TAROTSCOPES | JULY 23 - JULY 29
II OF WANDS
Direction is not always clear. Deep in the dance of eclipse season, the light on our paths finds a shadow to hide in. Fear creeps up. The pain of anticipating the fear (or the hope) becomes far more painful than the thing itself. The path of the approach is no easy hill. And during eclipse season, arrivals often mean discovering more ground to cover, higher mountains, views that didn’t add up to expectation, opportunities we didn’t know we wanted and old issues we’re still trying to shed.
This Wednesday, Mercury stations retrograde at 23° of Leo. As he untangles the mane of the lion, Mercury asks us questions about our courage. Courage does not mean absence of fear but strength in spite of it. Over the course of his retrograde, Mercury will help us grow the strength to love whatever it is we love in spite of the fear of getting hurt. Part of growing means understanding. This courier abounds with passionate notes and mixed and missed messages but we’ll have to wait till late August for sealed deals and the full stack of letters.
On Friday, a Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse in Aquarius wraps up a cycle began the last week of January, and many more loops layered over years of time. If you find yourself diving headfirst into pools of living ghosts - people from the past, patterns you thought you’d discarded - try putting your innocence to the test. Give yourself the benefit of trusting that there is something still yet to be learned. Allow yourself the privilege of writing an unexpected end to a story. Or better yet, make the end into a chapter in the middle. Finishing is not fulfilling if we’re meant to linger on with fervor.
Meanwhile, with Mars on the South Node opposing the Sun, this week can inspire us to give up empty goals so we can keep going. All about tactic, Mars feels the ends justify the means. In Aquarius, Mars will detach with an ax made of apathy. Accordingly, Mars with the Moon will help us this week, to cut away the hopes that really weren’t ours to begin with. It will snip away the vines and brush so we can skip down the trail with wild abandon toward the most evident aspiration. It will make it clear that some dreams do not belong to us while others egg on our egos to the destruction of anything unimportant.
The Two of Wands is about crystal clear direction we hear roaring from the core of the heart. It shows us the path we must follow, not because we don’t fear it, but because we feel so desperately that it is the thing. The Two of Wands requires trust in the plan but not in the outcome. Lain out over a desert of multicolored sand, this card reminds us of possibilities that only appear through progress, that present themselves at the summit of the hill we’re currently climbing. Our responsibility is not to complete the tasks beyond the bend, only to climb the hurdles that lie before it. Once we arrive, perspective shifts. We can turn around to see what we’ve overcome and fuel ourselves with our accomplishments. As we stare at the view below, eyes brighten at the sight of trails we didn’t know existed. Hope renewed, the two tips the odds in our favor if we’re willing to believe that something believes in us.
WHAT EVEN IS A TAROTSCOPE? We often think of horoscopes as predictions that are specific to each astrological sign. In Ancient Greek, the term horoscope simply means "I watch the hour." To astrologers today, a horoscope is a chart that maps the planetary bodies in the sky. From this chart, we derive meaning that can influence how we work with energy. Regardless of our unique individual charts, we are ALL working with the same energy from above. Each week, I examine this energy, pull a tarot card and write a guided meditation with the collective in mind. My tarotscopes are meant to be read as inspiration. Please note that because we are all operating with our individual energy, some elements will resonate more than others. Take what you like and leave the rest. Tarotscopes are offered freely in an effort to cultivate collective healing. I am always grateful for your support in sharing this work with anyone you think it might help. If you are inspired or find support here, please consider making a donation to help sustain these weekly offerings.