News & The Kemmyrk Blog – Page 9 – Cerridwen’s Cottage

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

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

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

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.

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.

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!

September 17, 2024: Lunar Eclipse Tarot Reading

Tuesday, September 17, 2024
Full Moon in Pisces
Lunar Eclipse
Pluto, Saturn, Neptune, Chiron, Uranus Retrograde

Good morning!

Today, we have a lunar eclipse in Pisces. Some people find lunar eclipses give them energy; others feel drained and exhausted. Whatever you’re feeling, acknowledge it. You are unique, and your mind, body, and spirit will respond differently than those around you.

Here is a collective reading to offer guidance for the eclipse. Remember, this is information for tendencies and opportunities. Anything you like, you can make happen through positive action. Anything you dislike, you can change through positive action. I base my interpretation on my experience, intuition, and response to the art of the card itself within the reading. Your experience might be different, and that is part of the joy of the cards.

This spread uses the Tarot of a Moon Garden Deck, with interpretations by Laura E. Clarson and paintings by Karen Marie Sweikhardt. It is available from U.S. Games System here. Mine is very old; I believe I bought it some time in the 1990’s. Since this is a lunar eclipse, I felt it was a good choice. I also find this deck works well in ancestor work.

The spread is a three-card spread, read left to right: how the eclipse affects the mind, the body, and the spirit.

The Mind – Page of Pentacles
This card is about receiving new information that’s relevant on the material plane. This is information the individual will study, that will then bring tangible results on the material plane. The card ties into yesterday’s reading for the week, where the Page of Pentacles turned up in the “stretch” position. Whatever information you receive this week, be it on the day of the lunar eclipse or the days around it, will make you stretch your perceptions and reality. You’ll need to study it to see how to apply it.

The Body – Queen of Cups
This is a card of care and nurture, as much of yourself as of those around you. This card denotes caring in a positive, supportive way that nurtures those around you without draining you. It is all the positives about care and support. It’s a reminder to take some time today to care for yourself as well as those around you. And enjoy that care!

The Spirit – Four of Cups
This is how your spirit responds to the eclipse. In many decks, this card slants toward a more negative connotation of dissatisfaction or even boredom. But when I look at the art in this card, I see positives. The figure in the card is meditating, with one large cup before her and three smaller cups behind her. She is mindful of one thing at a time. She’s aware of the presence of the other cups, but she focuses on one at a time, to give it her full attention. To me, this card is peaceful and focused.

What do these cards tell you? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

September 16, 2024: Community Tarot Reading For the Week

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.

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!

Sept. 9, 2024: Community Reading for the Week

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.

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.