Weekly Forecast: October 16-22

Sometimes it can be hard to recognize a gift when it arrives in our lives. Accepting a gift means change and change means loosening our attachment to control. We can't grow if we don't give ourselves space to unfold. We can't let in the new, the unexpected, and the magical when we hold ourselves to a narrow vision of the future. 

Sometime we're trained to see limitation and obstacles when life presents us with something new. The cards for this week show how that something new, the gift that the Ace of Pentacles represents, can be the missing ingredient - the cherry on top of the sunday of fulfillment if you will. It's glorious, it's unexpected and... it's frightening?

Fear is an interesting emotion. It's deep and powerful, a primal reaction, and yet it's also comfortable, a baseline that's so human and so animalistic that we can't help but be familiar with it. In its own way fear operates on a different level, below our rationality and empathy. Honed in a different time, it's a powerful response meant to protect us at all costs. It's just that sometimes it tries to protect us from the good as well as the bad.

Something about this blossoming (I love the floral imagery that Jonasa Jaus' tarot has given us today) is making us uneasy. Does it feel too conspicuous or ostentatious? Is it activating a sense of shame or "having too much"? Or maybe it seems too simple and doesn't match up with our vision for the future. Do we feel like we need to suffer to earn our happines and our accomplishments? 

Whatever these gifts brings up in us it's activating our fear responses with a siren song to retreat and withdraw. It's important, however, to look around before running the other way. Is something else going on? Maybe it is safe after all. Maybe the blossoming is beautiful and something we deserve.

Of course it can be overwhelming, too. There's plenty of room for that. The Eight of Swords shows that overwhelm, yet its tendency is to get swept away with it and back into harmful narratives. In these swordsy situations it's very helpful to connect with other ways of being - the grounded physicality of the pentacles, for example, and the free-flowing emotion of the cups. 

Allowing our thoughts and fears free reign to dictate our actions is no way to lead a blanced life. The cards for this week are asking us to be tender with ourselves and peek out after our initial reaction to withdraw. The gift can just be a gift. The success and fulfillment can just be something beautiful we know we've worked hard to create for ourselves. And it's safe to step out of our worried minds and enjoy the life that's presented to us. 

We can stop and smell the flowers we've grown for ourselves. They're blooming right now. 

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Do I Need to Take Notes During My Tarot Reading?

Now here's a question for the ages and one I've been meaning to write a post about for quite some time now. And before we get started, a quick confession. I love writing things down. Cute pens? I live for them. Exhaustive summaries? My bread and butter. So as a serial note-taker you'd think I'd say, "Yes! Go to town!" I am, after all, someone who *nerd alert* used to re-copy the Latin I was translating and only then write my take underneath. I was very extra back then. 

With that being said, I'm now going to depart from my note-loving roots and take a stand: you don't need to take notes during your tarot reading.

Why?

Deliberation is wonderful, but it's also an enemy of spontaneity and exploration. Getting a tarot reading is a living, breathing experience that requires being in the moment. Quickly scribbling out notes runs the risk of distracting us from the cards. We could be busy writing out "Queen of Wands + three of pentacles = relationship with self + ambition??" etc. etc. and never look up from out probably adorable notebook to see the richness of the cards in front of us.

The spark of personal insight that comes from being present in a tarot reading is worth far more than pages of notes. You are the magic link between the cards and their meaning to your life. Reach out to them and they'll reach out to you.

Plus, how many times have you written notes furiously only to look back on them and not be able to understand a thing?

So what about later, when you'd like to go back and revisit what happened with more clarity? I'll be the first to agree that getting a tarot reading is a lot to take in. Sometimes it can feel like you got pulled into a swirling world of images and impressions - it's exciting, illuminating, and a bit overwhelming. And now you're spit back into the more meat-and-potatoes, rational realm of the everyday. What even happened there? How do you being to process it?

Well, I have good news for you. Yes, old note-taking Gina is getting time to flex her muscles. And even better? It's on your behalf.

I can really relate to the tarot reading conundrum of wanting to refer back to the reading and remain in the moment while you're experiencing it. That's why I've started offering free reading overviews with every face-to-face tarot reading (that's in person appointments or readings via skype.) This way you can refer back to the basics of the reading, jog your memory, and start processing it as your life unfolds. 

It's important to me as a reader to offer experiences that reflect my love and respect for tarot. Since I strongly believe that a tarot reading is half the reading itself and half how we process it in our own lives, I wanted to offer a service that allows you the ability to experience your reading and "take it home with you."

And because it's so important to me I'm choosing not to charge for it, though given the time it does have a snazzy value of $15. Nothing makes me happier than being able to offer this karmic tarot gift.

Here's What You Get

• A 2-4 page PDF outlining your reading that includes...
• A photo of your cards
• A rundown of that cards we drew and their basic meanings
• A brief summary of your reading

and, my favorite part...

• Instructions and suggestions for integrating your reading into your life that includes...
• Qualities and things to embrace moving forward
• Key cards that speak to both you and influential themes and/or people
• Suggestions for how to work with your cards

And naturally this all looks quite snazzy, if I dare say so myself! (I love, love, love making PDFs)

My hope is that by providing these after-reading summaries and suggestions that you can get to know your tarot cards even futher and carry their magic and guidance with you as their meaning unfolds. So put down your pens and let yourself get truly immersed in your tarot reading. 

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Weekly Forecast: October 9-15

Quests for deeper meaning are often just that - deep. We tend to draw inwards, cutting out distractions in order to focus in on a higher truth. It's mystical, meaningful, and a departure from our usual way of moving through the world. 

After a while, however, the ideas we've been chasing start to coalesce. Then we can begin to integrate them into our lives, bringing them out of the darkness and into real and sometimes messy practice. 

This week we're at such a point, enjoying the newfound inner peace that emerges when we bring our values and ideas into our actions. The meeting of the two creates a feeling of harmony. The inner matches up with the outer and we feel shiny and new and proud of our decisions. 

The Hierophant illustrates this feeling beautifully. He is the embodiment of our beliefs, contained and broadcasted outwards. I like to think of this card as the home we build for our beliefs. Where do they live in our lives? This can be traditional, like going to church every Sunday, or more diffuse - the small rituals where we are truly present or ways we interact with the world that holds a higher truth or power in mind. 

This week we're being asked to take note of these places and draw strength from them because, excitingly enough, we're going to be asked to expand them in the days to come. It might feel scary - after all, some of these practices are new. We might think they're untested and not quite ready for a larger stage. The cards, however, have something else in mind. 

What happens when we live our lives in alignment with our values? People take notice. It's impossible to be at one with yourself and live a harmonious life and sneak by, invisible. The thing is, when we're carving space in our lives to accomodate and honor what means the most to us, we're also broadcasting a new way of being to those around us. It's inspiring and a little unnerving. Shining bright means that you're also a beacon.

This week is giving us an opportunity to shine a little brighter. The Seven of Pentacles depicts a moment where we first take stock of how far we've come and second, after a deep breath, leap forward in search of more. Whatever the opportunity, it will take shape in a practical, embodied part of our lives. Increased responsibility, the chance to learn a new complimentary skill, or an unexpected leap forward. No matter the form it takes, The Hierophant is telling us that we're ready for this expansion.

Most encouragingly, the Queen of Wands appears as our final card. She's shown up as a theme for several past readings, indicating that we have a larger lesson to learn from her right now. Learning to channel our abundance of energy with grace and effectiveness has brought us quite far already. Once again, we're returning to a place where we can accomplish so much and, instead of descending into burnout, it's reigniting our passion and propelling us forward to brigher, even more exciting places. 

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Weekly Forecast: October 2-8

What does it take to adjust an imbalance?

Is it serene wisdom? A drastic event that reminds us we need to move onto something different?

Now is a time where we'll be walking somewhere in the middle. It's tricky going - we're being asked to navigate forward without clear-cut certainty - yet at the same time we're being given a beautiful opportunity to step up and own our own adventure. 

In the first week of October we're being coaxed out of a false sense of security and into a journey towards something more meaningful. Sure, we don't have the elusive widsom that our decision is completely safe and completely right, but how often does that come along in life? And is that a feeling we should even be looking for?

The Four of Coins speaks to our talent for adaptation. We're resourceful creatures, able to make do in all manners of situations. We strive to create a safe corner of the world for ourselves with what we've been given and when we succeed it feels wonderful. We're safe and stable and, like the coins in this card, able to look out from our cozy tent at the beautiful yet inhospitable landscape around us.

This worldview, however, can be quite limiting. Looking at the world as a dangerous and limiting place and directing our energy towards protecting what we have focuses us on maintaining - a scarcity mentality tactic - instead of reaching out and allowing our life to unfurl in myriad, unpredictable directions.

Justice has shown up in our reading to tell us that we've been lingering in the safe tent of the Four of Coins for too long. There's an imbalance that we need to correct and we're being coaxed out slowly, asked to stretch our legs and prepare to strike out in a new direction.

Sometimes we might perversely long for the terrible certainty of The Tower. In that card we have no choice, our world has been turned upside down and the only thing we can do is rebuild. This is a much more beautiful and compelx situation and far less drastic. It's a time for thoughtfulness, mindful delibration, and, above all, replacing a cold view of the world and ourselves with one of warmth and tenderness. 

But let's return to the tent for a little while longer. It's a good opportunity to look around and see what it is we've been clinging to for safety and reassurance. Oftentimes this card refers to old ideas and habits we've inherited through our family, that first unit that shapes our worldview so profoundly. We didn't choose to pick up these building blocks, they were just there, either presented to us by our parents knowingly or absorbed as we grew up.

As I'm sure many of us can attest to, it can be a mixed bag. Something about our old assumptions has led us to huddle in a tent that's far too small for us. They may have worked for us in the past, helped us or hindered us. What's clear now, however, is that we've grown. Like a plant that's too big for its pot, we're chafing at the edges and ready to be transplanted into the ground. 

This is a beautiful moment and I'm tickled that it's showing up in our reading for the first week of October. Justice and the Eight of Cups encapsulate our brave expansion. We're striking out, looking to elarge our lives, daring to ask for more, and doing so with the bravery and self-respect that mark a moment when we're ready to discover more about the principles, ideas, and motivations we'd like to frame our lives with. 

And my favorite part? Though this all sounds like pretty heady stuff, it's simply another step along our life path, and extreme thinking is part of the Four of Coins' "crowded tent mentality." Instead, we're stepping out to grow more excited, open, and expansive with each step. What I'm saying is, we'll be welcomed with open arms as we dare to ask for more and seek more rewarding experiences and relationships. We're walking towards more ease, reciprocity, and lightness. It just might be a little scary and intimidating at first, all the more reason to embrace gentleness and creativity as we take those first steps.

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Tarot for Self-Care: The Four of Swords

“Just take some time to relax and think things over.” Isn’t this the perfect example of advice we don’t really want to hear? Many times when I pull this card for myself or others there’s a palpable sense of disappointment. That’s it? Just some guy lying in a room with some swords? It’s not what one expects when asking the tarot for advice. Usually when we seek guidance we’re looking for an action. The classic, Bruce Willis kind. We want to be seen and praised for being so proactive. We want to be a hero.

But what about the things we do to care for ourselves that don’t appear to be much at all? What happens when the hero simply needs to chill out? This is the part of the story that gets glossed over. It doesn’t even get a cool montage.

Because of this we often don’t have a blueprint for the kind of actions the Four of Swords advocates. It’s the kind of self-care that involves lying down, being still and silent. Meditation, rest, journaling, and introspection all fulfill the main objective of the Four of Swords: to quiet the chatter of our thoughts and get a feel for what we’re really feeling. Only then can we get to our feet and get going.

This card instructs us to shift our values away from the external and to spend time gathering strength. Sit still, rest, and hold off on acting. Though we might not be able to quantify or measure how it benefits us, the clarity, focus, and decisiveness that come from taking some time are undeniable.

Beautifully enough, granting ourselves this peace opens up room for unexpected and unexplainable messages. I love the imagery of this card. We first notice the reclining figure, the swords, the greyness of the surroundings. But not so fast. There's also a colorful window higher on the wall that looks like it's made of stained glass. We can imagine the soothing light that filters through it, gently illuminating the person resting below. 

This illustration shows us there's more to this card than the intense intellectual bent of the suit of swords. The window introduces an element of the divine, whether we see it as from a higher power, a higher version or ourselves, or simply as inspiration. That is, when we fall into our bodies, relax, and make room for it, we leave space for beautiful messages to come through from something beyond ourselves. 

I'd like to invite you to meditate on this idea. One of my favorite ways to integrate tarot meanings is to put myself in the place of the characters seen on the cards. Below is a basic rundown of how I like to work with the four of swords. Feel free to embellish or simplify as you'd like.

Four of Swords Meditation

Get cozy in a dimly lit room. Go to town if you're feeling inspired. Light some candles, burn some relaxing incense or essential oils, and make a plush nest for yourself.

Lie on your back with your hands on your chest like the figure in the four of swords. Close your eyes and take deep breaths, gently filling your lungs and exhaling slowly. Bring your awareness to your body, noticing any tension and directing your breath to each area with the intent of releasing it in the exhale. 

Allow yourself to sink deeper and deeper into your being. Feel your back against the ground (or sumptuous pillows/blankets/cushions.) Find rhythm in your breathing and, when your mind wanders, direct it back to your bodily experience. 

When you feel relaxed and calm, begin visualizing the room from the four of swords. Contemplate the grey color of the walls, it's blankness and gentle tone. You are safe and removed from the bustle of the outside world. You have endless time.

Shift your focus to the swords beneath you and on the wall. What do they have to tell you? Listen. It might be something silly or something important, it might be nothing at all. Take it in and let it go.

Breathe deeply and sink deeper into relaxation. When you feel ready, direct your attention to the gentle glow coming through the window above you. Imagine the colors dancing on the inside of your eyelids, the warm glow of yellows, oranges, and golds. How does it change your perception of the room?

Take deep breaths and notice how you feel. Do you feel warm? Secure? Is the color too much? Does it remind you of anything. Accept any insights with nonjudgment and let them filter in and out. Imagine calling inspiration and guidance from the source of the light if you feel inspired to do so. 

Imagine absorbing the light, opening up to it, and calling it into your life. When you feel ready, gently allow yourself to come out of the meditation, taking time to bring your awareness back into your body. 

I hope you find this exercise as enjoyable as I do. I've been lucky enough to have several clients share with me their "four of swords moments," little (or big) times when they've felt a touch of something more during rest, meditation, and calmness. Do you have a four of swords moment you'd like to share? I'd love to hear it in the comments below.

And in closing, the four of swords is a stepping stone like any tarot card. The ideal is not to recline in this swordsy room forever. If we treat the self-care message of this card the same way we realize that we’re constantly given opportunities to practice its meaning. We can meditate for a quick five minutes, find peace in sipping a cup of tea, and think our options over before acting. If we work on slipping these smaller moments into our day we can carry the serenity and peace of the Four of Swords with us always. I'd certainly like that.

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Weekly Forecast: September 25-October 1

We have a tender group of cards this week, the perfect way to ease ourselves into fall and into ourselves. In fact ease has been front and center for us. We can find it naturally in our innate talents and in moments that are purely enjoyable  - holding hands with someone we love, gazing at the first crisp blue sky, taking a bite of a flaky, decadent pastry. But ease is also something we invite into our lives and something we achieve through deliberate effort and choices.

This is the type of ease we're dealing with this week. So, before we dive in, these early days of autumn are a wonderful time to pause and celebrate the bravery of our choices. We've showed up for ourselves, taken care of our needs, and remained open enough to the world around us to know when to let go and let things work their magic.

This, my friends, is all the energy of The Hanged Man. He leads us into this week with a reminder that inviting ease into our lives and then doing that at times terrifying trust fall into life is a brave thing indeed. Respecting and loving ourselves enough to want life to be smooth and gentle when it can be shows courage. It's the courage to  fight against suffering for suffering's sake and to embrace the big lives we all have the capability of leading. 

No small fry, indeed. It involves letting go of our egos and trusting that we've made the right decisions. And it also leaves us open and receptive to the magic all around us.

This week, as we're getting used to the new position of trusting relaxation, we're noticing a shift in our thinking. When we get tied up exclusively in the shoulds and to-do's of "busy", "normal" life we can steamroll over more timid desires and parts of our personality. Rest gives us a chance to see what's been hiding under the surface.

And who's that on the horizon? It's the dashing Knight of Cups that's who. Our romantic side is making a grand entrance, refreshed and inspired from our shift in pace and perspective. This is a grand time of inspiration, passion, and motion. Playing with this new energy will bring us lots of information. It may seem flowery and intense at first, maybe even embarassingly different from our usual way of being. If we try our best to run with it, however, we'll be surprised by the directions it leads us in.

Well, maybe not so surprised since the next card in our reading is The Lovers. Yes, this card is classic and exciting and there is a great deal of potential for connection with like-minded (and hopefully stunning) people. Yet the romance of The Lovers is also a larger kind. What parts of our lives have been illuminated by our Hangman-inspired change of perspective? What  part of our lives and of the world are we falling in love with? 

Now is a time to look at the world with the glow that comes with being in love. How does it change our ideas? Does it illuminate something we've once overlooked? Or does it simply fill us with warmth and appreciation for what we have, illuminating its true beauty and preciousness. Embrace all these feelings, share them, and invite them to expand. 

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Weekly Forecast: September 18-24

Well isn't this interesting! This reading is almost identical to last week's. Temperance continues to hold its ground as the middle card, the Queen of Wands has moved to the final position, and the Five of Pentacles has been replaced by the Five of Swords.

Beyond the sychronicity, what does this shuffle mean?

The cards are showing us in their magical way that we're continuing last week's journey in getting to know our personal power. And we've done well. The Queen of Wands has shifted from frist to last position, telling us that we were able to embrace some of her qualities. Now we're being asked to further our understanding of this card and what it means for our self-esteem and ambition.

The new factor? We've shifted our sticky spot from the material concerns of the pentacles to the mental challenges of the swords. Somewhere along the way we got tempted to take some shortcuts, perhaps getting carried away by the authority represented in the Queen of Wands.

It's one thing to be confident, and it's an entirely different thing to think you're right all the time. And oh how tempting and easy it is to fall into this trap!  How many popular images of power involve being omniscient and completely sure of oneself all the time? The Five of Swords depicts moments when we dig in an defend our thoughts and beliefs with no holds barred. We're righteous and fearsome in our convictions. What's more, we think that in defending them we're doing everyone else a favor. 

What happens in this situation? While me might feel victorious initially - just look at how eloquently and passionately we stated our opinions! - when the dust settles we realize that we've left a wake of bruised egos and hurt feelings. Our passion came across as bluntness, maybe even rudeness. Our conviction came across as steamrolling. Unsurprisingly, we find ourselves isolated and confused.

This is a key moment in digging deeper into the meaning of the Queen of Wands. Being right isn't enough, and being authoritative isn't enough either. Without wisdom and good judgment our actions can get out of hand and destroy the goodwill we might think we've been cultivating.

The stance of the Five of Swords also hides a layer of fear. While we might think we sound convinced of our opinions, the way we're expressing them tells a different story. Needing to be right shows a discomfort with complexity. Dismissing others' opinions shows insecurity and fear of losing power. 

This is part of the process, though it may seem messy and harsh. We're really in a period of learning and assimilation and we're pretending to have mastered everything already.  This is very, very human.

Temperance shows up once again to tell us to take it slow.  I can't think of a better card to lovingly direct us towards an easier, balanced path. We can't assume we know it all and the fact that we have a long way to go is exciting instead of deflating. Maintaining the stance of the Five of Swords is lonely. Our lesson now is to take a step back, balance our passion with compassion, and see how we can learn to lead with a sense of service and connection instead of commandeering power. 

We end up back at the Queen of Wands with a new undertanding of her authority. The snake depicted in Kim Krans's version of this card is a poignant and helpful image for this moment. We see the Queen stripped down to her most basic way of being, coiled around her precious eggs and single wand, a mass of potential waiting to strike. If she acts and reacts like the Five of Swords, striking out randomly and with wild abandon, not only will she leave a wake of desruction but she'll quickly become exhausted, leaving her potential unguarded. 

This Queen knows that she doesn't need to be constantly demonstrating her power. Her glistening coils and beautiful scales are enough. Anyone looking at her knows her strength and what she's capable of. And they respect her without having to get bitten first. Here we're being asked to rest in our confidence and self-knowledge. We are enough as we are and we must conserve our energy for what really matters. In doing this we open ourselves to a world of possibilities and embody a more positive, humane version of leadership. 

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Weekly Forecast: September 11-17

It's easy to be confident when things are running smoothly, and they most certainly are this week. We find ourselves placed squarely in the realm of the Queen of Wands, the dynamic, charismatic, and forthright ruler of the fiery suite. Alluring and preternaturally capable, her energy has us humming along at the peak of our powers.

I can feel it here in the crispness of the air in the morning - a feeling that instantly energizes me when I wake up. I don't have to struggle to peel myself from under my comforter while rain pours down outside or turn up the air conditioning to fight off the humidity. Similarly, our weather conditions for success are prime. Work flows effortlessly and we have a shine about us that's proving irresistable to others.

To use an autumnal metaphor, let's make hay while the sun's shining. It would be foolish to fight against these gifts. Run with them instead. We'll be able to present ourselves clearly and with passion, set healthy boundaries, and, quite simply, get a lot done. This is also a wonderful chance to notice how it feels to occupy this role. The Queen of Wands can't help but be seen in all her glory. What does it feel like when we're broadcasting our strengths and accomplishments without self-depracation or the protection of excessive modesty? Take note and don't fight it.

Because, as we all know simply be being humans in the world, conditions can change fast. At the end of the week we'll be challenged with a somewhat sticky situation. It's nothing life-changing, more of a mundane trudge that threatens to send our queenly self-perception into a tailspin.

The catch? It doesn't have to. 

Temperance shows up in this reading as a heavenly mediator, bridging the joyful authority of the Queen of Wands with the earthly drudgery of the Five of Pentacles. Balance requires an adjustment period and these opposites will have us reeling a bit with their contrast. Who wants to transition from the Queen to the stark five? Our challenge is to make room for this without leting it dictate our larger story. Just because the conditions change from smooth sailing to choppy waters doesn't mean we ourselves have changed.

Temperance, with her infinite wisdom, asks us to consider how this snag can help us. It's not an easy lesson, but it does show us how easy isn't always our ally. What is a Queen who hasn't earned her reign? What are our skills if they haven't been tested with hardship or challenges?

Temperance also asks us to step outside our ego (and this is a powerful part of the Queen's personality!) and make room for mistakes and struggles. Perfection isn't our friend here and we don't need to disqualify ourselves when we're less than exceptional. 

We can still be a Queen after walking through a bit of mud. In fact, it makes us all the more connected to the world itself in all its complexity. 

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Weekly Forecast: September 4-10

Problem solving. The phrase can feel clinical sometimes, like we're scientists measuring out the exact quantities needed for an experiment. Get it right and voila! we've solved the problem. I find this phrase neglects many things - the multiple moving parts we need to wrangle in order to find a solution, the practice of "making things happen," and the magic of it all coming together. And what happens after.

We have all this and more coming our way in the next seven days. This week we're at our peak ability to smooth over obstacles, find elegant solutions to tricky situations, and to make the final touches on big projects. We're prime problem-solvers an we're also visionaries. What we accomplish now is sending us down even more promising paths and our challenge will be to shift from a mentality of putting on finishing touches to starting an exciting journey anew.

It's a very invigorating energy to see emerging during this time of year. We're beginning September with sharp minds, honed over months of deliberation, challenge, and experimentation. We're the King of Swords, wielding our minds like the sharp and efficient tool it is. We know and trust that our perceptions, thoughts, and insights are our guiding force, a compass that leads us in the right direction.

So what to do with this hard-won and refreshing clarity? In the middle of the week we'll be using our insights to focus in on the last stretch of work on a project. We have the ability to focus deeply, so let's use it! The eight of coins is the perfect card to direct the powers of the King of Swords into concrete results. It's work, yes, but we can dive into it and find a peaceful flow that will make things proceed quickly and smoothly. 

When we finally look up we'll see that the scenery has changed ever so slightly. New opportunities have sprung up from all our hard work. Change is on the horizon and a sense of effervescent possibility. It'll be a big contrast from our rational, buckle down mode and we'll be asked not to question it too much. Change is always happening and if we spend too much time mulling over the why we might miss the natural next thing.

The two of coins will have us juggling several options. It'll be exciting and dynamic, and we'll need to call on our sense of playful adventure to make the best of it. The stakes aren't high and things are just getting started. Luckily we have the work ethic of the eight of coins and the wherewithal of the King of Swords to guide us forward. 

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