Weekly Forecast: November 7-13
We have a fascinating synchronicity at work in this forecast with two cards from our November monthly forecast start off our reading: the Nine of Swords and Judgment.
Okay, tarot, I’m listening…
This week we’re touching the source of our discomfort directly. What change are you recognizing in your life that’s activating sadness, angst, resistance, and old wounds? I’d like, however, to use this reading as a helpful guide. Because we can also work backwards, instead asking ourselves: What is my current discomfort teaching me about how much I’ve grown?
The Nine of Swords is an upsetting card to behold, but as we discussed in the monthly forecast, it’s also a nine, the group in the Minor Arcana that deals with the full expression of its type. Swords deal with our minds, information, and communication. This week we’re in a position where we know as much as we need to know. And that can come with a lot of grief, especially when a decision or big change is at hand. Rather than see our struggles as a source of despair, this reading is encouraging us to welcome them with open arms as harbingers of important information. We may be saying a final farewell to some harsh truths, old hurts, or ideas and values that have run their course in our lives.
Holding space for this transition will be crucial when it comes to a) making things as soft and gentle as possible and b) paving the way for a much grander transition on the horizon. Gather your people around you, sharing in the poignancy of life together. We’re all “in it” to some degree, and there’s so much healing that happens when we share both the burden and the beauty.
Now, let’s talk about this big transition. I’m laughing to myself at the imagery here: the Nine of Swords is sitting up in bed, head in their hands as if trying to completely avoid the card looming next to it, Judgment. And who among us hasn’t wished we didn’t have to do the hard and terrifying work of changing?
Again, this is a week to be extremely tender and gentle to yourself (and others). Pare down your commitments, slow your pace, and make room for reflection and processing - a healthy expression of that Nine of Swords card. Because, yes, big things are afoot, and while we do have both of these cards in our monthly forecast, suggesting that we’ll be working with their themes in the weeks to come, I do think that Judgment also holds the potential for big breakthroughs, changes, and developments in our lives this week. If you’ve been waiting on some news, a green light to take a big chance, or a breakthrough you’ve been impatient about, it may happen.
Or, at least, a key piece of information or a crucial event will pave the way for the inner transformation represented by the Judgment card. The King of Swords appears as the final card of our reading, showing us stepping into a position of authority and leadership in our lives, as if we’ve fully integrated the Nine of Swords and know exactly what to do with what we’ve learned. And I don’t mean this in a black-and-white sense of utter, irreproachable certainty. The power of this king lies in their ability to make the best use of the information that have at the given moment. They forgive themselves mistakes and miscommunications because they know that the ground is constantly shifting. Not acting with the information at hand is out of the question, and they trust themselves to pivot, learn, and adapt as they grow, harnessing their fearsome intellect and powers of perception for the greater good.
It’s a week thick with emotion, action, and breakthrough, but we have this sharp card at our side to guide us. Don’t be afraid to assert yourself, communicate your needs and, most of all, use your mind to shape the world around you. This is a powerful time for integration, release, and forward motion. Take things one step at a time, breathe, and trust that you’re equipped to guide yourself through this tricky landscape.
This week, embrace:
Processing grief, disappointment, hurtful experiences, and limiting beliefs
Mourning what could have been
…while opening yourself to what is coming into focus
Your personal agency
Deciding what really matters
Honesty, directness, decisiveness
Community
This week, avoid:
Overbooking your schedule
Strenuous work and/or activity
Appeasing others to keep the peace
Being wishy-washy
Wishful thinking/not consulting the facts/indulging in fantasy
Get creative:
Nine of Swords: Look at all these neatly aligned swords on the wall - while they’re obviously causing the main character of this card some grief, they’re also impressively arrayed and, some might argue, presenting a path forward. Might our sources of discomfort and grief also be building a ladder of sorts, one that can lead us out of isolation and into something new? Take a moment of swords-y reflection this week to identify nine things that are worrying you. Write them out in a nice list so that they’re organized like this ladder of swords. Then, write a simple way that each could help you. This could be something you’ve learned, something you’ll avoid in the future, or some way that the theme or experience has taught you something. So that you can identify and the focus on the positive side of your double-edged swords moving forward.
Judgment: Oof. This card is so in your face! Rude? Maybe! A trumpet blast raising the dead isn’t my go-to mode of communication, but sometimes we need to be jolted out of our current position. It’s also important to clear space for this type of transformation, which makes me think of another use of noise: spiritual cleansing. So, to prepare both yourself for the incoming shifts of Judgment and maybe to get proactive and embody it yourself - make some noise in your home with the intention of clearing space, banishing confusion, and empowering yourself. Blast some music, walk from room to room clanging something, or just do some old fashioned yelling.
King of Swords: This card knows things, and I think this week is an important time to remind ouselves of the depth of our knowledge. Not certificates or degrees, though those do fall under this king, but areas of expertise we’ve accrued through simply living our lives. What are you an expert at? How can you remind yourself of this and let the awareness fuel your decision-making?