Weekly Forecast: September 10-16

What does it look like when we take care of ourselves? Lately, it seems like elaborate baths filled with fancy oils and crystals are all the rage. Or maybe a profound meditation practice? A walk outside? Yet sometimes caring for ourselves diverges from the popular and palatable (and photographable) practices du jour. The Star shows us mulling all this over at the beginning of the week, seeking ways to connect to our source that are deeply personal and, relievingly, private. 

An introspective and rejuvenating card, The Star is inviting us to fall gently into the core of ourselves. Only when we're there can we ask, "What do I truly need right now?" If that's mindfully bathing with your quartz crystals, go for it! If it's more like reading Science-Fiction novels and eating beef jerky or listening to music while staring at the ceiling or drawing autobiographical comics, that's exactly what you should do.The Star invites us to lean into our unique desires and celebrate them, to follow our feelings with the goal of offering ourselves the care and kindness we often reserve for others. 

So what happens when we dive into our inner sanctum and give ourselves space to nurture ourselves? We just feel amazing, right?? The remaining cards for this week tune us into a different, more complex reality. 

Sometimes when we give ourselves space to relax it also makes room for more difficult emotions to emerge. Caring for ourselves means honoring the entirety of our emotional experiences, even those that are difficult and distressing. In our case, this week is all about the Ten of Swords, a spiky, bittersweet, and challenging card, to say the least. It looks like we're settling into an important truth about ourselves that, although beautiful and necessary for our growth, also requires us to shut a door on something in our lives.

The Ten of Swords represents the end of a cycle, the final chapter of the "story of Swords." With this suit we're dealing with the many ins-and-outs of our thoughts: their power to shape the world around us and their ability to reverberate outwards through the ways we communicate them. In the ten, we've reached the end of a difficult journey. It's time to shed some old ideas about ourselves, particularly the one's that have held us back or wounded us. If there's anything helpful about the the Ten of Swords, it's that these issues are obvious and unavoidable. In other words, we know exactly what is causing us pain and exhaustion. 

Why might this be bittersweet? Whether we've inherited these ideas, picked them up from relationships, or absorbed them from the culture around us, we're familiar and attached to them. Maybe we feel like we're abandoning part of our upbringing by saying no to these patterns, betraying an idea that's been so important to us, or walking away from a relationship that has seen us through so much. The Star reminds us to tend to ourselves - to feel our feelings and let them flow through us - while prioritizing what rejuvenates us over what weighs us down. 

Our final card, the Four of Cups, offers an important clue. In addition to feeling attached to these cutting sword thoughts and experiences, we may also be using them as a distraction from our calling. A classic card of ennui and dissatisfaction, the Four of Cups appears in an almost comic position after the Ten of Swords. After all the processing and suffering and over thinking there's... boredom? We may be making things too complicated for ourselves in an effort to avoid getting down to the exciting and vulnerable business of being ourselves.

This is an affirming card because it shows us that we've already grown beyond the Ten of Swords. Once we say our final goodbye we might be surprised to vault into a different state of being. It may be so uncharacteristically pleasant and calm that we feel wary. Hence the Four of Cups. Where we're expecting drama and deep, slogging emotional work we're instead finding peace. And for a second, it feels empty and strange.

The Four of Cups is an important reminder that embodying The Star - filling our cups with what regenerates and sustains us - feels good. And when we're used to feeling "bad," struggling through choices and decisions, we get suspicious when things are easy. This week is a time to replace that thinking, equating deep satisfaction and the magic of natural focus with progress, instead of immense effort and tough going. 

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Weekly Forecast: November 7-13

Cards from Il Meneghello's Soprafino Tarot

The cards for this week show an interesting shift, one where we’re having to reevaluate our stances on two controversial areas – our minds and our money.

Are there any more fraught topics? It’s time to get down and dirty with our assumptions about our beliefs and how we communicate in our work environments. Luckily, in doing so we have the potential to usher in a breath of fresh air and maybe even a lucrative opportunity.

It appears we have been at an impasse about a certain area of our careers or creative work. We've been mulling over options and coming up with countless ideas, unable to choose one. It's been overwhelming and difficult to see where to go next, maybe even painful.

Lord knows there are plenty of opinions on that matter. As someone who can get sucked into internet wormholes filled with conflicting business advice, I often have trouble seeing through a sea of “should” to my own path.

It might feel safe and considerate to remain on the sidelines, really thinking through each option before making a move. Some might call it agonizing. We want to be thorough and we want to be sure, but doing this squanders the power of our minds. We are bogging ourselves down with options and using our thoughts to protect ourselves instead of cutting through what is holding us back.

Sometimes conflict and turmoil are there for a reason, created by our circumstances and true feelings. Sometimes  we need a bit of clarifying conflict to power us through to the next level. 

The first two cards this week are the nine and five of swords. An interesting progression, moving from stagnation, confusion, and grief to very visible conflict. Well, you might think, it is better to remain silent and mull over options than grapple with them, exposed for all to see.

And, true, it certainly looks more professional to come up with a pile of plans than get into a heated argument with a coworker. But that's not our only option.

The five of swords gives us a choice. How do we communicate our thoughts? With aggressive anger or calm confidence? To what ends are we sharing our ideas? To achieve growth or stir conflict?

We’ve been given something sharp, why not use it to break through confusion and achieve a breakthrough? This is what our minds can do.

Our minds can also cause great injury to ourselves and others. This is the dual nature of swords. The five, front and center this week, holds a warning. There is a definite possibility for testiness and drama this week, so remain aware.

Swords govern communication and we must be mindful about how we’re communicating. Who are we speaking to and to what end? We must strike a balance between the sad inaction of the nine and the hotheadedness of the five.

This card also asks us to remember that it is completely impossible to draw a boundary, make a stand, or state a preference and offend no one. That’s the beauty of making a point. There it is, a point, our there and visible. Some people may not like where it is or have an issue with it existing. We can’t help that, and if the thought behind it is pure and aligned with our goals, we shouldn’t apologize for it either.

The five is warning us that this conflict is unavoidable. Make room for it and know that (if you are proceeding with good intentions) it is a sign that you are making a stand and a commitment to your ideas, goals, and plans.

And now we arrive at the ace of pentacles, the card casting this rosy glow on the swords before it.

Golden, glimmering, and whole it represents a new beginning or completeness to your endeavors, specifically in the realm of the day-to-day and money.

All this grappling with the swords is guiding you towards a new opportunity. Be mindful of which thoughts you’re sharing with the world, take the time to discern what it is you truly want, and be open to the clarifying process of hashing it out. It’s all heading in a positive direction should you approach it with positive intentions. 

10 Questions Every Tarot Reader Must Answer

Cards: Il Meneghello's Soprafino Tarot

It's about time I sat down and added my take on these excellent questions from James Bulls at  Left-Hand Tarot. Get ready for a long one - this is an in-depth look at my tarot background and style. I hope it's illuminating, entertaining, and helpful for those considering me as a reader. For all you tarot readers out there, I would love to hear your responses! Link in the comments below so I can take a gander. 

Here we go...

1. Were you mentored, or were you self-taught?

I'm a self-taught reader through and through. When I first started exploring tarot at age 13, my studies consisted of staying up late in my bedroom with a deck and a copy of Learning the Tarot by Joan Bunning. Many decks, books, and readings later I'm still constantly expanding my knowledge base and reading style.

Maybe other readers have had a similar experience, but when I started tarot I knew I was drawn to the vivid imagery and symbolism. And the magical and occult aura certainly attracted me like a moth to a flame. (Let's be real: I was an avid fantasy reader and semi-feral outdoor explorer. Tarot was inevitable.) But I was also very influenced by the academic, highly rational background I was raised in. So of course I had to approach tarot like a true scholar: by reading and studying intensely.

Luckily, over the years, my self-study has become much more flexible and intuitive. It certainly helps to get your nose out of the books and into real, dynamic readings. I suppose in that way I feel mentored by all the lovely people I've had the joy of reading for. 

2. Are you a psychic or a Tarot reader? 

I identify as a Tarot reader simply because my focus is exclusively on the cards. I don't offer any other services, spiritual or otherwise. In my personal life, I practice and learn other forms of divination (how could I resist) but don't include them in my business. My first love and the way that I can be of service to the world is tarot. Just typing that makes me very, very happy.

Now all this isn't to say that I don't believe in a psychic component in some readings. This energy can certainly pop up, but it's more like a butterfly landing on your head. A beautiful gift, but something unpredictable, which is why I do not advertise my services as psychic since I can't guarantee it will show up in any given reading. I can, however, guarantee that I will read the cards with true joy and a wealth of knowledge. 

3. Are your predictions accurate, and is accuracy important to you?

Aah, two of the tricksiest ideas about tarot in one question. Let's start with predictions. If you've browsed my site you'll notice that I make it very clear that I do not tell the future with my readings. It might be a little redundant, but hey, I'm enthusiastic on this point! Simply put: I do not believe that the future is set in stone. That's a rather creepy and static take on the world. What about free will? And we all know that life is a captivating and confusing tangle of events, feelings, people... I could really get philosophical here. I'm not going to tell anyone "x,y,z will happen." At most, my readings show currents and factors present in the seeker's life at the present moment. More like, "If you continue down this path, it is highly likely x,y,z could happen." Where they go from there is up to them. 

As for accuracy, I don't approach my readings with the goal of being spot-on. I find that doing this limits my intuition and focuses my attention away from the cards and into a more iffy, speculative zone. It's like going to school and obsessing so much about being "right" that you clam-up and stutter your answer to the class. I like to center myself around the cards and, better yet, draw my clients in to provide their interpretations and insights. That being said, I have gotten a lot of feedback about the accuracy of the readings. I'm perfectly happy that this is a byproduct of my approach and am touched that it helps my clients and makes them feel seen. It's a very magical part of tarot - the fact that in reading someone's cards you can learn so much about them without even asking a question. 

4. Is there anything you can't predict in a reading?

Why, yes, I'm glad you asked! (Though as I've mentioned I don't consider my readings truly predictive.)

I prefer not to work with yes and no questions because I feel like they are very limiting and oversimplify situations. 

Tarot is a flexible tool, so while I could technically work with many topics some don't match with my code of ethics. 

5. Do you use only Tarot, or are you multi-disciplinary?

I exclusively use tarot in my readings. It's my passion and area of expertise. I have yet to discover the limitations of tarot - there are so many places to go in any given reading! As for the future, who knows? If I feel like I've mastered one of the systems I practice, like pendulum work and tea leaf readings, I would feel comfotable offering it as a professional service. 

6. Is the message in the cards, or in your head?

I like this one.

For me, it's a little of both. I began my studies using the Rider-Waite-Smith system and it continues to be my old faithful and my north star. So when I use that deck and others based on it you could say that the message is in the cards. For example, say I pull the five of cups. Since I've studied and used the card, I have a wealth of meanings from learning the history of the deck and from personal practice. I always like to start my reading here. 

But that doesn't mean that I just tell you the meaning of the five of cups. While the structure of that deck underpins a lot of my interpretations, I also use my intuition to expand from these meanings. This is where the reading really coalesces and relates to the individual client. Using the other cards and my intuition, I'll interpret the card as it relates to your question specifically. In this way, the meaning is also in my mind.

7. Are you a priest or a fortune-teller?

Oowee! I can't say I could ever imagine introducing myself as a priest! Too many religious and hierarchical connotations there. In terms of meaning, however, I suppose I am more priest-like. I focus on the here and now, the connection between the spiritual/subconcious, and supportive guidance instead of commands. I'm not going to spread the cards out for a client and tell them about a definite future, nor am I going to hide behind a veil of esoteric mystery.

My approach is much more grounded, and I don't believe this makes it any less magical. Rather, the magic is in the experience shared between the reader and client. A good old mingling of the sacred and the mundane. And for the record, I prefer the term cartomancer 1) because it sounds amazing 2) because it describes exactly what I do - read tarot cards as a form of divination. 

8. Are you a fixer or a looker?

I'm definitely more of a looker. I don't believe it is my place to tell you how to live your life. I like to respect the autonomy and wisdom of my clients. It's my job to work with their questions and share with them how it's reflected in the cards. This also helps me maintain healthy boundaries as a reader and empower my clients to make the best choices for themselves, by themselves. 

That's not to say that my sessions ignore possible solutions. I believe that introspection without action leads to stagnation. I like to lay out possibilities and co-create options with clients. It's up to them which path they choose. 

9. Do you read for free, or for fee?

I read for fee, for sure, with a free reading as a giveaway once in a blue moon. Reading tarot is my pride and joy. I like to honor that by charging for the work and expertise that goes into each reading. 

10. Is there anything you won't predict in a reading?

Yes! The type of questions I won't read for:

Lotto numbers, questions about other people's beeswax (not my style!), medical & legal questions, locating missing items, and similar topics (i.e. when will I die? Am I pregnant? is he/she cheating on me?)  

I love delving into situations and topics, so if you're looking to explore lots of layers and nuance to uncover a point of clarity, I'm the woman for you. Straight-up predictions, yes or nos, and questions for other professionals, not so much.