Here we are, feet-first in the Astrological New Year! This is a big, tangly week, full of interesting and complicated astrological events — I almost wish I’d gotten this post out sooner as a “warning,” as Monday marks the beginning of a defined energy of conflict rushing in. Let this serve as inspiration to fight for what you want, as opposed to letting yourself be crushed by what will feel like other people’s oppressive actions and opinions <3<3

Indeed, looking at the astrology for this week, the focus is on Venus and Mercury as we shift into the fiery energy of Aries. The Moon starts the week in Aries, along with a Mercury-Venus conjunction in the same sign in the wee hours of Monday morning; this will feel like shining a huge spotlight on where your heart and your mind are joined — or feeling disconnected! Try to think from a place of love rather than from a place of ego. On Tuesday the Sun moves into Aries in the early afternoon, strengthening the sense of drive, of motivation, of passion, but also adding to the tense and tight potential for hot heads and brute force. To add to the fun, Mercury goes retrograde on Thursday at 9:22 PM ADT — I’m already feeling it with apps crashing, phone glitches, work not saving — I’ll do another post on this, but when “breakdown”-type occurrences with technology, travel, and communication crop up, instead of getting frustrated, take some deep breaths, go get something to drink (water!! lol), and take it as a message from the universe to pause, re-center, re-collect, and redirect. Go do something else and come back to the original task later! On Friday, Venus in Aries squares Pluto in Capricorn, illuminating any challenges surrounding the transformations taking place in personal relationships and creative projects. You may be tempted to just “pull the kill switch” — probably don’t, remember that this is a week of fire and flames, knowing that what’s left standing will have stood the major test of time! Focus on what you know you want and what you can do here. Finally on Sunday Venus in Aries forms a quincunx with Jupiter — this will feel like your hopes for love and creativity have been skewed, but can also be seen as an opportunity to, aligned with Mercury Retrograde’s advice, re-envision and redirect. Phew!!

This Week Ahead Spread is drawn from the Sacred Rebels Oracle, The Wisdom of Trees Oracle, and the Bleu Cat Tarot. I laid out a crystal grid of a quartz geode that looks like a veil opening to connect you with your Higher Self and mark the new beginnings and new thresholds being passed through, a dolomite frog to support the transformations underway, lilac lepidolite to soothe your anxieties and help you remain calm, black moonstone to find support and understanding for your Shadow side, red phantom quartz to help you break old patterns and “vibe high,” and apatite to help you express yourself clearly, effectively, and from the most authentic space in your heart.

To begin, let’s look at the Shadow Cards, which represent the “underlying themes” of the week to come:

Shadow Cards: 25. Release the Dark Wound, Let Love Live + Cherry reversed + 2 of Feathers/Swords

Yes, this will be a week full of little decisions, where you are confronted with what needs to be “healed for good” and allowed to choose how to proceed. While there will be moments that feel anything but sweet, even bordering on toxic, on a certain level you’ve felt the build up and have been preparing already for how you’ll manage to “go with the flow.” You can feel yourself healing and are so ready to open your arms and welcome in more of what fills and fuels you — maintain perspective on where you want to be and all you’ve already done to move that process along. If you catch a “bad fish” this week, throw it back! But also if you find something coming out of you that’s less-than-representative of what you’ve been working towards, observe it and let that go too — it’s always a good thing to own and learn from your mistakes <3<3

Oracle Cards: 41. Bring It into Form + Silver Birch

This week is all about nurturing, developing, bringing forth the beauty that you have been cultivating all winter. It is Ostara, the Spring Equinox, and as the Earth wakes up to greet the Sun, so are you! You’re feeling how much you are stepping into your Dreams Made Real, and you are ready to continue to care for and help your heart’s vision grow. This is a time to be extra-conscious of not only caring for these external wonders, but also of your Self as a whole: try healthier eating, more exercise, and pleasant mental stimulation to keep yourself in tip-top shape as you tackle the road ahead. Mother your situation, Mother your Self — and with the barrages coming at you from others, try to view those behaviours from the perspective of an ever-patient (but also firm!) Mother!

Jumper Card: XIV – Temperance

Ooh-hoo, this one heavily underscores the above advice: this week you MUST STAY CALM. Be the pillar of strength who is unshakeable! And if you can’t do that, when you feel your own fire rising, go chill out by chugging a huge glass of water. Seriously, just do it <3<3

Card 1: Theme/Focus of the Week: 2 of Balls/Pentacles

Lol — when I turned this card over, I heard all of us collectively at different points in the week yelling “BALLS!!” This week will be a large test in the concept of “balance,” specifically where it comes to balance between your work and home lives. Reflect on how much you’ve been doing to know that you really have measures in place to keep yourself standing — stand strong in spite of the shifty and unpredictable nature of this week, and trust that if you drop one of those balls, it will not be the end of the world. Not at all, and you may be surprised at just who comes out of the woodwork to help you pick up the slack! Keep your nose to the grindstone and your eyes on the prize. Things really are changing for the better, but there’s clutter to be cleared!

Card 2: What to Release: 8 of Feathers/Swords

Recently you were searching for the “key” to releasing yourself from the traps of your own making that seemed to abound — well, the key is in your hands, and this week you get to use it! Be aware that the world is much different outside your old cage, and so you must think quickly and be light on your feet lest you get shoved back in. Trust that it won’t be the perceived jailer who tries to re-imprison you, it will be your own urge to run straight back to what you know. You can, but that will mean more of the same indefinitely — didn’t you want to stretch your wings and find out what-all else there is to see and experience? This week really does mark the first days of the Rest of Your Life — how do you want it to look?

Card 3: Energy to Increase: XI – Justice reversed

We had this card as the focus of this past weekend’s New Moon in Pisces! In a funny way, you can welcome the experiences that feel “unfair” this week — they are showing you what to move away from, clearly representing what is not working and as such is open to adjustment. Big changes are underway, and this process is anything but comfortable — do your best to go with the flow, rolling with and accepting the less-savoury events, knowing that in trundling on through you’re making headway by simply leaving these frustrating instances in your tracks. You could stuff them in your pockets to hang on to and mull over when you have some free time (that too will be in short supply moving forward), but that doesn’t sound like fun!

Card 4: Best Advice: 9 of Plants/Wands reversed

One of the biggest challenges this week will be needing to make adjustments to the boundaries you’ve been working on and trying to set in place. The energy is changing so swiftly that some of these new structures will fall to the test of time — that’s okay!! It will feel like a backtrack to the healing you’ve been doing, but know that you are not losing progress. You are learning to adapt! You can actually feel excited when things start to feel out of control, because you can try out the spiritual tools you’ve armed yourself with to protect the peace of mind that is slowly, slowly starting to feel like real and effective armour. Oops, a boundary got smashed? Retreat to the tap with your water-glass!

And now for the Higher Self Cards, a message of hope moving forward:

Higher Self Cards: 17. What is Already With You + Giant Redwood + 5 of Feathers/Swords

I was actually moved to tears by this first card — you are so, so prepared for the challenges ahead. You have everything you need to succeed though this week’s challenges, because oh my, how you have transformed!! It was a brutal pregnancy and a complicated birth, but here You are, shiny and new, ready for what’s next. You are majestic and your purpose is true — trust in your self and your efforts, and when conflicts arise this week, know that you will See what to do. You get to choose what you engage, you get to choose what past patterns to employ and which to banish forever. This week you measure your soul against you dreams, and you find them perfectly aligned <3<3

This is a week for hands-on self-healing! Go easy on each other as we’re all trying to do the same thing. It’s easy to applaud yourself for trying to change, but it’s a harder pill to swallow when your loved ones start changing too — remember that we are all focused on becoming our best selves, and be open — but also honest — about how all this newness is affecting you. Keep communication lines open even though this week that will prove quite difficult; again, if you feel like you’re gonna blow, water yourself!! Take the steps you know will help you to stay on track and continue to be proud of yourself and your efforts. This week, life and love will try to stop you in your tracks — the key word is “try.” You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do! It’s all you this week, everything is changing, and here’s the secret: that’s okay!

This is an example of the $25 4-Card Reading in my Etsy shop! If you’re interested in a full month of personalized readings like this, feel free to use the coupon code 4WEEKS25 for 25% off the purchase of four 4-Card Readings — the 4th week is free! I look forward to working with you <3<3

Bleu Chat Tarot. Beth Seilonen. Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., 2013.

Sacred Rebels Oracle. Alana Fairchild. Illustrated by Autumn Skye Morrison. Blue Angel Publishing, 2017 (2nd Edition).

The Wisdom of Trees Oracle. Jane Struthers. Illustrated by Meraylah Allwood. Watkins Publishing, 2017 (2nd Edition).