Author: Cerridwen

November 18, 2024: Community Tarot Reading for the Week

 

 

Monday, November 18, 2024
Waning Moon
Neptune, Chiron, Uranus, Jupiter Retrograde
Saturn DIRECT (as of November 15)
Preparing for Mercury Retrograde (Nov. 25-Dec. 15)
Pluto moves into Aquarius today, until 2044

Saturn is direct, and those life lesson pressures are a bit eased until the next Saturn retrograde which begins mid-July of next year. Between now and then, it’s important to remember the lessons we were taught (and we were taught some harsh ones) and integrate them into our lives so that we don’t get slapped with the same lesson(s) again.

Pluto has moved out of Capricorn and into Aquarius, where it will roll around until 2044. Look at the transformations in your life, both the difficult and the joyful, since 2008. I’ve gone through some massive life changes, and had my heart shattered a couple of times. I’ve also had some wonderful times. Integrating the lessons from both and using them for this next set of transformations is vital. It looks like the social contract has been destroyed. It is up to each of us as individuals and within our communities to rebuild it into something stronger, more humanitarian, and more sustainable. We have personal responsibility, and we have relational responsibility. Think of the Chariot card in the tarot (a card that has come up so often in my personal readings this past week, I have to keep telling Spirit, “Yes, I really am listening.”) We are riding the chariot, and one of the creatures pulling it is personal responsibility while the other is relational/community responsibility. Keeping those in balance and working together is the only we can move forward, especially when we have so many forces trying to sabotage us. We have a difficult road ahead of us.

Mercury goes retrograde next Monday, until December 15. Just in time to make Thanksgiving travel more difficult and cause stress going into the Winter holidays. Make sure you back up your computers and other tech this week. Then batten down for the next three weeks.

November’s deck is still the Crow Tarot, created by MJ Cullinane. You can get it from US Games Systems here. I’m lucky enough to have a murder of crows hanging out near my home, and interacting with them regularly. This deck is always terrific to work with.

This is a spread of mine, that I’ve developed over the past few months. 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

 
Two additional cards jumped out of the deck as I shuffled for this spread, and I use them as energies that arch over everything else for the week.

Let’s take a look at the cards:

The Collective Energy of the Week – The Hierophant
This is about tradition and structure. It’s about genuine knowledge and not taking chances.  There’s a key amongst the crows. This week, take a look at the structures around you. What serves you? What doesn’t? This week is not the time to make a move, but it is the time to take stock and learn. Are there those around you who have knowledge that would help right now? Tap into that knowledge. Listen. It’s not about taking action; it’s about collecting information the way a crow collects shiny objects.

The Week’s Challenge – 6 Pentacles
This card is about offering help and/or receiving help. Cullinane specifically mentions in this guidebook that there are strings attached. There are other decks that do not have that interpretive stipulation. Since we are using this deck, it means we should pay attention to this creator’s interpretation and build on it. We are drawn to different decks for different reasons, and this month, it is this one. In preparation for American Thanksgiving next week, is someone putting parameters around generosity? Are you? With the election results, that could very well be happening. Make decisions as to where your boundaries are, and where your core integrity is at stake. Where will you compromise? Where will you set limits? Where will the attached strings be too much, and you make other decisions? Everyone will both have to make individual decisions AND live with the consequences. Some of those consequences may well be tied to the election. Tying back to the Hierophant card, which is the collective energy for this week, but may not be next week, where will you remain in patterns and traditions that you’ve outgrown? Where will you sit tight and not argue this week, but make different decisions next week? Where are you trapped into compromising because of need? Pentacles are about physical, tangible things, not emotions or ideas or identities, so keep that in mind. All of those elements bring this challenge forward this week.

The Week’s Opportunity – The Wheel of Fortune
This is the only card I read reversed (or, in a round deck, any way that it falls out). It showed up in the upright position, which means the wheel of fortune is turning in a favorable direction for the moment. It’s cyclical, always moving, which means sometimes we’re on the upswing and sometimes on the downswing. This suggests upswing for the week. It also means paying attention. Instead of getting mired in tradition and conflict, look for unusual opportunities that spring up when you least expect it. Look for “glimmers” especially those that might lead toward something more substantial in the long run.

The Week’s Stretch – The Emperor
I am often uncomfortable when the Hierophant and the Emperor turn up in the same spread, especially when it comes to what we’re facing. The Emperor is a taskmaster for order and rules, for security and stability. With authoritarianism on the horizon, it’s difficult not to get caught up in revulsion for this. The crow balances on a sword placed over a ram’s head. A ram’s head is about leadership and the crow is BALANCED. The crow is also calm. The stretch for the week could well be finding the nuances in the current structure and order that will serve as ballast and a restraining wall against the incoming chaos. Tying it back to the Hierophant, are there traditions (laws, structures, contracts) that can’t immediately be destroyed and can serve as protection while we regroup? From whom can we learn? How can we use the tools available while they still exist to fight as we create new tools? That is our stretch this week.

The Week’s Comfort – 4 Pentacles
How can the 4 of Pentacles be a comfort? Isn’t this the card of hoarding? Yes. It’s a reminder that if you hold too tightly to the material, you forget the joy in everything else. In this particular slot, the “comfort” slot, it also suggests that managing your resources rather than hoarding them will allow you to feel stable enough to enjoy beautiful moments. Instead of being scared about not having enough, turn it into a game of how you creative you can be with what you have. The best advice I got in the past few months from a financial consultant was to stop looking at finances as a ladder and start looking at it as a dance. Make it fun! Sometimes you trip, but you keep moving, and flow in different directions with the music. Sometimes you have to learn new steps. Pulling in the energy of the extra cards, the comfort this week will be finding moments of joy. My challenge to you is to find 4 moments of tangible joy every day this week, and I’d love to hear about them in the comments, either below this post, or in next week’s post.

Additional Energy Cards – The World and The Sun
These are Major Arcana cards, and both pretty wonderful. The World denotes an ending of a cycle. We have that, with the ending of the current political administration in the US and the knowledge that a more difficult (to say the least) cycle is about to begin. But look at the two infinity symbols on the card, above and below the crow, and how the laurel wreath is woven with the infinity. It doesn’t just mean an ending – it means wholeness. It means we have the tools deep within the face the next tumultuous cycle. The Sun card builds on that. The Sun is about happiness and success. Every day this week where there is sunshine, take a few minutes to bask in it and absorb the energy. Store it in your very cells to fuel you, both as the nights keep getting longer, and as new challenges emerge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After last week’s very challenging reading that was almost all swords, this is a very positive reading. It would be very easy to dismiss it in terms of false hope. But why does it need to be false? Why can’t this week be filled with the World and the Sun and the Wheel of Fortune, and the positive qualities of the Hierophant and the Emperor? Remember, tarot is about possibilities, and we turn them into actualities through ACTION. What action will you take this week to manifest the strong, positive aspects of these cards?

Last week, I clung to the Page of Swords flying through the storm. I definitely felt the 3, 9, and 10 of Swords. I also felt the beauty of the 3 of Pentacles. So let’s DECIDE to make the powerful, positive aspects of these Major Arcana cards into our realities.

What do you get from these cards? I’d love to hear from you in the comments

And back up all your tech before Mercury goes retrograde!  😉

November 11, 2024: Community Tarot Reading for the Week

Monday, November 11, 2024
Waxing Moon
Saturn, Neptune, Chiron, Uranus, Jupiter Retrograde

Before we get into today’s reading for the week, let’s talk about last week’s reading. As I mentioned last week, there was intense energy going on, and the two major arcana cards, The Lovers and the Moon gave us some warning. Our hopes were dashed, our fears realized. Choices were made (the Lovers) that shattered our illusions (The Moon). Imagine if the results had fallen the other way, and those choices had fulfilled our dreams! Responding to triggers was a challenge (King of Cups) and we plodded through (Knight of Pentacles). How could the 10 of Pentacles be our comfort? How could the ending of this cycle of abundance not trigger huge fears and anxieties, especially when we have a good idea of how our safety nets will be shredded in the coming months?

I found comfort in the community I’ve worked to build since I moved here three years ago. We planned together, we cried together, we talked about how to share resources and create a sustainable plan moving forward. The moon shined a light on our illusions, and they are shattered. We know what we are facing, and who we can no longer trust. But we have a firm foundation under our feet to start this new cycle.

This week’s reading gives us an idea of some of the challenges, but we have a firm foundation from which to start, and while we will be threatened and challenged, at least we are starting at the 10 and not the 5. This cycle is over (especially as Pluto moves into Aquarius). Saturn, the planet of life lessons, goes direct at the end of the 15th. We’ve definitely been slapped with a life lesson. We have to use this lesson as a tool to move forward, not allow it to destroy us. We will feel despair and anger and betrayal for a long time to come. But we have our feet on the ground, and those rose-colored glasses we wore? Ground into dust.

But the particles will still be beautiful in the sunlight, and we can work to plant something new and strong in this earth under our feet. It will not be easy. There will be a lot of pain and damage and death. But the Moon showed us our illusionary belief in the goodness of the general population was misplaced, and we work from there with that knowledge and reality.

Looking at the astrological transits for 2025, it seems we will be in retrogrades almost all year. In 2024, we had the first few months retrograde-free. If I’m reading the chart correctly, next year we will only have a few weeks in mid-April to early May without retrogrades. Anyone reading this who specializes in astrology, please feel free to chime in down in the comments.

Some of the most difficult retrogrades are coming in the next few months. Jupiter, the planet of expansion, is retrograde until early February (though good for planning a sustainable future during this time). Mercury goes retrograde Thanksgiving week until mid-December, which is not a good time for this, between travel plans and the need to communicate with family. Mars, the war god planet, goes retrograde in December (overlapping Mercury for about a week, which is not fun) until late February. Be as quiet and careful with your words and energy as possible. Let the screamers scream and take a step back. Stand for your integrity, especially in one-on-one situations, but let the loudest performers scream themselves hoarse on the broader stage.

Let’s take a look at this week.

November’s deck is the Crow Tarot, created by MJ Cullinane. You can get it from US Games Systems here. I’m lucky enough to have a murder of crows hanging out near my home, and interacting with them regularly. This deck is always terrific to work with.

This is a spread of mine, that I’ve developed over the past few months. 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

This week’s cards:

The Collective Energy for the Week – 3 of Pentacles
Teamwork. We feel disheartened, but we know that by working together, we have a chance.

 

 

 

 

The Week’s Challenge – 3 of Swords
Despair, betrayal, separation, sadness. We feel all that, and denying those feelings will only cause more pain. We are separated from many we thought we can trust. Only by integrating that life lesson (Saturn retrograde, turning direct this week) can we heal and continue.

 

 

The Week’s Opportunity – Page of Swords
This is a really interesting card to have in this position. In other decks, the page can be a warning about gossip and false information. In this particular deck, it is about strength in a storm, energy, communication, and determination. The crow carries the sword (ideas) through the storm. Pages are impulsive, so while action is important, temper it with the intellect of the suit of swords. I find the image on this card hopeful.

The Week’s Stretch – 9 of Swords
For me, this card turns up as a card of self-imposed anxiety. In the context of the week, this is true. I am terrified at the horrors of this administrative future. At the same time, if the adage “thoughts are things” is true – we do not want our anxieties to manifest. We want to recognize them so that we can come up with a plan to deal with them and manifest something better. This week, it will definitely be a stretch. It will be difficult not to remain mired in the anxiety and terror. It’s difficult not to feel as trapped as the crow in the image.So let’s stretch and remind ourselves of the future we WANT to build. The future we COULD have built, had things shaken out the other way, is gone. We have to look at the realities, acknowledge our real and valid fears, and find a way to bend them into something better. Which is exhausting, and there will be days and hours when it’s too much. But let’s stretch and try.

The Week’s Comfort – 10 of Swords
Again, a very odd card to come up as a “comfort.” We have been stabbed in the back multiple times. It hurts. For me, the 10 of Swords is often about other people dumping their anxieties on me, and there’s definitely that happening this week, along with the whole intentional cruelty bit.  I don’t mean that I feel dumped on by those who are anxious and fearful from the way the election fell; we are sharing our grief and fear. I mean we were stabbed in the back by those who voted for cruelty instead of community. It is also a 10, which is the end of a cycle. That doesn’t mean there will suddenly be a mass enlightenment, and things will be lovely again. But it gives us hope that our relationship to this suffering and betrayal will soon change, and a new cycle of thought and action will begin. It doesn’t mean giving in; it does mean letting go of what could have been, had things shaken out differently.

Along with all the astrological challenges this week, there are indications for a rough road. The best we can do is rest, try not to overthink, find ways to be with and/or work with the people who’ve shown we can trust them, and start turning the anxieties and the valid knowledge of coming struggles into something stronger and better. Start thinking about your boundaries, where and with whom you need to set new ones. Be aware of the rising dangers around us, but also build yourself little forts of beauty, hope, and joy. Open those forts to those you can trust, and build stronger communities, both online and in person.

Look at the reading as a whole: the collective energy is a card of community and tangible things, while the rest of the cards are about thinking, especially overthinking, anxiety, and betrayal. Temper all these difficult sword cards with the 3 of Pentacles and community. That can be difficult if you feel isolated and don’t have community physically around you; that’s where online community can be helpful and supportive. If I was in my previous location, I would be stuck in the 3, 9, and 10 of swords for the foreseeable future. I am deeply grateful to be where I am now. As frightened and exhausted as you are now, there are others who share your feelings, and we can comfort each other.

I wish last week had a different outcome, and that this week was full of the Sun and the Star and the Ace of Pentacles. Sadly, we were handed the 3 and 9 and 10 of Swords instead.

This is a good opportunity to read Theresa Reed’s wonderful book THE CARDS YOU’RE DEALT. You can read about it on her website here. She is also known at “The Tarot Lady” and has wonderful books, podcasts, and videos about tarot.

Please note that I do not get any financial rewards or free copies of things by posting creator links. I do this so you can find and enjoy materials I’ve found helpful.

What do you feel about the context of last week’s and this week’s reading? I’d love to hear from you in the comments.

November 4, 2024: Community Tarot Reading for the Week

Monday, November 4, 2024
Waxing Moon
Saturn, Neptune, Chiron, Uranus, Jupiter Retrograde

We are in November! Second to last month of the calendar year, first month of the New Year if you look at Samhain as the turning point.

November’s deck is the Crow Tarot, created by MJ Cullinane. You can get it from US Games Systems here. I’m lucky enough to have a murder of crows hanging out near my home, and interacting with them regularly. This deck is always terrific to work with.

This is a spread of mine, that I’ve developed over the past few months. 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

This week’s cards:

The Collective Energy of the Week – The Lovers
This is a card about choices and relationships. Are those crows preening the heart or are they eating it? The artist interprets it as “drinking from the same heart” which has layers of meanings. There’s also a snake in the picture, indicating transformation. With the 5th being election day in the US, it makes a lot of sense. Are we going to make the best choice for us? Or will the collective make the choice that harms us, and then we, as individuals, have to make decisions and form smaller collectives in order to survive? The two trees offer a hope of stability and balance, and the sun offers hope, balanced by the moon in the other corner, which offers intuition and, hopefully, illumination rather than illusion.

The Week’s Challenge – King of Cups
This crow’s got his throne and his crown, an oasis in a stormy sea. The King reminds us to learn what our emotional triggers are, and to create healthier responses to them. There’s also a crescent moon in above him, indicating the need to listen to intuition. Again, that’s relevant to the election. There will be many triggers, no matter which way the result falls, and we will have to choose how to best respond in a way that is both true to ourselves and does not cause harm.

The Week’s Opportunity – The Knight of Pentacles
Knights take action. Pentacles indicate the action is on the material plane, and that it is slower than in some other cases (which sometimes feels plodding when in reality it is conscientious). Hard work, a methodical approach, and keeping one’s word are all a part of this. There’s an opportunity to make progress on something important this week, using all of these qualities. Pay attention and be ready to step up when it presents itself.

 

The Week’s Stretch—The Moon
The Moon offers opportunities through illumination by trusting one’s intuition, or illusion through not seeing clearly enough and not digging deeply enough (or trusting that intuition). It’s also a card of concealment. Is someone hiding something from you, or are you hiding a part of yourself? Is it necessary? Is it a safety mechanism or fear of shame or ridicule? The stretch this week will be to parse out what’s real and what is not (again, looking at the election, there’s bound to be all kinds of misinformation flying around). Dig beneath the surface. Don’t take anything at face value. Listen to both your dreams and nightmares. Your nightmares could contain important information.

The Week’s Comfort—10 Pentacles
The comfort of the week is that we will have just that –physical comforts. This week, our material needs will be met. It indicates there’s also a foundation on which to build a stronger and more sustainable future – provided we avoid the deception from the Moon. Seeing that card in the final spot of the week, considering what’s at stake this week, is somewhat comforting (living up to the spot’s name). No matter what happens politically this week, we will have a lot of work ahead of us, but we have a strong foundation in material terms. It’s a card of hard work paying off. Even though it’s a ten, ending the cycle, it’s also setting a solid foundation for the next Ace that is soon to come up.

There are two major arcana cards in the spread, two court cards, and a minor arcana card. The energies are going to be intense, especially with the retrogrades we have going on, and Pluto getting ready to leave Capricorn and move into Aquarius. There will be a lot of information, disinformation, rumor, and emotion flying around this week. It’s imperative to take things one step at a time, and be able to separate the deception from the reality.

How did you interpret this spread? Are you getting different information? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Thurs. Oct. 31: A Samhain Spread for the Coming Year

Thursday, October 31, 2024
Dark Moon
Saturn, Neptune, Chiron, Uranus, Jupiter Retrograde
Samhain

Blessed Samhain, my friends!

To me, it feels a little strange that Samhain is on a dark moon rather than a full moon, but cycles are cycles, and learning how to work with them as they are rather than their tropes is important.

For the next few days, I will be busy doing rituals for the dead. As someone who works with Cerridwen, these days of “tending the dead” are very important to me. It can be overwhelming to deal with all the dead at once, so I spread it out over several days, and you can read more about it on this page of the website.

As part of my overall ritual for the evening, to welcome in our new year, I do a tarot spread for the coming year. Please note that the cards drawn are examples; they are not an actual community reading as I do on Mondays for the collective. I’ve arranged some decks to give an idea of options.

I like to use two decks for this spread. If you need or prefer to use a single deck, that’s fine, too.

You need a good bit of room for this. The spread resembles a clockface, with 12 positions around the circle, and the 13th lunation in the center. There are two cards at each position.

For example, the 12 o’clock position has two cards. This is for November, starting the day after Samhain. The one o’clock position is December, the two o’clock position is January, and so forth, until you reach the following October. The central cards represent the 13th lunation, and the overall energy of the coming year.

The spread looks something like the photo below. For this example, I am using the Norse Tarot by Clive Barrett, from The Aquarian Press for the left/action side of each month, and the Celtic Tarot by Helena Paterson, with art by Courtney Davis, also from Aquarian Press for the right/energy side of each month. I bought both of these decks back in the mid-1990’s. I am not sure if either of them are still in print.

My apologies that the spread is a little squashed and wonky. It was difficult to get the whole thing in frame with a phone camera. Plus Tessa, my black cat, is just out of frame “helping.”

 

 

 

The card on the left represents the action for the month – what is likely to happen tangibly. The card on the right represents the energy of that month, the energy surrounding the situation.

In this example, the action card (from the Norse Tarot) is the Sun card, depicting the Daughter of Sol and the rune known as Wunjo or Wyn. The energy card (from the Celtic Tarot) is The Lovers, showing lovers in a circle under the Tree of Life, with a figure pointing an arrow at them. A possible interpretation for the month in question is that the action of the month will be filled with joyful fortune and success (and encouraging the use of the rune for that purpose), while the energy surrounding it requires loving attention to detail and decision-making. They are both major arcana cards, so they’re not talking about small decisions. The month deals with something big; it can be wonderful, but give it loving attention, because decisions are a big part of the success.

This is one reason I like to use two decks. Because sometimes the same card comes up in both positions. More often, though, the cards play off each other, but the same card that came up in an action position one month may come up in a different month as the energy card.

As with any reading, this is information about possibilities, not dogma on something fixed. Every decision you make from the moment of the reading can change the outcome. That means if there is something ominous in the reading, you now have a warning, and can recognize red flags or conflict, and take actions to mitigate or change them. If there is something in a month you particularly like or want to happen, you can focus your intent, and look for opportunities to make it real.

If you prefer, you can use a tarot deck and an oracle deck. In the example below, I use the Everyday Witch Tarot by Deborah Blake, with art by Elisabeth Alba, and the Everyday Witch’s Familars Oracle, also by Deborah Blake with art by Elisabeth Alba (both available from Llewellyn).

If you use that combination, I prefer to use the tarot card for the “action” position on the left, and the oracle card for the “energy” position on the right. Play with it until you have a combination that feels right.

In this example, The Ace of Wands is the action card. There’s an unexpected opportunity that pops up. Make sure you take it and run with it, using the fire in your belly (wands are often associated with fire). The oracle card in the energy card, which is the Hummingbird, connected to air. Appreciate your body, and take notice of the small gifts around you. Be grateful. Together, they indicate that this quick flash of opportunity may not seem large when it first appears, but it is the right thing to grab with gratitude.

You could also choose to use two oracle decks. Or one oracle deck for both positions. Play with it, over the years. This is all process, and our readings grow and change as we do, and as we delve deeper into our intuitive selves.

Take careful notes. I write the meaning of each card for each month, and then the interpretation of how they might work together.

For instance:
November 2024
A-Sun—joy, success, material wealth
E-The Lovers—partnership, loving attention to detail, decisions
Interpretation: A successful, abundant month that still needs loving attention to details and decisions to keep it on track. Work with the rune Wunjo.

Because I have a lot of decks (an entire bookcase full), the two decks I choose each year for the Coming Year Spread, I take those two decks out of rotation for the year they are used in this particular spread. On the first of each month, I put the cards relevant for the month in a tarot card stand, and review my notes. I can then make a decision to delve more deeply, through meditation or journal writing about the cards. I can review what’s going on in my life that may change the upcoming cards, or reflect on changes I want to make in the warnings. Taking notes in the moment is very important. You won’t remember your first impressions and interpreations six months down the line.

This spread is something with which I actively interact all year, and make adjustments as I make decisions and deal with what life throws in my direction.

There are all kinds of spreads you can use on Samhain. Sometimes I do additional spreads to work with the ancestors or with the dead. But this spread is for me, to give me tools to meet the coming year with confidence and gratitude.

What kind of spreads do you like to use around Samhain? I’d love to hear from you in the comments.

October 28, 2024: Community Tarot Reading for the Week


Monday, October 28, 2024
Waning Moon
Saturn, Neptune, Chiron, Uranus, Jupiter Retrograde

This is an intense week! Samhain, Day of the Dead, a Dark Moon, a New Moon, and all these retrogrades!

Once again, we’re using the Halloween Tarot, created by Karin Lee, with art by Kipling West. You can get the deck from U.S. Games Systems here.

In this deck:
Pumpkins = Pentacles
Ghosts = Cups
Bats = Swords
Imps = Wands

This is a spread of mine, that I’ve developed over the past few months. 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

This week’s cards:

The Collective Energy of the Week – The Fool
The Fool is back! Last week, it was our opportunity. This week, it has moved solidly into the energy of the week! Take a leap of faith and trust the universe. Wonderful things are afoot!

 

 

 

The Week’s Challenge – The Ace of Imps
This card was in the collective energy position two weeks ago, at the start of the October 14th reading. So why would this fresh fire in the belly be an obstacle this week? Could it be that we are so eager to take the leap that we are not being true to ourselves? There’s a hand holding onto the Imp’s tail, preventing the Imp from drifting away. Maybe, just maybe, the Fool offers us more than one opportunity, and we need to listen to our creative fire and inner wisdom to know off which cliff to take the leap! (This card is the equivalent of the Ace of Wands in other decks).

The Week’s Opportunity – Queen of Bats
This would be the Queen of Swords in other decks. This is an individual of discernment. She learns from her mistakes. She can make tough decisions with a cool rationality, and yet still be kind. The opportunity the Queen of Bats offers, in relationship to the two previous cards, is being able to discern which opportunity will fulfill the creative fire.

 

 

The Week’s Stretch – Five of Ghosts
This would be the 5 of Cups in other decks. This card ties in very closely with the previous three. The Queen of Bats will use her intellect and wisdom to make a good decision. That means we can’t say yes to everything the Fool encourages. Being true to ourselves and our inner fire (ace wands) means we will have to say no to something this week. Instead of being sad about the no, about what’s spilled, take joy in the “yes” of what is still there.

The Week’s Comfort – Nine of Pumpkins
This would be the 9 Pentacles in other decks. By making the decision best suited to our core creative self, taking a chance, and enjoying the “yes” instead of mourning what we had to say “no” to we are in a place of abundance and fulfillment. We might be on our own path, but it is the RIGHT one for us at this time, with tangible rewards.

Did you find this helpful? Or are the cards telling you something else? I’d love to hear from you in the comments.

Blessed Samhain!

October 21, 2024: Community Tarot Reading for the Week

Monday, October 21, 2024
Waning Moon
Saturn, Neptune, Chiron, Uranus, Jupiter Retrograde
Mild during the day; cold at night

Here we are, halfway through October already!

Once again, we’re using the Halloween Tarot, created by Karin Lee, with art by Kipling West. You can get the deck from U.S. Games Systems here.

In this deck:
Pumpkins = Pentacles
Ghosts = Cups
Bats = Swords
Imps = Wands

This is a spread of mine, that I’ve developed over the past few months. 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

This week’s cards:

The Collective Energy of the Week – 7 of Pumpkins
This is 7 of Pentacles in other decks. The energy of the week is the satisfaction of knowing you’ve put in the work, and watching your garden grow! It may not be happening as quickly as you would like, but it’s steady, tangible growth. Take a breath and enjoy. Soon it will be time to get back to work.

 

The Week’s Challenge — 2 of Bats
This is the equivalent of the Two of Swords. The blindfolded angel is in a similar position to the figure in many Rider-Waite-Smith decks, seated with arms crossed. Instead of a sword in each hand, there’s a bat at each shoulder. There’s a duality here, an indecision, a tension or a stalemate. It would be easy to escalate this into conflict; instead, look for ways to compromise in a way that serves both of you. If it’s an indecision within yourself, use your intellect (swords/bats) to figure it out. See the black cat in the bottom corner, rolling the tiny pumpkin? Don’t forget to be playful. Looking at it with the joy of a child may lead you to the best solution.

The Week’s Opportunity – The Fool
If you take a breath from all the work you’ve put in, and look for a joyful, playful way to resolve conflict, you will have the opportunity to jump into a new adventure. You get to take a chance and trust that the Universe has your back! Even the moon is smiling down on you.

 

 

The Week’s Stretch – The Wheel of Fortune
I generally don’t read cards as reversed – except for this one, because it indicates in which direction the wheel is turning. And it always keeps turning; everything is cyclical. Neither the bad nor the good lasts forever, even though it may sometimes seem that way. This card appeared upright for us this week, so that means the wheel is turning toward better times at the moment (depending on the choices we make over the course of the week). In spite of the challenge of the 2 of Bats, or maybe because that challenge is asking us to make choices in our own best interest, better days are on the way. Savor the journey, then savor those good moments.

The Week’s Comfort – The Magician
This card was in the same spot last week. It’s a reminder that everything you need to get through the day, and use that day to build a better life, is within you. You can access all of the elements and transmute them into your intentions. You don’t need to wait around for someone else to make your dreams become reality – YOU have the ability to manifest. With this reminder being in the same slot two weeks in a row, the universe wants you to listen!

Do you find this interpretation helpful, or are the cards telling you something different? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

October 14, 2024: Community Tarot Reading for the Week

Monday, October 14, 2024
Waxing Moon
Saturn, Neptune, Chiron, Uranus, Jupiter Retrograde
Rainy and cool

Since our last reading, Pluto (the planet of transformation) has gone direct, while Jupiter (the planet of expansion) has gone retrograde. Which shifts the energy somewhat.

Once again, we’re using the Halloween Tarot, created by Karin Lee, with art by Kipling West. You can get the deck from U.S. Games Systems here.

In this deck:
Pumpkins = Pentacles
Ghosts = Cups
Bats = Swords
Imps = Wands

This is a spread of mine, that I’ve developed over the past few months. 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

This week’s cards:

The Collective Energy of the Week: Ace of Imps
This card would be the Ace of Wands in other decks. It’s about igniting a fresh fire, and pursuing a new sense of identity and confidence. A new project, vitality, energy, and enthusiasm are all connected to this card. Take your new idea and sense of self and run with it!

 

The Week’s Challenge: Knight of Pumpkins
This would be the Knight of Pentacles in other decks. Knights are about taking action and moving forward. The Knight of Pumpkins/Pentacles is the slowest, most deliberate, and most careful of the knights. They make certain of each step before taking it. Sometimes that can feel like plodding, and with the forward-moving energy of the Ace of Imps in the previous card, that can cause tension. Take a break! The Knight wants the project initiated in the Ace to work, and therefore they are making sure each step is complete and strong before taking the next one. The knight is dedicated to progress, just careful in the approach.

The Week’s Opportunity: The High Priestess
Look how joyful she is, standing on the crescent moon, holding her book of spells, the black cat watching over her. She’s between the two towers, one dark gray, one white, indicating balance and polarity. She knows how to navigate between the seen and the unseen. Most importantly, she encourages us to trust our intuition. The Imp is impatient for forward motion, the Knight is deliberate and careful, and the High Priestess tells us to trust ourselves above outer influences.

The Week’s Stretch: Nine of Ghosts
This card would be the Nine of Cups in other decks, often known as “The Wish Card” in that wishes you make when this card comes up are likely to come true. Our skeleton sits here, smiling, the black cat at his side, encouraged and supported by nine happy ghosts, with the moon smiling down. This is about satisfaction and prosperity, and wishes granted, especially in your creative and/or romantic life. Take a few minutes this week, and think about what you really want, not just what you think you should want. We’ve got a full moon coming up on the 17th, so the timing on this is good.

The Week’s Comfort: The Magician
The look on the cat’s face as the magician pulls the rabbit out of the hat always makes me smile. Each of the suits are on this card: pumpkin, ghost, bat, and imp. It’s a reminder that we are the magicians of our own lives, and that we have the ability to integrate the elements to pull our own special rabbit out of the hat, and manifest that which we imagine. In this position, it’s a reminder that having that ability can comfort and assure us, rather than intimidate us.

What do you get from these cards? Did you find a similar reading, or something quite different? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

October 7, 2024: Community Tarot Reading for the Week

Monday, October 7, 2024
Waning Moon
Pluto, Saturn, Neptune, Chiron, Uranus Retrograde

We are in a new month! October, one of my favorites.

In honor of the new month, we’re using the Halloween Tarot, created by Karin Lee, with art by Kipling West. You can get the deck from U.S. Games Systems here.

In this deck:
Pumpkins = Pentacles
Ghosts = Cups
Bats = Swords
Imps = Wands

This is a spread of mine, that I’ve developed over the past few months. 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

This week’s cards:

The Collective Energy of the Week: Queen of Pumpkins
The energy this week is about generosity. We can give and receive, knowing there is plenty for all. It’s about putting our creative talents to good use. She’s petting a black cat, and there’s a white rabbit nearby. White is often a color of purity, and witches are often thought to shapeshift into the form of a hare. The moon is smiling down on all of this.

 

The Week’s Challenge: The Hierophant
This is a card of order and tradition. This week, we might need to conform to something we’d rather not, to keep the peace. The mummy stands there, wrapped up, with only the eyes showing. But the body position is somewhat casual. There’s a black cat on the shoulder, and one of the two green cats looks like it’s pulling on the wrapping and might unwrap the mummy. So while you might feel restricted, in some respects, there’s also room to keep some things secret, wrapped up and inside, so to speak, until the right time.

The Week’s Opportunity: 5 of Pumpkins
This is an unusual card to have in the “opportunity” slot, as it often means a dearth of material goods or finances. So how could it be an opportunity? Tying back into the first two cards of creativity and structure, you may need to find creative, thrifty ways to get things done. There may be disappointments and loss; you may not be able to indulge as fully as you want as the Queen of Pumpkins, because the Hierophant restricts you.  The little one spilled the bag of candy, but eating it all at once might have made them sick. Keep going, though; you’ll learn something from these new ways of doing things that will serve you going forward. Sometimes being frugal opens new types of creativity, rather than restricting it.

The Week’s Stretch – 8 of Ghosts
This eight is about leaving something behind and walking away. It will be hard to leave this behind, but it’s necessary. This 8 is probably tied to the 5 in the previous card. You may not get something you really want, on a material level, and need to let go of it on an emotional level. Keep on climbing the path, though. Even though it’s difficult right now, something better waits for you over the mountain. If you held on to what you must leave behind this week, you wouldn’t be able to have/achieve/experience what’s next. And the Queen of Pumpkins promises it is something good.

The Week’s Comfort – 7 of Ghosts
The 7 of Cups is so often given a bad rap as self-deception and idle dreams, but my experience with the card is usually positive. This card shows seven ghosts doing a circle dance. There are all kinds of opportunities ahead, even with the disappointments of the week, and that is why it’s in the comfort position. The best news is you don’t have to make a decision yet! Take your time. Give yourself the room and time to daydream. 7 Cups often comes up for me when someone else is trying to pressure me into making a decision to serve THEIR agenda at the detriment to mine. It’s a reminder that daydreaming matters.

What do you get from this spread? Similar information, or does something different come up for you? I’d love to hear from you in the comments.

September 30, 20224: Community Tarot Reading For the Week

 

 

 

 

 

Monday, September 30, 2024
Day Before Dark Moon
Pluto, Saturn, Neptune, Chiron, Uranus Retrograde
Foggy and cool

We have QUITE the exciting reading this week, as we leave September, move into October, and are about to experience a solar eclipse.

My dreams have been wild in this time between the lunar eclipse on the full moon and the upcoming solar eclipse – a combination of the eclipses and the Neptune Retrograde.

Once again, I’m using the GREEN WITCH TAROT again by Ann Moura, with artwork by Kiri Østergard Leonard, available from Llewellyn.

This is a spread of mine, that I’ve developed over the past few months. 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

This week’s cards:

The Collective Energy of the Week: Queen of Athames
The Queen of Athames (swords in some other decks) is someone who learns from her mistakes. She is thoughtful and meticulous. She makes careful, considered choices, and follows through on her promises. The iris symbolizes wisdom, and the gold finch is there to remind us to keep a balance between determination and over-thinking. This card tells us to be thoughtful and precise this week.

The Week’s Challenge – Four of Wands
It’s surprising to find such a positive card in the challenge position. The Four of Wands is about building something stable for a positive future. This card, in particular, shows an abundance harvest and celebrating the labor put in. How could this possibly be a challenge? There are a couple of different ways it could present a challenge, depending upon how we respond. Do we allow ourselves to celebrate our victories, even small ones? Or do we just push on? This card could challenge you to pause and celebrate your achievements. Take the time – MAKE the time to savor them. The flip side of this, for you, could mean that once you complete a project, you’re not sure what to start next. You feel stuck, stalled (fours can hold those meanings as well as stability) and unsure where to put your attention for the next thing. The challenge in that case is not to worry. Take a breath. Use the Queen of Athames to discern the possibilities and trust our next card in the reading.

The Week’s Opportunity – The Greenman
This is often the Fool card in other decks. This is a card of fresh starts, new beginnings, taking risks. It ties in to the Queen of Athames, suggesting that we use discernment in those risks, and to the Four of Wands – we’re celebrating the successful completion of our last project which set a firm foundation for what’s next, and now it’s time to grab this opportunity! This card came up earlier in the month, on the reading of September 2, in the “stretch’ position. Now it’s moved closer as an opportunity. The card may well represent two very different opportunities – perhaps you took the stretch presented early in the month, and that is what the four of wands represent – successful completion of that. Now, you have a fresh opportunity.

The Week’s Stretch – The Sun
Again, a very positive card that can make you wonder why it’s a “stretch.” It’s telling you to enjoy the sunshine! Enjoy your victories and accomplishments. Enjoy just being. Savor the moment. Let yourself be happy. There is good all around you at this moment. You’ve vanquished challenges throughout the month. Take a deep breath and enjoy. Feel the gratitude. Savoring the good in your life doesn’t make you a horrible person because terrible things are happening in the world. Terrible things are always happening in the world. Savoring the good moments in your own life give you the energy and resources to help others in need. Denying yourself moments of joy because somewhere in the world there is suffering just increases all the suffering.

The Week’s Comfort – Three of Pentacles
This is a card of learning a craft, of learning something on the material plane. You are not alone; you are learning in company, with a teacher and with others. The heron is a symbol of knowledge, patience, transformation, and good fortune. What you are learning now is tied to what you just completed, and will fuel your new projects. You are building skills and knowledge. You don’t have to be perfect. You do need to show up and do the work.

After several weeks of more tumultuous readings, this indicates that all we’ve gone through for the month is bearing fruit.

What is your interpretation of these cards? I’d love to hear from you in the comments.

September 23, 2024: Community Tarot Reading for the Week

Monday, September 23, 2024
Waning Moon
Pluto, Saturn, Neptune, Chiron, Uranus Retrograde
One day past the Autumn Equinox (in the Northern Hemisphere; the Spring Equinox in the Southern Hemisphere
Partly Cloudy and cool

I hope you had a lovely Equinox!

The Eleusinian Mysteries are happening at this time, too. Over the years, I have created a series of simple honoring over these nine days.

But today, we’re here for tarot.

Once again, I’m using the GREEN WITCH TAROT again by Ann Moura, with artwork by Kiri Østergard Leonard, available from Llewellyn.

This is a spread of mine, that I’ve developed over the past few months. 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

My black cat Tessa helped with this week’s reading (there’s a photo of her on IG). This week’s cards:

The Collective Energy of the Week – Ace of Chalices
What great energy to have for the week! This week is about fresh starts and opportunities for creativity, emotions, inspirations, abundance, and relationships. Someone is offering you something from the heart. Treat it with gratitude and gentleness.

 

 

The Week’s Challenge – The High Priest
This is an interesting twist. Last week, this card showed up as an opportunity to work the system. This week, the same card is in the challenge position. The system you need to work within may present an obstacle to the chalice offered. In addition to structure, it’s a card of scholarly pursuits. You may need to study and research something, rather taking the challenge as an attack, or behaving impulsively from excitement from the fresh inspiration.

The Week’s Opportunity – The Holly King
Some other decks call this “the Hermit” and this representation is one of my favorites. This is the Holly King’s time, from summer solstice to winter solstice (here in the Northern Hemisphere). It’s a time of introspection and forging new paths. The Holly King will help light the way, but you still have to walk the path. This ties in with both of the previous cards. The High Priest and the Holly King advise moving slowly in this new inspiration, rather than plunging in the way a knight card or the Fool card would do. Take time and savor what the ace of chalices offers, before acting on it.

The Week’s Stretch – The Standing Stones
This card is often called “Justice” in other decks. The art in this card has the stone within a stone circle and the daisies, representing truth and harmony. The carving on the stone depicts the scales and the words “Harm None” over a carving of a labyrinth. This is about balance, equilibrium, harmony, and natural law. Since it’s in the “stretch” position, it suggests that it may be difficult to balance the emotional energies of the ace of chalices with the more restrictive energy of the High Priest, and take the time the Holly King advises. But stretching yourself into equilibrium will allow you to enjoy the ace of chalices.

The Week’s Comfort – Four of Pentacles
The four of pentacles is often interpreted as a card of hoarding – either the need to hoard one’s resources, or a warning not to do so. But take a look at the art in this card. The figure hangs the four pentacles over the hearth – a symbol of comfort and home. There’s a face peering in at the door. Is this someone who needs something or who is there to offer something? While the card suggests reserve, it does not suggest cruelty. Four is a number of stability (and can sometimes suggest staleness). However, the artwork does not suggest anything stale. The greenery is lush. Take comfort in being careful, rather than extravagant. Also, since this card bookends the first card, it suggests that the person peering in is connected to the first card, the ace of chalices, and supports the three central cards in taking one’s time before acting.

Note that the two outmost cards are minor arcana, while the three central cards are major arcana, and those central cards all advise taking one’s time, being thoughtful, and maintaining equilibrium. Whatever is on offer needs a bit of investigation, so that it can be embraced and acted on out of informed decisions, rather than on impulse.

Is your interpretation different? Or does this resonate? I’d love to hear your responses in the comments!