Weekly Forecast: May 30-June 5

Look at the forward-facing theme of this reading! Each character (and we have three - one for each card) is facing towards the right, the direction of the future, open and aware of what’s to come. Well, as aware as we can be of the mysteries of life before they reveal themselves.

This is a time to be open to and respectful of the synchronization that happens between our self and the deeper currents of life. Death is a card of natural transitions, a slow fade through artful gradations of shadow. What transformation do you feel you’ve been undergoing recently? Lean into the weirdness, for while Death is natural it’s still a journey into the unknown, and I mean that on many levels. When we truly don’t know, everything feels strange - ourselves and the world around us. Because we have two court cards on either side of Death we know this reading is about the self. What parts of you feel authentic and foreign? What are you turning towards, shifting into? We don’t have any answers yet - the picture has yet to come into focus - but we do have the curiosity and motivation to ride into the fog willingly.

Let’s rewind, shall we? The Page of Wands leads the charge into the week. It’s a time to follow our instincts, welcoming the sparks of interest popping in the fires of our lives. What I love about pages is their lack of linear thinking. This is a card that shows us how following a circuitous route, letting our eyes rove and our legs move with joyful freedom, can bring us to interesting places. What is making your spine tingle, the hair on your arms prick up? We’ll be getting clues about the larger direction in our life throughout the week; be careful, however, not to let your focus be on making change happen. Trust in the powerful current winding its way through your waters will be helpful. Struggling will only exhaust you.

Time to talk about Death. Those deep currents I’m talking about? Death territory. The name of this card is a conversation-stopper, but turn back and look at the Page of Wands. Would we skip towards Death if it was so annihilating and terrible? A part of ourselves, and a joyful and authentic one, to boot, is yearning for change and aware that an important season has arrived. In tarot, Death is not a fall into oblivion. It’s only number 13 out of 22. A step on the journey of life itself, but a big one that’s to be sure. What do you know must change, and how willing are you to embrace the change you’re not aware of just yet?

Part of Death involves taking responsibility: responsibility for your life path, for making the changes that serve your highest self, and for modeling the care and values you hold dear. This requires letting things go. What have you grown out of? Like a snake about to shed its skin you may need to rub against some challenges to loosen and release your old self. Doing the work is worth it and, helpfully, the larger process is happening of its own accord. With the Page of Wands leading the charge, we’re in a powerful position to accelerate our transformation and even enjoy the ride. So let whatever’s falling away, fall away, and be sure to fill your days with activities and pursuits that you quite simply enjoy. The little things are bolstering and supporting a great big thing this week.

If all the mystery and metaphor is frustrating for you, I do have some good news, as the deep transformation underway ushers in some helpful clarity. The Queen of Swords represents a parting of clouds, the grey skies becoming blue after a storm. Whatever conclusions or certainties enter into your life at the end of the week will be deeply important to you. It may take some bravery to stand by (and act) by them, but taking up your sword to advocate for yourself will be satisfying and empowering. This is a time to trust that your words will flow with ease when they’re connected to your truth. Communicating, networking, and advocating are all pursuits that fall under this card.

I will add that Death is a big card; the changes that happen this week aren’t isolated to this week alone, and have likely been the works for a month at least. And, importantly, they’ll continue to unfold over the next month or so. Know that any Queen of Swords ideas and epiphanies are only part of this bigger story, not conclusive answers to pressing life questions. Tread gently, deliberately, and with the Page of Wands’ sense of adventure and fun.

This week, embrace:

• Joy

• Exploration

• Self-expression

• The unknown

• Transformation

• Clarity

This week, avoid:

• Rushed decision-making

• Getting swept up in others’ opinions and choices

• Minimizing your desires

Get creative:

• Page of Wands: Make time each day for something purely enjoyable. A delicious cookie with your afternoon tea, dancing to your favorite song before heading out the door, driving a different route to work or any regular destination.

• Death: There’s a mystical side to this card (have you guessed?) Pay attention to your dreams this week, picking up on powerful symbols and events. Just carry them with you, noting their impact and resisting the urge to analyze.

• Queen of Swords: This is a two-part one. First, take some time now to write out some issues, questions, or pressing matters you’d like to articulate. Do it quickly, before your inner-critic adds their two cents. Save this writing and revisit it at the end of the week. What new information and insights can you bring to these questions? Write you answers and see how much more you have to say.

Weekly Forecast: August 20-26

Sometimes it's tiring being rational, or at least occupying a rational standpoint 100% of the time. This week we're willingly sacrificing the need to be right so that we can open up to new sources of knowledge, namely our feelings and intuitions.

This is no small shift, and the fact that we're coming at it from the authoritative stance of the King of Swords shows just how conscious and responsible we are for this choice. And this is good news! We know we need more and we're taking the vulnerable and brave step to move towards it.

In this case, we're choosing to experience a Death of sorts. How can we step down from our thrones of certainty and embrace the complicated magic of everyday life? 

Though we may be moving into some confusing territory, these cards indicate that we're ready for a change. Maybe we're tired of feeling in control all of the time, isolated in our positions of power. Maybe we'd like to step down from our roles as arbiters, deciders, and experts, if only just for a while.

As you may have noticed, though, Death carries with it some pretty irrevocable consequences. So while we may be leaving the King of Swords' throne (and carrying with us his intellectual prowess and experience), we won't be quite the same when we return. 

This is an excellent time to consider what about our current position is feeling itchy or empty. Have we backed ourselves into a corner, suddenly realizing we've been positioning ourselves as someone with all the answers? Are our words feeling hollow or lacking inspiration?

Well, this dynamic leap through the Death card is certainly about to change all that. We're catapulting from the solid, academic remove of the King of Swords into the wishy-washy, imaginative wonderland of the Seven of Cups. Now how's that for contrast?

Towards the end of the week we'll find ourselves feeling radically different. Awash with exciting visions and possibilities, we'll be in the mood to let our minds wander freely, thinking magically instead of pragmatically and theoretically. 

While the Seven of Cups can be a tricky card, one where alluring options can become distracting and even paralyzing, it's a wonderful follow-up to Death. It shows us processing our change and reacting to it with joy and expansion. Death is a long process and thinking creatively in all directions - dreaming up possibilities and alternate futures  - offers us both the space and activity to move through the transition.

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Tarot Reflections: Diving Deep into Shadow Work with Death and The Moon

Who here loves to read articles online? I'm the first to admit that I spend a great deal of time trolling the internet for information and entertainment (ideally, mostly for *serious, productive* goals, but we all know how things go...)

One of my favorite corners is Longform, an amazingly curated collection of longform journalism. Diving into another perspective makes me feel even more connected to the stunning variety of life. And it gets me out of my usual thought patterns and into the grander, more magical side of life in all its weirdness and diversity. Plus, even when I'm procrastinating I'm learning something new.

Often times, I find myself connecting what I read to tarot because, let's face it, tarot is a huge lens through which I see the world. (Side note: I highly recommend doing this as a fun tarot exercise.)

The other day I stumbled on an article about saturation divers, people who do demolition work thousands of feet under the ocean, spending weeks at a time in intensely managed and frighteningly claustrophobic living quarters designed to spare them from the crushing pressure of all that water. 

They have to move slowly, exercise caution, and trust in the systems put in place to protect them. Once they've completed their time underwater, they must slowly ascend, spending days in specially pressurized capsules aboard ships to equalize.

This deliberate, risky, and ultimately rewarding process reminded me so much of a tarot reading I had this past week. In it two of my favorite cards showed up together: Death and The Moon. Both of these cards speak to the power, mystery, and risk of transitions.

When we choose to move into our personal depths in our pursuit of growth we can uncover so much. Yet at the same time we're traveling into new and occasionally heavy territory. The Moon represents the wildness of this new place. It can be both wondrous and frightening, in turns alluring and repulsive.

Some people call this process shadow work and with good reason. Looking deeper involves bringing what was in the shadows into light. Sometimes we don't like what we see, but it's part of us nonetheless. And ultimately, we're able to find positivity and transformation for these relinquished sides of ourselves. That's one of the profound transitions represented by the Death card.

Like the saturation divers working far beneath the surface of the sea, we're under a lot of pressure when we work with our shadow. That's not to say that the pressure is crippling and fearsome, but that we should acknowledge that we're working in a different realm. The same rules don't apply, as we can see in the topsy-turvy illustration of The Moon. We can't rush around recklessly. We have to exercise caution. Move slowly. Be aware that we're doing something important.

We also can't rush to the surface quickly. Doing shadow work involves taking time apart, moving slowly with awareness of the importance of our undertaking, and giving ourselves plenty of space to ease into the bustle of life. We need TLC, in other words, when we're going to these big places. It's easy to forget this and bop right back into our routines. Doing extra self-care in these situations is always a wise investment. 

What's more, we can also rely on the support network in place. While we're at the bottom of our personal sea exploring, mending, and shining a light on neglected places, we also have a connection to the people who have our back on the surface. Communicating with them about our needs, feelings, and experiences, can be a beautiful lifeline during big moments of personal growth.

So if you're in the midst of a big internal change a la Death, remember that this is a delicate, important, and beautiful process. Think like a diver at the bottom of the sea - how can you bring your awareness to these new surroundings. What different ways must you move? How can you give yourself time and space to process, recalibrate, and equalize? 

Diving deep can be hard work. But when we're mindful of its importance and our new needs as we embark on these journeys, the path is much more smooth and inviting. 

Weekly Forecast: May 21-27

Oh my! We have some intense energy afoot this week. A crow-pleasing card of victory, the Six of Wands, is making way for two of the tarot cards most likely to win "Worst First Impression" - Death and the Three of Swords. I think this tells us a very interesting story, but it also is giving us some complicated experiences to work through.

So what does it mean when success brings on the energies of Death and the Three of Swords? Death is a harbinger of profound transitions. It's almost comical how the gung-ho enthusiasm of the Six of Wands (you can think of this card as the go-getter of tarot, someone used to seeing results from their actions) crashes into Death. This week we're getting more than we bargained for and our inner development is coming to the forefront through seemingly innocuous actions.

In other words, we might find ourselves thinking, "Things are going so wonderfully! ... Why do I feel so bad?" 

I like to think of Death as a card representing moments where we ascend to another level. When Death arrives on the scene we're often unprepared and this is driven home by the ix of Wands. Wands are action-packed, self-motivated, and ever-moving. We think we're on a normal jaunt. It's pleasant, energizing, and going just where we want it to go. Before we know it, however, we come face-to-face with a big moment and some big feelings.

We've been changing all along and now is a time to recognize the weight and importance of that change.

Something we've been undertaking in our professional and creative lives is ushering in a new understanding of who we are. We've reached a sense of harmony and balance. There have been struggles, yes, but they've all taught us to trust our skills and abilities. We can do things! We can make things happen!

I'm feeling this energy as an unexpected and initially unwanted promotion. We know we've been doing a good job, but we weren't anticipating it to be noticed and "rewarded" with a weighty promotion. We have to step up, mid-celebration. Can't we just hang out in this period of plenty? Why do we have to move forward, adding on layers?

It's because we're ready, that's why. Death has a profound inevitability attached to it. Fighting these transitions is unwise. It'd be like trying to prevent Winter from happening or protesting the night. Most of the fear surrounding this card is a fear of the unknown. Death strips us of our usual blueprints and roles and tells us to walk forward with trust, knowing we're evolving into something different. The new blueprint is just around the corner. We need to have faith. 

Sound heavy enough for you? It doesn't have to be that way and a key part of this involves scale. Taking baby steps instead of leaping ahead (or throwing a temper tantrum and sitting on the ground) honors the magic behind Death. We can see the character of Death holding a chrysalis dangling from a twig. Like the creature trapped inside, we have to wiggle here and there, testing our new wings and slowly weakening what was once our cozy home. 

Eventually, we'll have to burst out, but not quite yet. Taking time to commemorate the big change we're finding ourselves in will help acclimate us to both our new selves and the new world we'll be finding ourselves in.

And this brings us to the Three of Swords. This process is uncomfortable and it's important to acknowledge it. The Death transition at work this week is bringing up old and painful wounds. These need to be tended and seen before we complete our transformation. Again, tenderness is key. I see this card as part of the chrysalis we need to shed. What old stories do we need to let go? What has brought us pain in the past that we can choose to remove from our lives? 

This highlights an empowering side to Death. When we embrace its changes we can embrace a more authentic, supportive, and enlightening role for ourselves. Where we once could only crawl we can now fly freely. All we need is a little time and care to free ourselves and stretch our wings.

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Weekly Forecast: January 29 - February 4

Ruling over and drawing strength from the skeletons in our closet.

Death is a transition into the unknown and the unknowable. As a tarot card, it taps into our fear of what we can't envision - a future that requires us to change and, like a snake, shed our skin to reveal a glistening, new layer of ourselves. 

Death is natural and necessary; the moments when we must work with the changing currents in life. We must change, evolve, and allow ourselves to move into new phases and forms.

Of course it's frightening at first. Leaving a well-worn, comfortable situation for something we can't see yet? The tenderness of shedding our skin? It's a powerful experience, both profound and vulnerable. 

And sometimes it's just what we need to emerge into a fuller embodiment of our potential.

In this week's reading, Death is flanked by the Eight of Pentacles to the left and the King of Pentacles to the right. This transformation is occurring in our daily lives, either in the structures we've been working on to give ourselves security or the work we pursue to feed ourselves and put a roof over our heads. 

We've had quite a bit of success, as we can see in the Eight of Pentacles. Success is challenging, however. Sometimes we look up after working hard to discover that we've accomplished a goal we once thought was outlandish and completely out of reach. We've eclipsed our expectations. Hooray!

...Hooray?

This is where we begin to struggle with the necessity of Death. We've worked so hard that we've moved into new territory. Our success is demanding change, it's shaking things up. We're tempted to put our heads back down and keep on working like it's all the same. But we're growing fast,  and delightfully so. The world is taking notice and it's time for us to emerge into a fuller version of ourselves: wiser, wilder, and more accomplished.

This is where the devilish, gleeful King of Pentacles comes in. They're a character that embraces the warm rays of success and feels energized by them. Accolades are welcome and abundance even more so. This is a being who doesn't shy away from the bounty that comes from hard work. Enjoyment of one's riches is the best way to amplify and honor them.

We're developing from the humble diligence of the Eight of Pentacles into the confident joy of the King of Pentacles. Leaning into this transition or "Death" is a profound experience, a leveling up that encompasses more than just the fruits of our labors bringing us to new places.

 In the Eight of Pentacles we can see the line of skulls buried in a mountain alongside the cascading pentacles. Our work, while undeniably concrete on the surface, has also been emotional. Our efforts have allowed us to exorcise parts of our past, another clue why Death is showing up here - this is a profound emotional transformation.

On the other side, in the King of Pentacles, the same skulls are happily crowned beneath the King. No longer, buried underground, they're free to soak up the rays of the sun, transformed from buried secrets or unprocessed emotions into celebrated parts of the King's journey. Perhaps even assets that aid him in his reign.

This week is a time to ease into the depth of this transition, to be gentle with ourselves, and honor what we're experiencing. We'll be dealing with issues of having more than we asked for and the challenge of embracing this well-earned wealth instead of hiding from it. All the pieces are there and the transition is ours to take. It's time to be King. 

 

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Dealing with Difficult Tarot Cards: 7 Tips for Reading for Others

At our last Tarot Club meeting we had a nice chat about how to handle the tougher cards when reading for others. Is putting a positive spin on them simply sugar-coating the message? What about when someone is already nervous about tarot? How do you explain The Devil in a "something to look forward to" position in a spread?

These are all rich and meaty questions that each deserve their own post. For today, I'll be diving into the issue of using positive interpretations for these darker cards.

Before we jump on in, a moment to clarify. When I say "darker cards" I'm referring to the heavy hitters in tarot, the cards most likely to pop up on a massively stereotypical fortuneteller's table in a horror movie: Death, The Devil, The Tower, and the Three of Swords. I mean, just take a gander at these beauties!

Right off the bat we can see similarities. A predilection for ominous black or flat grey, intense imagery you could easily imagine on the cover of a death metal album, and visual themes of suffering. No wonder those new to tarot get squeamish around these cards!

And yet would you be surprised if I told you that these are some of my favorite cards in the deck? Without the darker tarot cards the system itself would lack nuance and depth. Tarot is a beautiful illustration of all the facets of life, good and bad. And I say "good and bad" as a jumping off point - tarot is much more subtle than a simple binary; though it uses them to illustrate certain points it also invites us to shade in all the tones of grey that make up most of our human experiences. Sugarcoating them strips away their beautiful complexity and power to reflect our lives in their entirety. 

And yet it's a fine line to walk: how do we breach the complex messages of these cards when reading for friends, acquantances, or people new to tarot? 

Tips for Interpreting "Negative" Tarot Cards

1. Acknowledge Change

No one card shows a static situation. Life is constantly changing, and we are constantly changing, so no one is going to get stuck experiencing the stabby heartbreak of the Three of Swords forever (that would take some serious willpower!) I think a lot of the fear around tarot is that the cards will show you something bad that you're powerless to change. On the contrary, tarot shows us what energy and happenings are circulating in our lives. It's a map we can look at, interpret, and then choose how to navigate. 

2. Cut to the Chase

So you're at a party and have decided to read cards for a few friends. You flip them all over and the second to last card is Death. Instead of going in order while your friend is nervously fixated on a tarot card that literally says "death" on it, wondering if it means she's going to die, jump stright to it with a quick explanation. "You've probably noticed this scary looking skeleton on horseback that says "Death" underneath. Don't worry, tarot is a rich symbolic system and this card doesn't mean you're going to die tomorrow! It can actually be quite beautiful - we'll get to it soon, but in the meantime do you have any questions about it?" (Note: you can use much more elegant language that I do here!)This method takes some of the anxiety out of the situation and diffuses tension so that the querent can be present during their reading. 

3. Explain the Context

All tarot cards have their positive and negative sides and their strengths and weaknesses. The large part of a tarot reading lies in each card's relationships to the others in the spread. Context is key. So Death with the Three of Swords could represent a painful but necessary breakup, or The Tower followed by the Six of Wands could show an unexpected, drastic change clearing way for a creative breakthrough. Tying the more challenging cards to others in the spread is a wonderful way to acquaint your querent with the situation and allow them to see their more detailed meanings unfold.

4. Let the Querent Lead

I see tarot as a collaborative process, so the experience and interpretation of whomever you're reading for is an essential. Give your querent an opportunity to share their response and connections with the difficult card after you've given a brief explanation of meaning and context. Does it resonate for them? Let them lead the interpretation here and listen actively. This is a key step for those kind souls who might be tempted to sugarcoat too much in an effort to shield their querent from difficult emotions or situations. Many people actually find it relieving and healing to see tougher situations in their readings. They feel seen and empowered to survey the land and decide how they want to proceed. Giving them the space to decide whether they want to dive deeper into a card or not will both give them the reading they need in the moment and allow you to respond accordingly.

5. Focus on Choice

As I mentioned above, a tarot reading isn't an indictment on your future. It shows the energy active in the current situation and the likely outcome if we proceed as we are right now. If anything, tarot readings give us insight into the many paths we can take. Each card has guidance to offer (yes, even The Tower) and it all rests on how we choose to work with its energy. This is exciting news! Sharing the power of choice and the different avenues available with your querent is a beautiful way to bring the reading home. Returning to the issue of sugar-coating, this is an excellent way to balance the painful aspects of a card with ways to heal. For example, say The Tower appears in a past position, representing an unexpected layoff. It's important here to acknowledge the trauma of this experience. The Tower isn't a walk in the park, that's for sure. Again, let the querent guide you. Additionally, The Tower depicts a situation where structure has crumbled due to an outside force. The querent had no control over the sitution; the only thing they can control is how they emerge from the aftermath. Do they want to rebuild the tower? Build something else? Or pursue another path that's less structured? Leaving the querent with these options is both validating and empowering.

6. Relinquish Control

When we read tarot for others we're equal parts interpreter and conduit. Worrying about how others will interpret things is an expression of our egos. Are we worried we'll offend someone? Look stupid? Refocusing on the cards and their message helps alleviate these anxieties. What is the message of The Devil if we strip away our own nervousness? Let the cards guide the reading and reenvision yourself as a true tarot reader. 

7. Focus on Respect

 It's essential to center our readings around the mission of offering insight and empowerment. Furthermore, tarot readings should be done with respect for the autonomy and competence of the querent. There's nothing in a tarot reading that could completely undo the querent unless we're reading unethically or phrasing our reading like a proclamation. Trust that the message in the cards will resonate as it needs to with whomever you're reading for. And trust that they are competent people able to care for themselves. We've all weathered heartbreak and misfortune. It may hurt, but it makes us stronger and more experienced. What better way to engage with these sticky subjects than with a trusted friend or tarot reader, looking over an array of insightful cards?

How about you? How have you worked with these darker cards in readings for others? Share your comments below...

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Weekly Forecast: Nov 28-Dec 4

Big things are at work this week.

We’ve drawn three major arcana cards – The Wheel of Fortune, Death, and Strength.

When major arcana cards appea, they ask us to zoom out and look at our lives in the big picture. We’re not talking about everyday scrabbles and happenings. Instead, the themes are the big ones: who we are, what we value, and where we’re going.

In this case, it’s the whole darn spread, so we know there’s larger themes at play this week.

I’m sure you’ve noticed the central card already. Yes, Death, that old classic you usually see in movies. The scene goes something like this.

Interior: A dimly lit, dusty room. A skill sits on a pile of leather-bound books. Cobwebs hang from candelabras covered in melted wax. An old fortune-teller sits at a table. She is wearing lots and lots of scarves.

Fortune-Teller: Let’s see what the cards have in store for you.

Hero look around uncomfortably as the Crone shuffles. She lays out the cards and flips the first over: Death. Camera zooms into the hero’s horrified face.

Fortune-Teller: You have one day left to live…

Part of me loves the hammy pop-culture connotations of the Death card. Of course, we’re in legit Tarot world here, and Death is not meant literally. (Don’t worry, this reading is not forecasting our imminent demise, though the world does feels bleak and uncertain right now.)

It’s certainly an arresting image: a skeleton in armor atop a white horse riding towards three figures, with one already fallen underneath him. Very to the point.

And yet all is not what it seems. Tarot is a nuanced system. It offers us a holistic approach to life, one that does not skirt around the unpleasant bits. Rather, it embraces them as steps necessary in our journey towards personal development and spiritual growth.

There’s no denying the sadness, finality, and presence of death in our lives. And yet we experience death constantly as the ending of relationships, projects, phases of our lives, the changes of the seasons…the list goes on.

Look a little closer at the Death card and we see two interesting things. One, there’s a rising sun to the right, framed between two white towers. And two, one of the figures, who appears to be a Pope or member of the clergy, faces Death with his arms outstretched.

It’s in choosing how to face death that we determine its impact on our lives. And I’m not saying that it’s easy-peasy. We don’t go about wishing for death – we are living creatures, after all. It’s not in our nature. When it comes, the process isn’t easy, but if we run away from the inevitability, we often prolong our suffering.

Not to mention the richness, meaning, and depth the changes represented in the Death card bring us.

The reading for this week asks us to contend with our approach to the changes in our lives. How are we meeting the inevitable losses that come our way? What do we need to let go of and how can we honor its passing instead of fighting it?

The Wheel of Fortune tells us that the changes emerging this week are going to surprise us or already have. There’s an element of chance in play and we can’t do anything to stop it. It may be frustrating and painful, but it’s true.

I can’t help but think about the recent election when I see these cards, especially the feeling that the world has gone topsy-turvy. The Wheel of Fortune also reminds us that whatever is on top of the world must fall eventually, and then rise again. Perhaps this is the shift we are watching unfold right now, in which case Death is a somewhat reassuring card. To move forward, we must acknowledge this ending and make way for the second part of the cycle: rebirth.

We can look to the figure standing in Death’s path as a clue for what approach to take. He stands tall with his arms ahead of him. If we welcome the change that’s approaching, we can perhaps move through it with grace towards something brighter. After all, the man’s robes are the same color as the rising sun behind him.

The same theme shows up in our final card, Strength. It’s a beautiful depiction of what some call “soft control,” or the act of exerting one’s influence with gentle kindness instead of inflexible, blunt power. It tells us that if we approach the changes ahead of us with understanding, grace, and gentleness we will become more grounded, flexible, and strong. In a world full of bombastic fear-mongering we could certainly use more of this approach moving forward. All we have to do is face the changes represented in Death head-on, ready to grow into the next stage.  

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Have a question you'd like to explore?

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Weekly Forecast: Nov 14-20

Cards from the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot

Sometimes it’s difficult to lift our head and see the larger picture. The forest from the trees. Our planet suspended in deep, velvety space.

Sometimes that's too much to ask. When world events swirl around us, upending our assumptions about the future, it’s all we can do to teeter from side to side trying to regain balance.

Now is one of those times when the world’s unruliness comes into rapid, sometimes terrifying focus.

It doesn’t seem to be a coincidence that tonight the moon is closer to us than it has been in many of our lifetimes. Though it has always been orbiting our planet, it usually looks like a benign pearl gleaming in the distance. Now the moon is peering into our world, its huge eye pressed against our window. Beautiful, big, and a reminder of our smallness and the inescapable unknowns around us always.

Tarot can offer wisdom and guidance we would not choose for ourselves. Were I to actively pick cards for a reading right now, my choices would be much different than what appeared this week. Probably a nice handful of the spikiest swords, a stern Emperor, and the upending chaos of The Tower.

The cards from this week, however, show us the forces beyond and a way to move forward. This is much needed perspective and advice.

We being with The World and Death, two major arcana cards that affirm the great changes occurring around us. We have moved from a sense of dynamic oneness to an abrupt ending. The World is one of two cards that depicts movement, in this case, dancing. Traveling from this card to Death is like someone walking into the party and smashing the record that was playing. Sudden, shocking, and with no going back.

No matter what your perspective, this change was a surprise. To go from the wholeness to The World to the finality of Death is quite the leap. Some may have been embracing the change, dancing towards it, while others were shimmying with obliviousness, not thinking the change was even a possibility.

Yet here we are. The cycle continues. Death is constantly occurring in our lives, literally and figuratively. It is a necessary part of the world, but that does not mean we can simply traipse through it and get to the rebirthing.

To sugarcoat the reality of Death with immediate optimism and action is to squander a great opportunity. When someone dies, we have a funeral. We grieve and remember what it is we have lost. Only once we face the reality of death, feel its contours, and mourn can we know where we need to go next.

To see Death in the center of the reading is to see the momentousness of this moment. This is not small stuff. We see a group of figures either collapsed or standing before death's white horse: a king, a child, a maiden, a Pope. They all must succumb and they all have their time. Death does not discriminate. It is beyond our control.

What is not beyond our control, however, is the path after death. How we move on, rebuild, and continue is up to us. In the distance, a bright sun rises between two white towers. It is far in the distance, but promising if we choose to walk towards it.

So how do we do this? Where do we go? How can we move forward? These questions have been swirling in my mind lately and I have yet to come up with a good answer.

Here, we end with a beautiful card and an answer of sorts, the Queen of Cups. She sits on a throne, gazing at an ornate cup. Her robes flow into the water, melding with the pattern of the waves lapping against the shore. She appears calm, solid, and connected to the world around her.

Cups govern the realm of emotions and relationships and this Queen embodies their embrace and mastery. She does not get swept away by outbursts, or anger and confusion. Her throne is firmly planted on the ground, and while the sea in front of her may be calm and placid one day, rough and choppy the next, she remains focused on her single cup.

I see this as a moving reminder to remain grounded and look for the deeper humanity and connection in us all. I do not believe that this is a simple task. The Queen of Cups asks us to truly consider what it is that unites us. She has an ocean swirling around her. So much water. What does she choose to lift and hold in her cup, to cherish and appreciate, to protect and nurture? How can we do this for others? How can we make them feel safe, held, and truly seen?

The Queen of Cups sees the turmoil and change, these large forces illustrated in The World and Death, and asks us to focus on the relationships we have with others on all levels. It is our task to start inching forward while holding tenderness and respect at the center of all our actions. This is what will take us towards the rising sun and a brighter future. 

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