Weekly Forecast: May 1-7
There’s a lot of intense energy in flux this week. We may find ourselves feeling impatient, prickly, or dissatisfied. We have plenty of energy and no desire to take things slowly or engage in self-reflection.
Why is this?
The King of Wands shows us that we’ve recently pulled off some very impressive feats. We’ve reached a kingly place: confident, stable, and accomplished. In the suit of wands this refers to creativity. Where in our lives have we took a creative leap that has paid off? Instead of commemorating ourselves and what we’ve done, however, we’re rushing onto the next thing.
We see the King facing to the left, looking back at where he came from, while our card for the present, The Knight of Pentacles, is facing the opposite way, charging into the future and looking both deflated and intensely fixated at something in the distance.
There’s tension between these cards. Instead of reflecting on the past like the King, we’re skipping to the teenage overzealousness of the Knight of Pentacles. Rushing forward towards something new, our tunnel vision is leaving us removed from the moment and feeling anxious and enervated.
I love this depiction of the Knight of Pentacles. The figure on the horse looks anything but enthused. And yet he’s riding a massively powerful horse that’s ready to rear ahead. This is a card that speaks to moments when our ambition overshadows our limitations and even our true desires.
If you’re going to be charging ahead you’d better be into it, not dragging a heavy pentacle like the knight we see here. Perhaps there’s something heavy and stifling about wanting to turn the fiery creativity of Wands into the solid, predictableness of a Pentacle. Maybe we’re not quite there yet this week. Maybe we don’t even need to go there at all.
There’s a distinct undercurrent of tension here: passion vs. obligation. What’s fueling this Knight charging forward? What is making him droop on the saddle? It seems like there might be a hint of old pressures and thought patterns: the pressure of “should” sending us off on journeys we’d rather not take.
In Pentacles-language, we could be feeling a need to be practical, conservative, and safe. Pentacles value stability. Are we afraid of our creative accomplishments leading us away from safety?
Change and creativity can be frightening because they destabilize us, no matter how positive it may seem. But before we rush off to counterbalance by being overly practical, we could also take a moment to get to know how it feels to master a part of our creative lives.
Contrast the two creatures in both cards. The King of Wands holds onto a fearsome lion, confident enough to turn his back to it and gaze to the side, looking purposeful and grounded. The Knight of Pentacles, on the other hand, is slumped on the back of a powerful horse. He doesn’t appear to be in control of the situation.
The King knows how to keep his wild nature by his side. The lion is a protector and a sign of power, working with his master. The Knight is disconnected from his wildness, allowing it to react to change with barely-controlled energy.
This a reminder that it is best to not move forward when we are acting out of fear and anxiety. Being connected to ourselves is most important when seeking out change. If we’re not feeling it at the moment, we can simply wait until we are clearer and more collected.
Over time, this struggle will be fruitful. Our reading ends with Justice, a powerful Major Arcana card with the ability to cut through bullshit and achieve clarity in moments of confusion.
This card suggests that our struggles between creative confidence and practical ambition will balance themselves out by the end of the week. Our flailing will give way to peacefulness as if our internal push and pull is simply the movement of a scale balancing itself. Take comfort in knowing that the ups and downs are relatively small in the scheme of things, and are leading us to a healthy medium. In the meantime, take stock of your ideas around success, safety, and creative expression. There’s a lot of be learned in the coming days.
Weekly Forecast: April 10-16
We enter this week full of practical ideas. It’s the very beginning of something new. An idea is hatching and we haven’t hammered out the details or narrowed down the scope. Far from it, in fact. The coming days are all about exploring potential before committing to action.
Our plans right now are new, flexible, and exciting. Maybe they seem more like a feeling than something concrete. This is a good thing! We want to harness the budding tenderness of our ideas right now and see where they can take us. It’s not a time to limit ourselves with practicalities and doubts. What’s the risk when it’s still all dreams and plans?
The Two of Wands shows us perking up and feeling motivated. Maybe we’re even feeling the itch of wanting to make things happen now. Pair this feeling with an unformed idea and you get some tension. We want to get started but we’re not quite sure what we want to do or how to do it. We think we need action, but we really need rest, time, and some creative introspection.
Again, the cards tell us this is natural. Instead of running away from our indecisiveness and uncertainty we should embrace it.
Well, where to then? The Seven of Cups points us squarely towards our imaginations. Beyond practical brainstorming, now is the prime time to get visionary about the future. In terms of thinking, we can go wild. Dream away, go to outlandish places. What’s the wildest, most extravagant outcome that our plan could result in. What do we want so much that we feel nervous even naming it?
This card instructs us to tap into our freewheeling, creative sides. If it’s natural to be indecisive now, we can truly explore all our options. We can do this visually, too. Art, self-expression, and playfulness will do wonders in giving us clarity as we solidify our plans. This can seem counterintuitive, especially given the logic-centric culture we live in. You mean we can abandon logistics and potential hazards, going straight to dreams, adventures, and fun?
In this case, yes. We don’t want to strangle the tender budding ideas just poking their heads above the ground right now. We’ll have plenty of time to think it all through later. In fact, the Four of Swords tells us that we’ll be entering a more logically introspective time after we let ourselves play in a realm of potential. We can trust ourselves here. Giving ourselves time to brainstorm, get creative, and then deal with practicalities will lead to something both doable and exciting.
This is our exercise for the week:
What are your wildest dreams? Put aside all your doubts, judgement, and fears. (Do this lovingly. They have things to tell you, too, though they can definitely be pesky. You’ll address them later.) Explore all sorts of options and then see what links back to the little idea you’re growing. How can they work with each other? Pay the attention to the way you feel when you don’t give yourself any limitations. Remember this feeling and do all you can to protect it when you decide to put your plans into action.
And once you’ve done all that?
Rest. Let all your ideas percolate, giving them plenty of time and space to settle. There’s a lot going on under the surface, and given a nice spell of nurturing and exploration it will soon be ready to burst out into action.
Weekly Forecast: Jan 23-29
Cards from the Pagan Otherworlds Tarot
Well, would you look at all these people in this reading!
This is a time where we’re feeling a shift in our roles, a change from one way of being that we’re very comfortable in to a wobbly yet exciting new approach. We’ve been feeling very in control and powerful – and for good reason – yet this week sees a need for innovation that may have us feeling like we’re learning to ride a bike for the first time. There will be unsteadiness and uncertainty, but we’re expanding our reach and learning important new tools.
We're moving from a realm of decisive thinking to the much messier (and sensual) realm of doing. When it comes to thinking we have the upper hand. In our minds, we can control all the factors, experiment with ideas, and mull it all over to find the best possible solution. This is important. Were we to rush ahead blindly things could fall apart quickly. It helps to draw a map before you set out on a journey.
The King of Swords reflects this feeling of competency. We’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately. The sharp, piercing kind that cuts holes in bad ideas and stale ways of thinking, making a path to move into something new. Something that works far better than what we have now.
We’ve become quite masterful at this, and yes, it is good to acknowledge talents and successes. Like a sharp-eyed falcon hovering over the world, we’ve seen a lot and have a much better perspective of the bigger picture than those scurrying around on the ground. For things to change, however, we have to get down there, too. Now is a time to turn our thoughts into action and jump into the fray, taking our keen observations with us. It’s time to step through into another way of doing things. That is, by actually doing them.
But things look much different on the ground. It may be a little chaotic, and the steely remove we can have in our minds quickly gives way to a rush of sensations and stimuli. In the Page of Pentacles we find ourselves grappling with this new reality. At the same time, this is a splendid opportunity, and one I have a feeling most of us are more than ready for. We get to do things now – feeling, experimenting, and experiencing all that is around us.
If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed and deflated in this new role, remember it’s supposed to be a little awkward. We’re living in the real world and in real time. We’re learning. Perfection is not the goal here, simply dedication, diligence, and a nice pinch of joy and fascination.
Become engrossed in the tasks at hand and know that at a certain level, we’ll always be a beginner like the Page of Pentacles. This can be many things: beautiful, enriching, frustrating, and confusing. Above all, it’s hopeful. We can always change, adapt, and learn new things. Quite useful in a world that’s constantly changing, don’t you think?
The Empress drives home the underlying theme of earthiness and involvement present in this week. I see her as the most grounded card in Tarot: sitting on her throne she is the ruler of the physical world – of nature, sensuality, and all the experiences that make us alive – because she is inextricably a part of it. The Empress reminds us that the experiments (and sometimes fumblings) of the Page of Pentacles are bringing us to a world where we embody the change we want to see.
So this week consider what you want and then go out and do something to create it. This can be small, like craving a certain something delicious and cooking it for yourself. It can be large, like committing to a cause that you want to support. Better yet, bring this energy to many parts of your life. The way of the Empress is to treat all these manifestations with respect. We’re not able to embody this attitude in everything we do, but we’re thankfully in the scrappy place of the Page of Pentacles – ready and willing to get our hands dirty and try new things.
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Lovely Links & Happenings
I don't know about you but I'm having major Halloween withdrawal over here. My partner and I dressed up as Cesar the Somnambulist and Jane from one of my favorite silent films, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. (You can watch the whole thing on youtube here. It's spooky and the handpainted sets are beautifully surreal.) It was a ball, though I have to say I do not have a natural talent for face painting.
It's been a few weeks since I had a link roundup, so there's lots of diverting tidbits to be had. Enjoy and share what you discovered in the comments below.
Tarot
Those moon phase cards! Irresistible.
Over here I had fun with 10 questions every tarot reader must answer and shared why I choose not to read with reversals in my tarot practice.
For all you tarot professionals out there, I really enjoyed this post from Benebell Wen about how to deal with refund disputes. Check out her blog if you haven't already for the best source around on the ins and outs of running a spiritual business.
I've been salivating over the gorgeous Pagan Otherworlds deck by Uusi. It's hard to belive I was a one deck girl for almost ten years! This one just might be my holiday gift to myself...
I absolutely loved this piece on "Coming out of the Woo Closet" by Andi Grace at Little Red Tarot.
Eclectic Others
Haruki Murakami on the danger of excluding others and the importance of embracing our shadow.
13 Rules for Female Friendships by Roxane Gay.
Why being consistent and small is the best way to win at business.
And, to end on a goofy note:
Finalists for the 2016 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards.