From Hard Work to Deep Realizations

Thank you to everyone who reached out after my unplanned hiatus and to those who ordered the new asynchronous recorded readings at Moonlight! It was such a treat seeing so many of you there, and these readings are turning out to be such fun, engaging offerings - I’m excited to continue making them for you all and to be back in the saddle at Incandescent Tarot 🌟

We begin the week a little, how do we say, bedraggled. This could be anywhere on a spectrum ranging from “burnt out from a bevy of daily activities” to “beat up and busted from that and a sinking sense of existential dread.” Listen, it’s a week until Election Day. To say the collective energy is edgy and restless is an obvious understatement.

Yet our reading is not all challenge. In fact, while we start out with the exhaustion of the Nine of Wands, we quickly segue into the abundance and beauty of the Ace of Cups.

I sometimes see the Nine of Wands as the wisdom to know when to take a break; the card after it, the Ten, is actually where life gets too much. In it, we see a figure pushing an array of wands in front of them. The bundle fans out, blocking their view, and while they’re actually close to the security of a charming village, this character’s view is nothing but dense, oppressive wands - a burden that eclipses their progress.

Our challenge, in other words, is to know how many wands are enough. Sure, we’re tired and overwhelmed, but we might also be done: With a project, a period of intense output or action, or simply a busy patch in our schedule. We may, also, have simply done enough in some area of our life. We can put our final wand in the line-up, completing the picture, and walk away.

I see this reading as a representation of a work cycle where the creative output or action of the wands reaches its conclusion. And what’s next? The beauty and the inspiration of the cups. Always a welcome card, the Ace of Cups shows us starting a new focus this week and benefitting from a natural outpouring of love and support. See how you can shift your focus to the abundance already in your life while remaining curious and open to new sources coming in. Many things can happen with the Ace of Cups, and all of them are delightful.

In a way, the combination of the Nine of Wands and the Ace of Cups is inspiring some powerful personal alchemy. No matter how frivolous enjoying your life may seem, doing so is inviting in deeper understanding. The Hermit shows an opening for healing, integration, and self-intimacy. How has your busy life been showing you your skills and ambitions as well as the sources (and limits) of your power? How has letting in support and beauty helped you grow and awakened you to connection and your own potential?

I also think that The Hermit is asking us to honor our needs for solitude and rest towards the end of the week. We may need extra time to integrate complicated lessons, gather ourselves, and make space for new insights to emerge. Our reading is like a lovely coast downhill; we reach the apex with the Nine of Wands, feel the wind cool our faces through the joys of the Ace of Cups, and slowly come to a stop at the wise feet of The Hermit. In this sense, this is not a time for intense effort. Let yourself release the demands and struggles of the wands where you can, accept and seek out sweetness, and see what important truths unfurl from within.