Inevitable Belly Flops

Hello lovely subscribers! A little extra intro here since I have some special announcements: 1) My books are now open for live readings, and 2) I’m happy to say I’ll be offering these on a new, beautiful platform called Moonlight.

I’ve been reading in-person since I started my business in 2016, pivoted to ye olde Zoom when the pandemic hit, and ever since have been waiting for a space that captured the magic of in-person sessions and didn’t involve me awkwardly holding up cards at varying distances until my forward-facing camera could bring them into focus. (But if you’re still into that, do subscribe for my rough-hewn, raw & authentic Monthly Check-In videos!)

Moonlight is a new, gorgeous, and satisfyingly functional platform built just for tarot readings. I used it to draw the cards for our Weekly Forecast so you can get a sense for it below. You can still me in video as I emphatically react to your cards and you get to see your full spread laid out before you. It’s quite amazing, I have to say, and I’m excited to start reading for lovely people such as yourself.

If that sounds exciting to you, hop over to my scheduling page to book a session. My availability is limited at the moment, but I’ll be adding more spots as the season progresses. Of course, I’m still offering written readings on my website as well.

Now enough self-promotion! Let’s get to the Weekly Forecast…

Okay, so you may know by now that I tend to put a positive spin on tarot cards. Or, rather, that I see negative tarot cards as an opportunity: to grow, work through issues, and find closure in difficult situations. This week gives ua all three, and serves as a welcome but painful culmination to a phase of reevaluation.

Yes, we’re talking about the Ten of Swords, the grizzly image monopolizing our reading from its position in the center. Before we freak out, let’s take a moment to look at the larger context. Our opportunity card in our monthly reading is the Six of Swords (see below) that shows us in transit, ferrying our swords across a wide river. I mentioned in a rambling video for subscribers that this card can be difficult because it encapsulates an experience where we have to take a risk, commit to it, and then wait. Wait until we reach a place of stability to reevaluate, pare down, and jettison ideas or approaches that don’t work for us.

We can set off across the river, but it isn’t until we reach the other side that we can address the swords rising from the boat’s hull. The journey is a time for reflection and patience; we have to minimize our mental chatter and put off making changes until we’re on solid ground. That can take some time.

Well, this week it appears we’ve reached the other shore, and we’re falling face-down on it with a whole bunch of swords sticking out of our backs. Delightful! Personally, however, I have a very inimtate awareness of the swords that have been giving me trouble lately. The fact that they’re coming into obnoxious focus this week is somewhat welcome because now, finally, we can start doing something about them.

If you’ve been feeling agitated, irritable, or out of sorts in the past week, this is the time when those feelings crest. It may feel overwhelming in the moment, but this is like a fever breaking; it has to get messy and peak before healing can begin. This happening is, in and of itself, evidence of that healing. Accept the discomfort with open arms (or a face flat on the ground), trusting that it’s the end of a limiting situation and will run its course in due time.

Our other two cards show a loving and supportive environment that may mitigate a lot of the intensity of the Ten of Swords. (In other words, don’t be surprised if you have a strangely gentle experience of this upsetting image.) We get a return visit from the Four of Wands, a welcome reminder that we have a lush and vibrant community by our side as we work through this moment of healing and growth.

Look to ways that the people around you have been reflecting back a kinder version of your experience. The Ten of Swords can show up in moments when we’re seeing our stories through an intensely critical lens; it’s likely that your reality on the ground is far more stable, impressive, and enticing than it feels this week. Let others tell you about your lovely life in moments when it’s hard for you to recognize and appreciate its beauty and your role in tending to it.

There’s a sense of righteous energy in this reading that makes me think we’ll be feeling some itchiness to jump back up and keep fighting, even when we feel knocked down. If the Ten of Swords is the crest of a wave - usually one of self-critical thinking - it’s letting us down in a wonderful place. The Page of Pentacles shows us relieved of our burdens and facing an entrancing possibility. For months now we’ve been working through lots of pentacles-realted issues: work, career, vocation, financial resources and our access to them. While we don’t have a comprehensive plan laid out before us, we are on the start of the right path by the end of the week, and it’s one illuminated by genuine interest, not burdensome duty.

And I have to say, there’s a hidden victory in this reading. See the citrine yellow behind the Four of Cups and the Page of Pentacles? It’s also behind the poor human pincushion featured in the Ten of Swords. I’m seeing this as an impressive indication of our growing resiliency. We have creative energy and motivation with us even in the darkest moments. This week, we’re finding that our recovery period from setbacks and struggles is far quicker than it has ever been in the past. Think about all the ways you’ve been practicing caring for yourself, commiting to your growth, and picking yourself up when life knocks you down. It can sometimes feel surprising or even subversive - is it okay to bounce back this quickly? - but this week is a clear indication that yes, we can, and yes, we’re absolutely strong enough to leap up, energized, and continue to pursue what lights us up.