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: May 20-26

Can ambition and peace coexist? We certainly don't get many stories that reflect this situation. Usually, ambition appears as a single-minded crusade of sorts, a headlong and determined walk towards greatness. Sure, there may be some pitfalls along the way, but only ones that bolster the larger arc of growth. No matter how much slogging the hero endures, they end up on top, all the richer. 

It's also a pretty exhausting narrative. Struggle equals success. We'll sleep when we're dead. Sure sounds healthy, doesn't it?

This week's reading might, at first glance, seem like the same old story. The peace of The Star is giving away to the ambition of The Chariot. In other words, the time for rest is over, and no we have to grab the reins and get going. 

But who's this in the center? A minor arcana card, and a mysterious one at that: The Seven of Pentacles.

This is where the plot thickens. This card can often represent re-evaluation and dissatisfaction; that phase in a journey when we're not sure what we've done or if anything is working or worth it. A classic mini crisis of faith. 

I see this card as an endearing human interjection. This week we'll be wrestling with our old stories of success. What can we have? How can it look?

In this card, we see ourselves hemming and hawing after making quite a bit of headway. Suddenly, the old ideas come back: we can't enjoy rest and success at the same time, right? It can't feel good and be good, that would just be too easy or, worse yet, a sign we're not working hard enough.

I love how the doubt and stalling of the Seven of Pentacles is sandwiched by two magnetic Major Arcana cards, as if these concerns are  happening on a much less important plane. If we're to rise to their level, we have to accept that we can write our own stories and decide what our own definition of success looks like.

This is where The Chariot has more to say. After all, what card combines opposites in a more powerful way? You'll notice the two sphinxes in the foreground, illustrated in alternating patterns of black and white. Bringing seeming opposites together is what drives the chariot itself forward. In this way, we're being presented an opportunity to mesh together the care and consideration of The Star with the vision and adventure of The Chariot.

To bring this all back down to earth, these cards are encouraging us to remain dedicated to all the practices, big and small, that give us a sense of peace, healing, and greater meaning. The Star's approach is not one for us to abandon right now, rather it's something to bring with us on whatever journey towards success we're embarking on. It's just up to us to remember how much we can shape and choose its path. 

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Weekly Forecast: November 19-25

How do we engage with community, both chosen and inherited? It's fascinating that this week - the week of Thanksgiving for those of us in the states - features the Three of Cups, a card all about coming together and sharing joy with others. 

This card has been a frequent addition to so many readings lately that I've been holding it close in my mind, mulling over all the happiness, richness, and, yes, even challenges that come with community. 

What do we do when our groups and gatherings require more than just lighthearted abandon? How do we navigate our different needs, opinions, and personalities? This week shows us congregating in a moment of celebration - The Three of Cups - and bringing some interesting and non-traditional tools to the table. We are, it seems, poised to navigate our differences and remain true to ourselves, whether it's over large ideological issues like politics or small tensions like what kind of cranberry sauce is the best (canned, homemade, smooth, or chunky??)

With the Three of Cups front row center, we can see that the overall context is warm and delightful. Just our ability to connect with others is something worth celebrating and, interestingly, this is not a card that focuses on or represents family exclusively. All connections, biological or chosen, are beautiful and worthy.

This is the basic foundation of our week; but, as we know, groups can get complicated quickly, and the other two cards see us doing some wise preparation for the hubbub. 

One could see the King of Swords and think, "Aha! We're arriving armed for battle!" While this is a pretty crude interpretation, it's somewhat applicable here, though a lot less militant! Rather than showing up to our gatherings with swords brandished, we're actually doing the wise mental preparation to navigate the different kind of intensities around our celebrations. This can be stress-based, aka "let me plan out how to cook all this food without losing my mind," or ideological - "what is really important for me during this gathering and what do I want to communicate about my ideas?"

There are no one-size-fits-all answers to that final question. The King of Swords does show us all that we have the ability to stand behind what we value and use our sharp mental powers to think through how we'd like to present them. What's more, this card has the formidable mix of diplomacy and strength. Using this approach we can find ways to be our truest self and take part in the celebration.

I love this combination of self-awareness and fun because we usually assume one excludes the other. The King of Swords asks us to cut through that myth and embrace our power to participate mindfully, clearing a path for ourselves to be a part of a group while being ourselves. 

Fascinatingly, we end things with The Chariot. Clearly, something more epic is coming from these efforts than bloated stomachs and some time off to nap. Engaging with the ins-and-outs of connection head-on, embracing the stress with the joy and the love with the disagreement, is creating a complex and beautiful alliance. 

When we look at The Chariot we see two horses leading the way. Proceeding as a unified front requires training and patience and lots of work. It's up-close and personal. Someone's going to neigh and bite, rear up in the air and come down huffing. That's what it means to harness all that wild and alive power. But if our larger goal is the same we can drive towards it together, still kicking occasionally, but united in our connection and strong in the power of our individual selves brought together.

The Three of Cups, rather than being frivolous and small, sees us practicing and strengthening our ability to move forward together as The Chariot. No matter how inconsequential it seems, our ability to show up for each other and navigate the complexities of our relationships strengthens and solidifies the important, beautiful, and diverse bonds between us. 

But first, the celebration!

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Weekly Forecast: July 16-22

This week is giving us an opportunity to feel refreshed, motivated, and driven. Once we've had our first cup(s) of coffee we're ready to charge ahead and get a lot done. We have focus, we have a strong sense of self, and we have an exciting vision to back all of our actions.

But that's not all.

It seems like we have some tricky energy at play within us this week. It's that voice that whispers to us, just as we're getting into our first task of the day, " why don't you pick up your phone and see how many people have liked your Instagram post!" or "I wonder what your ex-boyfriend from six years ago is up to? Let's find out NOW!"

Though we have The Devil on the right, this isn't the intense, derail-your-life iteration of the card. Rather, it's the lazy self-sabotaging side. Think "little devil perched on your shoulder," not "looming force of evil." In excess, these traits might lead to disaster, but for this week the challenge is to make sure we don't fall into our usual small patterns of sloth and distraction. 

The cards are presenting us with a clear-cut choice. Do we harness the diligent energy of the Eight of Pentacles to further our ambitions and goals a la The Chariot, or do we backslide into the slacker comforts of The Devil?

The Eight of Pentacles is a fascinating card because it shows us how bringing mindfulness to our work gives us clarity and satisfaction. When we're engaged in the practice of doing - not thinking to the future, past, or imagined "something better" - we unlock huge stores of potential. We're in a state of flow, checking things off our to-do lists with ease, galvanized by the delightful feeling of making progress.

So how do we tap into this energy when we have a pesky Devil at play? Oddly enough, the answer is to make room for him. The Chariot, though at first glance it might seem like a card that's all about victory, is also a master of reigning in opposites. How on earth could you get a tiger and a fox to pull you towards your goals? This week it's our task to reign in our Devils and use them to work for us, not against us.

Again, The Chariot has some helpful tips. If we're going to move forward we have to have vision, confidence, and a solid knowledge of who we are. That includes our decadent, distracted Devil-self, too. Getting to know the ways we avoid success and are drawn to mind-numbing pleasures is the first step towards working with them. 

Let's put ourselves in the charioteer's shoes. Say the tiger on the right has a huge fondness for facebook. Every time the charioteer signals it's time to get going, the tiger is busy getting outraged by his distant relative's toxic political views. Being a savvy leader, the charioteer pulls the reigns in, getting an app to block facebook for the duration of the workday. Now the tiger is free to walk forward with purpose (and lower blood pressure). After work, they can all go out and spend some face-to-face time with real friends.

Though this example may seem silly, it's important to realize that we can treat unruly parts of ourselves with compassion and understanding. There's a lot more to our actions then meets the eyes. Disavowing them and trying to cut out behaviors only makes our Devil-sides stronger. Because let's be honest, what feels better than doing something you really shouldn't be doing?

Working directly with our bad habits and channeling them towards healthy expression (i.e. interacting in real life vs. facebook in the example above) satisfies our true desires while taking the naughty allure out of the distracting behavior. 

So in a way, these cards still show us moving forward this week, regardless of how much we struggle with The Devil card. If we keep coming back to the work of the Eight of Pentacles we'll find ourselves again and again. And The Chariot is showing us that we're more than up to the task of achievement. All we need to do is get the rest of us on the same page. 

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Weekly Forecast: June 25 - July 1

This week's reading greets us with a powerful array of cards: The Queen of Cups, The Chariot, and The Magician. In the next few days we have all the tools in front of us to make big and bold strides towards what we really want. All signs point to go and, most importantly, our motivations are coming from a good and grounded place.

The Queen of Cups sets the tone for the action to come. This card is an elegant embodiment of true emotional awareness brought to life by carefully cultivated boundaries. The Queen of Cups is generous, supportive, and emotionally wise. She gives, but is not depleted because she knows the importance of tending to herself, her experiences, and her needs. Only then can her powers regenerate themselves. Her giving, therefore, is sustainable and rooted in self-love and self-respect.

This card's presence in the beginning of our reading tells us that we've been doing a wonderful job of being receptive to our desires - tending to our personal gardens - and letting our generosity and relationship to others spring from this joyful and fulfilled place. Looking deeper into this image we can see that the Queen's throne is built on a sandy shore. She's seated firmly on the ground, in touch with the material world and very stable. Part of her robes, however, flow gently into the sea and their pattern even mimics the gentle ripples on the water.

Similarly, we've been tending to our physical selves while practicing gentle awareness of the emotional currents swirling around us. It's only through the stability in our daily lives that we can maintain this balance. We aren't getting swept away into deeper waters - into other people's drama, perhaps, or into speculation, worry, and projection. This has allowed us to peer intently into a great gift that's coming into focus. There's something big and tender that we want to pursue. Like the cup in the Queen's hands, it's right in front of us, and we've been getting to know its contours and details. This cup will appear differently for all of us, yet its common thread is a deep emotional connection. This is something we feel strongly about, something important, visionary, and maybe a little tender. 

Regardless, this big dream is coming closer and closer to reality. 

And what better card to usher our dreams into something real than The Chariot? Oftentimes this card brings with it a great deal of ego and bluster. In this case, however, we can look at The Chariot as an offshoot of The Queen of Cups. Our dreaming, feeling selves are ready to manifest. The Chariot, then, is just the person (or persona) to get the job done. 

These two cards show us shifting from an internally focused, planning mindset into the exciting realm of action. This week is an excellent time to begin the first steps of this new journey. Enough plans have been laid and, in fact, the missing pieces need action in order to be uncovered. We can trust that our motivations are pure and move forward confidently. 

It may be worth mentioning that this shift is also indicative of a healthy self-centeredness. By that I mean that worrying too much about what others think will only hold us back, particularly if we're imagining all sorts of scenarios where we're stepping on other people's toes simply by taking up space with our dreams and goals. The Chariot tells us to move confidently, knowing that The Queen of Cups is truly the one guiding the reins and that our confidence and focus is rooted in wisdom.

The Chariot's adventures in our lives this week are building a wonderful energy. If you look at these three cards we see a move from one court card to two Major Arcana cards. This shows us that an important growth and amplification of our powers is taking place. With The Magician we can see a magnificent growth in confidence. Towards the end of the week we'll have so many more details about our plans and new ideas about what to do next. With focus, dedication, and joy we can easily carry this energy forward and bring important ideas and goals into reality. 

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Weekly Forecast: April 2-8

 When I turned over the three cards for this week I immediately thought of a word for each: direction, expansion, and decision.

This week has an abundance of clear and decisive energy. Whenever The Chariot appears we can be sure that we're ready for a challenge.  It's an easy card to place yourself in. The wind is at our backs and the reins are in our hands. As the heroes of our own stories, we've reached a place where we've become comfortable and confident in our skills and we're eager to go forth and test them in new situations.

I like the restless energy to this card. Imagine the anticipation at the start line before a race begins. We're flexing our muscles this week, figuring out the extent of our strength, and filled with ambition to use all the tools we've got. 

The Chariot also appears to give us a brief moment of contemplation before the race begins. What is it that's driving us? What hard-won skills and abilities are we excited to use and develop even further? Starting with this awareness gives us a better sense of why we're itching to get started. When we know what we're working with we have a better chance of directing our actions effectively and consistently. 

The Chariot, and this reading in general, deals with the mastery and integration of opposites, making it all the more wise to identify and cultivate awareness of the two ends of spectrum we're working with. In The Chariot we see how much power can be generated when we mindfully and willingly harness opposites, balancing, for example, traits like rest and action, acceptance and ambition, or complexity and certainty. Think of the reins of the charioteer. What opposites have you harnessed to drive yourself forward?

If this card seems a little intense and controlling, The World appears to show us that our very human effort to guide our opposing ideas, desires, and habits towards victory (driving a chariot with a tiger and a fox isn't easy, after all) has been worthwhile and immensely illuminating. The World is telling us that our struggles are sacred. Without them we wouldn't be able to break through to this new place of open possibility. In The World, opposites come together, melding and blending into a rich and dynamic tapestry. We can relax our grip and take in new vistas.

We can think of this card as a breakthrough where new, unforeseen, and even visionary possibilities present themselves. The World is a very complex, joyful, and nuanced card. Leaning into complexity and directing our gaze into the future will give us much more information and clarity than we had previously. 

Our goal this week is to simply take this all in. We end our reading with The Queen of Swords, a card that tells us we have a lot of sift through. Our minds are more than up to the task and these three cards paint a harmonious picture. Approaching this new information with clear eyes and a sense of flexible curiosity is giving us an opportunity to make healthy and invigorating changes. What's more, this card shows us that we're more than able to make choices that align with our desires and values. The Queen of Swords asks us to cut away all our needless doubt and confusion and let ourselves be led by our accomplishments, desires, and larger vision. 
 

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Weekly Forecast: April 24-May 1

I don’t know about you, but I’m especially curious about what the cards have in store for us. Maybe it’s because we’re in the last week of Mercury retrograde; things have been feeling extra mystical, mysterious, and even a bit topsy-turvy.

Interestingly enough, we have a visit from The Hanged Man as our central card this week. It doesn’t get more topsy-turvy than this. It looks like we’ve experienced a major change in perception from last week.

What in our life has been flipped on its head recently? Are we contending with a big change, something we didn’t see coming? The only thing that’s certain is that things don’t look the same and we have little control over the forces behind it.

This doesn’t jive well with the card in the past position, The Chariot. In The Chariot’s world it’s best to know all the aspects of a situation. In harnessing both positive and negative aspects with mastery and control, The Chariot can navigate the tricky seas of life towards victory.

This requires a great deal of energy, focus, and determination. The Chariot is not messing around here. In the realm of business you know there’s going to be reams of spreadsheets and research. In relationships, intense self-awareness and self-work. The Chariot does not half-ass anything and because of this it’s a card that’s used to getting results.

Contrast this with the perplexingly chill Hanged Man and we have a very interesting situation. The Hanged Man is a card that speaks to moments when the world changes us and we change with the world.

So what happens when The Chariot’s self-made world crashes into the unpredictable nature of the universe? In these moments what appeared one way right side up is radically different upside down. Are we able to receive the wisdom from this change in perspectives? Are we able to lean into it instead of fighting a force beyond our control?

The Chariot shows us that we may be carrying in an entirely different set of expectations. We’ve been holding our lives by the reigns, feeling masterful and accomplished. Peachy stuff, that’s for sure, but it’s hardly guaranteed. We don’t always get to feel in control, and when we’re used to this feeling a change can bring quite the blow to our egos.

So moving from the self-assuredness of The Chariot to the beatific surrender of The Hanged Man is no easy transition. This is a case when what’s between the cards is just as important as the cards themselves.

This is a week to see our change in perspectives as a gift. Carrying the reigns of The Chariot can be exhausting. We might even trick ourselves into thinking the whole world in our chariot. We can direct our future, make things happen, it’s all… up to us. Well, push pause on that thought and we can see how much pressure operating under a Chariot mindset can bring.

The Hanged Man has a distinctly spiritual ring to him this week. What we might initially think of as a setback has the unique potential to blossom into a life-altering moment. This is a week for unexpected and beautiful realizations. Maybe a big change will send us spinning off into a better place, a delayed plan will give us time for an unforeseen opportunity, or a humbling moment will allow for those close to us to reach out a helping hand.

This is a time to practice letting go and remaining open to the gifts the universe can give us. If you’re struggling with the woo (or picking at the word “spirituality”) don’t despair. The Chariot has a hard time letting go, and that’s just what The Hanged Man is asking of us right now. There’s room for struggle and feistiness, so long as we’re not so wrapped up in it that we ignore the special moments unfolding around us.

We end with The Page of Cups, a beautiful card that shows us letting go will bring us to a fresh place of exploration. We’re opening up to our feelings, to our relationships, and to the mysterious wonders of the world. A little youthful lightheartedness will temper the heaviness of the two Major Arcana cards at work here. And what’s more, this Page could also be pointing us towards some exciting news, a new epiphany, or even a magical sign pointing us in a new direction.

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Weekly Forecast: March 27-April 2

What do we want out of life?

Yes, I know, what an epic question! But now is a good time to revisit our plans for the future. This can be big or small picture, by individual project or larger life goals. In either case, the cards for this week are directing our attention towards our ambitions.

Pay attention to your responses. Does the question make you feel energized, apprehensive, or neutral? No matter what you’re feeling, this week sees us all grappling with a sense of “what next?”

We enter the week with the affirming and powerful Chariot, a card that tells us our hard work has paid off in a satisfying, even epic way. We’ve made our parade through town, having achieved great things after harnessing our potential and persevering through hard work.

We can be assured this is no empty victory. We have both the scars and experience to prove it. Yet after mustering all that energy and creating something new, there’s a void in our lives. What do we fill the gap with on our way to the next project? How do we feel about ourselves when the external validation dies down?

Tellingly, we follow The Chariot with the King of Cups. We’re feeling like we’ve really accomplished something, at least enough to assume a position of authority and power of a king. Yet despite the mastery we see in the King of Cups, there’s an underlying sense of stagnation. With all their mastery, the Kings represent a set way of doing things that can lead to absolutism and entrenched thinking.

A far cry from the dynamic, go-getting energy of The Chariot.

This jump seems rife with “shoulds.” Are we acting like kings simply because we feel it’s what we should do next? Does getting what we want make us feel nervous and scared? Are we feeling like we need to repress these negative emotions and put on a cloak of authority to distance ourselves?

The King of Cups is a card that can distance from emotions like a true champion. This can be for good or bad. We need to be able to look beyond the tumult of our emotions when they threaten to overwhelm us. This is especially useful when dealing with the emotions of others in volatile situations.

But when it comes to the personal realm, too much detachment can be truly harmful. If we don’t know what we’re feeling, how can we make the decisions that are best for us? Perhaps the success of The Chariot has made us feel uneasy. Getting what we want can have unintended consequences. If that was possible, we might wonder, what else can I do?

This open ended question is the natural habitat of self-doubt and restrictive thinking. Because we don’t know what will happen next, we’re able to fill this space with uncertainty and negative thoughts. This can be even more powerful after a big accomplishment. What if we never do anything as good again? What if that’s all we’ve got?

Running to a King of Cups stance – being emotionally detached, calm, and stable – makes perfect sense. Who can critique someone who is knowledgeable and judicious? Not many people, but who wants to rule when there are other adventures to be had out there in the world?

This brings us to the Knight of Cups, a card that tells us we need to build on the pioneering energy of The Chariot and continue seeking new experiences. We’re not ready to settle down into a Kingly role just yet. We have too much youthful vim and vigor, too much ambition and creative thinking.

Now is a time to embrace our ambition, get adventurous and romantic in our thinking, and find the next invigorating project to propel us forward.

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Weekly Forecast: March 20-26

This week we’re hearing a call to make a big decision. It’s time for a change, one that we may have been ignoring for a while. Naturally so, of course. Big shifts come with healthy uncertainty – why leave something that’s working perfectly fine? Where exactly are we going next?

There’s no way to confirm an outcome before we take the action. Planning, weighing options, and researching will help us, sure, but once the ball is set in motion… who really knows? Without risk we can become stagnant, and yet foolish risk can lead to unnecessary suffering.

The cards for this week give us as good of a go ahead as we could wish for. Two affirming Major Arcana cards leading towards a King tell us that assured motion towards a goal that’s close to our hearts will result in a feeling of clarity and mastery.

Being human, however, means that leaping from one powerful card to the next comes with some difficulty. Let’s dive into each a bit deeper and see where we can gain some guidance as we move towards something truly majestic.

We begin with Judgement, a card that represents a powerful call. It’s a moment where we must heed a summons, usually one that comes from our hearts. As I write this I can hear a flock of Canadian geese honking as they fly above my house. Every year they make a long migration, flying south for the winter and returning up north in the spring. They make this long journey instinctually; when they start flying it’s not because they logically know they need to get going, it’s because they feel it.

Judgement urges us to take a similar approach, looking to our bodies to tell us where we need to fly next. Now is a good time to check in with yourself. What feels right to you in this moment? What is pulling on your heart, telling you to try something different, to take a risk? Listen to your instinct rather than your brain.

It may be that our instincts have been trying to tell us something for some time now. We don’t have many opportunities to connect with this side of ourselves. Unfortunately, it has been systematically devalued as we favor logic, rationality, and control above all else. The hard-to-pin-down nature of instinct is too difficult to quantify and measure, so we cast it by the wayside with little thought.

Strangely enough, the cards are showing us that if we decide to embrace our instinct for change we’ll end up in a place of increased clarity and control. Tricky, tricky! Learning to magnify our inner voice and take it seriously will make us more powerful and decisive? We see this in the King of Swords, a card that represents power over one’s thoughts and mind. Perhaps the cards are trying to tell us that an integrated mind – one that values both instinct/intuition and logic/rationality – is the most powerful.

This brings us to The Chariot, another card that illustrates control over opposing factors. Or what appear to be in opposition. This card urges us to take the plunge and commit to what our inner voice is telling us. Once we let the call ring loud and clear we must do something about it – bring it into the light and make it visible. The Chariot is an extremely affirming card. It suggests that we can make this next move triumphantly. Our undertaking will be successful and well-received so long as we integrate ourselves fully and stay true to our original motivations.

The overarching message here is to be confident in our intuition and motivations. We can’t do this without knowing them deeply, so be sure to really understand what it is you’re after before you take the plunge. How does this decision reflect your higher values? How can you best use you strengths and truly be yourself? Once you’ve answered these questions, however, (or once you feel in your body that the time has come) make the move! You are primed for this next phase and ready to march out of the gates triumphantly. We could use every bit of heartfelt, authentic action right now. Heed the call and get going!

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