We’re into the Waxing Crescent phase of the Moon, where we use all that we came up with during the Waning phases to set the foundation for the new cycle ahead. At this time of year, the Winter Solstice, that means ramping up for the New Year and all that will come with it! Things will only get brighter from here, especially with the new perspective we’ve gained on our respective challenges — we are all inspired to work through them and make 2018 the best year yet.

This spread is based on The Numinous’s Waxing Crescent spread for Setting Foundations. In honour of the Solstice, I drew from the Druid Animal Oracle, the Druid Plant Oracle, and the Wild Wood Tarot. I laid out a crystal grid of selenite, desert rose, and an amethyst cluster for clearing of negative energy and anxiety and to establish Higher Self connection, sunstone to welcome back the Light and amplify the happiness you have, iolite to help you communicate your vision for the future, labradorite to help you “go with the flow” as you make it real, two hawk’s eye for protection and far-sightedness, petrified wood to bring in ancestral support, red jasper for grounding, magnesite for solid thoughts and ideas, pink opal for compassion and connection with the people who love you, tiger’s eye for multifaceted creativity and emotional strength, and crazy lace agate to remind you to laugh with life.

Oracle cards: Bee + Fern

Truly, you are filled with an amazing amount of energy, a pure vitality, and you are driven to really start building the structures that will support your work and attract you support and community. The sun is coming back into your life! And with it a massive creative spark, one that will find you doing that “wing-spreading” we’ve been anticipating for so long — indeed, it is time to unfurl, to ease into the new patterns you’ve been envisioning for yourself, and to achieve that balance between dark and light that fills you up with all the sweetness and magic that life can offer.

Card 1: Your source of energy and willpower: 8 of Bows (Wands) reversed

Things are finally settling down, and you can feel how much you are settling into the new “way things are” — in such a way that you are completely inspired to persevere in your efforts, feeling safe in your newfound stability. Whether this matches with your external reality or not, either way, your spirit and your passion have found an awesome groove and you are thriving on it — you are ready to bring that inner flame out into the rest of your life, finding ways to warm it up and make it a hospitable place for your new trajectory to grow and expand. If anything, you are committed to the path you’ve chosen and are ready to share it with others, in turn inspiring them to pursue their own!

Card 2: Your talents: XII – The Mirror reversed

Yes, the time for being still, for pondering is over — it’s time to act on the past weeks,’ months,’ years’ reflections, and bring them forth in a way that you can touch and fully feel! You can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and you just know it opens on to something amazing. This is the result of you taking the “dark” for all it was worth, for bravely allowing yourself to sink to your own darkest depths, so that you could understand where you as a person are coming from — you are now equipped with a clear picture of what you need for personal balance, combined with precisely how you are going to get yourself there.

Card 3: The environment: I – The Shaman

You have set yourself up so incredibly! All this time that felt like you were in limbo was really spent gathering exactly the tools, abilities, and sheer intention you need to really make this work. You are ready to create magic, and you are healing your situation! You are ready to take full action, because you know that at last, it’s Your Time. You can feel safe in getting ready to Start — you have been preparing for this moment your whole life, and it is time to believe in the power of your own unique, personal “shine.”

Card 4: Your resources: 8 of Stones (Pentacles)

This spread couldn’t be more clear — you have all the skills you need to do what you love, and you are going to excel at it. It will take lots of hard work but you are dedicated, as you can feel through your whole Self how very much you are destined to do this!! You’re making it work in the greatest way, and you are being rewarded with the satisfaction of a job well done — and boundless new opportunities as the result. Don’t stop now! Keep going, keep working, and keep savouring how awesome it is that you have exactly what you need to succeed.

You’re feeling renewed — to the point that something you thought would never be possible so, so apparently is. Go get it!! You’ve found a great balance between your thoughts and actions, and are feeling very much in control of your own life at this point — so much so that you’re ready to make a new spiritual start as well, one that helps you feel fully aligned with all the gifts you’ve been given. When things fall into place, it can be hard to believe! But believe it you should, and can — keep creating, keep doing, keep trusting that you really do deserve the good things coming to you. You have worked so hard for this and now it really is yours! The first steps have been taken and you are entering the real hands-on building phase. Give yourself a pat on the back and get to it!

Decks used:

The Druid Animal Oracle. Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm, Illustrated by Bill Worthington. New York: Fireside/Simon & Schuster, 1994.

The Druid Plant Oracle. Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm. Illustrated by Will Worthington. London: Connections Book Publishing, 2007.

The Wild Wood Tarot. Mark Ryan and John Matthews. Illustrated by Will Worthington. New York: Sterling Ethos/Sterling Publishing, 2011.

Here we are at the New Moon in Sagittarius! New Moon energy is all about New Beginnings, about the “launching point” for all the new ideas you came up with during the Moon’s Waning phases. This New Moon takes place at 26 degrees Sagittarius, which indicates that it will be about putting the work in to harness your passion, and through that finding new ways to balance that work with your personal relationships and community.

For this spread, based on The Numinous‘ New Moon: New Beginnings spread, I chose to draw from Angel Tarot Cards, Oracle of the Mermaids, and Revelations Tarot. [Side note: lately when I meditate on which decks to use for a particular reading, certain cards images will pop into my head at the same time, and without fail they show up in the spread! I’m internally squealing with intuitive delight all the time!] I laid out a crystal grid of my usual desert rose, selenite wand, and amethyst cluster for energy clearing and Higher Self connection, along with a big raw carnelian for a huge infusion of creativity and emotional awareness, yellow calcite for solid recognition of your personal power at this time, Botswana agate for further understanding of your emotions, two shells to help you “go deep” as we enter this fresh New Moon energy, dumortierite for grounding through positive self-expression, aventurine for heart-centredness, citrine to welcome in abundance, serpentine for grounding through understanding your heart’s patterns, and dendritic/tree agate to help you establish new structures for yourself and to help you grow.

Oracle Cards: IX – The Hermit + 41. Sisterhood reversed

Yes, you’ve come up with some cool new ideas — you still have some work to do before you feel ready to bring them forward, but that’s natural at this point in the cycle. There is a lot going on astrologically surrounding this New Moon, and we are preparing to enter a completely different energy, one that will surely have everyone feeling “out of their element” as we make adjustments to catch up. Mercury is going direct in a few days, coinciding with Saturn leaving Sagittarius and entering its home sign of Capricorn — we’re shifting from loose and wild to tight and regimented! This will require a re-evaluating of our personal support systems, and a need to use our “inner lanterns” to light the way for a little while, until things settle down and start to feel incredibly propitious once more– which they will!

Jumpers: 4 of Cups + 6 of Cups

The Revelations Tarot is a lively one, it threw two jumpers out for this spread! These cards together further confirm that you are on your way to feeling “complete,” but that getting there will require a process of reconciling whatever disappointment you are feeling at this time with the expectations you had for the future. Reflecting on the past will be helpful here, in measuring what worked then and what did not, but moreso what is needed is a “wiping clean” of your slate: nothing is the same now, and moving forward, everything will be different! As such, you can create whatever picture you want for what the future will be: you are rippling with potential, the very type that will carry you on warm winds to exactly where you want to be in the New Year. You’re working up the spiral and your Inner Child is here to play, to help you envision the Very Best for yourself! You are so, so ready for this change!

Card 1: Where you have been. III – The Empress

Truly, over the past while you have created a fertile environment from which your “new life” will blossom: you have been tending and nurturing your situation so carefully, and this good work will support the acceleration to come. It feels like “you’ve got the whole world in your hands,” and you do! Now, just like a mother whose baby is taking its first steps, it’s time to prepare to “let it go:” send your vision, your creation out in to the world to do its thing, while you wait, make your personal adjustments, and trust that the love you’ve put out and given in will come back to you a hundredfold. What you have made is beautiful, it’s working, it is attractive to others, and it is only the beginning of where your creative streak will take you in the months ahead. You have truly come in to your own!

Card 2: Where you are. 9 of Wands reversed

You are in a process of sudden change! Those “warm winds” are picking up quickly, transporting you to a place where you recognize better boundaries for yourself and your personal energy, as well as a release from the guilt-cycle that has been so characteristic of your life up ’til recently. That is, until you said “no more!” and took up the tools yourself, to build that fence that will keep out past negative influences and help you protect what you have worked so hard to achieve. This is a wearying process, to be sure, and part of the work to come will continue to involve carving out lots of time for rest and self-care — you can keep out the external stuff, it’s about managing the “internal” ankle-biters and setback-makers that will remain an ongoing challenge.

Card 3: Where you want to be. 10 of Wands

You want to be on top of your “passionate” game! The reason you’ve been putting all this work in is because you want to be as busy as possible with what you love to do — you look forward to the point that so much is coming in that you don’t even have time to think about the mundane “rest.” But Rest you still must — know that all you want really is coming to you, and before you know it, you will be so busy that you’ll be hard-pressed to find a moment to catch up. You can do it! As you start to notice this shift happening, take a moment here and there to acknowledge your massive progress, to feel thankful for how far you’ve come, and to notice how very high you’ve made it on your personal Mountain. Continue to think creatively about how best to manage all your tasks and responsibilities, and hold utmost trust and faith in yourself to get it all done — you can! You will! A large part of this New Moon is about establishing new patterns and routines to maximize your efficiency — as soon as you notice a potential trip-up, bank on your new routine concepts to get you back on the path and even higher up the hill!

If you feel like you’re not “ready” for the huge things barrelling towards you, that’s okay! Continue to poke around your inner world, because the answers you need to handle this upcoming wave are all there to be found. This Mercury Retrograde was an exercise in accessing your intuition, in “listening to that inner voice,” and hearing it scream with love that it is here to support you!! As such, you’ve managed to make awesome headway in your personal relationships, which will provide a cool support as you prepare your idea for “what’s next” to be presented to the rest of the world. Your passion is alive, and that “return on your investment” from all the work of this past year is already on its way. Things are coming together for you in a way that will be apparent so, so soon. In fact, the “seed” that will seal the deal will also make itself known, and this will be the foundation on which you start building again as the Moon works up the Waxing phase of its cycle, bringing us to the Full Moon on New Year’s Day. No need to overthink right now — this process can be very easy if you open up and allow what’s coming to throughly excite you — don’t be intimidated by the increase in energy it will absolutely require. You can do it! You are answering your “calling” and can rest assured that you are doing the right thing.

If you’re interested in a personalized reading with me, head over to my Etsy shop! I’m offering a discount on 15-card Year Ahead readings — enter the coupon code NEWYEAR2018 at checkout for $15 off an $80 reading!

Decks used:

Angel Tarot Cards. Doreen Virtue and Radeigh Valentine. Artwork by Steve A. Roberts. Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, Inc., 2012.

Oracle of the Mermaids. Lucy Cavendish. Artwork by Selina Fenech. Victoria, Australia: Blue Angel Publishing, 2013.

Revelations Tarot. Zach Wong. Llewellyn Publications, 2005.

Here we are at the last phase before the New Moon! We’re deep into the inner work needed to start the next Moon cycle off on its best foot, and are in the process of accessing our deepest “secrets” in order to bring forth the truths we’ll face and make peace with by the time the New Year rolls around, and with it, the next Full Moon. The cards for this phase show that we’re making massive progress, indeed — that challenge now is to allow ourselves to rest, with all the positive developments being made!

For this spread, working with the energy of the Waning Crescent Moon and focused on how we can best Rest and Reflect at the end of the Moon Cycle, I drew from the Feng Shui Tarot, Wild Kuan Yin Oracle, and Crystal Reading Cards. I laid out a crystal grid of my usual desert rose, selenite wand, and amethyst cluster for energy clearing and Higher Self connection, red quartz for grounding, unakite for balancing of the masculine and feminine dualities at play, agatized coral for understanding of personal patterns, shiva lingam for positive connection with sexuality and passion, carnelian for creativity and connection with the emotional process, moonstone for understanding of personal cycles, and lilac lepidolite to soothe any anxiety we’re feeling as we enter the darkest point of the month ❤ ❤

Oracle Cards: 17. Sacred Falcon Shows the Way + Crocoite | Sexuality

Yes, you are being led out of the Fog that has been an ongoing theme for the past little while — you have received guidance, probably in quite an exciting way!, and are in the “processing” phase, deciding what you will do with this new information, this new infusion of energy. You’re marvelling at the way “life’s chemistry” works! You are excited, reinvigorated, hopeful in a way that feels both unfamiliar but also comforting — this is exactly what you’ve been needing, and you are open to continuing to communicate how this makes you feel and where you want this new surge to take you. Continue to let this feeling wash over you for now, hold on to it for a while before you really get going with your new direction! Remember, we need to wind down to recharge so we can be at our best when it’s really time to soar. Know that the passion you are experiencing is a gift, here to inspire you to make the changes you’ve been trying to decide on, but also to lift you up and help you realize just how high you can peak! Hunker down — this is a perfect time to “hibernate” with all these good vibes <3<3

Card 1: What will help you rest? King of Wands

Rest?! You’re too filled with the aforementioned passion to think about slowing down too much — but that’s exactly what you need to do, because you need as much of that bountiful energy as possible for the weeks ahead. The year’s not over yet, and there will be a big, final push that characterizes the “upswing” of the Moon cycle to come! Know that nothing can sway you from the course you’ve begun, and that truly, once you get back in action the results you seek will come much more quickly than you originally anticipated. All the more reason to rest as much as possible, whenever and wherever you can — you will need to be in tip-top shape for the exciting challenges to come. Nothing placed in your path at this point is there to deter you, but rather to fire you up, to stoke that inner furnace, to keep you motivated and charging towards your goal. It’s so close now, and you can already feel how great it will be to attain it — for the third time, conserve your personal energy, because you are going to need it for the huge influx of passion-work, not to mention leadership-style thinking, that will be required of you very soon!

Card 2: New goals charging: 5 of Wands reversed

Indeed, an intense ongoing battle has moved into “reconciliation” territory. Oh wow, did you ever think that slog would never end — everyone was so invested in “their side” of the story that it seemed like it would never work out. But then, just like that, the clouds parted and things began feeling positive once more! Huh?! Don’t analyze it too much, instead be glad that things are feeling celebratory instead of discriminatory! Do reflect on your part in what happened, but in such a way that you improve your approach and can feel better about the way you communicate your needs in this situation moving forward. There will still be a few related zaps here and there, but the structures you have in place to keep the positivity flowing will hold, as everyone involved truly wants this to work out at this point.

Card 3: Where balance has been found: XX – Judgment

Yahoo! You’ve “heard” the divine messages being thrown at you left, right, and centre — your “calling” at this point in time is clear, and you feel like you know what you need to do. Awesome job! Stay on track with the spiritual/grounding exercises you’ve put in place for yourself, because they really have been helping you get closer to who and where you want to be at present — you have figured out how to harness what works for you, and you have “permission from the Universe” to use it to your full advantage. Take the next few days to just be still with this idea, allowing yourself to feel lifted up and out of your recent slump, knowing you are being transported to much better things. As I’m writing, I keep thinking “but I don’t need to tell you this — I know you can feel it!”

We can all start to get really excited for 2018: it’s going to be such a special year, where we are able to take stock and fully see how far we’ve come through the tough and trying work of the past few years. You have done such a great job of staying on task, keeping yourself in the game, continuing to put the work in and reaching out — the struggle is relenting, and will be replaced with further inspiration and good types of excitement. You’re really doing it, you are taking control of your situation and finding ways to live your personal dream! As for the current phase of what you’ve been working towards, you’re through the “first step/baby” stage and are approaching the midpoint. That’s where this need to conserve your energy now comes in — the midpoint is the trickiest to get through, but once you do, everything becomes so much easier, like when you walk home with your arms full of groceries and finally cross the threshold and can put everything down. You feel like you could float up to the ceiling! Either way, you’re not there just yet: you have just filled the bags and paid for the groceries themselves and are getting ready for “the walk.” You’re doing it — keep going! There is so much good waiting on the horizon <3<3

If you’re interested in a personalized reading with me, head over to my Etsy shop! Feel free to use the coupon code THANKS15 for 15% off your reading at checkout <3<3

Crystal Reading Cards. Rachelle Charman. Sterling Ethos, 2016.

Feng Shui Tarot. Eileen Connolly and Peter Paul Connolly. Published by U.S. Game Systems. Scans via Tarot.com, August 27, 2015. Illustrations from Feng Shui Tarot used with permission of U.S. Games Systems, Inc., Stamford, CT 06902. c. 2001 by U.S. Games Systems.  All rights reserved.

Wild Kuan Yin Oracle. Alana Fairchild. Artwork by Wang Yiguang. Victoria, Australia: Blue Angel Publishing, 2015.

Ah, we’ve made it through the Waxing Gibbous Moon phase, where we made some important realizations about what we’re working through and how to make sense of it productively. We are in the Last Quarter, where we further process all that’s going on and how we feel about it — this is a time for “letting go” and crystallizing what we’ve learned about ourselves recently in a way that we can make use of once we’ve taken the time to rest and reflect on all that’s been going on. This has been an important Moon cycle, kicking off with a Super Moon and coinciding directly with the current Mercury Retrograde — important things are happening, and paying attention and giving ample time to people and projects will further help you absorb the “lessons” being learned at present.

This spread is based on The Numinous’ Last Quarter spread, focused on Letting Go. I drew from Connected and Free: The Alchemist’s Oracle, Creative Whack Pack, and Wrozba Z Kart Tarot. I laid out a crystal grid of selenite, desert rose, and my favourite amethyst cluster for energy clearing and Higher Self connection. I added raw emerald to welcome abundance and connect us with our bodies and intuition from a place of heart-centredness, moonstone for understanding of our personal cycles, more amethyst to dispel any anxiety we’re feeling, ruby zoisite to remind us that we’re all “diamonds in the rough,” and howlite to bring in not only Higher Self connection, but Higher Self protection, in the form of little intuitive nudges in the Right Direction.

Oracle cards: Storytelling + Give Yourself a Whack on the Side of the Head

The Creative Whack Pack is so funny — it can be so blunt! These cards tell me that we’re all still assuming that the road ahead is going to be “easy,” or like we’ve made enough progress and should be seeing result by now. Nope! There’s still a ways to go, with much more effort and fresh thinking required — this is only the beginning of the story, and write now we’ve opened on a clean page, where the tale of 2018 begins. Take some time to really think on how you want next year’s “story” to unfold, and what you can do to make that happen — at this point it need only be a shift in mindset, with appropriate action to follow when we’ve recharged our personal energy and are ready to rev things up once we’re past the New Moon.

Card 1: What to accept: King of Wands

You’re doing it! I feel like I say this every reading, but oh my, you have come so, so far. You’re set in your passion in such a way that you are inspiring others to seek their own, and you are admired for your vigour and determination to lead your own way. Trust in the personal power you have drummed up, and let its warmth at your back continue to push you forward through whatever challenges the rest of the year throws at you (it’s almost over! At this point, you’re in control — but be sure to use your power judiciously, and to be very much aware of keeping any anger that threatens to spill over directed in a way that is supportive of your progress, and of the people you are guiding as well.

Card 2: What to forgive: II – The High Priestess

We had a lot of “Scorpio action” going on recently — Jupiter is still there, and one characteristic of that placement is masses of secrets coming out, light being thrown on what was meant to be kept hidden, but also huge expansion of our personal passions. We are all working on our respective “stories,” sorting through what we want others to see and what we’d rather they not know about ourselves and our situations. Be gentle with yourself, but also with others at this time. If someone comes to you with something to share, no matter how minute it seems to you, be open and hear them out — they chose you to receive this information, so be prepared for the next page should you reject their reaching out. If you recently handled such an outreach “badly,” trust in the ways of the universe to sort things out, and keep focusing on being honest with yourself about how to you can be your Best You in the future.

Card 3: What to learn: 2 of Cups

Where is the love? You have it! If one thing seems to be going right, it’s this. Whether it’s your closest personal relationship or the radical self-care being prescribed all over the place, your heart is warm and open to receive. Things feel like they’re stacking up well emotionally, so hang on to this balance, this loving progress you’ve made, and trust this positive pattern to continue to flow. Thinking and acting from a place of love and care is the pivot point from which everything good is happening — continue to give of yourself, and know that that’s all you need to do to continue drawing in the love you so truly deserve.

Yes, we’re going deeper and deeper within as the Moon’s face gets darker, and what a conducive time for this to happen during Mercury Retrograde, which opens up our intuition and allows us to connect with our Inner Wisdom in a way that just doesn’t happen at other points in the planetary cycles. Listen to your thoughts, listen to your dreams, listen to your surroundings — this is a time when all sorts of messages are coming through, and that’s all you need to do — listen. You’re receiving all sorts of new ideas that you’ll be able to do so much with once you’ve given them time to percolate! Balance has been found at this time, and you can focus on the love and connections you do have now to carry you through to the beginning of that next chapter waiting on the horizon. So much is still unwritten — let that very much excite you!

If you’re interested in a personalized reading with me, head over to my Etsy shop! Feel free to use the coupon code THANKS15 for 15% off your reading at checkout.

Decks used:

Connected and Free: The Alchemist’s Oracle. Lauren Aletta. Illustrated by Tegan Swyny. First Edition. Inner Hue, 2014.

Creative Whack Pack. Roger von Oech. Stamford, CT: U.S. Games Systems, Inc., 1989.

Wrozba Z Kart Tarot. Aleksandra Jasniak. Illustrated by Anna Galuszka. Krakow, Poland, 1998.

I was so relieved to realize what “phase” we’re at in the moon cycle based on how — well, looney!! — I was feeling yesterday. We’re past the peak of the Full Moon and all the excitement that came with it, and now we’re working on “re-settling” by going back within for the next few weeks, to a place where we regain understanding of our selves and our responses to our respective environments at this time.

This spread is based on The Numinous’s spread for the Waning Gibbous phase of the Moon, focused on Turning Inward. I was really feeling a “Shadow” deck, so I chose to draw from the Mary-el Tarot, with the Mother Mary Oracle and Goddess Guidance Oracle cards — I don’t know about you, but when I pulled these cards I was going through some intense stuff and needed a big cosmic hug! The decks delivered.

I laid out a crystal grid of my usual selenite, desert rose, and amethyst cluster for energy clearing and Higher Self connection, the blackened wood rosary I keep with my Mother Mary Oracle, malachite for heart healing and protection of children and hope, white opal for balancing the messages we’re receiving, vogesite for further energetic clearing and clarity of mind, two petrified wood to bring in an energy of ancestral support, citrine to welcome abundance and remind us of our personal power at this time, cropcircle stone for grounding through understanding patterns and expanding the mind, and jet for protection of personal energy while maintaining a lightness of spirit.

I have to include the Shadow and Higher Self cards for this reading — they were too perfect, and were exactly the confirmation I needed when I drew this spread! I was feeling pretty desperate and these cards really helped me relax, especially where the main reading has some intense points.

Shadow Cards: 41. Our Lady of Sweet Rest + Sige | Quiet Time + 6 of Disks reversed

I think I actually laughed out loud at these cards — they’re saying quite loudly “CHILL!!!” It’s true that we’re at the point in the cycle where we are all feeling very overwhelmed, with more being thrown at us all the time. Accept how these occurrences are making you feel, but be still with it — give yourself permission to rest, to choose not to choose right now. It’s okay to feel like poop every now and again, as long as you take necessary measures to keep yourself from burrowing deeper in the — well, poop-pile. Halt!! Pull back and assess where you are, why you figure you’re there, and where you very much want to be — and that’s all you have to do for now <3<3

Oracle cards: 32. Our Lady Who Gives Peace + Maeve | Cycles and Rhythms

Indeed, the conflicts and difficulties you’re experiencing are natural, not only for this time of month, but also for this stage in what you and bringing in to the world! You’ve experienced some successes and some setbacks in your new venture, and this is a time for taking stock of what is working, of what is not, and for continuing to trust that it’s all going exactly as it should. You are supported in this, especially for the way you are working to make sense of every part of this experience — you really are learning your personal patterns through this, in such a way that you have a better grip on them and how to use them to your advantage. As such, know that this is a time not to “force the issue,” instead to pull back and marvel at what you can count among your achievements.

Card 1: Fears: Ace of Wands

During this natural lull in personal energy, it’s natural to fear that all your new ideas, all your new motivation will be lost! Not so. You are a rechargeable battery, and it’s time to pop back into the charger for a while, so both you and those great ideas will be at full power when it’s time to implement them for real. Lean in to your current sense of confusion and misdirection — there could even be new inspiration to be found there, to think on while you’re building yourself back up!

Card 2: Secrets: 8 of Cups reversed

Part of what you’re feeling is how very much you’ve been trying to endure your struggle “on your own” — we’ve touched on this recently, the need to let the people you care about “in” to help you. This card confirms it — you are seeking warmth and support, but you are so emotionally overwhelmed at what you’re going through that you’re scared to make yourself vulnerable by admitting to how very much you need support now. Don’t be afraid — trust, trust that reaching out really will help the fog start to lift, for everyone involved.

Card 3: Lies: XVII – The Star

No, you’re not out of the woods yet — the funny thing with hope, is we hope and hope and hope and seem to still find ourselves right where we started! Don’t think that any of this will be easy, or that the work is “done” so to speak — no, you must keep building, or at least chipping away at those old foundations, recognizing that the road ahead will never be easy. Always maintain hope, even when it feels like you just keep slipping back to the bottom of the hole. Once we’ve made a bit of progress it can be easy to think that we’re done with the previous lesson — quite the opposite, the previous lesson just becomes part of the fabric that we carry with us always, becoming a reference point for what helped and what didn’t when the same problem arises later in a different form. That sense of hope (with a heaping dose of creative thinking!) is your cloak on this journey, and it will always steer you in the right direction.

Card 4: Regrets: 9 of Disks reversed

Oops — again, when we make a bunch of progress, sometimes it becomes easy to set aside the personal grounding practices (meditation, journaling, exercising, etc) that were so integral in getting us to that point. These acts of self-care are more important than ever at this point in the Moon’s cycle, where the darkness creeps back in and our personal “demons” start nipping and grabbing at our heels again. Keep working at it, keep doing what you love, and know that you’ll feel more comfortable with your self, with your life, with everything soon enough.

Higher Self Cards: 13. Our Lady of Innocence + Lakshmi | Bright Future + 7 of Disks

These cards broke me right down — they were exactly what I needed to hear, and I hope they help you, too! This is not your fault, or some conspiring of the powers that be to punish you for anything. No indeed, this is just another little purification, and you are simply challenged once more to allow, allow, allow what’s trying to fall away to be let go of. Focus on the future, because the dreams you have for it can be real, and you’re already doing great work in holding them in your heart, not to mention the effort you’ve already put in to very much making them happen. Persevere, keep doing the little things that keep the world turning wit what little energy you do have, and know that you’re poised for a big positive boom. To underline the message at the bottom of the Lakshmi card: “Stop worrying. Everything is going to be fine.”

You are still so very much in the “first phase” of all this! There is much to be done, for sure, but those steps are not ready to be taken — this is a time for considering what they miht be, with no pressure to actually do anything about it just yet. Focus on reconnecting with others when you’re feeling better, continuing to lay our foundations, continuing to determine the structures you’ll need in place moving forward. Again, stop worrying as best you can — things really are falling into place, and the balance is being determined and identified by these reoccurring discomforts. You do have a measure of control here; rest on it, recuperate, and prepare to be amazed once the path becomes clear again.

If you’re interested in a personalized reading with me, head over to my Etsy shop! Feel free to use the coupon code THANKS15 for 15% off your reading at checkout <3<3

Decks used:

Goddess Guidance Oracle Cards. Doreen Virtue. Various artists. Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, Inc., 2004.

The Mary-el Tarot. Marie White. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing, 2012.

Mother Mary Oracle. Alana Fairchild. Artwork by Shiloh Sophia McCloud. Victoria, Australia: Blue Angel Publishing, 2014.

 

Yesterday was the peak of the Full Moon in Gemini! It was a SuperMoon, the biggest and brightest of the year — although in my neck of the woods, it was also cloudy and snowy! Did you make any Moon-wishes? This Moon’s energy revolved around communication, specifically friendly expression between our selves and the people we care about, and also uniting our inner “dualities” to help us towards feeling complete as the new year rolls around. It was a cool one for me, as it happened at the same point as my natal placement!

To continue my exploration of the moon phases, here is The Numinous‘s Full Moon tarot spread, focused on an energy of Celebration! This is a time for assessing our strengths and how we’ll use them to manifest our best lives. Since the energy here is very conducive to “getting back to basics,” I drew from my trusty Tarot Mucha, with her sister decks of Astrological Oracle Cards and the Nature-Speak Oracle. I used my favourite general crystals with an extra citrine for increased self-confidence and dragon’s blood jasper for heart-centred sense of purpose. Selenite and desert rose selenite for energy clearing and Higher Self connection, amethyst cluster for dispelling anxiety, red jasper for grounding, carnelian for creativity, more citrine, aventurine for heart-centredness, blue lace agate for clear expression of your needs, sodalite for connection with your intuition, and more amethyst to further solidify Higher Self connection.

We’ve all been going through rapid-fire changes lately, but ones that we know are constructive — your fortune finally feels like it’s within reach, and you know more and more all the time exactly what you need to do to grab it. You can feel the energy building and pushing you towards where you need to be, and you’re in the process of learning how to harness that — really, more how to actually let go and simply allow all the wonderful things unfolding to occur.

Oracle cards: Capricorn + Oak | Be strong but gentle reversed

Oh, you’re doing such a great job!! You’re really thinking with your heart about the best approach to all this, so that you can be sure your tenacity is rooted in something you can actually use. Patience is key here — stay the course, because the seeds you’ve planted are good, but they will take time to grow. Not too, too long — you may even start seeing results during Capricorn season! Either way, keep ticking away at it, keep focusing on upward momentum, keep trusting in your creative vision and its possibilities for adaptation.

Card 1: What brings you joy: V – The Hierophant

You’re feeling in a great place where to comes to the “social structures” in your life — be that work, education, spirituality — and you feel like you’re in a good place in terms of recent conflicts and approaching their resolution. More specifically, I’m hearing that you’re in a good place surrounding what you are “married” to, whether it’s your actual partner or simply what your life is most devoted to at present. The passion is there, as well as the willingness to push through any remaining issues. You have reason to trust that you are fully supported at this time! Thank goodness!

Card 2: Your gifts to the world: 3 of Wands

Indeed, this is the result of you continuing on, keeping up the good work, trying new things and realizing how to frame asking for what you need. You did just that, and have an unshakeable feeling that you’ll receive a positive response, if you haven’t already! Maintain this wave of inspiration, keep sending out feelers, keep marvelling at how well delegating responsibility really does work. More opportunities are coming at you as a result — remain open to receive, but either way, there’s no way they’ll miss you. The sun has truly set on your old ways, and turning your back on them feels better than you expected it to. Stand strong, knowing you have done and continue to do the right thing.

Card 3: Your unrecognized potential: 9 of Cups

And holy moly, are more good things ever on the way to you — you’ve hit the sweet spot, opening up your own personal powers of manifestation! Pure “wishing” energy is emanating from you, waiting for you to make good use of it. You are poised to receive your ultimate satisfaction, and all you need to do to receive it is let it cross your mind! Huh? Spend some time alone, quietly, maybe with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, whatever’s your fancy, and just be — be still with yourself, thinking on just exactly what would make you the most happy. Once you have your answer, hold it in your heart, trusting with all your might that that alone represents planting this new seed to grow and grow into exactly what you want for yourself! Part of the challenge here is realizing that it really is that simple — the 9 of Cups is a “Law of Attraction” card, where what you think will be drawn to you, so keep those thoughts pure and positive!

Know that the cool, seemingly miraculous stuff that’s been happening has a purpose — you’re moving much closer, much faster to everything you’ve been hoping for through these past trying months. It has been a literal “spiritual quest,” with the appropriate challenges to boot, but it has also allowed you to realize how very connected you are with the world and the people around you, in turn helping you come to some important conclusions about what can be done with those very connections. You are so ready for the next step — light your match, make your wish, and go get it!!

If you’re interested in a personalized reading with me, head over to my Etsy shop! Feel free to use the coupon code THANKS15 for 15% off your reading at checkout <3<3

Decks used:

Astrological Oracle Cards. LWB: Lunaea Weatherstone. Artwork: Antonella Castelli. Torino, Italy: Lo Scarabeo, 2012. © Lo Scarabeo Italy.

The Nature-Speak Oracle. Ted Andrews. Jackson, TN: Dragonhawk Publishing, 2006.

Tarot Mucha. LWB: Lunaea Weatherstone. Artwork: Giulia F. Massaglia. Torino, Italy: Lo Scarabeo, 2014. © Lo Scarabeo Italy.

Here we are at the Waxing Gibbous phase of the Moon, where we have a good sense of what we’re working with and are ready to really do something with it — The Numinous calls this the “Pivot Point” in the Moon’s cycle, where we assess what seems not to be working and compare it with what’s actually true in our situation.

For this spread I chose to draw from the Art of Life Tarot, the Wild Kuan Yin Oracle, and the Impressionist Tarot — all decks that vibe well with Aries/Taurus energy, of acting on our personal wills towards creating a stable (even comfortable!) material reality.

I laid out a crystal grid of selenite and desert rose for energy clearing and Higher Self connection, amethyst cluster to dispel any anxiety, brecchiated jasper for grounding in a heart-centred way, moss agate to remind us to engage in self-care, iolite for clear expression of our needs at this time, amegreen for head/heart connection, hematite to help us release negative patterns and addictions, black onyx for protection of personal energy, and black agate for emotional calming and further grounding.

Oracle cards: 8 of Swords | “You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.” -Christopher Columbus + 12. Sacred Sherpa Guides You Beyond

It probably feels like you’ve been meeting stop sign after stop light after locked gate — and you’re starting to wonder how much control you really have over all this. So much!! We’re at the point where we’re being forced out of our comfort zones, and darn if that’s not the most uncomfortable thing possible! But seriously, there is so much waiting for you once you take this Leap of Faith — in fact, your “spiritual team” is cheering you on so loudly that you are definitely hearing it now, through the voices of support that you are hearing, through little signs that are all around you, even in the faces of new people coming in to your life to help deliver you to a better place. Allow the shift, embrace the change, knowing that you are preparing yourself for something unimaginably new and exciting.

Card 1: The problem: Queen of Swords

Yes, a lot has been going on — you’ve allowed yourself to “go numb” from the pain, becoming quite emotionally detached, and this was absolutely necessary to get through your recent toils. But again, we’re talking about leaving our comfort zone, so allow yourself to “feel” what’s happening — the discomfort is necessary to encourage you to get a move on! Keep thinking towards involving everybody, because this is not a journey you can make alone. Keep strategizing, keep working with the information you have, keep nurturing your mental patterns, and let what’s been lost stand as an example of what you obviously didn’t need anyway. Those things we’ve been hanging on to for dear life even though we know they’re no longer of benefit? Well, the Universe is stepping in to clear them out for us! Trust, trust that what’s falling away only would have held you back in the long run.

Card 2: Our expectation: 4 of Pentacles

You’ve been pedaling so hard trying to “do better” that you figured you’d have it all together by now! And yet, no matter how hard you work it still feels like you’re just making ends meet, whether that be materially or on a much deeper, internal level. The process you are working through is a long one, and it will still be a while before you see concrete results — the challenge now is to keep thinking towards what you want, never wavering on your resolutions to scrimp and save, be that money or simply the energy you put out on a day-to-day basis. And really, take a few steps back and be proud of the progress you have made, even if it seems minor! Think back to this time last year and marvel at the small miracles that have transpired to bring to the point where you even have these considerations to make.

Card 3: The reality: Ace of Pentacles reversed

Heehee — it’s also true that staying grounded is a massive challenge right now, with the holidays looming, the weather getting worse, and money feeling tight. This “trapped” feeling runs across the board, and everyone is feeling crushed beneath the weight of responsibility at this time, to our jobs, to our families, to the World on the grand scale! We are challenged to continue looking around for doors and passageways that can deliver us from this feeling of stagnation and rigamarole, to accept where we’re at now and let that be the ground floor to the staircase that we’ll take back up once we have a better sense of where we really want to be. Sometimes we forget that it’s okay to dream REALLY big — it is! You should!

Card 4: Guidance: XV – The Devil

You know what has you stuck, because it’s the same story it’s been all along. The past weeks have been an incredible “dance with the devil,” where all of our egos see the progress we’re trying to make, in turn grabbing on to our old ways and trying to keep them for dear life! No, this is a time to be the master of your Self, to look your setbacks in the eye and tell them “not today.” The fire burning inside you is there for a reason, and you can use it to burn yourself down or to light the hearth that will allow you to stay on task. When you feel that familiar pull towards backsliding, letting out that rage or reaching for that vice, try to think for a moment whether that’s the best thing to do. Maybe it is, and by all means give yourself permission! But stay in your power as much as possible, and know that at the end of the day, the person you’re most accountable to is You.

As we enter December, “the Shadow” looms high and large — we’re entering dark territory and must work on how we handle the more negative aspects of our selves. You’ve been working on this already, taking action towards releasing what you don’t like, nurturing what you do, and this is fantastic! Even though it’s cold, though, you must keep pushing — no time for a rest, break down those final barriers! The help you need is close at hand and may even present itself to you unprovoked — take it when it comes. The Universe is conspiring *with* you to get your life in order, and the biggest challenge is allowing what you actually need and shutting the door on what you’ve known for a long time that you don’t. The light at the end of the tunnel is increased balance in your emotions and relationships, your work life, all of it, through continuing to work hard at your end goal, especially when the going gets tough and it seems more impossible than ever. It’s not! Find ways to keep yourself moving through the stiffness and cold, keep creating, keep striving, and take good care of yourself — soak up the sun when it’s there <3<3

If you’re interested in a reading with me, head over to my Etsy shop! Feel free to use the coupon code THANKS15 for 15% off your reading at checkout.

Art of Life Tarot. Charlene Livingstone. Stamford, CT: U. S. Games Systems, Inc., 2012.

Impressionist Tarot. Corrine Kenner. Artwork by Arturo Picca. Torino, Italy: Lo Scarabeo, 2015.

Wild Kuan Yin Oracle. Alana Fairchild. Artwork by Wang Yiguang. Victoria, Australia: Blue Angel Publishing, 2015.

 

Ever have those moments where you just have to throw your hands up and say “what on Earth is happening?” (often with significantly more colourful language) …well that’s been the past couple of days for me!

In addition to dropping just about everything I pick up immediately:

First it was my tasseomancy saucer (that was actually a few weeks ago, but feels significant as the true “beginning” of this particular change of events). It fell and broke in two perfect pieces, and my love flew in to my rescue and immediately glued them back together. This was a lesson in realizing that I have support when I need it!

Next, I had just gotten by newest bag of crystal babies — so exciting!! I chose them all very carefully and was interested to note that most of them are grounding/Root Chakra stones. I’m obsessed with howlite and chose two pieces, one heart-shaped, and the other a persistent little buddy who kept jumping out of the container as I was deciding. Well. I was sitting with them all on my lap and stood up, sending them all to the floor — and my jumper howlite broke! Into three pieces!! As I was reeling from that, my phone dinged, and it was our business mentor letting us know that they had to withdraw from the responsibility. Eerie, no? Howlite can be used to attract a guide or mentor…

And finally, after a weird morning where I forgot a doctor’s appointment and was super-late, thus having to open the store super-late as well (although I found out my kidneys look much better and no more stones for the moment, yay!), I was at work tidying and singing and dancing around when all of a sudden, my special mala caught on a chair and snapped, sending beads here, there, and everywhere!! Whatttttt!!!!!!! In my stunned state, just as what had happened was dawning on me, someone came in to ask if I had jumper cables because their car was dead. I didn’t have them, but was slammed with the lesson being presented: it can *always* be worse! I managed to find all the beads and look forward to reassembling the necklace <3<3

Long story short, if you have been experiencing similar challenges, know that we are all just being prepared for the cosmic shift that’s in the works! We’re approaching the last Mercury Retrograde of the year (hello trickster energy, communication and technological breakdowns), and Saturn is grinding through the last degrees of Sagittarius, preparing to enter Capricorn on December 19, marking the beginning of the first Saturn return for everyone born between February 1988 (hello!) and February 1991 (the second for people born between January 1959 and January 1962). Saturn Returns represent specific points in our lives where our challenges seem so great as to almost be unbearable — they are a massive call from the Universe to take responsibility, to assess what you have and what you’re doing with it, showing you what’s definitely not working so you will work harder to find what really does. Saturn Returns can be a breeze if you have your sh*t together, and a nightmare if you don’t! Don’t worry, none of us really have it together, but as long as Saturn sees us truly trying, we’ll come out better for it at the other side.

I’ve been expecting the types of challenges represented by my special things breaking, knowing that the last months of 2017 will be real doozies! This reminds me of a piece of wisdom my dad shared with me a long time ago that’s always stuck — when something intense is happening, stop and ask “where’s the Buddha?” meaning “where is the lesson here, what might I need to learn from this?” It’s a bit too simplistic for really huge problems, but for little things like your favourite trinket breaking, look for ways to gain perspective on your experience — like realizing at least it’s not your car being broken down; it’s nothing that could actually ruin your day, unless you let it ❤

Have you been experiencing similar things? Cases of the dropsies, things literally smashing to bits? Leave a comment, it’s so nice to know when we’re all feeling like we’re in the same boat!

Did November fly by, or is it just me? I’ve felt like I’ve been in a total maelstrom of change and transformation — interesting key words, as they are directly indicated in the spread for this post! We are currently at the end of the Moon’s First Quarter, having come up with a picture of what we want to be celebrating by the time the Full Moon rolls around and begun to lay the foundations… now we come to the point where we test those structures out and see if they’re good to go (or not). We still need to be thinking on our feet because this is the point in the cycle where we get the hiccups, where dreams meet reality and often don’t quite match up. Here we identify the actions we want to be taking and the obstacles that meet us in our progress!

 I drew this spread from Oracle of the Mermaids, the Kuan Yin Oracle, and Shadowscapes tarot to pick up on the “Piscean” energy surrounding — the sign of Pisces is about connecting with your inner depths through spirituality, healing through self-understanding, and befriending your “Shadow.” As a side note, I almost used my I-Ching set instead of Oracle of the Mermaids, and the oracle card — Book of Changes — is a direct reference to that divination system! Too neat.

I laid out a crystal grid of selenite and desert rose to clear our energies and establish Higher Self connection, a large amethyst cluster and a small pice of amethyst to further connect and to calm any current anxieties, raw emerald to open our hearts and bring in an energy of nurturing and abundance, two shells to connect us with our emotional depths, amazonite to balance our inner masculine and feminine dualities, Apache tear for protection of our personal energy, moonstone for understanding of our personal cycles, ruby zoisite for grounding from the heart, amegreen for connection between the heart and the intuition, carnelian for creativity, labradorite for intuitive connection with the “flow” of things at present, and howlite (with a little heart!) for protection of the self-realizations and progress you’ve made to date.

This spread is adapted from The Numinous’s Moon Tarot Spreads — I switched the 3rd and 4th positions because I like cards asking “what holds you back” to be oriented to the past, with cards offering advice oriented towards the future.

Oracle cards: 16. Reflections reversed + 35. The Book of Changes

You’re in the process of major change — it’s to the point that you almost don’t recognize yourself in the mirror, which can represent a confusing time indeed. But what’s really happening is you identifying and acting on the parts of yourself that need “tweaking,” and what you’re seeing is the direct results! You have changed, and the challenge now is to stay on track, not letting yourself slip back into your old comfort zone where little to no progress was being made. You’re done with personal stagnation and are seeking anything that will help you continue to grow: be careful not to get confused as the waters become murky with all that you’re shedding, as it’s all still floating around in your energetic “field,” waiting for you to give permission for it to be flushed away. Part of what you need for this is some sort of approval — you’ve given it to yourself, and now you need to share what you’re learning to get others on the same page in your progress.

Card 1: Your self-perception: XIII – Death

Truly, you’re in a period of intense transformation, a “death of the Self,” if you will! All year you’ve been thinking on what you do not like about yourself and your life, and the Eclipse Season this summer was the trigger point where you realized what you needed to do to release, reset, and Rise. You hoped to be rising even more by now, but you’re still resetting — you’ve chosen the funeral accoutrements for the past-Self, but they’re still hanging around, waiting to be excused. Who knew self-improvement could be so much hard work?! You’re doing everything right, and just need to continue to allow your more regressive patterns to fall away through acknowledging them as they crop up and feeling them through, as bottling them up at this point very much means hanging on and staying close to where you were and decided you did not want to be.

Card 2: Your obstacle: VI – The Lovers

The funny thing with self-improvement is it is a very personal inward journey — sometimes we forget to fill the people most important to us in on what we’re going through, be it for self-protection, for fear of judgment, or simply for not wanting to slop our burdens around unnecessarily. Well, you have people who care about you very much, and they are wondering what’s happened to the old You! Tell them! Let them know how you’ve been thinking, where you’re at in your process, and seriously, let them know what they can do to help you continue moving forward. They want to help you, they want to support you, from a true place of love that you can trust in. You must choose to share your realizations surrounding the decisions you’ve been making, and step outside yourself a bit to remember the Big Picture, the Real World, as the person you’re becoming still has to live there!

It’s so, so important at this time not to blame others for what we perceive to be happening to us — we are all fighting our own battles, and we become a true army when we share our aims and experiences and open ourselves to positive resolutions.

Card 3: What holds you back: Ace of Wands

Part of the challenge is the sheer force of your motivation, the pure magical energy that’s surrounding all you’ve been experiencing, the miraculous realizations you’ve had and the many, many new ideas coming to you as a result. You’d love to get started on all of them, but there is much to take care of first! You have responsibilities to people and things that need attention, and only through taking care of those things will you be able to focus on taking up your new adventures. This will ensure that they can spark and sparkle to their best capacity! You wouldn’t start a new painting with the dirty water from the last, so do what you know you need to do, and maintain your current excitement, save your little match of inspiration, for that time when the coast is clear and you find the perfect spot to strike it and let your new vision glow.

Card 4: What will help you overcome: XVIII – The Moon

Embrace the darkness you’ve been feeling — you are incubating, growing in this darkness, and must allow the necessary time before you’re ready to bring everything out into the light. You are healing through processing all of your recent experience, bringing it all together subconsciously and slowly, slowly “percolating” a way out, a way forward, a way through. It’s coming to you — now you know that you can’t make this journey alone, and can feel filled up with the knowledge that the healing support you need can be found simply by asking. This is a tall order, as your sense of pride would rather not share the intensely personal stuff you’ve been processing — but the “necessary ear” is readily available, and the real magic can begin when you pour out the last of that internal junk so you can re-fill with much better, much clearer, much more positive thoughts and emotions.

Truly, truly you can trust that things are coming together! The bumpy whirlwind of a road that this past month has represented the presentation of what wasn’t working so you could begin to make amends. There were necessary endings to be sure, but these have put you in the direct path of what will be much better for you, and revealed to you who is still very much there to be on your team moving forward. You have the power to inspire as a result of all the good you’ve been trying to do, and the results are becoming more and more apparent to everyone else as well. Keep working at it, keep making adjustments to ensure you’re at your full energetic potential, and anything that continues to hold you back can be identified as what to focus on releasing next. You’ve done so well in taming your more regressive emotional and mental patterns, and can continue to maintain hope surrounding your material situation. Stay calm — there is balance to be found in recognizing how you’ve seemed to swim through your recent conflicts, managing to persevere against the odds, constantly finding yourself closer to your life goals than you ever expected to be at this point. You’re doing it — stay calm! — the changes you’ve wanted are so, so close!

If you’re interested in a reading with me, head over to my Etsy shop! Feel free to use the coupon code THANKS15 at checkout for 15% off your reading.

Decks used:

Kuan Yin Oracle. Alana Fairchild. Artwork by Zeng Hao. Victoria, Australia: Blue Angel Publishing, 2012.

Oracle of the Mermaids. Lucy Cavendish. Artwork by Selina Fenech. Victoria, Australia: Blue Angel Publishing, 2013.

Shadowscapes. Stephanie Pui-Mun Law. Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 2010.

Here we are, having made it through an intense New Moon in Scorpio — so intense that I forgot to post about it! Either way, we all came to some valuable realizations about where we can start over and begin again. We’re now in the Waxing Crescent phase in the driven, goal-oriented sign of Capricorn, ready to lay the foundations that will see our new plans through.

As I mentioned in my post about the Waning Crescent in Libra, I’m starting to study the energy surrounding the cycles of the Moon. I found a great set of tarot spreads for nearly every phase (I made up that Waning Crescent one in my previous post) on The Numinous, which I’ve been making use of and finding so, so helpful. This is my spread for the Waxing Crescent, the phase of Setting Foundations.

I laid out a crystal grid of selenite and desert rose for energetic clearing and Higher Self connection, citrines to remind of my personal power, dumortierite to both ground me and also the way I express myself and my needs, snowflake obsidian for understanding of my patterns and protection of the new ones I’m trying to make stick, an amethyst cluster to calm my anxiety and further establish Higher Self connection, yellow calcite to boost self-esteem, two tree/dendritic agates to help my most useful personal structures grow, moss agate to remind me to engage in self-care, and Botswana agate for emotional understanding.

Oracle cards: Venus + Valley | Fertile new role reversed

You’ve found yourself in a really good place, where the need to “start over” has disappeared — you know you’re exactly where you’re meant to be, and now you’re in a much better position to accept the “vulnerability” that comes with pursuing personal passion. Life is quite beautiful, even if your present challenges feel like a rather unforgiving mountain! Keeping things lighthearted and appealing to yourself and what you love will keep things moving in the right direction.

Card 1: Your source of energy and willpower: XIX – The Sun reversed

Yes, we’re in the darkest moment just before things start to get brighter! This is a time to continue reflecting on what is definitely working and what really, really isn’t. Personally, nothing lights a fire under me like a taste of what does not make me happy — I can’t stand the discomfort so it makes me reach for what I really do want. This is a time for observing and making peace with your personal cycles, knowing that doing so will help you easily transcend your remaining “walls” when the time is right.

Card 2: Your talents: 8 of Swords reversed

You’ve been putting some hard work in mentally, in favour of truly being honest with yourself about what holds you back. Quite specifically, this refers to the “traps of our own making” that we set for ourselves in order to stay in pretty uncomfortable “comfort zones” — situations we flip off saying “better the devil you know than the one you don’t” and so on. Well, why does there have to be a devil? Is there a devil? Or are you staying “stuck” because you’re intimidated by how high you could fly if you open the cage?

Card 3: The environment: XVII – The Star + 5 of Swords reversed (jumper)

Above all, this is a time to maintain hope and “let it rest.” Conflict was the name of the game this past Scorpio New Moon, as our new beginnings were coloured by, well — other people’s “true colours,” not to mention our own! The worst of the battle is over, and it’s time to let our minds settle and process so we can keep climbing the mountain. Slow and steady, it’s always darkest before dawn, blah blah blah — but truly, allow yourself to be inspired by your experience, and when you turn around, you may be surprised at the loyalties that remain, ready to help you continue to grow and expand.

Card 4: Your resources: 9 of Swords reversed

If anything, the nail’s been hit on the head concerning the major “source” of anxiety at present, and as such it can begin to be released. Keep thinking in this direction and reflecting on your reasons for coming to this conclusion, and continue to allow yourself to be a little bit vulnerable, admitting both your faults and what you know are your strengths, and allow this to be the foundation on which you build your next steps. None of this is easy, but it’s necessary, and you are finally willing to keep working towards establishing patterns of thought and action that will serve you much better and actually allow you to heal.

We’re getting deeper and deeper into the dark of winter, with the days getting shorter all the time — it’s time to engage in extreme self-care, allowing the opposite to fall away and make space for the leaps and bounds we’ll all be taking when 2018 rolls around. Winter’s darkness is the perfect time to get in touch with our Inner World, to find balance through meditation and withdrawal. While it’s not really possible to close off completely, what we can do is find strength in taking little moments here and there to check out without actually getting away. There are people and situations who need us to be present, and we need to be at our best to make the best of them! But you know this — truly, you’ve reached a very stable place emotionally, finding you standing strong against some intensely challenging energetic currents. Be proud of your efforts and remain committed to working on the mental kinks that can still use some ironing out in favour of maintaining that hopeful perspective that will serve you so well as we wait for warmth and light to return to our lives on a more recognizable, more palpable scale.

There are many steps still to be taken, but as they say, “keep it 100” — even if others seem not to be trying their best, that’s never permission for you to follow suit. Hang in there, persevere, because things are shifting. While the challenges will keep coming at you, it’s up to you to inspire yourself — there’s no doubt you’ll be amazed at the results <3<3

If you’re interested in a 4-card reading like this from me, head over to my Etsy shop! Feel free to use the coupon code THANKS15 for 15% off your reading at checkout.

Decks used:

Astrological Oracle Cards. LWB: Lunaea Weatherstone. Artwork: Antonella Castelli. Torino, Italy: Lo Scarabeo, 2012. © Lo Scarabeo Italy.

The Nature-Speak Oracle. Ted Andrews. Jackson, TN: Dragonhawk Publishing, 2006.

Tarot Mucha. LWB: Lunaea Weatherstone. Artwork: Giulia F. Massaglia. Torino, Italy: Lo Scarabeo, 2014. © Lo Scarabeo Italy.