Author: Cerridwen

Monday, May 19, 2025
Waning Moon
Pluto Retrograde

Hello! How did last week work out for you? I definitely had a Tower challenge, but the Bond card of the Collective Energy and the 3 of Cups as my Comfort helped me through it.

We’re still in a Pluto retrograde (and will be, until mid-October). Hidden aspects of people and situations will continue to come to light. It can be painful, but ultimately knowledge is better than ignorance. Here in the US, we’re also galloping towards the big Memorial Day Holiday Weekend, so there’s a frantic energy to try to get it all done.

This month’s deck is the gorgeous Forager’s Daughter Tarot by Jessica Lei Howard. It’s a stunningly beautiful deck that reads well, and every bit of the artwork has layers of meaning. You can learn more about the creator and buy the deck here.

If you’re new to the weekly readings, this is a spread of mine. It’s read from left to right, 5 cards. Any card that needs more interpretation can be built into further, above and below, with either more tarot cards, another tarot deck, or an oracle deck.

These interpretations are mine, based on my experience, intuition and responses to the artwork. You may have a different experience. This is an overview of the week as it stands now; every decision we make from the moment of the reading can change the outcome. If there’s something in the reading that worries you, you have the information ahead of time so that you can plan, make better choices, or handle it differently than predicted for a better outcome. Tarot sets out possibilities, which you change through your choices and actions.

Left to right, the positions are as follows:
1. The Collective Energy of the Week
2. The Week’s Challenge
3. The Week’s Opportunity
4. The Week’s Stretch
5. The Week’s Comfort

The Collective Energy of the Week – Knight of Cups
The Knight of Cups takes compassion and intimacy out into the world. If you look at the card, a candle burns within a glass chalice. Although the moths are drawn, the chalice protects them from being burned. There’s also lavender in the card, which is a good herb to work with this week. The week’s collective energy is that of kindness and compassion. Let’s remember to use it on ourselves as well as on each other.

The Week’s Challenge – The Star
This is an interesting card to have as a challenge. The Star is a card of hope and light. The red cardinal indicates creativity. The ice around the North Star is melting, and the yellow crocus flowers indicate the end of winter. So why would this be a challenge? My sense is that we still need patience. We want to move forward, but we are still in the melting phase, not completely ready for a growth spurt.

The Week’s Opportunity – Six of Wands
This card appeared in the Challenge position two weeks ago, in the May 5th reading, and has now shifted to the opportunity position. It’s still about victory, but the victory is an opportunity this week, rather than a challenge. Tie in the yellow of the daffodil with that of the crocus in the previous card, which is positivity. I associate it with inspiration. If I’m having a dull day, burning a yellow candle often gets me back on track. The victory might not be handed to you this week – you might have to look for the opportunity, and then grab it. But it’s there.

The Week’s Stretch – The Three of Swords
Having this card in this position puzzled me. How can we stretch to meet the 3 of Swords, when it’s so often a card we try to avoid? The figure in the card is the red cardinal, from the Star card, with three swords plunged through him. There’s betrayal and disappointment involved. We don’t want to be pinned in place or betrayed or stabbed in the back.

Exploring this card further, using other tarot cards rather than an oracle deck, Justice was the Foundation card. The artist chooses to show Justice as the food chain, for cause and effect. Did you place your trust in someone knowing that it wasn’t a wise idea, and now you’re stabbed in the back? Did you do something you knew you shouldn’t have and confide in the wrong person, and this week there’s a betrayal and you have to face the consequences? Do you have a guilty conscience about anything? Did you put someone in a position of an unfair test, and they are fighting back to regain their own sense of balance? Are you about to make a decision you know is harmful to you or someone near you, and you intend to do it anyway? Any of these could be a reason that Justice shows up as a foundation for the 3 of Swords in this position.

Going even deeper, to the Growth that can come from Justice moving through the 3 of Swords, it moves into the 10 of Wands. This is a card of heavy burdens and responsibilities, which can feel overwhelming. I had another wand added to my week, and am worried about a sense of overwhelm. Tying it to the other cards, though, means the root of the Justice card winds up in a feeling of betrayal and being pinned, and then grows up and out into the 10 of Wands, feeling overburdened. Because it’s a 10, it’s near the end of the cycle, and holding on a little more will mean you can set down some of the burdens.

Since these three cards explore the “Stretch” position in the spread, it makes me wonder if, perhaps the reason it’s a stretch is that we are not looking at it through the lens of the week’s collective energy of compassion and of the opportunity for victory. Hang in there, but maybe we’re overdramatizing, and falling into negative emotions because we’re not seeing it through compassion, hope, and victory. Maybe that’s why the Star is in the challenge position. Instead of being pinned and betrayed, yes, there will be more stress and burdens this week, but it’s challenging us toward something creative and hopeful if we meet it with compassion and a sense of opportunity, rather than a sense of betrayal and burden. Something is unbalanced, and we need to put it back into balance. If we respond with compassion and hope rather than react with a sense of betrayal and overwhelm, we might be able to meet it for the opportunity it really is. That doesn’t negate the uncomfortable feelings, but it gives us a path to navigate through them.

The Week’s Comfort – Knight of Wands
The Knight of Wands takes determination and passion out into the world, often with charisma. We have another yellow flower here, too, this time forsythia. Yellow flowers thread through several of these cards. Maybe treat yourself to some yellow flowers this week, and have them in a vase where you can look at them when things feel heavy. The Knights at both ends of the spread guide that entering the week with compassion will allow us to exit the week with determination and passion. Not all the emotions and experiences this week will be pleasant, but we have the chance to handle them in a way that is ultimately positive beyond ourselves.

Did anything in particular resonate in this spread for you? Or did you get a completely different interpretation? I’d love to hear from you in the comments.

Monday, April 28, 2025
Waxing Moon
No Retrogrades

Hello! We are about to finish one month and begin another. We are about to celebrate Beltane, on May 1. The new moon was yesterday, and we are in Taurus season, which is about stability, security, and tangibles – a very pentacle-centric time, in the suits.

At the end of the week, Pluto goes retrograde until October 13th. From May 4 until at least March 2026, at least one planet will be retrograde, often more. Pluto will be retrograde in Aquarius, so it’s a time to rethink how we show up as individuals while being part of a larger collective. What old associations need to be released? Where are you “going along to get along” instead of standing in your truth? This particular Pluto retrograde will challenge us to examine this, and make changes that benefit us while also benefiting the community. Too often, we are fed the lie that those are in conflict, when in reality, we need to be our best and more truthful selves in order to bring that best into the community, so the community can thrive as a whole, while still supporting individuals. They are not mutually exclusive. Those who feed that line are doing it for their own agendas.

This month’s deck is the wonderful Mystic Mondays deck by Grace Duong. It’s modern, bright, and colorful, a great way to jump into spring. A fellow writer recommended this deck to me, and I fell in love with it. It reads very well, and the artwork itself communicates with strength and clarity. If you want to read more about Grace’s work (she has several decks and gives workshops), and buy the deck, you can do so here.

If you’re new to the weekly readings, this is a spread of mine. It’s read from left to right, 5 cards. Any card that needs more interpretation can be built into further, above and below, with either more tarot cards, another tarot deck, or an oracle deck.

These interpretations are mine, based on my experience, intuition and responses to the artwork. You may have a different experience. This is an overview of the week as it stands now; every decision we make from the moment of the reading can change the outcome. If there’s something in the reading that worries you, you have the information ahead of time so that you can plan, make better choices, or handle it differently than predicted for a better outcome. Tarot sets out possibilities, which you change through your choices and actions.

Left to right, the positions are as follows:
1. The Collective Energy of the Week
2. The Week’s Challenge
3. The Week’s Opportunity
4. The Week’s Stretch
5. The Week’s Comfort

The Collective Energy of the Week – 2 of Wands
The 2 of Wands is about making a plan that you can step into tangibly in the world as your future. The card itself shows the entrance to a path. It’s not a straight or flat path. There are ups and downs, hills and valleys. And we can’t see where it ends. We have to have the courage to take those first steps. So this week, let’s check that we have tools to start the journey, and soon we will take those first, bold steps. Wands are tied to fire, identity, and passion, so this road leads us to being better selves.

The Week’s Challenge – Princess of Swords
The Princess of Swords is smart, creative, and excited. She encourages us to speak our new ideas into being. Remember when the Ace of Swords came up in the April 14th reading? This idea has been percolating since then, and, partnered with the 2 of Wands above, it’s okay to talk about it now! So why is it in the Challenge position? Part of talking is listening, and since this is a fairly new idea, know when to talk and know when to listen to the responses. Even if you choose not to take all the advice in the exact way it’s given, really listen to see if something useful that fits your vision – or suggests something even more creative – is offered.

The Week’s Stretch – 10 of Pentacles
The 10 of Pentacles is about security, stability, and tradition in very tangible ways. You’ve achieved something and can enjoy the fruits of the success and share it with your community. Because we are living under such daily stress right now, it’s hard to remember or allow ourselves celebration for achievements. This card in this position reminds us that it is important and healing to do so, and gives us energy to keep on.

The Week’s Opportunity – 9 of Cups
The 9 of Cups is often called “The Wish Card” meaning something you wished for comes true. You’ve completed something creative and fulfilling, and can take a minute to feel good about it. This ties in directly to the previous card, the 10 of Pentacles in the Stretch position. Let yourself enjoy a wish coming true, completion of a creative project, a sense of fulfillment. You are not letting anyone down by enjoying your own achievements.

The Week’s Comfort – The Devil
How can this card be a comfort, especially since it’s so often viewed negatively? Because the Devil reminds us that we live in a tangible world. Take a look at the art on this particular card. It’s not an outside devil figure threatening anyone. It’s steps to the individual’s own mind. How often do we trap ourselves by overthinking? But there are also doors leading out to infinity. The Devil card in this position of comfort this week is further encouragement to celebrate the Princess, the 10 Pentacles, and the 9 of Cups. We live in a physical world full of pleasures, if we take the time to enjoy them. And, in such chaotic and stressful times, we need those moments of pleasure to renew ourselves. Once we are restored, we have the courage to step out on this new path indicated by the 2 of Wands.

Did something in the reading particularly resonate with you? Or did you intuit a different interpretation? I’d love to hear from you in the comments.

Next week’s reading will be in May, post-Beltane, in the Pluto retrograde, and we start the new month with a different deck. I’ve loved deepening my relationship with this deck over the month, and hope you enjoyed it, too.

Monday, April 21, 2025
Waning Moon
No Retrogrades

We are in a very brief period without retrogrades, so it’s good to set track for the rest of the year. Part of that is clearing out, since we are in waning moon. The sun just moved into Taurus, which means we are also focused on comfort and home. In other words, many I know are into serious spring cleaning right now and working on their homes. I’m doing it, too, and my landlord’s painting the exterior of the building, which is great!

This week’s reading has three court cards and two minor arcana. It builds on what was set out over the past few weeks.

This month’s deck is the wonderful Mystic Mondays deck by Grace Duong. It’s modern, bright, and colorful, a great way to jump into spring. A fellow writer recommended this deck to me, and I fell in love with it. It reads very well, and the artwork itself communicates with strength and clarity. If you want to read more about Grace’s work (she has several decks and gives workshops), and buy the deck, you can do so here.

If you’re new to the weekly readings, this is a spread of mine. It’s read from left to right, 5 cards. Any card that needs more interpretation can be built into further, above and below, with either more tarot cards, another tarot deck, or an oracle deck.

These interpretations are mine, based on my experience, intuition and responses to the artwork. You may have a different experience. This is an overview of the week as it stands now; every decision we make from the moment of the reading can change the outcome. If there’s something in the reading that worries you, you have the information ahead of time so that you can plan, make better choices, or handle it differently than predicted for a better outcome. Tarot sets out possibilities, which you change through your choices and actions.

Left to right, the positions are as follows:
1. The Collective Energy of the Week
2. The Week’s Challenge
3. The Week’s Opportunity
4. The Week’s Stretch
5. The Week’s Comfort

The Collective Energy of the Week – Knight of Swords
The Knight of Swords is about intellect, good judgment, and fair decisions. It ties into last week’s Ace of Swords, which was in the challenge position. Last week’s new ideas have formed well enough to take out into the world. Let’s bring our new ideas to the table, discuss them, and find strong ways to move forward together.

The Week’s Challenge – 10 of Cups
This is an odd card to have in the challenge position, because it is such a positive card, and we tend to see challenges as negatives or obstacles. This is a card of emotional fulfillment and strong bonds, and creative expansion into fruition. How can that be a challenge? In this particular reading, there’s always the risk of fearing you will lose the 10, instead of realizing that the 10 opens the way to even more expansion. Because the 10 is often seen as the end of a cycle, people sometimes get scared a loss is about to come, and they start to hold tighter or try to shrink themselves so no one notices how lucky they’ve been. In this position this week, the 10 reminds us that we can be both grateful for what we have, and use it as the foundation for even more creative expression and fulfillment on a greater level than just our own. It ties into the community aspect – ten cups, let’s share! It also ties into the collective energy of the previous card, the Knight of Swords, about bringing new ideas – CREATIVE ideas (cups) to the table and sharing them (cups).

The Week’s Opportunity – Queen of Swords
The Queen of Swords learns from her mistakes and applies that knowledge moving forward. She is fair, often blunt, and knows how to balance the intellectual with the emotional. This week’s opportunity is to make a different, stronger, smarter choice from something where you mis-stepped before. Break a pattern that did not serve you. Make a smarter choice. Use what you’ve learned not just from your own experience, but from the new ideas brought to the table in community in the previous two cards.

The Week’s Stretch – 5 of Swords
The 5 of Swords is about intellectual conflict and argument. The stretch part this week is to remember that different ideas and opinions don’t have to be a negative experience. Respectful, lively debate can bring ideas further into being. If you practice deep, active listening and integration, rather than being reactive and feeling that disagreement means you have to switch into survival mode, different opinions can offer positive progress. That doesn’t mean acquiescing to those who are speaking or acting in bad faith. But it means taking the best of each genuine argument and shaping it into something that serves a greater good.

The Week’s Comfort – Queen of Pentacles
The Queen of Pentacles is about comfort, nourishment, enjoyment, abundance, and safety. Let’s take comfort that these new ideas and lively discussions, processed through what we’ve learned, will create a safer, more abundant community space. We can do this for each and create it WITH each other, rather than waiting for some unnamed source beyond us and beyond our community to do it for us.

Did anything in this reading resonate with you? Or do you have a different interpretation? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!

Monday, March 31, 2025
Waxing Moon
Venus & Mercury Retrograde

I don’t know about you, but I’m still in eclipse hangover. There’s also the frisson of a new moon in Aries fighting the retrograde energy of Venus & Mercury to start the week. Fortunately, today the moon moves into Taurus, which is a little more stable, and then continues its journey throughout the week.

Last week was very much about relationships. There were some lovely surprises in a couple of instances, and some battles in others. I kept coming back to the reading for the week to try to stay grounded.

We have one more week of Mercury Retrograde to survive, and a little under two weeks of Venus Retrograde. From April 13 we have a handful of weeks retrograde-free until Pluto goes retrograde again on May 5.

I look at Mercury Retrograde as a vacation from magic and ritual. I keep up with daily gratitude and blessings, with meditation and yoga. I still bless when I clean. But I don’t start anything new.

I also do not do 1 on 1 tarot readings for anyone else during this time, because of communication confusion so likely during Mercury retrograde. While I will continue to post the community readings during the retrograde, your own interpretation and discernment will be even more important than usual during this time. Take what resonates; leave the rest behind. That is always true, but especially during Mercury retrograde. Take the time to really think about what does and does not resonate and why.

For the month of March, we are using the Midnight City Tarot Mini Deck, written and illustrated by Jackie Franco, and her full-sized City of Dreams Oracle deck. They work really well together. Both decks are New York-centric. As someone who spent many years living and working in theatre in New York, this deck speaks strongly to me. The quality of these decks is wonderful. They feel good as one handles them. You can learn more about the decks and buy them here.

If you’re new to the weekly readings, this is a spread of mine. It’s read from left to right, 5 cards. Any card that needs more interpretation can be built into further, above and below, with either more tarot cards, another tarot deck, or an oracle deck.

These interpretations are mine, based on my experience, intuition and responses to the artwork. You may have a different experience. This is an overview of the week as it stands now; every decision we make from the moment of the reading can change the outcome. If there’s something in the reading that worries you, you have the information ahead of time so that you can plan, make better choices, or handle it differently than predicted for a better outcome. Tarot sets out possibilities, which you change through your choices and actions.

Left to right, the positions are as follows:
1. The Collective Energy of the Week
2. The Week’s Challenge
3. The Week’s Opportunity
4. The Week’s Stretch
5. The Week’s Comfort

I only used the tarot cards this week, because the information is reasonably straightforward. All five cards are Major Arcana, which means this week is about Big Things.

The Collective Energy of the Week – The High Priestess
Our High Priestess sits on a crescent moon. It’s a reminder to keep yourself above the fray this week, look for the symbols that come up to give you information, and most importantly, trust your intuition.

The Week’s Challenge – The Magician
The Magician is about having all the tools you need to create the life you want. This card depicts a beautifully decorated East Village fire escape, complete with magical tools. The challenge this week, as both Venus & Mercury tighten the screws nearing their end points, is to remember that these challenges are temporary. How we meet them and navigate them helps open our paths to the future we want, and we DO have the power to make it happen. The energy flows through the Magician, who then transmutes it through action into manifestation.

The Week’s Opportunity – The Lovers
This card doesn’t have to be about romantic love. It can be about partnership. Other decks often have three figures, indicating the need for a decision. However, look at this card – two hands clasped in harmony, facing a NYC skyline. This card, in this position, indicates the opportunity to join hands with those you care about to face the future.

The Week’s Stretch – The Hierophant
This ties into the earlier cards, especially the Lovers in the previous position. This week, you realize you can’t do it on your own. It’s time to be in spiritual community with others, and learn from a both a teacher and from your fellow students. And they will learn from you. You may feel like it’s just adding one more thing to your week, but it will be worth it.

The Week’s Comfort – The Wheel of Fortune
The art on this card depicts the Wonder Wheel at Luna Park on Coney Island. The Wheel of Fortune reminds us that everything is cyclical. We may be feeling stuck and challenged in this retrograde energy, but the days keep going, and it will change. Things will get easier; things will get more challenging. That’s the way of it. As these cycles happen, look at where you need to break patterns that cause you to repeat difficulties, or that hold you back. See where you can turn it into an upward spiral, rather than a hamster-on-a-wheel circle. This week, look around you and be aware of a lucky break. If you’re not paying attention, you might miss it.

Tomorrow is April Fool’s Day, which feels rather redundant this year, but there we are.

Next week, when we reconvene, Mercury will be going direct, and we will start a new deck for the month.

I’ve loved working with these decks this month, and deepening my work with them.

Did anything in particular about this reading resonate with you? Did you get a completely different interpretation? I’d love to hear from you in the comments.

Monday, March 17, 2025
Waning Moon
Venus & Mercury Retrograde

Here we start another week together! The full moon/lunar eclipse is past, although we may still feel some of that energy. The Venus retrograde has now been joined by the Mercury retrograde. Mercury retrograde reminds us to think even more before we speak, make sure we are clear, to back up tech, expect delays in communication and travel and build that into our schedule, to not sign contracts or purchase big ticket items. Or, if you must, make sure you read the fine print about a dozen times and understand what is going on.

A colleague, this past week, mentioned that when these two retrogrades are concurrent, they look at the Mercury retrograde to translate the Venus retrograde, which I thought was an interesting perspective. Mercury retrograde demands to slow down for clarity, which can help the reconfiguration of the relationships the Venus retrograde works on. I have to ponder that a bit more.

I look at Mercury Retrograde as a vacation from magic and ritual. I keep up with daily gratitude and blessings, with meditation and yoga. I still bless when I cook and clean. But I don’t start anything new.

I also do not do 1 on 1 tarot readings for anyone else during this time, because of communication confusion so likely during Mercury retrograde. While I will continue to post the community readings during the retrograde, your own interpretation and discernment will be even more important than usual during this time. Take what resonates; leave the rest behind. That is always true, but especially during Mercury retrograde. Take the time to really think about what does and does not resonate and why.

For the month of March, we are using the Midnight City Tarot Mini Deck, written and illustrated by Jackie Franco, and her full-sized City of Dreams Oracle deck. They work really well together. Both decks are New York-centric. As someone who spent many years living and working in theatre in New York, this deck speaks strongly to me. The quality of these decks is wonderful. They feel good as one handles them. You can learn more about the decks and buy them here.

If you’re new to the weekly readings, this is a spread of mine. It’s read from left to right, 5 cards. Any card that needs more interpretation can be built into further, above and below, with either more tarot cards, another tarot deck, or an oracle deck.

These interpretations are mine, based on my experience, intuition and responses to the artwork. You may have a different experience. This is an overview of the week as it stands now; every decision we make from the moment of the reading can change the outcome. If there’s something in the reading that worries you, you have the information ahead of time so that you can plan, make better choices, or handle it differently than predicted for a better outcome. Tarot sets out possibilities, which you change through your choices and actions.

Left to right, the positions are as follows:
1. The Collective Energy of the Week
2. The Week’s Challenge
3. The Week’s Opportunity
4. The Week’s Stretch
5. The Week’s Comfort

The Collective Energy of the Week – The Emperor
The Emperor is a card of structure, and of being part of something larger than oneself. This card is reminder to look at the structures you currently have in your life. What supports your vision? What fights against it? Although you don’t want to make sudden moves during these retrogrades, this is a good time to re-evaluate structures in your life, and start setting track you can then put down in new directions by mid-April. The art is this particular card is the Empire State Building, one of my favorites. When friends visited me in NYC, one of my favorite things to do was to take them up at twilight, so we could watch the city light up. Having the Emperor in this deck depicted as the Empire State Building, for me, reminds me that structures can be a positive, and not always just a restrictive. It also reminds me to share delights with those around me. This is a case of the art being very personal to the meaning of the card for me.

The Week’s Challenge – Page of Wands
The Page of Wands is about curiosity and the excitement around new projects. The reason that’s in the Challenge slot this week, is that, with these retrogrades, it’s not the best time to start a new project. This is a good time to dig deeper into why the project excites you, to research, and to do some pre-planning, rather than diving in with the passion of the wands suit. You may want to run around and talk about it, but, for the moment, stay in the quiet research and planning stage.

The Week’s Opportunity – King of Wands
The King of Wands knows how to inspire others. This ties into the Emperor energy. It also ties into the Page of Wands energy with the caveat – it’s not yet time to share this new inspiration, but to finish unfinished projects and inspire those around you to do the same. Mercury Retrograde, in particular, is a great time to revisit unfinished projects and complete them, so their energy clears the way to move on. Use this time to finish unfinished projects that will otherwise drain your energy once Mercury and Venus go direct.

The Week’s Stretch – 5 of Swords
5 of Swords is a card of intellectual conflict. This week is likely to bring arguments. Know when to apologize. Know when to cut your losses and move on. Sometimes, you might need to apologize in order to cut your losses. Someone might decide you need to be the loss cut. Again, this ties into the miscommunication aspect of Mercury Retrograde and the re-evaluation of relationships with Venus Retrograde. Keep your ego in check. Pick up the pieces, take responsibility where it makes sense, apologize where appropriate, and move on. There’s a good chance it will be painful, but necessary. Being reactive will cause things to shatter. Know when to hold your tongue. Know when to apologize. Know when to walk away.

Exploring this card further, the growth possible from this conflict is Sound, Frequency, Resonance. Arguments and conflict run on sound and frequency. They leave a resonance. If something has been necessary but uncomfortable, or maybe reactive rather than supportive, how can you change the sound, frequency, and resonance of it? What have you learned from the way you handled or mishandled this conflict, and how can you apply it moving forward? If you’re feeling angry and upset, play music to use sound to change your own frequency and resonance. If you work with tuning forks or sound bowls, this is a good opportunity to spend time using them to change how you feel and your energy field.

The Week’s Comfort – The Queen of Swords
The Queen of Swords learns from her mistakes, and does not repeat them. She has strong boundaries, and knows how to enforce them. This week’s various encounters, projects, and conflicts will teach you about methods of communication and boundaries. You will then be able to apply them moving forward. This Queen sits in Bryant Park, which is behind the main branch of the NY Public Library in midtown. The park is quite lovely, but if you are sitting on your own, random people come up and push your boundaries for their own agendas, whether it’s trying to sell you something or get you to be a contestant on a reality show or get you to come to their “church” (all of which were frequent demands in my years living in the neighborhood and spending time in the park). You need serious Queen of Swords energy to be able to actually enjoy the park and recalibrate.

Did this reading resonate with you? Or did you get something completely different from it? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.