Weekly Forecast: October 8-14

The Seven of Swords has a lot to tell us these days. Last week it appeared as a creative solution to our personal issues. Being lighthearted and a little impish, it suggested, could help propel us to a sense of satisfaction. This week, however, the card is back to show us its more traditional meanings: conflict, trickery, and confusion.

We're dealing with a stolen victory, one that took advantage of large ideological conflicts, heedless of the consequences. These accomplishments are not honorable (literal thievery rarely is), but they do count. Our cards for the week show us grappling with these events instead of giving us any clear outcome. The Hermit, also known as Father Time, shows us that this is a long and plodding path, but one that could, at the very least, prove clarifying.

When we look at The Hermit we can imagine him turning away from the conflict of the seven with sadness. This is, after all, a card of deep processing. Sometimes that processing is profound and natural  - a simple representation of us musing about our deeper calling or existence. And sometimes it's precipitated by something external. In this case, we're turning to our own experiences and higher values to process the shadiness of the Seven of Swords.

But before we jump to judge The Hermit as promoting inaction or selfishness, it's important to acknowledge that coming face-to-face with our true values involves introspection and questioning. The Hermit appears in moments when we must look at ourselves as big and important figures. What we do matters. And in walking through our feelings we can begin to identify the larger themes that guide us forward. Those are what brings our lives meaning and inspire us to act with clarity and determination.

This brings us to the King of Cups, the other side to this difficult situation. What's interesting here is that we're jumping to powerful cards - a major arcana, The Hermit, and a powerful King - instead of dithering in muddy and mundane suffering. In other words, we're ready to think and act big. 

The King of Cups is an important illustration of the power that comes from accepting, seeing, and honoring emotions. Not as inconvenient byproducts of life or immature grabs for attention, but as a natural and illuminating part of human life. The King of Cups believes in reciprocal and respectful relationships, personal accountability, and the wealth and power that springs from seeing one another as unique beings whose experiences and feelings matter. 

This is a card that shows utter commitment to a better world and the strength to navigate it while holding boundaries, values, and justice above the sometimes-murky waters of conflict and reactivity. The King of Cups is playing a long game, yes, but his status is comforting in this reading. We're more than capable of fighting for the world we'd like to see. Standing firm in this conviction and showing up in the public stage while consulting the wisdom of our own north stars will move us forward, perhaps with surprising effectiveness.

After all, the Seven of Swords is gazing intently at The Hermit, unaware of the fortitude and accomplishment it will face in the future. 

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Weekly Forecast: August 20-26

Sometimes it's tiring being rational, or at least occupying a rational standpoint 100% of the time. This week we're willingly sacrificing the need to be right so that we can open up to new sources of knowledge, namely our feelings and intuitions.

This is no small shift, and the fact that we're coming at it from the authoritative stance of the King of Swords shows just how conscious and responsible we are for this choice. And this is good news! We know we need more and we're taking the vulnerable and brave step to move towards it.

In this case, we're choosing to experience a Death of sorts. How can we step down from our thrones of certainty and embrace the complicated magic of everyday life? 

Though we may be moving into some confusing territory, these cards indicate that we're ready for a change. Maybe we're tired of feeling in control all of the time, isolated in our positions of power. Maybe we'd like to step down from our roles as arbiters, deciders, and experts, if only just for a while.

As you may have noticed, though, Death carries with it some pretty irrevocable consequences. So while we may be leaving the King of Swords' throne (and carrying with us his intellectual prowess and experience), we won't be quite the same when we return. 

This is an excellent time to consider what about our current position is feeling itchy or empty. Have we backed ourselves into a corner, suddenly realizing we've been positioning ourselves as someone with all the answers? Are our words feeling hollow or lacking inspiration?

Well, this dynamic leap through the Death card is certainly about to change all that. We're catapulting from the solid, academic remove of the King of Swords into the wishy-washy, imaginative wonderland of the Seven of Cups. Now how's that for contrast?

Towards the end of the week we'll find ourselves feeling radically different. Awash with exciting visions and possibilities, we'll be in the mood to let our minds wander freely, thinking magically instead of pragmatically and theoretically. 

While the Seven of Cups can be a tricky card, one where alluring options can become distracting and even paralyzing, it's a wonderful follow-up to Death. It shows us processing our change and reacting to it with joy and expansion. Death is a long process and thinking creatively in all directions - dreaming up possibilities and alternate futures  - offers us both the space and activity to move through the transition.

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