Weekly Forecast: February 19-25

My friends! What a group of cards! We are clearly entering into a queenly week, one where we're holding ourselves in their grounded and dynamic energy, confident and poised in both the realm of our embodied minds and our free and flying thoughts.

Not only this, but a new pathway is being slowly revealed to us in our work life. Winding into the distance, this next step is using the tension between the skills we already have and the promise of something new to animate an exciting opportunity. 

I can't help but think of last week's reading - another group of cards that focused on the promise and challenge of making a life for ourselves. Yes, it's the usual grind and effort of work. Taken on a surface level, as this topic often is, we see themes of money, success, struggle, and accomplishment. This week, however, the Queen of Pentacles appears first thing, asking us to consider the sacred beauty and peace of crafting a life for ourselves. The errands, obligations, work hours, and even bills that root us to our place in the world. 

We have the literal progression from our final card last week, The Knight of Pentacles, to the first card here, The Queen. While The Knight has an electric, restless energy, always seeking and striving, The Queen has learned to give herself stillness. Freed from the rat race she allows bounty to come her way. Just look at the soft brown bunny hopping into the picture in the bottom right of the card. 

Once we've  created a sustaining and gratifying routine we can sit back and watch it unfold and take care of us. Sure, we may have our queenly duties to attend to, but we can delegate many tasks and find joy in the ones we choose to keep. This card contains a great deal of wisdom around re-framing our obligations as things that we do to care for ourselves. Once we've reached this position we can truly inhabit our throne, using its solidity and stillness to direct our focus towards what matters most. The Queen of Pentacles is able to relax in times of plenty, direct from her true center of power, and in doing so creates an inviting space that calls in new opportunities (and lovely fuzzy brown bunnies).

Our next card, The Queen of Swords, shows that this space is giving us a welcome dose of mental clarity that has us looking to the future with focus and wisdom. Looking at the body language and direction of the Queens hones in on the power of where we direct our energy. Focusing on the lovely structure of our daily lives has given us a warm and inviting creative space that paves the way for the forward-looking confidence of the Queen of Swords.

We can think of this card as our level-headed and formidable advisor. Oftentimes our minds get short-shrift since they do have the unfortunate tendency to overwhelm us with chatter or anxiety. Here, however, our minds are keen, perceptive, and far-seeing. Clouds of confusion are huddling close to the ground revealing a bright expanse of clear blue. We can see the way forward and use our ability to organize, direct, and command to plan our way forward.

The Ace of Pentacles is our final card, and appears here as a very literal message. Something new is on the way, a golden opportunity that will require our action and bravery. We can't just wait for things to unfold and work in our favor, we must accept the challenge and go after it with all our resources. Fortunately, we have two formidable Queens representing our energies right now. With the grounded practicality and visionary astuteness we're more than ready to travel out from our already lush lives and towards another welcome and rewarding challenge.

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Weekly Forecast: February 12-18

This week is bringing up a lot of feelings of guilt  around what it means to have enough. Finding ourselves a step beyond the basics - being able to provide for ourselves and bring in a little (or a lot) extra - is activating a protective part of ourselves. There's an urge to fight the gifts we've earned and been given in the hopes of protecting ourselves against loss or criticism.

The Three of Swords is letting us know that this part of ourselves is deeply rooted to the point of being instinctual, a knee-jerk response to abundance that's far from accepting. Finding ourselves in the plenty of the Six of Coins has us feeling exposed and unworthy. Yet all we need to do is look at the illustration of the Six to see how alluring and healthy we are right now. 

Why, then, is the Three of Swords churning in the background?

Being stable after a period of struggle gives our more complicated emotions and beliefs space to unfold. When we're not running around frantically - maybe trying to manage unnecessary drama or burying ourselves with mountains of stress - we are able to see ourselves more clearly, sometimes whether we want it or not. This can be confusing - why are all these unruly emotions surfacing when things are going well? Doesn't that mean that something's wrong?

This current period of stability, however, is the perfect time to gently engage with the turmoil of the Three of Swords. Just look at the imagery in the card: a clear heart pierced by three swords, hovering over an imposing mountain or, depending how you see it, a wave. There's pain, vulnerability, and immediacy here. This card reminds us that, when left unexpressed or unprocessed, painful feelings live on with the same intensity as when they first happened. Sometimes, with more that has been building up as they remain buried within us. 

And yet in the curve of the heart on the right we see a wash of rainbow light, as if the glow of the Six of Coins is illuminating a facet of this experience we haven't seen before. What in our current moment of security is allowing us to see into our painful past differently? This is a wonderful time to slowly allow our new environments and our new lives to warm the calcified suffering we've experienced, allowing some of its sharpness to soften and dissolve. 

The Knight of Coins sheds some more light on the situation. As we can guess, Coins (or Pentacles in the RWS system) signify the material world and our practices in it, including money. The Knight shows us that we're taking a new initiative in this area, perhaps seeking a new source of income or pursuing an opportunity in our current field. This action is the natural growth from our current situation and a path worth taking. However, it's shaking up our conept ourselves.

The Six of Coins deals with issues of exchange and power dynamics around money, sometimes through healthy generosity and sometimes through entrenched and unequal structures. This card is asking us to reconsider our roles. Are we more comfortable giving our wealth or recieving it? How might this role be shifting and how can we embrace a healthier attitude towards money that's empowering and dynamic instead of limiting and stagnant?

The Knight of Coins suggests that we're starting to ask for more and emerging into a more proactive space where instead of waiting for good fortune, we reach out and work to achieve it. This comes with increased responsibility, and perhaps a new way of relating with others. 

All of a sudden we may find that people are looking up to us, asking for advice and support. This is pushing us to recognize that we've come farther than we thought. Where we once believed we were the beggars we find ourselves stable, capable, and in a position to help others.

This is all beautiful, slow, and natural growth. Our role here is to let it unfold gently, honoring both the exciting changes we're making for ourselves and the transfomation of our past hurts. Both can coexist together and we can find  tender solace in the fact that we've come far enough to hold space for our more complicated emotions to emerge, be seen, and then released as we change.

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Tarot and the Erotic: Sexuality in the Cards

Tarot can sometimes seem like a chaste affair, especially in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck where the nude figures are either presented as archetypes (The Lovers) or in solitary introspection (The Star). 

A quick look at other decks like the deliciously cheeky and bawdy Eros Tarot by Uusi or the wonderfully sex-positive and diverse Slutist Tarot shows us that sex does have a presence in the cards after all. Yes, things can get spicy when you're reading tarot!

As it should! Sexuality is intrinsic to our humanity, whether we choose to express that energy physically or not.

It's also important to acknowledge that tarot, especially the Rider-Waite-Smith system that I'll be working with in this post, has a visually white and heteronormative focus. Looking at the cards as archetypal energies and not literal or limiting representations of human expression is helpful in navigating these shortcomings.

For example, the phallic symbolism on the Ace of Wands doesn't exclusively apply to phallus-havers or lovers. Rather, we can look at it as a representation of a certain type of sexual energy, one we can all feel and express. The cards are simply markers on a larger spectrum we use to illustrate more complicated truths. 

For beautiful and vibrant decks that show the wide range of shapes, orientations, and forms of humanity and not Medieval figures, check out the decks above the Dust II Onyx Tarot and Slow Holler Tarot ... hmm... I think I might just have to turn this into another deck recomendation post - stay tuned!

Below are some of my favorite cards that speak to spicy times of all stripes:

Tarot Cards that Signify Sex

The Empress

Just looking at this card gives us an insight into its sexual meaning. Here is a woman who is clearly feeling herself. The grounded confidence of The Empress represents a deep-seated undertsanding of one's body as the root of their sexuality. Pleasure is wild, free, and undeniably hers. This card can reflect self-pleasuring, sexual generosity with healthy boundaries, and valuing pleasure for pleasure's sake.

The Devil

Well, well! This card certainly looks naughty. The Devil shows us how it sometimes feels good to be bad. Doing this in a healthy, consensual manner can be toe-curlingly delicious. We can use The Devil's energy to explore parts of ourselves through our sexuality that get short shrift in everyday life. However, we can often seek out unhealthy relationships to get this thrill, unfortunately to our own detriment.

The Seven of Swords

This card is more than a little naughty. Jauntily sneaking off with more swords than you can carry reflects the thrill of having a secret - a hidden kink, new relationship, or even affair. Be sure to stop and consider if this secret is benign or whether it's hurtful to others. Sometimes the temporary pleasure isn't worth it.

The Magician

A card of vibrant sexual agency, The Magician shows us moments where we take things into our own hands (wink wink) and pursue our passions. Seeking out what attracts us and taking the risk of approaching it is a valuable and confidence-building exercise. How else would The Magician have gained his experience? Look to this card for sexual invigoration and inspiration and the confidence to let things unfold naturally.

The Sun

This card can represent the unbridled orgasmic joy of sex. Vulnerability, when expressed in a safe relationship or relationships, allows us to show up as purely ourselves. When we do this sexually, the energetic channel is astounding and something to be savored (hopefully many, many times!)

The Ace of Wands

This card is a) a phallic symbol sprouting leaves and b) a representation of an influx of sexual energy. It's the electricity in the air when you're around your crush, the general creative feeling you get at the beginning of a new project. This sexual feeling can be amorphous and channeled into many aspects of our lives. Sexually speaking, it's an encouraging sign to get creative and involved with our sexual expression.

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Weekly Forecast: February 5-11

When a vibrant sense of fun leads to an important breakthrough.

We're often taught that working involves intense effort. It's the image of someone sweating heavily while toiling at a job site or the romanticized notion of pulling all-nighters in a frenzied push towards a goal. Grit and genius can only come from sweat and struggle.

Sometimes we lean so heavily on this idea that anything less feels like a shortcoming. If we're not suffering we're not working hard enough. Right?

The three cards for this week have a convincing counterargument.

 We're ushered into the scene by the verdant excitement of the Page of Pentacles. When I turned this card over I immediately started singing "The Hills Are Alive" from The Sound of Music ( in my head, thankfully). And it's true - this card shares the same bright-eyed enthusiasm as Maria in the beginning of her journey.

Similarly, we're entering a new beginning regarding our work, one that is taking us away from the gritty "capitalist truck commercial" idea of effort and towards something brighter and more exploratory. Think of your early passions from childhood. For me it was dinosaurs and ancient Egypt. I didn't need to harness any motivation to learn about them. Instead I was hungrily grabbing at information, memorizing long dinosaur names, and happily sharing my new knowledge with anyone who would listen.

This week we're being presented with this gift of natural passion. We want to explore a new area wholeheartedly, or an area that now seems as shiny as the golden coin balanced in the Page's hand. This card shows us the unbridled joy that comes with learning when we allow ourselves to be led by our natural interests. Focus comes easily and our new pursuit illuminates our world with excitement and possibility.

The idea of knowledge as an illuminating force brings us to our next card, The Sun, taking our freedom, adventure, and self-expression to the next level. Something we're pursuing this week is tapping into a gorgeous facet of ourselves, one that's been longing for a little light. 

This might be somewhat unnerving - are things feeling too fun? Too joyful? We might find ourselves framing this burst of energy as a distraction, something that's pulling us way from the responsibility and toil of our daily lives.

But sometimes we need this rush of energy - a reminder that work can be fulfilling, breezy, and fun - to bring us to the next level. Our final card, The Eight of Coins, shows us that this bright path has provided a missing piece to a more tangible, effort-based undertaking. Something we've been working on for a long time needed the rush of exploratory energy from the Page of Coins and The Sun. It's as if the next step needed time to coalesce, either in the form of a step back from the intensity of deliberate work or in a spontaneous innovation inspired through a more lighthearted approach. 

This is where trust in our process, self-expression, and the joy of exploration inject a much needed sense of levity and ease into our process. Embrace the itch to learn something new, take off a bit of pressure and think differently, or even take a break before returning to a state of intense concentration.

Playfulness and freedom are giving us both pleasure and inspiration this week. Soon enough we'll be returning to the masterful and directed focus of The Eight of Coins. This time, however, we'll be invigorated and rested - ready for the next phase of our project. 
 

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Weekly Forecast: January 29 - February 4

Ruling over and drawing strength from the skeletons in our closet.

Death is a transition into the unknown and the unknowable. As a tarot card, it taps into our fear of what we can't envision - a future that requires us to change and, like a snake, shed our skin to reveal a glistening, new layer of ourselves. 

Death is natural and necessary; the moments when we must work with the changing currents in life. We must change, evolve, and allow ourselves to move into new phases and forms.

Of course it's frightening at first. Leaving a well-worn, comfortable situation for something we can't see yet? The tenderness of shedding our skin? It's a powerful experience, both profound and vulnerable. 

And sometimes it's just what we need to emerge into a fuller embodiment of our potential.

In this week's reading, Death is flanked by the Eight of Pentacles to the left and the King of Pentacles to the right. This transformation is occurring in our daily lives, either in the structures we've been working on to give ourselves security or the work we pursue to feed ourselves and put a roof over our heads. 

We've had quite a bit of success, as we can see in the Eight of Pentacles. Success is challenging, however. Sometimes we look up after working hard to discover that we've accomplished a goal we once thought was outlandish and completely out of reach. We've eclipsed our expectations. Hooray!

...Hooray?

This is where we begin to struggle with the necessity of Death. We've worked so hard that we've moved into new territory. Our success is demanding change, it's shaking things up. We're tempted to put our heads back down and keep on working like it's all the same. But we're growing fast,  and delightfully so. The world is taking notice and it's time for us to emerge into a fuller version of ourselves: wiser, wilder, and more accomplished.

This is where the devilish, gleeful King of Pentacles comes in. They're a character that embraces the warm rays of success and feels energized by them. Accolades are welcome and abundance even more so. This is a being who doesn't shy away from the bounty that comes from hard work. Enjoyment of one's riches is the best way to amplify and honor them.

We're developing from the humble diligence of the Eight of Pentacles into the confident joy of the King of Pentacles. Leaning into this transition or "Death" is a profound experience, a leveling up that encompasses more than just the fruits of our labors bringing us to new places.

 In the Eight of Pentacles we can see the line of skulls buried in a mountain alongside the cascading pentacles. Our work, while undeniably concrete on the surface, has also been emotional. Our efforts have allowed us to exorcise parts of our past, another clue why Death is showing up here - this is a profound emotional transformation.

On the other side, in the King of Pentacles, the same skulls are happily crowned beneath the King. No longer, buried underground, they're free to soak up the rays of the sun, transformed from buried secrets or unprocessed emotions into celebrated parts of the King's journey. Perhaps even assets that aid him in his reign.

This week is a time to ease into the depth of this transition, to be gentle with ourselves, and honor what we're experiencing. We'll be dealing with issues of having more than we asked for and the challenge of embracing this well-earned wealth instead of hiding from it. All the pieces are there and the transition is ours to take. It's time to be King. 

 

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Weekly Forecast: January 22-28

Distraction as self-deception.

Sometimes we're in the throes of something powerful and wonderful. A recent development or breakthrough had made our lives easier - hard work is paying off, our efforts are producing results, and best yet, it's not full of struggle and challenge. It's just flowing.

Things can get tricky here. We want to keep our success and ease, bottle it up so we can use it whenever we want. Or, better yet, have it be the baseline for our lives. What would be better than all sunshine and rainbows and accomplishments?

This is controlling behavior, and at the root of it all is fear. We're afraid about what it means when the good thing ends, or when we're no longer blessed by plenty. Instead of accepting this uncertainty, we're tempted to fight it. But guess what? Thinking about everything that could go wrong, planning for it, and envisioning it... it puts a lot of energy towards an imagined negative circumstance.

Suddenly we're no longer able to take advantage of the goodness that's unfolding before us. Instead of taking stock of all our skills and hard work and letting the pleasant reality we've spent so much time manifesting just be, we run off in our thoughts. What could go wrong? How can I stop it? Yes, maybe it's better to work in this area, putting up defenses instead of building into the future.

The Seven of Swords represents such inner trickery. We want to use our thinking, controlling minds to eliminate any issues. The figure slinking off carrying a pile of swords has a satisfied smirk on their face. Stealthily, they've been able to avoid the crowd of people just visible in the background. They've averted confrontation and done so with cunning and quick thinking.

Yet to the right we have the Seven of Pentacles, a card of satisfaction and hard work if there ever was one. This suggests that we're caught between two worldviews this week - our actual, tangible success (that's rooted in actual, tangible work) and a scenario of fear and necessity that involves sneaking and stealth. Is there something in our lives that seems too good to be true? Would we rather second guess than celebrate and acknowledge it?

In a way, the Seven of Swords has a more clearly defined mission than the Seven of Pentacles. The silhouettes in the background give us a sense of urgency. "If I don't run off with these swords now, they'll catch me." Never mind if "they" are potential collaborators, friends, or allies. It's easier to feel justified and entertained when we have a force acting in opposition to us. In contrast, the Seven of Pentacles is a little quaint. It's just you and your vine of pentacles, blossoming. Sure it's a lovely sight, but where's the drama? This card holds within it the challenge to find beauty and satisfaction in life without the crutch of fear and opposition.

Clearly, this is a sticky area right now. The Eight of Swords sees us overwhelmed and struggling with both versions of our current situation. We're feeling a lack of agency here, though perhaps the mild panic is a call for quiet in disguise. Moving away from a fear-based interpretation is scary. Without the menacing, vague crowd in the background we have just ourselves to answer to and hold accountable. Taking a break and time to address and comfort our fears will go a long way in allowing us to open up to the bounty that's actually unfolding in our lives.

We may be at a new phase that will take some bravery to commit to and achieve. We're slowly mustering the courage, and doing so will require looking into our use of fear to keep ourselves small. The water pooling around the figure in the Eight of Swords, however, shows that the shift is happening and natural. We just need to be aware, mindful of the importance of this growth, and brave enough to peek out and see how hospitable and welcoming the world is to our vision.

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Weekly Forecast: January 15-21

The Queen of Wands is a vividly powerful character. Sitting proudly on her throne she has an air of anticipation about her. Looking at her expression it's as if she's only just sat down to realize there's something else to do, another tantalizing opportunity to seize.

This card embodies the dynamic power of our creativity. And yes, creativity here is a wide and encompassing term. Not limited to art, we can think of creativity as quite simply the act of creation itself. Making something out of nothing more than a spark of inspiration combined with our will. We envision, we decide, we make it real.

The Queen of Wands is uniquely clear-minded. Following our creative impulses has the exhilarating side effect of clearing out any and all cobwebs. There's no room for stultifying boredom, limiting self-consciousness, or crippling self-doubt when we allow ourselves to be in the world and interact with it. 

If the Queen has any secret it's that she does at time feel boredom, self-consciousness, and self-doubt; she doesn't, however, allow them to hold her back. In her nuanced understanding of herself and the world there's room enough for all her facets, the "negative" included. This week we're given the opportunity to embrace her mindset and allow ourselves the treat of manifesting our desires and ideas in real time, all while accomodating and valuing our imperfections.

Wands, beging governed by the element of fire, have a rapid energy and, left untempered, can get out of hand and engulf us. Think of the manic feeling that comes from doing too much in succession. The to-do list becomes threatening and our self-esteem hinges on our ability to check everything off as completed. The Two of Swords brings in a nearly perfect counterpoint to this energy: air to feed the fire and water to keep the flames contained so they burn just right. 

This card asks us to integrate moments of introspection so that the energy of the Queen of Wands can serve us best. Action requires rest, decisions require space, and expansion requires wisdom. The Two of Swords gives us all these things on two levels. The first is mental. We can take space to consider things, using our mind to reason through whichever crossroad we're at. The second is intuitive. Taking space allows the deep wisdom of our subconscious to bubble up and add its voice to the conversation. 

What a beautiful confluence! In giving ourselves moments between our actions this week we're engaging with our creativity, intellect, and intuition. It's no surprise then that's this is leading us towards our final card, the Ace of Pentacles. Opportunity is ariving in our lives in response to the hard work we're doing to integrate these many parts of ourselves. This ace will likely show itself in our work - there's an opportunity knocking that will give us a path to build on our stability and expand into a new phase. 

 All we need to do to recieve these gifts is follow the advice in the Queen of Wands and Two of Swords: continue creating with confidence and vigor, make room for our weird and wild selves, and take time to consult both our inner and outer wisdom. 

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Exploring the Minor Arcana: The Sixes

In this series we'll be diving into the world of the Minor Arcana. Each segment will group the cards by number where we can engage in their themes and differences. For all the posts in the installment, click here.

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From the conflict-ridden fives we emerge into the relaxing, harmonious world of the sixes. Here, the cards refelct themes of balance, peace, and sentimentality. There's an aura of rest surrounding the sixes (which makes sense after all the grappling that takes place in the fives.) 

After emerging from a struggle we gain appreciation for what we have and a hard-won sense of relaxation. It's a time to enjoy, look around us, and contemplate how far we've come or even to process events from the past we were unable to examine without some distance. 

The sixes aren't radical cards, at least at face value. Their way of existing in the world is more mellow, though there's still plenty of valuable action taking place. Instead of revolutionizing, the sixes deal with reevaluating. How can we look back on our past experiences in light of our lives right now? Let's look at the individual cards to see how these themes play out across the suites.

Explore In-Depth Minor Arcana Meanings

The  Six of Wands is an emphatically victorious card. We can almost feel the sense of elation in the illustration of a celebratory parade. A figure sits astride a horse confidently, with a wreath perched on the top of his wand. This is the moment when our hard work and struggles breaks through to success. Action has built up to accomplishment, and now it's our moment in the sun. In addition to soaking up the adulation and contentment of victory, we're also given a chance to reflect back on our past deeds and make plans for the future.

For the Six of Swords is more muted. Here, victory was hard won and involves the wisdom of knowing when to leave a situation behind. We're off to seek better, more hospitable shores, guided by the wisdom we've gained from our past experiences. This transition is also time for reflection, particularly surrounding our knowledge. With this space we can now work to reframe our struggles, hurts, and challenges, evaluating whether they've hardened into insight or no longer serve us.

The Six of Cups is a joyous and tender card that sees us returning to a sense of emotional satisfaction. Embracing innocence and openness invites in sustaining and reciprocal relationships. This is a card of caring, pure connections, and basking in the glow of others. There's a strong nostalgic bent to this card and the six of cups can often point to reflections of our childhood or situations and relationships that speak to the child within us. 

Finally, the Six of Pentacles ushers in a sense of material stability that allows us to behave generously and to consider how we want to share our wealth, both literal and figurative. Having firm ground beneath our feet allows us to focus on both building and giving back. As such, this card can also refer to moments when we have to contend with guilt around finances, or more generally what money means to us. 

As balanced, reflective cards the sixes are almost interludes during a journey. During rest or periods of plenty we have more room to think, dream, and enjoy. For more detailed meanings, click above. What are your thoughts on the sixes? Share in the comments below!

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Weekly Forecast: January 8-14

As a general practice, I like to cut right to the chase when more apocalyptic-looking tarot cards make an appearance in a reading. For this week we have the stabby Three of Swords and the cataclysmic Tower. Not doing a whole lot to lighten things up, the Ten of Wands concludes our array for the week.

It's rough stuff at first glance, but you'd be surprised that I breathed a sigh of relief when I turned over these cards.. There's a deep layer of meaning here that I'm glad to see, and an overarching theme of movement in an area of our lives that has long been characterized by stagnation.

We've been holding something close to our hearts that's no longer doing us any good. The Three of Swords speaks to the immediacy of our pain. Umistakably, this card shows us that when we're wounded we suffer. This experience serves to protect us (in feeling pain we can learn to avoid it in the future) as well as to summon our energy so we can begin to heal. Our body and mind are drawn to the source and, with our attention focused, we can see what's causing the wound, remove the source, and allow our bodies to do their work.

Without this experience we wouldn't have as rich an understanding of the world and of ourselves; pain and suffering help direct us towards our own path. There's a great deal of wisdom there when we peel back the layers. (And, yes, it's still painful - there's no denying that).

Interestingly, we also can remove some power from the hurt through experiencing and exploring it. Think of a toddler falling and scraping their knee. The shock of the fall and the pain makes them wail in the way only toddlers can: with wild abandon and piercing volume. Once calmed down, they find it's just a small scrape and, after a bandaid is slapped on, they scamper off on another adventure.

But what happens when we don't allow ourselves to process our pain in real time? Detatching from ourselves and holding onto the initial shock of an experience can cause it to become overpowering. What started as a scrape if we had only looked down and treated it becomes seen as a lethal wound. We may hide our pain, try to ignore it, or become afraid. All this effort is exhausting.

There's a tender side to the Three of Swords. In its simplicity, it can represent the vulnerability of our childhood selves and our original wounds from this formative stage. There's something bubbling up from our past experiences - a Three of Swords moment - that needs to be evaluated. This can be a tired, limiting family role or a feeling of powerlessness. Examining the deeper root of our unpleasant feelings this week will be illuminating.

And here's the good news: As adults, we can now reach down and comfort our distressed selves, put a bandage on our knee. Now is a time to direct healing energy and understanding towards our inner child, soothing some of the pain around an early hurt that's showing through in our daily lives and providing room to move forward.

When there's a big buildup of repressed emotion around an experience it often leads to an erruption. And that's what brings us to The Tower. In this situation, The Tower reprsents an inevitable and ultimately healing moment of catharsis. An experience this week will send us tumbling back to our younger selves and the suffering we experienced at that time. Rather than avoid this moment, we can lean into it, knowing that some old feelings need to be discharged and that kindness towards ourselves is key for both comfort and growth.

This is not easy stuff, yet there's a sense that this is it's time and we're ready to rise to the challenge. The Ten of Wands shows us reaching the end of a journey of self-care. Reconciling our current selves with past suffering - learning how to love, soothe, and ten to our inner child - is the final piece of the puzzle. While we may feel exhausted at times, we can trust that this is part of our journey. What's more, we're now armed with a wealth of knowledge about how we need to care for ourselves.

It's a winding road of practice and patience; knowing ourselves the way we do, however, gives us the strength to see and experience the Three of Swords and The Tower not as threats, but as essential parts of life that allow us to grow our roots even deeper and emerge as our own best advocate, friend, and healer.  

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