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.

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 Forecast: June 20-26

How do you react when a rainbow finally appears? Maybe you’ve been secretly praying for one, nervous and expectant. Or perhaps you’ve been hoarding rainwater, thinking you can collect enough to create your own downpour and invite one in. But we all know that’s not how rainbows work. They arrive on their own accord, a colorful expression of nature and change. The right conditions need to be present, and if we are too, we can rise up and take the sight in.

This week sees a big desire become real. The rainbow is happening. What will we do?

There’s a restrictive side to the Four of Cups that’s coming through in our reading. Where in life do your wishes come with a dose of fear? Sometimes we cling to our smallness, dreaming big and bold dreams, but secretly secure in not realizing them.

Yet this week a powerful wish-fulfilling card is taking center stage: the Ten of Cups is showing us that our dream is quite close. We could, in fact, get up and run to meet it. But is something holding us back?

We have the beginning of the week to really consider this. Our first impulse may be to think through the issue, but we’d be wise to follow the true nature of the cups and get in touch with our feelings. Looking at the Four of Cups I’m imagining a deep reservoir of water beneath the three cups on the ground. Are we in fact sitting on enduring wisdom while pretending we need to scrounge and scrape for inspiration? We can learn a lot about our desires this week along with any fears we have about our wishes coming true.

Take a look at the Ten of Cups. What do you see in this card? What does it make you feel? You’d be surprised at how upsetting this card can be to people. It can look flashy, garish - especially if you’re used to thinking that living your dream openly is dangerous, inviting trouble.

Fortunately, we have the Two of Swords on the other side, tempering our strong emotions. This wise card invites us to take baby steps. We don’t have to embrace an entirely new life wholesale, rush into good fortune, or change radically. There’s time to step into the rainbow-lit world of the Ten of Cups for a bit, then take a break and mull things over. Or, even better, just let yourself be so that its wonder can sink in.

Oftentimes we think that beauty, pleasure, and connection are fleeting, limited resources. The Ten of Cups, however, tells a different story. In its pure form, it depicts the eternal wellspring of connection. We can frolic together, yes, but we can also grieve together, struggle together, and yearn together. When done out of a place of authentic relationship, all of these endeavors become generative and, in their own way, gorgeous and transformative.

See where you can find yourself sharing in joy, connection, and bounty. Make room for whatever this brings up, and grand yourself the solitude or space to let the doses sink in. I have a feeling that this week holds an important revelation: an experience that points you towards the greater source of fulfillment that’s always there, no matter what happens.

This is a week of joy, surprised, and integration. Dream big, and don’t be afraid to embrace the rainbow when it appears.

This week, embrace:

• Taking it easy

• Being gentle with your fears

• Romance

• Connection

• Living your best life

• Respecting your dreams

This week, avoid:

• Overplanning

• Reclusiveness

• Shutting down emotionally

Get creative:

• Four of Cups: This card has been stalking us for most of 2022. This week, I’m feeling like its seriousness could use a shake-up. Try meditating on abundance, oversized dreams, outlandishly positive scenarios. Let yourself go wild, simply holding the images in your mind with gentleness.

• Ten of Cups: This card is begging us to get outside. Find a way to be in nature with people you love (or just like… for now).

• Two of Swords: I didn’t realize that there is a vast wellspring of water in this reading when I was riffing on the Four of Cups. It’s here in the Two of Swords! Which makes me think that we’re going to uncover a special source of enjoyment and acceptance this week. Preferably during the weekend, take some time to journal about where you noticed a sense of belonging, satisfaction, and peace. You now have a new source of insight and nourishment in your awareness. Congratulations!

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: April 22-28

This week, my friends, is all about rethinking our relationship to change. It's a topic that's long overdue for editing and fresh energy, as these cards show so clearly. Just look at the polarized options springing forth from The Wheel of Fortune! The next few days give us the calming opportunity to bring some space and shading into a formerly black-and-white corner of our world.

As anyone who's dabbled with tarot knows, the cards have a cheeky sense of mischief. Not wanting to address a topic? All of a sudden pointed clarity is staring you in the face. Looking for a specific answer? The cards act coy. 

In my opinion, there's no card that embodies this vague, teasing energy more than The Wheel of Fortune. It's initial impression is usually confusing. Just what on earth is going on with these mythical creatures congregating around a circle heavy with odd symbols? They're just hanging out in the clouds? 

This is a card focused on the energy and inevitability of change. And, perhaps not so surprisingly, it's overwhelming and unknown qualities. Hence, the indecipherable wildness of imagery. 

When we see the Wheel of Fortune we know that change is on the horizon. However, that's all  we can decipher. There's no specificity, clear-cut answers, or details. The Wheel is spinning, but we don't know where it'll land just yet or what our new world will look like.

 This week we're confronting and working through our initial reactions to a personal Wheel of Fortune situation: The newness and lack of clarity is overwhelming and, in our attempt to grasp some comforting certainty, we're reverting to old patterns.

Which brings us to the Five of Pentacles and the Ten of Cups. I can't help but chuckle a little when I look at these cards. Talk about polarized thinking! It seems as if we're approaching the upcoming change with a very black-and-white mindset. Either our Wheel of Fortune will spin and deposit us in the bucolic emotional utopia of the Ten of Cups or we'll end up in rags, struggling to survive.

In this sense, these cards urge us to take a breath and center ourselves before getting spun out into either manic idealism or fatalistic negativity. One of the wonderful things about change is that nobody knows how it'll unfold. Not us and certainly not some judgmental stranger ready to blame us for the outcome.

And so these cards are, with a healthy dose of classic tarot humor, pointing us back to ourselves and the present moment. What can we do to focus on our experience right now? To make room for change to unfold? And, most importantly, to care for ourselves? 

The trick to the Wheel of Fortune is that is reminds us how change is a constant part of life. We're always navigating it, in one way or the other. We have practice. We have ourselves.
It always keeps spinning, but if we stay anchored in what we do know - aware of our desires, skills, talents, and sticky spots - we can always land on our feet and, better yet, work with the motion to grow. 

Until then, all we can do is enjoy the ride, and know that the stakes are low so long as we continue to value and care for ourselves. 

---

Weekly Forecast: January 28-February 3

We don't need to have money to give.

This week shows us the importance of showing up in small ways for the ones we love. It's easy to think that grand gestures or big gifts means the most. After all, they're certainly the most noticeable. But what is happiness truly made of? And, yes, that is a big question to start off our Monday!

But this week is one of gentleness, slowness, and the power of showing up. 

We begin with the Ten of Cups, a card that's so straightforward with its message it's almost frustrating. We can look at it and think "emotional abundance, hooray!" and then move on to more dramatic pastures. 

Unlike the Ten of Wands or the Ten of Swords, suits that get overbearing when taken to excess,  the Ten of Cups is, quite plainly, delightful. In the Rider-Waite-Smith deck this card depicts a family of four cavorting under a rainbow lined with ten cups. Not only are their cups running over, they're levitating in a rainbow!

But this card begs the question - how did we get here? It's not through the power of conquest or accumulation, but rather the quieter, long-term journey of building relationships. This week we're being asked to think about all the little things that have added up to create this rainbow array. How have we built joy, support, and healing in our ties with others? And, most importantly, how can we celebrate it more?

The Page and Six of Pentacles shows us that we're in a giving mood. We want to make a difference, to reach out and be there for people, but we're trying to approach it in the realm of pentacles: material gestures that we can see and touch. 

There may be a tinge of wistfulness here - why can't we be the King of Pentacles, providing everyone with everything (and having plenty left over, to boot)?

The Pages, while also being exciting harbingers of new directions, also tell us to take baby steps, and I'm fascinated by how this page is turning his back on the Six of Pentacles - a card about material giving - and focusing on the Ten of Cups instead.

So let's follow suit and redirect our attention to the rainbow here. Truly, something miraculous is happening, and this card is inviting us to look closer at what may be so interwoven into our daily lives we hardly notice it. 

What specific joys do we contribute to our relationships? What connections have we worked hard to build? And which are so natural they seem spontaneous? 

This week is all about detaching from the desire to show our support materially and financially and recognizing the way we add "value" simply be being there for the ones we love. Presence is so much more than presents, in other words! And it's a completely renewable resource.

So as you might guess, this reading is gently nudging us to spend quality time under our respective rainbows and to re-frame our current situation as one of an abundance of affection. Reach out to an old friend, host a cozy dinner party, and listen to the ones you love. It means so much more than any gift you can buy.

---

Weekly Forecast: October 1-7

Sometimes we look at situations far too seriously. It's an easy thing to do. Challenges deserve attention and scrutiny, don't they? Isn't it our job to bravely face them, head on and ready to go?

One of the things I love most about the suit of swords is their wise depiction of the challenging world of our thoughts. Like a sword, we can wield them with power and conviction, cutting paths for action and giving ourselves the clarity of direction. Or, you know, we could wave them around, cutting other people, and, more commonly, ourselves. 

Tricky business, indeed. Only one of the swords cards addresses trickery itself, and that's our first card for the week: the Seven of Swords. In the Rider-Waite-Smith deck it's illustrated with a young fellow sneaking away from a colorful array of tents with five swords in his arms. Two stand upright by his feet. There's a formation of shadows in the distance behind him with what appears to be the silhouette of a raised spear. Clearly, this character has pulled off some naughtiness and deception.

Usually this card brings with it standard meanings of deceit, theft, and subterfuge. Yet here we see another side to this card. The soft blues are matched to our remaining two cards, the harmonious Ten and Ace of Cups. How could this tricky card be aligned with the warmth and receptivity shown here?

While it's no good stealing swords from your neighbor's tents, we're also clearly not living in Medieval times anymore. The Seven of Swords illustrates a mental approach and the tent the home of our guarded and cherished ideas. Sometimes we need a jaunty thief to sneak in and extract the true treasures. Like The Fool and his knapsack, this is a moment where we can only carry so much with us. What's more, it's also a moment where thinking and acting playfully is actually allowing us to think bigger and bolder and, most wonderfully, quickly discard some stale ways of thinking.

In this case, seriousness isn't cutting the mustard. We've become a bit stagnant and stuck, placing too many constraints around us. The Ten of Cups shows us that what we need is to embrace the trickster nature of the Seven of Swords. Direct conflict, explaining, and arguing aren't even necessary. We can simply sneak into our own set of guarded beliefs and extract what makes us feel light, whole, and full of possibility. Anything less will only hold us back on our journey.

So the questions to ask now are: Does this idea invigorate me? What ideas are holding me captive? And, crucially, How can I have more fun?

In order to embrace the flowing, emotive, and joyful energy of the cups we need to lighten up a bit. Doing so is proving to be the last piece of the puzzle on a much longer emotional journey. The Ten of Cups depicts a beautiful arrival. We're coming to a place of transcendent intimacy were we're being seen clearly for who we are by like-minded souls. We may have built up some resistance to this way of being (those extra swords in the tent); instead of wrestling with them directly, we can do a graceful side-step. 

We might be surprised to see how quickly we arrive at this feeling of oneness and, even more delightfully, it's bringing us to the Ace of Cups - a new wellspring of inspiration, connection, and good fortune. 

---

Weekly Forecast: June 18-24

Well, well. This week holds quite the welcome energy shift. Things have been wandsy for a while now as we've been grappling with the myriad items on our "to do" lists. We've been deep in a period of work that requires us to simply keep at it. You know the phase when the initial inspiration seems far in the past, replaced by many tasks that seem to pull us every which way. Except towards rejuvenating creativity.

We can see this overwhelm in the Nine of Wands. Here, the vitality of the wands has built up into a formidable wall. We can see the trepidation and exhaustion in the main figure's eyes. More work? Really? When did this stop feeling fun?

This is a question worth asking, and one that has a surprising answer. Despite the discomfort that comes from running into obstacles, the setbacks and frustration we've been experiencing is actually a welcome symptom. We're already where we need to be. We're done! It's just time to let our awareness catch up.

We've been struggling to break past this wall of wands because we think the answer is on the other side. We're operating under the assumption that we need to overcome this itchiness. That the answer involves more of the same - more action, more problem-solving, and more control. Look at the other two cards for this week and we can see that, in fact, we're heading in a much different direction.

The angstiness of fire (wands) is being extinguished by some much-needed, soothing water energy, represented here by the Page and Ten of Cups. All our hard work has brought us to new territory. It's understandable that it's going to take some time for all that momentum to die down. Think of the Nine of Wands as the extra distance you run past the finish line because you can't come to an immediate stop. This week our challenge is to see this phase for what it is and not keep running as if our lives depended on it.

To put it another way, we've already finished the work we needed to do. Now we're shifting away from action and into a period of processing and intuition. This week's reading is really honing in on the role of the Nines as the culmination of their group of cards. The Tens, in fact, are overkill. We're feeling exhausted at the Nine of Wands because we've done enough. It's time to put down our active, controlling minds and make room for something new.

The Page of Cups is asking us to treat this new perspective with curiosity. Now is a time for integration and uncovering. What has all our growth and action brought up for us? We can look at it with calm openness like the Page does with the delightful fish peeking out of their cup. Similarly, we're being given an opportunity to find a new and exciting facet of ourselves in the days to come. It's proving to be the missing piece we were trying to make happen in the Nine of Wands.

This is a time to replace our sky-high expectations with a sense of satisfaction. What if we've done enough? What if we are enough? Embracing this mindset and inviting in a sense of possibility to our lives is opening the future up to the splendid panorama of the Ten of Cups. So much is possible if we relax our grip on the future. Like creates like, and now is the time to let enjoyment, self-expression, and love into the picture. When we plan with these values in mind, so much is possible, including a version of life that's much more expansive and wonderful than the claustrophobia shown in the Nine of Wands.

Use this time to tend to the idealistic, caring, and insightful part of yourself. The Page of Cups shows us asking important new questions and deepening our connection with our intuition. This is an excellent moment to plan big - allowing the most utopian, magical visions for the future to emerge. They might not, in fact, be so far out of reach.

---

Exploring the Minor Arcana: The Tens

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.

---

I can hardly believe we've made it to the end of the numbered cards in the Minor Arcana! It's been an illuminating journey, and what better place to conclude this portion than with the bustling, detailed tens? 

These cards signify the conclusion of a cycle, event, or undertaking. Because of this they represent both an end as well as the early stages of a new beginning. (I love the image of this in the number ten itself, with one being the singular accomplishment and zero being the seed that's yet to sprout.) It's already a lot to pack into one card, but as we can see from the images above, the tens are full of happenings and meanings.

I like to think of the tens using "the 3 C's" (and, yes, I do realize that's imminentely cheesy!): culmination, completion, and complexity. Tens represent the maximum expression of the suit - all the events, experiences, and lessons in one card. This can be heavy and overwhelming, like in the wands and swords, or joyous and full like the cups and pentacles. 

Let's dive into the details for each suit. Click on each for the full card meaning page.

Explore In-Depth Minor Arcana Meanings

The  Ten of Wands illustrates the overwhelm that comes with a pile-up of work, obligations, and tasks. Struggling forward with ten sticks obscuring your view is both difficult and disorienting. This card can either be a breaking point - where one or more tasks must be put down in order to continue - or a final push to the finish line.

For the Ten of Swords shows us how it's impossible to avoid our feelings. Hurt, fear, overwhelm, and doubt will catch up with us, not matter how hard we try to run. This goes for personal issues and external events. In occupying this dire-looking space we also acknowledge an end and with that comes the rising sun - a new day - to begin anew.

The Ten of Cups shows us how family, commnity, and romance can bring incredible amounts of joy into our lives. This card, a picture of domestic bliss, shows good energy radiating outwards. Caring for and celebrating connection bring even more good fortune our way. This card also illustrates the happiness that comes from domestic stability rooted in emotional connectedness.

Finally, the Ten of Pentacles gives us a beautiful depiction of the richness that comes from creating and caring for our physical world. This card speaks to the work and understanding that goes into creating a space meant to foster our growth and the growth of those close to us. Life explodes in a riot of color, connectedness, and complexity. It's rich and wild, deep and meaningful, and uniquely our own.

How do the tens speak to you in your tarot practice? Which ten do you relate to most? I'd love to hear your takes, so share away in the comment section below! And stay tuned for our next section of card meanings - the court cards! I'm excited to dive into these sometimes tricky, always illuminating cards with you. 

---

Weekly Forecast: October 16-22

Sometimes it can be hard to recognize a gift when it arrives in our lives. Accepting a gift means change and change means loosening our attachment to control. We can't grow if we don't give ourselves space to unfold. We can't let in the new, the unexpected, and the magical when we hold ourselves to a narrow vision of the future. 

Sometime we're trained to see limitation and obstacles when life presents us with something new. The cards for this week show how that something new, the gift that the Ace of Pentacles represents, can be the missing ingredient - the cherry on top of the sunday of fulfillment if you will. It's glorious, it's unexpected and... it's frightening?

Fear is an interesting emotion. It's deep and powerful, a primal reaction, and yet it's also comfortable, a baseline that's so human and so animalistic that we can't help but be familiar with it. In its own way fear operates on a different level, below our rationality and empathy. Honed in a different time, it's a powerful response meant to protect us at all costs. It's just that sometimes it tries to protect us from the good as well as the bad.

Something about this blossoming (I love the floral imagery that Jonasa Jaus' tarot has given us today) is making us uneasy. Does it feel too conspicuous or ostentatious? Is it activating a sense of shame or "having too much"? Or maybe it seems too simple and doesn't match up with our vision for the future. Do we feel like we need to suffer to earn our happines and our accomplishments? 

Whatever these gifts brings up in us it's activating our fear responses with a siren song to retreat and withdraw. It's important, however, to look around before running the other way. Is something else going on? Maybe it is safe after all. Maybe the blossoming is beautiful and something we deserve.

Of course it can be overwhelming, too. There's plenty of room for that. The Eight of Swords shows that overwhelm, yet its tendency is to get swept away with it and back into harmful narratives. In these swordsy situations it's very helpful to connect with other ways of being - the grounded physicality of the pentacles, for example, and the free-flowing emotion of the cups. 

Allowing our thoughts and fears free reign to dictate our actions is no way to lead a blanced life. The cards for this week are asking us to be tender with ourselves and peek out after our initial reaction to withdraw. The gift can just be a gift. The success and fulfillment can just be something beautiful we know we've worked hard to create for ourselves. And it's safe to step out of our worried minds and enjoy the life that's presented to us. 

We can stop and smell the flowers we've grown for ourselves. They're blooming right now. 

---