Monday, August 17, 2026
Waxing Moon
Pluto, Neptune, Saturn, Chiron Retrograde
We are already in the middle of August! Can you believe it? Time flies. Even though we are in between eclipses, and it can sometimes feel like we’re in suspended animation.
We had a solar eclipse last week and have a lunar eclipse next week, so this week is a good time to get some rest, tend to one’s home and one’s self, and not push. Do what needs to be done, but give yourself plenty of physical and emotional space.
I hope you had a lovely solar eclipse. Last week was busy, but with lots of lovely moments, and I was grateful for every one of them. I even got to watch a Morris Dance Troupe performance! It made me feel even more connected to the season.
This month, we are using by JQ Gordon, with art by Sharisse Steber. It’s published by Skipstone Press. I won it in a contest through Mountaineers Books a few years back, and I really like it. The Major Arcana cards each depict a different National Park. The Minor Arcana cards depict relevant outdoor activities to each card. You can find out more about each artist or company by clicking their name. When Major Arcana cards come up in the spreads this month, I will also include links to that card’s National Park website.
The suits are designated as follows:
Sticks = Wands
Blades = Swords
Vessels = Cups
Stones = Pentacles
This is one of my spreads, that I call The Elemental Spread. It is very similar to many of the Medicine Wheel spreads I’ve seen, but I made a few tweaks to the way I use it over the years.
We start in the center, with Spirit/Self. This is the overall energy of the week, and how we relate to it.
We move to the position above, with is North/Tangibles, connected to the element of Earth, advice on how to deal with the week on a tangible, materialistic level.
We move clockwise to the third position, East/Thought, connected to the element of Air, advice on how to intellectually deal with the week.
Then we move down to the bottom of the spread, the 4th position, South/Passion, connected to the element of Fire, advice on how to deal with the week from a place of passion and identity.
Then we move up to the left side of the spread, the 5th position, West/Emotion, connected to the element of Water, advice on how to deal with the week from a place of creativity and emotion.
We wind up where we started, at the spirit center, integrating all the information for the week.
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.
Center – Spirit/Self: Five of Blades
This is the equivalent to the 5 of Swords in other decks. The 5 of Swords often indicates arguments. Sometimes those are detrimental, other times they are necessary debates to move the group project forward. In the art of this card, people are working together to clean up litter, and the goat is working on invasives, while the sheep crop grass. The different living beings are working together to clean up the space. That is the central energy for the week – work together to make something better. In these difficult times, it’s necessary. If you are in voting season, please make sure to vote. That is one way to combine with others for better results. I just voted in my state’s primary, supporting the candidates I believe will both represent me, and do the best for my community.
North – Earth/Tangibles: Temperance
Temperance is about balance, flow, and steady progress. In this position, in relation to this week’s reading, it encourages us to pay attention to the daily details that move us forward – dishes, laundry, keeping things clean, taking one small step each day in the direction we wish to travel. Those small steps aren’t ideas anymore, they are tangible steps necessary to move forward. The daily work will keep the mind and body sharp as you move forward, as the careful steps the figure in the card depicts. Tied with the previous card’s energy, some of it may be done in the company of others, be it at home or out in the world. The park depicted in this card is Zion National Park in Utah, and you can learn more about it here.
East – Air/Thought/Intellect: Nine of Vessels
The 9 of Vessels (cups) is sometimes known as “the wish card” in the case of wishes coming true. The figures on this card are having a good time paddling in the river. They are going with the flow, as geese fly above them. The card sits in the position of thought, so this is a good week to plan creative projects. If you could work on any kind of project you wished, what would it be? Take some time this week to daydream, and go with that creative flow. This week, enjoy your creative flow. Let that creative pleasure feed the necessary steps and work toward something better. Dream your way to your perfect life, while taking the steps suggested in the previous card to bring it into reality.
South – Fire/Passion/Identity: The Fool
This week, take a leap of faith! The Fool, in the position of identity, encourages trying something new. Tied to the previous cards, especially the 9 of Vessels, it suggests taking a leap of faith in your dreams. It’s time for a fresh start, and everything is possible! Following the advice in the 5 of Blades, Temperance, and the 9 of Vessels, you are ready! The park in this card is Great Smoky Mountains National Park, on the border of North Carolina and Tennessee. You can learn more about the park here.
West – Water/Creativity/Emotion: The Sun
What a wonderful card to come up in the position of creativity and emotion, making a straight line through the 5 of Blades (working together for something better) to the 9 of Vessels (the wish card). The Sun is about all good things, improvements in life, success, and joy. Spread creative joy this week, wherever and whenever you can. The park in this card is Acadia National Park in Maine, and one of my all-time favorite national parks. I’ve watched both sunrises and sunsets there, and savored every moment. You can learn more about the park here.
We have three Major Arcana cards, which mean big energy. They are cards of encouragement – Temperance, the Fool, the Sun. We have one blade/sword card as the central driving energy, encouraging cooperation rather than argument. And one vessel/cup card encourages wishes and joy. There are no court cards in this week’s reading.
This is a week to focus on the good in your life, the joys, and take small steps each day to make it even better for you and for others.
Did anything resonate in the reading, or do you have a different interpretation? I’m always happy to hear about it!