Weekly Forecast: Dec 12-18
Plans, plans, plans.
We’re full of them this week, with our eyes focused on the horizon and our minds busy considering different opportunities. It’s the calm before the storm, the place of reflection before action, the “look” before the “leap.”
It’s the kind of energy that seems appropriate during the last weeks of the year. Now is the time of “Best of” 2016 lists and New Year’s resolutions. These cards tell us to spend some time taking stock while also gearing up for change and new frontiers.
The Three of Wands is a card that’s seeking expansiveness. We’ve set a part of the plan into action and are deciding what to do next. What will take us further along our chosen path? What’s the next step?
The man is grasping three wands showing that he has already made some progress. He’s collected three wands (accomplishments, goals, or skills) and is looking to get more. Now is a time to take stock of your accomplishments and recognize the skills and abilities you have at your disposal. How can you use them right now? What are you missing?
This is an exhilarating place to be. The world is your oyster! The sea is stretching out before you, unknown and exciting. And right now you’re standing on firm ground, aware of your strengths and how they can help you.
The next move? Taking the leap.
The two pages highlight the youthful and enthusiastic energy at work this week. What we’re working on now will open us up in untold ways, allowing us to develop new parts of ourselves and test out new skills.
Pages are like a child with a new obsession. Whether it’s dinosaurs, Pokemon, or ancient Egypt, they immediately set out to know all there is to know about the subject (and then tell everyone about it.) They’re enraptured with whatever struck their fancy and have a singular focus that borders on fanaticism.
Of course, this can have its drawbacks, but channel this energy correctly and you could get a lot done while learning a lot about yourself. Ever envy how much energy small children seem to have? Well, if you embrace the enthusiasm of the pages, you could find yourself with energy to spare. This is a week where we have the potential to get a lot done, fast.
Moving from the Three of Wands and into the Pages signifies a change in perspective. The man looking across the body of water in the three is gazing into the distance. He’s looking at a big picture, perhaps too big if he wants to actually start moving ahead.
In contrast, the Pages are in it. They are engrossed in their object and focused on using it. Pentacles signify the material world and our life as we live it, while swords represent the world of the mind: our thoughts, ideas, and how we communicate them. It seems that we’re entering a time ripe for reevaluating how our lives and ideas can further us along our path.
The pages also are front and center. We see their faces, their actions, and intent, while the man in the Three of Wands is facing away from us. Moving from the three to the pages signifies a shift in our self-perception. It’s time to narrow our focus and think of ourselves as the heroes of our stories, to move from the third person to the first person. We can’t take the next step while holding ourselves at a distance.
We are the main characters of our lives.
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Weekly Forecast: Oct 31 - Nov 6
We’re entering that lovely yet fraught time of the year: The Holidays. The days grow shorter, the clocks get set back, and we gear up for the impending festivities, visits with families, and gifting. It can be a whirlwind of activity, bringing up conflicts and losses as well as the warm and fuzzy associations we know so well.
The reading for this week highlights the underlying force of this time of the year. It’s the big one we’re all familiar with - love and the celebration of our connections.
We see this in the ace of cups, a single vessel held proudly aloft. It represents love in all its splendor. The star of the event. The water we drink. The element that ties us all together.
Love, in this case, is not specific. It is the unconditional, underlying affection that allows us to appreciate, say, our brash uncle who always manages to say something offensive at Thanksgiving dinner. The love that allows us to see beyond the qualities and beliefs we don’t align with and into their humanity and our shared bonds.
I see this ace as a reminder to foster connection despite our differences during these polarized times. Isolation and rejection of those who disagree with us tend to encourage the spread of fearful ideas that are, in fact, quite isolating. What do you know? That seems like a toxic cycle we should be doing our best to avoid.
That’s not to say that this unconditional loving comes easily. In the difficulty we must remember the divine nature of aces. As a reflection of the traits of the suites in the purest form, aces represent a beautiful gift from an unknown source. (After all, their symbols are popping out of clouds and held by mysterious, disembodied hands.)
We don’t know why we’re here or why loving can be so wonderful and so challenging. For some this may be comforting and for others frustrating. But we do know that it brings a stunning beauty and grace into our lives, sometimes in glorious bursts and sometimes in bits and pieces.
Fortunately, the ten of pentacles suggests a harmonious season, at least for the week ahead. We see a lovely depiction of a family. There’s a mother, father, child, and even two majestic hounds. It’s a card chock full of connections and relationships that seem to be flourishing together.
The ten on pentacles is one of my favorite cards. It depicts a cozy scene of the everyday that holds a beautiful secret. While pentacles refer to earth, practical matters, and the physical plane, they also signify the sacred in the everyday. The intersection of our lives as we live them and the spiritual plane.
As such it is also a card that connects us to forces beyond us, both personal and divine. It reminds us that this time of the year is one to commemorate our ancestors and traditions, reach out to them by coming together, and remain open to the support coming from the other side.
But what is life without a little tension? The two of wands reveals a little itch we might have. A restlessness around travel, plans, or ideas we’ve yet to hatch. The other two cards suggest a strong foundation in our relationships, perhaps one that is feeling just a bit stifling.
We hold the world in our hand and gaze into its possibilities. It is up to us whether doing so is invigorating and inspiring or distracting and dissatisfying. Know, however, that this little spark is very young and that there is plenty of good at work in your life at this very moment.
Weekly Forecast: Sept 26-October 2
Fall is here. The signs? Leaves starting to turn, shorter days, and pumpkins and gourds piled high outside of grocery stores. It’s a glorious time of the year. Last week we celebrated the fall equinox, officially marking the start of the season. And it looks like the season has ushered in a new change.
The cards for this week show the arrival of calm. Not just on a surface level, either. The Star, in all its major arcana glory, signifies a deeper sense of connection to ourselves and our values. The sort of peaceful certainty that makes decisions easy. You just know what to do because it feels right. Your intuition is lining up with your actions, a truly beautiful place to make decisions from.
So picture the crispness of a fall day. Maybe you’re going to pick apples. It’s just cold enough to wear your favorite sweater and feel your cheeks getting rosy from the breeze. The sun is shining and everything feels bright and full of possibility. This is the energy coming into focus this week.
Transitions come with a lot of activity and in the previous week you may have found yourself a bit exhausted. The seven of wands shows a young man fending off an army of sticks, defending his high ground. Similarly, you may have felt a bit besieged by work, obligations, and setting boundaries. All good things to accomplish, and yet once you realize what your time is worth, the unending exertion can get tedious.
This is a good sign, however, because who wants to be constantly grappling with life? There has to be some balance, right?
The Star gives us the answer and it is a clear, undeniable yes. You have integrated the lessons from the seven of wands. You know what you stand for, what is worth your time, and what you want. To stay in a defensive place past this point is a poor use of your energy. The Star tells us that you have made this move and are about to enjoy the peace and solidity of really knowing yourself.
Stars illuminate the night sky and when we look up at them we are simultaneously humbled and inspired. There is a playfulness and wonder to stars that will be helpful to keep in mind moving forward. Progress does not have to be a weighty thing.
When you’re following your inspiration and true self life is full of magic and excitement. This does not make it any less important than busyness and stress. In fact, it is the sign that we are headed in the right direction, under the guidance of our north star, so to speak.
Which brings us to the three of wands. In connecting with your true motivations and beliefs you are much better prepared to move forward. In this card a man stands on the shore of a body of water holding three wands. He has learned many things and knows what he needs to bring with him. Now he considers his next move, secure in his abilities and full of optimism.
You are arriving at a time where we have learned and integrated deep lessons. The next question is: where will you go next?