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.