Weekly Forecast: November 28 - December 4

Playful energy is gifting us with some surprisingly practical insights this week, dear readers. And in case you’re missing the epic intensity of some our past readings, fear not: The Lovers makes an appearance highlighting the importance of our personal agency when making choices.

Let’s get into the details.

The Two of Pentacles has a refreshing, jaunty aura about them, and this week invites us to put down the burdens of plans, grand visions, and complicated structures in order to grant ourselves the freedom to experiment. Whether you’re staring something anew or need a fresh gust of inspiration in a project or area of your life that’s felt stale and stilted, this card has many helpful suggestions for you.

I think it’s time for a list, in true “practical-pentacles” fashion:

• Return to or visit the basic principles of what you want: what are the two pentacles you’re juggling? Makes sure you’re really interested in them, enthralled even, like the energetic character in the card.

• Embrace looking ridiculous and have a sense of humor about yourself. (How could this hat signify anything but a charming lack of self-consciousness?)

• Focus on what you can do now, and have fun with it….

• While keeping your eyes open to the possibility of a grand future, so that the excitement of your work can steer you somewhere new, instead of back towards familiar dead-ends or tough spots.

It’s likely that this card is speaking to an area in your life that has to do with those ruled by the pentacles suit: work, daily routines, physical health, sex and sensuality. Last week, we had the Queen of Pentacles holding court in the center of our reading, so it’s possible that your “thesis statement” revealed itself in the past seven days. Regardless, this week is an excellent time to find inspiration in going back to the drawing board or starting anew. Let this energy expand to revivify your practices, how you spend your time, and to refocus on what feels good while sustaining your life.

Towards the end of the week, our progress in this area starts to unfurl outwards. Oftentimes, the Two of Pentacles can seem frivolous or silly: can having fun really be transformative? And, especially, can it be helpful to the larger whole and not an act of selfishness?

The Six of Pentacles answers this question with a resounding “yes!” In tending to our sense of play, expansiveness, and even the basics of caring for ourselves (this Two of Pentacles sometimes highlights the intersection of mental and physical health), we become more able to direct our gifts outwards. Consider how, once you feel more grounded and inspired, you can express and honor your values in your actions. If the pentacles gives us one piece of wisdom, it’s this: What we do matters. Helping others, giving back, and recognizing our responsibility for the ones who come after us - all of this falls under the Six of Pentacle’s themes of balance, justice, and reciprocity.

Presiding over all of this, The Lovers lends its aura of pivotal change to this earthy reading. I like this! It means, in other words, that the key to our transformation can be found in the things we’re already doing. This isn’t a moment of looking for a grand epiphany, a prophecy from an outside source; the seeds of self-realization have already been planted, we just have to keep tending to them and watch them sprout into something grander.

If you’ve been agonizing over a choice, fearful of a change that’s afoot, or worried about striking out on your own, look around your life for signs that you’re already on your way and that things are working out just fine. The Lovers reminds us that all change require a healthy dose of self-respect. Growing is hard business, especially when it’s into our own unique forms. Individuality can feel vulnerable, but it also attracts the complimentary people, places, and opportunities that are meant just for us. Open yourself to both the tenderness and excitement of meaningful personal change.

This week, embrace:

• Playfulness, good-natured humor

• A willingness to make mistakes

• Going back to the basics

• Tending to your physical health

• Starting new projects

• Self-love and appreciation

• Giving back, supporting others

This week, Avoid:

• Overcomplicating plans, projects, routines

• Naysayers, people afraid to grow

• Limiting your vision for the future

• Focusing on the future to the detriment of the present moment

Get creative:

• Two of Pentacles: Let’s lean into the inherent ridiculousness of this card. I love how it combines the earthy nature of the pentacles with movement and joy. So, like this jaunty fellow, lift your leg and get dancing. Bonus points for being as ungainly, unhinged, and insane-looking as possible. Just one song, alone in your kitchen, is enough, but more is even better.

• The Lovers: Let’s not allow the grandness of this card to eclipse the joy and excitement of the week. Because part of what makes The Lovers so powerful is that it holds the excitement, love, and passion that motivates personal change. Rather than forcing this card to reveal itself, spend the week looking for delightful pangs of love wherever you go. What pulls you closer? What do you desire? What makes you feel like you’re opening up to the world?

• Six of Pentacles: Spend some time in gratitude - who helps you and how? Once you’ve identified several source of help, support, or inspiration (I suggest three), write out a way you can pay forward the same energy to others.

Finding Joy in Work with the Two of Pentacles

I woke up this morning wanting to spend some time in the Incandescent Tarot universe. I’ve been in a frenzy of spring cleaning the past few days; after going hard in that domestic direction, I felt the need to change course - it’s just not fair if I let this space languish! Plus, it’s something that brings me joy.

So jaunty!

So, I sat down at a table in my local coffee shop and… decided to research new bookkeeping software? Needless to say this decision did not make me feel relaxed. Once I stopped and decided to refocus on the fun part (writing) I was all flustered and confused. I lost my zest and excitement.

Suddenly, “More Than This” by Roxy Music started playing in my headphones. Now this is a song that never ceases to delight me. I found myself grinning and swaying in my seat (and likely alarming my fellow patrons). My mood had officially shifted.

And that’s when I got the idea to write this post.

I love how the Two of Pentacles takes the practical nature of the pentacles and infuses it with the energetic, lighthearted energy of the twos. A low number in the suit, this two shows us how following our energy and staying in the moment yields the best (and most enjoyable) results. It doesn’t have to be a serious slog or ambitious reach. Our work can be dynamic and satisfying when we keep things simple.

Achieving this state can be as simple as allowing ourselves to do the fun, small things first. Or, if we’ve made a detour to stress-land like I did with my ill-advised bookkeeping research, we can use something uplifting to reinvigorate ourselves: a song, quick walk outside, or some other type of treat.

Weekly Forecast: October 21-27

I love how this week's forecast is giving us a clear choice between mindful, embodied action and a frenzied action that leads to over-extending ourselves. Yes, you read the cards right: Temperance is urging us to find peace in the practice of the Two of Pentacles rather than the wild, unfocused careening of the Five of Wands.

Speaking to the elements at work, this is a week to ground ourselves in the wisdom of earth, staying close to our physical and material needs. Getting caught up in the world of fire and ambition is only leading to conflict and chaos.

Temperance can be a challenging card to work with; sometimes the angelic imagery seems unattainable and even haughty. Yet this week we're being asked to see how our higher self directs us towards healthy actions. What guiding instincts lead us to care for ourselves? How can thinking simply and focusing on actionable steps bring us closer to the divine?

Temperance also straddles these two worlds. You'll notice the angel has one foot dipped into the water and the other stabilized on the earth itself. Care and simple commitment to what we need to do in our everyday lives can be surprisingly transcendent. Let's see what this awareness brings to the surface this week.

The wands here are giving us a word of caution. While it's lovely to think we'll sashay into the embodied path of Temperance & the Two of Pentacles, the Five of Wands alerts us to an internal battle of sorts. Are we pretending or wishing we could just push forward and fill our time with action? Is there something threatening about keeping things simple and in the moment?

The wands are often emblematic of our society's obsession with productivity and accomplishment. Having the conflict-theme five in our reading is straightforward tarot-speak for "just chill out, please."

How might our desire to stay busy and keep striving be hindering us right now? What happens when we slow down and just focus on baby steps? And, most importantly, how does doing this distance us from our higher-self and Temperance nature?

I see this reading as an invitation to open up to the wonder and healing of being in the moment, particularly in our mundane lives. Looking to the jovial dance of the Two of Pentacles we can ask ourselves, "How am I doing something beautiful, transcendent, and joyful when I stay close to my own experience and actual, lived life?"

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Summer Solstice Tarot Reading on Open Magic Podcast

A delightful spread from Spirit Speak’s Apparition Tarot Deck

I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling transformed after the Summer Solstice this past week.

And, in case you missed it, I did a special tarot reading looking at the energy and opportunities springing from this time of the year.

This far reaching reading looks at the next half of 2019 and dives in to the archetypes we’ll be leaving behind and the opportunities for growth and celebration emerging in the future.

Give it a listen below or find it wherever you get your podcasts. (And do leave us a review if you feel inspired, it helps more than you know!)

All the Best,

Gina

Weekly Forecast: January 7-13

I love the combination of flexibility and diligence animating this week's forecast. We're going to be thrown back into the fray of life, that's for sure. Yet where the wands can sometimes be led to quick burnout, the pentacles featured here serve to ground and stabilize us. Looking at our work and daily lives with creativity and determination can be invigorating, no matter how much we find on our to-do lists.

We can see these cards as a nice set of instructions. Embracing the levity and innovation of the Two of Pentacles - working with what we've got in new and unexpected ways - will better acquaint us with what we're really working with. And, most satisfyingly, what really requires our attention.

In the Eight of Pentacles we roll up our sleeves and get lost in the task of doing. It's satisfying work and if we allow this focus to be a place of rejuvenation, we can hop out of it and into the forward-looking confidence of the Queen of Wands.

Thinking about this week in elemental terms can help shake up the drudgery so often associated with work and obligation. If we've been feeling burnt out (thrown from the wildness of holiday season back into the other wildness of everyday life, perhaps?) these cards, especially the Two of Pentacles, tell us that there's a reason why we're doing what we're doing. In other words, finding the fire (wands) that set us off on this journey (earth/pentacles) in the first place can help bring focus back into our life. 

Reacquainting ourselves with that initial spark and shaking things up in small doses can help lighten the mood, too. How can we put a little skip in our step, enlivening the routines and projects that have to get done? It doesn't have to be so heavy when we're calling the shots and doing the work.

The Two of Pentacles is such a jaunty card. Just look at this zesty red outfit! (And that hat!) Bringing joy into our tasks is an easy choice we can make. Not only does it make us feel far better, but it also radiates an irresistible energy outwards. Who says that seriousness equals good work? And what small choices can we make to reignite the personal meaning and fun in what we do?

Having the Eight of Pentacles directly after wards tells us that adopting a playful attitude is actually helping us to focus and hone in on what's most important. And once we do it's time to get lost in the art of doing. This is shaping up to be a massively productive week, particularly if we accept and make room for the need to play, joke, and take ourselves a little less seriously. 

If this all seems a little too prosaic, don't worry. Towards the end of the week we're feeling enlivened and empowered - ready for new adventures. With the Queen of Wands we can welcome a sense of earning our power and standing. The work we do is likely to be well-received and personally satisfying. Once it's complete, we'll want to get out and be seen: bright and shiny and unencumbered by the pressing deadlines we've met so swimmingly.

This Week Encourages

Focus, levity in work, creative problem solving, thinking outside of the box, work, self-confidence, socialization

This Week Isn't a Time for...

Dilly-dallying, resisting change, inflexibility, starting new projects, self-seriousness, distraction

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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. 

Weekly Forecast: December 11-17

Perfectionism has its perks, but it can also be the enemy of action, especially when we're starting out on something new. Sure, our visions are grand, but they're just visions until we put in the actual work and get our hands dirty. This week sees us grappling with our idea of how we want something to be and the reality of making it happen.

I'm not the first to admit that I love planning and lists. Thinking through and writing out my vision (preferably in an aesthetically pleasing, organized way) gives me a sense of preparedness and satisfaction. It's wonderful to have a roadmap when starting out on a journey. Our roadmaps, however, can quickly turn into stifling instructions.

If I'm not careful, my to-do list or plan, once to pretty and helpful in my notebook, can turn into a source of stress and furstration. As the list of things to do grows longer I become more tempted to tweak and adjust, falling deeper into my thought process and lost in the details. I haven't done anything concrete just yet, but I'm already feeling pressured. How can I live up to my plans? Instead of guidance I've created a situation where anything less than what I've envisioned is "wrong."

The Page of Swords reflects this mental enthusiasm gone awry. We're jumping into our endeavor with the passion and fixation of a page, but it's one-sided. We need other energies to propel us forward. The Two of Pentacles shows up next, guiding us towards balance.

And what does this card tell us? It's time to balance our thoughts with action. When we're in a swordsy mindset this can be challenging. Everything is nice, neat, and controllable in our minds or on paper. Enacting our plans in real time invites in the change and complications that make our controlling sides squirm. But they're just what we need. 

The Two of Pentacles illustrates the joy of motion. We have to be on our toes when we make things happen. It may be awkward at first, but once we find our rhythm we can take pleasure in the feeling of moving through the world and enacting our plans. It's the energy of experimentation, flexibility, and interaction. 

It's also far from any idea of perfect, so it's a good time to make room for any resistance from our Page of Swords sides. A little kickback is natural, and that voice telling us to play it safe (or not play at all), that we need to do more brainstorming and planning, is trying to help. Now is just not the time to get lost in thought, however, and breaking through towards action will be more than worth it.

Is there anything else behind our squrimy desire to stay in the very beginning stages, far away from action? Perhaps the thing we're approaching is a little frightening, maybe even something we see as risky? 

We have Justice as our final card and its message can indeed be powerful and intimidating. We're being asked to engage with our sense of right and wrong in the world, particularly through our boundaries. This kind of work can be intense.

In advocating for ourselves - deciding what we will and will not tolerate and where the lines are drawn - we must step out fully. That means we see ourselves as people worthy of respect and willing to advocate for our needs clearly. We can't hide behind excuses or self-deprecation. This is a time to practice taking up space and embodying the true extent of our power. 

So the Page of Swords makes sense here. We want to plan, plan, plan. Perhaps we're nervous about asking for something or about voicing a complaint. Maybe it's time to speak out against a behavior that's no longer (or never was) beneficial to us. However each of us are grappling with Justice this week, small actions will be much more helpful than big plans. Like the Two of Pentacles, we're not looking for perfection, just practice. In doing small things to value ourselves we can cultivate a sense of comfort in being seen and in taking ourselves seriously. And we get to decide; our imperfect actions and admirable and more than enough. They're also bringing us towards a deeper sense of alignment and power - a journey that's well worth the effort. 

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Weekly Forecast: June 5-11

We’re feeling zesty this week, entranced by new ideas and feeling more than capable when it comes to experimenting with them.

It’s a time of newness that, at first glance, seems simple enough. Maybe there’s something we’d like to try and after turning the idea over in our mind we’re ready to get practical about it – taking a class about something we’ve never done before, asking someone we’ve had our eyes on out for a coffee, approaching a colleague about an idea for a new project.

Instead of being nervous or apprehensive, we’re moving forward with a lot of momentum. So much so that we’re able to steamroll over what normally holds us back. There’s a voice in our heads telling us “just go for it! It’s no big deal!”

In this case, we should hop on and enjoy the ride. Being equal parts confident and carefree is propelling us into new and fun territory.

The Two of Pentacles sees us relishing in the act of experimentation. We have a deep well of flexibility and creative thinking at our disposal. Situations that might normally seem unmovable and unchangeable quiver in the face of our dynamism. We’re cheeky and prepared to make things work through a series of innovative dance moves and nontraditional tweaks.

This is a time to embrace motion. We’ll be finding inspiration as we flit around and interact with the world. Art, nature, travel – all these things will trigger new ideas we can add to our plans, like collecting images to add to a collage. Embrace your hummingbird-like instinct to find sweetness in many different blooms. Learning through doing will be key in the days to come.

It’s important to remember that shaking things up doesn’t need to immediately result in any certainty. We move to The Fool to remind us that instead of categorizing what we’re learning we must give it plenty of room to flourish. The fun experimentation and new experiences we usher into our lives this week are awakening deeply buried parts of ourselves and sending us out on an even larger journey.

But before we think larger = more pressure! more seriousness! we should pump the breaks. The Fool tells us to embrace an innocent beginners mind. Not ignorantly innocent. We’ll be bringing just the right amount of know-how with us as we end this week – not too much to bog us down, not too little to leave us completely exposed and ill-prepared.

The one caveat? We may find ourselves contending with the difference between our expectations vs. the reality of the situation. We began with The Knight of Swords and his powerful conviction gave us the momentum and inspiration to play with new pursuits. So thank you, Knight of Swords!

However, this card also has the tendency to erase rich nuance with a somewhat insecure need for certainty. To the point where the ideas that we had coming into our new forays get projected over the actual, unpredictable result. How frustrating to have the glowing unknown of the new future presenting itself to us overshadowed by our expectations.

At the end of this week we’ll find ourselves presented with the option to turn off our projectors and let the opportunity of The Fool be what it truly is. We’ve awakened a new sense of possibility with the Two of Pentacles, practicing our abilities to move through life with joyful motion. Let’s channel this confidence and skill into turning off the pointed certainty of the Knight of Swords and letting a new approach shine through uninhibited.

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Weekly Forecast: February 13-19

Tarot Cards by Kazumi Niikura

What do we do with our feelings? Do we let our tenderness shine at full force or express ourselves more cautiously?

This is an interesting question to bring into a week that’s been overstuffed with meaning. The biggest presence, of course, is Valentine’s day. Who could miss the piles of heart shaped candies that have been in the grocery store since January? (I, for one, am more excited for the candy sales the day after Valentine’s.)

Regardless of your feelings about the holiday (cynical corporate commodification? Romantic bonanza? A bit of both?) the cards we’ve pulled for this week are quite lovey. Whether you’re feeling it in a sexy and spicy way or a platonic one, love and how we express it is on our minds.

So how do we honor this? What about our plans? Whether you’re single our coupled, there’s a pull to commemorate your relationships. A ladies’ night out? Treating yourself to some chocolates and a bubble bath? Some schmancy candlelit supper with your partner?

I’ve been rushing around feeling February gain momentum and now look where we are. Just a day away from Valentine’s and I have no plans. What I do have is a growing sense of urgency and several options I’m convinced I have to pursue. Valentine’s for all my friends. A romantic dinner. AND a decadent self-care ritual.

Funny thing is, I haven’t really sat down to think about it all. Do I really want to be doing all these things, cramming them into my already busy schedule? What’s important to me right now?

The cards for this week tell us to take some time to reconnect with ourselves. They also show us struggling between outer expectations and inner desires. Getting stuck between the two can lead to inaction, which would be a shame seeing as we’re feeling very sentimental and effusive. There’s no better time to be writing Valentine’s and professing love than when you’re feeling it.

Now is a good time to consider who we want to express our love to and how we’d like to do it. There’s no time to get stuck in prepackaged ideas about what love “should” look like. This is all about you.

The King of Cups is a somewhat conflicted card. As the ruler of emotions, he must maintain distance. Emotions are notoriously slippery things. They shift constantly and are hard to pin down. Their ephemeral nature is what makes them so enticing and powerful. We can’t force ourselves to feel a certain way, though we can train ourselves to observe our feelings from afar.

The King of Cups has mastered this skill. He is able to separate himself from his emotions and those of others. Just look at him peering at the cup in his hand rather clinically. This can be helpful during times of conflict or when you’re engaging with healing work, but holding one’s own emotions at arm’s length is also stifling. We need to feel things directly in order to fully experience both the joys and pain of life. We can’t always be king.

The Empress shows us another way of being. She’s been a guardian angel of sorts lately, popping up in the past few weekly forecasts. Clearly her teaching is not finished, and thankfully so, because her approach is decidedly much more romantic and rejuvenating.

This is a card that unabashedly revels in sensuality. Rather than draining her and making her weak, displays of joy and affection renew her strength. She is able to both experience her feelings and communicate them. With her powerful boundaries, she is able to block out any negativity without blocking out her own experience of life.

How does she do this? By remaining utterly inside herself. Not locked away or removed, but present. Just look at her cradling a juicy pomegranate, a symbol of abundance. She embodies her feelings instead of removing herself from them like the King holding his cup at a distance.

This is a week to consider what acts of love make you feel like The Empress: solid in yourself, warm, and loving. Perhaps you need a bit of the King of Cups’ remove to figure out what works best for you before you jump into action. Once that’s done, however, jump on in. Now is not a time to limit your expression. When you feel it, you feel it, so let the world know. Whatever you choose, make sure it’s joyous and brings you strength while communicating your love to others.

And the rest of it? Leave it by the wayside. Fancy dinners don’t hold a candle to your own authentic feelings.

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