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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!  😉

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.

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!

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.

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monday, September 16, 2024
First Day of the Full Moon
Pluto, Saturn, Neptune, Chiron, Uranus Retrograde
Foggy and warm

Happy Monday! Sounds counter-intuitive, but let’s make this a good week.

There’s a lot going on this week, between the full moon, the lunar eclipse, all the retrogrades, and the Autumn Equinox happening at the end of the week.

Let’s get to it, shall we?

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 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 World Tree
This is the final card in the Major Arcana, an ash tree. It represents the completion of a cycle. Considering how challenging last week’s cards were, this is a welcome sign for the week’s possibilities. A cycle is complete, which means something new and potentially wonderful is opening up. A very positive card for the collective!

 

The Week’s Challenge – Two of Pentacles
The challenge this week is juggling things on the material plane. Keep an eye on finances and plan a little more carefully. You may need to juggle and jiggle the numbers and timing a bit to make it all work for you. You also may have the opportunity for a new way to earn money, or to learn a new skill that will lead to better financial footing. Be on the lookout for these so you recognize them and can see them as the opportunities they are.

The Week’s Opportunity – The High Priest
The High Priest is about structure and social orders. There’s an opportunity to make progress this week within an organized structure. You may need to do some studying and figure out how to work the system, but the opportunity exists to gain something you want and need by working within an existing system, rather than rebelling against it. Instead of feeling restrained by the Uranus Retrograde energy this week, make it work FOR you. This will not happen by sitting back and letting things fall where they may. This is about working the system.

The Week’s Stretch – Page of Pentacles
This card is about being a student. Learn something new. That ties into all the previous cards – a cycle ending so a new one can begin; juggling material needs (especially financial), and working the system.

 

 

This Week’s Comfort – Strength
The comfort of the week is that, although you may need to finagle and plan and study and work the system, you have the strength to do so. The warning in this card is, don’t be an asshole about it. Use the positive qualities of strength and self-confidence without being harmfully aggressive. Assertive is a positive; aggressive is not, in this case.

This has major arcana cards in the first, third, and fifth locations, with a minor arcana and a court card in the remaining locations. Big energy with positive potential, if it’s harnessed and used carefully, rather than recklessly or aggressively.

Do you have a similar response to these cards? Or do you have a different interpretation? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

September 9, 2024
Waxing Moon
Pluto, Saturn, Neptune, Chiron, Uranus Retrograde

Hello!

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 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

Okay, let’s break this down now. The cards are pretty clear this week, and I did not use an oracle to explore any of them further.

Position 1: The Collective Energy of the Week – 5 of Pentacles
Ouch. This is about scarcity on the material plane. This week contains money worries, and also, in this deck, self-isolation tied to the worries. But look at the pentacles themselves. They are gold, a color of abundance. And there’s warmth in the stone circle in the distance. Be careful with your resources this week, but also see where you can find warmth and light.

Position 2: The Week’s Challenge – The Queen of Chalices
This can be interpreted as wanting to be generous and empathetic beyond one’s means to someone else, or being hesitant to ask for help from someone who has empathy and compassion. Both those interpretations tie into the previous card, the 5 of Pentacles. There are times when you can’t be generous with money, but maybe you can be a compassionate listener. Or maybe, this week, you are the one who needs to reach out.

Position 3: The Week’s Opportunity – The Knight of Athames
Because it is in the position of opportunities, it’s about making a decision and taking decisive action. Look before you leap, and don’t lose patience (or you may lose the help and compassion you were challenged to seek). But sort out the resources you have and how you want to put them into play in order to succeed.

 

Position 4: The Week’s Strech – The Wild Hunt
This card is often called The Tower in other decks, and it means explosive change. Truth is revealed, and oppression falls away, but that doesn’t mean it’s a comfortable change. For me, personally, this card shows up if I’ve procrastinated and I’m about to pay the price. Believe me, I’m trying to figure out where I’ve been procrastinating, because I do not like this card. However, once one braves the change, it’s for the better. Especially when tied to the previous card, that the change came through choice and definitive action.

Position 5: The Week’s Comfort – Ten of Athames
This card is known as the 10 of Swords. In many other decks, it shows a figure face down with 10 Swords in the back, often showing how others dump their demands on you. This deck’s image is far more positive, in my opinion. The figure in the card is in deep contemplation (swords). Since it’s a ten, the cycle is nearly complete. You’re able to complete something difficult, and put it behind you, opening to a new, more positive cycle.

The overall energy of the week is difficult, which makes sense when you layer on the various retrogrades. Pluto’s retrograde shows what’s hidden and needs to transform. Saturn is about life lessons. This particular Saturn retrograde is also about restoring what was lost during the cycle begun in 2008. Neptune is about dreams and deep desires. Your dreams might be chaotic or confusing now. Uranus is the planet of rebellion and what makes each of us unique. When it is in retrograde, we can feel restrained. Chiron is the wounded healer, about probing these old wounds so that we can heal them, perhaps generationally. Tied to the challenging and somewhat chaotic cards above, it all makes sense.

It’s also the 23rd Anniversary of 9/11 this week, which adds more chaotic and painful energy to the mix.

The best choice we can make this week is to treat ourselves and those around us with compassion and patience.

Feel free to drop in the comments your response to these cards, or how last week’s reading shook out for you.

August 1, 2024
Waning Moon
Pluto, Saturn, Neptune, Chiron Retrograde
Sunny, hot humid
Lammas

August 1 is always an important date on my personal calendar. Not just because it’s a Sabbat. But because it’s the anniversary of my initiation into the Craft.

This year is especially powerful, because it is the 30-year anniversary of said initiation.

I was traditionally trained in by a Gardnerian coven and initiated on Lammas. Our circle travelled out to an island for a camping trip; even though I’m not much of a camper, we had a good time. Two of us were initiated that night, near the ocean, under the moonlight. It was a powerful and beautiful experience, and I knew it would change my life forever for the better.

That has definitely been the case. Although the way I practice my craft has changed, and is more eclectic and kitchen/hedge/solitary than it began, I am forever grateful for the foundation of that early training.

Lugh is one of my patron deities. Although I try to honor him all year, I pay special attention to him today, with gratitude. My High Priestess felt we would be a good match because Lugh is talented in many arenas, and I do more than one thing. That touchstone has been a positive in my life.

Whenever possible, I take August 1 as a personal holiday. I spend extra time in meditation, with my divination tools, and giving thanks. I like to re-read my Grimoire/Book of Shadows (which is where I keep the spells that have been worked on until I am confident in them) and my Mirror Book (the book in which I experiment). Reading the Grimoire reconnects me to my lineage; reading the Mirror Book shows me the progress and evolution over the years.

I baked cornbread this morning, as is part of my ritual for the day, even though it’s hot and humid. Buttered cornbread and a bowl of blackberries are my traditional breakfast (along with a soft-boiled egg). I will have a salad with local produce for lunch. For dinner, I will make salmon with potatoes and fresh corn. I’ll even drink beer, which is not my usual drink. I’ll cook and eat with gratitude for the bounty.

The way the astrological transits fell this year feels significant. We were retrograde free (except for pesky Mercury) for most of the early part of the year. I had opportunities that set me in forward motion. Now, with the retrogrades piling up and the first harvest, I have the opportunity to process and integrate what I learned and did, slow down, and harvest what I planted early in the year.

Mercury goes retrograde again on the 5th, the day after the new moon. I intend to be as quiet as possible for this retrograde. I want and need to do a lot of work, but it’s the quiet kind of work, not much being out and about. While I can’t do an entire month of silent retreat, I will be as quiet as possible. When I do need to interact and/or speak, I will be careful to be as clear and kind as I can.

At the same time, for me in this cycle, both Saturn and Chiron are about my boundaries. I have to hold those boundaries when called to do so, without apology.

There’s a lot going on in the heavens this month; our best bet is to be as reflective, quiet, and kind as possible.

Peace and joy to you my friends, and I wish you a happy and calm August.

(Image courtesy of Giancarlo Piccinato via pixabay.com)

Thursday, June 20, 2024
Summer Solstice
Pluto Retrograde
Day Before the Full Moon (or First Day of the Full Moon)

Hello, and Blessed Solstice!

Summer Solstice up here in the Northern Hemisphere, Winter Solstice in the Southern Hemisphere.

I am in the Northern Hemisphere, so I will be focusing on the Summer Solstice in this post.

A note on my personal practice and how I view the holiday: I’m seeing posts claiming Litha/Midsummer is “the start of summer.” Please take a look at the “mid” in “midsummer.” We are at the center, the peak, the MIDDLE, and we now start to move toward the dark half of the year. It might be the start of Capitalist Summer, but in the Wheel of the Year, I am at MID summer. For me, the “start” of summer is Beltane.

Your practice is yours and you must do what works in your life, but today, for me, is the middle, the peak, of summer.

Since autumn is my favorite season, I am very excited we are moving in that direction.

I am, however, learning to appreciate the warmth.

My apologies for not posting at the dark/new moon. I had to do some serious work to remove something out of my life and move it along a different path at that time. It made more sense to adhere to the adage of “To Know, To Will, To Dare, To Keep Silent” at that time, especially the “Keep Silent” bit.

That is what I did. My intention manifested in a lovely, creative way I didn’t expect, that is positive for all involved, and I am deeply grateful.

A friend who is heat sensitive talked, yesterday, about telling herself, in the heat wave we experienced, that she was basking in the sun like a lizard, she is lizard, and the word “bask” stood out for me.

I’m dealing with sense memory stress from something that happened around this time three years ago now. It’s much better, and I am in an immensely better situation than I was, but my body and mind revert to the upset. Our bodies hold those memories. A lot of the past weeks has been about healing that, acknowledging it, and layering on positive new memories that are relevant to my current reality.

The fear still pops up and has to be faced.

The cards (both tarot and oracle), people, and situations around me, remind me that I am in a positive place filled with possibilities. I don’t have to rush my choices, but I DO need to choose (7 of Cups, anyone?) and then take action on the choices.

This morning, after meditation and an online ritual with a group of fellow witches, I thought to myself, “I’d like to go back to bed.” I thought about it; I got ahead on all my work, my deadlines are met. The world will not stop if I take a nap. Even if I hadn’t made my deadlines. . .the world WILL NOT STOP if I take a nap. As I ran an errand, I thought, “I really want an ice cold vodka martini and some popcorn” and then realized – my schedule is clear this afternoon. I can do that, if I still crave it at the time –and then, if I want, I can take a nap. My day is clear to enjoy however I want.

Today, this sunny, hot summer day, the peak of summer, I will bask: bask in the sunshine, bask in my friends and family, bask in the spiritual work, bask in all of you. I will enjoy letting the day unfold, connecting to the sun and my own inner light. I will honor the peak of the sun, and the wheel turning back toward autumn for us, and spring for our Southern Hemisphere friends.

Whatever is on your plate today, take a few minutes to bask in the weather, yourself, your family, your friends, and the large community of all of us.

Blessed Solstice, my friends!

Image courtesy of Mira Cosic, Astrologer  via pixabay.com
New Moon May 7, 2024
 
May 7, 2024
New Moon in Taurus
Pluto Retrograde
Sunny and warm
 
Hello, and welcome back.

It’s been a long time since I posted anything to do with the blog, and I decided to post it here, on this site, rather than on a separate blog site. There will not be a regular posting schedule – it will be connected to moon cycles, esbats, sabbats, and special days.

I will be adding material all over the website, and some of the posts will be about the new content and things that are separate from the blog posts.

“Kemmyrk” means “shelter” in Manx, and that’s what I want the blog (and the site) to feel like. A safe, cozy shelter where we can work on ourselves, our dreams, and our paths.

If you have a copy of Llewellyn’s 2024 Witches Companion, I have a very personal article in it on  “Untangling Magical Misfires.” I will talk more in detail about that particular article in a different post. This post is about tapping into the magical May energy and using it.

I wanted to do something a little bit different this month, so I did a 3-card tarot spread and then used an Oracle card underneath it. There are hundreds of 3-card spreads out there, and I encourage you to play with your own ideas.

For this one, to work with the unique energies this month, I wanted to find out what I’m planting, what I am integrating, and what I am building on for this lunar cycle.

I decided to do it like this:

Below the spread, I used an oracle card to ask how the Pluto Retrograde influenced the spread.

I could have used more than one card for the oracle question, but I chose not to, in this case. If we had more than one retrograde, I would have used one card for each planet in retrograde.

I used the Midnight City Tarot and the City of Dreams Oracle for this spread. I love both these decks, and I’m a big fan of the artist, Jackie Franco. The decks are inspired by and built around locations in the five boroughs of New York City. Since I spent many years living and working in NYC, these decks speak to me on many levels. I have the mini deck for the tarot, and the full size of the oracle, which is why there’s a size difference in the cards.

Here’s a photo of the spread:

 

What am I planting?
The Empress. The Empress is a card of fertility, luxury, abundance, and creativity. (This card is set in Park Slope, Brooklyn). It’s about embracing myself in all its facets and using those facets in my creativity. That makes sense, as I am trying to work past some obstacles (both tangible and psychological) that I’ve allowed to hold me back.

What am I integrating?
8 of Coins (pentacles in some decks). Steady work, mastery of craft, keep up the practice in order to get a result. (Location: Your Kitchen).  This makes sense, since I am working to integrate different parts of my life and work (among them the various names under which I publish) to make something more holistic.

What am I building on?
Knight of Coins. Slow, steady work brings results. Don’t rush, don’t skip steps, don’t get distracted, manage the time and the project reliably. (Location: 57^th St. Subway entrance in Midtown Manhattan). This makes sense; I recently rewrote a full-length play and sent it off into the world. I finished another full-length play in April; it’s sitting for a few weeks before revision. I’m working steadily on a third full-length play that sometimes feels like it’s stalling, but I show up every day and do the work. Of the three serials I have running (under the Devon Ellington name), one will complete its season next week and be ready to binge; the next two will finish their seasons in the upcoming weeks. I’m putting together a new mailing for the business writing aspect of my work, Fearless Ink. I just wrapped several large freelance projects. None of it is happening fast, but it’s all moving steadily.

What are the influences when Pluto is retrograde? Pluto is the planet of death and transformation. A Pluto Retrograde is also when what is hidden is revealed. If you’re hiding something, it may come to light. If someone is hiding something from you, it may come to light. The retrograde began on May 2, and will run through October 11. Depending on where Pluto sits in your birth chart, there will be individual nuances.

The Oracle card I drew to ask about the influences of this Pluto Retrograde is the card stating Anything Is Possible. This can be very possible – it’s time to turn dreams into something tangible, especially with the Coins in the above reading and the Empress. But don’t get too cocky about it, because ANYTHING is possible, and if I’m not paying attention, I could miss something important, and it might not be positive. Or there could be so many opportunities that I get overwhelmed and don’t take action, which can have negative consequences. This card is as much of a warning as a cheerleader.

There’s potential for a lot of positives – but I have to steadily show up and do the work. I can’t blow it off and think it will turn out well. The reason I’ve been able to earn a living in the arts since it was necessary to earn a living is because I show up and do the work, even on days I don’t feel like it. That doesn’t mean I never take time off. But if I only worked “whenever” I would not have a career.

For me, this reading tells me I’m on the right track for the moment, and to keep going, instead of slacking off. Be aware of opportunities and possibilities. Make ACTIVE choices and build from there.

The same cards might say something quite different to you.

Try doing a reading during this new moon time and see what you come up with, and how the cards speak to you. They can be all tarot cards, all oracle cards, 3 tarot and an oracle card, or 3 oracle cards and a tarot card. Play with it.

And leave a comment about your experience!

We’ll check back in at the full moon on May 23^rd!