Monday July 14, 2025
Waning Moon
Pluto, Neptune, Saturn Retrograde
Happy new week!
In addition to Pluto and Neptune Retrograde, Saturn joined them yesterday. Saturn is the planet of life lessons. It’s about direct responsibility for action. If you keep making the same mistakes without growth, Saturn retrograde is when you will get a good slap about it to make you pay attention. Saturn is a strict teacher. Saturn demands you pay attention, learn, and then APPLY what you learn moving forward. It’s less about what you want than what you need.
On Friday, Mercury goes retrograde. It’s been in shadow for a couple of weeks already, and has been kicking my ass. I generally try to ignore the shadow period of Mercury Retrograde, or else there would be six months of the year going cattywampus, and who has the time or energy for that? This time around, though, I’ve been struggling since the pre-retrograde shadow began.
My mantra for Mercury Retrograde is, “Stay low, stay quiet, go thrift shopping.” For me, I need to be even more careful in listening (it’s a time for miscommunication). It’s a time to be simpler and clearer when I speak (for the same reason). It’s a time to stay quiet unless what I have to say matters in the moment (for the same reason). Travelling somewhere? Give yourself lots of extra time on both ends of the appointment, because travel tends to get messed up. Don’t stack appointments. Back up all your tech. Confirm and reconfirm appointments and meeting plans. WHEN they get messed up (and it will be ‘when’), take a deep breath and start over. Don’t snap at someone for getting confused. If they get grumpy with you, this is a time to let it go and let it flow. When it comes to shopping, it’s a great time for sales and thrift shopping. It’s a terrible time to buy any big ticket items, tech toys, a car, a house, a washing machine, a computer, etc. Try not to sign any contracts. If you have to, take extra time to read the fine print. But try to put it off until after Aug. 11, when it turns direct.
Mercury is in Aquarius in the first house of my birth chart, so when it goes retrograde 3-4 times a year, things really go haywire. I try to clear my calendar as much as possible, put my head down to work, and isolate. I can’t this year, because I have commitments that require creativity, communication, short travel. So I just have to adjust.
Last week’s reading resonated. Things happened fast, I had a small victory, there were multiple frustrations that needed to be looked at from a different perspective, so I didn’t chafe about someone else’s control, and I felt, in some respects, that I was building a solid foundation. How did it shake out for you?
We’re using the Herbal Tarot for July, from herbalist Michael Tierra and artist Candis Cantin. I’ve had this deck since the mid-1990’s, and just love it. In fact, I used it during the month of June for ancestor work. In addition to the meaning of a particular card, it pairs with an herb that you can use to navigate the card, and, in general, with which to expand your herbal knowledge. You can learn more about Michael here and about Candis here. You can buy the deck here.
Since I am not a certified herbalist, I will focus on the spiritual meaning of each herb rather than the medicinal. If you are interested in the medicinal properties, which are discussed in the THE SPIRIT OF HERBS guidebook that goes with the deck, I encourage you to invest in that book, research the herbs in other reliable texts, or consult with a certified herbalist.
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 Star
I’m always happy to see the Star in a reading, because of its message of hope. Energies are flowing, and they’re doing so in harmony. Red denotes vitality and blue receptivity, so our figure contains both. She sits on earth near the water. The star in the sky illuminates the work, leads the way, and promises hope for the future. This deck encourages meditation for inspiration in connection with the Star. Skullcap is a calming herb, and can aid in meditation. This card gives me a sense of peace and purpose. For the collective, we could certainly use some hope this week, so let’s be on the lookout for it!
The Week’s Challenge – Two of Pentacles
The 2 of Pentacles is about balancing the inner and outer worlds. Dance to integrate them (either literally or figuratively), and let them flow to feed each other within the infinity symbol in which they rest. That’s a more holistic choice than having the inner world in conflict with the outer world. Don’t get so caught up in one that you forget the other. Even though this is a pentacle card (earth), there is water in the art, tying it to the earth, water, and flow of the previous Star card. The challenge this week will be to dance with the flow, rather than to get stuck either in your head or in the practical details of the day-to-day. Give yourself room for both.
The Week’s Opportunity – The Moon
The moon is about understanding the difference between intuition and illusion. I’ve seen far too many interpretations over the past months focusing on the negative side of the card and illusion. Illusions can serve as inspiration, as long as we stay grounded, and don’t let those put on us by others be used to manipulate us. Moonlight illuminates differently than sunlight, and we can see things from a different perspective. Moonlight can also create illusions that come from our subconscious; understanding and interpreting them can be useful. The moon is also deeply connected to intuition. Intuition has come up in these readings time and time again over the months, with the message: Trust your intuition. Our opportunity this week is to understand the root of our illusions, use them for inspiration, and then trust our intuition above what others try to impose on us. The herb associated with the moon is lemon balm, which is one of my favorites. I love to have it growing because of its calm beauty, and I enjoy lemon balm tea. It’s good for getting back into emotional balance.
The Week’s Stretch – Queen of Wands
The Queen of Wands is confident without being arrogant. She knows who she is, and she creates from a deep place of passion and identity. The white cat approves! White cats often symbolize positivity. Raspberry leaf is a wonderful, gentle herb, and makes a beautiful, restorative tea. It’s also tied to intuition, supporting the previous card. The reason it’s in the stretch position this week is, with Saturn going retrograde, there will be times you need to remember who you are. Stand in your power unapologetically. That will help you while inspiring those around you.
The Week’s Comfort – Knight of Cups
The Knight of Cups brings joy, compassion, and creativity out into the world. It’s time to move forward to bring dreams into reality. The warning of this knight is to avoid getting caught up in immature relationships that will pull you off course (lean into the Queen of Wands energy to help with this). When you start to feel overwhelmed or unsure this week, dig into the creative, compassionate energy that makes you uniquely you, and find comfort in that. On a spiritual level, Sarsaparilla allows you to clear emotional energy and express your feelings.
Two Major Arcana cards, two Court Cards, and only one Minor Arcana card, the latter of which encourages balance. It’s definitely a week to enjoy the positives of retrograde energy, which is about slowing down and paying attention.
Did anything in the reading resonate with you, or did you get a different interpretation? I’d love to hear from you in the comments.