Monday, May 5, 2025
Waxing Moon
Pluto Retrograde
Happy May! I hope you had a blessed Beltane (Northern Hemisphere) or Samhain (Southern Hemisphere).
Pluto has gone retrograde, and will be so until mid-October. What’s hidden is revealed, and it’s a good time to face down fears and learn new tools to deal with hidden agendas.
We will not be retrograde-free until at least March of 2026. Retrogrades will layer in and out over the rest of this year. In 2024, we had a big stretch at the top of the year which was retrograde-free. Here, we only had a few weeks here and there, early on.
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 – King of Cups
We have a blue heron with yellow iris and a full moon. How lovely! It’s about emotional balance and compassion. This week’s collective energy is about taking care of each other without throwing our own emotions out of whack. We can give each other room and support each other’s feelings without getting sucked into someone else’s angst. By holding compassionate space, we give them room to find the tools they need to feel more in balance themselves.
The Week’s Challenge – 6 of Wands
The card has a beautiful daffodil in bloom. The trumpet mushrooms near its base made it glow even brighter. The 6 of Wands is about achievement, recognition and victory. So why would it be a challenge? Looking back to the King of Cups in the previous position, our achievements might spark some jealousy in others. Let’s give each other room to feel what we feel. Because of someone else’s negative reaction, we might also feel we don’t deserve this victory and recognition. We do. Embrace it and enjoy it.
The Week’s Opportunity – 5 of Swords
The artwork here is hornets attacking apples which have 5 swords jabbed into them. Ouch. 5 of Swords often warns of arguments and intellectual disagreements. So why is this often painful card an opportunity? What if, instead of an argument, it was a debate that expanded one’s perceptions? What if it wasn’t done in bitterness and anger, but in the spirit of understanding other points of view, even if you choose to hold onto your own? Hornets are annoying, but they also serve a purpose. Hornets symbolize purpose, protection, and vitality. They munch on the apples to invigorate themselves for the fight ahead. Look at discussions this week as a way to invigorate, not a contest with a winner and a loser.
The Week’s Stretch – The Hierophant
The toad sits, watches, waits, and weighs opportunities. In a more traditional deck, the Hierophant often symbolizes teachings (often religious) and traditional structures. In this deck, and in this particular position, it’s about taking the time to consider the best approach. This ties into all three of the previous cards. Hold space for each other, enjoy your achievements, have a lively debate without viciousness, and don’t hop on an opportunity before dissecting it. Have a little bit of patience this week, which could be challenging, and let things unfold instead of trying to control every moment.
The Week’s Comfort – The Magician
The Magician is about transformation through will. All the tools are there; it just takes the magician to utilize the tools and transmute the transformation through their own power and will. No matter how rocky the week may get, remember that you have the tools to create the reality you want – even when there are things around you that are out of your personal control. Look at the reality. Use the tools you have. Create something better out of what’s at hand.
Did anything in particular resonate with you in this reading? Or did you get a completely different interpretation? I’d love to hear from you in the comments.