Weekly Forecast: July 4-10
Well, my friends, it looks like this is a week for breakthroughs. In good old fashioned tarot-style, we have to wade through some interesting and potentially frustrating waters first. Yet despite the presence of two sevens - cards characterized by their slippery, teasing nature - this is a comparatively low-pressure week. If we introduce a sense of lighthearted play into the tasks at hand we may be surprised at how quickly things move.
Have you been worrying about how much work you’re going to have to do to make a change? Fretting (dare I say, stressing) about how long of a way you have to go? Although you may not feel graceful or poised, this week holds some important and impish lessons around dreaming, planning, and manifesting.
Let’s start with the two sevens we have this week. Two! I think this pair is asking us to embrace the theme of a spiritual challenge. However you choose to define spirituality, this is a week where imbalance, restlessness, an unrelenting desire to seek out answers is bringing us to an important crossroads. The answers we’re seeking are new, personal, and only we can wade through the swirling mists of our subconscious to tease out their meaning. If we do, however, the meaning will be sustaining and powerful.
I’m interested in the dynamic between these two sevens. The Seven of Swords is a naughty character who shows up in moments where we want to avoid responsibility, take the easy way out, or break some rules. It’s also a swords card and this is what’s really coming through here - that perhaps the self-deception is in arguing ourselves out of what we really want. What if the shortcut we’re trying to take is the one that circumvents dreaming, yearning, and reaching beyond what we know? The figure in the card is running in one direction while looking over their shoulder: Where in your life do you feel split? Where do you notice your automatic response moving you away from your greatest wishes and desires?
Since the arc of our reading takes us towards the delightful Ace of Wands, it seems as if the impulse of the Seven of Swords needs some correcting. We shouldn’t be running away from an opportunity so invigorating and lovely, right? Self-deception, particularly in the vein of the swords cards - arguing yourself out of your desires, collecting information about how what you want isn’t feasible, realistic, etc. - may be appearing with strength and vigor as we start the week.
And yet the Seven of Cups is right here. This card is asking us to trust that we won’t be overwhelmed by our visions for the future, or that exploring options won’t shoot us into the farthest reaches of space, untethered from everyday life. In fact, this is a wonderful time to take stock of your fears around wishing and dreaming. What stories and arguments (the swords being carried in our first card) do you use to convince yourself that imagining a better future is bad, dangerous, or foolish?
This would be a wonderful week to dive into your interests, daydream, and turn over ideas in your mind without worrying about logistics. Doing so may massage a greater vision into clarity, but it’s important to step away from expectations and look at the world (and yourself) through the eyes of wonder. You’ll notice that the figure here is a black silhouette; it may be helpful to take a break from who you think you are and just spend some time playing and experimenting with new identities, ideas, and roles. The Seven of Swords easily gets stuck in their own head. In the Seven of Cups we see the pleasure and freedom of stepping outside oneself.
What’s happening while we tease out the tricky world of the sevens? A new option is working its way towards us. I’ve been thinking about the aces a lot lately. Not only are they alluring and exciting (some people refer to them as “the wish cards” in tarot) but they represent moments when we must step back from trying to make things happen and practice waiting, being receptive, and working on ourselves. That’s what we’re seeing here in our two sevens: how can we work on our fear of what we want, drop our swords - the ideas of how we should be, what we should do, and how we should go about getting it, and wait for the next step to reveal itself.
The Ace of Wands is definitively a next step. If aces are gifts from the outside world revealing themselves to us, and wands are action… you see where I’m going. So if you’re feeling antsy with all this dreaming and self-reflection, fear not. A promising and potent idea for what should happen next is on the horizon. Try not to rush or get lost in the seductive grips of control and open up to what has yet to appear.
And how will we know the Ace of Wands when it appears? It’ll resonate on an instinctive level (do check with your body to see if your creature-self is on board), feel exciting, promising, and new, and be just the first step. The trick of the aces, beyond noticing them when they arrive, is to simply accept their invitation and see where it leads, one thing at a time.
This week, embrace:
Gently questioning self-limiting beliefs and actions
Feeling uncomfortable with change
Daydreaming, envisioning exciting futures
Experimenting with new/unexplored facets of your identity
Activities that take you out of your (ego) self
A promising new path or next step
This week, Avoid:
Giving up because of a lack of clarity
Using fear as an excuse to avoid change
Getting caught up in details
Retreating from your social life
Get Creative:
The Seven of Swords: This card, aside from having a very engaging “main character,” is also soaked in tarot’s color of creativity: yellow. There’s two ways to engage with this energy. 1) See if you can channel your angst around change, growth, and restlessness into art. Circumvent the swords’ penchant for analysis and do something quick, impressionistic, and from the heart. 2) Devote a day, preferably early in the week, to wear yellow. See how it feels to embody the positive aspect of this card instead of the burdensome swords (aka thinking). If you have yellow shoes, I especially recommend wearing them. The red shoes and hat represent being driven by impulse and passion - what happens when you’re driven by life-sustaining creativity instead?
The Seven of Cups: Make a date with yourself to do some daydreaming. To expand on the ruling element of cups (water) I suggest doing this in the bath. Sink into the water and allow yourself to dream about the lives you could live, starting now. In situations where we’re taking big leaps, I think that rituals are especially important to nudge us out of the everyday and into something more soft and supportive. Mindfully select scents or oils for your bath, listen to some relaxing music, maybe even meditate before stepping in. The key is to be open, receptive, and ready to dream freely. Don’t focus on logistics or our pesky friend “reality.” See what happens and what dreams stick in your mind long after the tub has drained.
Ace of Wands: This is more practical than reflective. I think that this card has an aura of social possibility this week. Go out during the weekend with the intention of being open and receptive to any messages, connections, or opportunities that may come your way.