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.

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: November 28 - December 4

Playful energy is gifting us with some surprisingly practical insights this week, dear readers. And in case you’re missing the epic intensity of some our past readings, fear not: The Lovers makes an appearance highlighting the importance of our personal agency when making choices.

Let’s get into the details.

The Two of Pentacles has a refreshing, jaunty aura about them, and this week invites us to put down the burdens of plans, grand visions, and complicated structures in order to grant ourselves the freedom to experiment. Whether you’re staring something anew or need a fresh gust of inspiration in a project or area of your life that’s felt stale and stilted, this card has many helpful suggestions for you.

I think it’s time for a list, in true “practical-pentacles” fashion:

• Return to or visit the basic principles of what you want: what are the two pentacles you’re juggling? Makes sure you’re really interested in them, enthralled even, like the energetic character in the card.

• Embrace looking ridiculous and have a sense of humor about yourself. (How could this hat signify anything but a charming lack of self-consciousness?)

• Focus on what you can do now, and have fun with it….

• While keeping your eyes open to the possibility of a grand future, so that the excitement of your work can steer you somewhere new, instead of back towards familiar dead-ends or tough spots.

It’s likely that this card is speaking to an area in your life that has to do with those ruled by the pentacles suit: work, daily routines, physical health, sex and sensuality. Last week, we had the Queen of Pentacles holding court in the center of our reading, so it’s possible that your “thesis statement” revealed itself in the past seven days. Regardless, this week is an excellent time to find inspiration in going back to the drawing board or starting anew. Let this energy expand to revivify your practices, how you spend your time, and to refocus on what feels good while sustaining your life.

Towards the end of the week, our progress in this area starts to unfurl outwards. Oftentimes, the Two of Pentacles can seem frivolous or silly: can having fun really be transformative? And, especially, can it be helpful to the larger whole and not an act of selfishness?

The Six of Pentacles answers this question with a resounding “yes!” In tending to our sense of play, expansiveness, and even the basics of caring for ourselves (this Two of Pentacles sometimes highlights the intersection of mental and physical health), we become more able to direct our gifts outwards. Consider how, once you feel more grounded and inspired, you can express and honor your values in your actions. If the pentacles gives us one piece of wisdom, it’s this: What we do matters. Helping others, giving back, and recognizing our responsibility for the ones who come after us - all of this falls under the Six of Pentacle’s themes of balance, justice, and reciprocity.

Presiding over all of this, The Lovers lends its aura of pivotal change to this earthy reading. I like this! It means, in other words, that the key to our transformation can be found in the things we’re already doing. This isn’t a moment of looking for a grand epiphany, a prophecy from an outside source; the seeds of self-realization have already been planted, we just have to keep tending to them and watch them sprout into something grander.

If you’ve been agonizing over a choice, fearful of a change that’s afoot, or worried about striking out on your own, look around your life for signs that you’re already on your way and that things are working out just fine. The Lovers reminds us that all change require a healthy dose of self-respect. Growing is hard business, especially when it’s into our own unique forms. Individuality can feel vulnerable, but it also attracts the complimentary people, places, and opportunities that are meant just for us. Open yourself to both the tenderness and excitement of meaningful personal change.

This week, embrace:

• Playfulness, good-natured humor

• A willingness to make mistakes

• Going back to the basics

• Tending to your physical health

• Starting new projects

• Self-love and appreciation

• Giving back, supporting others

This week, Avoid:

• Overcomplicating plans, projects, routines

• Naysayers, people afraid to grow

• Limiting your vision for the future

• Focusing on the future to the detriment of the present moment

Get creative:

• Two of Pentacles: Let’s lean into the inherent ridiculousness of this card. I love how it combines the earthy nature of the pentacles with movement and joy. So, like this jaunty fellow, lift your leg and get dancing. Bonus points for being as ungainly, unhinged, and insane-looking as possible. Just one song, alone in your kitchen, is enough, but more is even better.

• The Lovers: Let’s not allow the grandness of this card to eclipse the joy and excitement of the week. Because part of what makes The Lovers so powerful is that it holds the excitement, love, and passion that motivates personal change. Rather than forcing this card to reveal itself, spend the week looking for delightful pangs of love wherever you go. What pulls you closer? What do you desire? What makes you feel like you’re opening up to the world?

• Six of Pentacles: Spend some time in gratitude - who helps you and how? Once you’ve identified several source of help, support, or inspiration (I suggest three), write out a way you can pay forward the same energy to others.

Weekly Forecast: November 21-27

This is a week of both homecoming and breakthrough, dear readers. As we’ve meandered through November we’ve been picking up some severe cards: the grieving, worrying Nine of Swords, the determined and exhausted Nine of Wands, the jarring call of Judgment. This week, however, brings a fresh start and a new beginning. We’ve done our processing; now is the time to look up from our work and deliberation to see the rich life unfolding around us.

We’ll start in the center this week, as The Queen of Pentacles is holding court over this reading with warmth and care. What are the sources from which love, kindness, and respectful attentiveness are radiating in our lives? This is an important time to express gratitude for the support we’ve been given, reach out to loved ones both near and far, and pay attention to the small gestures other people make to smooth our path and show support.

As a court card, this queen tells us that we, too, are important sources of support and inspiration to those around us. Consider your responsibility towards the ones you love and the collective as a whole - what are the ways that you honor the themes of reciprocity, care, and connection?

You may see where I’m going with this - the central question of our reading and week: how does your expression of love reflect the principle of Justice? Not only is this important this week, but I suspect this question has a lot to say with regards to our big transformation for November. So, if you’ve been feeling adrift or out of sorts, take this week as a time to reground yourself in the practical ways you honor Justice in your actions.

The Queen of Pentacles presides over the everyday - the home, the rhythms of our routines, the wisdom of our bodies, the act and practice of loving - and reminds us that each day gives us the opportunity to enact what matters most to us. The deepest magic is interwoven in the small repetitions; days, weeks, and years add up to a lifetime rich with the power of commitment.

This week also serves as a reset, a moment of calm and restoration after lots of processing. Let yourself relax into the comforts available to you, knowing that they’ll fuel you to come. And, at the same time, use the lull to relinquish any pains, built up tension, or resentments. They’re ready to be released and metabolized into something nourishing instead of corrosive.

It’ll also be useful to take in the warmth and center around our sense of Justice as we move into a much stranger phase. The Moon indicates the arrival of a mysterious change. Things are going to get murky, strange, and unpredictable. Expect to feel spacey, unfocused, or even overwhelmingly inspired to the point of inaction. This is fertile ground, but not the most easy to walk through. Being aligned with our daily lives, loving connections, and greater values will be even more important as we move forward.

This week, embrace:

• Acting with Justice in mind

• Living by your values

• Tending to & celebrating your resources and home life

• Hospitality, generosity, and rest

• Trusting and enjoying moments of “low productivity” and dreaminess

This week, Avoid:

• Being swept away from your values

• Looking to outside sources for validation

• Distractions that lead you away from what really matters

• Filling your time with frenetic tasks, overcommitting to events

Get creative:

• Justice: This strikes me as a “leveling up” on the larger swords-journey we’ve been on this month. You’ll notice we’ve had lots of Minor Arcana cards in the swords suit, but this is the first Major featuring a formidable blade! Take a moment to distill what you’ve been learning into a singular value or principle - what does Justice mean to you right now? (And how can this help cut through any confusion or indecision?)

• Queen of Pentacles: We’ve talked a lot about how this card operates socially in the forecast above, but it’s also important to direct the caring, practical qualities of the Queen of Pentacles inward. Commit to one gesture this week that feels rejuvenating to you: go for a walk in the morning, make yourself a favorite cup of tea before bed, do yoga. Whatever you do, do it with the intention of giving your full attention and love to yourself in that moment, and detach from any grander aspirations. It’s just for a week, see how it feels!

• The Moon: If this card was a timeline, The Moon would fall on the weekend, the perfect time to engage in some lunar explorations! Get planning now: find a bit of time to let yourself dream and get lost in the symbolic. Do a tarot reading for yourself, watch a surreal film, read a chapter in a fantasy novel. This card requires a dose of magic.

Weekly Forecast: November 14-20

We have an interesting confluence of cards this week, all of them dealing with one theme: focus. What are we bringing our full attention to? And have we felt at odds, pulled in different directions, or frustrated by the many demands on our time and energy?

This week, surprisingly, may bring a resolution, but it’s one that’s about healing and acceptance, not change and breakthrough. I want to be straightforward here, since this reading is uniquely pointed: this week we’re being directed to look at how our Eight of Pentacles experience of work and livelihood is interacting with our Hermit nature, that part of ourselves that wants to find a meaningful path through life.

A popular cultural script at the moment is that these two things are hopelessly in conflict. There’s the assumption that work is either utterly meaningful or a total slog, and, I think, a romanticized idea of careers as “true calling.” They’re out there, and if we’re not feeling completely fulfilled by our work, it’s just because we haven’t found the right one yet.

This reading is asking us to shove that stale idea to the side and look at our situation with new eyes. Specifically, the soft and inquisitive gaze of the Page of Cups.

We talk a lot about how the pages are associated with youth in the tarot, and today I’m thinking about how children have the amazing ability to see things as they are, as they’re happening. They may not have the background of history, social cues, tradition, or practice to flesh out the bigger context, but this is sometimes a huge gift. Similarly, this week we’re being asked to look at what we do to support ourselves with fewer preconceived notions of how things “should be.” What, in other words, is actually happening right now?

Let’s return to the Eight of Pentacles to explore that question further. A hugely adult card, this is the most focused depiction of work in the deck. What I love about this image is its twin stories - the figure hard at work, immersed in their labor, and the tree of pentacles growing to the right. Being focused in what we do can accumulate success we’re not even aware of. Until we look up from our work, that is.

This week is a time to assess how much progress you’ve made in an area of your life that has required attention, follow-through, and strenuous labor. It may be directly tied to the pentacles theme of work, career, and the physical body. Just look to the figure in this card and think, “Where have I felt this focus and determination lately?”

This week, however, is time to stop our efforts; the Eight of Pentacles also indicated a period of natural flow in work and practical matters, so this would be a good time to harness your energy, press on in any projects that need your attention, and, when possible, enjoy the satisfaction that comes from exercising your skill and power. The overarching energy of this reading is “whatever you focus on can flourish.”

As things let up mid-week, we’ll have the chance to see our efforts and their results more clearly. I see The Page of Cups as a helpful opportunity to reframe our path and progress. What if our trying, striving, and working is enough just as it is. What if it’s even quite magical? There’s something to be rediscovered in the longer journey we’ve been on to take care of ourselves. Have you learned something important about what really matters to you? Something that could take you someplace interesting?

The Hermit suggests that we’re edging closer to a meeting of our larger life purpose and our daily work. It may be that our true calling is something we enact everyday, in every aspect of our lives rather than a career path. However, if you’ve been searching for some clarity, this is a very supportive time to bring your work closer towards the values and questions you’ve discovered.

This week, embrace:

• Focus!

• Follow-through

• Grounding in physical tasks

• Positive, even magical, thinking

• Taking your work, both the mundane and “great work of your life,” seriously

• Solitude to consider you recent accomplishments

This week, avoid:

• Adopting, assuming, and acting from others’ ideas of success

• Quitting something that matters to you

• Paralysis from goals that are too lofty

Get creative:

• Eight of Pentacles: I’m mad at myself for going here immediately, but I can’t help but see this card tied to helpful productivity techniques. Yes, I’m thinking of things like the pomodoro method. It works for me! But do take a moment to think of a small ritual, framework, or gesture that helps you transition into a state of focus and concentration. Is it a special beverage you sip at your desk? A brief meditation before you launch into your workday? I don’t, however, suggest reinventing the wheel; the Eight of Pentacles is an established card. Go with what’s worked for you, whether it’s reintroducing this ritual or bringing more mindfulness to a practice you’ve been committed to.

• Page of Cups: Because this reading is so… focused (I wonder how many times this word shows up in this reading!) I think it’s important to do something completely unrelated to the work-focused Eight of Pentacles and visionary Hermit. Cue the Page of Cups. Their invitation? Do something new, creative, romantic, goofy, or intensely earnest this week. Some ideas: send someone a love note, take a walk and see how many blue things you can see, serenade your pet or the pigeons on the street, play dress up by yourself at night.

• The Hermit: I don’t want to get too specific with this card since our reading is more about a generalized sense of curiosity and wonder; more the glow of the star in The Hermit’s lantern than the star itself. So, simply gift yourself a Hermit-style retreat. This can be five minutes, a whole evening. Just be sure to go someplace you can be alone and take in the beauty of the world and your place in it.

Weekly Forecast: November 7-13

We have a fascinating synchronicity at work in this forecast with two cards from our November monthly forecast start off our reading: the Nine of Swords and Judgment.

Okay, tarot, I’m listening…

This week we’re touching the source of our discomfort directly. What change are you recognizing in your life that’s activating sadness, angst, resistance, and old wounds? I’d like, however, to use this reading as a helpful guide. Because we can also work backwards, instead asking ourselves: What is my current discomfort teaching me about how much I’ve grown?

The Nine of Swords is an upsetting card to behold, but as we discussed in the monthly forecast, it’s also a nine, the group in the Minor Arcana that deals with the full expression of its type. Swords deal with our minds, information, and communication. This week we’re in a position where we know as much as we need to know. And that can come with a lot of grief, especially when a decision or big change is at hand. Rather than see our struggles as a source of despair, this reading is encouraging us to welcome them with open arms as harbingers of important information. We may be saying a final farewell to some harsh truths, old hurts, or ideas and values that have run their course in our lives.

Holding space for this transition will be crucial when it comes to a) making things as soft and gentle as possible and b) paving the way for a much grander transition on the horizon. Gather your people around you, sharing in the poignancy of life together. We’re all “in it” to some degree, and there’s so much healing that happens when we share both the burden and the beauty.

Now, let’s talk about this big transition. I’m laughing to myself at the imagery here: the Nine of Swords is sitting up in bed, head in their hands as if trying to completely avoid the card looming next to it, Judgment. And who among us hasn’t wished we didn’t have to do the hard and terrifying work of changing?

Again, this is a week to be extremely tender and gentle to yourself (and others). Pare down your commitments, slow your pace, and make room for reflection and processing - a healthy expression of that Nine of Swords card. Because, yes, big things are afoot, and while we do have both of these cards in our monthly forecast, suggesting that we’ll be working with their themes in the weeks to come, I do think that Judgment also holds the potential for big breakthroughs, changes, and developments in our lives this week. If you’ve been waiting on some news, a green light to take a big chance, or a breakthrough you’ve been impatient about, it may happen.

Or, at least, a key piece of information or a crucial event will pave the way for the inner transformation represented by the Judgment card. The King of Swords appears as the final card of our reading, showing us stepping into a position of authority and leadership in our lives, as if we’ve fully integrated the Nine of Swords and know exactly what to do with what we’ve learned. And I don’t mean this in a black-and-white sense of utter, irreproachable certainty. The power of this king lies in their ability to make the best use of the information that have at the given moment. They forgive themselves mistakes and miscommunications because they know that the ground is constantly shifting. Not acting with the information at hand is out of the question, and they trust themselves to pivot, learn, and adapt as they grow, harnessing their fearsome intellect and powers of perception for the greater good.

It’s a week thick with emotion, action, and breakthrough, but we have this sharp card at our side to guide us. Don’t be afraid to assert yourself, communicate your needs and, most of all, use your mind to shape the world around you. This is a powerful time for integration, release, and forward motion. Take things one step at a time, breathe, and trust that you’re equipped to guide yourself through this tricky landscape.

This week, embrace:

• Processing grief, disappointment, hurtful experiences, and limiting beliefs

• Mourning what could have been

• …while opening yourself to what is coming into focus

• Your personal agency

• Deciding what really matters

• Honesty, directness, decisiveness

• Community

This week, avoid:

• Overbooking your schedule

• Strenuous work and/or activity

• Appeasing others to keep the peace

• Being wishy-washy

• Wishful thinking/not consulting the facts/indulging in fantasy

Get creative:

• Nine of Swords: Look at all these neatly aligned swords on the wall - while they’re obviously causing the main character of this card some grief, they’re also impressively arrayed and, some might argue, presenting a path forward. Might our sources of discomfort and grief also be building a ladder of sorts, one that can lead us out of isolation and into something new? Take a moment of swords-y reflection this week to identify nine things that are worrying you. Write them out in a nice list so that they’re organized like this ladder of swords. Then, write a simple way that each could help you. This could be something you’ve learned, something you’ll avoid in the future, or some way that the theme or experience has taught you something. So that you can identify and the focus on the positive side of your double-edged swords moving forward.

• Judgment: Oof. This card is so in your face! Rude? Maybe! A trumpet blast raising the dead isn’t my go-to mode of communication, but sometimes we need to be jolted out of our current position. It’s also important to clear space for this type of transformation, which makes me think of another use of noise: spiritual cleansing. So, to prepare both yourself for the incoming shifts of Judgment and maybe to get proactive and embody it yourself - make some noise in your home with the intention of clearing space, banishing confusion, and empowering yourself. Blast some music, walk from room to room clanging something, or just do some old fashioned yelling.

• King of Swords: This card knows things, and I think this week is an important time to remind ouselves of the depth of our knowledge. Not certificates or degrees, though those do fall under this king, but areas of expertise we’ve accrued through simply living our lives. What are you an expert at? How can you remind yourself of this and let the awareness fuel your decision-making?

Weekly Forecast: October 31 - November 6

I am so glad to see the Queen of Wands back in our reading for the week. I’ll be honest; while I love this card, I was really not feeling it last week. Charismatic ease and vivacious individuality were not shining through into my everyday life with ease! But because of this, I found myself having to strive for this archetype, choosing to embody it despite not feeling up to snuff or at my best.

Which is all to say that I’m glad this card is back at the end of our reading, giving us a sense of direction. How are we walking towards a greater sense of authenticity? We have unfinished business with the Queen of Wands, and this is the week to explore her further.

So, before we dive into the rest of our reading, take a moment to reflect on how this card showed up for you last week. Were you struggling with it like me or did charm, wit, and creativity come easily to you? One thing that emerged as I wrestled with this card was its connection to unabashed authenticity. The Queen of Wands cannot be anything other than his, her, or themself. How have you been embracing your idiosyncrasies as the sources of your power and magnetism?

If some key piece of information around this question appeared last week, this is the week to build upon it by making a direct offering. What steps can we take towards letting our true selves shine?

Our first stop is the loopy Seven of Cups. It’s time for inspiration-overload. Let yourself get dreamy and imaginative at the beginning of the week. It’s okay if your thoughts feel scrambled and linear thinking isn’t coming easily. This card shows us the power of diving into the weirdness of our imaginations. Sometimes we have to envision multiple, outlandish futures in order to discover the parts and pieces we need to construct what’s just right for us. Not to mention the fact that so little is, at the end of the day, in our control. Stretching our imaginations primes us to accept bigger possibilities when they arrive. Devote time to hopping from inspiration to inspiration. Poetry, art, magic, daydreaming, actual dreaming… all of these can be found in the strange land of the Seven of Cups.

It’s also a helpful reminder that periods of feeling adrift, off-course, or simply unproductive are key to finding a way forward that resonates with our hearts. We are in series of cups cards here, a reminder that our feeling selves have a lot to tell us at the moment. Don’t turn up your nose at your desire for love, beauty, and connection. Revel in the mystery, have fun, dream big, and maybe move more pressing, detail-oriented tasks towards the end of the week.

Sometimes the Seven of Cups can be a frustrating card, especially for those of us who value clear plans and actionable steps. It’ll take a bit of a trust fall, but after some splashing around in the pools of imagination, we’re emerging with energy and purpose. The Knight of Cups shows us grasping a new area of focus, or rather, a better articulated one. Have you been toying around with a wish, dream, or plan, but feel the need for it to be more direct and understandable? It’s likely that this clarity is coming your way this week. In what ways are you better able to articulate your wishes and desires after opening up your heart to imagining?

Knights have a hard-headedness to them that can often be troublesome, but this week we need some bravado and insouciance to push ourselves to the next level. Don’t be afraid of asking for a lot, passionately declaring your principles, and striving for big ideals. It’s a time to take chances, particularly the ones that resonate on a deeply meaningful level. The Knight of Cups is a true romantic; they see life in the brightest spectrum of colors (much like, nerd alert, those mantis shrimp with 12-16 photoreceptor cells to our three) and have no qualms taking risks for beauty, transcendence, and love.

Striving unapologetically for what we love and desire, romantically and otherwise, is leading us back to the Queen of Wands, this time with a newfound appreciation and understanding of our unique selves. Consider how the risks you take build on your confidence, giving you the power to change your life and to express yourself more freely.

This week, embrace:

• Daydreaming

• Imagining new paths

• Reevaluating, re-vivifying your creative rituals and practices

• Acting on what means the most to you

• Taking chances

• Self-expression

• Your leadership abilities & responsibilities

This week, avoid:

• Over-scheduling

• Fear of the spotlight

• Hiding behind excuses

• Being overly practical

Get creative:

• Seven of Cups: Take a nice chunk of time to lay out some dishy, daydreamy plans. Seven of them. Give yourself five minutes for each, writing out only the best possible outcome. Stretch into the delightful details, especially if they’re outlandish; how could each be uniquely wonderful? Enjoy yourself. That’s it.

• Knight of Cups: This knight belongs on the cover of a romance novel. Lean into this image, even (and especially) if it feels cheesy. How can you sashay into your own life and the lives of others bringing charm, beauty, and romance? Act as an emissary for something that’s delighting you: share it with unbridled enthusiasm with the people you encounter. Bring the wonder you want to see in the world into others’ lives.

• Queen of Wands: Dedicate yourself to joy this week. This card sees each moment of pleasure & joy as a gift, a sign that you’re on the right track. As tarot luminary Rachel Pollack writes, “Sometimes if a person loves life, the world appears to respond by protecting that person from harm and sends her of him joyous experiences.” When you notice something delightful happening, stop and let yourself take in the moment, metabolizing it so that it can fuel you moving forward. Close your eyes, feel it all, and give thanks.

Weekly Forecast: October 24-31

We have quite the shakeup on the horizon this week, and I’m happy to report it isn’t one of the earth-shattering variety. There are no Towers in sight, no cataclysms or pratfalls. Instead, the Wheel of Fortune appears, spinning us out of one mode and into another. If things have been feeling stale, confusing, or overwhelming know that it’s temporary. In fact, know that whatever you’re feeling, it’s about to change, because if it’s about anything, the Wheel of Fortune is about impermanence, transience, and movement.

And who thrives in these conditions? It’s the vivacious and capable Queen of Wands. Note what’s been changing in your life lately; sometimes the Wheel of Fortune shows a subtle gradation - a storm that gathers slowly and then unleashes its rain, leaving the land transformed afterwards.

What quiet messages have you been hearing lately? Whether they’re intriguing ideas flickering at the edge of your consciousness or alluring points of curiosity you’re just starting to explore, this week they’ll be coming into satisfying focus. What’s more, we’ll be feeling poised and ready to act on them.

In fact, as I look over at our cards, I’m struck by how direct they are, as if the Wheel of Fortune, once it stops spinning, spits us out onto a clear and fast track. This is definitely not a week to second guess ourselves or our good fortune. The Queen of Wands is a capable and energizing card and it tells us that we’re ready to make things happen in a way that’s both enjoyable and sustainable. In true wands fashion, the only thing that can slow us down is getting stuck in our heads.

So, if it feels good, exciting, and expansive - do it. Let yourself be at the center of attention, making decisions, and expressing yourself in any and all directions you feel called to. Remember, the court cards in tarot are the most responsible and experienced of their group. If you feel surprised in a change in your confidence or the support and admiration you’re receiving, don’t waste time second-guessing it. The wands have excellent instincts and thrive in doing, no card more so than this queen.

It’s worth exploring the changes that brought us here. What fog have you been stumbling through lately? And how might emerging on the other side give you the perspective needed to understand your confusion and any misgivings about the future? The Three of Wands shows us ending the week with a much better idea of our next step. Consider revisiting old projects or plans that have atrophied or stalled out. You may find a new jolt of inspiration that puts you back on track again.

The Three of Wands also invites us to rest for a moment, basking in the glow of our achievements. There’s plenty of time to work, hone our plans, and push forward. Be sure to pace yourself and let the power of the Wheel of Fortune and Queen of Wands sink in.

This week, embrace:

• Change

• Launching new projects

• Public speaking & engagements

• Organizing/inspiring/galvanizing groups

• Refining plans

This week, avoid:

• Second-guessing good luck, compliments, accolades

• Ceding authority to others

• Shrinking yourself to compensate for others’ insecurities

• Rushing new ideas, projects, or relationships

Get creative:

• Wheel of Fortune: This week, the Wheel of Fortune is more of a receding influence, which is helpful since this card can be extremely confusing! So, given that we have some extra perspective, take some time to revisit the big shifts in your life recently and how you were able to navigate them well. Coming out of the Wheel of Fortune and immediately into the Queen of Wands is no small feat. How has all the spinning smoothed and polished you like a rough stone in a rock tumbler? If you want to riff on this further, find a gloriously smooth stone and carry it with you as a reminder of your transformation.

• Queen of Wands: Ah, this card! We can have so much fun with the Queen of Wands that I almost don’t want to limit us with a suggestion. So, here are some suggestionS! Go out dancing, pitch a wild and exciting idea, launch a passion project, make people swoon with your charisma. And while you’re at it, buy yourself a bunch of sunflowers.

• Three of Wands: Put on your sturdiest shoes, go on a walk, and ask yourself gently: what’s the next step I need to take on a project I’m excited about?

Weekly Forecast: October 17-23

I was struggling to start this forecast for the strange reason that it was too simple, to the point where entering the space of the reading felt nearly impossible. If you can sum up something in one sentence, why go any further?

Well, this is tarot after all, and each reading is its own world. We can’t just stop there, at the door, without walking in and exploring the whole house.

And then I had a little chuckle; of course it was difficult starting a reading that begins with The Four of Pentacles. We can all feel this card’s association with reserve, self-protection, and restraint just by looking at it. This person doesn’t not seem relaxed! But take some time to observe, listen, and maybe gently pry one of the pentacles from their fingers? Well, then a whole other side of the coin emerges.

So, at the beginning of this week take a moment to see where you’ve been holding steady. What about your life is most precious to you? What do you refuse to compromise on? And how might this steadfastness be a reflection of your dedication to something greater, the promise of a better future?

We may be feeling unsure of this dedication, questioning our instinct to dig our heels in and not budge. Are we being stubborn? Irresponsible? Rigid? The Knight of Swords shows us facing a strong headwind. Self-criticism, impatience, and old loyalty to stale ideas hang heavy in the air. This is a time, however, to sit down, cradle your pentacles, and let these urges and ideas pass by. We have something much more interesting coming our way, and it’s showing up in our actual experiences, not our thoughts.

What does is mean to resist the urge to rush, pursue, and make meaning? This week we have a generative showdown between the slow-moving solidity of the pentacles and the lightening-fast, nimble and reactive Knight of Swords. I won’t mince words; it’s not a chill energy. It will feel sticky at times. But I think we’ve all been practicing inhabiting a healthy “Four of Pentacles mindset.” When needed, take refuge in past examples of how your determination to stay true to yourself - especially in relation to your time, material life, and work - has given you a sense of independence and stability.

Why am I so sure of this? Well, we have a beautiful card showing up at the end of the week that affirms our instinct to wait, ground ourselves, and hold out for something more: The Ace of Pentacles. Our period of waiting, it seems, isn’t going to last long, and a gift is arriving on the scene. It could take the form of a new opportunity, a stroke of good luck, or simply an experience that inspires and revivifies us.

The only catch? We must be ready to loosen our grip on the way our life is now to make room for the newness we’ve been yearning for.

This week, embrace:

• Staying your course

• Taking care of business

• Caring for your body, home, and posessions

• Revisiting your goals

• Prioritizing your wellbeing (in all senses of the word)

• Holding out for the right _______

This week, avoid:

• Being swayed by societal expectations, others’ opinions, the urge to compensate

• Rash action

• Speaking before you’re sure of what you really want to say

• Cutting down your visions for the future

• Saying no to something delightful

Get creative:

• The Four of Pentacles: Let’s tap into the practicality of this card. Fours in tarot are about foundations, stability, and the contours of our life. Pentacles are about our physical reality. So! Spend some time exploring what this means to you at this particular point in your life. What are the four cornerstones of your life’s foundation? Categories to consider: time, body, relationships, resources; places, people, activities, work; routine, rituals, nourishment, expression. Mix and match if you’d like, but be sure to pick four and expand on the things you do to uphold each.

• Knight of Swords: This card is occupying the “butthead role” for the week. In other words, it’s telling us what not to do. So, cultivate a lighthearted and clear-headed relationship with this card. Where do you see the Knight of Swords in your life? How do you inhabit its particular flavor of know-it-all-ness. Some things to consider: What stories get you fired up in the wrong direction? Where do you rush into black and white thinking in order to protect yourself? What do you sound like (and feel like) when you blurt out stupid things? Simple awareness is often all it takes to resist this card’s pull.

• Ace of Pentacles: Aces are somewhat intimidating. How do we know when they arrive? Can we trust them? I feel like this is an important week to open our arms to our aces preemptively, so that we don’t turn them away when they appear. How do we do this? Build a shrine to your Ace of Pentacles. I know you know what you’re really yearning for right now. Let yourself want it, no matter how embarrassing it feels (I see you, Knight of Swords!). Find a space in your home to set out objects that represent this wish, desire, outcome, or gift. Set our some flowers, light a candle, let things be lovely.

Weekly Forecast: October 10-16

Hoo boy, friends! This is a week to buckle in and get focused. While the energies here may not seem compatible at first glance, there’s a path for us to engage with these cards that will result in a satisfying conclusion. It won’t be easy, however, and it will take some serious finessing and mindfulness. I think we’re up to it.

We begin things with The Hermit, a card that shows us feeling a strong pull to retreat inwards to ask ourselves big questions and wanting the space to do so. Take long walks by yourself, indulge in asking expansive and philosophical questions (my favorite? “But what is time?”), and feel for the strength of your inner wisdom, even if it takes some time to emerge.

… and yet the big card on the scene? It’s the forward-facing, assertive Emperor. We have some important business to attend to this week and we’re being direct to face it head-on, even if we’re feeling like slinking off into the shadows and chasing elusive insights 24/7 instead.

This may seem intensely cheesy, but what is tarot but a place to lay it all bare? I just got the image of The Hermit doing an epic reveal, throwing off their cloak to reveal The Emperor underneath. Do our inner, white-bearded grandpas contain such multitudes? I think so. And is an Emperor-like strength hiding under our humility, isolation, and even avoidance?

These first days of the week would be a good time to reexamine the soul-searching you’ve been doing lately. Have you found some answers after all this time? They may not be immediately evident, but I have a feeling that if we do some digging through all of our recent experiences (and experiments) that we’ll find some true gems. Resist the temptation to overcomplicate or shrink away from a “good enough” answer. The Hermit likes to get overly cerebral or mystical, preferring to keep things in the safety of the abstract rather than engage with the real world. Yet The Emperor taking center stage is telling us that we’ll be asked to do this and more. Why not use the insights we’ve been tracking with The Hermit to help us?

None of this is to say that The Emperor is bringing negative energy into our reading. Rather, this card is telling us that we’re really going to need to show up for our lives this week. Harness this card’s assertive, pioneering force. It’s likely that we’ll need to chart some new territory, communicate our needs and ideas firmly, and/or uphold our boundaries with vigor.

I’m also struck by how The Hermit is turning away from this scene, and sending that there may be some need for us to reconcile our “shrinking violet selves” with our outward-facing personas, the part of us that gets things done. Can you find a way to carry your Hermit-self within you, safe within the protection of The Emperor, and perhaps acting as a trusted advisor and confidant?

Take the time to get on the same page with yourself, in other words, and don’t feel like you have to abandon one facet of yourself in pursuit of another. At the same time, a word of caution: this would be a week to be wary of who you share things with. Are there some relationships that could use some recalibration? The Emperor can help with that! Trust your instincts and sculpt the containers that honor your needs for safety and respect.

So what’s all this intensity bringing us? Thankfully, the Nine of Wands shows us emerging on the other side. Sure, we’re a little battle-tested and tired, but all our wands have been planted upright. We can absolutely get a lot accomplished this week, but it’s going to take our all. Be sure to rest and survey your success when you reach the other side.

This week, embrace:

• Asserting yourself

• Completing projects

• Strong boundaries

• Reassessing relationships, noticing where your emotional energy is going

• Consulting your inner wisdom

• Looking to the recent past for insights to the present situation

• Chilling out when the job is finally done

This week, avoid:

• Shutting down or rejecting your philosophical, seeker self

• Not taking your opinions, ideas, and desires seriously

• Oversharing to those who can’t receive or respect you

• Half-assing things

Get creative:

• The Hermit: See if you can give yourself a retreat of sorts at the beginning of the week. Use the time to a) rest and b) explore how your recent questions have shed light on something important. The Hermit usually speaks to values, ethics, and guiding principles that illuminate our path forward (think the star glowing in the lamp). What is guiding you (and I mean the big You - your higher self, spirit, however you choose to conceptualize it) forward at this chapter in your life?

• The Emperor: I don’t know about you, but this card is striking me as extra epic this week, and in need of some simple, actionable ways to channel its energy. So, rapid-fire Emperor ideas: 1) Find a power outfit, a uniform of sorts - armor-like. Wear it whenever you need to galvanize your energy/in the middle of the week. 2) Work out. I know, I know. It’s not elegant, but really - I feel like we need to pump ourselves up with this card. 3) Write down your two goals for the week. Hold yourself to them.

• The Nine of Wands: Having this card at the end of the week makes me want to tell everyone to just relax and take a bath. So, I’m going to do that. It’s likely that we’ll be tired and needing some mental space to come down from all the action. Want a bath with a magic twist? Add nine sprigs of rosemary - your wands - to the water, breathe deeply, think about all the good work you’ve done. (Also, if you don’t have a robust rosemary bush, I’ve had good luck finding affordable rosemary at Chinese and Korean supermarkets. We’re talking whole handfuls, not the piddly packets for $5 you find at Whole Foods!)