Weekly Forecast: October 28 - November 3

It's hard to feel satisfied this week. We have the antsy energy of the Seven of Pentacles starting us off: What is making us feel restless, as if we have unfinished business?

Looking for the bee in our bonnet is a worthy endeavor. The Seven of Pentacles shows a crucial point in our journey. Once we've created something noteworthy, it's important to sit with it and see what might need editing. The central point of reference here is our own experience. How do we really feel about what we've accomplished? Does it work for us or are we working for it?

The continuity in this reading is deeply encouraging. If we dive into our desire to perfect and shape our lives we can take the quick leap from good enough to wonderfully just right: the Ten of Pentacles.

We are, however, not quite used to feeling satisfied. The Four of Cups is one step away, continuing the overall picky vibes of the Seven of Pentacles. It's as if we can't stay in the diverse splendor of the Ten of Pentacles for too long. Is it too dangerous to enjoy our lives or be proud of our achievements? Are we poking holes in something beautiful, and why?

The Four of Cups is where our emotional experience comes in, and perhaps there's a shade of perfectionism here, like we can't allow ourselves to accept just how far we've come and how resplendent and delightful and messy our lives can look.

I see this card as an instinct to turn away from our lives, perhaps with a twinge of depression. Yet the bounty of the Ten of Pentacles isn't polished to the point of inauthenticity, and maybe it's that facet that makes it so threatening. You can look at this card as a rich and full life. And I mean all of life.

It's the dishes in the kitchen sink you can never get to because you're running around working, seeing friends, and tending to connections; the challenges of close friendships and tight-knit families; the chaos of life itself.

The tens are maximalist cards. Some of them, like the swords and wands, lead to overwhelm and heartache. Others, like the pentacles and cups, show how you can't have too much of a good thing. Love, connection, and a well-lived life flourish in abundance. Yet the intensity can be overwhelming at times, loud and bright and fast-moving. Remaining in the moment, being supported by all the work we're doing and all that we have to show it, is a magical thing to do. It opens doors to so much more.

This week we can resist the old pattern of retreating into critical thinking or narratives of failure and loneliness and stay in our majestic, messy, and fantastic now.

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Weekly Forecast: October 14-20

Resist the urge to self-isolate.

Sometimes when I sit down to write a forecast I type out the first phrase that comes to mind, just like the one above.

Usually these are a nice jumping-off point, but this week it's right on the money - a tarot reading thesis statement, if you will.

As we begin this week we're worn-down and wounded in some way, yet the solid gentleness of the Queen of Pentacles is urging us to reach out and find soothing care in our relationships via the Six of Cups.

Let's look deeper.

As you may have noticed, I'm a huge fan of artist Mary Evans' Apparition Tarot, featured here. Could I pass up a deck with pastel cherubs dancing on the backs? No! But I also love her interpretations of the cards - they often bring a piercing freshness to their symbolism, taking us on a more modern path to their meanings.

Here, instead of the usual face-down figure stabbed ten times in the back, we have an outstretched hand pierced with swords. It's a painful image to behold. The arm reaching forward makes me think of the pain in vulnerability; what happens when we seek connection and aren't seen, heard, or, worse, treated with respect.

Clearly, these feelings and experiences are at work this week, operating in our lives either consciously or subconsciously. Where have we felt rejected, hurt, or misrepresented? What bids for affection have been ignored or turned down by others, willfully or not?

I whispered a quiet "ooh, boy!" when I turned over this card. It's been a while since we've seen it here, and it's always an intense energy to work with; yet, the fact that it's the ten - the last in its sequence - suggests some finality. Our swords have built up and reached their maximum capacity. In seeing them for what they are we begin a new process of healing.

Which, as you may have guessed, is where the Queen of Pentacles comes in. I really think of this card here as powerful self-parenting energy. We're at a point where we can take the reins and choose to give ourselves all the support and soothing and kindness that may not have been gifted to us in the past. This Queen shows the empowering act of choosing to be our own ally. How can we care for ourselves and put our needs at the center as an act of deep love?

The Queen of Pentacles is also a solitary card; sometimes it can be lonely coming to terms with the responsibility of loving ourselves wholly. Moving with these two facets - the weight of assuming power and the joy and tenderness it cultivates - is absolutely an option. In fact, it's the bittersweet hallmark of the Kings and Queens of tarot. They've traveled far to reach this level of mastery. They know that power begins with oneself, the same as satisfaction, clarity, and so much more.

But what happens when the court cards of tarot band together? Does suffering rejection in the past doom us to the pressure of isolated self-care? Prioritizing our needs until we're alone in a corner? Not at all. This reading shows such a lovely path from the pain of hurt - that inhospitable land of swords - to the warmth of acceptance.

Take time this week to find your people, those trusted travelers who have wisdom, support, and insight to offer you. Look for those who deal with their struggles as a way to better know themselves - other kings and queens of the tarot journey.

The imagery here is stunning: The wounds of the Ten of Swords have disappeared in the Six of Cups where a rainbow of hands join together in supportive grace.

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Weekly Forecast: October 7-13

There's a lot of restless, destructive energy at work this week, dear friends. We have the upset of The Tower mixing with the ambition of The Chariot. Throw in the anxious worrying of the Nine of Swords and we have ourselves a fun mix, don't we?

Strangely, I'm into this group of cards. While The Tower is one of the least favored card in tarot, it has a positive spin. Cumbersome structures, whether they're societal of self-imposed, can be hard to escape. In this card, however, they come tumbling down. While this is often terrifying, it's also a massive release of energy. Some tower experiences take longer to recover from than others, however. What's falling down in your life right now?

While the bounce-back period from this card often takes place in the long-term (we are dealing with the Major Arcana, after all) this reading shows us busting out of the rubble with The Chariot. We can look to our life right now to see what's grasp on us is crumbling and, most importantly, releasing us from restrictive situations.

The Chariot has a lot to do with willpower and drive. Are we feeling a pull to go in a new direction, to make decisions that bring us glory, accomplishment, and satisfaction?

There's a tender story here: Our freedom is unlocking a huge store of motivation and capability. Sometimes it's sad to recognize that this has been held back in our past situation. And, what's more, it's scary to move forward, away from the rubble without looking back to fix or mend.

You may be anticipating my segueway into the Nine of Swords here. Indeed, moving away from our Tower experience is inviting in a bunch of anxious thoughts. These may feel stale and tired, however. The Nine of Swords represents a build-up of patterns and ideas. In other words, the crappy and overwhelming feeling is a known-quantity. Still not fun at all, but also not unfamiliar.

In the coming days it will be especially important to leave room for all the aspects of our experience, particularly our emotions. These cards signify big shifts; of course we're going to be kicking up old defense mechanisms and confronting our fear of the unknown.

The Chariot brings with it a huge dose of impatience. A part of us is raring and ready to go and prove ourselves. Yet The Tower releases a whole lot more along with energy and a new path ahead. There's dust that needs to clear, rubble that we need to see so that we can step over it. This is a long-term experience. What we can do in the meantime is make ourselves as comfortable, held, and supported while we process what's taking place. That means both caring for ourselves and reaching out to those who can understand and offer solace.

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Weekly Forecast: August 18-25

Well, my friends, it looks like the Five of Swords isn't done with us yet! This card also began the forecast for last week, warning us of conflict luring us away from our very important personal paths.

In that reading there was a more cosmic theme: How have interpersonal struggles held us back overall? In those cards there was a need to identify the larger forces at play and to look at our lives now as a new beginning, highlighted by the The Fool.

Well, now things are coming waaay back down to earth. We're being asked to really practice these concepts in real life, showing the Five of Swords that we're committed to growing our own ambitions instead of mediating others' conflicts.

When we have a continuing theme like this it's actually quite powerful. The Five of Swords isn't showing up twice to say that we haven't succeeded in dealing with its thorny energy. Rather, it's saying that we need to deepen our skill and make circumventing or, blissfully, ignoring drama a normal behavior.

I love the visual of the Eight of Pentacles here, busy on their phone and totally unperturbed by the angry figure in the Five of Swords, yelling on top of a pile of heads. What an inspiring image to use when focusing on your work. That mess in the Five of Swords? It's not ours to clean up. Plus, we have important work to do.

The Eight of Pentacles is an invigoratingly practical card. It reminds us to value the work we find absorbing and to let our focus bring us clarity. Taking each task as it comes, especially on work that's meant to sustain our own lives, can bring us forward in an immensely satisfying way. It also tells us that we have something important going on here. We've been doing good work and it's accumulating. Now its not the time to get distracted or abandon it.

And what's this figure riding in from the right? The Page of Swords is a welcome addition to our cards, telling us that a mental break from whatever form the Five of Swords is taking in our lives will bring us renewed clarity and energy. Sometimes not knowing what to do about a certain situation simply means that the right answer (or time) hasn't arrived yet. With the Page of Swords we can be sure that it's on the horizon and that space, deliberation, and focus on our work is what will usher it in.

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Weekly Forecast: July 29 - August 4

Ah, dear friends, this week's forecast is very specific and clear: It's an important time to think about how we try to mask our feelings through decadence. Whether it's spending, sex, affection, food, or any other sensual activity, we're running the risk of overindulging in these areas to cover up some bittersweet endings active in our life.

If you could've seen my face as I turned over each card, you would've gotten quite a hearty laugh. First, the King of Pentacles, made me give a hearty chuckle. "So we're going to be having quite a good time this week!" I thought. Then, the Queen of Pentacles, which seemed to speak to a unique power-couple of enjoyment, as if we're working towards owning our lives in a bright and bold way. Then, the tune changed drastically with the Ten of Swords. There's a lot more under the surface here that deserves our attention instead of pleasure-seeking and fun.

Power couple aside, the two pentacles cards here are giving us options. Are we using our personality and time to mask our suffering, focusing on how others perceive us? Or are we being more focused and mindful, striking a balance between our comfort, strength, and emotional tenderness?

While the King of Pentacles focuses on his role socially - how he's seen by others and his skills for making them feel good, happy, and taken care of - the Queen directs some of these traits inwards. It's an important time to ask ourselves how we're taking care of ourselves. Are we making room for some struggle along with all the joy? Do we see these things as compatible or in conflict?

I see a level of distraction here. Not only is the Ten of Swords a card of discomfort and sadness, it's one of endings. We may be in the last stages of letting something go that's been on its way out for a long time. The King of Pentacles suggests that we've been hiding some of the stickier aspects of this change for others, perhaps because we're afraid it makes us look foolish or vulnerable.

Thankfully, the Queen of Pentacles is holding down the middle of the reading and offering us a middle path. Now is a time for gentleness, understanding, and for using our comforting practices healthily and for our own long-term benefit. That means no overspending, eating, or socializing to mask uncomfortable truths or feelings, and being aware of this pull is the first step. The second? Using it as a sign to turn inwards and ask ourselves what's really going on with all the tenderness of a dear friend.

Even better? Reaching out to one to commiserate and share. We don't always have to be the hosts or givers, and sometimes leaving space to receive is even more powerful in our relationships, allowing them to move to the next level.

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Weekly Forecast: July 8-14

This week's forecast it a departure from the usual: While shuffling four cards jumped out of the deck. Not one to pass by a fun happening, I decided to keep all of the cards. Paired off, they change the dynamic of the forecast quite a bit and I'm loving it!

Our top two cards are from the Major Arcana and, fascinatingly, they're mostly black and white in an otherwise zesty and colorful deck (the Apparition Tarot Deck by Spirit Speak.) This adds to the archetypal power of the cards. This week we'll be dealing with issues of fairness and values.

Below them we have two Minor Arcana cards, both in the suit of swords. So, in very un-subtle tarot speak, we're going to be spending a lot of time thinking about what is right in our lives and the world around us. Where is justice being done and where is it lacking? And how can we have a hand in righting the imbalance?

These cards highlight the importance of taking space to ponder these serious questions, preferably in solitude and far away from the wildness of our modern society. Giving ourselves the permission to block out outside noise is awakening us to what really matters. Any time we spend this week detaching healthily to heal and mull things over will be well spent.

Because we're also seeing outside injustices mirrored in our own experiences. It's a tender and personal path. Justice, our starting card, can often be intimidatingly abstract. "What do these ideas mean in my actual life?" we might ask. Here we have something outside of us awakening inner wisdom and insight into our past experiences. This is a time to walk towards any discomfort or defensiveness. What might be hiding beneath the surface?

With The Hermit we see that an inner truth is coming to light. It's a good time to ponder and interrogate our own moral code. How are we using it to better our lives and the lives of others? Is there a part of it that's not being acted on, causing stagnation and tension?

I can't help but think of the horrors of the news cycle presently and perhaps there's a thread to pull there. We may find ourselves triggered and tempted to turn away. These cards show us that we have a fine line to walk if we want to do justice to our emotional lives and our need to enact and support justice for all.

But I'm also heartened by the Four and Two of Swords, some of the most positive manifestations of their often-maligned group. They encourage us to trust our perceptions, gain clarity by stripping away confusing chaos, and to focus on what we can do in the here and now. Channeling our swords insights into action is the best way to do justice to these powerful cards.

And, indeed, it seems like we need some action. Not only is it important collectively, but individually as well. Spend this week examining what areas of the large concept of Justice ignite you the most. Like The Hermit suggests, this can take some time. Lean into the process: By the end of the week two paths will become clear. Choose the one that resonates the most, and don't hesitate to act. The most powerful and healthy communities are built by people who know themselves and know how to leverage their talents, skills, and resources for the greater good.

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Summer Solstice Tarot Reading on Open Magic Podcast

A delightful spread from Spirit Speak’s Apparition Tarot Deck

I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling transformed after the Summer Solstice this past week.

And, in case you missed it, I did a special tarot reading looking at the energy and opportunities springing from this time of the year.

This far reaching reading looks at the next half of 2019 and dives in to the archetypes we’ll be leaving behind and the opportunities for growth and celebration emerging in the future.

Give it a listen below or find it wherever you get your podcasts. (And do leave us a review if you feel inspired, it helps more than you know!)

All the Best,

Gina