Weekly Forecast: August 29 - September 4
It can be easy to assume that big questions require big answers, and, more importantly, that they require one big answer. How often do we hear stories of potent epiphanies? The entrepreneur coming up with their million dollar idea in the shower, the detective finding one pivotal clue that breaks the case open, a chance encounter with some powerful person who gives us the opportunity of a lifetime. This week we’ll be tempted to look for singular answers, but fortunately our cards have a much more interesting (and joyful) vision for us.
It can be easy to assume that big questions require big answers, and, more importantly, that they require one big answer. How often do we hear stories of potent epiphanies? The entrepreneur coming up with their million dollar idea in the shower, the detective finding one pivotal clue that breaks the case open, a chance encounter with some powerful person who gives us the opportunity of a lifetime. This week we’ll be tempted to look for singular answers, but fortunately our cards have a much more interesting (and joyful) vision for us.
The Hierophant shows us in an inquisitive and philosophical mindset, both seeking out deeper meaning or a crucial next step and looking for it in the usual places: from traditional paths and teachers, established power structures, or well-worn stories we’ve inherited from our family or culture. Honor whatever questions are driving you forward at this moment. This is a Major Arcana card and tells us that we’re engaging with big themes; it’s likely that whatever we’re turning over and over in our minds is both important and impactful. We’ll need all the information and guidance we can get, but it’s equally important how we get it and where it comes from.
I’m struck by the contrast between the interior space shown in The Hierophant and the lush landscape of The Nine of Pentacles. We may be feeling stifled by the confines of tradition - “the way things should be” - while also assuming that it’s the only route to the wisdom we’re seeking. So, take a moment right now to see where you may be preemptively hemming yourself in. What is feeling itchy, uncomfortable, or limiting? What assumptions are you carrying with you about how you gain knowledge and what you “need” to move forward?
The Hierophant often refers to power structures around knowledge, and this week you may be coming up against them. Be particularly aware for where you cede your power and agency to experts, leaders, or teachers. While this sounds intense, the lesson this week is more gentle, as we’re being asked to both take in established wisdom while filtering it through our experience of everyday life. We can learn from both simultaneously, and what is more mature and freeing than that?
The Nine of Pentacles shows open expanses instead of enclosed, stony halls. Yet it’s not a scene of wilderness. We can see a house in the background and the main figure stands in front of a vineyard, grapes ripe and ready for harvest. They rest their hand gently on the top of a wall of pentacles, inviting us to consider what earthly accomplishments are supporting us at this moment. Where have you built something lush and lovely for yourself? How is the abundance around you supporting your plans for the future? What’s more, this card gifts us an image of both structure and wild abundance. The two can co-exist delightfully, and may already be doing so in our own lives.
The Hierophant has some acetic, strict overtones to it, and we may be tempted to assume that responsibility requires suffering or denial. Sometimes in searching for the key to unlock a door in our life we neglect to enjoy the beauty unfolding around us - slow, consistent, and still miraculous. The Nine of Pentacles is a strong and emphatic rebuttal. This is a week to challenge ideas around what it means or looks like to be an expert or accomplished: success does not have to mean suffering, wisdom does not have to come from hierarchy. Gift yourself time this week to take in and enjoy the bounty around you. Let yourself relish the act of caring for yourself, your community, and your home. Don’t rush - why have you worked hard to build all this if you can’t let yourself enjoy it?
What’s crucial here is that enjoyment brings about wisdom and growth the same as formal learning, striving, and hard work. If we allow ourselves to synthesize The Hierophant and The Nine of Pentacles, in other words, we’ll be in an excellent position to get to where we want to go.
Grappling with these themes is hard work no matter how you cut it, and fortunately we’ll be granted (or gifted) a reprieve at the end of the week as The Three of Cups saunters onto the scene bringing with it a punchy joie de vivre and desire for celebration. Let yourself raise a toast with trusted friends, treat yourself to a night out, or celebrate in whatever way feels the most delightful. Ask yourself, “Where is joy, celebration, and abundance happening in my life right now?” and move towards it. There’s an interesting pull here, an invitation to step out of the serious halls of The Hierophant and into the wide open spaces of the Nine of Pentacles and Three of Cups, as if living our lives fully could be bringing about the answers we’re seeking more than any established knowledge could.
This week, embrace:
Balancing formal knowledge with lived experience
Appreciating and embracing your own expertise
Savoring every day life
Sensual pleasures
Celebration, gatherings, and socializing
Expressing joy, love, and appreciation
This week, Avoid:
Overplanning
Looking for explicit guidance, instructions for what to do from outside sources
Rushing big questions or decisions
Seeking/prioritizing epiphanies
Making things overly complicated
Get creative:
The Hierophant: I think this card needs some softening this week. Consider how you can swap yourself in and out of both roles illustrated in this card: the giver and receiver of knowledge and wisdom. What knowledge and wisdom do you have to give or have been giving others? Where are you an expert? Look both at obvious accomplishments and more subtle ones. You may want to explore what people come to you for guidance for. Switching roles, think about what you want to learn: what are the next pieces of wisdom you’re seeking and who/what can you identify as a potential teacher?
The Nine of Pentacles: I could just live in this card which makes it hard to think of just one facet to focus on. It’s the grapes, however, that really grab my attention this week. We have an old arbor in our backyard that’s close to falling over. The paint’s peeling and someone accidentally cut down half of the grape vine that grows there. Usually, I forget about the grapes, only noticing them when they’ve been picked over by birds and possums. This year, however, I caught them just in time and we were able to eat whole bunches of bracingly tart grapes. It was delightful. So, this week, think about what gifts you need to enjoy right now, before they fade. It could be something you love to do during this particular time of the year or a gift for yourself you finally have the ability to purchase. Whatever it is, make an effort to be intentional in giving it, remembering that enjoyment begets enjoyment, and that you are worthy of receiving support and love from yourself, too.
Three of Cups: This card always makes me think of cocktail recipes, so we’re going there! I’ve been enjoying “Bee’s Knees”: 2 oz. gin, 3/4 oz. fresh lemon juice, 1/2 oz. honey syrup (1 part honey dissolved in 1 part water), shaken in ice and strained into the prettiest glass at your disposal. Any fancy libation will do, just make sure you enjoy with two or more people, and raise your glasses to good company, love, and the joy of being alive.
Weekly Forecast: August 15-21
I’m curious about your first impression of this reading. These cards are direct, even a little confrontational, and from my “tarot trained” eyes, they provide a strong contrast to the impressionistic, fluid readings we’ve been experiencing lately. This summer has seen a lot of change (not to mention questions of identity, and restlessness, but this week big questions come to a head: we’re finally in a position to get conclusive answers and make pivotal decisions. First, however, we need to seek out support and input.
I’m curious about your first impression of this reading. These cards are direct, even a little confrontational, and from my “tarot trained” eyes, they provide a strong contrast to the impressionistic, fluid readings we’ve been experiencing lately. This summer has seen a lot of change (not to mention questions of identity, and restlessness, but this week big questions come to a head: we’re finally in a position to get conclusive answers and make pivotal decisions. First, however, we need to seek out support and input.
Where do we go when we need knowledge and guidance? Who do we go to for insight into tricky questions or during moments when our path is unclear? It’s not surprising that a card that has gone by the title “The Pope” comes with some baggage, and true to its themes, The Hierophant can reflect situations when institutionalized or traditional sources of knowledge and guidance are restrictive and even destructive. Not this week, however, because we’re entering into the space of this powerful card with the discernment and clarity of The Queen of Swords.
Swords have been front and center in our readings lately. We were visited by the intense, grief-stricken Three of Swords last week, which led us to a new and inspired search for answers. So we have a linear progression here - the themes of last week, particularly the insights we gained by facing them, has led us to a position of increased awareness and power. Take some time to consider how much more secure and informed you feel coming into this week. What do you know now that was out of reach just a few days ago? We’ve made the journey from Page to Queen - a tarot promotion! Allow this change to sink in and trust that the new information has transformed you.
True to the themes of healing brought up last week, we’ve been making big and surprising strides in the area of our lives most impacted by the stormy emotions of the Three of Swords. The feeling I’m getting is one of discovering and asking the right questions. Something about reconsidering and revisiting our grief - both old and new - last week has led us to powerfully transformative questions. And when we discover these and ask them a la the Page of Swords, it can be surprising how far they take us. If inhabiting the Queen of Swords feels too advanced or you’re gripped by a desire for caution and slowness that’s holding you back, remember that this card is all about wielding one’s mind responsibly and with confidence. Now that we know what we know, it’s time to act on that knowledge and let it shape our lives.
Not only this, but the Queen of Swords, like all queens in tarot, is adaptive, flexible, and innovative. Our seeking isn’t about blunt and prescriptive answers, it’s about using the truth of our perceptions, beliefs, and desires to shape a life that’s meaningful for ourselves and others. That will look different for all of us, but it brings about more justice and equity in the world at large.
Which brings us to The Hierophant. This week is a time to look outwards and seek support, guidance, community, and connection. It’s likely that the parts of your life this card touches will have to do with your experience of the Three of Swords in last week’s reading. Where has your grief or woundedness held you back? What part of your life does it impact the most? It’s clear that there’s a great deal of supportive energy around finding guidance and support with these issues, and they may not be obvious. Keep an open mind towards gatherings, group opportunities, and forms of education. Going into these spaces with the self-respect and intellectual powers of the Queen of Swords puts us at a unique advantage to sift out any boring, limited, or extraneous content. If groups or more formalized learning situations aren’t your thing, in other words, you can still gain something potent from them this week while feeling extra-empowered to take what you need and truly leave the rest behind.
There’s an interesting convergence happening around The Hierophant as well. We see the Queen of Swords partner, The King of Swords, on the other side of this card, almost as if they’re both meeting within its hallowed halls, taking on the roles of the two supplicants in the foreground. Perhaps a chance encounter with a powerful ally is in the works this week? Be on the lookout for someone similarly astute and questioning who is maybe a bit more blunt, assertive, and openly ambitious. Partnerships forged in riveting conversation, similar aspirations, and complimentary characteristics are very much supported by this week’s reading. Whether it’s business, pleasure, or a combination of the two, it’s likely that you’ll meet, reconnect with, or have an exchange with someone asking similar questions to you and who can give you a pivotal piece of information about your journey.
This week, embrace:
Making big decisions
Settling into a newfound sense of independence, self-direction, and knowledge
Processing how your healing is telling you where to go next
Healthy discernment
Trusting your perceptions and ideas
Learning opportunities: groups, classes, gatherings
New connections or re-connections with like-minded people
Partnerships, launching business ventures, communicating something new
Taking on a position of authority
This week, avoid:
Equivocating
Downplaying your knowledge and experience
Eating your words
Hermiting/excessive solitude
Looking for perfection in group or learning situations
Get creative:
The Queen of Swords: This card seems to be bridging the gap between our final card last week, The Page of Swords. Both have cloudy backgrounds, suggesting there’s still some clarity we need to find around our grief and pain shown in the Three of Swords. The storm clouds haven’t quite departed - what can we learn from them? Spend some time in the beginning of the week contemplating how you’ve navigated this recent rough patch. How did you handle this difficult situation and what are you proud of? Since swords deal with communication, I highly suggest writing a sincere and precise letter of appreciation to yourself. Get specific, lay it all out, and let yourself be fed both by your growth and your love for yourself.
The Hierophant: Sometimes I feel like hefty cards like this need simple, digestible action. In that spirit, find some way to learn something in a group. That’s it! Possible ideas: take a class, attend a seminar, listen to a podcast with three or more people, host a salon with your friends, read tarot in a group… anything that brings people together to gain and exchange knowledge. It does not have to be big or flashy, because I think that will be coming of its own accord IRL; this gesture is to simply augment/call in/bolster the energy of the card.
King of Swords: Do you remember those dating boardgames from the 80s and 90s? The ones with the baseball card-esque decks of boyfriends, complete with stats and personal anecdotes? Since this card is appearing as a potential ally entering into your life, let’s get embarrassingly granular. Spend a moment writing down the ideal traits and characteristics of a person who would be a powerful partner in whichever area of your life this reading is touching on. What is your ideal King of Swords? Some questions to get you started: What do they believe in? How do they communicate? What is their guiding value in life?
Weekly Forecast: February 21-27
How do you feel when big questions show up in your life? The kind that demand walking towards the unknown, that have you questioning what really matters? This week we have the magnetic pull of The Hierophant telling us that such a time has come. We’re going to need to change, to switch up our way of orienting ourselves. We’re looking for deeper meaning.
Feeling towards deeper meaning and understanding
How do you feel when big questions show up in your life? The kind that demand walking towards the unknown, that have you questioning what really matters? This week we have the magnetic pull of The Hierophant telling us that such a time has come. We’re going to need to change, to switch up our way of orienting ourselves. We’re looking for deeper meaning.
Our past few readings have featured the Page of Swords and the Ace of Swords, both illustrating how we’ve been questioning our approaches and the world around us. In swordsy times we tend to prioritize mental work: thinking, analyzing, and reasoning. We’ve been using the swords to bushwhack through the tangles of our lives - the society, systems, and structures we’ve been born into. What needs to change? What is stale and no longer true for us?
These were baby steps and some of them felt awkward. The pages are all coltish with long limbs that don’t quite know how to walk yet, and aces are pure ideals, untarnished by exposure to reality. If your actions have seemed somewhat graceless and your ideas too abstract or idealistic in the past few weeks, you may be relieved to hear that it’s time to put down our swords and take up a refreshing cup of passion, romance, and poetry.
The Knight of Cups not only shows a shift in outlook, but an important leveling-up. We’ve graduated to knighthood! In what ways can you see your maturity growing, particularly in your relationships? The Knight of Cups is a dashing and passionate card, one that respects the messages of the heart. Overall, this is also a wonderful week to take this card as an inspiration and lavish love freely in your circles. How can you inject some touches of effusive praise, tender support, and whimsical adventure?
The zest of this knight, however, is not all frivolous flourishes and decadent touches. See how The Page of Swords turns to the left, into the past, while the King of Cups is facing towards the right, the future, and The Hierophant card? Our time spent inhabiting this view of life - as a place of wonder, opportunities for connection, and pleasures that are meant to be sought out and savored - is leading us from a rugged wilderness and into the hallowed halls of The Hierophant.
A knight loves a challenge, and this week we’re up for negotiating sticky questions, particularly those that involve power and who gets to decide the ultimate meaning of a situation. If you’ve been ceding this role to others, now is the time to step into your power as the arbiter of what truly matters to you. Some beliefs, ideas, and plans may need re-sanctifying as well. Have you been lost in the weeds, taking on outside opinions, or underplaying the preciousness of a culture plan? Take a moment to shake all that off and see how just outlining it has given you meaning and direction.
The Hierophant is a serious card, and this week we may be surprised to see that things we don’t normally see as serious - the Knight of Cups’ love of beauty, creative expression, and unfettered enthusiasm - have led us to seriously resonant realizations. Perhaps this is a time when pleasure is connecting us to the divine; listen to the messages of the body, trust who you relax around, and which sources of wisdom feed your soul as well as your mind.
As you may have guessed, The Hierophant points to teachers as important sources of guidance. See which teachers, paths of study, and institutions fuel your inner Knight of Cups. What fills you with a sense of purpose, a quest, a path towards connection? I’m definitely not feeling moderation, here - dream big and ask deep questions. This is not a time for half-hearted or overly utilitarian solutions.
Consider as well where you act as a teacher and mentor to others. While this week shows us in a good position to find or attract the teachers we’re craving, it also invites us to consider the space we take up and how it may be inspiring other, regardless of whether we have an official position or not. Casting a light behind us so that others may follow our path can also illuminate our future in unexpected ways.
This week, embrace:
Reflecting on the ideas, decisions, and ways of communicating that have been successful for you recently
Taking time for simple, sensual pleasures
Sharing your love with others openly and enthusiastically
Being passionate about your interests
Treating yourself, your life path, and goals with respect
Mentoring, teaching, and helping others
Asking big, cosmic, and spiritual questions
This week, avoid:
Getting lost in mundane details
Scoffing at your ideas preemptively
Hiding behind intellectual rationalizations
Power dynamics that feel uncomfortable, unbalanced, or potentially unethical
Get creative:
The Page of Swords: I’m focusing on the transition from page to knight in this week’s reading. With this in mind, look to the past to see which efforts have yielded results. Perhaps there is a quest you have completed, making you an expert in some way. How can you “knight yourself” and hold up your accomplishments as something worthy of pride? (If anyone gets super-literal with this and conducts an actual knighting ceremony, please let me know ;)
The Knight of Cups: Go on a pleasure quest! Yes, I realize this sounds like a creepy cruise, but I think you know what I’m getting at. Spend an afternoon (or entire day, if you can spare it) letting yourself roam with the intention of finding beauty, pleasure, and enjoyment. I like to start at a coffee shop or restaurant where I can get a pastry, sit down with my journal, and write poetry or loves notes until I feel a genuine desire to venture somewhere else fun. Listen to beautiful music, browse a shop, go on a nature walk - whatever you do, do so with the intention of soaking up the sensory and spiritual delights of whatever you encounter. And don’t be surprised if something magical and unexpected happens.
The Hierophant: This card is all about blessing and sanctifying. Where do you feel connected to a higher purpose or power? This week, choose between an actual space - your alar, reading nook, a special spot in nature - or something more metaphysical like a sacred/inspiring text or your meditation practice. Go to that space and simply spend time there, feeling the support you gain in doing so and making some gesture to reciprocate: clean your altar, meditate or pray on the topic of gratitude, or whatever feels right to you. Bring this sense of calm and connectedness into your everyday life.
Weekly Forecast: July 1-7
The energy for this weeks starts off ponderous and heavy. We're clearly taking our lives very seriously, considering the traditional viewpoints of The Hierophant that initiate our reading. Yet, as we can see from the undignified face-plant of the Ten of Swords, these ideas and strategies have reached far beyond any semblance of helpfulness. In fact, they've overtaken our sense of self, and now we must contend with a back full of swords.
The energy for this weeks starts off ponderous and heavy. We're clearly taking our lives very seriously, considering the traditional viewpoints of The Hierophant that initiate our reading. Yet, as we can see from the undignified face-plant of the Ten of Swords, these ideas and strategies have reached far beyond any semblance of helpfulness. In fact, they've overtaken our sense of self, and now we must contend with a back full of swords.
The spikier cards (usually the swords, no surprise there) can sometimes dominate a reading, making their themes seem overarching when they're just one voice in the chorus. Such is the case here, since the Seven of Wands concludes the week. It seems that we're jumping up from the injuries and pressures of the Ten and back into action quite quickly.
In other words, we're more than ready to change our orientation and get back in the fray.
A rewind is in order: What big societal, familial, and/or traditional pressures are causing us to collapse? This will hold the key to our rebound and rejuvenation.
The Ten of Swords suggests that we're at the point in a long process of healing when we've reached critical mass. We have no choice but to confront and let go. Beautifully, it looks like we're more than ready to do so. Our healing has progressed far beyond our past struggles; now is the time to tap into our budding wands energy and counter our internal pressures with external, creative action.
Over thinking and intense self-awareness will only hold us back. We might want to explore how we use these strategies to keep ourselves stuck in a familiar place of under-performance. The Hierophant here seems to be running that show (we can see his red robes sliding from the prone figure's shoulder in the Ten of Swords.) What old and external pressures are beginning to leave our lives? Or, at least, feel inauthentic? Now is the time to examine how they've wounded and shaped us and, most importantly, to say our goodbyes.
In case this ponderous energy seems too much, the Seven of Wands is here to remind us of how much energy and excitement there is in our daily lives. This card asks us to channel the angst and pain from The Hierophant and the Ten of Swords into our pursuits, whether they're creative, professional, or physical. What are we doing for ourselves that makes us feel light and alive?
This card tells us that our lives are our masterpieces: In creating and caring for them we show ourselves how powerful we can be, and how we can free ourselves from the limitations of beliefs that have never been ours to begin with.
Weekly Forecast: June 17-23
This weekly forecast is asking us to embrace the spirit of newness. It's a refreshing change of energies, a shift from the traditional mindset of The Hierophant to the creative action of The Magician.
This weekly forecast is asking us to embrace the spirit of newness. It's a refreshing change of energies, a shift from the traditional mindset of The Hierophant to the creative action of The Magician.
While it's important to gather information, study, research, and look to existing options, that energy can quickly become stultifying. Where do we, in all our unique glory, fit in?
Plus, we can always learn more. At what point, however, does this become a placeholder for the actual steps we need to follow if we want to be out in the world, making our dreams come true?
There's a sense of safety that comes from planning and tradition. These paths and places are known quantities. There are rules, examples, pre-ordained paths to follow.
Our cards right now are giving us a little push out the door right now. We're ready to start practicing things in the big old world on our own. Embracing this shift in energy will be quite fun and energizing. The Magician sings when he's creating in the moment. With all of the tools of tarot laid on his table, he knows that he has all the pieces he needs to make something truly great.
So, if anything, this is a time to learn by doing, to break free from any blueprints that don't quite feel right, and to bring our plans into conversation with the larger world. We can learn by doing and put our skills, talents, and interests front and center.
What do we need to further our own vision right now? What are we itching to start, experiment with, or make happen? Anything that falls outside of this realm - especially the lovely distractions - can take a break out of the spotlight for now. This is a time to put ourselves in the center and get to working some magic. It's all leading to a new found sense of clarity in the Ace of Swords, so let's enjoy the ride and see what we're capable of.
Weekly Forecast: September 3-9
This is a week full of opportunity for us if we choose to reach out and take what's being offered to us. Of course, starting with the Ace of Pentacles is a welcome beacon of potential and promise. Look at this singular, shining coin! And yet taking gifts when they're offered isn't as easy as it may seem. Many of us struggle with accepting good things. Sometimes we're afraid of the spotlight - that we look greedy or boastful - and sometimes we're afraid of growing into something bigger.
This is a week full of opportunity for us if we choose to reach out and take what's being offered to us. Of course, starting with the Ace of Pentacles is a welcome beacon of potential and promise. Look at this singular, shining coin! And yet taking gifts when they're offered isn't as easy as it may seem. Many of us struggle with accepting good things. Sometimes we're afraid of the spotlight - that we look greedy or boastful - and sometimes we're afraid of growing into something bigger.
We'll be experiencing some of these tensions this week, though not in a paralyzing sense. Rather, we're in a position where we can no longer ignore the magic happening around us. We can work on editing some of these stale and limiting stories because the rewards and support in our lives are too big to ignore.
This ace is appearing to let us know that our actions to date have been accumulating a lot of goodwill and recognition, even if we've been unaware of it, lost in doubts or simply the focus of continuing along a path, one foot ahead of the other.
This is a time to examine our reflexive responses to gifts and kindness. Are we comfortable receiving attention, support, and goodwill? How adept are we at navigating the spotlight? Whether we're feeling ready for it or not, this is a moment where we can launch ourselves into a radically new phase. It's time to get going, abandon any limitations we tend to put in front of us, and let ourselves walk into ease and expansion.
Because we have two Major Arcana cards springing from the Ace of Pentacles. Both point towards expression, growth, and support. Taking a gift, gesture of support, or windfall and running with it is leading us to bigger places.
The Hierophant lets us know that we have incredible resources to draw on. This card speaks to mentoring figures in our lives. Who in our circles or their peripheries inspires us? Who can guide us on our path and offer us sage advice as we stretch our wings? We're onto something here and reaching out to those who've been down similar roads will both add to our knowledge and help galvanize us. This week is a time to reach out and connect with the people who inspire us.
Bringing our dreams to others is a magical way to stay accountable and dedicated to their realization. Left alone we can abandon the path and nobody would be the wiser.
And that would be a shame since The Sun, our final card, shows us walking towards a beautiful burst of self-expression. The Sun shines so brightly that we often take it for granted. It's difficult to squint into its light and see how much energy and work goes into its output. Being a beacon, living our truth, and sharing that truth with the world is a true labor of love. It's a wonderful thing to behold, but it also requires being active, present, and, in a sense, vulnerable.
We may be feeling some anxiety this week about being seen fully, our ambitions and dreams visible to all around us. Wanting things and then pursuing them means that we're putting ourselves out there. Make room for that naked feeling while focusing on the freedom that comes with it. So what if we have big dreams and are working to make them real? When we become our own suns we don't need to worry about the opinions of others or even the bumps along the road.
Our vision for change and connection to ourselves will always be shining above any clouds.
Weekly Forecast: May 28-June 3
We have the charismatic ease of the Wands at our backs as we enter into this week. The Six is a particularly encouraging card, one that points to the happy rush of an achievement. Hard work is paying off, bringing us to a moment where we're being seen for all that we do.
We have the charismatic ease of the Wands at our backs as we enter into this week. The Six is a particularly encouraging card, one that points to the happy rush of an achievement. Hard work is paying off, bringing us to a moment where we're being seen for all that we do.
Whenever the Six of Wands shows up it directs us towards joining in on the celebration of our own achievements. All the cheering in the world means nothing if we can't join in ourselves. It takes courage to see ourselves riding confidently on a horse, laurel wreaths held high like the main figure in this card. But here we are. Moving forward and being seen as go-getters, visionaries, and creators.
And where are we headed? The Hierophant is an arresting card to have facing out at us from the center of this reading. The energy and enthusiasm of the Six of Wands isn't as superficial as we might think. Something about our recent ventures is tapping into a deeper side of ourselves. The Hierophant is a teacher and keeper of secrets. Though they are sometimes buried under all the overt religious symbolism in the card, The Hierophant can be further distilled into a representation of inner truths being respected, amplified, and directed outwards.
This card is asking us to consider what we're taking more seriously in our lives. How has all the action and movement of the Six of Wands been changing our beliefs? Or, from another angle, how have our actions lately been reflecting a cherished value or cause? In this reading, the impulsive nature of the wands is acting as a helpful catalyst. We're finding ourselves already embodying something important that may even be making us feel a little frightened and exposed.
I say this because our final card, the Four of Pentacles, takes the forward moving expansion of the Six of Wands and the solemn sacredness of The Hierophant and tries to reign it in through practicality. Just look at the change in body language. Proud movement and celebration arriving at regal presence and presentation and then... clinging?
Why interrupt our parade towards deeper understanding with restrictive behavior? The suit of pentacles deals with everyday life, stability, and practicality. On one hand, a great deal of magic and meaning can be found here, but in this reading we have the Four, a card that illustrates the act of hiding behind duty, conservatism, and common sense. We're experiencing expansion and somehow seeing danger. So we're being tempted to shut down, to bury our burgeoning ideas and changing selves under the guise of being extra-responsible, together adults.
This energy is classic self-limitation. Rather than own the power of The Hierophant - choosing to enshrine what's really important to us (and to broadcast the magic and satisfaction we find in life) - we're pretending to choose another path out of practicality. It's like saying you'd love to go on an adventurous vacation, but just can't find someone to watch your dog. Or hiding behind work responsibilities when you get invited to try something new. Of course we can pull strings and make things happen. It's just easier to look responsible and hard-working instead of admitting we're afraid to try something new.
This week we have the opportunity to see this pattern with fresh eyes. The Six of Wands comes with its own clearing energy, after all. The parade towards a richer life can continue ahead with some quick detours - we don't have to stay in the Four of Pentacles indeterminately. And with the powerful Hierophant in the center we can't avoid what really matters for long.
The news here is good. Our ideas and beliefs matter and we're already putting them into action. Now is our time to practice standing strong in who we are and letting ourselves commit and invest in what gives our life meaning. We don't need to use our responsibilities as a smokescreen. We can just look to the starts and trust that our feet will stay firmly planted on the ground.
Weekly Forecast: October 9-15
Quests for deeper meaning are often just that - deep. We tend to draw inwards, cutting out distractions in order to focus in on a higher truth. It's mystical, meaningful, and a departure from our usual way of moving through the world.
After a while, however, the ideas we've been chasing start to coalesce. Then we can begin to integrate them into our lives, bringing them out of the darkness and into real and sometimes messy practice.
This week we're at such a point, enjoying the newfound inner peace that emerges when we bring our values and ideas into our actions. The meeting of the two creates a feeling of harmony. The inner matches up with the outer and we feel shiny and new and proud of our decisions.
The Hierophant illustrates this feeling beautifully. He is the embodiment of our beliefs, contained and broadcasted outwards. I like to think of this card as the home we build for our beliefs. Where do they live in our lives? This can be traditional, like going to church every Sunday, or more diffuse - the small rituals where we are truly present or ways we interact with the world that holds a higher truth or power in mind.
This week we're being asked to take note of these places and draw strength from them because, excitingly enough, we're going to be asked to expand them in the days to come. It might feel scary - after all, some of these practices are new. We might think they're untested and not quite ready for a larger stage. The cards, however, have something else in mind.
What happens when we live our lives in alignment with our values? People take notice. It's impossible to be at one with yourself and live a harmonious life and sneak by, invisible. The thing is, when we're carving space in our lives to accomodate and honor what means the most to us, we're also broadcasting a new way of being to those around us. It's inspiring and a little unnerving. Shining bright means that you're also a beacon.
This week is giving us an opportunity to shine a little brighter. The Seven of Pentacles depicts a moment where we first take stock of how far we've come and second, after a deep breath, leap forward in search of more. Whatever the opportunity, it will take shape in a practical, embodied part of our lives. Increased responsibility, the chance to learn a new complimentary skill, or an unexpected leap forward. No matter the form it takes, The Hierophant is telling us that we're ready for this expansion.
Most encouragingly, the Queen of Wands appears as our final card. She's shown up as a theme for several past readings, indicating that we have a larger lesson to learn from her right now. Learning to channel our abundance of energy with grace and effectiveness has brought us quite far already. Once again, we're returning to a place where we can accomplish so much and, instead of descending into burnout, it's reigniting our passion and propelling us forward to brigher, even more exciting places.
Weekly Forecast: April 3-9
Oh my, this week has a distinctly meandering and mystical quality to it. I’m imagining the feeling of walking up to an exhilarating ride at the fair – one of those bright and jazzy ones that whips you around while spinning upside down. After striding up confidently and exchanging our money we step aboard and secure ourselves with the not-so-comforting rickety seatbelts. Our bravura fades as we realize there’s no going back. We’ve never ridden this particular ride before. What will it feel like? Why are we doing this again?
I love rides at the fair for this reason. It’s a leap of faith. I certainly don’t’ need to be running up to the Cyclone, feeling brave and excited. I’m doing it for the rush. To take myself out of the mundane and feel new – first feeling scared, then shiny and triumphant when my feet touch the ground again.
The cards for this week show us taking a similar leap of faith, one that’s motivated by our feeling of plenty, not neediness. We start out embodying the assertive and adventurous Queen of Wands. This is a card that uses confidence and solidity to catapult to the next level. Fiery, brave, and passionate, she seeks out challenges with the knowledge that they will only sharpen her skills. This week we want to be sharp, to be on the cutting edge, and we’re seeking ways to push up against our limits and boundaries. We know it will take us somewhere new.
This is both the fuel and pluck that brings us to the carnival ride in the first place. Once we get there, however, the mood shifts.
There’s nothing like the feeling before the ride starts. I usually close my eyes, feel the breeze on my face, and take a deep breath before it all begins. It’s all nerves, anticipation, and a bit of self-doubt thrown in the mix. We see a similar effect with the Eight of Cups, our central card. All the chutzpah that brought us to this new place is fading. We feel vulnerable and nervous, full of anticipation before the gears start moving and taking us forward.
When we harness our pluck and strength to start something new we set things in motion that are out of our control. This week we’re being invited to lean into the feeling of vulnerability that comes after decisions. Once we put something out into the world, the world then responds. We can’t say what will come next. We must trust that the bravery that brought us this far is sending us in the right direction.
The Eight of Cups is an encouraging card here. Like the figure in the picture we’re climbing up the stairs with our eyes closed. It’s a beautiful depiction of calm faith and awareness. With closed eyes we can contemplate our inner workings. How are we feeling? What are we noticing arise in this tender time? How do we feel just before the ride begins?
This card also shows us that we’re ready for new things. Ready to add more excitement, bounty, and fulfillment to our lives. We have eight full cups, why not set out in search of more?
If at any time we doubt this search during the week, we should look back to the Queen of Wands for motivation. We are powerful, determined, and creative, just like her, and ready to actively create as rich and magical a life as we can imagine for ourselves. There’s nothing wrong with plenty and vibrance. The Queen of Wands doesn’t stand for self-limitation and neither should we.
So after we’re buckled in, thinking about life, and relinquishing some control to the universe, where do we go next? This cycle isn’t quite ready to wrap up this week and we don’t be doing any of the dramatic spinning of the ride itself. Instead, The Hierophant shows us that we have some mystical surprises in store for us as we wait for the action to start.
What insights and beauty will we find when we take our own special risks this week? Pay attention the little moments of encouragement, insights, and signs that pop up. They can be interior observations, memories, dreams, and even synchronicities and signs in the world around us. Special things are afoot, in no small part thanks to our bravery and desire to experience new things.