Weekly Forecast: March 20-26
We’re using a different deck than normal this week, for no other reason that that it was the closest to my morning writing spot - nestled in bed under a crisp, white duvet. Our cards have a similar energy, a focus on finding comfort and rest in difficult situations. Because, as you’ve likely noticed, The Tower is starting things off this week. What’s crumbling or has crumbled recently? What is making you tired?
We’re using a different deck than normal this week, for no other reason that that it was the closest to my morning writing spot - nestled in bed under a crisp, white duvet. Our cards have a similar energy, a focus on finding comfort and rest in difficult situations. Because, as you’ve likely noticed, The Tower is starting things off this week. What’s crumbling or has crumbled recently? What is making you tired?
The Tower is also present in our reading for the month of March which makes me think this isn’t necessarily a case of an obvious, immediate, or new “Tower moment:” catastrophe, misfortune, an abrupt ending. It’s more likely that we’ve been aware of and holding our experience of this card for some time, watching something dissolve slowly. This week the bigger story of that dissolution is coming into clear focus.
Now this is where our reading gets interesting. Instead of doing something with this new knowledge and perspective, we’re being invited to rest. The Four of Swords appears next, and I can’t help but imagine the two figures in the original Rider-Waite-Smith illustration falling from the burning tower… and into a cozy, inviting bed.
See where acknowledging and seeing things for what they are, even and especially if they’re upsetting, brings you a sense of release and even peace. I love how artist Mary Elizabeth Evans illustrates this version of the Four of Swords: the top half of the card almost seething with winding black, white, and red rectangles while the main character of the card rests peacefully in atop teal clouds in a green sky. No matter how intense and compelling ideas and messages around what things in your external life could or should mean, see if you can simply let it be as it is while prioritizing rest and healing.
The Four of Swords shows us a healthy way of dealing with our minds. We often place logical thinking as the primary function of our minds, yet we also use them to dream (and what could be less rational than the loopy, symbolic world of our subconscious?). This is a time to let go of controlling the narrative, “figuring things out,” or striving to understand, label, or identify. Simply letting go, trusting that things will filter through as needed, and stepping away from The Tower facets of your life, will be incredibly refreshing and, eventually, transformative.
Sometimes the frenzy of The Tower can be exhilarating; when something’s on fire, we know that the only task that matters is putting out the flames. But maybe The Four of Swords is also signaling that part of us is bored with this old dance. Be especially aware of things you’re tuning out, no longer seduced by, or even annoyed with. What is putting you to sleep? Respect this instinct as a message that you’re outgrowing stale dances of drama.
We have bigger things to tend to, and these are not about putting out fires or preserving structures just because they’re crumbling. At the end of the week, Strength bursts onto the scene, so if you were worried that all this napping was sheer laziness, you’re in for a surprise! I feel like this card appears when we realize we’re wrestling with the right problem; it’s deeply satisfying and such a contrast to the panic that comes with The Tower. Notice how focused and aligned you feel when you’re building something that matters to you - how the problems and challenges bring you closer to yourself, have you learning something valuable. Now isn’t that quite different from the panicked rush to survive that arises in The Tower?
Let yourself slowly wake up into your powers and goals as the week wraps up. Enjoy creating something for yourself, working with reality, and daring to sculpt something fun, meaningful, and completely different than what’s fading into the past.
Potential surprise/reframe:
There’s actually two I’m seeing here:
While we tend to talk about the cards, especially the Major Arcana, in terms of our personal journey, it may be that this week we’re contending with other people’s experience of The Tower. Is someone in crisis (most likely of their own making), sucking up oxygen with their panicked demands, or consistently framing their setbacks as catastrophes? Is it making you tired?? This would be a good time to step away and focus on the reality you find gratifying and constructive (Strength).
The Four of Swords is feeling like a mysterious invitation to me this week. This card is quite subtle, so we’d do well to create moments of stillness and silence for ourselves so that we can hear the nuanced messages bubbling up from our subconscious. Listen to your body, rest when you need to, and notice what feels easy, enjoyable, and restorative instead of what you think “should.”
This week, embrace:
Stepping away from the drama
Rest
Meditation, mindfulness exercises of all kinds
Engaging with the reality you want to reinforce
This week, avoid:
Burnout
Overcommunicating, half-baked ideas
Leaving your center, abandoning your own perspective
There’s actually two I’m seeing here:
While we tend to talk about the cards, especially the Major Arcana, in terms of our personal journey, it may be that this week we’re contending with other people’s experience of The Tower. Is someone in crisis (most likely of their own making), sucking up oxygen with their panicked demands, or consistently framing their setbacks as catastrophes? Is it making you tired?? This would be a good time to step away and focus on the reality you find gratifying and constructive (Strength).
The Four of Swords is feeling like a mysterious invitation to me this week. This card is quite subtle, so we’d do well to create moments of stillness and silence for ourselves so that we can hear the nuanced messages bubbling up from our subconscious. Listen to your body, rest when you need to, and notice what feels easy, enjoyable, and restorative instead of what you think “should.”
Weekly Forecast: December 5-11
I don’t know about you all, but I could use a bit more zest in my life. So, in honor of the first week of December and itchy feet, let’s shake this forecast up a little bit. I think it’s always helpful to have a light hand and sense of humor with tarot - zhuzhing up your practice with some changes can go a long way in keeping things fresh and even surprisingly mystical - so here we go.
I don’t know about you all, but I could use a bit more zest in my life. So, in honor of the first week of December and itchy feet, let’s shake this forecast up a little bit. I think it’s always helpful to have a light hand and sense of humor with tarot - zhuzhing up your practice with some changes can go a long way in keeping things fresh and even surprisingly mystical - so here we go.
This reading in one sentence
Let’s dream wildly so that when it all comes falling down, we know where we want to go.
the tower in the room
Yes, it’s here: that card. But this version of The Tower is rising up like a zit that’s been brewing under the surface for quite some time. I apologize for the grossness, but it’s just what’s there - a building ache that is about to erupt. Upsetting? Yes. Oddly relieving? Why, yes, that, too.
This week we’re at a big turning point and it’s the kind that touches on a secretly soothing part of The Tower: that its downfall comes from an outside source that’s not under our control. So, if you’ve been walking slowly towards and ending (or trying your best to run from it), know that its culminating moment is near. Things can move quickly in this card, and on a whole spectrum of intensity, but one thing that’s clear is that tenuous structures that aren’t built to last are coming down.
Because this card is somewhat indiscriminate, see if you can embrace its power and make it work for you. Is there something that’s annoying you, that isn’t working well or working at all, that you can let crumble? Be wary of trying to save things (or people) just for the sake of saving them. Like burns are an integral part of maintaining a forest’s health, so too is destruction a necessary part of growth.
a wellspring of creativity and vision
Although I’m not one to undersell the fearsome nature of The Tower, I’m also really stuck by the intrepid energy surrounding this card in our reading. It’s as if each of us has been incubating a whole range of possible futures, having fun (on some level) playing around with what could be. The Seven of Cups is one of those cards that can veer into avoidant dreaminess, but here it’s immensely hopeful. Take a moment to commend your bravery in dreaming for a life that’s bigger and bolder than the traditional paths you’re used to aiming for.
Oddly, our dreaming, scheming, and unhinged desire for wonder has been waiting for a disruptive moment like the one signified by The Tower this week. While we’ll have to get through the immediate experience of The Tower ( there’s no getting around that) it’s as if we’ve flung a hearty handful of seeds - the most beautiful of wildflowers, all types, shapes, sizes, and colors - into the air. Some might not survive the destruction, but others will be primed to grow wildly.
natural selection and your own best world
I’m also wondering if we’ve been strengthened by our repeated experience of The Tower’s chaos. There was a phase in these forecasts several months ago when The Tower was a frequent visitor, and I’d be surprised if many of us didn’t self-select this card to represent the unyielding chaos, loss, and disruption of the past few years globally. Looking at The Two of Wands, I also can’t help but see ourselves watching the destruction from afar, which could be a possible experience of this reading. Whether The Tower is yours or another’s, it’ll be helpful to ground yourself and shore up your emotional and energetic reserves. It’ll be helpful to locate your own “inner Two of Wands,” that place inside yourself that remains the same despite whatever hardship you endure.
This, I think, is where the power of the wands suit comes in; ruled by fire, these cards touch on that divine spark in each of us that drives us forward, asking us, “what do I want to do with the time I’ve been given? What is coming through me, starting as a mere idea or impulse, and becoming something real through my actions?”
There may be odd sources of inspiration this week: feeling a sense of urgency to tend to your own life goals when you watch something crumble, a sense of clarity emerging from chaos, a renewed sense of purpose when confronted with the ephemeral nature of life. The creative abundance of the Seven of Cups is being tested by the intensity of The Tower, and the ideas and plans that emerge unscathed or even stronger are the ones to keep and follow. A key facet of all of them all? Building a better version of the world you’re watching end - one that allows you to feel free and look outwards. Just look at the lush vista of the Two of Wands. This is where we’re going, and it’s far better than the stodgy towers crumbling around us.
This week, embrace:
Dreamy reverie
Inspiration for inspiration’s sake
Idiosyncrasies, rebellion, the unconventional
Natural endings
Self-care (especially physical)
Your creative, professional, and personal power
This week, avoid:
Going down with someone else’s ship
Freaking out in the face of chaos
Nihilistic thinking
Abandoning your goals, dreams, and plans
Get creative:
Seven of Cups: I don’t know, I think this card needs to be left alone to work its freaky magic in each of our lives. But, if I were to offer any advice, it’d be to have fun playing around with dreams and ideas that touch on your own strangeness, unique tastes, and that blissfully ignore societal ideas of what “should be.”
The Tower: A key part of making it through this card, however it’s manifesting in your life, is endurance. Take some time to consider what this means to you. How have you make it through rough patches in your life before? What practices help you stay with the moment, no matter how intense it appears? Commit to these in the coming days. (To share, mine are: deep breathing, hydration, prayer.)
Two of Wands: This card is so uniquely optimistic, especially in our reading this week. I can’t, in other words, not look at it and hear, “everything’s going to be okay.” And how odd to have this friendly, “the world is your oyster” card after The Tower? But I do think there’s something here; that our abilities to live, dream. and act on our dreams are unimpeachable and found within ourselves. How might you have been protecting this mental/energetic space? What can you do to reinforce and celebrate it? Bonus points: ask your friends and loved ones about the unique skills, talents, and energies you contribute to life. What better, even best case scenario do they see for you?
Weekly Forecast: August 1-7
Well, judging by the cards above, August is starting out with a bang, not a whimper. A bang that leads to plenty of whimpering? I think so.
As we can see, we’re visited by one of the most arresting images in tarot, The Tower. A humbling experience, this card shows us what happens when a structure we’ve staked our sense of security on crumbles spectacularly. There’s no way around it; this is a challenging and often painful experience. Yet it’s important to note this: whatever is crumbling was meant to fall.
Well, judging by the cards above, August is starting out with a bang, not a whimper. A bang that leads to plenty of whimpering? I think so.
As we can see, we’re visited by one of the most arresting images in tarot, The Tower. A humbling experience, this card shows us what happens when a structure we’ve staked our sense of security on crumbles spectacularly. There’s no way around it; this is a challenging and often painful experience. Yet it’s important to note this: whatever is crumbling was meant to fall.
The Queen of Cups is extending her graces throughout the month. Not only is she leading us into the week, she’s the official “card of the month” in August’s forecast. This queen challenges us to remain connected to both our emotional/intutive selves and our practical selves. Rather than seeing these forces as in conflict, The Queen of Cups embraces the complimentary nature of passion and responsibility. Can we use our practical, problem-solving skills to be responsible for our own passions: desire, beauty, and connection?
Having The Queen of Cups leading off both this week and the month as a whole is telling us that the skills we’ve been practicing (and the facets of ourselves that we’re becoming acquainted with) are coming into focus right now. In fact, they’re the key to our growth and, perhaps on some level, survival.
Because, yes, The Tower can sometimes show us moments when we have to deal with something that feels annihilating. And, like everything in tarot, this occurs on a spectrum. Each of our experiences of The Tower this week will vary in intensity. It could be an external event, a shift in our self-perception, or something we’ve depended on crumbling before our eyes.
Take time to devote your loving attention to yourself this week, and reacquaint yourself with all the ways you’ve stepped into prioritizing your emotional and spiritual development. This is a time to re-commit to any self-care and spiritual practices that make you feel whole, centered, and alive. The Queen of Cups isn’t a flashy card at first glance, but she emits a magnetic pull, one of a person who knows themselves deeply and is committed to staying present for all facets of life, including the painful parts.
I wonder, too, if The Tower may represent a backlash to the new and increasingly bold ways we’ve been drawing boundaries to protect our inner space and creative/romantic/spiritual lives. Again, remembering that The Tower needs to crumble will be pivotal. In some cases, we don’t even need to participate in the collapse. If there’s someone around you being harmfully dramatic or reactive, simply stay in the lush and healing world you’ve been cultivating for yourself. Like the Queen of Cups, keep your foot dipped into the waters of your emotional truth, feel the beauty of the world around you, and let it all nourish you no matter how intense the rest of the world may be.
The King of Cups enters the scene and I’m feeling this card as an external presence. Look for someone in your life whose emotional maturity equals yours and whose ways of coping, understanding, and living with The Tower compliments your own. In other words, there’s partnership to be found in this moment of difficulty that may end up being pivotal. Think of allies, supporters, and mentors: who can stand with you and reinforce your experience of reality?
There’s no way around it, this is challenging energy. Yet I can’t think of a better team to face the intensity of The Tower. I’m also reminded of the immense difficulty of witnessing something or someone crumble. Both The Queen and King of Cups embody fluid, strong, and healthy boundaries. If you feel pulled to rescue, compensate, or intervene in someone else’s tower moment, don’t. There’s so much to take in from the seat of power you’ve carved for yourself - rushing into someone else's flames won’t help either of you.
This week, embrace:
Re-committing to your personal practices
Prioritizing beauty, deeper meaning, and spirituality
Emotionally mature supporters and partners
Your choices to lead a life that works for you
Facing uncomfortable truths
Embracing the healing potential of collapse, endings
This week, avoid:
Getting sucked into drama, bids for rescue
Catastrophizing
Reacting immediately instead of reflecting
Savior-complexes
Changing your beliefs, choices to accommodate others
Get creative:
Queen of Cups: It feels like we’ll need a sanctuary this week. I have several ideas: 1) An actual space - make a nook that really goes for it in terms of showcasing your romantic, poetic side. Pillows and string lights? Objects of beauty? Line them up! 2) A ritual you can turn to - think of something that makes you feel connected with your body and emotions. Meditation? A languorous bath? A walk in nature? Hold this in your back pocket and use it when you encounter The Tower. 3) A mental space - if you don’t have one already, think of a place you can travel to in your imagination. Like option 1, it should contain things and exist in an environment that makes you feel both safe and inspired. Unlike option 1, it’s not contained by the pesky rules of reality! Get decadent and travel there when you feel the destructive pull of The Tower.
King of Cups: While we’ll likely have a King of Cups IRL, I think this would be a good opportunity to identify King(s) in other places. Who do you view as an emotional role model? Someone who inspires you with their maturity, poise, and dedication? I think we run a risk of playing it small this week or muting our seeking dreamer selves, so this person or people should be trailblazers, too, people unafraid to live life on their own terms: authors, poets, artists, and more. List or simply visit these people’s work as you go through the week so you can remain connected to your larger self and a world beyond however the tower is manifesting right now.
The Tower: This one in simple: wait. If something is collapsing in your life, just let it fall. The Tower can invite panic and frenzied action. Resist the impulse. Time allows the fire to die down, the clouds to disperse, and the reality on the ground to become real.
Weekly Forecast: November 18-24
We have some seismic activity this week, dear friends. The Tower is back again, this time to shake us out of an uncomfortable urge to control and regulate our lives. Yet, like any tower experience, it’s not subtle, gentle, or entirely wanted, if you catch my drift. We may find ourselves scrambling to hold on to any sense of stability and narrative, and that’s okay. I’m not sure it’s possible to have a calm, collected, and 100% dignified experience with The Tower; that’s what makes it so powerful.
We have some seismic activity this week, dear friends. The Tower is back again, this time to shake us out of an uncomfortable urge to control and regulate our lives. Yet, like any tower experience, it’s not subtle, gentle, or entirely wanted, if you catch my drift. We may find ourselves scrambling to hold on to any sense of stability and narrative, and that’s okay. I’m not sure it’s possible to have a calm, collected, and 100% dignified experience with The Tower; that’s what makes it so powerful.
When this card comes up it’s usually an invitation to look at what we thought was strong, unassailable, and utterly true. Though we often take these forces for granted, there’s usually some sort of slow march towards the big moments when they come tumbling down. Like water slowly eating away at rock, we’ve been eroding our trust, belief, or connection to The Towers in our life.
Where have we felt off lately? What big forces have been dictating our lives that no longer hold their seduction or strength? See if you can see the buildup to this moment: I have a feeling that doing so will be a huge part of our healing.
I feel tender looking at these cards because the destructive intensity of The Tower is followed by the limitless potential of The Fountain. And, guess what? Limitless potential is very intense in its own way! We can see the seduction and safety of The Tower with more compassion in this reading. Staying in crisis can often keep us safe from the pitfalls of the unknown. If we’re in damage control, we’re not taking any new risks, and who’s going to argue with us when we’re trying to salvage a situation?
Now I’m not saying that we’re all going to be embroiled in epic cataclysm this week! (Wouldn’t that be terrifying?) Tarot shows up in our lives on a spectrum, and I have a feeling that this iteration of The Tower is more mental. What, in other words, has been distracting our energy from the potential that’s presenting itself to us right now? The Fountain suggests not only a wealth of opportunity, but a deep connection with our innate desire to participate in the world as our full selves. That is, operating at our full potential and partaking in the wonder of the universe. Sure, it’s cosmic, but it’s absolutely available to us in the moment.
Pay attention to any self-limiting thoughts, particularly the ones that put you in the place of The Tower. I’m feeling this as more of a desire to fix, control, or even save something that’s falling apart. In this reading, the falling apart may be entirely necessary for the full scope of The Fountain to reveal itself. It may also not be yours to contend with at all; tending to others’ catastrophes will prevent their essential reckoning and distract you from your growth.
Now all of this is big, epic, and lofty, yet on the other side we come down to earth with the Ace of Pentacles. Could there be a more sweet and affirming card than this? I don’t think so. Stepping into the possibility of The Fountain is quickly resulting in a tangible sense of stability, perhaps even a welcome and alluring opportunity. It’s as if a hand is reaching out from the other side to guide us across the rift. I love how the exciting and terrifying imagery of the cosmos in The Fountain shifts into the welcome greenery of the Ace of Coins. We belong on the ground, in our real lives, and there’s so much we can grow there.
While shuffling for this reading, a fourth card jumped out: The Eight of Swords. This is a very helpful and straightforward addition to the reading. It’s telling us that getting caught in our thoughts - overanalyzing, rationalizing, and intellectualizing - is only keeping us stuck. Instead, we have the practical and zestful Ace of Pentacles to inspire us. What makes us feel at one with ourselves? What makes us feel connected to life - our bodies, sensory pleasures, homes, and nature. Doing simple things to foster this link will bring us forward and ground us at the same time, no analyzing required.
Weekly Forecast: October 7-13
There's a lot of restless, destructive energy at work this week, dear friends. We have the upset of The Tower mixing with the ambition of The Chariot. Throw in the anxious worrying of the Nine of Swords and we have ourselves a fun mix, don't we?
There's a lot of restless, destructive energy at work this week, dear friends. We have the upset of The Tower mixing with the ambition of The Chariot. Throw in the anxious worrying of the Nine of Swords and we have ourselves a fun mix, don't we?
Strangely, I'm into this group of cards. While The Tower is one of the least favored card in tarot, it has a positive spin. Cumbersome structures, whether they're societal of self-imposed, can be hard to escape. In this card, however, they come tumbling down. While this is often terrifying, it's also a massive release of energy. Some tower experiences take longer to recover from than others, however. What's falling down in your life right now?
While the bounce-back period from this card often takes place in the long-term (we are dealing with the Major Arcana, after all) this reading shows us busting out of the rubble with The Chariot. We can look to our life right now to see what's grasp on us is crumbling and, most importantly, releasing us from restrictive situations.
The Chariot has a lot to do with willpower and drive. Are we feeling a pull to go in a new direction, to make decisions that bring us glory, accomplishment, and satisfaction?
There's a tender story here: Our freedom is unlocking a huge store of motivation and capability. Sometimes it's sad to recognize that this has been held back in our past situation. And, what's more, it's scary to move forward, away from the rubble without looking back to fix or mend.
You may be anticipating my segueway into the Nine of Swords here. Indeed, moving away from our Tower experience is inviting in a bunch of anxious thoughts. These may feel stale and tired, however. The Nine of Swords represents a build-up of patterns and ideas. In other words, the crappy and overwhelming feeling is a known-quantity. Still not fun at all, but also not unfamiliar.
In the coming days it will be especially important to leave room for all the aspects of our experience, particularly our emotions. These cards signify big shifts; of course we're going to be kicking up old defense mechanisms and confronting our fear of the unknown.
The Chariot brings with it a huge dose of impatience. A part of us is raring and ready to go and prove ourselves. Yet The Tower releases a whole lot more along with energy and a new path ahead. There's dust that needs to clear, rubble that we need to see so that we can step over it. This is a long-term experience. What we can do in the meantime is make ourselves as comfortable, held, and supported while we process what's taking place. That means both caring for ourselves and reaching out to those who can understand and offer solace.
Weekly Forecast: July 22-28
What do we do with our misfortune?
I'm sure you all have noticed the tarot card ominously occupying the center of our reading this week: The Tower. A tricky one, to be sure, this card hits us over the head with the upsetting inevitability of suffering. Painful things happen in life and no matter how much maneuvering or planning we do, we can't steer around it.
What do we do with our misfortune?
I'm sure you all have noticed the tarot card ominously occupying the center of our reading this week: The Tower. A tricky one, to be sure, this card hits us over the head with the upsetting inevitability of suffering. Painful things happen in life and no matter how much maneuvering or planning we do, we can't steer around it.
What's intriguing about this reading, however, is the presence of two fiery wands cards on either side. At first, we might think that the rush of the Eight of Wands is leading us straight into a Tower moment, but on the other side we see an empowered and stable Knight of Wands. It's as if the Tower has hardly harmed us. What's going on here?
A facet of the Tower is that its misfortune and pain comes from the outside. We may have a hand at ignoring some signs to alter our course, making for an even harder fall, but often times these moments come completely from the external world.
If we can't escape the Tower, what we do with its presence makes the biggest difference, and this week we have all the daring chutzpah of the wands suit to guide us.
In the coming days we'll be using our verve, ambition, and actions to transform the Tower most active in our lives. Because the Wands are so proactive, I have a feeling that this Tower facet is already known to us. What areas in our live are causing us the most pain? Is there a chapter in our self-narrative that needs an empowering edit? Most importantly, what can we do about it now?
The wands suit reminds us that motion, creativity, and agency work in harmony. We can think, process, and debate all we want, but our enduring legacy is in our actions.
What's more, acting keeps us in the present moment and allows our energy to move freely, preventing stagnancy and frustration. I have a sneaking suspicion that the Tower this week is actually an old phenomenon being called to the surface. Is there something we're growing right now that challenges how we used to think of ourselves? Sometimes the Tower is more than ready to come crashing down, and the energy it releases is a welcome and invigorating surprise.
Look to the wands suit to explore this area further: What bold moves have you been making lately? How might they challenge old structures and roles you've found yourself in?
It appears as if we've been working towards something and now it's just starting to take flight. We can see this in the headlong rush of the Eight of Wands. Far from being manic, this card often appears when things are flowing smoothly because of a great deal of past effort and planning.
The Tower, then, is a bit of a hologram. We're calling up the specter of past limitations just as we near a breakthrough. Pushing through, however, is giving us all the confidence of the Knight of Wands. Healing, it seems, is on the agenda this week, and we can be sure that continuing to make decisions that further our growth will only transform our experience of the Tower and ourselves more quickly.
Migraines & The Tower
A few days ago I was watching TV with my husband (why yes, it was the Fyre Festival documentary - why can’t I get enough of that trainwreck?) when I noticed an odd shimmer at the corner of my eye. It was late at night, so I figured I was just tired. But it suck around, following me wherever I looked, and a sinking feeling in my stomach took over. I knew what this was: a migraine.
A few days ago I was watching TV with my husband (why yes, it was the Fyre Festival documentary - why can’t I get enough of that trainwreck?) when I noticed an odd shimmer at the corner of my eye. It was late at night, so I figured I was just tired. But it suck around, following me wherever I looked, and a sinking feeling in my stomach took over. I knew what this was: a migraine.
I’ve been getting migraines since college and, while the debilitating pain has decreased over the years, I still get the full-blown aura effect, followed by days of disorientation, fatigue, and a throbbing, persistent headache. Over the next 24-hours I had four episodes, the most in recent memory. Clearly, my plans for the next few days would have to be put on the backburner.
I pulled the blinds, popped a few painkillers, and settled in for the long-haul.
When I first started getting these headaches I was massively upset by them. There’s no way around it: they’re really and truly terrible. I had never experienced a health issue that completely incapacitated me before. Sick days? Who needs them! Time off? No thank you, I’ll just keep going!
Well, that was certainly the old Gina. I prided myself in being a person who kept going no matter what. Migraines forced me to see the limits to my strength and accept my helplessness in the face of physical suffering. I simply couldn’t function when half my vision was a blurred mess and my head hurt so much I had to bite my pillow.
In many ways migraines are like The Tower. I’m even laughing a little as I type this because it works so well and I’ve never thought of it until now. You have the jagged bolt of lightning (the headache!) striking the top of the tower (the head!), sending the body crashing to the ground along with its two inhabitants.
The image perfectly captures the terror when something outside of our control wreaks havoc on our lives. It’s jarring, upsetting, and abrupt.
And what’s more, despite all our planning, the goals and aspirations of our conscious mind are helpless in the face of intense physical suffering.
And, hoo boy, does this mess with our deeply entrenched ideas of productivity and self-worth!
Like The Tower, this process is not at all dignified, at least in my experience. I raged against my physical limitations at first, trying to push through the issue. The migraine won. I let myself get consumed with guilt: who am I if I can’t do things? Don’t I have to constantly be proving my worth? The migraine still won.
And, oddly enough, once the dust settled the only thing to really crumble were these stale thoughts. My health recovers as does my ability to be productive. The only difference is that I’ve been forced to see my true vulnerability and accept that so much of life is outside my control.
Through my experiences with migraines I’ve realized that I don’t have to go around making things happen in my life through sheer force, much like old Atlas holding the world on my shoulders. Things go along fine without me and people still love me without having to prove my worth. I can be a quivering blob for a few days and everything’s still okay. My only job, then, is to just be there for myself - to be present in the fall from The Tower with all the gentleness and acceptance I can muster. After all, I can’t do anything to change what’s happening, but I sure can make it more pleasant for myself by focusing on the reality of the situation instead of fighting against it.
So this time I sighed and let the whole experience take its course. I set aside my long to-do list and simply rested, trusting that I’d be back to my healthy self soon enough. And while it wasn’t ideal and certainly didn’t feel pleasant, I was grateful for the opportunity to just be there for myself: to feel my body, care for myself in the most basic ways (lots of water, a warm shower), and let my support network step up.
Now, on the other end, I feel oddly refreshed. My Tower experience hasn’t brought down my entire world, rather it’s reminded me of how delicate and special it is. With this newfound appreciation I feel eager to ease back into things and motivated to balance my energy with plenty of rest and gentleness, no lightning bolt required.
Some questions for working with The Tower
What change outside of my control is frightening me?
How can I be present for myself during this experience?
What control am I afraid of losing?
What’s the worst that can happen? Is is really happening?
How do I actually feel right now?
What kindness & softness can I give to myself right now? How can I reach out to others?
Weekly Forecast: May 7-13
It feels so good to put a plan into action. After spending lots of time in our heads creating strategies, imagining outcomes, and weighing options, this week we're putting our feet on the ground and committing to making things real.
The Three of Wands is a card full of excitement, expectation, and anticipation. Our ideas are still tender and new, untested by the world, and yet we've tapped into something special within ourselves. It's the intoxicating feeling of choice. We can choose to do things. We can make things happen.
It feels so good to put a plan into action. After spending lots of time in our heads creating strategies, imagining outcomes, and weighing options, this week we're putting our feet on the ground and committing to making things real.
The Three of Wands is a card full of excitement, expectation, and anticipation. Our ideas are still tender and new, untested by the world, and yet we've tapped into something special within ourselves. It's the intoxicating feeling of choice. We can choose to do things. We can make things happen.
This card is big and visionary, and I love its bravery. It's one thing to imagine possibilities, getting lost in the world of lists and brainstorming. Making moves to bring these ideas into reality is a whole other ballgame, and this week we're walking onto the field, a little jittery, but mostly raring and ready to go.
And what do we run into? Why it's The Tower! Everybody's favorite card!
Of course I'm being sarcastic here. The Tower, with its themes of destruction and chaos, is usually met with groans or outright fear. Yet in this reading it has a very important message that gives us a helpful choice to navigate all the potential shown in the Three of Wands.
The Tower shows us the downside of structure, particularly what happens when the structures we have at work in our lives can't contain us, our energy, or our hopes and dreams. Left unheeded, this pressure can lead to destruction. Yet we always have the choice to look at The Tower and make changes, using it as a catalyst to take the change into our own hands and not let the pressure build to an inevitable, surprising explosion.
Action-movie level talk of explosions aside, The Tower this week is showing us how the buzz and action coming into our lives in the Three of Wands is tempting us to fall into old patterns. I love how the artist and creator of this deck, Jonasa Jaus, uses an insect as the protagonist of the Three. Is there a better metaphor for the early, exciting stages of creativity than pollination? And what a fascinating contrast between the vibrant, happy wildflowers in the Three and the epic titan arum in The Tower!
If we're the buzzing insect here, busy traveling from flower to flower, the gigantic titan arum represents a nearly-irresistible temptation. We're feeling a pull to go to The Tower despite the fact that it's not the flower we need to be pursuing at all. In fact, it's quite toxic.
What I love most about the Three of Wands is that is captures both the tenderness and bravery of setting off on any path. When we do this we have to be mindful of our energy. When something's new and budding it needs care, attention, and gentleness. Not to mention focus. In the early stages of a new project, creation, or endeavor we have to remain focused, humble, and in the moment.
In this reading, The Tower shows us a temptation to force our newly budding plans into repressive and overbearing structure. This can show up in a desire to overwhelm ourselves with expectations, judging each and every action and burying ourselves in a pile of "shoulds." Our plans should unfold this way. We should be feeling like that. It should look like this.
Clearly, some form of self-sabotage is at work. Why are we moving from the new growth of the Three of Wands to the cataclysm of The Tower? The Six of Cups appears as our final card to add some insight. This card speaks to nostalgia and early patterns of relating to the world. Taking a risk and committing to a plan in the Three of Wands is bringing up a lot of fear and pressure stemming from how we were taught to look at the world as children.
Interestingly, this card is also showing us a way through The Tower, one that has us bypassing its destructive intensity. Embracing The Tower wholeheartedly (or doing nothing to process the issues it brings up) is leading us towards emotional overwhelm and a desire to control and force our newly burgeoning plans into stale old frameworks. Hardly a goal any of us is consciously working towards! Instead, we can ask ourselves some loving and probing questions. Just what about our new plans and creative ideas is making us feel fearful? Why are we feeling the urge to snuff our our enthusiasm with heavy expectations and judgment?
If we can meet ourselves in this place, lovingly addressing our fears and traveling back to the conditions that they came from, we can enter into the healing space of the Six of Cups. Here, we have the ability to look back at the source of these pressures with all the wisdom we've accrued as adults. It doesn't have to be a big, frightening Tower moment. It can be a gentle moment of reconnection and an act of recommitting to taking our creativity and energy seriously. That means giving it all the space, lightheartedness, action, and bravery it needs to grow.
Dealing with Difficult Tarot Cards: 7 Tips for Reading for Others
At our last Tarot Club meeting we had a nice chat about how to handle the tougher cards when reading for others. Is putting a positive spin on them simply sugar-coating the message? What about when someone is already nervous about tarot? How do you explain The Devil in a "something to look forward to" position in a spread?
These are all rich and meaty questions that each deserve their own post. For today, I'll be diving into the issue of using positive interpretations for these darker cards.
Before we jump on in, a moment to clarify. When I say "darker cards" I'm referring to the heavy hitters in tarot, the cards most likely to pop up on a massively stereotypical fortuneteller's table in a horror movie: Death, The Devil, The Tower, and the Three of Swords. I mean, just take a gander at these beauties!
Right off the bat we can see similarities. A predilection for ominous black or flat grey, intense imagery you could easily imagine on the cover of a death metal album, and visual themes of suffering. No wonder those new to tarot get squeamish around these cards!
And yet would you be surprised if I told you that these are some of my favorite cards in the deck? Without the darker tarot cards the system itself would lack nuance and depth. Tarot is a beautiful illustration of all the facets of life, good and bad. And I say "good and bad" as a jumping off point - tarot is much more subtle than a simple binary; though it uses them to illustrate certain points it also invites us to shade in all the tones of grey that make up most of our human experiences. Sugarcoating them strips away their beautiful complexity and power to reflect our lives in their entirety.
And yet it's a fine line to walk: how do we breach the complex messages of these cards when reading for friends, acquantances, or people new to tarot?
Tips for Interpreting "Negative" Tarot Cards
1. Acknowledge Change
No one card shows a static situation. Life is constantly changing, and we are constantly changing, so no one is going to get stuck experiencing the stabby heartbreak of the Three of Swords forever (that would take some serious willpower!) I think a lot of the fear around tarot is that the cards will show you something bad that you're powerless to change. On the contrary, tarot shows us what energy and happenings are circulating in our lives. It's a map we can look at, interpret, and then choose how to navigate.
2. Cut to the Chase
So you're at a party and have decided to read cards for a few friends. You flip them all over and the second to last card is Death. Instead of going in order while your friend is nervously fixated on a tarot card that literally says "death" on it, wondering if it means she's going to die, jump stright to it with a quick explanation. "You've probably noticed this scary looking skeleton on horseback that says "Death" underneath. Don't worry, tarot is a rich symbolic system and this card doesn't mean you're going to die tomorrow! It can actually be quite beautiful - we'll get to it soon, but in the meantime do you have any questions about it?" (Note: you can use much more elegant language that I do here!)This method takes some of the anxiety out of the situation and diffuses tension so that the querent can be present during their reading.
3. Explain the Context
All tarot cards have their positive and negative sides and their strengths and weaknesses. The large part of a tarot reading lies in each card's relationships to the others in the spread. Context is key. So Death with the Three of Swords could represent a painful but necessary breakup, or The Tower followed by the Six of Wands could show an unexpected, drastic change clearing way for a creative breakthrough. Tying the more challenging cards to others in the spread is a wonderful way to acquaint your querent with the situation and allow them to see their more detailed meanings unfold.
4. Let the Querent Lead
I see tarot as a collaborative process, so the experience and interpretation of whomever you're reading for is an essential. Give your querent an opportunity to share their response and connections with the difficult card after you've given a brief explanation of meaning and context. Does it resonate for them? Let them lead the interpretation here and listen actively. This is a key step for those kind souls who might be tempted to sugarcoat too much in an effort to shield their querent from difficult emotions or situations. Many people actually find it relieving and healing to see tougher situations in their readings. They feel seen and empowered to survey the land and decide how they want to proceed. Giving them the space to decide whether they want to dive deeper into a card or not will both give them the reading they need in the moment and allow you to respond accordingly.
5. Focus on Choice
As I mentioned above, a tarot reading isn't an indictment on your future. It shows the energy active in the current situation and the likely outcome if we proceed as we are right now. If anything, tarot readings give us insight into the many paths we can take. Each card has guidance to offer (yes, even The Tower) and it all rests on how we choose to work with its energy. This is exciting news! Sharing the power of choice and the different avenues available with your querent is a beautiful way to bring the reading home. Returning to the issue of sugar-coating, this is an excellent way to balance the painful aspects of a card with ways to heal. For example, say The Tower appears in a past position, representing an unexpected layoff. It's important here to acknowledge the trauma of this experience. The Tower isn't a walk in the park, that's for sure. Again, let the querent guide you. Additionally, The Tower depicts a situation where structure has crumbled due to an outside force. The querent had no control over the sitution; the only thing they can control is how they emerge from the aftermath. Do they want to rebuild the tower? Build something else? Or pursue another path that's less structured? Leaving the querent with these options is both validating and empowering.
6. Relinquish Control
When we read tarot for others we're equal parts interpreter and conduit. Worrying about how others will interpret things is an expression of our egos. Are we worried we'll offend someone? Look stupid? Refocusing on the cards and their message helps alleviate these anxieties. What is the message of The Devil if we strip away our own nervousness? Let the cards guide the reading and reenvision yourself as a true tarot reader.
7. Focus on Respect
It's essential to center our readings around the mission of offering insight and empowerment. Furthermore, tarot readings should be done with respect for the autonomy and competence of the querent. There's nothing in a tarot reading that could completely undo the querent unless we're reading unethically or phrasing our reading like a proclamation. Trust that the message in the cards will resonate as it needs to with whomever you're reading for. And trust that they are competent people able to care for themselves. We've all weathered heartbreak and misfortune. It may hurt, but it makes us stronger and more experienced. What better way to engage with these sticky subjects than with a trusted friend or tarot reader, looking over an array of insightful cards?
How about you? How have you worked with these darker cards in readings for others? Share your comments below...
