerging where we feel energized and refreshed, ready to start anew and cultivate different paths. To me, all these qualities reflect Spring, while more enclosing, hibernating energy suggests Winter.
Below I’m sharing the four cards that I find refelct all the balmy goodness of Spring, along with my takes on each of them.
VI of Cups
Innocence, blossoming, tender memories, meaningful traditions.
This card radiates the fresh innocence that comes with Spring. It’s young children playing at a family picnic, chicks hatching from their eggs, and the warm bashfulness that comes with new romances and friendships. It also embodies the rose-tinted nostalgia that can float in on the warm breeze. The feeling of looking back with fondness on old memories, perhaps looking to rekindle them in our lives through traditions and reaching out to family members and friends. When I look at this card I envision flowers blossoming, fragile, bright, and dewy.
Ace of Wands
New growth, emerging into a new state of being, energy, vitality.
The Ace of Wands shows us the determined exuberance of Spring. Every year buds from on tree branches and bulbs send out shoots to burst through the soil. It’s inevitable and massively energetic. You can’t stop Spring. The Ace of Wands embodies power of the season. It’s a time of creativity, production, and a certain amount of extravagance. Flowers and plants don’t hold back – it’s their time to set the stage and enter the world. In reading, this ace asks us to embody this passion, embracing boldness and brightness.
Four of Wands
Celebration, new romance, appreciating bounty
I know this card is usually interpreted as cozy and traditional, but I get a decidedly more sensual vibe here. If the Four of Wands is all about celebration and romance, I see no problem expanding this to life itself. The delicious feeling of warm air on your skin, walking barefoot and feeling the grass on your toes after months of being stuck in fuzzy socks, reconnecting with your body (and your lover(s)’s). It’s a card that brings pleasure and love front and center, celebrating them for all their giving, joyful glory. Radiate your pleasure outwards, share it with others, and give it a central place in your life.
VII of Pentacles
Cultivation, plenty, joy through work
The Seven of Pentacles brings the bustle of Spring down to earth. Here we see how the work we put in during this season can grow into plenty and prosperity. It’s about getting down into the dirt and planting the seeds you want to see grow in the month to come. Spring, it tells us, is the season to cultivate the traits, projects, and situations we want to see in our lives. It’s hands on work we can get absorbed in, smelling the dirt on our hands and feeling the satisfaction of sore muscles.