Weekly Forecast: August 28-September 3
The beginning of this week is staring slow. In fact, it might seem like a slog where we're trudging along barely able to put one foot in front of the other. The five of pentacles is challenging us to move through obstacles while taking them in at the same time. Often we'd rather rush through to the other side. Instead, this week our lesson is patience and perserverance.
The figures in this card have seen better days. When we meet them in the five of pentacles, they're hobbling through banks of snow dressed in rags. Of course, tarot speaks in symbols, so we won't be literally cast into the streets as beggars. However, this mindset will be present in our lives, most likely in our day-to-day. In some way we're feeling impoverished and engaged in a struggle to get by.
The rest of the reading calls on us to rethink this mindset. Our struggles aren't indicative of a long road ahead. Instead, they show us pushing through a turning point, after which we'll be feeling much more secure and prepared for what's next.
As we begin our week we might be seeing this suffering only in ourselves. The key of the five of pentacles, however, is to widen our gaze and recognize those struggling along with us. There are two people in this card. Perhaps they're helping each other along the way, offering encouragement when there is nothing else to go on. Now is an important time to reflect on how support, friendship, and solidarity have helped us through hard times.
So while we may be feeling put-upon and out in the cold, we actually have more to offer than we think. Another beautiful facet of the five of pentacles are the pentacles themselves. They glow above the struggling people, illuminating their way even though they don't stop to look up for the source. What beliefs and guidance has helped to move us through hard times? Look to it now for support. These intangible things are much more important than we often think.
In reexamining our current difficulties we're also being forced to reexamine our acheivements. After all, there's nothing like some harsh contrast to make us realize how good we have it now. The seven of pentacles shows us breaking out of our struggles and into a feeling of gratitude. Like the gardener in the card, we're taking a break to look at the fruits of our labor. Keep this in mind when deep in the sticky difficultires of the five of pentacles!
The introspective mindset of the seven of pentacles will inspire us to reach out to others who are struggling. In what ways can we offer help and support? How can we cast a warm glow on other people's lives like the window in the five of petnacles? WIthout struggle it's difficult to have compassion. Since we're dealing with pentacles here there's a focus on action that has a tangible benefit. Small things add up to bigger accomplishments, as we can see in the seven. Focusing on work and small acts of kindness will ensure that our good thoughts don't simply stay thoughts.
All this engagement with our ideas around suffering and altrusim is leading to a mental breakthrough. The ace of swords is bringing us a burst of clarity and purpose at the end of the week. We'll be feeling renewed and aligned with our values, maybe even starting to embody something we've only thought of for the first time. Our path here is well-earned and solid: we'll have truly brought an ideal into being through our own actions.
Weekly Forecast, Eclipse Edition: August 21-27
I have to admit I was more than a little excited to find out what the tarot has to say to us during the eclipse. I had a fun fizzle of anticipation running through me as I was shuffling the cards and turning each one over (slowly, to savor the moment, of course.)
It's a fascinating time. As the sun gets blocked by the shadow of the moon we're able to peer into the night sky in the middle of the day. I can't think of a better metaphor for a rare moment of insight - those times when an extraordinary occurence lets us step outside our normal boundaries and into something cosmic and grand.
These cards show us how those moments give us a rare opportunity to reframe our lives. There's nothing like the immense scale of nature - the universe! - to awaken us to the immense blessing of being alive and all the opportunities that come with it. I can't think of a better tarot card to sum these feelings up than The Fool.
Here he is, at the center of our reading. And such a solar card, too! What we're seeing in the brief moments of the eclipse (either in person or remotely through photos, etc.) is refreshing. We're perking up and feeling the urge to shift out of old roles and stale plans. The Fool makes us feel young again, unencumbered by limitations and eager to set off on a new journey. When The Sun shines fully after the eclipse we'll be full of The Fool's bright-eyed and bushy-tailed energy.
I'll be curious to see how this effects each of us individually. It could pop up in any sector of our life as a new plan, adventure, or change. The wands cards on either side, however, tell us that it will involve creativity and action. We'll recognize it through how it feels - like being reborn and able to start anew with innocent and uncynical enthusiasm. That kind of energy is nothing to scoff at, though it might be tempting. Sometimes we want to protect ourselves by appearing jaded, as if we've seen it all before. Brush off that stale thinking! It's limiting and hides our true power.
The two other cards show us we've been tapping into our creative potential lately. It's big and simmering under the surface. We haven't named it yet and really expored its true potential. Like the Page of Wands, we're just getting the hang of things, experimenting and poking around. We're moving out of this phase of learning how to wield our creative power. Now, The Fool is telling us to take the risk and bring our new idea out into the sun.
This all tells us that it's a transformational time, a big opportuntiy we should treat as an adventure instead of a pressure-filled moment to prove ourselves. Furthermore, The Fool asks us to have a sense of humor and think in the "big picture," you might even say the "universal."
Look up at the sky with wonder, see how small we all are. In The Fool's mind this is wonderful, even funny. It means that we are both the heroes in our own stories, off to prove ourselves in this huge world, and also wonderfully inconsequential in the long run. The Fool can feel this way because they are detached from their own ego and we'd do well to follow their lead.
Coming down from this energetic standpoint later in the week will be slightly jarring. The nine of wands sees us looking around, dazed and confused by all the options. Maybe we've bit off a bit more than we can chew (which is very much like The Fool.) It'll be important for us to remember that we don't have to do it all, especially not right now. We can drop some of our projects and push through to the finish line on the ones that really matter (we're close.)
Most importantly, we can look back up at the sky and remember how it felt to see something incredible that's always there - the corona of the sun, the stars in the sky. Then we can refresh ourselves with The Fool's sense of openness and adventure and move forward on our heroe's journey through life.
Weekly Forecast: August 14-20
It's all been coming up aces for us these days. The happy harbingers of the tarot deck, aces show us moments when we are gifted with newness. New beginnings, new oppotunities, and new insights.
Newness, however, doesn't come from a blank slate. Oftentimes we have to make room for new growth, clearing away what no longer serves us and allowing light and oxygen to reach the soil.
This week a very transformative moment is reaching out for us. Like most times when we have immense opportunites for growth, it's not simple or straightforward. In fact, we have the solemn, powerful, and - to be upfront - rather distrubing three of swords leading the way.
This means that at first we might not be feeling so sunny and optimistic. What will later reaveal itself as a gift may first present as sadness, disappointment, or heartbreak. We have the opportunity, however, to see through the disguise and do the necessary work to make way for growth. We need to do a little gardening before our seeds sprout.
A rather painful catalyst is driving us towards the opportunity shown in the ace of pentcales. The growth this week starts as long haul, not a joyful emerging.
If there's one thing we can say about the three of swords it's that it's impossible to ignore. Maybe if you're superhuman you could ignore one sword piercing your heart, but three? Good luck with that. This card asks us to face our pain and identify our heartache. Often what we initially think has dealt us a fatal blow is not what's giving us the most pain. Peel back the layers and there might be an older, deeper wound that needs some tenderness and attention.
When it comes to pain and sandess, and especially when it comes to the suit of swords, we have a tendency to retreat within ourselves. This week we're being asked to do the opposite. We're presented with a beautiful opportunity to see our suffering, hold our imperfect selves, and reach out to others for connection.
I love how we're presented with two threes back to back - the three of swords and the three of pentacles. I imagine these two cards on top of each other. That is, the balm of connection and acknowledgment soothing the original wound of the three of swords.
This is a time to be brave and reach out for support, to illuminate personal heartache so that we can strengthen community. If we suffer in silence we suffer alone. The practical, hands-on nature of the three of pentacles shows us that not only does reaching out build bridges, it helps us build a better world. Being vulnerable this week will also be setting the stage for exciting collaborations and new creations, all of which will start transforming the enclosed sadness of the three of swords into the glowing possibility of the ace of pentacles.
Weekly Forecast: August 7-14
This week we're staring into the limitlessness of possibility with both a sense of adventure and uneasiness. Three powerful cards in this reading indicate that we're at a critical juncture - the end of a cycle moving into a great, big unknown.
Leaving the wholeness of the Wheel of Fortune for the perfect half moon is a beautiful metaphor for the risks we take when we move in a new direction. Half of our future is illuminated by what we wish to accomplish - our goals, visions, and hopes - and the other half is obscured and undecided. Who knows what will happen or how it will unfold? The only way to find out is by taking the first steps forward. And to keep on walking.
No journey is as well suited for the Fool. Despite, or maybe because of his innocence, the Fool is able to face up to the darker corners of the future. With his optimism, mindfulness, and focus, the Fool knows that he brings light with him at each step. It's enough to keep going. It even makes things more exciting.
Like the Fool we're being asked to look at both the frightening & unknown aspects of the future as well as its brilliant possibility. Is the fact that we don't know what happens the spice that makes our lives that much more interesting? Are we repelled by being uncertain or do we find it alluring?
My hunch is that it's a little bit of both. Fortunately, the Fool is comfortable with ambivalence, and we'll be wise to follow suit this week. We may be tempted to look for prefection. We want unbridled optimism! Limitless energy! Robust self-confidence! Just a quick glance at the Wheel of Fortune and we can see why. Its beautiful depiction of cycles and chance is rooted in the splendors of the natural world. We've been basking in all that vibrance and expecting that, when we finally roll the dice, things will unfold in the same way.
Putting change into motion, however, is an entirely different experince. When the Wheel of Fortune stops spinning it's up to us to set off on the adventure. The Fool is telling us proceed with a clear vision and, most importantly, a sense of fun.
Being stodgy and burdened by expectations (from ourselves and others) won't bring about the change we're seeking. Instead we must consider what it is we'd like to take with us on our journey. In the card we see the fool with a light pack sling over his shoulder. Despite his carefree stride, he doesn't look like an amateur. Clearly, this is a character who has seen things on his travels. Instead of burdening himself with tools and memories, however, he's chosen to only take the ultimate essentials.
We're being asked to do the same this week. What do we want to carry with us? What serves us well? What are our essentials? Anything else will only burden us and keep us from our goals.
And what's more, we can see that the Fool doesn't travel alone. He carries a flower in his right hand and a scruffy dog trots along by his feet. Beauty and the companionship of intution both have an importnat place in his journey, and they do in ours as well. At this exciting moment we're being asked to remember what we need to keep close to ourselves so that we can move into a new period of unfolding.
Weekly Forecast: July 31 - August 6
This week's reading is a shiny and exciting one. When I read tarot I am very effusive. It's just my nature. And sometimes I draw a group of cards that has me saying "ooh!" before I can stop myself. This is one of them.
Aces bring an air of energy with them, the effervescent feeling of new beginnings. This week we have two: the ace of swords and the ace of pentacles.
Things have been a bit wandsy around here lately as we've been focusing on action, projects, and getting things done. It's good to kick up a little dust when we get moving, but sometimes it can gather into a dust storm, obscuring the rest of our lives and maybe even choking out some of the greenery along the way.
This week shows a radical shift in energy, a clearing of the storm to reveal a new placid yet exciting landscape that we're able to see with clear eyes. We're experiencing new thoughts, ideas, and inspirations that will be leading us to new opportunities to change our daily lives for the better. And in the meantime? Life is looking good.
When two aces show up in a reading there can be a tendency to be split in two different directions. Sometimes all the possibility can be overwhelming. Right in the center of our reading, however, we have Temperance, a beautiful card that symbolizes wisdom, calmness, and balance. It's the perfect recipe for well-informed and exhilarating decisions.
In a sense, we're being inspired by the idea or inspiration represented by the ace of swords and channeling it through the lends of Temperance. We'll be taking the space to connect with oursevles, deeply consider our values and goals, and then start to make them into reality.
There are a lot of gifts within our reach this week. Most likely they're already at work in our lives, manifesting themselves in our relationships with friends, community, and creativity. Limitations are out the window. Instead, look for inspiration and support wherever your gaze lands. We're sure to find it in many different places, some expected and some delightfully surprising.
We have a lovely, uninhibted pathway between our mental clarity and physical reality right now, making it an ideal time to channel our insights into practice. Think planting a garden and tending it gently instead of running full speed ahead. The earthiness of the ace of pentacles shows us that we're interested most in cultivating something that will sustain us and enrich our lives, not set us off on a wild, freewheeling adventure.
If you're feeling the urge to nest, embrace a new lifestyle change, or enrich your relationships, now is the perfect time. There's a lot of deep meaning to be found in the everyday this week. We're ready to link up our thinking selves with our feeling selves, a profound way to increase groundedness, well-being, and a loving relationship with who we truly are.
Embracing calmness and connection will illuminate the possibilities that have been hiding right under our noses. We're tuning into a new channel, and preparing to accept a new opportunity that's forming. And yet the newness isn't radical or foreign. It's an extension of how we are in the world and how we'd like to be, a slow unfurling from bud to blossom. Did you see the path leading out of the garden in the ace of pentacles? When the time is ripe, we'll be heading out towards a new way of supporting ourselves. Until then, we'll do best appreciating and cultivating what sustains us in our already beautiful lives.
Weekly Forecast: July 24-31
Ah, a visit from the ten of swords, such a dark and striking card.
We haven't had a visit from the heavier swords cards in the forecasts in a while. As a young tarot reader I had to contend with a lot of these popping up in my personal readings. It was daunting and off-putting, but also mysterious. I knew there was some deeper lesson beyond all the intensity.
Some of the cards in the swords suite like this ten ask us to face the harsher facets of life. Usually our first instinct is to turn away. We'd rather not dwell on this image of a figure stabbed in the back ten times. It's disturbing. Yet at the same time we can't move forward constructively with ten swords in our back, can we?
The ten of swords forces us to come face to face with our fears, especially all the ways we hold ourselves back.
This week we're feeling laid low. Something we've been struggling with for a while has really come home to roost. We may have been avoiding a certain reality, rushing around trying to distract ourselves, or pushing ourselves to "move on" before we were ready to.
Either way, this ten is telling us that we can't get off the hook that easily. We have to feel our feelings, even the wild and scary ones. In fact, this scary and disorienting task is what we need most.
The ten of swords challenges us to look at how our thoughts amplify our suffering. When something bad (or unfortunate or out of our control) happens to us how do we react?
Now is a time to examine our negative thought patterns. Do we have a tendency to blame ourselves? Punish ourselves for a percieved failure? To allow a bleak outlook to permeate the rest our lives?
This is a task we must undertake with gentleness and non-judgment, not blame. We're being asked to care for ourselves with the compassion and gentleness we'd offer a friend or loved one.
As a ten, this card depicts the end of a cycle, and indeed we can see brightness on the horizon, pushing away the darkness. Our next card shows us the key to picking ourselves up and healing our wounds.
The Hierophant points us in the direction of structure and a larger picture. Routine and predictability will be giving us solace when we get overwhelmed. The challenge is keeping up with it even when we're not feeling our best.
The ten of swords shows a figure injured and disoriented. This week we're being asked to lift our heads and look to something bigger to inspire us - spirituality, nature, helping others, and different ways of enlarging our world view will bring us healing and a renewed sense of purpose.
This week spend time giving yourself plenty of time and space to nurutre yourself. We're going through a big growth process, and that takes energy. It's okay to rest and grant yourself some well-deserved time to reconnect with what gives your life meaning.
We move from this healing space and back into the fray of life. We shift, however, from the cerebral suit of swords to the dynamic wands. Something about this rest period has invigorated us, and though we might feel a bit on edge, moving will do us good so long as we keep up our self-care routines.
There's an angst to the seven of wands, but the fiery nature of the suit reflects the power of anger and determination when wielded properly. Be sure to avoid outsourcing these feelings onto innocent bystanders as you jump back into the fray of this busy time. It's a lot to work through, but with care it could result in a long-awaited breakthrough.
Weekly Forecast: July 17-23
If this week has a theme it's moving from the cosmic to the practical.
We start out with the magnificant expansiveness of Ricardo Cavolo's interpretation of Temperance. The illustration does a wonderful job of opening up our ideas of balance to include all sorts of bright and beautiful possibilities. Here, balance is not about exact equality - making each side of the scale precisely the same - but the freedom that comes with living in the moment. Picture a gymnast walking across a balance beam, their ankles and feet making slight adjustments as they continue across with utter focus.
And then they launch into a stunning backflip.
That's where we are this week. Feeling a renewed sense of confidence and clarity that's fueling our ambition and desire for exploration. We're capable of great things always, but this week brings us a unique sense of alignment where our talents are free-flowing and at their best.
It's fitting then that we get a visit from the Knight of Cups, the idealistic go-getter of the tarot world. This card tells us that we're inspired by a deeper concept instead of just the action itself. External motivations like approval, success, and acceptance are all fine and dandy, but we have our eyes set on something with more meaning right now.
Is it an important cause? A beautiful insight we received when practicing the calm, centeredness of Temperance? A spiritual awakening? Identifying this seed and getting to know it will be very helpful in channeling all our energy in the days to come. Take the time to explore further so that you can charge ahead with a clear sense of direction.
If the Knights have a flaw it's one of short-sightedness, and for the Knight of Cups this comes with an idealistic twist. Ever the romantic, this card has a complicated relationship with reality. Having one's eyes to the stars can be a beautiful thing, but when you forget (or refuse to) look at the ground, things can get rocky.
There may be a tendency in the days to come to willfully or innocently avoid considering "what's on the ground," - other people, relationships, responsibilities, etc. If any cards can strike a balance between the powerful forces of idealism and practicality it's Temeprance and the Knight of Cups. A creative, beautiful, and responsible solution is ours for the taking if we put our minds to it.
And it looks like that's exctly where we're heading. The Nine of Pentacles shows us entering into a period of bountiful stability. This is where the practical really comes into focus. It looks like balance, a wider perspective, and a hanful of energetic idealism was what we needed to see a vibrant sense of well-being in our material lives. Following our hearts can lead in a materially satisfying direction if only we believe in ourselves.
Whether it's an idea coming into fruition or a literal windfall, the end of the week holds great potential for abundance and good fortune. We'll be feeling lucky and well-off and just getting started on our journey. After all, the Knight of Cups is just about to leap from his cup. Where will his energy take us next?
Before we find out, it's a wonderful time to sit back and bask in what we have at our fingertips, enjoing our lives and sharing it with our close friends and family.
Weekly Forecast: July 10-17
The full moon in Capricorn seems to have awakened some barely concealed energy. Why do I say barely? We have both the Empress and the King of Wands showing up in the first two positions of our spread. These two cards arrive on the scene completely connected to their own power, talent, and vision.
To put it simply, this is a week where sensuality and action come together seamlessly.
At the root of all the comings and goings is a deep connection to ourselves. The Empress isn't a card wrapped up in the conceptual. She lives and breathes in the reality of lived-in, daily life.
The way the Empress sees things, this is the most magical space to inhabit. To her, reality as we experience it contains all the inspiration and sacred energy we need. The realm of the senses - what we can touch, see, smell, taste, and hear - is the direct expression of something greater.
This is a time to revel in our perceptions and experiences of the world. We're being urged to pay attention to how we feel, more particularly, how our bodies feel as we interact with what's around us.
It's a delicious, stop-and-smell-the-roses attitude towards life. No moment is too small or too fleeting - the feel of the sun on our faces, the ground beneath our feet, or the sound of a bird flying by. We can find joy around us at all times and in abundance.
This foundation of awareness will grant us a wealth of self-confidence and stability. Framing our experience in our bodies - we're at the center of everything we encounter - allows us to bypass the at times anxious and stifling filter of our thoughts.
This week we're being asked to engage with the feeling of knowing rather than the thought of knowing what's right. Listening to our instincts, following the feeling in our stomachs, hearts, feet will bring us to new and exciting places.
So now that we're really feeling ourselves where are we headed? Fostering self connection and paying attention to the joys of being alive is propelling us towards the King of Wands, a proactive, powerful, and dynamic card.
When we feel at one with ourselves and the world we are able to leap forward and embrace actions that reflect innate truths about ourselves. We're going to have no shortage of energy this week, nor inspiration. I like to think of these two cards as a representation of the marriage between our wild and natural self and our creative self.
Think (and feel) about what is an important next step. What's calling to you that you'd like to leap into wholeheartedly? This is not a time for doubt or trepidation. We've got this.
Excitingly enough, it looks like we're not going to be pursuing these dreams alone. The Two of Cups shows the beginning of an important union. Someone is coming onto the scene after being attracted by our vim and vigor.
This partnership will be formed around the creative leaps and bounds we're taking and, in addition to being inspiring will also have a lovely and tender side: mutual support in the birth of a new venture.
And what a beautiful progression of images: the lush growth in The Empress moving towards the sun-like rays of inspiration in the King of Wands. All leading to the celestial expansion and companionship of the Two of Cups. We're going to be exentding all the way from the ground to the heavens, looking at a beautiful starry sky of possibility.
Weekly Forecast: July 3-10
I started shuffling for this week's reading with a lot of curiosity. What would the cards have to say now that we're in the midst of summer, starting (or continuing) to stretch our wings into the extra free time and warm weather.
We tend to see time off as inherently relaxing and rejuvenating. Just look at all the commercials for cruises in the Caribbean with beaming families cavorting in the ocean. The reality, however, can be a lot different, especially since we're conditioned to value productivity above all else these days.
What happens when we stop being productive and just relax?
The reading for this week shows the more complex reality of leaving the at times comforting and at times stifling confines of our normal routines.
We begin with The Devil, a card that suggests we may be tempted to jump into some wild hedonism right out of the gate (I'm looking at you, 4th of July...) Pleasure, overindulgence, and excess are calling to us all at the beginning of this week.
This card is a reminder for us to be safe and as moderate as we can without shying away from fun completely. Yes, it can be done, though it might not match up with our usual way of cutting loose.
The Devil often refers to well-worn negative patterns. In what ways are we comfortable being careless and wild? What part of us does this behavior serve? And what can we do to step outside these ruts?
This is a card that asks us to rethink the usual and peer into why we're so attached to certain rituals.
It isn't necessarily all negative. Sometimes we need to immerse ourselves in our bad habits so that we can realize we've actually become sick of them and need something else.
The Eight of Cups shows exactly this transformation. It's a bit of a melancholy card, but one also steeped in bravery and transformation. In the middle of the week we'll be asking ourselves some deep questions and heading off to find the answers.
This is a card that highlights moments where we choose to look for new meaning in our lives. Sure, what we have could be "enough" (i.e. the negative habits of The Devil), but right now we're sensing that there's more out there. More growth, more bounty, and more joy.
Summer has a tendency to bring this out in us. It's the unspoken side-effect of free time: it also gives us the time to think more about our lives and to feel th feelings we were able to avoid when we were busy.
So after we have a jaunt in th seductive excesses of The Devil we find ourselves a bit hungover and motivated to make some healthier decisions either physically, mentally, or spiritually. Or all three.
Solitude and introspection will be immensely helpful in making sense of it all. The Two of Swords shows us making a helpful connection between our emotions, intuition, and thoughts towards the end of the week. The clarity we're seeking will be found best my removing oureselves from external distractions and focusing on our own feelings, thoughts, and perceptions.
If we're feeling a bit burnt out and maybe dragging our feet in making some adjustments to our way of doing things it might be helpful to remind ourselves that we have all the tools and all the time we need. Immediate action is not necessary right now and we can give ourselves the helpful luxury of feeling things out and letting it all percolate into coherent thoughts.
There's no rush and no pressure. Just us, time, and the beginning of a new and exciting way of being in the world.