Weekly Forecast: May 2-8

This is a week of great possibilities - a time of green lights, fresh starts, and smooth sailing. Like many moments of change and reinvention, however, it’s the challenges that have come before that give us the most guidance.

Yes, we have the Nine of Wands in our array once more, pointing us to our struggles. The sore muscles we’re nursing are also a sign of our increased strength, as much as it may seem otherwise. This is a time to appreciate how present we’ve been in our lives, moving forward even when we’ve felt lost and tired. When things fall together, what seemed all-consuming will fall away quickly; let’s just not forget how hard we’ve worked for the ease that’s coming.

Where does your life feel like a dense thicket of branches? Is there a place that’s been wild and tangled, resistant to navigation or change? See where this energy is active and, after taking a deep breath, imagine all of it changing.

This week we have a powerful moment of transformation. What has felt sticky becomes unstuck. We’re able to move again, make headway, and plunge back into the situation refreshed and motivated.

I love the image these cards give us: a divine figure floating above a forest of wands. The World is back, showing a version of ourselves that’s able to transcend the busy, energetic, and energetically taxing world of wands we’ve been traveling through. Like a dolphin leaping above the waves, glistening in the warm sun before diving back below, we’re given a moment to rise above challenging or complex situations, gaining perspective and insight, before returning to busy life.

We’ve been in a particularly wands-y past few months, so I’m wondering why I switched from wood metaphors to water just there. Perhaps, like The World card shows, we’re in need of some harmony. Whatever we’ve been overdosing on in life lately, it’s worth seeking out what’s missing. Too much hustle and bustle? Add some languorous moments of calm. Too much straightforward wheeling-and-dealing? Make space for poetry and romance. Whether it’s water, air, or earth, know we definitely have enough fire to go around.

Major Arcana cards have a powerful impact, and show us the active themes of a moment. Like a planet, they exert their own gravitational pull. While we can certainly work with them, we don’t need to do anything to bring their energies into our lives. Luckily for us, we’re dealing with The World this week. It’s presence always invites us to take a larger perspective, to situate our present moment in the bigger story.

The Nine of Wands has been a frequent visitor in our readings. We’re tired! We get it! And this week starts off feeling like a continuation of the last. Yet this is a different type of exhaustion - instead of being at a point of burnout, we’re at a point of simply needing to edit. After the visit of The World mid-week, where we gain some important rest and insight, we reach the uncluttered shores of the Three of Wands. Here, the clutter is lessened, begging the question: What doesn’t fit? We’ll need a break to determine this, which is where The World comes in. Be alert for opportunities to get out of your usual routine, experiment, and simply feel free. I think this will be completely removed from whatever the wands are representing for you, too. If possible, make time now to do something refreshing that puts you in the center.

So, beyond the refresher represented by The World, we’re due to consider what we can pare down in our lives at the moment. Creative projects, complex situations, routines and workflows may be where this feeling of overload manifests. In the Nine of Wands we can see exhaustion, but the wands are upright; we’ve worked hard and accomplished much. But we’re also itching for some mobility, a chance to move beyond. To get from the Nine to the Three of Wands we must identify what is truly working or worthwhile and jettison the rest. It’s not as if these extra wands were a waste of time, however. They’ve given us useful experience and knowledge. But now is a time to travel light, bring what matters most.

While this reading is tightly woven in that it’s themes are clear and in direct conversation with each other, it’s also quite mysterious and expansive. I can’t help but feel a tingle of anticipation whenever The World comes up, and as I alluded to earlier, this card can signify moments of reinvention and growth. I think here, however, it’s more of an uncovering. If we’re doing all this editing in our mundane, wands-centric lives, what does having some new space reveal about ourselves? Have we been hiding behind busyness, or is part of our true nature unfurling majestically after slowly growing behind the scenes? There’s a huge potential this week for glorious self-expression, blissful freedom, and coming into our own. If it feels easy and also big and even a little threatening to our ideas of what’s possible - good.

The Three of Wands shows a similar feeling of rising excitement, a time when we must step into the unknown and commit to a new endeavor. I’m reminded that we had another three - The Three of Pentacles - concluding our reading last week. That card dealt with themes of planning and collaboration while this week’s three is about movement, creativity, and fiery ambition. Has something you’ve been working on reached a turning point? If you’re feeling at the cusp, the change may arrive at the end of the week. Be sure to open your arms and embrace simplicity, clarity, and the feeling of wind on your face as you finally start moving towards new shores.

This week, embrace:

• Simplicity

• Self-compassion

• Fun for the sake of fun

• Bravery

This week, avoid:

• Loyalty to the status quo

• Pushing through exhaustion

• Complicated > Effective

• Waffling, hemming-and-hawing, shrinking from greatness

Get creative:

• Nine of Wands: Give what no longer works some love. It can be hard to say goodbye to old faithful techniques, ideas, projects, and approaches - I have a feeling this bittersweetness will be present for us this week. So, let’s dive into it. I’m thinking a “in memoriam” slideshow at an awards ceremony: How can we respect and highlight where we’ve been and what we’ve done, while acknowledging we’re going somewhere new? This would be good journaling fodder. Putting things down in writing would be especially powerful. But simple contemplation will do just fine. (And if you make a slideshow, do share ;)

• The World: I’m feeling like this card needs a grand gesture this week. The World is nude, loving life, front and center. And maybe it’s just because it’s hot here, but water keeps coming up for me when I look at this card. Go swimming, take a ritual bath or shower, or spend some time loving your body fully, decadently, and with focus.

• Three of Wands; This is so, so cheesy, but I’m doing it anyways. This is a cinematic card, y’all. What song would be playing in the moment of the biopic of your life where you make a pivotal change? Imagine yourself standing on the cliffside like the figure in the card, about to embark on one of the boats below. The wind is blowing in your hair. You squint your eyes as the setting sun hits them at just the right angle, giving you a determined and formidable glow. I may have said song, but now I’m feeling a whole playlist. Get into it, and play this whenever you need to recenter/rev-up/get going.

Weekly Forecast: March 28 - April 3

King of Pentacles / Four of Cups / The World

My uncle once told me the best way to see rare birds. Go deep into the forest, find a big tree, lie down under it, and take a nap. When you wake up, stay completely still; the birds will have grown used to your presence and returned to play in the branches above you.

Our reading this week has a similar energy. And, again we’re visited by The King of Pentacles, a card so comfortable with themselves that they can express their power through their presence alone. How can we stay put in our own worlds, just being? What’s around us? The smells, textures, sights, and people blossoming under our observation, places becoming more magical as we sit back and let them proceed through time.

In the center of our reading we have the pensive Four of Cups. As you might guess, this card touches on themes of ennui and listlessness. This week, it seems, boredom is both a luxury and an important tool. This will be a time to embrace being in-between, not knowing what to do, and feeling vaguely dissatisfied. Can we just sit under our own trees, maybe even take a nap? If you’re itching to make moves, shake up your life, or demand answers, see if you can hold back the impulse and make space for something else. It may take time - this is not a reading of fast-moving revelations or breakthroughs - and you may do your fair share of wriggling with discomfort. But it’s not unbearable or epic, and this might be a time to bring some amused softness to your shortcomings. Like the grapes on the King of Pentacles’ robe, these make up the intricate and irreplaceable details of our lives and selves.

Doing nothing is a path worth considering this week, and the stasis of The King of Pentacles and Four of Cups suggests that the pieces we need are already in place. Some, however, might be buried underneath our awareness, as the Four of Cups shows the importance of silence and blank space in our creative and emotional processes. What can we do to invite what’s just beneath the surface into our consideration? Is there a feeling, insight, or wish we’ve been hiding from ourselves? Or has it simply not had the space to emerge, a shy bird in its own right.

Our final card, The World, is also the final card in the Major Arcana sequence. No matter how boring, blah, or inconsequential this week may feel, some big magic is afoot. In The World we see the clouds part and a joyous new horizon come into focus. Well, more than that - we ourselves float above that horizon, seeing far and wide. Sometimes this can manifest as an awakening of sorts, a time when we can finally see the big picture. It’s a liberating experience, one that gives us a deeper connection to ourselves and puts us in a state of flow, love, and acceptance.

The World also denotes the end of a chapter. After this card, the Major Arcana cycle begins anew, and it’s worth fully savoring and integrating this energy before venturing into a another go-around. Even if it doesn’t feel like it in the moment, consider how you might see this week as the end of a major chapter in your life. Of course, the conclusion could be wildly obvious to you as well. Either way, see what celebrations, reflections, and cartwheels may be in order. The World asks us to put ourselves in the center and see what has truly brought our concept of ourself into focus. There’s usually some surprises in there - be joyful, bold, and proud of what you’ve accomplished.

This week, embrace:

• Giving your attention to the world around you

• Finding joy in your everyday relationships

• A healthy pinch of decadence

• Downtime, gazing off into space, utter silence - even if it feels foolish

• Commemorating a big chapter, end of an era, accomplishment

This week, avoid:

• Over-scheduling, hyperactivity

• Big expenditures or retail therapy

• Mindless media consumption

• Hiding your weird self

Get creative:

• The King of Pentacles: This king is all about a good time (why else would you have a grape-festooned robe?) and financial wisdom. Combined with the “let it be” aura of The Four of Cups, I’m feeling the need for a creatively frugal party. Whether it’s just for you or includes others, see what merry you can make from whatever’s in the pantry, whip up some diy decor, and wear your very best just because.

• The Four of Cups: Find your own birds in the jungle moment. Set aside time to just sit and ponder, ideally in nature. Zero expectations, no distractions, just be there. Something magical might happen. Something magical might not. The real magic, in fact, will be allowing some tinges of boredom to break through the oh so extra wildness that is life in 2022.

• The World: Ah, what a majestic card. The World is all about wholeness, the magic of our very being. It’s always with us, we just don’t give it much thought or acknowledment. And, of course, many of us struggle with seeing The World in ourselves for myriad reasons. This week, try to set that aside, and take yourself somewhere special with a view. Yes, we’re getting specific. Find somewhere with a vantage point and gaze outwards, imagining your life unfolding in front of you. What perspectives do you have now that weren’t there before? You may even want to ritualize your ascent to this place, imagining all the challenges and lessons you’ve been integrating recently with each step you take. At the top, take three deep breaths. You’ve arrived. Now go buy yourself a drink.

Weekly Forecast: November 11-17

What if you're already doing wonderfully?

I'm writing this forecast in the early morning, still bleary-eyed in my mismatched pajamas. I'm feeling the pressure of Monday morning acutely: What do I need to do today, exactly? What bill is due today? How am I going to squeeze in all of this?

When I turned over our first card, I have to admit I was almost startled. The World? Really?

Yet when I look around I can see it. My beloved dog is napping on the couch, the sun is peeking through the windows behind me, and I've just made one of the strongest coffees in my life. It's beautiful, even though I can see errant crumbs in the sun's rays on my counter top. Even though I have a big old bill to pay and six wildly different tasks to tackle. I'm here and here is touchingly gorgeous.

I've talked about The World a lot in these forecasts. It's the last Major Arcana card, the final stop on The Fool's journey. While tarot has paths and patterns of meanings, our experience of it (much like life itself) doesn't follow a predictable pattern. That is, we can always access The World no matter where we are in life. And, as we've all experienced, sometimes our combination of experiences is wild and strange - The World and Death, for example.

This morning, however, we just have The World as our sole Major Arcana card. It's dancing benevolently, almost teasingly, asking us to look around and see the beauty and accomplishment in our imperfect lives. More specifically, it's asking us to look at our role in all this. There may be many moving parts, some confusion, and a lot of desire to do right, but here we are in the center showing up and truly living life. Let's give ourselves credit, especially if it doesn't line up with our expectations.

Our subsequent two cards make up the kindest tarot reality check. If we look at our life from a place of pride and security, we can take each challenge and task as it comes with no need to get mired in the oppressive details. In fact, my list of tasks and worries fits in perfectly with the Eight of Swords. Here we see a person constrained and bound, frozen still and surrounded by the very tools that could cut them loose.

So what do we do when the pressures hem us in? The Page of Swords burst into the scene with its refreshing simplicity. The answer: one thing at a time. Wielded correctly, our thoughts give us direction. Translating them into action frees us from being stuck. I love how movement is the healing element in this week's forecast. How can we keep a relaxed pace and accomplish small tasks with regularity?

Tarot experts often refer to The World as "the world dancer," and I'm smitten with this idea of dancing through life as the highest form of mastery. It's not rote, predictable, or joyless. Instead, it's vibrant and engaged - an art form instead of a correct answer. Each of us will dance through life differently, but this week we're all ready to keep going and enjoy the magic of our own movements, one thing at a time.

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Weekly Forecast: June 10-16

What do we really want?

Sometimes this answer to this question can seem mysterious and elusive. Life gets busy and convention and responsibility take over. It's a cycle that repeats itself over and over. We can't feel secure until we know the contours of our lives, yet we also crave the promise of the unknown and need creative license to reshape our lives when we hear a new future calling.

This week's reading shows us at the beginning of a new cycle of exploration. It's no surprise after weeks of heady and inspiring readings. Something's building to a crescendo and now we're here with The World leading the way.

Already we can see that a central theme of our new desire for change is about expansion and ease. If we're been carrying around baggage about scarcity, stifling duty, or the toxic romance of unnecessary or perpetual struggle, now is the time to shake it free vigorously.

When The World shows up it's a sign that there's big and beautiful work to do. And that it's the kind of work that flows with the ease of authenticity and brave desire. It is, in other words, time to get to doing what we'd really love to be doing. To go after what we truly want.

Sometimes a huge obstacle to this next step is the false idea that we have to choose one or the other: freedom or stability, creativity or safety, passion or tradition, acceptance or individuality.

I could go on and on.

But we don't have to cosmic and personal cards like The World and The Lovers here for no reason. Together, these cards almost slap us in the face with a much-needed wakeup call: Choosing our biggest, most beautiful future opens us up to the world itself.

The only "having it all" is being all of our true selves. Doing that lifts up our relationships, communities, and work. It's not irresponsible to prioritize our spiritual and creative growth and wellbeing. It only amplifies and feeds our energy and reach.

So, if we're feeling a bit shy about what we want, maybe making excuses - not allowing ourselves to even think about it - or have gotten so far that we've rationalized away our internal messaging, now is the time to stop all that.

It can be so simple, which is why the Ace of Wands is our final card. Both the beginning of a new cycle and the spark of limitless potential, the Ace of Wands shows us that the next step forward is doing what feels good. In our case, what feels good in a cosmic, toe-curling, personal level.

It can start small, taking the next steps, starting the new thing, or simply getting back in touch with our sense of what's right for us. Our task right now is to stoke and feed the fire, building small actions on top of each other until we have a raging and impressive bonfire of wands.

This is a time of few wrong choices if we can make them in service of our wild, lush, and unique growth. Don't be surprised if it reflects back on itself, building warmth quicker than we can even imagine.

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Weekly Forecast: June 3-9

This week's forecast shows a lovely and welcome breakthrough. Whenever we see The World we can be sure that the clouds are parting and welcome, joyous perspective is on the way. 

Our experience of The World is deeply connected to the suit of cups, a truly beautiful combination. 

It's a time to let our relationships propel us towards new horizons. What is it about another person - romantic partner, friend, or new acquaintance - that allows us to dream bigger?

Coming into contact with others shows us how the world can be different. We can observe new habits, outlooks, beliefs, personality traits, and often what we're most enamored with is something we'd like to cultivate within ourselves.

This is a week to reach out and revel in the connections that spring forth naturally. The Two of Cups is a very genuine card. We're drawn to those who make us feel good. It's as simple as that.

(Or, to be a bit snarky, we're healthily drawn to people that feel good! Other attractions do not apply in this reading ;)

How do we know this? Well, in addition to the Two of Cups' positive meaning, this card is paving way for The World in our reading. That is, spending time with people who lift us up and inspire us will quite literally broaden our horizons.

Stay alert for new and exciting opportunities, collaborations, and unexpected growth.

When we have cups and The World in a reading, it's a sure sign that our intuition and instincts are humming along with beautiful efficiency. Crippling doubt, over-planning, and needless anxiety can all be cordially dis-invited from this party! There's a strong current of joy and expansion that's more than capable of sweeping us away from these stagnant old places.

Fascinatingly, the focus on community and relationship in the Two of Cups is awakening an inner sense of direction. Collective connection is leading to personal realizations. 

In looking to others, we're uncovering a part of our own path that's eager and ready for exploring. Cue the Knight of Cups.

Again, a fun theme here is a lack of practicality and foresight. We're playing with the powerful energy of The World, so we don't need to worry about shirking our duties or causing trouble for ourselves. We can handle this and it's high time for some creative adventure.

Look to the Knight of Cups for clues as to what you want to explore. Though, in all likelihood, you won't need to do much searching. The Knights are a determined and energetic bunch. You probably have an idea about what you'd like to bring into your life right now, so don't hesitate.

The suit, however, gives us some further direction. The Knight of Cups is the ultimate romantic of tarot. So, above all, this is a time to bring the dizzying, intoxicating, and poetic energy of romance into our lives. 

Not necessarily the romance of sexuality (though, if that's on the table, do enjoy yourself!), but an overarching romance: love for the world, its many futures, the sensuality of everyday life, the fun of living life as an adventure, seeing the mythic in the mundane. 

All of these cards harmonize so beautifully that there won't be much tension in these pursuits. Give yourself all the permission to treat your life like the most engaging fantasy novel and follow what flows naturally. It's leading us towards some lovely growth and we're in good company as we travel along.

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Weekly Forecast: January 21-27

Can letting go help us move towards what we truly want? 

This certainly isn't part of our cultural narrative of success. Normally we're told to make our own way, to be proactive and shape the world so that it meets our expectations.

This involves a lot of action and doing. As we sweat and strive things begin to change. Not doing anything, at least in this line of thought, is lazy and unproductive.

But we all know what life is a lot shiftier than that and, perhaps as a consequence, a lot more magical.

This week we're being asked to step outside the prescribed rat race and do some important and enlightening observation. This means stepping back from our usual patterns, paring down our list of tasks and goals, and seeing things for as they are.

Despite how it may feel, this is a week we begin with a swirling sea of wonderful possibilities at our fingertips. Without reflection and rest we can't take this in for what it is. What's worse, we may explain over it, mistaking it for something boring and mundane. Without the right framework, even the wild and open expanse of The World can seem stifling.

And this is where The Hanged Man comes in - the enigmatic and sometimes-frustrating figure in tarot whose advice is to step back, relinquish power,  and see what happens in our absence. 

Think of it as taking the passenger seat or becoming the audience to the movie you've been directing. What goes on without you? What forces are really at work? And are you in the right role for the story that's unfolding? 

This card also instructs us to open up to the magic of change and chance. Nothing is static and pretending otherwise can leave us feeling frustrated and blocked. We have some control yes, but so much of our experience is in dialog with the unpredictable nature of life. Stepping back with The Hanged Man is giving us an opportunity to see this magic where before we could only see confusion. 

Having three Major Arcana cards in the forecast is quite an event, and these cards in particular show us at an important moment of change and growth. How may our narratives about ourselves and our life paths need updating? The Hanged Man loves asking these big questions. Embracing this archetype frees up space for new facets of ourselves to emerge. 

Have we been growing into new roles in our personal or professional lives? Exploring new interests and ideas that have surprised us by how deeply resonant they are? 

Both The World and The Hanged Man ask us to take these things seriously (especially if they feel wonderful and exciting) and dare us to expand our ideas about ourselves and the lives we can live. It doesn't do anyone justice if we act as if we're relegated to singing pop songs into our hairbrush when in fact we belong on a big stage, performing for an adoring audience. 

And that's where The Lovers comes in: We're at an important crossroads and it's one that's requiring us to identify our true desires and interests. If we embrace the wise inquisitiveness of The Hanged Man and give ourselves space to observe our lives with curiosity, we can discover a new through-line that's enticing us forwards. It might be so lovely and resonant that it feels outlandish. Who are we to ask for so much?

Helpfully enough, The World also instructs us that, whether we're aware of it or not, this important piece of our experience is very much active in our lives. It simply deserves more attention and support. What's more, we should be looking for something that makes us feel a bit nervous and exposed - The World is a big card, after all, and stepping into it can make us feel vulnerable, even when it's in the service of our progress. We can and should build upon what lights us up. After all, it radiates outwards and makes a much bigger impact than we can ever know.

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Weekly Forecast: November 26 - December 2

This hefty Knight of Cups is staring out at us as if challenging us to a duel. Hardly the sensitive dreamer from the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, artist Jonasa Jaus' version of the card seems confrontational and blunt. We're being asked to see our feelings for what they are this week, even if they're challenging or something other than what we've been hoping for. 

And yet the center of this reading is The World, a hopeful card, yes, but also a deeply personal and expressive one. It tells us that confronting these feelings is freeing us up to be ourselves. Denial can make us feel stagnant and inauthentic, out of sync with our true selves. This week, the other side is just within reach; all we need to do is harness our bravery and face things head-on like the Knight of Cups.

There's a rebellious immediacy to the knights that can bring refreshing verve into tender situations. The Knight of Cups, in particular, is not one to discount their feelings. Sometimes this can lead to  impulsive drama when we allow our emotions to get the best of us. Yet in other situations the Knight of Cups gives us a direct line to our true feelings, the ones that have been begging to get out.

In this reading, our formidable Knight is leading us towards The World, so we can trust that identifying and expressing these feelings supports our personal growth and the world around us. If we march towards them deliberately - we're ready to go and protected with all that armor - and display them with the genuine self-expression and vulnerability of The World we might be surprised at how much our lives open up.

There's another option in these cards, too. The Seven of Swords introduces an element of self-deception. Some of these feelings have been buried and repressed, hidden from ourselves and those around us, and therefore cloaked in confusion. Part of us would like to bypass all this intensity - acknowledging our true feelings and seeing things as they are. Oh, yes, and the most important part: doing something about them.

The Seven of Swords wants to skip past all the hard stuff and move to the next level without doing the work. As you may have guessed, this doesn't work for long. Eventually these feelings catch up to us. We can either examine them now and tease apart their importance or do so later, but after things have become more confusing and even hurtful.

The beauty here is that The World is waiting for us, right here in the center. Paired with the Knight of Cups, we can see that clarity is closer than it's ever been and it's bringing a sense of wholeness. Though The World is an inherently joyous card it also makes room for the tenderness of being our true self in a constantly changing and unpredictable world. Our only constant is ourselves and how we choose to show up. Weaving together all the stands of life - difficult feelings included - gives us a sense of precious beauty and gratitude. 

Running away from difficult emotions, choosing to shove them away because they seem purely negative, cheats us of a sense of fulfillment and the self-trust that we'll be there for ourselves through the good and the bad. Embracing them and respecting them like the Knight of Cups not only restores our sense of agency, but may surprise us with the rapid healing and complex fulfillment that comes from self-love. The World is in our reach and there's room for every emotion and experience. 

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We're All Creative Creatures

“I’m just not a very creative person…”

How many times have I heard this phrase, both inside and outside of my tarot studio? It seems that most of us have a strictly “paintbrushes and poems” vision of the creative process. If we’re not engaged in the arts of music, painting, photography, etc. well, we’re just not creative.

I have a major bone to pick with this idea. Most of the people I meet have already made several creative decisions before they make it to my office. Maybe they took a new route on their way over or found an innovative solution to an argument with their partner from that morning. Maybe they tried a never-before-seen combinations of toppings at the salad bar! What I’m saying here is that creativity can be so interwoven with the mundane that we’re not even aware of it.

Take a look at tarot, for example. The Minor Arcana consists of four suits: wands, cups, swords, and pentacles. We embody all four of the suits as we move through life and the wands are most commonly associated with creativity. In the broadest sense they mean motion and putting ideas into action. In other words, simply moving through the world requires it. Many of the things we do have never been done before. They started as ideas and we bring them into being through our actions. It’s all part of being human.

Reclaiming our creative identity is massively healing. Behind all the statements of “I’m just not creative” is a secret longing. Simply be reframing our experience to include creativity in our everyday existence we open up further avenues for expression. That could lead to picking up watercolors as a hobby or just gaining the confidence of seeing ourselves as an integrated person, one whose creativity isn’t limited to the arts or our output.

Tarot Card for Creativity

• The Suit of Wands

• The Magician

• The Fool

• The Sun

• The Empress

• The World

• Three of Pentacles

• Seven of Cups

Creativity can look like…

• Problem-solving

• New projects

• Taking initiative at work, home, etc.

• Communicating ideas

• Organizing

• Decorating

• Artistic pursuits

• Planning

Is There Such a Thing as "The Wrong Choice"?

What to do? This a question we ask ourselves so often that many of the decisions we make become reflexive, dictated by our subconscious. What type of toothpaste should I buy? Wake up or hit snooze again? We've made hundreds of these little choices before the day is done.

And then there's another type of choice. The big ones. Move for a new job or stay in our current position? Start a business or go back to school? Stick with a dissatisfying relationship or break things off?

These are the kind of choices that fundamentally change our lives, at least in terms of how it looks on the ground. There's no denying that finding yourself in California launching a hotdog stand is far different from trying out a tube of wintergreen toothpaste and switching back to peppermint after deciding you don't like it. 

I hear a lot from people presented with big choices as a tarot reader. It's a beautiful moment to be invited into. There's a lot to consider when we're at a big crossroads, but I've also noticed a big roadblock that pops up before we can even get into the details.

Doubt.

Particularly the fearful sort and it's consistent message is this: "What if I make the wrong choice?"

Now before I go any further, I'd like to specify that I'm talking about constructive life choices, not morality. I.e. the choices I'm speaking to are not "should I launch an online trolling campaign against my annoying neighbor?" (Yes, I think that legitimately qualifies as a bad choice!) Rather, I'm speaking to whether choices are "right" or "wrong" for an individual's personal development. 

So when we're faced with an important choice and notice that we're thinking of it in terms of right vs. wrong I'd like to say one thing and one thing only: It's time to back up.

Why? Because looking at choices aimed to facilitate our majestic personal growth and transformation in terms of right and wrong is opportunity-smothering, anxiety-producing fear-based thinking. 

Right and wrong are big old black and white concepts. They're far too heavy to plunk on something as transformative and new (or pre-new, aka unformed). Riding alongside this pressure is the idea that whatever choice we make will be completely and utterly irrevocable. That is, once we choose a certain career or partner we're locked in forever. 

This approach strips us of two important things: free-will and change. If we don't want something, we can choose to do something different. And, most importantly, things change, often for reasons outside our control.

What does tarot have to say about this? Let's take a look at the Two of Pentacles and The World.

The Two of Pentacles is an excellent antidote to our zero-sum, one-right-way thinking. Instead of these tired ideas, the Two illustrates the freedom and relief that comes from actively engaging with our options. This card shows us that there are many right choices and we can adjust our path as we take it, making changes here and there. In this blueprint, change is expected and encouraged. We can be innovators working in real-time, not paralyzed in the world of planning and what-ifs. What's more, this is a fun and hands-on approach.

Looking to the final card of the Major Arcana, The World, gives us a peek at what we're aiming for. It's fascinating that the last card of the Fool's Journey is so free and dynamic. Sometimes known as "the world dancer," this figure is gloriously nude and revelling in the world by moving through it. We don't have a rigid, "my way or the highway" card like The Emperor capping off the sequence. No, in contrast, The World shows us that our goal isn't one right way or a path paved by single, correct decisions, but a multi-faceted sense of presence wherever we are. With us at the center, all our choices lead us to the world we're meant to be in. 

And we're always moving through it, deciding as we go.