Weekly Forecast: January 16-22

Strength is a card that operates on quite an impressive spectrum. Sometimes we’re wanting to figure something out - a big question about our life, ourselves, or our situation - and we approach it head-on, struggling valiantly for understanding. And sometimes we do a stranger dance, one of fits and starts, as we approach our question from different angles, retreating to process, and returning again to re-engage. It’s this odd shuffle that’s animating our lives this week as we try to suss out something important in a complicated situation. Yet no matter how confusing it may seem, this card’s appearance in our reading is a big encouragement. Now is the time to work towards a breakthrough; let’s roll up our sleeves.

This week we’re well-aware of an issue, or at the very least, that something is bothering us. Before we move on, take a moment to commend yourself for this awareness! Sure, it’s not as satisfying as a cut-and-dry solution, but this reading is inviting us to revel in the creative potential of struggle. Consider what area of your life is feeling murky or in need of editing. Strength is not a card that shows up in times of clarity; it shows us in the muck, trying to tame the lion, and being intimate with an issue on a more feelings-based level. Don’t fight the reality of the situation - this is a time to accept what is and redirect focus to how you’re operating in this specific context. What are you learning about yourself? How would you like to be?

Speaking of which, this image illustrates the classic struggle between the ideal self (sometimes called the “higher self”) and the instinctual self. Conflict between the two can help steer us towards actions that are more aligned with our values. Ask yourself:

• Where do my actions feel in opposition to or without connection to my values and goals? and

• What actions or behavior go against my instincts, intuition, and desires?

Because even though we may think it’s essential to aspire to the angelic self in this card, it’s equally important to work with and integrate our "animal” self. Look at your life and see which is running the show at the moment, and then try to work towards a more sustainable balance. Pretending to be a saint can be just as harmful as living a life of unbridled hedonism.

Our next two cards give us specific instructions for how to engage with the issues being brought up by Strength. The Seven of Cups shows us gifted with an unusually powerful imagination this week; allow yourself to throw any and every idea you have onto the table. Don’t limit your visions - there’s treasure to be found amidst the trippiest, most outlandish scenarios for your future. Be aware, however, that this headspace can feel a little heady. You may find yourself feeling scattered, lacking focus, and lost in the clouds. Go with the current while it lasts, giving yourself room in your schedule to meander and daydream.

At the end of the week, we come back down to earth via the calm rationality of The Four of Swords. Give yourself time to sit with everything that’s come up, organize your thoughts, and wait for a realization that feels right. Silence, solitude, and self-reflection are helpful tools during this time, and point us to the next steps we’ve been seeking. They’re not of the flashy variety, however, and our experience of Strength this week is more of a slow-burn than majestic breakthrough. It’s our task, however, to see this subtle awakening into awareness as equally, if not more, important.

Potential surprise/reframe:

There may be a false battle going on between our imagination and intellect this week. In other words, is the struggle shown in Strength actually between the Seven of Cups and Four of Swords? Do we feel like our dreams can’t match up with or inform our rational decisions? The thing about Strength is that all the conflicts it encompasses are generative. While it may take some time for the two characters to understand each other and move in harmony, they get there eventually with dedication and commitment to learning. See what gentleness and patience you can muster so that these sides of yourself can meet on supportive terms.

This week, embrace:

• Staying with complex situations

• Remaining open-minded

• Wildly imaginative brainstorming

• Time to gather your thoughts

• Rest, gentleness, patience

This week. Avoid:

• Rushing to conclusions from a place of discomfort

• Giving up

• Chasing perfection or lofty ideals

• Operating solely to fulfill immediate desires

Weekly Forecast: December 5-11

I don’t know about you all, but I could use a bit more zest in my life. So, in honor of the first week of December and itchy feet, let’s shake this forecast up a little bit. I think it’s always helpful to have a light hand and sense of humor with tarot - zhuzhing up your practice with some changes can go a long way in keeping things fresh and even surprisingly mystical - so here we go.

This reading in one sentence

Let’s dream wildly so that when it all comes falling down, we know where we want to go.

the tower in the room

Yes, it’s here: that card. But this version of The Tower is rising up like a zit that’s been brewing under the surface for quite some time. I apologize for the grossness, but it’s just what’s there - a building ache that is about to erupt. Upsetting? Yes. Oddly relieving? Why, yes, that, too.

This week we’re at a big turning point and it’s the kind that touches on a secretly soothing part of The Tower: that its downfall comes from an outside source that’s not under our control. So, if you’ve been walking slowly towards and ending (or trying your best to run from it), know that its culminating moment is near. Things can move quickly in this card, and on a whole spectrum of intensity, but one thing that’s clear is that tenuous structures that aren’t built to last are coming down.

Because this card is somewhat indiscriminate, see if you can embrace its power and make it work for you. Is there something that’s annoying you, that isn’t working well or working at all, that you can let crumble? Be wary of trying to save things (or people) just for the sake of saving them. Like burns are an integral part of maintaining a forest’s health, so too is destruction a necessary part of growth.

a wellspring of creativity and vision

Although I’m not one to undersell the fearsome nature of The Tower, I’m also really stuck by the intrepid energy surrounding this card in our reading. It’s as if each of us has been incubating a whole range of possible futures, having fun (on some level) playing around with what could be. The Seven of Cups is one of those cards that can veer into avoidant dreaminess, but here it’s immensely hopeful. Take a moment to commend your bravery in dreaming for a life that’s bigger and bolder than the traditional paths you’re used to aiming for.

Oddly, our dreaming, scheming, and unhinged desire for wonder has been waiting for a disruptive moment like the one signified by The Tower this week. While we’ll have to get through the immediate experience of The Tower ( there’s no getting around that) it’s as if we’ve flung a hearty handful of seeds - the most beautiful of wildflowers, all types, shapes, sizes, and colors - into the air. Some might not survive the destruction, but others will be primed to grow wildly.

natural selection and your own best world

I’m also wondering if we’ve been strengthened by our repeated experience of The Tower’s chaos. There was a phase in these forecasts several months ago when The Tower was a frequent visitor, and I’d be surprised if many of us didn’t self-select this card to represent the unyielding chaos, loss, and disruption of the past few years globally. Looking at The Two of Wands, I also can’t help but see ourselves watching the destruction from afar, which could be a possible experience of this reading. Whether The Tower is yours or another’s, it’ll be helpful to ground yourself and shore up your emotional and energetic reserves. It’ll be helpful to locate your own “inner Two of Wands,” that place inside yourself that remains the same despite whatever hardship you endure.

This, I think, is where the power of the wands suit comes in; ruled by fire, these cards touch on that divine spark in each of us that drives us forward, asking us, “what do I want to do with the time I’ve been given? What is coming through me, starting as a mere idea or impulse, and becoming something real through my actions?”

There may be odd sources of inspiration this week: feeling a sense of urgency to tend to your own life goals when you watch something crumble, a sense of clarity emerging from chaos, a renewed sense of purpose when confronted with the ephemeral nature of life. The creative abundance of the Seven of Cups is being tested by the intensity of The Tower, and the ideas and plans that emerge unscathed or even stronger are the ones to keep and follow. A key facet of all of them all? Building a better version of the world you’re watching end - one that allows you to feel free and look outwards. Just look at the lush vista of the Two of Wands. This is where we’re going, and it’s far better than the stodgy towers crumbling around us.

This week, embrace:

• Dreamy reverie

• Inspiration for inspiration’s sake

• Idiosyncrasies, rebellion, the unconventional

• Natural endings

• Self-care (especially physical)

• Your creative, professional, and personal power

This week, avoid:

• Going down with someone else’s ship

• Freaking out in the face of chaos

• Nihilistic thinking

• Abandoning your goals, dreams, and plans

Get creative:

• Seven of Cups: I don’t know, I think this card needs to be left alone to work its freaky magic in each of our lives. But, if I were to offer any advice, it’d be to have fun playing around with dreams and ideas that touch on your own strangeness, unique tastes, and that blissfully ignore societal ideas of what “should be.”

• The Tower: A key part of making it through this card, however it’s manifesting in your life, is endurance. Take some time to consider what this means to you. How have you make it through rough patches in your life before? What practices help you stay with the moment, no matter how intense it appears? Commit to these in the coming days. (To share, mine are: deep breathing, hydration, prayer.)

• Two of Wands: This card is so uniquely optimistic, especially in our reading this week. I can’t, in other words, not look at it and hear, “everything’s going to be okay.” And how odd to have this friendly, “the world is your oyster” card after The Tower? But I do think there’s something here; that our abilities to live, dream. and act on our dreams are unimpeachable and found within ourselves. How might you have been protecting this mental/energetic space? What can you do to reinforce and celebrate it? Bonus points: ask your friends and loved ones about the unique skills, talents, and energies you contribute to life. What better, even best case scenario do they see for you?

Weekly Forecast: October 31 - November 6

I am so glad to see the Queen of Wands back in our reading for the week. I’ll be honest; while I love this card, I was really not feeling it last week. Charismatic ease and vivacious individuality were not shining through into my everyday life with ease! But because of this, I found myself having to strive for this archetype, choosing to embody it despite not feeling up to snuff or at my best.

Which is all to say that I’m glad this card is back at the end of our reading, giving us a sense of direction. How are we walking towards a greater sense of authenticity? We have unfinished business with the Queen of Wands, and this is the week to explore her further.

So, before we dive into the rest of our reading, take a moment to reflect on how this card showed up for you last week. Were you struggling with it like me or did charm, wit, and creativity come easily to you? One thing that emerged as I wrestled with this card was its connection to unabashed authenticity. The Queen of Wands cannot be anything other than his, her, or themself. How have you been embracing your idiosyncrasies as the sources of your power and magnetism?

If some key piece of information around this question appeared last week, this is the week to build upon it by making a direct offering. What steps can we take towards letting our true selves shine?

Our first stop is the loopy Seven of Cups. It’s time for inspiration-overload. Let yourself get dreamy and imaginative at the beginning of the week. It’s okay if your thoughts feel scrambled and linear thinking isn’t coming easily. This card shows us the power of diving into the weirdness of our imaginations. Sometimes we have to envision multiple, outlandish futures in order to discover the parts and pieces we need to construct what’s just right for us. Not to mention the fact that so little is, at the end of the day, in our control. Stretching our imaginations primes us to accept bigger possibilities when they arrive. Devote time to hopping from inspiration to inspiration. Poetry, art, magic, daydreaming, actual dreaming… all of these can be found in the strange land of the Seven of Cups.

It’s also a helpful reminder that periods of feeling adrift, off-course, or simply unproductive are key to finding a way forward that resonates with our hearts. We are in series of cups cards here, a reminder that our feeling selves have a lot to tell us at the moment. Don’t turn up your nose at your desire for love, beauty, and connection. Revel in the mystery, have fun, dream big, and maybe move more pressing, detail-oriented tasks towards the end of the week.

Sometimes the Seven of Cups can be a frustrating card, especially for those of us who value clear plans and actionable steps. It’ll take a bit of a trust fall, but after some splashing around in the pools of imagination, we’re emerging with energy and purpose. The Knight of Cups shows us grasping a new area of focus, or rather, a better articulated one. Have you been toying around with a wish, dream, or plan, but feel the need for it to be more direct and understandable? It’s likely that this clarity is coming your way this week. In what ways are you better able to articulate your wishes and desires after opening up your heart to imagining?

Knights have a hard-headedness to them that can often be troublesome, but this week we need some bravado and insouciance to push ourselves to the next level. Don’t be afraid of asking for a lot, passionately declaring your principles, and striving for big ideals. It’s a time to take chances, particularly the ones that resonate on a deeply meaningful level. The Knight of Cups is a true romantic; they see life in the brightest spectrum of colors (much like, nerd alert, those mantis shrimp with 12-16 photoreceptor cells to our three) and have no qualms taking risks for beauty, transcendence, and love.

Striving unapologetically for what we love and desire, romantically and otherwise, is leading us back to the Queen of Wands, this time with a newfound appreciation and understanding of our unique selves. Consider how the risks you take build on your confidence, giving you the power to change your life and to express yourself more freely.

This week, embrace:

• Daydreaming

• Imagining new paths

• Reevaluating, re-vivifying your creative rituals and practices

• Acting on what means the most to you

• Taking chances

• Self-expression

• Your leadership abilities & responsibilities

This week, avoid:

• Over-scheduling

• Fear of the spotlight

• Hiding behind excuses

• Being overly practical

Get creative:

• Seven of Cups: Take a nice chunk of time to lay out some dishy, daydreamy plans. Seven of them. Give yourself five minutes for each, writing out only the best possible outcome. Stretch into the delightful details, especially if they’re outlandish; how could each be uniquely wonderful? Enjoy yourself. That’s it.

• Knight of Cups: This knight belongs on the cover of a romance novel. Lean into this image, even (and especially) if it feels cheesy. How can you sashay into your own life and the lives of others bringing charm, beauty, and romance? Act as an emissary for something that’s delighting you: share it with unbridled enthusiasm with the people you encounter. Bring the wonder you want to see in the world into others’ lives.

• Queen of Wands: Dedicate yourself to joy this week. This card sees each moment of pleasure & joy as a gift, a sign that you’re on the right track. As tarot luminary Rachel Pollack writes, “Sometimes if a person loves life, the world appears to respond by protecting that person from harm and sends her of him joyous experiences.” When you notice something delightful happening, stop and let yourself take in the moment, metabolizing it so that it can fuel you moving forward. Close your eyes, feel it all, and give thanks.

Weekly Forecast: July 4-10

Well, my friends, it looks like this is a week for breakthroughs. In good old fashioned tarot-style, we have to wade through some interesting and potentially frustrating waters first. Yet despite the presence of two sevens - cards characterized by their slippery, teasing nature - this is a comparatively low-pressure week. If we introduce a sense of lighthearted play into the tasks at hand we may be surprised at how quickly things move.

Have you been worrying about how much work you’re going to have to do to make a change? Fretting (dare I say, stressing) about how long of a way you have to go? Although you may not feel graceful or poised, this week holds some important and impish lessons around dreaming, planning, and manifesting.

Let’s start with the two sevens we have this week. Two! I think this pair is asking us to embrace the theme of a spiritual challenge. However you choose to define spirituality, this is a week where imbalance, restlessness, an unrelenting desire to seek out answers is bringing us to an important crossroads. The answers we’re seeking are new, personal, and only we can wade through the swirling mists of our subconscious to tease out their meaning. If we do, however, the meaning will be sustaining and powerful.

I’m interested in the dynamic between these two sevens. The Seven of Swords is a naughty character who shows up in moments where we want to avoid responsibility, take the easy way out, or break some rules. It’s also a swords card and this is what’s really coming through here - that perhaps the self-deception is in arguing ourselves out of what we really want. What if the shortcut we’re trying to take is the one that circumvents dreaming, yearning, and reaching beyond what we know? The figure in the card is running in one direction while looking over their shoulder: Where in your life do you feel split? Where do you notice your automatic response moving you away from your greatest wishes and desires?

Since the arc of our reading takes us towards the delightful Ace of Wands, it seems as if the impulse of the Seven of Swords needs some correcting. We shouldn’t be running away from an opportunity so invigorating and lovely, right? Self-deception, particularly in the vein of the swords cards - arguing yourself out of your desires, collecting information about how what you want isn’t feasible, realistic, etc. - may be appearing with strength and vigor as we start the week.

And yet the Seven of Cups is right here. This card is asking us to trust that we won’t be overwhelmed by our visions for the future, or that exploring options won’t shoot us into the farthest reaches of space, untethered from everyday life. In fact, this is a wonderful time to take stock of your fears around wishing and dreaming. What stories and arguments (the swords being carried in our first card) do you use to convince yourself that imagining a better future is bad, dangerous, or foolish?

This would be a wonderful week to dive into your interests, daydream, and turn over ideas in your mind without worrying about logistics. Doing so may massage a greater vision into clarity, but it’s important to step away from expectations and look at the world (and yourself) through the eyes of wonder. You’ll notice that the figure here is a black silhouette; it may be helpful to take a break from who you think you are and just spend some time playing and experimenting with new identities, ideas, and roles. The Seven of Swords easily gets stuck in their own head. In the Seven of Cups we see the pleasure and freedom of stepping outside oneself.

What’s happening while we tease out the tricky world of the sevens? A new option is working its way towards us. I’ve been thinking about the aces a lot lately. Not only are they alluring and exciting (some people refer to them as “the wish cards” in tarot) but they represent moments when we must step back from trying to make things happen and practice waiting, being receptive, and working on ourselves. That’s what we’re seeing here in our two sevens: how can we work on our fear of what we want, drop our swords - the ideas of how we should be, what we should do, and how we should go about getting it, and wait for the next step to reveal itself.

The Ace of Wands is definitively a next step. If aces are gifts from the outside world revealing themselves to us, and wands are action… you see where I’m going. So if you’re feeling antsy with all this dreaming and self-reflection, fear not. A promising and potent idea for what should happen next is on the horizon. Try not to rush or get lost in the seductive grips of control and open up to what has yet to appear.

And how will we know the Ace of Wands when it appears? It’ll resonate on an instinctive level (do check with your body to see if your creature-self is on board), feel exciting, promising, and new, and be just the first step. The trick of the aces, beyond noticing them when they arrive, is to simply accept their invitation and see where it leads, one thing at a time.

This week, embrace:

• Gently questioning self-limiting beliefs and actions

• Feeling uncomfortable with change

• Daydreaming, envisioning exciting futures

• Experimenting with new/unexplored facets of your identity

• Activities that take you out of your (ego) self

• A promising new path or next step

This week, Avoid:

• Giving up because of a lack of clarity

• Using fear as an excuse to avoid change

• Getting caught up in details

• Retreating from your social life

Get Creative:

• The Seven of Swords: This card, aside from having a very engaging “main character,” is also soaked in tarot’s color of creativity: yellow. There’s two ways to engage with this energy. 1) See if you can channel your angst around change, growth, and restlessness into art. Circumvent the swords’ penchant for analysis and do something quick, impressionistic, and from the heart. 2) Devote a day, preferably early in the week, to wear yellow. See how it feels to embody the positive aspect of this card instead of the burdensome swords (aka thinking). If you have yellow shoes, I especially recommend wearing them. The red shoes and hat represent being driven by impulse and passion - what happens when you’re driven by life-sustaining creativity instead?

• The Seven of Cups: Make a date with yourself to do some daydreaming. To expand on the ruling element of cups (water) I suggest doing this in the bath. Sink into the water and allow yourself to dream about the lives you could live, starting now. In situations where we’re taking big leaps, I think that rituals are especially important to nudge us out of the everyday and into something more soft and supportive. Mindfully select scents or oils for your bath, listen to some relaxing music, maybe even meditate before stepping in. The key is to be open, receptive, and ready to dream freely. Don’t focus on logistics or our pesky friend “reality.” See what happens and what dreams stick in your mind long after the tub has drained.

• Ace of Wands: This is more practical than reflective. I think that this card has an aura of social possibility this week. Go out during the weekend with the intention of being open and receptive to any messages, connections, or opportunities that may come your way.

Weekly Tarot Forecast: April 25-May 1

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: September 23-29

My lovely friends, this is a reading to write home about! And, to be honest, a welcome break from all the soul-searching present in our recent forecasts. There's a bevy of cups available to us this week: satisfaction, fulfillment, joy, fun, creativity, spirit, and connection. So what's the first step?

Overwhelm, it seems, is an important sign for us, particularly the kind that arises from a wide sea of opportunities and options.

I'm getting this from the Seven of Cups, of course - that tricky and alluring exploration of our creativity. Like all sevens it represents the secret invitation of dissatisfaction. What happens when we peel aside the first layer of itchiness? Inspiration and a meaningful next step.

This card was also at the center of a collective reading we did at my local tarot meetup. In that reading, the Seven of Cups generated a lot of helpful and invigorating energy, and it does the same here.

We can try looking at the wide expanse of unknown in front of us as a grand stage to fill with actions, plans, and goals. The only requirement is that they're exciting and fascinating: No lackluster, half-assed dreams need apply!

If things have been feeling a bit heavy during the past few weeks we can expect that weight to lift. Our challenge will be to welcome that and all the silliness, experimentation, and dreaming that comes along with it. Embracing that will be healing, expansive, and fun (sign me up!) and bring us to the bounty of the Ten of Cups.

The King of Cups presides over the whole picture. We're learning our own creative language and taking our dreams seriously. And it's unlocking a much-needed and surprising source of inner leadership.

I can't think of a group of cards that would give us a more resounding invitation to think outside the box, lighten up, and walk towards what we really want, even if we're not sure why.

Underneath all this is a river of emotion; yet, like the King of Cups, we've looked into it and can now sail across its surface. What work have you been doing to integrate and process you emotional experiences? How have you been showing up for yourself throughout challenging times? What peace have you found within yourself?

I also think that the King of Cups has some words of gentle encouragement to share with us. Sometimes the Ten of Cups can be surprisingly triggering. All that sunshine and rainbows energy can seem ostentatious and flashy. Do we really think we're all that? What does it mean if we're a little afraid of our best possible scenario?

The King of Cups tells us that all of those conflicted feelings are welcome and necessary. We can have the rainbow and still be human, with all our fear, restlessness, and weirdness alongside the wonder and joy.

So let this week be one where you celebrate and explore your strangest dreams and ideas. Playing around will invite in the sense of feeling you're looking for as you start to move closer to your personal Ten of Cups.

---

Weekly Forecast: September 9-15

We have a mixed forecast for this week, dear friends. There's the heartbreak of the Three of Swords and the emotional indecision of the Seven of Cups. If this were the weather, I'd say we have clouds mixed with thunderstorms on the horizon. Fortunately, however, we have the determined energy of the King of Wands leading us through.

So what does this card instruct us to focus on? In a way, the Three of Swords and Seven of Cups show us the complex combinations of thoughts and emotions that make life both challenging and interesting.

What do we do when the going gets tough? The King of Wands couldn't be a more empowering archetype. We are prepared to handle this and then some. We've outgrown our tendency to get swamped by turmoil and challenge; that doesn't mean, however, that it'll be easy.

I feel like the King of Wands is starting our reading for a reason. As we launch into the week it's important to have a nice heart-to-heart with ourselves, particularly our ambitious and willful side. The King of Wands is a character who knows what they want and relishes the opportunity to flex their muscles and fight for it. Not in an exhausting way, but in a way that reflects their worldview - think of the thrill of the hunt or the satisfaction of completing a tough workout.

Some helpful King of Wands questions to consider: What am I working for right now? What strengths and accomplishments tell me that I can surmount these challenges easily? Think of yourself as an intrepid adventurer (perhaps one who was so dashing and daring they became a King) - why would you expect challenge to derail you when you've done so much to work with, through and around it?

Sometimes this is a wonderul opportunity to retell your story. Be as big and bold as the King of Wands. Spin a yarn, one where you're the protagonist. A little ego here is a good thing - same goes for faith in your abilities and vision.

Why am I doubling down so hard on the heroic, jazzy King of Wands? Because the other energies this week are murky and difficult. Some old wounds are getting kicked up with the Three of Swords and it's making us question our path, decisions, and abilities.

There are, however, lots of options. Ending on the Seven of Cups shows us mulling them over, wondering what to do next, which is why I'm endorsing the King of Wands so thoroughly. Has the challenge of the Three of Swords really shook things up so much that our plans have been pushed to the side? I sure hope not.

Use this energy this week to rally around yourself and prioritize your goals. The King of Wands is more than strong enough to commit to this vision no matter the stickiness that arises. Let's make the delibration of the Seven of Cups a temporary pause, not a halt to the bold path we're charting for ourselves.

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Weekly Forecast: February 25 - March 3

This week's energy combines the dreaminess of imagination with the refreshing clarity of decisiveness. Rarely are such crowd-pleasing cards seen in the same spread: the gorgeous cups with the charismatic Queen of Wands. So what does it all mean?

Well, for starters there's a distinct order to these cards, and it's one that might feel a bit indulgent at first glance. This week the Ace of Cups is leading the way and it's our job to follow its effusive and nurturing example. 

When we see aces in any reading it's a welcome sign that a gift is entering our lives. This gift can be literal, but more often than not it's more of a shift in focus and mood. The Ace of Cups centers around the joy and inspiration that arises from authentic and loving connections. What more beautiful way to illustrate this than a cup overflowing into a fountain of water with a chipper bluebird and stunning lotus floating above?

There's certainly an element of good luck to the aces, and that requires us being brave enough to reach out and claim the good fortune that's coming our way. Since this bit of bliss is tied to the cups, we need to be especially alert for any negative self-talk around emotions. The only enemy to the bounty of the aces is our inability to welcome them into our lives.,

If we feel undeserving or blocked, we risk blocking this welcome and important change. A shadow side to this ace is that when we let go and accept goodness - allowing ourselves to feel excited or joyful - we can sometimes open the door to other feelings as well. As a wise man once told me, tears are just drops of water moving freely. Feeling our feelings without judgment is one of the biggest gifts we can give ourselves. And leaning into them is opening up a huge range of possibilities.

So let things be sweet and tender this week. Notice how it makes you feel to look at life as if it's supporting you, not fighting against you. And adopt a healthy dose of romantic whimsy. The Ace of Cups is leading to the Seven of Cups, one of my favorite trickster cards. Here, we see a massive creative outburst. Where we once felt stuck we now see a glimmering array of choices, paths, and options.

This can be as delightful as it is destabilizing. How on earth do we choose? But before we rush into decision-making we can learn a lot from observing and exploring. What is tickling our fancy, after all? And how did we get to a place where the world seems to bloom with options? It's worth remembering what brought us here so we can call upon the same forces when we feel stuck in the future. Digging a little deeper can give us insight into the conditions we need to thrive.

Most importantly, however, this week is teaching us about the pivotal role of inspiration in our lives. Opening up and following what makes our heart sing through the Ace of Cups is opening up a whole new vista. And while the cups often get pigeonholed into themes of romance, they also have a beautiful lesson about connectivity and personal fulfillment. Following what's emotionally satisfying and invigorating can be shockingly effective. After all, our reason often catches up after the fact.

Which, for the impatient among us, is where the Queen of Wands comes in. This card brings some gravitas to the first two. Seeing her shows us that this moment, though we might think of it as a bit too far-fetched or veering away from the practical/responsible, is a key part of our process right now. We have to follow our hearts to know what to do next.

The Queen of Wands is a card of passionate decisiveness. She acts with energy and is unapologetic about following her path. Like her, we conclude the week feeling secure in our next moves, not because they make complete logical sense or sound impressive to others, but because we took the time to identify what we truly love. What's more certain or inspiring than that?

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We're All Creative Creatures

“I’m just not a very creative person…”

How many times have I heard this phrase, both inside and outside of my tarot studio? It seems that most of us have a strictly “paintbrushes and poems” vision of the creative process. If we’re not engaged in the arts of music, painting, photography, etc. well, we’re just not creative.

I have a major bone to pick with this idea. Most of the people I meet have already made several creative decisions before they make it to my office. Maybe they took a new route on their way over or found an innovative solution to an argument with their partner from that morning. Maybe they tried a never-before-seen combinations of toppings at the salad bar! What I’m saying here is that creativity can be so interwoven with the mundane that we’re not even aware of it.

Take a look at tarot, for example. The Minor Arcana consists of four suits: wands, cups, swords, and pentacles. We embody all four of the suits as we move through life and the wands are most commonly associated with creativity. In the broadest sense they mean motion and putting ideas into action. In other words, simply moving through the world requires it. Many of the things we do have never been done before. They started as ideas and we bring them into being through our actions. It’s all part of being human.

Reclaiming our creative identity is massively healing. Behind all the statements of “I’m just not creative” is a secret longing. Simply be reframing our experience to include creativity in our everyday existence we open up further avenues for expression. That could lead to picking up watercolors as a hobby or just gaining the confidence of seeing ourselves as an integrated person, one whose creativity isn’t limited to the arts or our output.

Tarot Card for Creativity

• The Suit of Wands

• The Magician

• The Fool

• The Sun

• The Empress

• The World

• Three of Pentacles

• Seven of Cups

Creativity can look like…

• Problem-solving

• New projects

• Taking initiative at work, home, etc.

• Communicating ideas

• Organizing

• Decorating

• Artistic pursuits

• Planning