Author: Cerridwen

Monday, July 7, 2025
Waxing Moon
Pluto and Neptune Retrograde

Hello, friends, and happy July! We are deep into summer now, past the midsummer point of the Solstice. We have a few seconds less of light each day, and we’ll be able to notice it by Lammas, on August 1.

Neptune went retrograde on the 4th. Neptune is a planet of dreams, illusions, and spirituality. When it’s retrograde, it gives us a chance to see where our dreams have cracks, and how to reshape them. The Pluto retrograde helps with this, because Pluto retrograde reveals what’s hidden. These retrogrades give us a chance to dig deeper.

Saturn turns retrograde at the very end of the week, on the 13th. Saturn is the planet of life lessons. Last year, it was retrograde from 29 June to 15 November. Look back on what you learned then – have you put what you learned in that period into practice? If not, it will come up again this time around. Saturn will turn direct on 27 November this year, on Thanksgiving Day.

Last week’s reading definitely resonated for me, especially with the Devil card on personal levels (late payment from a client, which had me worried about bills) and a collective level (the passage of the Republican Murder Bill). The wands were definitely a stretch, but, by the end of the week, I did find comfort in the 9 of Cups.

This week’s reading has three wand cards and two Major Arcana cards, so there’s an emphasis on large, long-reaching energy with an eye to passion and identity.

We’re in a new month, which means we switch decks. 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, learn more about Candis here, and buy the deck here.

Since I am not a certified herbalist, I will focus on the spiritual meaning of each herb. 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 – Eight of Wands
The 8 of Wands indicates motion, and things happening fast. There’s a goal in sight, and this is not the time to hesitate. Once things go into motion, focus and go with it to achieve what you want. At the same time, speak your truth and stick to your core integrity. That is not mutually exclusive from following and acting on your passion. The herb paired with this is Sassafras, which, on a spiritual level, works on clarifying communication. On the collective level, it means we need to communicate with each other clearly and with integrity, as things begin to accelerate, especially as the Pluto and Neptune retrogrades rip away any illusions.

The Week’s Challenge – The Emperor
The Emperor card is one of masculine energy, order, and determination. It can also indicate someone wanting control over you, trying to suppress or limit you. That certainly resonates on a collective stage right now. The question here is whether open defiance or a more subtle workaround is the best choice in this challenge. It may be different for each of us, and those individual choices add up to a larger whole. The herb paired with it is Atractylodes, which is named as “an herb of power” in the book (p. 32). I am not familiar with this herb, but on a spiritual level, it’s about warming, and stoking the fire and energy within to get things done.

The Week’s Opportunity – Six of Wands
The 6 of Wands is a card of victory. In many decks, the figure is shown as being honored in a parade. This deck’s interpretation is a little different. The victor stares at the weapons the opponents have left behind, and this creator suggests we ask ourselves if our victory was worth the price. How does this fit in with the opportunity slot? Again, it ties back into the wands suit being passion with integrity, supporting the two previous cards. The herb tied to this card is hawthorn, to return to inner calm after struggle. I often work with Hawthorn when I work with The Celtic Tree Oracle (by Liz and Colin Murray, art by Vanessa Card), for protection and for inner work. When I lived in a house with less than lovely neighbors on my back border, I used hawthorn shrubs because of their thorns. So this week, we will triumph in a struggle, and then we need a bit of protected rest before preparing for the next battle.

The Week’s Stretch – The Suspended Person
The Suspended Person is the equivalent to the Hanged Man in other decks. It’s our second Major Arcana card of the week in this spread. Also, as a March Pisces, this is one of my birth/astrological cards, so when it turns up, it has particular resonance. It’s about inner work, fresh perspectives, and quiet, which ties into the previous card with its herb, of protected rest after victory. The card is ruled by Neptune, which is now retrograde, underlining the need for quiet and rest. Don’t push this week. Even when things happen quickly, flow with the energy, but don’t try to push it beyond its natural rhythm. The herb here is kelp, which helps with flow and harmony.

The Week’s Comfort – Four of Wands
The 4 of Wands is one of my favorite cards in any deck, because it’s about building the foundation for something permanent and beautiful. Be playful, allow your joy to shine. The herb associated with this is fennel seed (which I used in a recipe the other night, because I craved it, which is a nice little synchronicity). It’s about grounded joy.

If you look at the reading, you see that, reading left to right, the wands decrease – from 8 to 6 to 4, instead of increasing. To me, that means the rapid flow of energy allows for a victory that is the foundation to build something long-term and positive. The Major Arcana increases, starting with a 4 and moving to a 12 (which is a multiple of 4). It’s a time to get out from under someone’s control through your own fire and talent, and then give yourself a respite to look at things from a fresh perspective. The strongest message I get from the cards this week is to stay true to our own passion and core integrity, and that will lead us through to the best possible grounded joy.

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

Monday, June 23, 2025
Day Before Dark Moon
Pluto Retrograde

Hello, my friends! I hope you had a wonderful Solstice. Today is the day before the dark moon, my lowest energy day of the month. Tomorrow is the dark moon – let go, banish, protect. On Wednesday, a new moon in Cancer begins, which nourishes us.

How was last week? Mine was more stressful than I would have liked, mostly due to factions outside of my control. There was a lot of 7 of Swords energy. And yet, there were also moments of Queen of Pentacles and 3 of Pentacles, which helped a lot.

This month’s tarot deck is the wonderful Everyday Witch Tarot with support from the Everyday Witch’s Familiars Oracle. Both are by the wonderful Deborah Blake with art by the terrific Elisabeth Alba. You can visit Deborah’s website here and visit Elisabeth’s website here. Both decks are available from Llewellyn Worldwide.

I am a huge fan of both of these creators. No, I don’t get a kickback from them or from Llewellyn, and yes, I bought both these decks!

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 – Seven of Pentacles
The 7 of Pentacles is about patience as you continue to put in the work. It feels like the end of a project keeps getting farther and farther out, like one of those long hallways in a horror movie. But what you’ve planted and nurtured and worked on is progressing, even if it doesn’t always feel that way. Patience and persistence will get you farther than pushing too hard. Keep up steady work. Which is something for us to remember on a larger, societal level, with war looming over us. It doesn’t have to be this way, and persistence will get us where we need to be.

The Week’s Challenge – Page of Wands
The first thing I thought when I saw this was that I need a vacation! This month, all the pages have turned up, one week or another, which indicates that June had a lot of new beginnings involved. This card is yet again, about a new path. There’s a new path opening as the work being put into the projects of the previous card is close to fruition. You may not be able to start down it immediately, but get into discussions and possibilities with an eye to keeping this opportunity open while you wind up the other work. Let things overlap a bit, instead of finite boundaries.

The Week’s Opportunity – The Star
This is our only Major Arcana card this week, and it’s in the opportunity position, so it’s a good idea to pay attention. It’s tied to the challenge and to the collective energy. The Star offers hope, flow, and balance. It indicates that yes, you can complete the work needed on the 7 while still keep the Page’s new path open. It will work out, as long as you keep channels of honest communication open and work with integrity.

The Week’s Stretch – Nine of Cups
With all this going on, trying to balance current work with new opportunities, it might be a stretch to luxuriate in the 9 of Cups. There’s a lot of really good stuff in our lives! This is the wish card, so a wish is about to come true – if we don’t drop the ball of the 7 of Pentacles. There’s still work to be done, but you can whistle while you work, so to speak, enjoying what you have and what’s on the way, while still doing what needs to be done for completion.

The Week’s Comfort – Seven of Wands
This is a strange card to have in the “comfort” slot, since it’s a card of potential conflict. When things go well, we often wait for the other shoe to drop, or worry about those who do not wish us well. We’ve also been living on high alert, in an unhealthy way, since January of this year, and for good reason. The comfort here is telling you to trust your instincts when something feels off. Pay attention, without getting paranoid. Not everything needs an immediate fight or flight response. Be aware of everything going on around you, but pick and choose your battles so it doesn’t interfere with the work you need to get done in the 7 and the 9, or obscure the new paths in Page and the Star. Trust yourself.

Did anything in particular resonate with you? Or did you get something completely different? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!

Monday, June 9, 2025
Waxing Moon
Pluto Retrograde

Hello, friends! June is just barreling along. Lots going on in many directions. This week’s reading has a lot of swords in it, which means intellectual challenges and possibly overthinking. Remember to take a breath and a minute to decide whether the thoughts you’re struggling with are genuinely your reality in this moment, or what you fear.

This month’s tarot deck is the wonderful Everyday Witch Tarot with support from the Everyday Witch’s Familiars Oracle. Both are by the wonderful Deborah Blake with art by the terrific Elisabeth Alba. You can visit Deborah’s Etsy here and visit Elisabeth’s website here. Both decks are available from Llewellyn Worldwide, with the tarot deck here and the oracle deck here.

(Note: when I tried to link to Deborah’s website, it didn’t work, so I’m giving you her Etsy link).

I am a huge fan of both of these creators. No, I don’t get a kickback from them or from Llewellyn, and yes, I bought both these decks!

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 – Six of Swords
The 6 of Swords is about travel, leaving a situation that’s not working. It’s often shown as travel by water, but in this card, the figure travels over land, with others, and there’s a sense of escape. Here in the US, with our government using violence against its citizens, let’s hope we can collectively escape (and more important stop) the violence being used against us. It’s time to be strategic in our planning, not go it alone, and make a smart (and necessary) escape.

The Week’s Challenge – Nine of Swords
When the 9 of Swords comes up for me, it often indicates self-imposed anxiety. There’s a feeling of overwhelm and not knowing where to turn. Again, for me, I suspect it’s a combination of what’s going on politically in the larger landscape this week along with the personal challenges. I have to remember to stop and ask myself, “is this my reality in this moment? What is real and what is a fear that I can take action against?” Not getting mired in the fear will be a big challenge and key this week.

The Week’s Opportunity – Queen of Cups
Amongst all this fear and angst this week is the Queen of Cups. She reminds us that, even in the midst of stress, we can be loving towards others, and we also need to be around those who are loving towards us. Pay attention. Any opportunity this week you can hold the door for someone, say “thank you” for anything, pay a compliment, offer a kind word – do it. The bigger changes we need are built on these small moments.

The Week’s Stretch – Ace of Swords
Here we have another sword, but this one is a positive one! The Ace is about new ideas and fresh viewpoints. It will be a stretch this week to look beyond the fear and anxiety, but when we do so, we come up with potential new solutions that are better than what we thought we sought. It’s about clarity, and then taking action.

The Week’s Comfort – Eight of Wands
The 8 of Wands indicates that things are moving quickly. This ties into the 6 of Swords at the beginning of the reading, and the Ace in the previous position. Fresh perspectives and escape will overcome the anxiety, and moments of kindness will lift things out. Be aware of what’s around you, and when the time comes, MOVE!

The week has the potential to need quick action and decision-making. Do as much as possible from a place of kindness, but be ready to act when necessary. The Queen, the Ace, and the Eight suggest a potentially positive outcome, if you don’t get mired in the 9.

Did anything in the reading resonate with you? Or did you get something very different? I’d love to hear it in the comments.

Monday, June 2, 2025
Waxing Moon
Pluto Retrograde

Hello, my friends! I hope you are looking forward to June. We still have a Pluto Retrograde, but that’s the only retrograde this month. Retrogrades will start stacking in July.

This month’s tarot deck is the wonderful Everyday Witch Tarot with support from the Everyday Witch’s Familiars Oracle. Both are by the wonderful Deborah Blake with art by the terrific Elisabeth Alba. You can visit Deborah’s website here and visit Elisabeth’s website here. Both decks are available from Llewellyn Worldwide, with the tarot deck here and the oracle deck here.

I am a huge fan of both of these creators. No, I don’t get a kickback from them or from Llewellyn, and yes, I bought both these decks!

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

Collective Energy of the Week – Page of Swords
The page of swords has both intellectual curiosity and determination. He may not know all the details of the upcoming journey, but he’ll figure it out along the way. It’s also a reminder to check facts – don’t be swayed by gossip or “They say.” Make sure it’s not all about curiosity and impulse, but that you also take a moment and a breath (air) to listen to your gut. Don’t disconnect from your intuition this week.

The Week’s Challenge – The Lovers
As the only Major Arcana card in the week’s spread, we need to pay attention to this. The two human figures in the card have chosen to clasp hands and unite. The tails of the two cats form a heart. Make the choices you are faced with this week from a place of love, not anger. That can be difficult, and, from the position of the card, that it will be challenging to do so this week.

Exploring the card further, the Foundation for this challenge is the Wild Boar. The oracle associates it with fire, and there’s a fire in the Lovers card above it. The Wild Boar suggests you use your anger as a positive catalyst. Instead of being paralyzed with anger, use it to do something about the situation. The energy of anger has a lot of power. Where can you choose to place it so it does good rather than harm? Tying it into the Lovers card, and the advice to make your choices from love rather than anger, you can channel that energy into positive action.

The Week’s Opportunity – The Page of Pentacles
Another Page! This one, in the Pentacles suit, is eager to start down a new path. I can imagine the Page of Swords racing down the road, meeting this Page at this crossroads, and they team up, pairing intellectual capacity with practicality. Since they are both pages, and flank the Lovers card, they might argue about the way to get there and some of the stops along the way, but as long as they work with a sense of respect and from a place of love, they will get there, and are stronger together. (I could write a short quest story about these two)!

Exploring the card further with the possible Growth, we have the Phoenix. Although part of the Spirit suit in the oracle, it, too, has associations with fire, since the phoenix rises from the flames. Embrace change and growth, fly into your destiny. Use the energies and partnerships offered by the previous cards to step into a fuller version of yourself.

The Week’s Stretch – Two of Swords
One of the things I love about this card is that the witch trying to make a decision is blindfolded (as the figure in many depictions of this card are), but she’s also peeking out from under the blindfold. She’s not at a stalemate. She’s overthinking, although she knows what she wants to do. The crow and the cat are laughing at her because they know she knows, and she’s procrastinating. The stretch you are faced with this week is knowing what you want/need to do, but wondering if there’s a better choice. You know. You’ve thought it through. Your gut confirms it. Stop procrastinating and get going! Use the energy of the boar and the phoenix to propel you.

The Week’s Comfort – Six of Wands
The 6 of Wands reassures you that you will soon receive recognition for your work, and reminds you that you’re part of something bigger. You will make the right decision in the choice/opportunity you are faced with this week and will be rewarded – but, looking at the spread as a whole, you have to take action. You can’t procrastinate. Motion is needed for achievement.

Did something in particular resonate with you in this reading? Or did you get something completely different? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

Monday, May 26, 2025
New Moon
Pluto Retrograde

Hello! Blessed Memorial Day, to those who honor it, and honor those who gave their lives for the country.

I referred back often to last week’s reading. The 3 of Swords and the 10 of Wands were relevant in a personal situation. The 6 of Wands and the Star were relevant in a professional situation. Integrating the other cards in the reading helped me get a handle on both, and navigate them. Along with my daily card draw, because every decision we make from the moment of a reading has the power to create change (which is a good thing).

Pluto remains retrograde, and now we have a new moon in Gemini. An astrologer pointed out that the symbol for Gemini resembles a portal, and we are being offered the chance to step into who we want and need to be with this new moon. That resonated with me.

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 Pentacles
This is a card of steadfastness, maturity, and security. Drawing it this week as the collective energy made me sigh with relief, as I had some challenges thrown at me the past few days, and was feeling insecure on very tangible levels. I believe I made the smart decisions, and this card indicates that tangible security (including money) will support me in them this week. That takes some immediate pressure off me.

The Week’s Challenge – Two of Swords
I love the bat in this card (I’m fond of bats, in general). This bat indicates the need to use more than one sensory perception, and trust one’s intuition in making a decision. For me, this ties into the challenges thrown at me over the weekend that I’m dealing with this week, the 3 of Swords in last week’s reading that I am still trying to navigate. The King of Pentacles in the previous position indicates that if I trust my gut, I will make the right decision, and I will have the support I need. I just have to remember to trust my gut (which is how I made one of the difficult decisions I had to make yesterday, and choose which calculated risk to take).

The Week’s Opportunity – Nine of Wands
The 9 of Wands is about being ready for anything, through both determination and adaptability. In this particular card, I love the little mouse climbing up the wand, determined to get to the berries on top. The card indicates that, for this week, I have to keep on keeping on. It’s a nine, so there’s still work to do, and it’s not time to give up.

The Week’s Stretch – The Hanged Man
The chrysalis indicates change, and the Hanged Man is about looking at things from a different perspective. It’s a reminder, in both the personal and practical challenges with which I’m dealing, to look at the information from multiple perspectives, and then (going back to the 2 of Swords), trust my gut. Allowing different perspectives into the decision-making process may be a stretch, but that will be worth it to make the most informed decision possible.

The Week’s Comfort – Ephemerality
The Forager’s Daughter Tarot has five extra Major Arcana cards that most other decks do not have. This is one of them, and a new-to-me card. It shows a dragonfly soaring above ghost pipes and a quartz crystal. It’s a card reminding us that many moments of our lives are fleeting, and we need to find the beauty in them. Even with the challenges this week offers and the decisions that must be made, catching those fleeting moments of beauty and vulnerability will be worth it. And, it’s a reminder that although these challenges loom large this week, they are not forever. They will be dealt with, one way or the other, and be in the past (making room for both new challenges and fresh beauty).

To me, this reading indicates a mixed week, not tilting too far in either direction as long as I remember to stay grounded and trust my gut. Did anything in particular resonate with you? Or did you interpret cards differently? I’d love to hear from you in the comments.

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.