Weekly Forecast: June 26-July 3

This is a reading of deep emotion. A struggle is ending, or perhaps it seems like it’ll never end - where do we seek refuge when the outside world appears hostile and unbearable? How can we mark an ending for ourselves and gain perspective?

The Ten of Wands is all about bearing burdens, yet as a Minor Arcana card it speaks to the realm of the everyday. And we all know how many burdens can be found there. Where then, can we go? The High Priestess has the answers.

Many “tarot people” love this card, and I’m one of them. It symbolizes arcane wisdom, great mysteries, liminal spaces, and the inscrutable rhythms of nature and magic… just the entire vibe of the occult corner of the bookstore or a moonlit view on a solitary walk at night.

The High Priestess, however, does not deal in easy answers. This is not a time for easy answers. Nor, in fact, is it a time for frenetic action. The Ten of Wands is telling us we’re done with running to and fro; we’ve actually been doing this for quite a while (how else did we get all these wands?). We’re tired. And there’s great wisdom to be found in our dreams.

This is a reading where one card is inviting us in - the sun in our reading’s solar system. Take some time this week to gaze into the eyes of The High Priestess. Consider what difficult opposites you find yourself standing between. What big questions confront you when you step away from the busy world of the wands and journey inwards? What really matters?

I’m not talking about strictly solitary journeys here, but I do think that this reading is nudging us to consult ourselves first before starting down new paths. The self I’m talking about is the higher self, too, and not the ego. The High Priestess, despite her allure and charisma, is a difficult card. Don’t be surprised if things feel challenging and if answers don’t come easily. This is simply a reflection of the complexity and importance of what’s coursing through our lives right now. Most importantly, this card is about holding difficulty gently so that we can understand it, then letting it flow through us. We don’t need to grasp and grip like the Ten of Wands - we’re all keepers of a great mystery and this is a week to remember it and tap into something greater.

Ask yourself what greater stories and larger trends, whether they’re in history or your own life, can give you strength and perspective. The High Priestess exists in the nuanced shadows of life; she sits with power between the two pillars of opposites. This is her place of wisdom and this is her home. How can we find ourselves at home amidst challenge, polarization, and the seductive pull of easy but incomplete answers?

So, yes, there’s some confrontation in this card, along with the need to turn inwards. Yet taking the time to do so will open up avenues for stunning moments of connection and expression. The High Priestess sits on the land but peek behind her and you’ll glimpse a calm sea gently lapping at the shore. In tarot, water symbolizes emotion, intuition, and spirit. So what do we have as our final card? The ultimate expression of water itself - The Ace of Cups.

It’s as if the curtain behind The High Priestess has fallen away to reveal a great gift. The time we spend with this card (and consulting with our higher selves) will usher in a scene of nourishing connection and expression. If you’re worrying that taking time to gather your wits, consult your dreams and intuition, and retreat from the grind of the Ten of Wands is selfish and indulgent, just look to this card for reassurance.

I’d also like to point out that The Ace of Cups is telling us something important: emotion and feeling are the key to this moment. Find how The High Priestess expresses herself through you and you’ll begin to feel something moving and important. Let this through; see where the feeling takes you.

This week, embrace:

• Patience

• Inner Power

• Intuitive messages (have I mentioned dreams enough??)

• Standing your ground

• Inspiring and sustaining connection

• Romance and friendship

• New connections

This week, avoid:

• Burnout

• Avoidance through busywork, over communicating, or self-punishment

• Mistaking ego (of yourself or others) for wisdom

• Emotional repression

Get creative:

• Ten of Wands: I’m really feeling the burdens shown in this card this week, and I think this card is asking us to put our sticks down and shake it out. Spend some time caring for your body, period. But to really energize this card, treat yourself to a frenetic, joyful dance party. One song. Fast and exciting. Move like a wild creature. Drop those stick to the ground and shake the life back into your limbs.

• The High Priestess: I’m intrigued by the energy of The High Priestess in this reading. There’s usually a card that holds a teasing invitation: you don’t know all that I have to say just yet. This is the one for me this week. I invite you to meditate on the mystery you hold within yourself. Just five minutes will do, though more can be illuminating. Breathe deeply, sit with yourself, and maybe envision yourself walking towards The High Priestess, sitting between her pillars at the shore. Ask her/yourself: “What do I need to know right now? What latent power am I holding that needs to be brought into the world?”

• Ace of Cups: This card is so beautiful I almost don’t want to give any suggestions for it. Part of the glory of the aces is that they appear of their own accord. So, this week, let’s practice accepting beauty, connection, and tenderness. When someone reaches out with an offer to help, build relationships, or anything cups-y, reach back. This extends to the beauty of everyday life as well; nothing is too small to transform us. And, with all this practice, we’ll be primed to accept our big ace moment however it arrives.

Weekly Forecast: April 11-17

Well, tarot friends, it looks like we’re approaching the center of the issue we’ve been working on for the past few weeks. This is another “Major Arcana Thesis Statement” - a reading where the cards show us how a single Major Arcana concept is at work in our lives. This week, the Major Arcana card in question is Justice. What is coming into balance in our lives? Where do we need to recalibrate the scales? And what values hold weight when we make decisions about how to structure our lives?

Despite being a lofty concept, Justice is bringing some of the wildness of our recent experiences into more practical realms. We’ve traveled through the wide expanses of The World card, heard the call of Judgment, and now we must sit out butts down on the throne of Justice and do some good old fahshioned discerning and deciding.

If the past few weeks have felt like a spastic merry-go-round, now is the time when all the experiences coalesce into something useful. Is it a new worldview or guiding principle that’s taking center stage in your life? Take time to outline what it is you know right now. When you take out your scales, what pieces weigh on either side? Above all, what is the unchanging, non-negotiable value at the center?

I think that this week is bringing us clarity; we’ll be well aware of what it is that demands the attention of Justice as well as our role in the process of deciding. The experience, however, is going to require some bravery. We have to step up to the dais, take the moment (and ourselves) seriously, and know that our needs, desires, and wants are justification enough. They stand on their own, because we say so.

And, I’ll add, because we’ve done the homework. We haven’t been cycling through Judgment and The World for nothing, here, and while those cards are more mythic and ethereal, Justice shows us how these concepts and experiences influence the earthly world we inhabit. Trust that the experiences and Ideas that have been working through your life and percolating into your conscious mind have traveled a long and winding path. This is not a time to second-guess, hem and haw, or equivocate. Take pride in the fact that, if these convictions or newfound sense of confidence have surprised you, you can still surprise yourself. Your powers go far beyond what you can perceive.

In the middle of the week, the Seven of Pentacles comes bearing an invitation to stop and consider what you’ve accomplished. Sometimes a sense of listlessness or dissatisfaction accompanies this card; don’t be discouraged, however, as The Seven of Pentacles carries a zing of trickster energy. Much like The Four of Cups from several weeks ago, this card tells us that a little itchiness never hurt anyone. In fact, pushing through the discomfort of applauding ourselves and assessing what we have (and yearning for more) often hides the seeds of something brilliant, unexpected, and magical. Here, we’re dealing with themes of the pentacles suit - earthly possessions, work, the physical body - and it may be time to shake up your routine or do something just for the thrill of it (while remaining true to your other commitments).

A break to connect with daily life and the body will be important as we have another visit from the Ten of Wands. I am, surprisingly, touched by its appearance here in the last spot of our reading. This has been a stalker card in our collective readings, accompanied by several “late stage” tarot cards (the 7-10s). We’re really doing the work, friends, and it’s felt like this work is interminable. Just when we think it’s over, another revision needs to be made, a deadline pushed out a few days. Be kind to yourself if you feel exhausted or burnt out.

I have a sense that this Ten of Wands is a particular culmination. Maybe it’s the punch of Justice and the finality of the decisions we can make under the guidance of this card. This may very well be a week of important breakthroughs - ones that we’ve had an important hand in fostering along their path. Trust in yourself, your values and experiences, and don’t be afraid to push for what you need and throw down your burden when you can see something is truly over.

This week, embrace:

• Taking space to separate your emotions from your thoughts

• Discernment, fairness… justice

• Reflection on your physical/tangible/real world accomplishments

• Persisting yet again!

This week, avoid:

• Seductive arguments

• Compromising your morals or values

• Self-criticism

• Seeking comfort in shirking duties

Get creative:

• Justice: It’s time to get our deciding on! Justice is a card of presence, and given the intensity of the Ten of Wands, it may be hard to give ourself the right environment to feel poised and collected. So, while things are relatively calm, take a moment to think about times during the week when you can do a self check-in. Justice finds clarity in concepts, deliberation, and rules. Schedule actual “meetings for one” where you can get into this headspace and ask yourself these questions: 1) Where am I being asked to do what is right and just for myself? My community? 2) What are the weaknesses and blindspots that steer me away from justice? 3) How can I remind myself to recenter around this card right now?

• Seven of Pentacles: I think, given the seriousness of the rest of our reading, that we should dive into the impishness of this card. Go on an accomplishment Easter egg hunt in your house. You don’t need to take much time, just wander around and find several (or ideally, you guessed it, seven) objects that represent something you’re particularly proud of. Photographs, souvenirs, a slice of cake you baked - it could be anything. Write them down or, if possible, gather them together and contemplate/journal how you feel beholding the evidence of your achievements.

• Ten of Wands: This is a very practical one: Let your environment support you. Whenever you notice yourself feeling stressed or overwhelmed by how much work is on your plate, take a break, look up, and take in the comfort and safety in your surroundings. See how all the pieces of your life are supporting you - the floor under your feet, the breeze coming through your window, the plant bringing cheer to your desk.

Weekly Forecast: March 14-20

King of Pentacles / Five of Pentacles / Ten of Wands

Contending with feelings of inadequacy

When I look at the cards we’ve drawn for the week the word that comes to mind is worthiness. This appears in two ways: 1) How we’re feeling worthy of what we have or engaging with the idea of worthiness personally, and 2) determining which struggles are worthy of our time and energy.

We start things off with the King of Pentacles, a card that shows someone content and proud of the bounty in their lives. Yet afterwards we have two incredibly on-the-nose struggle cards. The wind is in our faces this week in two areas - our material resources (Five of Pentacles) and energetic resources (Ten of Wands). So there’s some incongruities in the picture. Why do we have an archetype of abundance and confidence framing a reading about struggle, challenge, and scarcity?

I like it when tarot gives us a riddle to solve. How often do we feel like life is more of a confounding puzzle than linear story? Obscurity is a big theme for us in the coming days as we have a lot to wrestle with in our everyday lives. Don’t expect to experience huge breakthroughs or epiphanies; the wisdom we’re receiving this week is hard-fought and very earthy, just like the element of the pentacles suit. There’s treasure just below our noses, however, and it’s a time to appreciate the intensity of our efforts, finding beauty in the act of moving forward even when things aren’t infused with ease and lightheartedness.

The pentacles suit encompasses the theme of work, and this week we’ll be dealing with questions regarding how we earn our livelihood and provide for ourselves. The big contrast here is between the King of Pentacles and the Five of Pentacles, and I’m feeling that these cards are asking us for a radical reframe: How might we see kingly traits of perseverance, expertise, and leadership in how we experience challenges this week? Whether we’ve been feeling less than, indadequate, or simply strapped for resources for quite some time, or new developments land us struggling through the snow like the figures in this card, The King of Pentacles is telling us that we have more than enough strength to push through. I’m also wondering if some external figures may be stirring up envy or insecurity. Who are we seeing as “having it all” or “a resounding success” this week? How might we look for these traits within ourselves instead? It’ll be worth investing some time in the beginning of the week for reflection, planning, self-esteem boosting, and preparation before the challenges of the Five comes into focus mid-week.

We’ve been dealing with some stickiness around self-worth and work for a while in our forecasts. The Ten of Wands makes a return, suggesting that some of our feelings of burnout from the Five of Pentacles may be self-inflicted. Have we been burning the candle at both ends, engaging in so many activities that our mental health and ability to see our struggles in context has suffered? This is where another facet of The King of Pentacles comes into play. This character features one of the most complex robes in the tarot deck (and believe me, I’ve studied/coveted them all), embellished with juicy grapes. Clearly, this person knows how to have a good time and is not about an austere, minimalist ethic, sartorial or otherwise.

This week we may be tempted to shrink ourselves, feeling more at home in stories where we’re suffering and put-upon than those where we’re leaders, taking up space, and owning our circumstances and skills. Resiting the temptation to treat ourselves with harshness is key: stepping away from the burden of the Ten of Wands and tending to our daily lives, finances, and careers with kindness will result in us stepping into the role of the King of Pentacles. How can our decisions relating to money and work lift us up? What if we saw ourselves as worthy and benevolent leaders? I also see something more fun in this card: the power of celebration, revelry, and generosity to uplift the spirit. Some fun may be in order - how can you incorporate it into your week?

Kings are also public-facing cards, and I’m feeling a call to reach out to the world, sharing what we can. Acts of generosity, charity, and support can help shift our focus from what we don’t have (The Five of Pentacles) to what we can offer. Doing so wisely and in proportion follows the wisdom of The King, too - the goal here is to be both responsible and in service to ones role as caretaker for one’s own life as well as the larger community. Collapsing into the mentality of The Five of Pentacles or spending and/or giving your way into actual poverty is not helping anyone.

Towards the end of the week we emerge from the sticky challenges of the pentacles and into the Ten of Wands. I’m seeing this as a moment when the skies clear and we can really let go of some burdens. This would be a prime moment to look at what’s been exhausting you with honesty, then letting it go for good. There’s nothing more motivating than discovering something new you’re excited about. As you brush away the debris that’s accumulated during this period of action what sprouts can you find peeking above the soil? Dream, get excited, and, most importantly, look at how far you’ve come. The Five of Pentacles hints at some criticism or disappointment around your life as it is, yet the King shows us the reality: what we have is quite beautiful, even if it’s not what we expected or what we think is expected of us. How can we reframe, love, and appreciate the reality of our lives and the reality of how much work and consideration we’ve put into creating and tending it? The scene beyond the wall of wands in the Ten is a lovely little village. With a blue sky, cloudless, and green trees lining the streets, we have a place of beauty and serenity waiting for us. Let’s get cozy and actually enjoy it.

This week, embrace:

• Financial planning, budgeting, getting your “money ducks” in a row

• Celebrating your successes

• Donating, volunteering, acting in service to others

• A minimalist schedule whenever possible

This week, avoid

• Big expenditures

• Negative self-talk, especially around money, resources, work

• Saying yes too quickly

• Shame-spirals and perfectionism

Get creative

• King of Pentacles: Since we’ve covered a lot of practical ways to engage with this card above, I’d like to get more personal here: How do you feel you embody the King of Pentacles? Are there parts of this card you struggle with? Do some serious reflection, ideally journaling about what this archetype means to you. Be honest - this is not about solving or even doing anything. Simple awareness can help massage tricky concepts into our identity.

• Five of Pentacles: A lovely part of this card is the glowing pentacles in the window above the figures struggling through the snow below. Many tarot scholars see this window as the same one seen in the Four of Swords - a church-like interior with a resting figure. This week we can engage with spirituality (however you choose to define that slippery term) as a way to soften and heal from feelings of inadequacy and shame. Take time to meditate whenever you find yourself feeling like the figures in this card (or, ideally, feel yourself approaching this state) - take deep breaths and remember the sacred space you carry with you always.

• The Ten of Wands: I’m feeling like we’re being asked to focus on what’s beyond the wall of wands this week. When you notice yourself feeling overwhelmed and stressed out, take a deep breath and look around you. Notice the beauty in your environment and how the world itself isn’t collapsing around you. What if everything was fine just as it is?

Weekly Forecast: February 14-20

Discovering and planting the right seeds for spring

Let’s skip to the end for a change: It’s the middle of May and the world has been transformed from restful shades of grey to exuberant green. You’re in your garden, the illustrations on your seed packets come to life in a profusion of blooms around you. The weather is balmy and you’re wearing the festive outfit you bought on winter clearance with the hope of kinder days in mind. It’s peaceful and golden, and you’re waiting for your friends to arrive after having set out a charming, casual array of homemade snacks and drinks. You close your eyes and inhale slowly, savoring a moment of ease and satisfaction.

Now, rewind to the present, and ask yourself: What can I do right now to support this future moment?

Now this vision may not be so literal, and if you’re struggling to resonate with a chill afternoon in the yard (and even if you do), I encourage you to think about how to capture this overall feeling of relaxed power, contentment, and hospitality extending into different areas of your life. The Queen of Pentacles is acting as a role model of sorts in this reading; this is a card that holds the warmth and poise of someone with formidable skills and resources who values stability, community, and reciprocity. How might you begin to step into this character in the days to come?

Court cards often stymie readers because of their cardboard cutout qualities. They all feature similar layouts - a figure holding the symbol of their suit - and I think that leaning into their static, archetypal side is actually helpful. Action figures and trading cards inspire us to play, to use the traits they represent in self-directed action. There may be a facet of “faking it ‘til you make it” to the ways you begin to embody Queen of Pentacles, and rather than viewing this initial awkwardness as disingenuous, welcome it as part of the process. New movements feel stilted until we practice them enough to add them to our muscle memory.

With that being said, let’s return to the beginning of our reading: The Ten of Wands. Our muscles, it seems, are quite tired at the beginning of the week as we struggle to finish important projects and tasks. This phase, however, is very close to its end, and we can gather strength in moments of exhaustion knowing that we’re incredibly close to the finish line, especially when it comes to our external lives in areas like work and creativity. If an action is in service to something you value, do it. If not, lighten your load and let that wand fall by the wayside.

In tarot the tens of the deck illustrate a final conclusion that carries the seed of a new beginning. Sometimes, this particular brand of finality comes with exhaustion. If you feel a particular bone-tiredness coming into this week, don’t despair. Is the fatigue you’re feeling a sign that you’ve reached the end of a long road? How can you give yourself the respect and congratulations you deserve for making it this far? And what changes might give you joy and relief?

Speaking of which, not only do we have a ten showing us the end of a path, we also have an ace right afterwards pointing us in a new and exciting direction. Exhaustion and overwhelm will quickly shift to fascination as a new opportunity comes into focus. We’re shifting from the fast-moving, action oriented world of the wands suit to the grounded and lush pentacles. And, wow, does it seem like we’re ready. We vault from the Ace of Pentacles into the Queen of Pentacles, moving from a fresh beginning into self-assured mastery. What are we taking to with grace and ease? What changes suit us perfectly? This is a time to pay attention to what works, feels good, and develops quickly. If you’ve been waiting for a moment to start something new, commit to a promising path, or invest in yourself, this is the time.

The pentacles are the suit of earth, and sometimes I think we stick to close to the surface of this connection, equating earth with life-giving dirt. But why stay at the top? Dirt is simply the earth’s crust, a fraction of the planet itself. This reading invites us to consider the flashier, deeper parts of the element: the diversity of splendid crystals and minerals, the raw power of molten magma. The Queen of Pentacles is in touch with these inner treasures and can channel their allure and power in service of a meaningful life. This is a time to consider our relationship to our power and respect the heft and impact it can have in the everyday. Are there parts of your life that you can change, gifting yourself with beauty and ease? This is not a time to be self-abnegating or miserly. Some small investments can change the quality of your life, and the Queen of Pentacles reminds us that enjoyment of life brings us closer to ourselves and others, awakening us to the world through sensual experience.

A final word on the Ace here: this is a time when something that seems small has the longterm potential to take us somewhere impactful. The key to identifying it, however, is in how it makes you feel - self assured and grounded like the Queen of Pentacles? Or burdened with obligation like the Ten of Wands? This is a time when we’re close to touching a solution or new path that simply feels good and can skirt around our usual pitfalls. If you feel like you need to suffer to succeed, or that all forward motion needs to be plotted out and planned within an inch of its life, try to let go of these assumptions and follow what unfolds naturally and with ease. It may be uncomfortable at first, but I think that remaining closed off to these changes would be an absolute shame. And, after all, we’re practicing stepping into the Queen of Pentacles’ shoes; if practice makes perfect, why expect ourselves to be perfect just yet?

This week, embrace:

• Putting the finishing touches on projects

• New opportunities that fuel your sense of wonder

• Daydreaming about an ideal life, particularly with regards to your career

• Investing in yourself

This week, avoid:

• Preemptively shooting down ideas because of “practical” reasons

• Airing your tender dreams to unsupportive others

• Getting swept up in big picture worries

• Fighting natural changes

Get creative:

• Ten of Wands: A practical suggestion here: Sometimes the best antidote to overwhelm is a good old-fashioned list. Take some time to sort out your wands by writing out all the little tasks you’re facing - swat those pesky mosquito worries onto the page so you can work with them! Once you’ve written everything out, mercilessly scratch out anything that’s inessential for the week. Either it can wait or it wasn’t important to begin with. Now you have a list of what matters and a clearer head. Farewell, Ten of Wands overwhelm!

• Ace of Pentacles: There’s something dreamy about the aces (maybe it’s all those swirly clouds) and I feel like a good way to see what’s pointing to a new beginning is if it carries the giddy charge of a budding crush. In this card the setting is a lush garden - life is looking pretty good. With that as a framework (your life is good as it is), think of ways you can make it even better. No scarcity mentality here! See if freeing yourself to dream from a place of satisfaction points you towards ideas, paths, or potentials that feel both expansive and actionable.

• Queen of Pentacles: Do you feel like a Queen? I hope so, but I know that I certainly don’t all the time. Let’s take this card as actual inspiration this week. If you feel up to it, choose a day to get decked out in your version of Queen of Pentacles finery. What makes you feel comfortable and fabulous? Whether it’s a pair of “fancy” sweats or a beaded robe (sadly, I do not own one of these… yet) put it on for a day and see how it shifts your view of yourself. How might you capture this feeling in other corners of your life?

Weekly Forecast: January 10-16

Kind of Cups/ Ten of Wands / Ace of Swords

Deep wisdom providing the courage to make a final push towards clarity and inspiration

I’ll be honest, I’m excited to see the King of Cups leading us into the week. An understated and sometimes overlooked member of the tarot court, the King of Cups embodies values that often get pushed to the side in a world that moves fast, talks faster, and is quick to jump to conclusions. This King is not rash, easily swayed, or willing to sacrifice integrity, even in the face of immense pressures. It’s this energy that urges us to step into the week with focus and determination.

When I see the King of Cups, I’m always inspired to stop for a moment and take a deep breath. Once I’ve left the wild spin of my mind for that briefest of moments, I usually find myself checking into my body - feeling my feet against the softness of my house slippers (yes, I am working from home, why do you ask?), smelling the steam coming off my cup of tea, or noticing soreness in my clenched jaw. I might even be inspired to explore my emotional state as well. Is there something I’m not saying that has my jaw so tight? Do I need to get a glass of water, maybe think about how to articulate something important? The King of Cups leads us down similar paths of awareness, inviting us to follow the breadcrumb trail of our physical and emotional reality. We must, however, stop to accept the invitation, and follow it without judgment.

I’m seeing a similar “take the next step” energy at work in the coming days. We have a lot on our plates and we’ll need to muster all the wisdom and equanimity that the King of Cups has to offer. We have a lot of work to do in our external life which is why it’s equally important, even essential, to do so from a place of self-awareness, compassion, and self-esteem. The King of Cups embraces his role as a leader of himself and others. We may be given opportunities to use the wisdom we’ve fought to earn through our personal healing practices in the larger world, extending compassion in difficult situations and leading by example. Looking at this card, we can see that, despite being in the middle of a boisterous and action-packed ocean (check out that bizarro whale and bright red ship!) the King is, in fact, seated on a sturdy throne. Its stone base may float through some magic, but since the Minor Arcana are centered around the physical world, I like to imagine his throne extending as a pillar through miles and miles of deep ocean. What hard work have we done to construct emotional and spiritual stability for ourselves? What gives us quiet strength no matter what wildness happens in life around us? Now is a time to tap into these sources as we grapple with important work and big challenges.

The Ten of Wands shows us the nature of our undertaking. We’ve been toiling for quite some time, taking an idea or opportunity from its exhilarating beginning to near conclusion. Though we’re weary, we’re also almost done; the Ten of Wands illustrates the last few steps before the end of a journey animated by the fire and inspiration of the wands. What important endeavors have we been working on? How can we honor our commitment and see things through to the end?

This card can also come up when we’re simply so exhausted that we may not remember or be aware of the huge load we’re carrying, our perspective narrowed as we simply fight to keep moving forward. While we can trust in the process and continue nonetheless, don’t hesitate to recenter by returning to what inspires you - looking at the wall of wands and rediscovering the single idea, value, or event that started it all (in other words, seeing the Ace of Wands within the Ten). What was the spark of energy that started this powerful and, at times, overwhelming fire? How can you use that energy to finish the tasks at hand?

The King of Cups stands behind this card with reassuring calm. It would be wise to stay our course, he advises, and to avoid any mishaps or mistakes that spring from emotional reactions instead of wise, emotionally resonant decisions. The Ten of Wands is as many wands as you can get in tarot, and sometimes a collection of sticks is a bonfire waiting to happen. This is a time to practice patience with others and to simply observe our emotions before taking them as gospel truth or a call to arms. We certainly don’t need any more fire in this reading; allow yourself to relax in the deep waters of the King of Cups when difficulty and stress arise.

So, yes, a challenging week and one where we’re grappling with exhaustion and burnout, but what’s at the other side? The Ace of Swords gleams just beyond our burden of sticks - a breakthrough is on its way, and a shift in energy, from action and striving to awareness and ideas. Perhaps we’ve encountered some glimmers of new information, either as a result of our current projects and struggles or… they’ve simply appeared out of thin air. Aces are enlivening gifts and we never know when they’ll appear.

Towards the end of the week be sure to welcome and explore any new ideas, opportunities, or connections, particularly if they’re connected to swords-y topics: learning, communication, information, and mental clarity. Aces have an impish, alluring quality to them: what’s calling you forward, enticing you towards newness, or sparking your interest? It’s essential, however, not to push things (look at all those wands we’ve been carrying! We clearly need a break). We must rest and recuperate in order to be ready for what’s new. And what’s could be more in line with the wisdom of the King of Cups than that?

This week, Embrace

• Self-care routines that keep you grounded

• Bringing nonjudgmental awareness to your emotions

• Taking time to recenter around your experience and values before acting

• Perseverance and follow-through

• Curiosity and lighthearted learning or intellectual exploration

this week, avoid

• Abrupt changes, radical edits, or wholesale abandonment of longterm projects

• Getting caught in the emotions, drama, or the conflicts of others

• Downplaying your work and contributions or side-stepping acknowledgment

• Burdening new ideas or points of curiosity with over-planning or expectations

get creative

• King of Cups: Set aside some time for solitude, close your eyes, and journey inward with the intention of finding your peaceful center. Notice the sensations that arise when you feel connected to yourself, along with any images, memories, or impressions. Find whatever feels most powerful, whether it’s a single thing or a combination you weave into a powerful whole (I like to image my “inner sanctum” as a specific place, for example). When stress arises, call this image to mind and draw on its power and quiet any hubbub, drama, or confusion in the world around you.

• Ten of Wands: Look at all the tasks in front of you and ask yourself the question: Does this connect back to an important spark? While the Ten of Wands represents a final push, we can also accumulate the weight of needless worries, unnecessary tasks and busy work, as well as the expectations and demands of others. Use the memory of your initial inspiration to burn away any of this energy-sucking additional labor.

• Ace of Swords: Let your wandering mind roam free and pick up a book, article, or podcast about something completely out of your wheelhouse. I’m feeling strong “twenty tabs open in your browser” energy here - do share any interesting discoveries and let yourself get weird.

Weekly Forecast: December 10-16

Finding harmony with others can be wildly enriching. We've all experienced the joys of working with a good team, whether it's on a passion project or in a more formal work situation. Tasks flow smoothly, each person's talents can shine, and, perhaps most importantly, it's enlivening and fun.

 Conversely, we've also all known the depths of despair that come along with poorly functioning collaborative relationships. (Are grade school group projects coming to mind for anyone?) Egos clash, feelings get hurt, and projects flounder. 

Luckily, we're being gifted with the harmonious and fun type of collaboration this week, though the memories of past challenges will need some confronting if we're going to enjoy this wholeheartedly. At some level we believe that we can't be ourselves completely when in a group - that the Three of Cups' celebration and uplift doesn't belong with the diligence and progress of the Eight of Coins. Especially if we're to honor our true selves.

In this way, The Hermit might seem like a card of avoidance. Are we retreating into ourselves to turn away from these potential pitfalls? This is a Major Arcana card, however, and its message is more complex. Here, we have a choice: take the easy road and separate ourselves to maintain our individuality (and risk disappointment or rejection) or build in a deeper understanding of ourselves that can  flourish in contact with others. Maybe there's nothing to be afraid of when joy and ease are present. It can be this good, after all.

The Eight of Coins and the Three of Cups are so positive that they push us towards a new way of being whether we're mentally ready for it or not. In this case, ease and joy and happiness are the signs of something important at work. Resisting the urge to see these feelings as contrary to productivity or serious work is important. We can have both at the same time and, in fact, the harmony of the Three of Cups might be the missing piece we've been seeking that will take us to the next level.

This is a time to ease into the richness of support and collaboration at our fingertips. We can trust the intentions of those we work with if they make us feel supported, excited, and galvanized. In this way, the Three of Cups has more wisdom than it may seem. After all, mutual encouragement and enthusiasm don't come out of nowhere. Finding this with other people is an important sign of compatibility we can lean into.

The cards for this week urge us to follow this bliss - to step away from the intense self-motivation of the Eight of Coins that, although it has brought us quite far, is now fading into the past. We need the zest of other people's input and the power of delegation and inspiration. We don't have to go it alone or do everything ourselves. That strategy is now limiting us in the face of some exciting change.

As we step into a more social model the old fears of being reliant on others - or our inability to truly be ourselves in a group - sneak into the picture. We can, however, look to The Hermit for guidance. How can we maintain a connection to ourselves while partaking in joyous community? I like to think of this card as one we can work with in bite sized pieces. There's no need to go "full hermit" and journey off into the mountains for a month-long silent retreat. Instead, we can find ways to seek moments of silence, introspection, and self-care with the goal of checking in with ourselves. 

The Hermit can be a deep breath to center ourselves, a walk around the block to clear our heads, or a simple check-in with what we want, feel, or think in the moment. We can be fully present and contribute to something bigger than ourselves while being utterly and completely ourselves. And that's how the joy of the Three of Cups becomes possible, opening up so many wider opportunities for growth and connection.

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Weekly Forecast: December 3-9

One of the most magical and frustrating things about life is that it can be many things at once: amazing and overwhelming, joyful and bittersweet, challenging and gratifying, enlivening and tiring. And so many more combinations...

This sensation will be especially strong in the coming days. It seems like there are many moving parts to take care of, as if we've been learning to juggle with two balls and our nefarious teacher keeps on throwing new ones in until we're barely able to keep things straight. 

In other words, we're operating a above and beyond our comfort zone. Surprisingly, we're pulling it off, though we might be feeling frazzled in the process.

This is all possible because on the other end of the spectrum we're experiencing a huge wealth of satisfaction, support, and security. The Ten of Pentacles gives us an earthly anchor so that we can rush around in the heady world of the Ten of Wands. This is a tension to take advantage of and these cards invite us to dance between these two realities, taking refuge in the comforts we've been cultivating and then returning to the fray.

Because while the wands cards can lead to burnout, this reading tells us that we're supposed to be playing in this charged environment. The Mother of Wands (aka the Queen in a standard deck) encourages us to see the end goal of this process. We're being asked to look at our actions and experiences so that we can make an informed decision about what's truly important.

So we can look at all the hustle and bustle of the Ten of Wands like an experiment. We have to gather all the data to truly understand what's important. How do all these tasks make us feel? The wands need this experience to make decisions. Without it there can be a sense of wistful incompleteness. What if we miss out on something? What if that was actually the best way forward? It's important for us right now to be immersed in the realities of the Ten of Wands so we can make some important, informed decisions in the future.

Thinking on these terms can add some dignity and agency to the tangle of wands we're grappling with in the coming days. And, fortunately, the end goal is not to live like this forever. Rather, we're searching hard-won clarity and now is the time to really get to know the actions that populate our lives. Because once we have all the information - once we know how all these tasks feel - we can focus in on what's most important. 

The Mother of Wands sees us identifying and centering on a unifying goal. We go from ten wands to one, and this single wand is allowed into the innermost part of our lives. The guiding questions here are "what is my overaching goal?" and "how can I align my actions to it?"

Returning to the Ten of Pentacles can help us gain some insight here. We have a rich life already. Our tasks, actions, and goals can support that magic and amplify it, instead of detracting us from what grounds us and gives us meaning. 

Ultimately, we're reaching an important realization that will simplify our lives. But for the moment we're still in the fray, gathering information. Let it be exhilarating and maybe a little entertaining. The pieces will be falling into place soon, so we might as well enjoy the wildness while it lasts. 

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Weekly Forecast: June 11-17

This week is brimming with hearty, enthusiastic energy, my peaches. We have the direct spelndor of The Sun, followed by the rich satisfaction and tenderness of the Queen of Wands. Things are unfolding beautifully and, in addition to being able to run forward with mindful enthusiasm, we're also being wise enough to take quieter moments to tend to ourselves and the ones we love. Take a moment right now to congratulate yourself. It's easy to overlook this step when things are going well; let's not miss this opportunity today.

I'm going to skip over these cards for a minute and focus on our final card, the Ten of Wands. It appears there's a fox in the henhouse. Indeed, Ricardo Cavolo's depiction of this card - a fox replacing the traditional image of an exhausted person pushing a bundle of wands - is very apt this week. We seem to be unwilling to slow down and appreciate the results of a final push to the end of a cycle.

Just look at the mischievous fox perched on its stack of wands. If we gaze closer we can see that the wands form a barrier between the water - the element of the Queen of Cups - and the warm rays of the sun. This temptation is arriving towards the end of the week, when we may feel pulled to gleefully bypass the success, sweetness, and happiness we've earned this week.

 In this case, we're replacing celebration with more work and responsibility. The pile of wands represents a burden of duties, the kind that can seem extra important from the outside. We're running around frenetically, looking important and getting things done! 

Sounds like fun, right? The Tens in tarot have a trickiness to them. While we often talk about them as the end of a cycle, they in fact represent an overload or excess of energy. (Just look at the epic, death metal album cover of a card, the Ten of Swords!) In other words, they're overkill, and we can look at them as the extra steps we run past the finish line, carried by our immense momentum. 

This week we're given an opprtunity to pump the brakes on the process. What if we stop and realize we've already accomplished what we needed to accomplish? And that, instead of rushing to fill the void with more busy work and stress, we can open up to joys of accomplishment?

 In this reading, that facet of our experience is clear, bright, and powerful. The Sun tells us that we've been working towards a goal that is truly aligned with our highest self. The Queen of Cups tells us that we're embodying the complex and loving responsibility that allows us to prioritize pleasure, enjoyment, and loving relationships. These are no small potatoes! It's time to relax into these wonderful realities. Reach out, share, celebrate, and push those wands to the side.

Sometimes the conclusion of a journey is realizing you've already reached its end.

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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.

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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. 

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