Rock bottom is a springboard

The final card in the Swords sequence, the Ten is a bleak sight. No matter the deck, this card shows us a scene of devastation, darkness, woe. Ten swords is a lot to bear, and this suit has been a heavy and difficult one.

There’s no getting away from it – this is a tough card to see. This is what rock bottom looks like – all hope seems to be gone.

Except it’s not. Hope is on the horizon, in the form of the sunrise. A new day will soon begin, and there is nowhere to go but upwards from here. Be with your feelings, sure, but it will soon be time to stand up, dust yourself off, and embrace the dawn.

In this way the Ten of Swords can sometimes (though not always) represent melodrama. Sometimes things just really are the worst – immense grief or pain takes over our lives. Other times, though, there is a light at the end, and a positive, can-do kind of attitude is needed to get past this bump in the road.

This is number ten, and so, is about endings. The closure of an especially tough chapter in your life, one that may have been dominated by your mind, by any or many of the issues we’ve dealt with in this suit. With the Ten of Pentacles, I talked about a shift of energy being on the horizon, and it is the same here. By the Ten, we’ve spent so long in this airy, heady suit of Swords, and it’s time for a change – to earth, fire, or water.

In a reading…

If you’re having a tough time right now, know that this is a moment in life, and like every other, it will pass. You will get through this. Be with how you feel, acknowledge that you are finding this hard. It’s okay.

If you’re feeling very ‘woe is me’ about something smaller, consider the role your mental attitude is playing in all of this. Are things really as bad as all that? Is there really no way forwards? Is it possible to downsize this issue a little, make it more manageable? Dig deep for the energy to stand up and take action, to overcome your feelings of despair and find positive routes forwards.

Be ready to start over, with a different kind of energy. Maybe it’s time to shift to a more emotional way of looking at the world – a little less logic and thinking, a little more feeling your way through. Maybe it’s time for some fire, inspiration, energy, dynamism. Or it could be time for physical movement, or to get out into nature. You’ll know yourself where you’re going when the time comes. For now, know that a chapter is ending and something new and different will soon be here.

Mental boundaries

The Two of Swords gives us a picture of what it can look like to turn inwards, to our own thoughts, and then beyond them. It’s about shutting out distractions and really quieting all the voices outside and inside our own minds.

It’s rare to experience a truly quiet mind. We are constantly receiving messages, constantly communicating on many levels. It’s easy to take on others’ viewpoints and forget to feel our way through to our own. The Two of Swords is about claiming that space – sometimes to the degree of cutting ourselves off completely – so that we can listen to our own truths. (This can, by the same token, be about focusing too far within, and losing track of the wider situation.)

We often see a moon on this card. A symbol of intuition, this reminds us that this is not a purely mental process. The need to turn within can come from a deep place; we may be called to do this work, to make this space in our minds for unconscious wisdom to rise up.

In a reading…

What mental boundaries do you need in order to do this work? What needs to be quieted, or shut out completely? What voices do you not need to hear right now? It’s okay to say no to these voices, to silence them in your own mind. Unfollow, unfriend, mute, block – this applies to online life as much as anything. Turn off your phone or computer, take an internet break. Stop obsessively scrolling or following the news, just for a moment.

It also may be helpful to take up or return to a meditation practice, claiming regular time to deep-dive into your own subconscious, and practice quieting all those ‘busy thoughts’.

Be careful of becoming totally isolated in your thoughts – this card may be encouraging you to get out of your own head for a bit, to open your eyes and look about. Your perspective may be one of many, and it’s important not to lose sight of that – the Two of Swords can point to a situation where you’re refusing to hear something that you really need to hear, that you’re shutting out an important truth. It may be uncomfortable to hear this – but it’s time.

If this card makes you feel uneasy, it may be time to put down the swords and open up a little.

The Suit of Cups - The heart’s long journey

The suit of cups is the realm of water. Remember how water appears as such a strong symbol in the major arcana? It represents feelings, emotion, intuition and spirituality. The subconscious. Cups are metaphorical ‘containers’ for those things. In this suit, we explore how the intangible element of water manifests in our live – through love, personal development, sadness, kindness, and more.

Here, we’ll see relationships blossom and bloom. We celebrate friendship, we open our hearts to others. This is a story of growth towards genuine, deeply-felt fulfilment, coming home to ourselves. Feeling at home within ourselves. Of course, this kind of growth is not linear process, we’ll also see loss and pain, and determination to move forwards and explore new inner landscapes.

The suit of cups is one for deeper work, for challenging ourselves and showing up for the necessary work of looking into our own hearts and souls and confronting the genuine desires that live there.

The Ace of Cups

As we’ve seen, the tarot’s aces bring new starts. Opportunities. They hold an offer – it is up to you to reach forward and take it. Here in the cups suit, this is an opportunity for spiritual and emotional growth.

This is a new chapter in your emotional life. You may feel called to do some kind of spiritual work – like learning tarot! Or taking up a new magical practice, or diving deeper into your faith, whatever shape that may take.

When you see this card, listen to your heart. It’s a cliche, but it’s about important personal work. Your heart is wiser than your mind, it knows things, truths, that are not rational or easily explained. It’s time to give those truths some air-time, to honour that wisdom you hold deep within you.

The Ace of Cups is also about falling in love. This is a profound and beautiful life event that can take many forms, from romantic love to self love to deep connections with other special people in our lives. You can fall in love with a friend. You can fall in love with a practice. You can fall in love with a dog.

This card is an opportunity to open your heart. It requires you to be vulnerable. It may also be about creating boundaries. Listen to what your heart is telling you, what it wants. Don’t worry about what is ‘acceptable’ or what ‘fits’, just pay attention to what you know deep inside.

The Ace of Cups wants you to embrace who you are and live authentically, with integrity and self-respect. Now, you have an opportunity to do just that.

Practice makes perfect

Sticking with this theme of work – especially hard and fulfilling work – the Eight of Pentacles shows us what can be accomplished if we really set our minds to something.

Contrary to the myth of the ‘naturally gifted’, nobody is born with the ability to create perfect works. Musicians must learn to play their instruments, practice, mess up, try again, before a perfect symphony is offered to the world. A sports star trains every day for that medal. I studied and wrote about tarot cards for many years before I felt ready to create this course (and still now, I know it’s not as perfect as I would like! I like to think in the future, I will write it all again, even better than now).

You catch my drift. Honing your skills is a process – this card witnesses and celebrates that process and all the work that is involved.

In a reading

Some goals come easy, but most require diligent work. As with so many of the pentacles cards – but here more than in any other – we are encouraged to take our time, and practice.

Be realistic about the work that you will have to put in to achieve your goals. You might need discipline. You might need to create routines or structures to help you make space for this work. You might need to study more.

Don’t be afraid of failure. If your first shot doesn’t turn out the way you want it to – try again! Keep going. Remember that practice makes perfect and with every step, every attempt, you are getting better at what you do. You might not get immediate results, but you are honing a craft, and this is a process.

The Eight of Pentacles also shows up to congratulate people who have achieved that ‘craftsman’ status. You’ve worked hard and you’re getting or have got really good at this!

On the flip side, this card carries a gentle warning about isolation. Remember that there are other things in your life – good things! Whist this card isn’t explicitly about taking a break, it reminds you to take care of yourself and bring more balance into your work, making sure you get rest, social engagement, nourishment, good food, and so on. Don’t cut yourself off entirely.

Self-doubt

As we’ve seen in many of the swords cards, the mind can play tricks on us. In the Eight of Swords, we see one of the most harmful consequences of this: immobilising insecurity.

A little like the Devil, this card gives us a picture of bondage. A figure with their hands tied, blindfolded, surrounded by sharp swords – it’s a difficult picture to see.

Especially when we realise that each of those swords represents a thought, a fear, an insecurity. This wall of sharp blades does not really exist – it is a figment of our mind.

There are so many reasons our minds may create these boundaries, hem us in in these ways. Hard times can teach us to stay small, or lead us to doubt our choices, our own minds. The person on this card feels as though they are a prisoner – unable to move forward or get free of the clutches of self-doubt. But the Eight of Swords holds a mirror to these delusions and encourages us to get free.

In a reading…

Though this is a caring card, it’s message can be a tough one, and it is focused on showing you that you have choices. You are not as trapped as you feel, there are options open to you. It can be hard, uncomfortable work to step out of a position of fear or powerlessness, but this is about you taking hold of something you’re afraid of. Reframing your situation so that you see options, not barriers. Ultimately, it’s empowering, if you can do it.

When you see this card, ask yourself what unnecessary boundaries are you creating around yourself. Where are you holding back out of fear or self-doubt? Where are you saying “I can’t…”, when you know you’d really like to try? Challenge yourself to overcome fear and step up to the challenge.

This card can also point to anxiety and/or depression, or other mental health issues. It can suggest that you or someone else has become trapped by your/their own mind, and could use some support to overcome this. The Eight of Swords doesn’t make light of mental health, but points to areas where you can bring in supportive, healing practices or people to help move you forwards.

It also points to self-harm, addiction and self-destructive behaviours – again, a little like the Devil. Remember that you hold the key to your own healing, and that the journey home begins with lifting your eyes and making positive choices.

The wisdom of ages

We all have ancestry. We all carry within us ancient – and recent – wisdom that is passed down to us through many different ways. The Hierophant represents that wisdom.

Typically showing a Pope-like figure, this card, along with its bewildering name, can be confusing. The overtly Christian symbology shown in many tarot decks has meant that it is often associated with religious doctrine, study and teaching, and whilst this may be one possible interpretation, the Hierophant’s meaning is far more wide-ranging than that. It’s meaning will differ from person to person, as we each uncover our unique heritage and ancestry.

I’m talking about race ancestry. Cultural ancestry. Blood ancestry. And the ancestry we each have that comes from the identities we hold. Whoever we are, whatever our identities, there are folks who came before us and who created the paths we now walk. We carry their struggles and their stories within ourselves. We carry their spirituality, an understanding of the symbols they honoured, a recognition of the rhythms that shaped their lives. We can’t always see or access that knowledge, but it’s there.

In the Wild Unknown Tarot, Kim Krans depicted a raven, holding a key. Stephanie Pig-Mun Law, in the Shadowscapes Tarot, shows us a wizened, bent old tree. The Collective Tarot shows a woman instructing a feminist group in gynaecological self-examination. Wisdom can be passed on in many different ways.

The Hierophant is the knowledge in you, and it is also you, as a holder of that knowledge. It is all of the potential in you for passing that knowledge on. It is you as a student, accessing this knowledge, and it is you as a teacher, imparting it. It can also represent elders and ancestors who are teaching you.

The card is concerned with spiritual initiation, and usually depicts a figure who can be seen as a translator of arcane, mysterious, religious or spiritual teachings – a conduit between god/s and man, between the otherworld, and this one. In this sense, it is a little like the High Priestess. Unlike the High Priestess, though, the knowledge held within belongs to a specific heritage. It has been passed down to you along certain lines.

Advice from the Hierophant

The Hierophant shows up to encourage you to get to know your ancestors. The folks whose blood flows in your veins, and the folks who you claim as ancestors, as witch, trans woman, Black man, or whatever identity you hold. Who came before you? Who paved the road you now walk? How might you learn about or honour these people?

An obvious interpretation of the Hierophant is that it is suggesting geneology: researching your family tree. Think about the identities you hold and the folks who came before. A person of Irish heritage researching the Ogham is learning about the language that shaped their land. A woman joining a trans history group is discovering a lineage of oppression, resistance and survival that is inherent in her own life.

The Hierophant celebrates all of this wisdom, but its focus is particularly on the spiritual. Researching your Apache or Celtic or Yoruba heritage means not only learning about your ancestors’ lives, but discovering more about their spiritual practices, their religions and rituals, their festivals and symbols. Digging into your history as a member of the queer or trans community should involve exploring the ways your forgoers created spiritual paths, how they built and held faith, how they supported each other, celebrated and mourned. If you identify as a witch, try to find out more about the history of healers, the folklore and the magical stories they may have told. And so on.

And all of this wisdom is really worth something in the unique way you, a new person forging a new path, will translate and communicate it. This card can therefore be encouraging you to teach, or facilitate, or write, or blog. To not only learn, but to understand how these teachings and lessons play out in your own life now, and in those of others who share your heritage.

The Hierophant can also represent your initiation onto a spiritual path. Converting to Islam. Stepping into Paganism. Becoming ordained as a priest. Building an altar or committing to following the Wheel of the Year. Any significant milestone in your spiritual life is the Hierophant’s domain, and it reminds you that you have the support of everyone that came before you. The energy of your ancestors lives in you, but you are not constrained by their lessons. It is now up to you to forge the path ahead – your path.

Key words and concepts

• Ancestry
• Connecting to your past
• Honouring your ancestors
• Family history research (where family can be genetic or chosen)
• Talking with elders
• Initiation into a religious or spiritual community or path
• A new start, spiritually
• Spiritual wisdom or teachings
• Religious or spiritual study
• Becoming a teacher or mentor
• Reaching a milestone in any kind of study

Some common symbols

• Key (initiation, unlocking secret wisdom)
• Pope-like figure (a conduit between worlds, a translator)
• A teacher (passing on of wisdom)

Beginning.

Welcome to the very first card of the tarot: The Fool. If you haven’t grabbed the card yet, please do! These words and ideas will help you – but to really remember them and relate them to the card itself, you’re gonna need to hold it in your hand and study its image.

Ready? Got your card? Let’s begin!

And we begin not at number 1, but at zero . Though we are beginning, our journey has not yet taken shape.

The Fool is all about beginning a journey, and is a great place to begin exploring the winding road that is the Major Arcana. Over the next three weeks, card by card, we will encounter 22 archetypes, each with an important life lesson to teach, each adding another piece to the puzzle that is our existence in this big, strange, scary-beautiful world. The Fool, signifying beginnings, represents you, embarking on this very journey.

I’ve pulled the Fool card from each of three very different tarot decks, and am studying their images. The first shows a person who is about to walk off a cliff, head held high, apparently oblivious (the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot). Next, a hitchhiker in the midday sun, thumb out, stripy socks and pigtails, a small pack at their feet (The Collective Tarot). Last, a fledgeling bird, perched on a branch, ready to learn to fly (The Wild Unknown Tarot).

What do these images have in common? They all show a figure who is on the brink of taking a risk. A leap of faith. Each of these figures is about to step into the unknown.

Which is a perfect metaphor for the Fool – the very first card of the tarot, and the ‘hero’ that represents each of us, embarking on a journey into the tarot, and into life itself.

What image is shown on your card, and how does it represent these ideas?

As card zero, the number before numbers, this is all about unformed potential. It is nothing, a blank canvas, awaiting action, awaiting projection. As Rachel Pollack writes in Seventy Eight Degrees of Wisdom , “all things remain possible because no definite form has been taken” . Pollack points out that the number zero is like an egg, full of life, getting ready to hatch. But we don’t know what’s inside the egg yet.

This isn’t about conscious will. It’s not about knowing, or having a set and specific goal. It’s about the first step. It’s bold, but it’s not about setting intentions or showing steely resolve (that comes later, for example in the next card, the Magician, and the Chariot, among others). It’s more about just not giving a damn. Being absolutely in the moment, here, now, ready to start. And that, I think, is the bravest thing of all.

The Fool asks us to enter into an exchange of trust with the Universe. It asks you to place your trust in the unseen, allow yourself to be guided by curiosity, move beyond self-doubt and fear of failure… and in return you will find yourself on a journey that is richer, more challenging, more rewarding, wilder, freer, less predictible, and more fun. You place your faith in the Universe, and in your own self – together. You plus the mystery of life, is a magical combination. You’re set to go somewhere good.

Others may look on and see ‘foolishness’. Don’t they realise that hitchhiking is dangerous/they are about to fall off a cliff/their wings aren’t big enough to fly yet?

And it can be so scary and difficult to trust yourself when the rest of the world is saying “no, don’t be stupid, turn back, it’s dangerous!” Far easier to turn back, not to try. Not to move forwards.

But the Fool knows something everyone else has forgotten: the world is a magical place. And it is yours, a place to explore, to name, to discover over and over.

Advice from the Fool

The Fool encourages you onwards, whilst acknowledging that this may require a leap of faith. This may come naturally to you – for example if you feel ready for adventure, to make a change, to experiment – or it may feel scary. It can be hard, not knowing what’s on the other side! What if you fall? What if there’s no-one there to catch you?

But that’s exactly what this is about. Don’t second-guess what’s on the other side. Move forwards, despite your fears. Remember that you do not have to have all of the information in order to act. In fact, the Fool posits that the less you know, the better! This is not about having your mind made up, but being ready to learn.

The Fool is about beginnings of all kinds. Big new starts in life, a new home/job/relationship, a new spiritual journey, the start of a major personal transition. A new era in your life, or simply feeling that it’s time for one. Maybe you’re walking away from something that is done, ready to start over – or you’re about to. It can also be a smaller thing – finally getting ready to begin a project you’ve always wanted to do. Sending that pitch. Getting that haircut. Climbing that hill. If it involves some degree of ‘getting over yourself’, then that’s Fool energy.

In all cases, the Fool is your cheerleader. “Go for it!”, this card says joyfully, giving you a wave from the road. Don’t overthink this. Trust your gut, trust the Universe, and take that step.

Key words and concepts

• A blank canvas, unformed potential
• A fresh start
• Taking a risk
• Not caring what the world thinks
• Surrender
• Answering a ‘call’
• Trusting in the universe
• Overcoming self-doubt
• Embracing uncertainty
• Defying social norms and being your rad self

Some common symbols

• A cliff-edge or precipice (leaving safety behind)
• Sunshine (positivity, action, embracing life)
• A dog or animal helper (because you are not alone, you are supported)
• A small bag (travelling light, taking only what you need)
• A wand, held lightly (you have access to magic, even if you don’t know how to wield it yet)
• Flowers (purity, beauty, lightness of spirit)

Magical stability

In the Ten of Pentacles, we have it all. Life is abundant, comfortable. There is enough to go around, we are all well fed, we all have roofs over our heads and satisfying, enjoyable work.

In this suit, we have seen the planting of seeds. We’ve seen what it takes to nurture and grow those seeds and work towards goals, harvesting the fruit of our labours. We’ve talked about material resources, teamwork, give and take. We’ve practiced and worked hard and reached this point of really achieving something. Things have manifested. Things are good.

Now, we receive a reminder of that central idea in the pentacles suit: the magic. The magic in our everyday lives, in our work, our communities, our relationships. The magic that we exude through simply living our lives, and the magic we receive from our environment.

As the culmination of the pentacles suit, the Ten asks: when you have it all – what next? What else is there?

The Pentacles suit leads us on to the other suits – wands, swords, and cups. We’ll focus on thinking and feeling and becoming ourselves on more spiritual levels. Here, we see the culmination of a long journey of foundation-setting. Now, we are ready to go further, and deeper. The Ten is the completion of one chapter, but it is also setting the stage for the next.

In a reading…

Celebrate what you have. Feel abundant, feel rich. Enjoy the good things in your life. You deserve all that you have and it’s good to just relax into that kind of security, to know that you are held.

At the same time, don’t lose track of the real magic in your life. Don’t get caught up in material acquisition (important though it is to have comfortable foundations), so that you lose sight of the more spiritual elements of your life. Be proud of the material abundance you enjoy – but see this as a foundation upon which to stand and look to greater things.

Tens are endings. The final card in each suit’s numerical sequence, each Ten shows us a cycle coming to a close. There has been a journey, you have a story to tell. Lessons have been learned. It’s a point where you can look back and appreciate that story, before looking forward to what comes next. The energy is about to shift.

Here with the Ten of Pentacles, the journey so far has been earthy, grounded, and tangible. What comes next will feel different. Know that you’ve got solid foundations to stand on as you prepare for the next ride.

Strength in foundations

Many folks seem have a troubled relationship with the Emperor card. Plenty more strongly dislike it. According to my own totally informal research, the Emperor is the least popular tarot card of all.

As the Emperor is often read as the archetypal ‘Father’ (with the Empress as ‘Mother’), there are Freudian and Jungian explanations for this that are rooted in father-child (and mother-child) relationships. As in, the Emperor can represent your own father and/or that relationship, or it could point to your relationship to masculine parental figures and paternal authority in general. (You can research the Father Complex if this interests you.)

Beyond ‘Father’, though, the Emperor also represents social structures, norms and codes.

Authority. Government. The establishment. The patriarchy. Society can be (and clearly is) a constrictive box where each person is made to conform or is expelled or made very uncomfortable. The Emperor can represent the rule of law, decision-making by out-of-touch leaders, and so on. The Emperor typically prizes order, conformity, commercial success, strong hierarchical leadership. Going further, it can be about the ways law and order is enforced: this may point to the prison system, the police state, white supremacy, religion or capitalism as social control, and so on.

But the Emperor does not only signify oppressive or harmful structures. It can be the qualities of leadership that can achieve positive change. In the Slow Holler Tarot, this card is re-named ‘Navigator’, and represents a person who “…has skills, confidence and experience that allow them to steer, direct and create structures for group effort.” This person can talk the talk, understand the relevant norms and codes, and is able to lead with confidence. These are valuable skills that can inspire. They are useful in all kinds of spheres.

Expectations are clear, boundaries are set and marked, and all standards and protocols are laid out. Despite their emphasis on order and structure, they can also show a bold, innovative vision – their solid base of knowledge sprinkled with a dash of daring.

The Slow Holler Tarot

As a leader, the Emperor can be someone who grabs power and wields it over others, or it can be someone who is able to lead with compassion and, assisted by a team, achieve great things. It represents the difficult decisions that need to be made, the structures that inform those decisions, and the importance of accountability at all levels.

Advice from the Emperor

The Emperor will often be asking you to confront difficult power dynamics as they manifest in your own life, such as your relationship with authority, feelings of powerlessness, complicity in in oppressive structures, your own use or abuse of different kinds of power, and more. It can represent any institution, person or group that wields power, or it can be your yourself.

This card is also about doing groundwork, building solid foundations. That might look like setting the ground rules at the start of a community workshop, to create a solid platform upon which a safe space can be established. Someone, or a number of people, have the role of ensuring the rules are followed. Because if they’re not? The safety of the space is compromised and the outcome of the workshop or meeting will not be useful.

Or it might look like a person creating boundaries for themself. These boundaries are an essential element of self-care, holding that person’s emotions out of reach of spiritual vampires or keeping them safe from a particularly toxic person or community. (By the same token, it could indicate that someone’s boundaries are too rigid, or are being clung to out of fear.)

The Emperor could be a sound business policy that protects you and honours your work. Or creating a daily routine to get you through a ‘stuck patch’ or beat procrastination. For the Emperor is not a person who procrastinates! If there’s a job to be done, this card says: get it done.

And if the Emperor does represent ‘society’, it necessarily therefore can represent the vision of a better one. A solid constitution. Genuine consultation. Leadership that ensures everyone gets heard and looked after.

Key words and concepts

• Rules and laws
• Structure
• Discipline
• Leadership
• Doing what needs to be done
• Making (perhaps difficult or unpopular) decisions
• Creating solid foundations, doing groundwork
• Wielding power (for good or bad purposes)
• Oppression, dictatorship, an institution or situation that traps and controls
• A paternal figure in your life

Some common symbols

• Armour (protection)
• An older person (wisdom gained through experience)
• Red robes (strength and leadership)
• Symmetry and straight lines (structure, order)
• A ram’s head (the zodiac sign of Aries, the initiator)

When worries overtake

Everybody is familiar with that horrible feeling that comes only in the middle of the night. You’re the only person awake. And you’re filled with an overwhelming sense of fear or dread, so much that you can’t sleep. There may be something specific on your mind, or it may be an indefinable anxious feeling – either way, it’s got you lying awake, feeling terribly alone.

Though the Nine of Swords may or may not be taking place at midnight, it’s a card for being overwhelmed with worry or fear. Like the Eight of Swords, it can point to anxiety – especially the kind where things feel far worse than they really are.

On a slightly lighter note, the Nine of Swords can point to any pressing worry, anything nagging on our minds. Maybe you’ve put off doing something important and it’s about to catch up with you. Maybe you said something you shouldn’t have and can’t stop thinking about it. This card represents the way it feels when your head gets ‘taken over’ by worrisome or anxious thoughts.

In a reading…

So what to do?

Firstly, if you’re experiencing actual anxiety, take it serieously. Go careful with yourself, be kind and compassionate to yourself, read up on helpful self-care techniques, do the things that you know will help ease your mind. Take your medication if that’s right for you. Get support if you can. Let folks know where you’re at and that you’re having a tough time. Don’t judge yourself harshly but acknowledge what is happening.

If your experience is more at the ‘worry’ end of the spectrum, focus on practical ways to alleviate your mind. Sometimes writing a to-do list, or starting the very first thing, can be a really helpful way to feel like you’re gaining control.

If you’re going over something hurtful, try to let it rest. Acknowledge the way your mind is being ‘taken over’ by this event, and allow yourself to reframe it or put it down entirely. Maybe writing a letter will help (even if you never send it), or doing some simple ritual or creative practice to help you let this thing go.

The dynamics of give and take

Following on neatly from the Five, the Six of Pentacles shows us the flip-side of that suffering and disadvantage. Here (in the Rider-Waite-Smith and other traditional decks) the two people dressed in rags are kneeling on the ground, whilst a rich-looking person drops pennies into their outstretched hands.

The Six of Pentacles deals with power dynamics as they manifest in everyday life. The dynamics within charity. The politics of give and take, need and plenty. This is about socialism and the welfare state. It’s about redistributing wealth. It’s about sharing what we have – giving when we have more than we need, and asking for help when we don’t have enough. It can point to healthy expressions of this kind of give and take, and it can point to dysfunctions too. ‘Charity’ is not always a healthy situation (think of the expectation that immigrants be ‘grateful’ or ‘good’.) What is expected in return for that charity? And who is really benefitting – the folks who need support, or the ‘giver’.  Who virtue-signals their generosity?

Questions may also be raised about the recipients. It may be that they have become so used to receiving handouts that they have forgotten their own power. The time of needing support may be long gone, yet they do not notice that their strength has returned, and don’t stand up and take hold of their own destiny.

And then, in many decks, we see a set of scales. This is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the many imbalances this card might contain, asking us to look closely at the power dynamics of which we are part.

In a reading…

This card firstly asks you where you stand in relation to this scene. Are you the ‘needy person’, hands outstretched for charity? Are you the wealthier person, measuring out your gift? Are you a bystander, watching the scene but not directly involved? What is your complicity in the complex politics of give and take?

It can of course point to the healthy kind of giving. Maybe you have spare money or resources, and you donate what you don’t need. This can be a fine thing – the Six of Pentacles encourages you to spread your good fortune around.

The same goes for asking for help when you need it. We do not all have equal resources and privilege at the same time. If you need help, reach out. Don’t be ashamed to ask a friend for a bed for the night, or your community to help fund your project.

But, remember the scales. Always be looking at the dynamics. Always be thinking about who holds power and privilege, what is expected in return for gifts given, the perhaps unwritten rules of this exchange.

The Six of Pentacles also talks about power dynamics in our intimate relationships. It asks you to consider the role of balance within your relationships. Are you the person who is always giving? Or the one who takes and takes? Perhaps you are in a codependent relationship that is becoming harmful. Take a brave look at the balances and imbalances within your relationships (we all have them, sometimes!) How can you and your loved one/s address this and bring things to a more balanced and healthy place?

Perhaps you require additional support and care from friends, family or partners – or a loved one requires support and care from you. In this case, the Six of Pentacles points to those dynamics, and any underlying frustrations or resentments that can of course be present within those relationships.

As always, nobody is being judged – this is about taking a good look at what is going on, and ensuring our relationships are as healthy as they can be.

Pause and reflect

Remember the Ace of Pentacles, and its message of allowing time, space and nourishment for your projects to come to fruition? The acknowledgement that the planting of seeds requires commitment to the long-haul, the journey?

The Seven of Pentacles shows us a mid-point. You have put in work, things are growing well, and it looks as though there will be a good harvest. Well done! This is a moment to be proud of. There is more work to be done before the fruit is ripe, but it is an achievement to have got this far.

It’s also an opportunity to press pause for a moment. To step back from your work and have a think about what comes next. This might be a turning point, or it might not. It might be time to change direction, alter your approach or just make some small tweaks. Or, you may find that things are going great and you don’t need to change a thing!

In a reading…

Whatever you’re busy with right now – take a moment. Step back. With your nose pressed up against your Very Important Work, it can be hard to see what’s needed. The Seven of Pentacles asks you to take your time. Get the bigger picture, a wider perspective.

Celebrate your achievements so far! Things seem to be going well. This may seem obvious, or you may not be feeling that sense of accomplishment right now – either is fine. Know that you are doing great, that you got this.

But take this as an opportunity for a turning point, too, a chance to make changes and tweaks.

Take a moment to re-focus on your goals. Where are you trying to get to? Do you still want to go there, or have things shifted a little (or a lot)? It’s okay to turn a corner. Remember that you don’t have to follow the path you defined at the start of all this – every journey involves learning, and that may mean changing tack. Allow yourself the space to consider this.

If things aren’t feeling great – don’t give up, not just yet. Think about how you might do things differently from now on, how you might fix what isn’t working. Look for practical solutions to the obstacles you’re facing. Step back and take that wider view, get things in perspective.

This card has a slow, gentle, organic kind of energy. Take your time here, there’s no rush. Rest if you need to.

Protecting what is yours

This card can go one of two ways: it’s either about greed, or it’s about self-care. Either way, it’s highlighting focus on self.

As a culture, we have a funny relationship with the concept of ‘selfishness’. We’re all, to a fair degree, selfish beings – we work towards our own goals, we spend our earnings on things that make our own lives better, we view life from our own perspectives. At the same time, to be called ‘selfish’ is a terrible insult. The Four of Pentacles raises questions about that.

It can represent a person who is being mean and grabby. Focusing on their own material gain or comfort, perhaps to the expense of others. Overly concerned with material or financial things. Losing track of what’s important in life, becoming disconnected from life’s pleasures. In Pamela Colman-Smith’s version of this card, a figure sits hunched over a large pentacle. Pentacles cover their feet (separating them from the earth). They sit with their back to the town, forsaking their community. They look hungry and defensive. It’s a pretty bleak image of greed!

On the other hand, perhaps this person is acting wisely . Maybe they’re all spent out and need to save some cash to make sure they have next month’s rent. Maybe they’ve spent so much time caring for others, they’ve forgotten how to take care of themselves. Maybe they’re creating boundaries to help them do that.

In a reading…

You may be getting called out for being selfish or greedy. Being too materialistic. Focusing on your own needs too much, and neglecting others. This is a frequent interpretation of the Four of Pentacles. If it shows up like this in your reading, you know it’s time to lighten up. Share a little. Practice gratitude and let it lead you to generosity. You needn’t hold so tight to what you have. It’s not all about you.

Think also about what you might be feeling protective over, and why. When we guard our ‘stuff’ this closely, it’s usually because we’re afraid it may be taken away. Is this an idea you could dig into? Can you see what’s at the heart of that fear?

This card may also/alternatively be about boundaries (…which of course, others may perceive as ‘selfish’.) There’s a huge amount to be gained from accepting that you have needs (especially but not exclusively material needs), and from actually prioritising them. Sometimes you have the resources and energy to help everyone around you, or to say yes to social events, or to invite folks into your space. Other times, it’s important to create boundaries, so that you can sustain yourself. This is an especially important concept for activists and folks with caring responsibilities – your work involves caring for others, but you won’t be able to do that if you haven’t first taken care of your own needs. Don’t be afraid to rein it in sometimes and focus on yourself.

A pause and a celebration

This card is another mid-point. We are somewhere along in our journey, and the going has been hard, but good. It’s time for a party!

The Four of Wands shows us a celebration. It’s a ‘why not?’ kinda card that wants us to stand back and look how far we’ve come. Sure, there’s plenty of work ahead – this is in no way a ‘completion’ card – but right now, it’s time for a day off.

To work and work without feeling real joy and purpose is a depressing thing. The Four of Wands represents work/life balance, a feeling of our projects being part of a wider expression of who we are. We are not only our work, our ideas, the things we create. We are much more than that. This card celebrates that and encourages you to do things that feel good. We are sustained by this kind of balance, nurtured by doing things just for the sheer fun of them, better able to do our more ‘serious’ work.

In a reading…

Take a moment to pause, here. Look at what you’ve done so far, the way your journey is going. Consider recent achievements, milestones, things you’re proud of – these may be big or very small, but it is all worth celebrating.

This is a little like standing on a bridge. From the apex, we can look back at the road so far, and forward to the journey ahead. Take a moment. Admire the view. You can work again tomorrow.

As this is a four, it’s about structure in some way. Here, that looks like structuring time off into your work schedule, or remembering to share your achievements with friends. This simple acts bring joy into our lives, which sustains us in the long run.

The Four of Wands can suggest just about any kind of party. Regardless of your ‘journey’, maybe it’s just time to have some friends round or go out on the town? Take this card as permission to have some fun.

Completion

…and when we are finally able to do this – to heed Judgement ‘s call and fully accept and love ourselves? We arrive here, at the World.

Here, we finally understand what the Fool’s journey has been about.

Self-actualisation. Becoming. Becoming whole. Realising our wholeness, our completeness. Realising that we are one with the Universe, and really knowing that on a deep level, in our bones, in our minds, in our hearts, and in our souls.

The World is about completion. This may be in the huge, personally transforming way described above, or it may be in smaller ways. Completing a big project. Coming to the end of a challenging journey. It’s about all the work you’ve put in so far, all the lessons you’ve learned, finally coming to a conclusion. It is a pinnacle. The final milestone. The end.

As we’ve seen before, the completion of a cycle carries within itself the seed of a new beginning. Death holds within itself rebirth. Judgement leads to liberation. The Tower provides us with a blank canvas. The Wheel… well, it turns and turns. As we arrive at the point of fulfilment inherent in the World, we are necessarily faced with the potential of starting over, completely.

We reach the World. We celebrate. Then we head back to the beginning. Once again, we become the Fool.

Advice from the World.

This might be about finding your ‘soul’s calling’, if you believe there is one. Tuning in to what you most desire. Living the life you really want to live. Becoming the person you really want to be (hint: you already are inside – you only have to step into it).

Think about what the idea of ‘completion’ means to you. What would it look like, to feel complete? To have integrated all of yourself into one, and to feel aligned with your soul’s desire? This is about living truthfully – spend time considering what that means for you.

The World is also a representation of your goal. If you’re working on something, know that the end is in sight, or that your goal is an important one, and worth the hard work. It may be asking you to focus (like the Chariot). It’s encouraging you to work towards the fulfilment of your goals.

You have changed. You have grown. You have moved through a complete cycle, and learned powerful lessons about who you are. This is something to honour and celebrate. Throw a party! Dance, have fun. Enjoy this incredible, wonderful moment. Be proud of yourself. You got this. You did it.

And know that all of this, all of this energy of wholeness, will soon be out of date. It will dissipate as life shifts again, taking you to a new beginning to start over. You are now stronger, wiser, and more yourself than when you began, and your next adventure will be different, bring new challenges, new experiences. Surrender once again to this cyclical flow, remembering that you are simply the Fool, filled with infinite possibilities.

Key words and concepts

• Completion
• A sense of wholeness
• Knowing who you are in the world, having a sense of place
• Feeling deeply connected to all things
• Reaching your goal
• Bringing things to their end, wrapping up projects
• Focusing on your goal
• Celebration
• Preparing to start over

Some common symbols

• A dancer (pure self-expression)
• Flags (movement and joy)
• Wands (magic)
• Circles (wholeness, completion, cycles)

Confident leadership

Where the Knight of Wands showed us untamed dynamism, the King is the real deal. This is someone who gets things done. Fuelled by inspiration, they have the wisdom and experience to actually bring ideas into the real world. They see things through, and this is a card for completion and achievement.

All kings are leaders, and the King of Wands is the leader who inspires others. We can trust that this person is not all talk, but will follow through on their promises – again, this is about the action that comes from an idea, not just the idea itself. There’s follow-through. There’s that charisma again, this time it’s grounded and sexy in its steadiness. Other people just want to be around this energy, and lap up the king’s ideas.

The arrogance we saw in the Knight has grown and mellowed into a deep sense of self-confidence. The King of Wands has failed many ties and knows how to approach projects calmly, with all that fire carefully controlled and poised. There’s no need to rush headlong into things – this king is bold and considered, strong rather than wild.

Having reached this position, this person may be great at delegating. They have worked their way through the many trials of the wands suit and knows how to discern between activities that are actually worth time and energy, and tasks that can be dropped or handed over. They don’t need to micro-manage, because they know that they are in control.

Special skills: Confident, great leader, sees things through.

Emotional freedom

Here is a person who has done a lot of deep spiritual work and has integrated their lessons fully. They know who they are, they know how to listen to their heart and follow their soul’s desires.

Like the King, the Queen of Cups has had plenty of experience in matters of the heart. They have searched and experimented, moved through breakups and new love, learned about kindness and compassion. Again, they may be a person who helps others in their own journeys.

This is an intuitive person, someone who feels everything. Empathetic, they can ‘tune in’ to the people they meet and understand them on a deep level. This can make some folks feel uneasy around the Queen of Cups, whilst others may feel a sense of ease. This is someone who can truly see people for who they are.

Ultimately though, these external, visible qualities emanate from a profound inner place. The Queen of Cups knows himself. He knows, like the Queen of Pentacles, how deeply he is connected to the whole Universe, and is grounded in his emotional life. It may not always be steady, but he owns it with passion. He knows how to listen. He knows how to tune out the noise and hear what his heart has to say in any situation. This card encourages you to draw on that power and listen deep.

Any ‘witchy’ practice can be associated with the Queen of Cups: spellwork, magic, lunar love, tarot and astrology, goddess-work, ritual. The queen is always ready to delve deeper into her practice and explore further, or try new things.

Special skills: Empathetic, deeply intuitive.

Permission to grieve

The Five of Cups shows us a moment of pure sadness. There’s very little here, but a figure, standing sadly beside overturned cups.

What happened? It doesn’t really matter. Whatever those cups held is now gone, and this person is left to deal with it.

Though this isn’t really about ‘dealing’ with things. It’s about letting those feelings out. Loss is painful. Breakups are painful. Life hurts. It’s okay to feel sad: the Five of Cups offers us all permission to grieve.

In many illustrations of this card, two cups remain upright. They represent hope, and all of the positive, wonderful energy in the Two of Cups. For now, they are untouched, ignored. Hope is there in the background for when we are ready. For now, it’s okay to simply sit with our loss and feel our own pain.

In a reading…

Let yourself be sad. If you’re putting on a brave face or being strong for someone else (or for yourself), now is the time to drop the act. Really give yourself the space to feel what you feel. It may be simple grief. It may be a complex mix of things. Go with it.

You don’t have to be any thing for anybody. All you must do right now is feel. Healing can only take place when mourning is done – that might take a few days, it may take years, and both are fine.

Remember, though, that life goes on around you. Those two cups – symbols of so much possibility for joy, love and fulfilment – are right behind you. Whenever you are ready – and there really is no rush – they will be there for you. Hold that knowledge deep inside and let it support you as you work through how you feel just now.

This can also represent going back to an old wound. If there’s anything you have ‘stuffed down’ in the past, a grief, guilt or grudge that you carry, now is a good time to face that. Don’t be afraid of it – make some space in your life so that you can gently acknowledge what happened. This is about healing, and that begins with being truly honest about how you feel.

Finding your balance

This card often shows a juggler – someone who is holding more than one ‘ball’ at once. Here, the juggler’s balls, or pentacles, represent projects, roles, responsibilities. There’s magic in being able to spread your focus, in not dropping one ball while you concentrate on another.

It’s not usually a stressful situation, though. There’s a buzz that can come from keeping all your plates spinning, and this isn’t necessarily about having ‘too much on’. It’s more about finding that balance between the different roles you hold. Getting a good work/life balance, for example. Seeing both of your partners enough. Being a great parent, but getting enough me-time, too. That kind of thing.

Twos mean dualities. How we handle decision-making, how we unify or celebrate opposites, how we work with the power of more-than-one. Here, that looks a lot like being busy! But, handled well, this can also mean enjoying the buzz of wearing a few different hats.

In a reading…

You’ve got this – don’t worry. The Two of Pentacles reminds you that you’re capable of tricky things (heck, you’re capable of really hard things). Don’t shy away the moment you’re pulled in two (or more) directions – this could be a really fulfilling situation for you.

Wherever possible, seek balance. Look for that sweet spot where you know you can juggle your responsibilities. This might mean getting some practical support: a desk to work at, someone else to cook dinner, some kind of time management system. Get the foundations in place so you can juggle with ease.

And if things do feel like too much? This card says ‘put something down’. Juggle merrily, but don’t stress yourself out. Figure out your capacity, and stay within it.

There is another interpretation of this card, however: choice. All of the tarot’s twos deal with choice. If you see this card in the midst of a tricky dilemma, it’s make your mind up time! Before you do this, though, have a serious think. Is it possible to have both?

Scarred, but strong

The Three of Swords is a bleak-seeming card, and its message is a tough one. It signals heartbreak, sadness, loss and grief. Often, the image is a very simple one – a heart, shot through with swords. Because this is how it feels to be heartbroken – as though you’ve been pierced.

However, this is also a card of resilience. The heart does not truly break, but mends itself. We carry on our hearts the scars of all kinds of battles, all kinds of pain. Yet – we are still here. Our hearts are still beating.

In a reading…

The Three of Swords witnesses your pain. If you are heartbroken or are going through any kind of loss, this card does not beat about the bush or pretend things are – or are going to be – okay. Shit is painful right now, and you are really feeling it.

But it is also a reminder of your strength and resilience. It doesn’t preach ‘be strong’ – this card allows you to collapse and feel your pain, you don’t have to do a thing except feel – it simply reminds you that you are strong. That this, too, will pass. And your heart will keep beating and you will keep growing and there is life on the other side of this.

You may even be wiser for your experience. Perhaps one day you will wear your scars with pride. This card can point to a heart that has many scars, but that is going strong.

If you are in pain right now, know that there is no rush. Healing is non-linear and may take a long time. Let the process happen naturally, feel what you are feeling, and allow your heart to do its thing. Know that it wants to heal, and it will.

What holds you down?

The Devil, with its foreboding images of demons and chains and some dark, scary hellscape points to the devil we all carry within us.

It asks each of us: What holds you down?

A common image on this card is a human or humans, chained or tied, lorded over by a demon, but making no attempt to get free. They seem to accept their circumstances without question or struggle. In showing this image, the Devil discusses complicity. It is so easy to give in to the oppressive structures that hold us down, far easier than working hard to get free. It’s about that very human paradox in which we want the things that harm us or hold us back. Addiction – to substances, to consumerism, to ‘things’, to self-descructive behaviours, to social media, to whatever – is a form of putting off this hard work. We turn to external gratification when we feel a lack within ourselves, and are never satisfied. But it is easier than really dealing with what’s going on inside.

In some decks, the Devil points to oppression coming from outside. I tend to reserve that interpretation for the Emperor, the Wheel of Fortune and some of the minor arcana – cards, which point to power structures that impact our lives. The Devil, for me, is very much about the prisons that we create for ourselves.

At its most pro-active, it is reminding you that you have a choice. Painful as it may be, it asks you to own your own bondage, to be self-aware. Own the stories that you tell, recognise when you are creating stories to hold yourself down. Ask yourself, “what am I afraid of?” Because ultimately, this scary old card is about confronting the fear inside.

Advice from the Devil

I resolutely believe that there is no judgement within the tarot (aside from the card that’s actually named ‘Judgement’, of course! More on that later.) No card judges you. No card tells you ‘you are bad’ or ‘that is good’.

What you might get instead is righteously called out. As in “What’s this behaviour about, huh?” , or “You need to take a hard look at why you always resort to XYZ behavior – what are you avoiding?” The Devil is not a gentle card, but its message doesn’t have to be harsh. It is an act of self-love to take the advice of your own demon, and look it in the eye.

After that, you have to start plotting your escape. Your eyes are open, you are aware of your complicity in a structure that oppresses you. Now you can get free. Your ego, anxious to hold on to that easier identity, tries to replace its addiction to external validation with something else, but you can overcome this neediness. There is so much more to life.

In that same vein, there’s a more mundane message here about materialism. Addiction to ‘things’ is a sad issue of our time – it leads to huge amounts of waste, a throwaway culture, and a sense of not having enough (which ultimately means: not being enough). Think of the way beauty products are marketed, for example: by creating insecurity. We buy to fill the need, to fix ourselves. Our inner demons tell us that we need ‘things’ to make ourselves more beautiful, successful, popular, good. The Devil can represent becoming bogged down in this stuff, forgetting about the bigger picture and what is truly important in life.

Key words and concepts

• Bondage
• Addiction
• Materialism
• Destructive behaviours
• Getting trapped in harmful cycles
• Choosing to get free, or choosing not to get free
• Losing sight of what is important in life
• Confronting fear
• Accountability to yourself
• Delusion…and self-awareness
• Committing to your own freedom

Some common symbols

• Chains (bondage)
• Nakedness (vulnerability, poverty of spirit)
• Hellish imagery (a spiritual prison)
• A devil or demon (inner demons)
• A key (freedom)
• Upside-down pentagram (materialism)

Rooted in kindness

Often it is the simplest things that mean the most. Small gestures of love that remind us someone cares. A word, a smile, a gift. There is so much power in kindness, it is a true force.

The Six of Cups celebrates acts of kindness and generosity. It encourages us to bring more of this into our lives and to focus on what really matters. What use is wealth, nice clothes, a big home, if we can’t love each other or share what we have? Meditate on this simple lesson. Look for ways to live a kinder life, encourage others to do the same.

There is a deeper meaning to this card too – about rootedness and belonging. The Six of Cups raises themes of family and ancestry and where we each come from, specifically in relation to how it these things inform your own life now. It asks us to explore what it feels like to be ‘rooted’ – that may be physically in a space, or it may be in a culture, tradition or lineage that we are part of.

In a reading…

When you see this card, look for simple ways to inject a little love and kindness into your situation. Reach out to someone who needs it. Buy yourself some flowers. Send that message of support. Donate.

It’s so easy to take our loved ones for granted, to snap at a partner, ignore a friend’s text. Don’t. Know that these relationships are gifts and require energy to survive. Put that energy in – it needn’t be laborious or require much of you. Remember that the simpler things in life are often what matter more. Don’t forget to say “I love you.”

If you’re overwhelmed with work or obligations, take a time out. Relax a little. Take a walk. Again, come back to what is simple, declutter or de-complicate where appropriate. Be kind to yourself.

This is also about your roots. Try to connect to a simpler time in your life – perhaps your childhood or any time you felt carefree. What mattered to you then? What were your goals? Where did you find joy, companionship, fun? (I’ve seen this card come up to suggest a return to a childhood hobby. Could you get back into karate, writing stories, camping? Maybe it’s time to try! Let yourself be nostalgic and experience that old-fashioned kind of fun.)

By the same token, the Six of Cups often points to a person who has gotten stuck in the past – perhaps acting talking or seeing things as they did a long time ago. If this is the case, the Six of Cups shines a soft light on that behaviour, bringing encouragement to turn around and look to the future – or, more importantly, the present.

The ‘roots’ theme is important. The Six of Cups can often be about connecting backwards, with family, grandparents, or perhaps ancestors. Think about the place from which you came, and your relationship to it now. In what ways to you carry forwards your own roots?

Perhaps you have torn up your roots and looking backwards in this way is painful or not appropriate for you just now. That’s okay. Imagine yourself rooting into something new. Imagine the healthy, happy roots you would like to create for yourself. Know that these roots will be safe.

Feeling good

Sometimes, you just want to feel good. Not in any especially profound way, not as a result of a load of hard work or a ‘journey’, but just, good, plain and simple. That’s this card.

The Nine of Cups shows us simple satisfaction with what we have. It’s number nine, not ten – as in, this isn’t total fulfilment, but it’s damn close. Things feel good.

There’s a real sense of ease here, a comfort in knowing that things are okay, our needs are met, we are safe. Like the Six of Cups and the Sun, this card reminds us of life’s everyday pleasures and encourages us to seek happiness there.

You are enough. You have enough. You are safe.

On the other hand, this card may sometimes be a sign of superficiality – it can point to a tendency to look only at the surface of a situation, where beneath, things are not so simple or so rosy. Perhaps someone is pretending for some reason, deliberately not seeing the truth.

Traditionally, this is known as the ‘wish’ card. In divination, it can portend that your wishes will come true. It’s image of satisfaction is an auspicious card for anyone who is ready to state their desires.

In a reading…

Let yourself breathe, feel safe, feel good. Allow yourself to just know that you are okay, and that is enough. That you are enough. Sometimes, the most important thing is just to remember that.

Again: you are enough.

If you’ve been caught up in chasing after any kind of goal – especially something in your relationships or your spiritual life – Nine of Cups reminds you that you are doing fine and it’s okay to let up a little. Pause to enjoy this moment. Things are constantly changing, but now is a good time to stop and be present, to enjoy the things you have right now.

If the above words about superficiality ring a bell for you, the Nine of Cups can be encouraging you to go a little deeper. Don’t pretend things are perfect if there’s something you need to deal with. Be honest about what’s not great in your life, and know that it’s okay not to have it all together.

Lastly: make a wish. Name your desires. Ask the Universe for help. This card brings good fortune!

Grounded in self-care

As an archetype, the Empress is one that will be familiar to most of us. A life-giver, a creator, a source from which all life has sprung. The Empress represents the desire within every living thing to grow and flourish. It represents the world bringing you forth, asking you to simply be.

This Empress personifies the impulse to nurture and nourish. This is fertility and growth. This is the ability to plant a seed and give it all that it needs until it becomes a plant or a tree, producing seeds of its own. It is nature, feeding us. It is us, feeding nature. It is cycles of life and death and rebirth. It is a celebration of all that surrounds us, rolling in fields of golden barley, soaking up the abundance of it all. This is unstoppable, flowing life-force.

This card is all about care. Self-care, and care for others. Compassion. Kindness. It is making sure your own needs are met, and meeting the needs of others. It is a dear friend showing you support. It is the careful creation of safe spaces. Creating nourishing space. Bringing people together and encouraging them to grow together.

There is radical self-acceptance here, the willingness to be in your own skin and allow others the same freedom. Empress says: “I am here and I love myself. I belong here. There is space for me here. There is space for you, too.”

This is also sensuality, sexuality, body-love, body freedom. Skinny dipping. Strutting your stuff. Wearing what you want. Tenderly enjoying the body that you have, its unique beauties, its strengths, its limits. Working towards a healthy relationship with your physicality, playing with it, trying new things.

It is a physical engagement with the world that is anything but mundane. It is finding the magic that exists all around us, it is the pleasure of touch, taste, smell, sound, and sight. It is a rose garden and a deep, hot bath. It is cake, or leather, or whatever turns you on. The Empress is luxury.

When you hold space for a friend, cook nourishing food, or run a hot bath for a tired lover, you express the energy of the Empress. When you prioritise self-care and look after your material needs, you express the Empress. When you tend a garden or put on your fanciest/sexiest /most comfortable outfit, expressing what is within you through your clothing or makeup, you are channelling Empress energy. When you feel the restorative power of nature, practice herbalism, talk to trees, camp out, gather flowers for your table, watch a sunset, or sit in the park, you’re experiencing Empress energy.

Advice from the Empress

As you’ve probably picked up, the Empress wants you to love and care for yourself – unconditionally. As Empress energy is earthy, grounded stuff, we’re talking about making sure your physical needs are met. Focus on your environment, your home, your workspace – are these comfortable and pleasant places to be? Nourishing food, clean bedsheets, access to green space – these are mundane aspects of our lives, but the Empress will tell you, they are foundational to happiness. It’s easy to get distracted by ‘higher’ pursuits – spirituality, intellectualism – but your physical world matters too. The Empress celebrates the magic in these foundations.

We all deserve to feel loved and cared for, it’s not something we have to ‘earn’. The Empress can represent you meeting your own needs, and it can represent giving or receiving care from others. Playing a nurturing role, caretaking, parenting, showing up for friends or strangers. The Empress represents these kinds of roles, and asks you to focus on your relationship to them.

It’s important to remember that the Empress has this in balance. This is not a person who only cares for others and neglects their own self. Neither is this a person who is focused only on their own needs. There is a lot of generosity, a lot of give and take here in this card, so when you see the Empress in your readings, you might want to check you’re on a two-way street when it comes to giving and receiving care and support.

The Empress represents seeing things through. When a seed is sown, the harvest does not arrive the very next day – a lot of love and care go into bringing each plant to fruition. So the Empress is about taking that time and making a commitment to supporting processes that are slow and organic. Whether that’s work stuff, a relationship, a transition, a journey, the message is the same. Treat it with love and tenderness. Give it what it needs.

This is also a card of abundance. It can show up to remind you how much beauty there is in your life, or to encourage you to get out and breathe fresh air. It’s a card that celebrates the simple things – but it’s also one for luxury. Allow yourself a treat (or a full-blown shopping spree), pamper yourself, let yourself feel good.

Lastly, and perhaps most obviously, the Empress is about nature. Being in touch with the world around you. Getting out of that cubicle and seeing the sky. We all know that time in nature is restorative, physically, emotionally and mentally. Remind yourself that you were born from this earth and will return to it, that this is where you belong. Remember that nature loves you, and you have nothing to prove.

Key words and concepts

• Self-love and love for/from others
• Creativity and self-expression in all forms
• Abundance, richness
• Nature, cycles, feeling in tune with the seasons and the natural world
• Being in the flow
• Sexuality, sensuality, enjoying your physicality
• Fertility
• Life force
• A maternal figure in your life

Some common symbols

• Plants growing (fecundity, growth)
• Crops (abundance, richness)
• Venus symbols (love, sexuality, pleasure)
• A crown (power, being in charge)
• Pregnancy (fertlity and birth)
• A river (feelings in motion, flow)

What lies beneath

In its simplest sense, the High Priestess represents the unconscious. Bearing symbols such as the moon, the sea, columns of light and shadow, this is about inner wisdom, that which we understand on an intuitive level, but don’t (or aren’t able to) access regularly.

The High Priestess sits at the shadowy gateway between your conscious, everyday mind, and all that lies beneath. There is so much down there, it can be hard to make sense of it all. Ancestral knowledge, passed down through blood or culture. Lessons learned unconsciously in childhood. Socialisation. Trauma (both our own, and that which we inherit). Forgotten wisdom, connection to nature, spirit and lunar cycles. The knowledge of body and soul. The knowledge of what lies beyond. Though we aren’t always able to access this information, our bodies remember. Our souls remember. And we carry all of it within us.

Of course, it’s practical and necessary to have a boundary between what sits in the subconscious, and what our conscious mind is dealing with. Without it, we’d find it very hard to get on with our day-to-day lives, engage with people, get things done. There’s all kinds of weird shit down there, and most of the time it just wouldn’t be helpful to have it splurging up on the surface.

But sometimes, we do have to pay attention to the shadows and the mystery and the subconscious. Sometimes, that’s exactly where we’ll find the answers we need, or the challenges we need to face in order to move forwards. (In this sense, I think of the High Priestess as a representation of the tarot itself.)

How do we access this information? How do we make sense of it? That, of course, is up to each of us. When called to do so, when we know, deep down, that it’s time to look within, it is important to go gently, with compassion and respect.

Advice from the High Priestess

The High Priestess represents a calling to ‘go deep’. It can come up when you are looking outside of yourself for answers, encouraging you to go within, instead.

Unafraid of the shadows, the High Priestess very often shows up to gently encourage you to look towards what is uncomfortable. So often, our fears are what stand in the way of really knowing ourselves, and it is through confronting our fears that we experience the richest kind of learning.

If you see the High Priestess in your reading, it may be calling you to confront something in your own shadow, or something you have buried deep and hidden away . For many of us, this can be uncomfortable, even painful. If we are dealing with trauma and it is unsafe to ‘go there’, then the High Priestess can also point towards therapy.

The High Priestess may be calling you on a spiritual journey. It can encourage you to take a break from the bustle of everyday life, and to take some time out. An archetype of passivity and stillness, the High Priestess advocates a non-rational, non-dynamic approach to your situation: allowing yourself peace and quiet, meditating or daydreaming, calming your butterfly mind to allow space for a different kind of knowledge to come through.

If it feels appropriate, honour the High Priestess as an aspect of your self, honour her guardianship of your subconscious, and honour the profundity of this work, perhaps with a ritual, a prayer, or by creating an altar. It is not always easy or comfortable to do this work, but your journey will be worth it. Be careful with yourself, but don’t shy away. Be kind to yourself, remembering that kindness can mean holding your own hand and shining light into darkness.

Key words and concepts

• The answer is within you
• Listening to / trusting your intuition and feelings
• Looking beneath the surface / exploring your subconscious
• Getting therapy or accessing self-help resources
• Exploring or studying spirituality
• Taking a non-rational approach
• Knowing something you can’t explain
• Stillness, quiet, passivity, meditation
• A witch, shaman, psychic, or ‘wise woman’ figure
• Lunar cycles
• Spellwork and ritual
• Mystery

Some common symbols

• The moon (intuition)
• Water, especially still water (emotion)
• A veil (a division between worlds, or layers of consciousness)
• Scripture or text (wisdom, learning)
• A temple (a place of spiritual devotion)
• Blue and purple colours (serenity, spirituality, peace)

A just communicator

Here, we meet a person who is steadfastly confident in their beliefs. A profoundly fair person, to the point that there is no space for grey areas between the black and the white, the King of Swords lays down the law.

As with all the kings, this is a person who has worked long and hard to be in this position. Lengthy studies and tough life experiences have brought her to this position, the King of Swords has been through everything we saw in the suit of swords and has emerged with strong views rooted in a keen appreciation of justice.

The King of Swords may be an excellent teacher, writer or speaker. Communication is a big theme in the swords, and at this stage, we see a person who has really mastered those skills. They are not only able to formulate their truths, but to clearly express them.

As a leader, this is also someone who brings great planning skills to the table. They are capable of seeing a goal, and carefully, cleverly plotting out the route towards it. A King of Swords takes the long view, anticipates obstacles, plans for success. There may be no problem that this person can think their way around.

They are also incredibly perceptive and able to cut to the heart of a situation. As the King of Swords, you see not only the symptoms, but the issue itself, the root cause. This king makes an excellent and witty social commentator, never missing the opportunity to point out what’s really going on.

In terms of advice, the King of Swords encourages you to be very, very rational. To put aside tour feelings and ask yourself what is fair, what is objectively right. Let that be your guide.

Special skills: Powerful communicator, strong sense of justice.

This card is the very essence of the element of air. A single sword, held aloft, like the other aces, this is bringing you an opportunity.

A new perspective is coming through. Perhaps you’re seeing things from a different angle, having big realisations, or feeling finally able to put into words that *thing* you’ve been wrestling for so long. It’s a moment of clarity, where you can finally see things as they are.

Bringing in the communication element of this card, the Ace of Swords can represent a new truth. Perhaps this is the moment when you finally find the strength to define, even speak, your truth. Maybe this truth is painful – to yourself, or to others. Go into that pain, try to figure it out.

Writing, blogging, journalling and letters are all implicit in the Ace of Swords, and this may be bringing you encouragement to think about how you’ll tell your story. Don’t be afraid to use your voice, your words.

Study, learning, and teaching too. The Ace of Swords may herald the beginning of a new stage for you in any of these areas. Is there an area of your life where you crave knowledge? Is there something you’d like to study? Or are you called to teach what you know? Now is the time to honour those urges.

This card encourages you to take a rational approach to your situation. Focus on what you know, and think things through, putting aside your emotions and desires for now. Focus on what is fair and just, what feels right, to you. It may help to look at your situation from new angles, seek out new information.

Finally, it may be that a strategy is needed – this is an auspicious card for planning, setting out clearly the path you wish to take. Honour this, and put aside space and time to do this work.

Controlled emotion

Kings achieve their power through experience and through structure. The King of Cups is someone who has seen a lot in their life, experienced many trials of the hear, and is now in control. They’ve ‘done the work’ and now feel they have achieved a position of stability and strength.

They may keep a close rein on their feelings – the King of Cups can represent a person who does not see open-hearted – and don’t like to feel vulnerable. They tend to give the impression of being emotionally ‘sorted’ and are not easily swayed in emotional matters. In the most harmful expression of this king, this may represent a person who has built up too-rigid boundaries around their heart. They ensure they are ‘in control’ and may have become cut-off. It can be hard to know what the King of Cups is really feeling because they maintain a tight control.

The King of Cups may also be someone who holds a position of authority in spiritual or emotional affairs. They may be a psychologist or a therapist, or a spiritual leader of some sort. A very positive expression of this king would be a person who, drawing on their studies and their own life experience, assists other people to achieve spiritual balance. Along with experience and study has come the ability to look deeper into matters of the heart and soul, and they are able to analyse and articulate what is going on for troubled people.

Special skills: Emotionally ‘sorted’, analytical.

Dedication

This is a hardworking card. The Knight of Pentacles is someone who knows that the road ahead is hard, and quietly gets on with it.

The energy here is steady, perhaps even slow. It’s about facing each challenge as it comes up, practice and diligence, being prepared to fall off – and then climb back upon – the horse, perhaps many times. This is a person you can rely on to see things through, the friend that may not be the most fun at parties, but who you know you can lean on.

As the ‘teenager’ of this suit, the Knight of Pentacles throws themselves into their studies with complete commitment. All of the knights have a touch of the obsessive about them – here, that is about determined pursuit of a goal. But the Knight of Pentacles is a little wiser than the other knights – there’s an awareness here of the journey ahead, and knowledge that it will take a lot of hard work to get through it.

Still, as a gung-ho teen, this knight does not have everything figured out. As such, this card can represent directing our focus in the wrong direction. If that speaks to you, press pause for a moment and carefully evaluate your goals.

This is the kind of energy we need to draw on when we are in something for the long haul. This is where we learn and practice stamina, where we discover what commitment looks like in practice. It’s not always easy, of flashy, or fun. Sometimes it’s just about getting our heads down and working through this thing, one step at a time.

Special skills: Dedication, hard-working attitude.

A beautiful exchange

This is what it looks like to be generous and vulnerable. This is how it feels to open up your heart and offer its contents to another. To give of yourself, and to receive, too.

The Two of Cups is an exchange. You offer your cup – a container for all the love and pain and mystery in your heart – to someone, to something. In return, you receive their cup. There is so much trust here, so much willingness to be naked in this way.

Though falling in love is not the only interpretation of this card, it’s a good metaphor for its message. Falling in love is a risk, saying “I love you” is riskier still. How often do we hold back what we really feel, for fear of rejection, or ridicule, or simply not fitting in? How often do we push down what we really feel, unable to accept our own desires?

The Two of Cups is the opposite. Feeling the fear, maybe, but reaching out all the same. Saying yes, I’m up for this. I’ll show you my heart, if you show me yours. These are the few tentative and bold first steps into a new relationship built on love and trust.

In a reading…

If you have a partner, this card may be pointing to that relationship. If you have multiple lovers, it points to your relationship with one person in particular. The number two here is important – this is about an intimate exchange between two people. It’s about that bond of love or friendship that enables us to be truly open and comfortable with someone else.

This needn’t be about another person though – such relationships may also exist between you and something else – for instance a practice, a role, or a place. The Ace showed us an opportunity for you to take a new spiritual path, to listen to your heart and follow its desires. The Two shows us what it looks like to take that opportunity, to take those first steps. You may be falling in love with yourself. You may be entering into a new spiritual practice that asks you to be vulnerable, to make an offering. You may be making any kind of commitment based on love and trust.

In all cases, this card highlights the trust that is necessary for this to happen. Be vulnerable. Be truthful. Express yourself. Be generous with your emotions and remember that wonderful rule of give and take: you reap what you sow, and receive from the Universe what you are prepared to offer it. Give freely of yourself, understanding that this is a beautiful exchange.

Regardless of what may come after, this ace is a beginning. It’s a spark. It may come in the form of an idea, a sudden urge to do something, create something, say something.

Go with that urge. This ace – like all the aces – is an opportunity. It’s telling you to act on your ideas, to say yes. Because of all the tarot cards, this is the ‘yes’ card. It’s a cheerleader, crying ‘go for it’.

Having brilliant ideas is one thing, but it’s another to put in the work that it takes to bring it to fruition. That’s the journey we see in the pentacles cards (so pay attention if there are a lot of pentacles in your reading). Fire alone is inspiring and energising, but to be useful, it must be controlled, directed, used as you need it. Be prepared for this work. Know that it will be worth it. For now, feel the heat of your idea and welcome it into your life.

Key words and concepts

• A new start… in the form of ideas, passions, action
• Actually doing things
• Starting projects
• Saying yes
• Preparing to do something big or exciting

Symbols

As wands are the suit of fire, we might see lots of red and yellow in these cards, colours of passion and energy. It’s interesting to look at how a wand is illustrated in different suits. What does it look like in yours? In some, it’s a wooden rod, perhaps sprouting leaves and branches, representing that life energy. In others it may be a match or a key or some other symbol of potential. These are potent cards.

The time is now

After the stillness and the strategising of the Two, we are ready. It’s time to launch that ship, to set sail. It’s time to press go.

There is so much magic in manifestation. So much alchemy. The Three of Wands is a reminder of that power. It’s a card for sorcery, witchcraft, spellwork. For calling on higher powers, stating intentions, and most importantly, working with the power of your own will. Think of this card as the minor arcana version of the Magician !

It’s not only about beginnings. Threes are often mid-points, turning points, moments of change – here, that could mean a renewed zest for an ongoing project, or pushing through an important decision, or stepping up to new responsibilities.

In a reading…

Whatever the context, the Three of Wands is about action. You’ve done the necessary preparation, and you’re ready to go.

This is a good time to begin, but it’s also a point of achievement in its own right. Feel good and optimistic about your plans, know that you have the strength to do this thing, to see it through.

Work with your spiritual practices here. State your intentions clearly to the Universe and ask it for help. Call in your intuition. You might want to make a magic wand!

Know that everything is connected and that your actions are an exchange of energy between you and the whole world. Find ways to honour that connection.

Heart’s home

This card has been illustrated in many different ways. A group of friends gathered by the sea, feet all together in the water. A happy family with a pretty cottage. A rainbow. A circus. A Pride parade. A ceremonial dinner.

What they have in common is that they are all imbued with a sense of homecoming. This is the final card in the cups sequence, and it shows us what the complete fulfilment of this suit looks like. Our heart come home. We know who we are, where we are, why we are here (or we are joyfully surrendered to the mystery). We are loved and supported. We have the love that we need.

Home can mean so many things to so many people. As this is a cups card (rather than pentacles), we are talking about spiritual home, emotional home, rather than bricks and mortar – though a physical home can definitely be a part of this picture. Home is arriving at a place where we feel happy, where we accept ourselves, where we give and receive love. For some this may be easy to find and manifest, we may even be born into this feeling of security. Others may search long and hard to find a ‘family’ or a place of peace and acceptance.

As a ten, this shows us the completion of another of life’s cycles. It is the closing of a time of heart-focused, deep work, so that a new energy can move in. The heart has learned so much, and it’s now time for a shift to take place.

In a reading…

The Ten of Cups may appear as a simple celebration. If you’re feeling great just now, then this card is another friend, clinking a glass. It wants you to pause and honour the good things in your life, and really enjoy this moment.

Embrace the people around you who you love. Practice acts of kindness. Reach out. Remember all of the loving acts we’ve seen in this suit – the vulnerability, the generosity, the trust – and know that this card is the culmination of all of that, along with the hard things, too, that grief and loss, those times of feeling stuck. It’s all there. You are strong and brave and you know yourself well. This is a moment to feel really proud and at home in your own life.

What does ‘home’ mean to you? What does it feel like? Who and what is there? The Ten of Cups is all about your personal vision of fulfilment, and helping you to move towards that vision in your real life. It wants you to be happy! And the first thing to think about is what happiness actually looks like, for you.

This card can point to a person who feels tied to someone else’s vision of happiness. Society has many ways of presenting us with ‘ideals’ – these rigid moulds are not comfortable for everyone. The Ten of Cups then emphasises the need to acknowledge the ways you are coerced into this mould, and to commit to defining your own idea of happiness, ultimately to break free. You cannot be truly fulfilled if you are living someone else’s version of your life.

As always with the tens, know that this is the completion of something, that things are about to change. That doesn’t mean everything is about to fall apart! Only that this moment is the culmination of a lot of emotional work. Your heart has been on a huge journey and you’ve learned so much. Look upon it all and embrace who you are. Be proud. Soon it will be time to switch up the energy so as to go on a different kind of adventure.

What we hold back

There are many reasons why people might lie, or hide the truth. You may be afraid to be yourself. It may not be safe to tell the whole truth. The Seven of Swords is about what you – or someone else – is/are hiding or holding back, and asks you to consider why.

This card can be about straight-up dishonesty or theft. Underhand tactics or sneaky behaviour. It shines a light on areas of our lives where dishonesty is present, asking us to confront them, to deal with whatever is going on.

Or, it’s acknowledgement of our reasons. It wants us to be honest, but it also points to the many reasons a person may not feel able to tell their whole truth. When we see this card in our readings, we are being encouraged to look at these situations and own them as, on some level, dishonest.

In a reading…

If there is an area of your life where you are not being completely honest, spend some time thinking about this, thinking about what’s going on. Is it time to come clean? Maybe, maybe not – explore your feelings around this.

Coming out, or rather, remaining in the closet, is a good example of this. It may be that a person has genuine reason to maintain the illusion of being straight, perhaps with family or at work. If it’s not safe for you to come out or reveal your truth, then there is no pressure here to do so. However, if when digging in to this situation you begin to feel it may be time to come out, then the Seven of Swords supports and encourages this decision.

If you feel someone is not being honest with you, then the Seven of Swords says it is time to confront this. That may mean straight-up asking someone what’s going on. Or it might look more like walking away, for example if someone has repeatedly lied to you or hurt you with their dishonesty. Feel your way into this, and decide what is the right approach for you. How can you bring more honesty into this relationship or situation?

Embodying self-care

This queen rules the element of earth. Deeply comfortable in her home and her environment, the Queen of Pentacles is a nurturing soul, a person who exudes care and compassion. She is the embodiment of the Empress archetype .

The Queen of Pentacles is someone who is really grounded in their life. They have learned to feel their way through life, listening to their heart and their body and understanding the way they communicate – on all levels – with their environment. This may be a farmer, a herbalist, a potter, a builder – anyone who works with physical materials in a magical way, with a deep appreciation of the world’s resources, and a respectful, positive way of working with them.

Grounded like this, we experience a feeling of being connnected to something far bigger than ourselves. True, the Queen of Pentacles, like the King, may simply indicate a rich or powerful person. But whatever their status, this person is wise, because they know themselves to be part of a big, wide world.

Like the Empress, this Queen values the realm of the senses. They enjoy food and good smells, beauty and music, all that is delicious in life. They have a sense of abundance, they are resourceful and practical, able to meet their own needs. This person is fabulous at self-care and doesn’t hesitate to look after their body’s needs.

And like the King of Pentacles , this queen is also generous. Appreciative of the riches that surround her, she is able to share what she has and nurture others. There are those same themes of caring here – of both giving and receiving nurturing love. You may feel a strong desire (or feel a duty) to care for someone or become a parent. Or maybe you just want to throw a dinner party. However this urge may show up, there is encouragement here to enjoy and share what you have.

All of these characteristics are grounded in gratitude. In having a spiritual connection to the world around us. As the ‘highest’ card in the pentacles suit, the Queen has worked carefully with the element of earth, integrating it fully into her being.

A battle for no gain

Sometimes, we get so lost in the details of the battle, we lose track of what we’re actually fighting for. The ins and outs, the he-said-she-said, the petty (or not-so-petty) grievances become the thing itself, rather than difficult moments.

The Five of Swords shows us this scenario. It’s about a battle in which there are no winners – by the time someone had triumphed, it was over anyway. There may ‘officially’ be winner and a loser… but from over here it kinda looks like everyone lost.

When we feel insecure or defensive, it’s easy to get hung up on the wrong things, fight the wrong people, play it small and petty when there’s something bigger going on. This can be a defence mechanism protecting us from accepting what’s really going on, or it can be a distraction, put in place by a power that wants to keep you small. Divide and conquer is a time-honoured battle tactic, in which leaders and warmongers set communities against each other, to distract them from their own power-hungry actions. This dynamic may be as huge as a civil war, but it also plays out in our everyday lives in multiple ways.

In a reading…

Think about the areas of conflict in your life. Is the fight still worth it? Was it ever worth it at all? Consider the way that old grudges eat up your energy, take up brain space and cause you pain and harm. Might it be time to just walk away – even if that means admitting defeat? Remember that you don’t always have to have the last word. It is probably more loving – to yourself and anyone else involved – to admit defeat and turn your attention to something more positive or productive.

It can be a helpful card to see when you’ve lost out in ‘battle’. Maybe you came off worst in a difficult breakup, or got fired. This card suggests that no-one really won at all, and that you’re no more a ‘loser’ than anyone else.

Still, much may have been lost in this process. If apologies are due, consider it time. If you need to let go and forgive, again, do that work. Don’t hang on to old guilt or grievances for the sake of it, and don’t scratch at open wounds. Acknowledge that this battle isn’t worth fighting any more, and be ready to lay down your sword. Healing may not happen right away – things are a little raw – but at least the stage will be set when the time is right.

Joy in exploration

As the child of the pentacles suit – whether ‘child’ here means youth, or more likely a childlike attitude – this person is curious and adventurous, interested in the world around her. She looks carefully at her surroundings, her body, her environment, and asks questions.

This is about taking pleasure in your studies. A fascination with how things work and what they mean, so that you are looking really closely at the elements of your life. You may decide to travel far and wide to gather more experience and information, to learn more.

Explorations befitting the Page of Pentacles include travel, sex, anything in the natural world, taking up new crafts and hobbies (especially things with your hands, or sensual experiences), exploring your own body or gender expression, house-hunting, job-hunting, and so on. Take that earthy realm we’ve looked at in the Ace and other pentacles cards, and place it in the hands of someone who is curious.

There is an optimism and a sense of wonder here, as with all the pages. Open minded, open hearted, you are willing to discover something good. Your mind is not made up yet. It’s a very light, very non-attached position, filled with potential, but not set on any specific destination. There’s a lot of freedom here, too.

The Page of Pentacles represents joy in the journey itself. You may have a clear idea where you’re going right now, or none at all – either is fine. Focus on enjoying the present moment, really savouring each stage in the journey.

As the pentacles can sometimes represent work, then this card encourages taking pleasure in your hard work. If you are job-seeking right now, try to move towards things you know you will find satisfying if you have the choice. If you’re about to start a project of any kind, make sure it’s something that will peak your curiosity and feel fulfilling to do.

Special skills: Curiosity, adventurousness.

Life’s cycles of change

Where to begin with this most ominous of cards?

As an archetype, Death is the great transformer. Death is the Wheel turning. Death is the march of time. Death is inevitable.

But this isn’t about literal death. It represents part of a cycle that we move through over and over in our lives. Our lives are made up of eras, identities, chapters, each one a cycle with a start and a finish. Death is about the finishing, the ending of a cycle…and the start of something new. Death carries rebirth inherent within it, its necessary conclusion.

Death is a necessary letting go, so that we can move forwards and grow into the next era of our lives. We must allow our ego, our identities, to ‘die’, we must accept that life changes, that we change, so as to grow into what comes next. A snake shedding its skin does not try to hold on to the old skin, pretending to still be yesterdays version of itself. It lets it all go, wearing its new skin, being its new self.

This card represents the inevitability of transformation and growth. You will not, can not, be the person you were yesterday, last month, last year, last decade. The transition from one era, one version of self into another can be welcome, or it can be painful. You don’t have a choice, it is a natural process. But you can choose whether to embrace death, to move with it, or to resist and fight it.

Advice from Death

Death appears in tarot readings for all sorts of reasons. Most simply, like the Wheel of Fortune , it is a herald of change. It’s telling you that cycles are turning, coming to an end.

And that it’s time to let go of something.

This can be done respectfully. Death marks the passage of time with ritual, honours life’s changes by noticing them, moving through them consciously. If you feel that you are going through a transformation, you may choose to honour this process with a ritual of your own. You have permission to mourn what you are losing or have lost. If it feels right, show respect to what is no longer needed, the person you once were, the things that once were.

Creating an altar, journalling, or taking some time out do do a tarot reading are all simple ways you might do this. You might want to perform magic, or hold a small ritual. Maybe you’ll take a week off. A party is a different and equally valid approach. Saying goodbye doesn’t necessarily have to be heavy or mournful – it could also be a celebration. New year parties, birthday celebrations, transition parties, graduate balls – these are all common ritual celebrations that honour change by saying goodbye to the old and welcoming in the new.

Death often comes up for folks who are resisting change. Perhaps you are holding on to an old relationship that has ended, or an element of your personality that is no longer true for you. It’s encouraging you to let go, and to look forwards. Honour this letting go, and say goodbye with love, so that you can be free to embrace what is coming next.

We must also allow other people to change (because they will anyway – it’s not up to you). Accept that you are growing and changing every day, and accept that the people you love will also do the same. It is a universal experience, an omnipresent process. If this card represents a loved-one in your reading, think about how you can support them through their change, help them to honour it if appropriate, and always be ready to celebrate who they are becoming (or be ready let them go if that’s what this change means.)

Get ready to start over. You are ready for a new start, a fresh page. Mind map, vision board, think ahead with excitement and joy. Change is a beautiful thing, welcome this fresh energy into your life.

Key words and concepts

• Personal transformation
• Starting over, moving on
• The ending of a cycle
• Letting go, saying goodbye
• Preparing to begin a new cycle
• Ritual to honour change
• Being in the flow of change, not resisting
• Letting go of an old identity, accepting that you have changed
• Honouring the seasons of life

Some common symbols

• Skeletons (death)
• Shedding skin (change)
• The grim reaper (change is inevitable, and is coming)
• Sunrise (rebirth, a new day)
• Flowers (renewal)

The heart’s adventure

This page’s curiosity is directed to all things heart and soul-centred. The Page of Cups is eager to fall in love, ready to hand her heart over, overflowing with the willingness to open up and share.

It’s a beautiful, happy card, representing a person who acts like they’ve never been hurt. They can feel their heart beating and want to take it on a journey. In some cards, we see the image of a fish leaping out of a cup. The fish represents spirituality and reminds us that this will be a spiritual journey, but the Page’s attitude is one of playfulness. They see the beauty in this, but also the fun.

This needn’t be about love or romance – the Page of Cups is an explorer of the soul, too. Theirs is the realm of water, spirituality, intuition, and magic, as well as feelings and emotions. They may not know what is meant by ‘follow your bliss’, but they know that’s what they want to do. This could point to experimenting with different spiritual or religious practices, exploring different ways of understanding or expressing their spirituality. This is a good time to try something new, perhaps something you’ve been cynical about in the past, or something that has always called to you.

Enter into this journey with a lightness of heart and an expectation that it will be enjoyable. Don’t take things too seriously at this moment. Journeys of the soul can indeed be challenging, there may be dark times on the path, but this is about going in with an eagerness, a curiosity, a light sprit, and a readiness for adventure.

Special skills: Open-hearted, eager to explore emotions and spirituality.

Joy and connection

This is a card of celebration. It’s the energy of good friends, who love each other unconditionally, sharing a moment of sheer joy. Times are good when we have each other. The essence of this card is one of genuine friendship, and a feeling that together with our friends, we have all that we need. We give, we receive, we are held, supported, loved for who we are.

It’s a gang, or the outcasts at school. It’s a team of businesswomen who lift each other up. It’s your childhood friends, who know you better than anyone. It’s an activist group, basing their actions in love and mutual support, knowing that they are stronger together. Or it might just be a really great party.

In a reading…

The Three of Cups suggests good times. Happy, free, sociable times. It’s a lovely card to see in our readings, for it says “you are loved.”

Celebrate your friends. Reach out to them, tell them how much you love them. Make time to hang out, throw a party, go on a day trip, call round for a cuppa. Think about how much your friends – or a friend – means to you, and let them know. Remind yourself how much strength and energy there is in being part of a community of friends – three is the magic number, and there’s magic here. You give a lot, you get a lot back – again, there’s an exchange.

It may be time to ask for support from your community. If times are hard for you, reach out and ask for the love and support you need. Or, someone close to you may need help. Now is the time to be a good friend. What can you offer?

For some, this card may point to polyamory or the opening up of a two-person relationship. Welcoming in a new person, bringing in new dynamics. As this is the suit of cups, we’re firmly in the ‘feelings zone’ here – remember to check in with your heart regularly, and with the hearts of others.

In the suit of Pentacles, the three indicated teamwork. It’s similar here, but the focus is less on specific roles and achievements, and more on the energy of mutual support. If you’re struggling in a group situation just now, try to put aside an need for self-advancement, quiet that nagging urge for fame or recognition. Know that you are part of something bigger. Support the group itself, and it will necessarily lift you all up.

This is an important message for activists in particular. This is a time to focus on all the strength and skills you have in your group, and to share positive energy. Focus on lifting each other up and strengthening the group as a whole.

Choose love

What does ‘love’ mean? This card asks you to really examine your ideas about the meaning of love, and how it is expressed in your life and in the world around you. It can represent romantic or sexual love, sure, but also platonic, familial, asexual, friendship, self-love, community love and love as an active principle that, as the saying goes, “makes the world go round”.

Love is a verb. It is an active, evolving thing. It is something that is best understood in the way it is expressed. So, how do we express love? How do you express love? How do you find it, and invite love into your life?

Think about acts of kindness, tolerance, and generosity that show you that you are loved. The respect you show, the way you hold space for folks you love. The compromises and sacrifices that necessarily arise from any partnership, those you make, and those that are made for you.

Because the other important concept in the Lovers card is choice. It is asking you to choose love, to make heartfelt, loving, compassionate choices.

Think about how falling in love makes you want to be your very best self. It brings out all of this creativity and kindness and romance in you, as you want to show your lover/s the very best that you can be. Love draws out the best in each of us.

The Lovers is also about dualities and multiplicities. Partnership – of any kind – based on love becomes more than the sum of its parts. We find roles for ourselves within our relationships, and become part of something bigger – it is us, the other person/people, and the energy of the relationship itself.

Advice from the Lovers

The Lovers card asks you to choose love, to make heartfelt, loving, compassionate choices. If the Lovers appears in a reading about a difficult decision, the answer is always: do what is the most loving. It is bringing you encouragement and support to make brave, heartfelt choices. To do the right thing, according to your heart.

It reiterates what I said before: Love is a verb. Love is a feeling, but what matters more here is what you do with it. How you express it.

How, also, do you love yourself? Enough to come out? Enough to show yourself compassion and stop beating yourself up? Enough to take that printmaking class you know would make you so happy?

It’s a simple card, asking you to choose. To listen to your heart, and to follow.

Key words and concepts

• Love (of all kinds)
• Making heart-centred choices
• Doing the right thing
• Compassion
• Partnerships and relationships
• Self-love
• Being your ‘best self’

Some common symbols

• Roses (love!)
• Angel (transcendence, choosing a ‘higher path’)
• Any two or more parts creating a whole representing a sense of completion

Creative confidence

This is the kind of person everybody wants to be. The Queen of Wands has all the confidence and dynamism of the other wands characters, but hers is truly grounded in passion. She lives a life that she really loves, and owns it all with joy (even the rocky patches – this isn’t about having a ‘perfect life’.)

This is not only a person who gets things done, but who is creative. In art, in business, in life, in any sphere, the Queen of Wands does things her way – she learned a long time ago not to compromise herself or fit herself to others’ moulds. Onlookers may view her with mixed opinions – some loving her daring, colourful style, some disapproving. Nobody could say that she was living any life but her own.

This may be an unusual person, someone who does things differently, but there’s no fear or shame in it. The Queen of Wands is loud and proud, and never apologises for herself. Like all queens, she has ‘done the work’, she’s looked deeply into her own soul, she has understood on a spiritual level who she is. Knowing this, she doesn’t care about anyone else’s opinion. She’s doing great as she is.

Not that she is without compassion. Charismatic like the king, the Queen of Wands may have many friends or be sociable and outgoing. (It’s also possible that she might be an introvert – despite her confidence!) But she’s also a good friend who shows up when you need her. As a leader, she knows how to play to everyone’s strengths and make folks feel good.

This queen represents having a true passion for your work, for being inspired and working on projects, feeling really in tune with what you’re doing. The Queen of Wands can be quick and energetic, there is an exciting feeling of just how much can be done. Like the King, she inspires.

The most important characteristic of the Queen of Wands is her lust for life. This is a positive person who feels abundant. If there is something she needs that she doesn’t have, she manifests it through sheer force of will – she believes in good things, asks for them, and expects them. All queens are witches, and this person works with the fiery energy of the Universe, tapping in to bigger forces to make her desires come to life.

Special skills: Lust for life, self-belief.

Say yes

One of the simplest cards in the whole of the tarot, the Sun is synonymous with joy, in its purest sense .

It’s about success, good luck, things going your way. The Sun is a life-force that beams down and blesses all it touches with warmth. It encourages growth, it brings things to life. There is so much positive energy in this card, it is beaming with it.

The Sun reminds us to connect to life’s simple joys, the things that make us feel happier, lighter, freer, more connected. It’s about feeling grateful for the good things we have, realising the abundance in our lives, saying yes, and saying thank you on a deep level.

Spiritual gratitude is hard to cultivate at first, but in time becomes a deep and important practice. Through understanding the many forces in nature (not only the sun, but the rain, the earth, the trees and everything else) that sustain us, we see ourselves as part of a whole. We have nothing to prove, we just have to be. The Sun prods us to stand tall and accept the good fortune we have. It asks us to step up and say yes. Yes to life. Yes to ourselves. Yes to all of it.

This card may feel like waking up from hibernation. After a long winter, we finally feel the sun’s rays on our faces and awaken, refreshed and ready to move. It’s the energising nature of that light, the way it encourages us to rise and embrace the day.

Advice from the Sun

Above all, this card preaches gratitude. Write a list of all of the things in your life that bring you joy, and say thank you for each thing. Practice noticing the good fortune that you have, the beauty that surrounds you. Explore the possibility of positivity, and how it feels to view your life with that possibility always in mind.

Sometimes this comes naturally – the glass is half full and the future (and more importantly the present) feels bright, it’s easy to feel positive. Other times though, it can be tough to ‘look on the bright side’. The practice of gratitude and the looking to what really is good in your life can be challenging. Try it anyway. There is energy there to help you.

If the Sun’s essence feels very foreign to you right now, then let this card witness you and encourage you to take hold of your feelings. This isn’t about ‘pulling yourself together’, neither is it any kind of ‘cure’ for depression or grief. It is more about consciously walking with the idea of happiness, knowing that it is an option, and gently moving in that direction. Knowing that you deserve to feel joy in life. Knowing that it’s possible.

The Sun can tell you to stop overthinking and just enjoy what is in front of you. It can say get out there and grab it, or stop and smell the roses, or anything else that means ‘life is good, enjoy it!’ If you’re procrastinating something, you’re probably overcomplicating things. Get back to the essence of the thing. What’s good about this? Why do you want to do it? Let that guide you.

In this sense, it urges you to simplify your life, your situation, your quest, your fears. Focus on what really matters, what is genuine, what is meaningful.

Connect to the things that give you life. Celebrate movement, music, inspriation, dance. Lighten up and let yourself play.

Key words and concepts

• Positivity
• Saying yes
• Joy
• Practicing gratitude
• Success, things coming together
• Life’s simple pleasures
• Allowing yourself to simply be
• Starting an exciting project
• Connecting to a dynamic life force

Some common symbols

• Warm, yellow rays of sunshine (life force, energy)
• Sunflowers (growth and renewal)
• A naked child or person (simplicity)

Give yourself a break

Like the Two, the Four of Swords is about quieting your mind. Here, though, it is purely about rest.

Like our bodies, our minds need rest in order to recuperate strength. You don’t reach your answers by only thinking, thinking, thinking, but by thinking, resting, then maybe thinking some more. It is in periods of rest that some of the best ideas are born, when the mind is left to its own imaginative devices and has the space to process in its own way. (In this sense, the Four of Swords can point to creativity and lateral thinking.)

This card is imbued with a spiritual tranquility and stillness. Sometimes showing a person resting inside a church interior, it points to the kind of rest we can get when our souls are at peace. We tune out from the bustle and in to a more spiritual, inner peace. The Four of Swords can lead us to a deeper spiritual practice, allowing us to overcome a chattering, worrying ego and feel peaceful and connected.

In a reading…

This card often appears when a person is tired. It says “hey, you’re tired! Take a break.”

Chill out. Really, give your mind a rest. If you’re deep in studies, if you’ve been engaged in some kind of battle, give yourself a break and allow your mind some time to recuperate. The Four of Swords can be a holiday or a change of scene. It can be sleep. It can be retreat. It can be a Netflix binge. It can be going camping.

Practice basic self-care, especially if you feel stressed right now. The simple things: Breathe. Stretch. Take a nap. Drink water. Stop for a moment and have a quiet cup of tea.

Like the Two, the Four of Swords applies its lesson to online life. Again, unfollow, unfriend, mute or block. Turn off your phone, your emails. Take a social media hiatus. Or get off the internet entirely – sometimes you can just get too much information. Slow things down by getting rid of the incessant need to click and scroll, close your eyes, or lift them to the horizon outside.

If there are spiritual practices that you find calming, do these. Allow your mind to be still as you do something magical, or creative, or devotional, something that comes from a place other than the mind. If you enjoy exercise, then physical activity – the kind that requires no thought – is recommended now. Even if you’re not into exercise, getting into nature is still a good idea, getting you out of your head and opening up other kinds of awareness.

NOTE: In some decks, card 11 may be Strength, with Justice as card 8 instead. For the purpose of this course, we will work with Justice today, wherever it appears in your deck.

The law of cause and effect

Following on from the Wheel, Justice draws us into a serious conversation about what is possible when we are all accountable.

This can be a cold card, in that it deals with truth,. Traditionally, it is seen as a card of ‘objectivity’. In a world of fake news, hype and well-stoked ‘culture wars’, that may be a welcome concept, but belief in objectivity itself can be slippery and problematic. Institutional justice, the way we see it in the laws and courts that govern our societies, is not always fair, despite its claims to objectivity. ‘Objectivity’ is listed by Tema Okun and Kenneth Jones as a core characteristic of white supremacy culture , since it seeks to remove emotion from decision-making, and invalidates whatever it deems ‘illogical’. Objectivity does not make space for different circumstances, demographics, privileges, oppressions – the unlevel playing field upon which we all stand. When objectivity is indicated in a reading, the Justice card may represent its exact opposite: injustice.

Beyond this, though, Justice represents the balancing of scales. The payment of dues. The ‘right’ outcome. The serving of justice as we enjoy it in films and literature. Social change, progress. Justice is, in principle and by definition, about fairness, balance, equity.

It’s about the law of cause and effect. As we see in the Lovers and in the Wheel of Fortune, every action, every choice, has a consequence. Justice is about the journey from those actions to those consequences, and the forethought that is necessary before action.

Some tarot deck creators rename this card with the aim of detaching it from the oppressive, inherently unjust structures that govern our lives. Personally, I love the word ‘justice’ and its meaning. Justice, sword aloft, scales in hand, is a powerful archetypal figure representing a social and personal ideal. Without justice, there cannot be peace. Regardless of the injustice around us, this card asks us to get clear about our own ideas of justice, and how we can embody these principles in our lives.

Never forget that justice is what love looks like in public.
Cornel West

Advice from Justice

Ask yourself: what does justice mean to you? Without the waffle, the ‘ifs’ and the ‘buts’, what is true justice, in your situation? And how will you embody this in your life and work?

This is about thinking things through. It can be hard to remove the emotions from a situation, especially if you have been wronged or are doing wrong to another. But Justice does not ask you to do this. This is not about being purely rational or striving for objectivity, but it is about taking a logical perspective and facing up to the facts. What do you know, intellectually, factually, to be true? What do those truths mean, and where do they – or where should they – lead?

This card can point to the playing out of situations as they should, or as they were set up to. This action has that outcome; often this can be clearly seen. We know this – or we should know it – before we even begin. Think carefully about cause and effect when you see this card. Think about the consequences of your actions on yourself and others.

Our institutions of so-called justice, our courts of law, our prison systems, are built upon centuries of cultural oppression. What use is cold objectivity when people have such wildly different lives? How is it just that our laws are used to define who has a right to safety, and who does not? The Justice card asks us to look beyond the ‘objectivity’ presented to us by our governments, and our media, to see the gross injustice of our society.

This card asks you: what will you do to fight the injustice you see?

Justice asks you to create systems of fairness and accountability within your projects, work, community. This might be about setting ground rules, writing a manifesto, or naming people who will take responsibility for the actions of the group. It may be about doing internal work (such as personal anti-racism work), or having an accountability buddy or mentor. It might mean sharing power or passing the mic, or in turn it may represent asking for more power, or taking the mic. Be bold about steps you will take to move towards fairness, equity, equality and real justice in all areas of your life.

Key words and concepts

• Rational, logical thought, objectivity (is this helpful or harmful?)
• Binary, ‘right/wrong’ thinking (ditto)
• Knowing what is ‘right’
• Justice, fairness, balance
• Accountability
• Social justice principles
• Intersectionality
• Cause and effect
• Cutting through bullshit
• Legal affairs (whether ‘just’ or not)

Some common symbols

• Scales (balance, fairness)
• Sword (rational thought, cutting through confusion)
• Symmetry (logic, structure)
• Thrones, crowns, robes (power and status)

It’s worth it

The Nine of Wands shows us the flip-side of so much dynamic, exciting action: tiredness. Energy comes in limited supplies, and there are times when we all feel like giving up.

This card is about that moment. It’s a recognition of weariness that necessarily comes after periods of intense work. Maybe you’ve been working on a creative project for what feels like forever. Maybe you’re sick and tired of fighting for your rights. Maybe you’re wondering if that goal that once seemed so precious and important is really worth this much energy.

But this card is essentially about keeping on. It brings a reminder: This is worth it. You are worth it.

The suit of wands teaches us that our best work comes forth form a place of real passion deep inside us. That fire in our bellies in which great ideas are formed. We birth these ideas and turn them into action, we create, we push forwards, we bring all kinds of wonderful things into the world.

But boy, does it take some effort. And if you’re feeling tired just now? That’s okay. It’s to be expected.

In the Wild Unknown Tarot, Kim Krans illustrates the Nine of Wands as a steep ladder or mountain of wands. It looks hard. It looks tough. At the top shines a crescent moon. Because this is soul work. What you’re doing is meaningful. This isn’t just about material accomplishments or a moment of fame – the work you’re doing is teaching you something about who you are, and it is making the world a better place.

Each of those wands is a big and perhaps difficult step. You have taken many, and there are more to come. Rest, of course, if you need to. But don’t give up.

In a reading…

As we’ve just seen, the Nine of Wands brings a simple message: keep going, it’s worth it.

If you’re at the start of something, this card wisely reminds you that the going will get tough at times. Every project has ups and downs built in, from the moment you get fired up and press ‘go’ to the moment you just want to give up and pack it all in. If you really believe in this thing, you have to be prepared to go through those low points too. You have to keep the faith.

There’s a celebration built in to this moment, in that it’s a ‘nearly there’ card – all nines carry within themselves the knowledge that the ten, completion, is just around the corner. In that way, there is a voice here saying ‘one last push! You’re so close! You can do it!’

On the other hand, maybe you’re starting to believe that this isn’t ‘soul work’ after all. Maybe you’ve changed, your priorities have changed, you just don’t believe in that same goal any more? The Nine of Wands itself isn’t about change, but depending on other cards in your reading, it may be encouraging you to get back to the principles at the heart of your work and check that you still truly believe in what you do.

A quest for truth

As with all pages, this is a card of curiosity. The Page of Swords is an explorer of the mind, of thoughts, ideas, plans. This is a person who will climb a mountain, for the sake of seeing the view. They want to know where they are – but more importantly, they want to know why.

The Page of Swords seeks answers. They may be a student, particularly a academic learner, or someone studying books or words. Remember that swords are the suit of communication. This is also the suit of logic, and this page likes to figure out what is going on.

Ever hungry for new perspectives, the Page talks to others, asking questions, gathering a range of views. They want to hear it all. As a ‘child’, a degree of naivety may be present here, as the Page of Swords is like a sponge soaking up everything around them, perhaps neglecting to work out what their own take on things is.

In a diminished sense, this card can indicate paying too much attention to gossip and hearsay, but in it’s best expression, the Page is someone who is using those diverse opinions as a springboard for forming their own. They listen, they work to understand, but ultimately they are learning to form their own world view and, hopefully, to express it.

Sword held high, the Page is grappling with the element of air – it is sharp, heavy and bold. This is a quest for truth and justice, and the journey is just beginning.

Special skills: Curiosity, seeking truth.

Revolution hurts

The Tower has a simple meaning: The crumbling of the status quo.

The Tower – whatever it represents in your reading – comes crashing to the ground. All that you held to be true is suddenly…not true. The world looks different, and it can feel like a disaster. This card’s usual image of lightening destroying a tower is incredibly scary – destruction is all that we can see. The ground is unsteady beneath our feet. We don’t know what to hold on to.

It may point to something external – like a power structure being toppled – or it might be internal, like the overcoming of a personal struggle through a momentous and destabilising change. It may be the result of a long and bloody battle, finally over. Or it may be completely out of the blue.

One thing is for sure: life will never be the same again.

As Death showed us, change can be hard. With the Tower, it can be brutal. The Tower’s particular brand of change normally occurs as a crisis (whereas Death’s can often be slow, organic, gentle). It hurts. People get hurt. You don’t know what you’re going to do next. It might feel like all is ruined or lost.

The Tower can point to such an event – a seismic shift, internal or external (think of the Devil , the Wheel , etc), but in doing so it is asking a pressing and important question: What next?

Built into this shattering of all that is known, this shaking of once-solid-seeming foundations, is the possibility of starting over. Many tarot readers talk about their own ‘Tower moments’, referring to those huge and very challenging moments in our lives where everything shifted. It was terrifying in the moment and the fallout might have been tough too, but later, when the dust had settled, things became better than they had been before.

It’s time for a revolution.

Advice from the Tower

Being outed, quitting your job, getting fired, getting dumped. Getting totally called out (and being able to learn from it). These are all examples of Tower moments. Shock events that feel incredibly painful, but that ultimately move us forwards, to a point of no return.

The dust will settle. And you will be standing in the rubble, watching the air clear. There may be some mourning to be done, some goodbyes to say or loose ends to tie up. People, including you, may be scared or lost. But. The tower that was dominating the landscape is now gone, and there is space for something new.

There is a gentler side to the Tower too, where it can simply bear witness to your pain. You are not obliged to start ‘rebuilding something better’ after the loss of a loved one or a truly tragic event. Where the shock was not one that opens up exciting possibilities, but instead only leads to grief (and, eventually, healing), this card puts a hand on your shoulder and says “this is tough. It really is. It’s okay if you feel knocked sideways.”

But, when you are ready, the Tower is also about those next steps. Preparing to rebuild. Ask yourself, what was wrong with the old way? How can we do it better this time? Dig deep and find the confidence to build a new world that is kinder, juster, more honest, or whatever it needs to be.

Key words and concepts

• Revolution
• Disaster
• Shock
• Mourning
• Blowing apart old structures, demolition of the status quo
• Toppling systems of power (on small or large scales)
• Potential
• Making way for the new
• Finding a new way
• Rebuilding after disaster
• A blessing in disguise as a disaster
• Rehabilitation. Regeneration

Some common symbols

• Lightening (a sudden shock, disaster, destruction)
• A tower (the old establishment, the old way)
• Falling people (fallout, harsh consequences)

Take aim, and fire

Remember under card 1, the Magician , we talked about will, and manifestation. The union of inspiration with focused action. The Chariot continues this theme, but here, we’re firmly in the ‘focused action’ stage. (If you’ve ever procrastinated, you’ll know exactly what the opposite of this card feels like!)

The Chariot represents the forward-moving energy that can arise from your sacred focus, if you actively choose it. Knowing precisely where you want to go, and throwing your weight behind that goal. We often see black and white animals pulling the chariot on this card, representing opposing forces, working together for a common goal. Your butterfly mind may want to travel in different directions, you may have a lot of ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’, but what’s important is that you get all of these opposing energies within yourself travelling in the same direction. Rein in that butterfly mind and get it under your control.

It’s about achievement, especially in that outward, socially appreciated kind of way, but it’s especially about the process, the hard work that this will take.  The Chariot might symbolise a celebrated artist, but it is also about the story behind how they reached that point, the rejections, the failures, and the decision not to quit and instead push onwards, trying again. It was focus that pulled them through, and that is the essence of the Chariot.

In the Wildwood Tarot, this card is renamed ‘The Archer’. It shows a woman pulling back a bow, arrow poised, eyes fixed on her target. There is so much passionate energy in that taut bow. So much intent. It is a magical and sacred thing to take aim in this way. It’s a true commitment and it requires tenacity and self-belief.

It’s all about having a purpose – that intention we saw back in the Magician. You can’t truly focus without “knowing your why”, without being crystal clear on what your aim actually is. In this way, the Chariot can represent the creation of a manifesto, the ordering of ideas so that focused action can then take place.

Advice from the Chariot

There is so much you can accomplish under your own steam, if you can find the strength and clarity to focus. This card wants to help you with that. It reminds you of your courage and your strength, an encourages you to direct your energies towards that goal you hold so dear.

The Chariot often points to battles or obstacles. The road to success is not always easy and you’ll face difficulties and setbacks. But of course, this card urges you on. This is a card of hard work and determination.

This is a no-bullshit card that gives it to you straight: Here’s what it’s gonna take to achieve your goal. It’s going to be hard, and it’s going to take focus. Are you in?

Key words and concepts

• Focus
• Focused action
• Self-belief and confidence
• Commitment, drive and determination
• Getting super-clear about your goals
• Fighting for what you believe in
• Activism
• Overcoming obstacles
• Hard, passionate work
• Courage

Some common symbols

• Armour (doing battle)
• Black and white creatures pulling the chariot (focusing opposing energies)
• Riding without reins (driving forwards by sheer force of will)
• The chariot itself (movement)
• Crescent moons

Own it all, then let it go

Now, having passed through some serious heavy ups and downs, so many lessons, so much hard work, all those moments of carity, depth, courage and greatness …we reach the penultimate card in the Major Arcana. On the other side of it lies the World – the whole world – representing fulfilment, wholeness and homecoming.

But before we can achieve that lofty goal, however, we face one last challenge.

Judgement is a weighty card. Like Justice and the Wheel, it carries themes of accountability. Specifically, here, this is about being accountable to ourselves, in the most thorough and honest of ways.

Judgement is a call. An angel blowing a trumpet. A voice from the Universe. It is time. When you hear this call, you have a big choice to make.

It is a call to face yourself, completely. To hold up a mirror to your entire life, to see it all. To own it all. Your successes and your failures. The good times and the bad. Everything you’re proud of, and all that you wish you’d done differently. It’s yours – and you must own it all, you must accept it all.

The return on this difficult work is freedom. Called ‘Liberation’ in some tarot decks, Judgement only asks you to face all that you are so that you can transcend it. Self-acceptance sets us free, yet it can be so very, very hard to do, because it means facing our biggest fears: our whole, imperfect, scarred, messy, beautiful selves.

Honour all that you are. Acknowledge the present moment and all that you bring to it, all that you are carrying. We carry such a lot, in this life, some of our baggage is helpful, like love, and lessons. Some of it is harmful, like guilt, or anger. Judgement is an opportunity to wipe the slate clean – to own all that you carry, and then to lay it down, with respect, with grace, with love.

You are then free to move forwards into a new era of your life, lighter, unencumbered, self-aware yet free, fully accepting your present. There is an echo of Death here, with this saying goodbye and ending of a cycle. The difference is that Judgement asks you to be proactive about it – especially in terms of forgiveness. Free of guilt and anger, no longer weighed down by grudges and insecurity, you commit to living in the present, to your own growth and renewal.

Today is a new day. You move forwards from here.

Advice from Judgement

Judgement comes up for folks who stand at a crossroads (that’s the cross on the angel’s flag, shown in some decks). It says: you have a choice. Do you want to continue as you are, or heed this call? Will you remain still, or move towards liberation? Are you ready to face yourself? Are you ready to love yourself?

Only when we are completely honest with ourselves can we move forward.

Forgiveness. What this looks like in practice is forgiveness . Forgive yourself. Own your mistakes, and let them be just that: mistakes. Acknowledge the hurt or pain you may have caused in your life, acknowledge the ways you were less than perfect. Then forgive yourself. Let it go. It’s okay. You are not that person anymore, only a person who has learned and grown. Let that be.

Forgive others. If you are holding a grudge, know that it is harming you, and it is time to put that burden down. It is worth nothing to you now, it is an old energy, a dead weight.

Put real time into this forgiveness work. It’s not often easy, it’s more than simply saying ‘I forgive you’. It may take many days or weeks or months of work, of gradually unpicking and owning the complex fears and sadnesses that sit behind guilt and/or grudges. But, with the Judgement card on your side, you are working towards this.

Key words and concepts

• Liberation, freedom, casting off shackles
• Laying down of old baggage
• Self-acceptance
• Total accountability for self
• Integrity, honesty
• Forgiveness of self
• Forgiveness of others
• Self-love
• Letting go
• Allowing yourself to move forwards

Some common symbols

• Horn (hearing a call)
• Angel (transcendence, call coming from ‘above’)
• People, birds or other things ‘rising up’ (the soul transcending, lightness)

Apathy

Sometimes, you just feel stuck. Not because of obstacles, not for any practical reason that can be solved, but just… stuck. It’s like your heart gives up, you can’t seem to get going or get excited about things.

The Four of Cups is about that moment. It represents an emotional inertia, grinding to a standstill. It’s being apathetic (as in, ‘without feeling’).

In Pamela Colman-Smith’s illustration, a girl sits beneath a tree, looking fed up. Three cups sit before her. Apparently, she is not interested in what is in them. She has become bored with her own heart, bored with herself.

It’s a rut, but a momentary one. A lapse in imagination, a lack of curiosity. From the side, a fourth cup is offered as if by magic. Resembling the Ace of Cups itself, it’s another opportunity, something new. She only has to turn her head to see it – but will she?

In a reading…

You’ve got a choice. You can sit there being grumpy or bored, accept the way things are just now and feel uninspired. Or, you can make a change. When you see this card, it’s really up to you.

Adopt an attitude of curiosity. Let your imagination wander. Try something new. Be creative – literally, get out some paints or make a collage or whatever. Walk in the woods or go to the beach. You get the idea! It’s up to you to give things a shake and awaken your imagination – by doing so, you open up new possibilities in your life that can help you get back on track again.

This might point to a relationship becoming stale. Or you losing interest in something you once loved. Or just feeling bored with it all. It’s time to shift the energy, shake things up a little. If things really are over, well – it’s time to accept and deal with that, you can’t just sit there forever pretending this isn’t happening. But think also about whether there’s something new or positive you can bring in to this situation to enliven it.

On the other hand, this can be about saying no for positive reasons. Maybe the ‘right’ person hasn’t come along yet? Maybe you’re gonna hold out for a better job? There’s a passivity in this card that could be just what you need right now, if you have faith that that something better is just around the corner. Just be careful not to get stuck here.

Victory (and humility)

The Six of Wands offers us a picture of victory. Something has worked out well, and this is a time to feel proud. There are plenty of parallels with the Four of Wands here, though whilst that card was about the energy of celebration itself, the Six is focused on the experience of triumph.

Following a card of conflict (the Five of Wands) the Six may refer to triumph in some kind of battle – winning anything from a minor disagreement to a political legal battle. When this does refer to situations of conflict, though, it carries a reminder that the battle is not the war. This current triumph does not solve – or resolve – everything. It is a step on a path.

But of course, this needn’t be about ‘battles’ and ‘wars’. The moment of triumph we see in the Six of Wands can take many forms. In the Wild Unknown Tarot, the card shows a butterfly, rising up from a sea of shadows. This is about spreading our wings and feeling free. It’s a moment of becoming, of personal celebration.

Remember that wands represent ideals and principles – a topic the upcoming Seven, Eight and Nine will explore). What we see in the Six of Wands is a moment when it feels as though our ideals get to take centre stage – we feel ‘right’, we feel confident in what we believe.

In a reading…

This is a good sign for any situation in which you’re fighting for what you believe in. It’s a sign of strength, courage, and that you are ‘on the right side’.

Beyond fighting, though, take this card as encouragement to be true to yourself and stand up for what you feel is right. Honour your principles. ‘Be on the right side of history’ as they say. Put personal gain aside and focus your energy on the good of the whole, the community.

This card can also indicate leadership – a moment for you to really step up. If you really believe in your principles, there is nothing to fear here. Be bold and fair; and lead this part of the journey.

Implicit in this card of ‘victory’ is of course the advice to stay humble. These moments of confidence and celebration are wonderful and can be enjoyed, of course. Know that this is not an ending, that the journey continues, and there is work still to do. Some may put it more bluntly: pride comes before a fall. I don’t feel that a ‘fall’ is implicit in this card, but it does carry a warning to remember where you came from.

A good way to do this is to practice gratitude. Nobody achieves great things purely on their own. Look back and acknowledge the people and circumstances that enabled you to reach this point of success – friends, colleagues, strangers, family, inherited privilege, and anyone who you may have stepped on (intentionally or not) on the road so far. Own all of this, acknowledge their part in your story, and be grateful and humble.

Wild charisma

This knight is all ego. Bold and brash they storm into the centre of things, ready to show the world how great they are. They have that kind of rakish attractiveness about them, something about how wild they seem.

This can be really fun! It’s good to have the Knight of Wands around, they’re fun at parties and know how to get the crowd going. It’s also good to be around this kind of confidence – the Knight of Wands isn’t afraid to take the first step and get things moving, inspiring others to come along.

A typical knight, this person hasn’t quite got a grip on their own power yet, so it often comes out in these clumsy, over the top ways. This card can represent someone who is all fired up with ideas and the urge to act – but hasn’t thought or felt things through yet. They don’t have a container for their fire, it’s just running wild.

Of course, they may take up a lot of space – big egos do that. The Knight of Wands can be someone who dominates spaces with their need for attention. They can be demanding and loud – not to mention arrogant. This person asserts themselves with confidence – yet at the same time, they need a lot of validation to keep that confidence rolling.

This is an inspiring person who loves to lead – maybe someone in your peer group who seems to have a really fun, adventurous life or someone you’d like to be around. Their energy is infectious and people are drawn to their easy charisma.

Special powers: Dynamic, bold.

The courage to walk away

This is another ‘moving on’ card. It’s about making the difficult, sad, and ultimately wise choice to leave something behind, and forge a new path.

The Eight of Cups is a brave goodbye. We have all experienced moments in our lives when we realise things just aren’t working as they are, and that they can’t be mended. We have put in care and energy and love, we have worked hard – but it’s time to stop trying.

It’s the kindest of breakups – the setting free of friends or lovers so they may walk their own paths. The letting go of ties that bind because things have changed. There’s so much acceptance and respect here. The Eight of Cups honours goodbyes, honours the strength and wisdom in doing them well.

This is very much an act of self-respect. We must love ourselves enough to set ourselves free from the things that hold us back or hurt us. We have to learn to let go of what doesn’t serve us, and allow others to do the same. Thus, the Eight of Cups is imbued with a sense of generosity, the putting aside of the needy ego to allow healing to take place.

In a reading…

It’s time to go. If you’re not already on your way, then this card asks you to accept what isn’t working in your life – especially those things into which you’ve poured a lot of energy. Look at what is not sustainable, what is not feeling okay, and give yourself permission to let it go.

Do this with love and respect. Honour the time you have put into this part of your life, think of what was good about it. You can take those good things with you, they are a part of you. Forgive yourself for the mistakes you have made, forgive others where needed.

It may feel right to mark this turning point with a ritual of some kind. A fire, burning old letters, an altar to the future, a divorce party: feel your way through to a ceremony that works for you.

And remember that, though this is about the goodbye, it’s also about what lies ahead. The road may be long, it will be a healing journey and it may be hard, and it’s time to take those first steps. Take with you only what you need, and leave the rest behind.

The art of ‘allowing’

Like the Fool, the Hanged man is a figure few people understand. Just as they laughed at the Fool, stepping so cheerfully and so lightly towards the cliff’s edge, here, they see a person hanging upside down from a tree…and seemingly fine with that. What gives?

If you are a minority of one, the truth is still the truth – for you, at least. The Hanged Man represents independence from the flock, the willingness to see things differently, see them your way. It can point to critical thinking or awareness (especially when paired with other cards that deal with this theme) and it can represent courage.

The courage not to make snap judgements. The courage to give things time to unfold.

Because the Hanged Man is also about being ‘in limbo’. Patience. Waiting. You do not have all the information yet, and must wait and see what comes next. Doing nothing can be so much harder than doing something. We are so used to leaping right onto a situation and dealing with it quickly – it is an act of bravery and strength to simply hold back.

This is also about those spiritual practices that enable us to step back. Rather like an internal version of the Hermit – but where the Hermit physically claims space and time by going on retreat or carving out a space to be alone, as the Hanged Man, you create that space in your own mind. Again, this is a courageous act, and it requires strength and discipline.

Meditation. Mindfulness. Those adult colouring books filled with flowers and mandalas. Staring out to sea or lying in a floatation tank. The aim of such practices is not only to ‘get some peace and quiet’, but attain a level of spiritual awareness, a genuine inner peace. The ego is quieted, the chattering mind ceases, and we find a sense of peace, the ability to simply be, without judgement. Moments like these are awakenings.

It’s an art form (Ruth West’s Thea’s Tarot names this card ‘Art’.) The art of simply ‘allowing’. Peace with what is. Peace with self.

That’s why the hanging person on this card often has a halo. That’s why they don’t mind hanging upside down. It’s a choice. Doing nothing can be so much harder than doing something, but the Hanged Man has the courage, discipline and self-respect to do it.

Advice from the Hanged Man

Just as the Hanged Man observes the world upside down, this card can encourage you to take a different view. How does the truth appear to you? Never mind what everybody else is thinking, what is your truth? What do you see?

Where your question revolves around a decision, a ‘Should I…?”, the advice here is to hold back. Don’t act, not yet. Don’t make a decision. Remember that you do not have all of the facts. Take a passive approach, quiet your mind, reserve judgement. Simply watch and wait.

There are strong echoes of the Hermit here. How can you create peace and quiet, within yourself? Retreat, withdraw, if that feels right, but remember that this is about making space within your own mind. Try the practices mentioned above – meditation and mindfulness, sitting in nature – or look for other ways to achieve a sense of peace.

Above all, seek peace from your ego and its incessant demands on your spirit. Practice allowing yourself to simply be. Know that you are enough. Know that there is nothing outside of you that can validate or ‘fix’ you. Accept yourself as you are, without judgement.

Key words and concepts

• Passivity
• Holding back
• Patience
• Acknowledging that you do not know everything
• Allowing events to unfold
• Meditation and mindful practice
• Inner peace
• Independent thinking, taking a different perspective
• Self-acceptance
• Overcoming ego
• Not being afraid of what’s inside you

Some common symbols

• Hanging upside down (independent perspectives, your own truth)
• Halo or other magical symbols (transcendence, enlightenment, inner peace)

You deserve good things

This is a card of success and accomplishment. It represents the achievement of that kind of confidence and security that comes from having created something solid, something real, that you can now relax and enjoy.

I sometimes think of this as the ‘independent woman’ card, in that it is imbued with all that proud, resilient, strong energy in the archetype of the independent woman. Someone who has defied society’s expectations and limitations and broken the mould, achieving strength and security on their own terms.

Like many of the Pentacles cards, the Nine points to hard work. We need a lot of self-belief and dedication to craft lives and projects we can be proud of. This is an end point to celebrate and enjoy, but it carries within itself the journey that led to this point. It’s a proud moment where we can look back on the story so far, from this position of having really achieved something.

It’s a card of abundance and gratitude too. It represents feeling rich and strong in a really good way, having earned good things and appreciating them.

In a reading…

Know that you have skills and resources that are all your own. They belong to you, and are available for you to use. Don’t be afraid to use your skills.

Know also that you can be proud of what you’ve achieved. Take a moment to celebrate the life you have created for yourself. Ground yourself in the good things in your life, know that they are nourishing your roots.

Know that you deserve good things.

If this card represents a goal for you (rather than a present reality) take this card as encouragement. You have what it takes. You can build the life you want. Take stock of your skills and resources, and think about how you can use these.

Create your own rules in life. Write your manifesto, and work out how you can structure your life in a way that works for you, that supports you to do the things you want to do. Make sure you’re creating sturdy foundations upon which to build the life you want.

The Nine of Pentacles can also be specifically about going it alone. Where the Three celebrated teamwork, this is more about what you can achieve by yourself. Trust your own voice, and don’t be afraid to break away from the herd if you see something special you want to go for.

Defeat the haters

We’ve talked a lot about ‘battles’ in the wands suit – because life can sometimes feel like a fight. We are called on all the time to speak out, to stand up for ourselves, to overcome this inner voice or that external force of oppression.

The Seven of Wands is an activist’s card. It’s that image that shows up to say ‘your truth belongs to you. Hold it high.’ For some of us this may be an actual fight for survival in a society that won’t accept our existence. For others, it is about standing tall and getting our message out there so it can be heard – again, this can feel like a fight.

In some decks, we see a physical battle. A person standing alone, their single wand held high, fighting a sea of faceless others. This is how it can feel sometimes, when we are called to defend our truths. Other decks represent it differently. Charissa Drengsen’s Steampunk Tarot shows women gossiping about another from behind parasols. Kim Krans’ Wild Unknown Tarot shows a single, burning flame, casting other wands into the dark.

All of these are images of empowerment for the ‘lonely’ one, the ‘other’. They celebrate otherness and critique the ‘haters’ that threaten it. The Seven of Wands is firmly on the side of the single, personal truth, even if it is a minority view. It asks each of us to be proud of who we are, to own our truths and our experiences, and yes, if necessary, to fight.

It’s important to feel the joy in this card, even though it is again one of conflict. At it’s heart, it celebrates your power, your light, your difference. It wants that light to shine, bold and bright, for all to see.

In a reading…

A little like the Five of Wands, you may feel really attacked right now, or called to stand up for yourself. Unlike that card, however, here the fight is worth it. The Seven of Wands seeks to embolden you and remind you that you are strong, powerful, brilliant…and right!

As an activist card, this points to any situation where you have to stand up for your beliefs. This includes standing up for others. If you enjoy power and privilege, use that strength to lift others, or offer space on your platform for others to step up and join you. There is a loneliness in this card because it is focused on your power and difference as an individual, but within this is the question of what you can do with that power. Focus on that.

Regardless of the presence of an ‘real’ fight, this is about celebrating who you are and being unafraid to show it. We live in a society that prizes conformity, that offers us very narrow ideas of what a ‘good’ or ‘successful’ person looks like. Many of us are left out of those spaces the very moment we are conceived! Others move through life, gradually realising that this mould is not for them. Be proud of what makes you different, what makes you you. Don’t hide it away, but bring it forth to make the world more beautiful, more colourful. And ultimately, to ensure that you yourself are free.

Depth over breadth

This card is a wild one. Besides what you see on your own version of this card, try an online image search and you’ll see what I mean. Treasure, demons, mythical figures… what on earth is going on here?

This could be about a boundless imagination, and the importance of giving our dreams structure and support. Rachel Pollack puts it best, in Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom :

Emotion and imagination can produce wonderful visions, but without grounding in both action and the outer realities of life these fantastic images remain daydreams, ‘fancies’ without real meaning or value. … They lack meaning because they don’t connect to anything outside of themselves.

It’s good to be imaginative and curious, of course! But ideas, callings, desires, if these aren’t acted upon then they remain like the symbols in this card: figments of your mind, or rather, your heart. Any of us may have many beautiful ideas, but what makes them meaningful is when we go deep into one or two, and really see where they can take us, what we can create if we make brave choices.

There’s excitement here, and also fear. What would happen if you really just followed your heart?

In a reading…

Your ideas may be wonderful, but can you make them real? What can they really mean, here, in your life? The Seven of Cups asks you to ‘make the impossible possible’, to actively manifest your desires, rather than admiring them as daydreams. In order to put in this energy, you may need to let some dreams go. Focus on what really lights you up, and don’t be afraid to leave some of your dreams behind (if only just for now). Let your heart guide you to choose the meaningful over the superficial.

This is about making pro-active choices. Perhaps you’re faced with too many, and you just can’t pick one path. Maybe you want to do All Of The Things. Perhaps you’re torn between lovers. Perhaps there are just too many things vying for your attention right now and you’re feeling lost or overwhelmed.

Choice can be a burden, and the Seven of Cups opens up a discussion about that kind of spiritual ‘weight’. What does it look like to choose something and really go deep with it, rather than dabbling without purpose in many things? This card promotes depth over breadth, and thus asks for commitment.

Magic in the in-between

We’ve see some wild and powerful energies so far in the Major Arcana. It’s been quite a ride! Magical manifestation, huge, profound change, subconscious witchery, focus, decisions, choices, moments of profound enlightenment.

Some cards, however, have a a quieter, less awe-inspiring kind of power. Strength . The Hanged Man . And Temperance – the least glamorous of them all.

Temperance is about going steady. The word itself means ‘moderation’, which often means restraint. Choosing the middle way. Not upsetting the apple-cart. A lack of extremes.

By the same token, it’s also about blending dualities . Often, this card shows a figure pouring water from one cup into another, one foot on land, the other in a river, achieving a blend. This can apply to anything that we tend to view on a spectrum (see the next section for some examples).

Temperance is an answer to the tarot’s emphasis on duality. It is the huge, blurry, magical area in the middle of the spectrum, where even the line itself is blurred. It’s a third dimension, it’s more than just one thing. This is a liminal space worth exploring in its own right, as you learn to take the disparate ingredients of your life and blend them in ways that work for you. The result is a kind of alchemy, as together, all of these ingredients become more than the sum of their parts.

There’s real magic in this liminal, in-between space. In not being one thing, or another, but a blend of two, or many, things. Beyond simple ‘moderation’, Temperance is like honing a fine recipe. A little of this, a little of that, seeking the perfect balance, adding a little at a time, stopping to taste, to feel, to learn. Too much cayenne and your chilli won’t be palatable. Too little, and it won’t have any fire.

On the traditional image , the angel (who, by the way, is intersex, or non-gendered, or nonbinary, or genderqueer – it’s up to you!) not only pours water between two cups, but they defy gravity in doing so. The water flows in a diagonal line. Powerful forces are at work here – this isn’t a mundane process, but a magical one.

We talk a lot in the ‘self development’ world about achieving balance and harmony. It’s something many of us seek. Extremes can be fun, but aren’t always sustainable (for our minds, hearts, bodies). Temperance shows us what it can look like to really make space to learn what we need – the many different ingredients, unique to each of us – that create our ‘happy blend’.

That harmony and balance so many of us seek is not a boring or mundane goal. It’s lofty, and it’s as important as all of those louder, more glamorous cards. It’s a form of radical self-care to allow yourself this kind of space and focus. In modern life we are tugged this way and that. So many demands are made of us. So many exclamation marks, so much awesome and awful and get this right now . What does it look like to simply sit with ourselves, with the complex, multi-faceted beings that we are, to honour the many different parts of ourselves, to simply see them?

Advice from Temperance

Temperance points to moderate or halfway points on anything we may view on a linear spectrum. This might mean simply choosing the ‘middle way’ – even sitting on the fence – in decision-making. Or it may be about tempering extremes, however they are showing up in your life. Some everyday examples are:

Work/life balance. Not throwing yourself entirely into work, not slacking off either, Temperance appears in our working lives as a healthy balance. (I house-sat for two weeks whilst writing this course, and I was looking forward to losing myself completely in this piece of work. I managed two days before I began to feel ill. I needed balance, to go outside, to do other things.)

Resisting extreme choices. Maybe you want to cut a friend out of your life, or completely shut down your blog, or ditch social media for good, or quit your job in a blaze of glory. Temperance advises you against such extremes. It asks you to cool your boots, and find a halfway measure or moderate way of meeting that need. Test the waters first, before going the whole hog.

Gender. The nonbinary gender identity is a perfect expression of Temperance. Not one extreme or the other (if we view gender as a linear spectrum with male at one end, female at the other), but somewhere in between. A nonbinary person’s gender expression may shift on a daily basis, combining elements of both genders however feels right.

Multipotentialism. Emilie Wapnick, founder of Puttylike and author of How to be Everything , maintains that we are not bound to choosing one path in life, but can combine multiple passions, interests and skills into a multidimensional whole. You can wear many hats at once! (See puttylike.com for more information.)

These are just a few examples but there are so many ways that extremes can show up in your life. When you see Temperance in your tarot readings, look for the places in your life where you could do with ‘tempering’ those extremes. Look for ways to invite a calmness into your life, and think about harmony and balance. How might you move towards a place of harmony (however that looks for you)? What do you need to bring in, or let go, in order to feel steadier, more in balance?

Key words and concepts

• Balance, harmony
• A blending of dualities
• Alchemy
• Seeking the middle path
• Not making extreme decisions
• Taking a nonbinary attitude
• Testing the waters
• Self-care, grace, gentleness
• Integration into something you were resisting

Some common symbols

• Non-gendered angel (transcending the duality of gender)
• One foot in the water (testing the water, blending elements of earth and water)
• Water – being poured and in the landscape (intuition, feeling)
• Sunrise (a new day, a new start)
• Two cups (love)
• Flowers (natural renewal)

Aces represent opportunities and/or beginnings, and pentacles are the suit of earth, work, body, nature… our physical, tangible selves and worlds.

So here, we’re looking at a new start in any of those areas. The Ace of Pentacles can be a new job, a new home, physical transition, a new sexual relationship, coming into some money, starting a business, getting fit, starting a garden, taking up a new craft or hands-on hobby… you see the pattern. These are all earthy areas of our lives, they’re tangible, mundane, or created through physical work.

As with every ace, the card only highlights the opportunity before you. It asks the question: will you take it? You don’t have to. You don’t have to say yes, you don’t have to reach out. Still, it’s probably wise to do so. On traditional decks, each ace is represented by a hand reaching down from the sky. The Universe is offering you a gift! It won’t last forever. Not to rush you… but it’s time.

If you’re not seeing this opportunity, look more carefully around you. It may come from a surprising corner (like finding 20 quid in the pocket of an old pair of jeans, or a stranger in the bus queue offering you a job). Aces very often arrive as prompts, encouraging you to open your eyes and see what is before you. What are you not noticing?

A ‘new start’ can be momentous, or it can be small. Maybe you want to move house to a whole new area…or perhaps you just want to redecorate your bedroom. Maybe you want to totally transform your body…or perhaps you’d rather focus on having a happier relationship with the one you have. Maybe you’re gonna take on some land and grow vegetables for the whole community… or, instead, start growing herbs on your apartment windowsill. Maybe you’re gonna quit your job and start a new business…or on the other hand, perhaps this is about asking your boss to promote you or offer you new responsibilities.

Which of the ‘earthy’ areas of your life – work, money, home, body, sex, environment, craft, nature – is calling to you right now? Where do you feel called to put your focus, your energy? The Ace of Pentacles says go for it – you have all you need. Start where you are. Use what you have. It is enough.

Say yes! Begin. There is life-force in these decisions, no matter how big or small they feel.

As an earthy pentacles card, this ace also reminds you of the journey from beginning to end. Starting something does not guarantee your end result, your harvest. Think of it like planting a seed. You don’t just put it in a pot and run off to celebrate – you’ve got to show up each day, make sure that plant is getting water and light. When it gets bigger, you might need to give it support, or move it to a bigger pot. It takes care and hard work, it takes real nurturing, to bring your seeds to fruition.

Don’t expect instant results when you see this ace – it’s not usually a glamorous card, but one of steady commitment. Appreciate that there is magic in this kind of work, and be ready to step up and commit. Always remember: actions speak louder than words. Having plans is great…but putting them into action, actually doing the thing, is far greater.

Key words and concepts

• A new start… for your work, home, body/health/sex life, finances, craft and creativity, relationship to environment…any of those earthy realms
• An opportunity to develop in any of those areas
• Saying yes to such an opportunity
• Commitment to hard work
• Beginning something long, slow and rewarding
• Waking up to the magic in your everyday life

Symbols

As pentacles are the suit of earth, we might see anything from the natural world on this card. Plants, trees, flowers, hills, rocks, bones, crystals… Pay attention to how your tarot deck depicts the element of ‘earth’. You’ll likely see those same symbols coming up again and again throughout this suit.

Weaving the tapestry of your life

Who is in charge of your life?

It’s a big question, and the answer is of course a complex jumble of things. You were born with and without certain privileges which will ever influence your life events, choices, opportunities. You were socialised in certain ways. You have encountered luck, both good and bad, you have made choices, some good, some bad. Your life is a rich tapestry that is forever being woven…and you are not the only person holding a needle and thread.

The wheel of life is turning, continually. Seasons change, political parties rise and fall, generations of youngsters grow up and birth new ones. Your luck is up, then it is down. A leader is elected, then later defeated. It is sunny…and then it is rainy. Is this stuff fate? Is there an explanation for absolutely everything?

The Wheel of Fortune points to themes of fate and destiny. Whether you believe in free will or feel that life is mapped out for us, we all sometimes experience that sense that something is ‘meant to be’. The Wheel of Fortune is an auspicious card for such moments, when things hang in the balance but you know in your gut that a certain outcome is ‘fated’ to happen.

Most importantly, though, it’s about taking responsibility. Though there are many different ways to interpret the Wheel of Fortune – most often extensions of the rather ambiguous “change” – the most empowering and thus my preferred approach is to see it as opening up a conversation about creating change. Grabbing the wheel of your life and doing what steering you can. As we’ve seen, there are many forces acting upon our lives, our communities, our world. Your job is to work out which bits you can do something about and focus your energy there.

It’s also about the interconnectedness of all things. The complex ecosystem within which we all belong. It can represent standing back and seeing this ecosystem as a narrative with many intersecting stories, a tapestry with many, many coloured threads, continually being woven. For example, think about stepping back and seeing a specific social issue in terms of a much wider history of oppression, or understanding a current challenge in your life in terms of all of the many influences that have created it.

Advice from the Wheel of Fortune

It is very easy, when we feel down on our luck, to focus on the stuff that’s out of our hands. To complain and wring our hands and feel helpless. The Wheel card is not merciless – it bears witness to this, and it acknowledges that there are forces acting upon you that you can’t do a thing about. The Wheel of Fortune advises you to look carefully at your situation and separate the things you can’t change from the things you can. And to focus your energy there. To take responsibility for your life, to put yourself in the driving seat, and bring about the changes you want to see.

It’s pointing you to a frustrating intersection between being in the flow (change happens, luck changes) and grabbing the wheel (because ultimately, you must do what you can).

The Wheel is a reminder of the temporal nature of all things, that nothing lasts forever. It’s humbling when things are good, reminding us that life is an ever-turning cycle of good times and hard. And it’s encouraging when things are tough, pointing out that this, too, will end. The Wheel does specifically represent this kind of change (particularly the upwards swing) so can be a simple card of good luck. If you feel that something is ‘meant to be’, it probably is!

Take its themes of interconnectivity to heart, too. Remember that you are part of a world wide web, that you belong, that your actions have consequences, that you are part of a wider narrative. Consider chaos theory, and the idea that every movement we make imparts energy and influence into this world. Be aware of the great power in your hands to create change, and to receive change at the hands of others. Understand your life as part of a greater narrative, within the mysteries of fate and destiny, as a small – yet significant – part of a greater whole.

Key words and concepts

• Change is happening
• A change in luck, especially good
• Predictions and prophesies
• Feeling like something is ‘destined’ to happen
• A shift in power dynamics
• Taking responsibility
• Focusing on what you can do (rather than being frustrated by what you can’t change)
• All things are interconnected
• Seeing the bigger picture

Some common symbols

In traditional decks, this card bears a whole heap of mythical symbols, representing the four elements of earth, air, fire and water, and the four ‘fixed’ signs of the zodiac (and thus the entire zodiac). For an exploration of these, I recommend Rachel Pollack’s Seventy Eight Degrees of Wisdom .

The most important symbol here is of course a wheel – or other rotary symbol – representing the ever-turning nature of life.

Curiosity in motion

True to their character as a page, the Page of Wands is a curious person. eager to go on an adventure. This one has the energy of fire under their seat – they’re excitable and energetic.

The Page of Wands can be someone who has just had a brilliant idea and is wondering how to set about it. They hold their idea out in front of them and watch how it shimmers. They feel a burning inside as they feel excited about how things will go.

This is someone who wants to learn all about the element of fire. How it shows up in our lives, how we can use it, what it can be used for. Again, the Page of Wands could be a student, perhaps learning about politics, social affairs, business – anything that takes a lot if initiative and dynamism.

As wands are the suit of ideals and principles, this may be a person embarking on a social mission. Maybe they’ve just started to learn about socialism of feminism or some other radical way of seeing the world that is grounded in a set of principles – and they’re excited to find out more and put these principles into practice.

Because ‘action’ is a core idea for this page. Wands are all about doing. Manifesting. Making magic. The Page of Wands is inspired by ideas, but is focused on what they might become.

Special skills: Curious, energetic, inspired.

Know-it-all

The Knight of Swords has all the answers. “I’ve got it!” they shout, rushing headlong into the fray to tell everyone the truth. It’s a confident, bold, and dynamic card.

The thing is, they may be right, or they may be wrong. The Knight of Swords doesn’t usually take the time to check. It looks like they’re thinking with their mind, but what they’re really listening to is ego: This is how I need the truth to be. This is me and what I’m fighting for. There’s a heck of a lot of ‘I’ in those ‘truths’, and this card can point to a need to unpick some of this, some of this entanglement of your own identity with objective facts.

As a teenager, there’s that theme of immaturity again. Wielding that sword of truth with a kinda clumsy determination, the Knight hasn’t taken the time to fact-check or think about consequences. They’ve got an opinion and it’s time for everyone to hear it. The impulse is egotistic, but there’s also a genuine belief here that they are right and that their campaign is fair and just (a dedicated social justice activist may find themselves embodying this character, even with the best intentions). The Knight of Swords can certainly be self-righteous. There’s arrogance too, of course – there is arrogance in every Knight.

Still – sometimes this impulsive ‘tell it like it is’ energy is what a situation needs. Someone to shake things up a little, make a controversial statement or, just maybe, speak an important and genuine truth. The Knight of Swords isn’t known for being careful, but that doesn’t mean they are necessarily wrong.

The Knight of Swords may also be a person with a chip on their shoulder. Maybe you’ve been nursing a grudge, or running over and over some past hurt in your mind. This person can be bitter, resentful, or obsessive. In Pamela Colman-Smith’s version of this card, the knight gallops from right to left, as if towards the past. There is certainly a theme here of being hung up on past events, choosing to dwell in old hurt rather than move forwards.

Special skills: Not afraid to speak the truth.

Life in survival mode

This is one of the minor arcana’s toughest cards. The image often shows a person or people who are in an apparent state of crisis. Clothes in rags, out in the cold, overwhelmed or tired out, this is not a happy sight.

It’s a card for those times when we exist on only the basics, just making it through. We may be suffering ill-health, or it may be financial poverty. We may be burned out. We may be depressed – with or without clear reason – or feeling under a great deal of pressure. And whatever’s going on – it’s getting us down.

In particular, this card can point to a feeling of being left out, or even cast out. Of a group to which you once belonged. Of society, which does not value folks such as you. Of a system that was created for the benefit of just a few. There is an ‘otherness’ in this card, an ‘outsider-ness’.

If you can understand the concept of privilege – in the many different forms it may take – then you can understand this card. This is showing us the opposite of privilege.

Some decks not only show ‘suffering people’ on this card, but also a possible ‘salvation’. In traditional decks, for example, two figures in rags pass by a brightly-lit church window. Why do they not step inside and warm up? Surely they will be offered blankets and soup? The thing is, we don’t know. Perhaps they have just that moment been cast out of that very church. Perhaps they are so caught up in their pain and struggle that they don’t see the opportunity. Perhaps they can’t turn to that particular source of support because they don’t feel safe in a church environment. Perhaps they are choosing martyrdom.

We don’t know, is the thing. In this way, the Five of Pentacles sometimes raises more questions than it offers answers.

In a reading

The meaning of this card may be very obvious to you: if you’re ill or getting over an illness, if you’re experiencing depression, if you’re going through a rough patch, the Five of Pentacles is a witness to that. It need not be anything more.

But of course, there may be more.

Maybe you’re in ‘survival mode’. You have an overwhelming sense of lack, of poverty in some or many areas of your life. Every day you’re just getting through it, just about making the basics. This could be for any number of reasons, but as is so often the case in the tarot, the Five of Pentacles asks you to consider what you might do to change your situation. Depending on circumstances, this may be as simple as adopting a more positive attitude, or it may be as challenging as asking for help.

Take an honest look at your relationship to any pain you are suffering right now. Harsh as it may sound, this card often points to a ‘victim’ mentality, in which we take on pain and suffering as part of our identities. We choose not to accept help or solutions, because we have become attached to that struggle. On some level, we may not actually want to solve (or try to solve) our problems.

The Five of Pentacles may be pointing to ways in which you are disadvantaged. An obvious example would be a society or system that privileges some people and not others. Those with privilege enjoy comfort and security. Those who are disadvantaged suffer a lack of these essential things. If this feels appropriate in your reading, let this card open up a conversation about the role of privilege in your life.

Preparation is everything

You’ve got your idea and you’re all ready to act…and the Two of Wands brings you up short. Why? Because the best ideas usually need a little planning.

That’s what this card is all about. Being very still with your idea. Letting it ebb and flow in your mind and in your gut. Feel through it. All the elements are present in this card: the fire of the idea, the air of your intellect, your planning mind, the water of your feelings, and the earth of your body’s response.

I like to read this card within the sequence: Ace, Two then Three of Wands. Idea, preparation, then action. The Three tells us that it’s time to act, but the Two urges us to pause first, and figure out where we’re going, what we are trying to achieve. Remember the Chariot’s sacred focus? That’s very present in this card – it’s the necessary work that comes before that kind of forward driven movement.

The duality here (for this is a two) is that tension between excitement and inaction. Action and stillness. You’re preparing to act and there’s energy building up inside you, but for now it’s better to be still with it.

Think of this moment as holding back your bow to shoot an arrow. There is a huge amount of energy held in that bow. It is not yet time to release it – first, take the time to take aim, so you will be able to shoot in confidence.

In a reading…

You stand at a gateway. You are preparing. The time to act is soon. For now, get your ducks in a row.

Take the time to get really clear on where you want to go. This is a good time to write a manifesto, or an action plan. Figure out why you want to do a thing, really understand what it is that’s driving you.

Feel the ebb and flow of your idea within you. Let it shift – your initial vision may differ greatly from what you finally decide on. Allow space for this to happen. Don’t be too quick to act, but explore your idea from different angles, or talk it over with someone.

Feel that tension in you, that feeling of power and potential. You can do something really great here (no pressure…!) Know that you have what it takes. Get ready.

This may also signal returning to an idea you had abandoned long ago. Pick your idea back up, and toy with it a while. How does it feel now? Is it time to give it another go?

Time heals all wounds

This is a restful, peaceful card, but it is also heavy with thought and emotion. It shows us that process of moving on after a difficult time – tired, but wiser and stronger. Sad, but determined to start over. It’s a healing journey.

Many decks show a person in a boat. They sit, perhaps with their face hidden, facing forwards, away from us. Six swords accompany them in the boat – they are not being left behind. A stranger rows or steers the ship, carrying them to safety. In the distance, we see the coast: a new land.

After trauma, conflict, heartbreak, or tough chapters in our lives, we don’t have the choice of forgetting everything. We can’t simply forget the lessons we learn in life, even when we want to. They stay with us. These experiences may or may not form part of our identities – it may feel empowering to define yourself as, for example, a trauma survivor or a sober alcoholic – or it may feel important not to claim your experiences within your current identity. This is a choice you can make. Either way, though, you carry with you the wisdom and the scars.

The stranger in the boat may be significant – someone who guides or supports us in our healing. We are not alone in life, this figure may be a real person, or a spiritual helper of any sort. Or, they may be time itself, whose slow, inevitable passage heals wounds and moves us forwards.

The boat itself is significant too: it travels over water. Whilst this is a swords card and thus concerned with our minds, there is an emotional journey happening too. To cross a body of water is symbolically to move forwards, emotionally. There is a quiet, supportive sense of empowerment in this card.

In a reading…

In its simplest sense, the Six of Swords advises you to begin or continue the process of moving on. This may be easier said than done, but accepting and embracing your own healing journey is the core message of this card.

Healing is transformational. Experiences that may once have been painful or buried deep gradually become a part of your life that you can learn from. Part of who you are, but not you. They are with you, not of you.

It is time for healing to take place, or perhaps it is well underway. You’re moving on. You’ve seen some tough times – perhaps recently, perhaps long ago – and are moving beyond them. You won’t forget what you’ve seen, but will learn to lean on these lessons in the next chapter.

Allow yourself to be helped and supported if you need to. You don’t have to do this alone. The Six of Swords can advise counselling and other forms of therapy, anything that helps you to turn experiences into lessons.

Know that there is no need to rush this process. Trust that it is happening.

Feeling without form

Unlike the Page, the Knight of Cups is taking their journey very seriously indeed. It may even be all they do, as they are consumed by this experience of following their heart and soul. In many ways, this card represents falling in love, in that the Knight is utterly enthralled by the ebb and flow of her own heart. It can be a beautiful experience, but it can also represent becoming emotionally stuck. I always find it interesting how it seems the more seriously we take ourselves, the less accessible enlightenment becomes. The Page of Cups, with her lightness of spirit, seems far more likely to discover great truths than this Knight, brooding and serious.

This person may have become lost in their journey. Obsessive love is one expression of the Knight of Cups, as is a person who has become overly attached to self-help books or spiritual doctrine. It’s possible to go so far into these deep and fascinating explorations that we lose track of our own lived reality. This Knight is often brooding, moody, at the mercy of their heart’s fluctuations. They feel everything ten times over, ten times as strong.

Despite the strength of feeling, there’s a passivity here. Where the Knight of Pentacles’ dedication leads her slowly towards a goal, the Knight of Cups stands still. It’s an impasse. In order to really move forwards, that emotion needs shape. The Knight of Cups is like water without a container – all that deep feeling is swirling, but has no form, no real expression. And without form it becomes, well, sort of meaningless.

There can sometimes be superficiality here too. Think of a brooding young poet, so careful to always have his hair in his eyes, his shirt untucked like so. The romantic image of the poet becomes more important than the poetry itself – whilst he imagines he is being ‘deep’, really, he is being vain. Another example may be a life coach, who concentrates so much on saying the right ‘spiritual things’ on social media that they forget what really brought them on this journey in the first place.

The Knight of Cups is not all moody vanity, though. This card can represent a person who is really just taking the time to indulge themselves in pure feeling. It is not always necessary to find containers for or ‘give shape’ to our emotions, or articulate our spiritual journeys. The Knight of Cups can represent a person who has allowed themselves to surrender – and that can be a beautiful thing. As always, remember that Knights represent extremes, and know that this is a short-term situation – to remain in this place too long risks becoming stuck or lost.

Lastly, this card can simply point to a person who is falling in love or who is being very romantic. There is a fun element to the Knight of Cups, too – they may just be encouraging you to buy a bunch of roses for someone you love.

Special skills: Ability to surrender, deeply romantic.

NOTE: In some decks, card 8 may be Justice, with Strength as card 11 instead. For the purpose of this course, we will work with Strength today, wherever it appears in your deck.

Compassionate activism

What is ‘strength’? Here, we’re not talking about muscle or might, this isn’t about outward control or power over others. It’s the kind of strength that comes from within.

In card 6, the Lovers, we talked about ‘choosing love’. Strength gives us an example of what this looks like in practice. It is the power of true compassion, the kind of inner strength that we aspire to, that can be so hard to embody in challenging circumstances.

(Remember that these major cards are archetypes. The saintly figure so often shown on this card is an ideal, not a real person! We do not ‘live as’ this card or that, but we can tap into their powers, with work.)

You turn within and see how you’re doing there, and Strength works to direct or make sense of the chaos of impulses you might find inside.

Oliver Pickle, She Is Sitting in the Night

Strength contains that kind of inner strength that is so hard to really enact. It is forgiving someone who has caused you harm. It is overcoming lust when you know that it is the right path for you to resist. It is being grateful for the learning and growth that a call-out or constructive criticism can bring you, rather than getting defensive and angry. It is choosing to say “I love you” to the person who is throwing hate and fear in your direction. I think of Stephen Lawrence’s mother, preaching forgiveness when her son had been murdered by racists. And the Delta Enduring Tarot, which depicts a trans woman putting on her headphones and, with a smile, getting on with her everyday life, whilst outside, bigots wave placards with hateful messages. It is “We Shall Overcome”, and “Still I Rise”. It is having the self-respect and love for this whole world to refuse to be dragged down by the hate and fear around us and within.

This is not a passive person, a victim, someone simply accepting. Strength is the loving determination to live, to love, to be wholeheartedly ourselves and create space for others to do the same. This card celebrates emotional labour and shines a light on how powerful that often unsung, unglamorous work can be.

To my mind, it’s the biggest challenge presented in the tarot. To add love to a world that so often feels filled with hate and fear. To take part in compassionate, love-led resistance. That takes real strength.

Advice from Strength

Strength asks you to go to the places of pain, anger, greed, and fear in your life. It wants you to acknowledge that these things live within you, and to own them. And to pour love all over them. To ‘tame them’, so that your loving heart is in control. If you’re struggling with addiction, Strength reminds you that you do hold the power to overcome it – but first, you have to love yourself enough to make that choice. If you’re nursing a grievance, Strength gently shows you that it’s time to forgive – for the sake of your own heart. If you’re furious at the injustice of this world, Strength says ‘Don’t get mad. Create change.” And the way to create that change is to put more love into the world.

If lust or passion are tugging you to make choices you know are wrong for you, Strength reminds you of what you really hold dear, and encourages you not to self-sabotage. (To be clear, this card isn’t anti lust or passion per se. It’s offering a way to overcome lust specifically when it will damage what you really love.) Check in with your feelings. Notice those that will burn you out. Offer them love, and override them as best you can. Remind yourself that you love and respect yourself too much to let those ‘wilder’ aspects decide your path.

It is so easy to let the darker aspects of ourselves lead the way, it is so easy to react to life out of fear. If you’re feeling defensive about something, if you’re angry, hurt, bitter, if you want to do harm to someone, if you’re struggling to forgive… work with that. Really face up to that ‘beast’ inside you. We all have those shadows, there’s no pretending otherwise. You are being encouraged to take the ‘high road’. What is the most loving thing you can do right now? How can you offer love into a place of pain?

But we can choose whether or not to be ruled by these parts of ourselves. We can choose to forgive. We can forgive others for the mistakes they have made or the pain they have caused us. We can forgive ourselves for the mistakes we make and the pain we cause others.

Strength points to emotional labour (a little like the Empress). It points to the people who are doing the caring, listening, supporting and carrying. It celebrates their strength and tenacity and the value – often unseen – of what they do.

Key words and concepts

• Inner strength and courage
• Loving activism, fighting fear and hate with compassion
• Dignified resistance
• Emotional labour (and its value)
• Forgiveness
• Love in the face of anger or fear
• Checking in with your emotions and overriding those that will burn you out
• Accepting and loving the ‘shadow self’
• Self-love
• Making positive, compassionate choices

Some common symbols

• Lemniscate / infinity sign (transcendence, magical powers, tapping into something higher)
• Lion (the ‘wild beast’ within us, anger, lust, etc)
• A woman taming a lion (love and gentleness overcoming that wild beast)
• White clothing (peace, innocence)
• Flowers (love, care, beauty)

Teamwork

Like brass cogs in a fantastical machine, each of us has a role to play in this world. From volunteering in your community to your specific job at work, making the cake for your friend’s party to starting a blog, you have something special that only you can bring to this world.

The Three of Pentacles highlights your unique skills as they relate to a wider group. Maybe you’re already part of that group, or maybe not. This card asks you about your skills and your role, how you can bring those skills together with other people, in order to create something great or cool.

It’s a celebration of community effort, teamwork. Some of us are natural team players, others are more like solo artists. This card is one for the team, and it reminds us of the magic that can be achieved when we work together towards shared goals.

In a reading…

This is about all things community or team-related. It’s pointing to groups, families, project teams, gangs of friends. When you see this card in a reading, look at the surrounding cards. Where does the ‘group’ come through in your situation?

Further, the Three of Pentacles often highlights the way that everyone is different, yet together, becoming more than the sum of their parts. A healthy team or group has built in support – each member giving and receiving support from the others.

Have a think about your preferred working style. If you’re a team player, great! But if you’re more of a lone wolf, that’s okay too – there are still ways you can work as part of a group. Think about the boundaries you need in place in order to do this. Embrace the possibility of being part of something bigger.

This card can bring all kinds of teamwork advice. Delegation is a big one. Remember that you don’t have to be brilliant at everything, and even if you are brilliant at everything, you don’t have to do it all yourself! It’s easy to be precious or defensive about our work, but the Three of Pentacles shows us the magic of teamwork. Allow others to take some of the weight.

Appreciate that all of us bring something different to the table. You may be amazing at graphic design but suck at copy writing. So – find someone who can write to work with on that flyer. Maybe a member of your group is just hopeless at the task they’ve been set? Help them find something different to do, and assign that task to someone who can do it. This advice goes for yourself, too! Play to your own strengths, and/or encourage others to play to theirs. Facilitate an environment where others feel safe to share their gifts.

Lastly, this doesn’t have to be about actual teamwork the way I’ve described it so far. You can imagine that the whole world is your ‘team’. Another important focus for this card is that of defining your own role. What do you bring to this world? What unique skills do you possess? How can you use and share them with the world?

Intention becoming manifestation

Where the Fool showed us unformed potential, the Magician brings shape, intention, direction. This is the movement from zero to one. From nothing to something. This is the other half of beginning: where the Fool showed us surrender, the Magician offers will.

The Magician represents the pulling together of those disparate, intangible ideas and feelings. Where the Fool says “I don’t know where I’m heading, but I’m ready to go”, the Magician is getting clear. This is about knowing your ‘why’, setting intentions, consciously choosing a direction in which to head, and focusing your energy that way.

The power of setting intentions cannot be overestimated. Intention is the foundation of spellwork and ritual (for the Magician is a witch and a wizard, too). Intention is the foundation of any serious project. Setting an intention means making a declaration that you intend to do a thing . In doing so, you invite in the energy of the world around you. Where the Fool said “I trust you. I will step forwards”, the Magician says “Here is what I want to do. Will you help me?”

That’s why the Magician card so often shows a figure holding one hand up to the sky. They are reaching high and drawing down divine power, universal energy, magic , and channelling it through their human body. The other hand, pointing down to the ground, earths that energy, turns it into something real.

The hand to the sky is intention. The hand to the ground is manifestation. Fire, becoming earth.

…everyone has access to power and energy and magic, and the variables are only how they affect us, how we choose to access them, and what we do with them.

– Oliver Pickle, She Is Sitting in the Night

Very often, this card will show the emblems of the four tarot suits (pentacles, cups, swords and wands), or symbols representing the four elements (earth, water, air and fire). Because this is about access to all the resources you hold within yourself. As we’ll see later in the course, each of the suits and their corresponding elements represents an area of your life: your physicality, your feelings and intuition, your intellect, your inner fire, and as such they represent the resources you have within yourself. Any or all of these resources may be needed to accomplish your goals. You have all you need.

Advice from the Magician

As you can imagine, this card is encouraging you to set your intention. Don’t be wishy-washy with what you want to achieve. Don’t have a vague direction. Take the time to get clear about where you want to go, what you want to do.

Speak your intention. Declare it in a mural or a post it note. Declare it to your friend. Shout it to the sky. Shout it to the sea. Shout it from the top of your apartment block. Whisper it in prayer. Create a ritual to really set your intention. You get the idea.

And then… actually do it! The Magician is a card of manifestation, not just ideas. It demands commitment. It wants you not only to step forward, but to step the heck up . Intention gives you direction. Intention set? Great – now, get moving. Actions speak louder than words, and now is the time for action.

The Magician can call you to a position of leadership. If you’re working within a partnership, team or group, it may be that someone needs to take hold of things and corral everyone together. Maybe energy is being directed all over the place, or folks aren’t sure of their direction, or there’s some other kind of confusion. The Magician encourages you to step up and lead, by helping everyone get clear, focused and energised.

When the Magician appears in your readings, it reminds you that you are powerful. It reminds you that you deserve to accomplish your dreams, whether big or small, and that you have all you need to do so. If you see obstacles in your way, find solutions or find a different way.

It also – like the Fool – reminds you that you are not alone. Whether you are a solitary Magician or part of a team, the Universe is on your side. There is power and magic available to you.

Key words and concepts

• Setting intentions / being intentional / declaring your intent
• Directing energy consciously
• Willpower
• Being dynamic
• Putting thoughts into action
• Making something tangible
• Getting started
• Having all the resources you need
• Being powerful
• Leadership
• Success

Some common symbols

• Four suits or four elements (access to resources)
• Magic wand (channelling ‘magic’ energy from the Universe)
• Pointing to the ground (making something tangible, earthing your energy)
• Lemniscate / infinity sign (transcendence)
• Flowers (growth, visible manifestation of life force)
• Yellow and red colours (passion, life, energy)

Deliver your message

This is a dynamic, forward moving card. Something is in motion, something is on its way. Something may have even arrived.

The Eight of Wands is about messages. Loud, direct messages. Not secret signs, not ‘maybe’s, but clear communications with purpose and meaning. This is where our ideas get spoken into the world. Shouted into the world. Passed on. There is a gathering of momentum here that comes from the right words, spoken at the right time.

In a reading…

Ideas are infectious. If you’ve got something worth saying, find a way to share it. Be clear and direct, don’t mess about with fluff. How can you make your ideas easy for others to hear and understand? How can you speak so that those who need to get the message will get it?

Think carefully about communication, especially the way that you communicate. Think beyond common interpretations of ‘communication’, too, and consider other forms of passing on messages, such as your body language, the way you show up (or don’t), everything about yourself that conveys something about who you are, what you’re about.

It may just be that there’s something you want to say – to the world, to just one person, to yourself. Give that message the time and energy it deserves. Take care over it. Get it right. Appreciate and honour the power in your words – and in all other ways you might communicate.

Seeking in solitude

Sometimes, the only way to find the answers we seek is to go seek them out alone. To carve out sacred space for this search, to forsake the hustle and bustle of everyday life, and to be truly alone with our thoughts.

It’s intimidating, this kind of solitude. This kind of silence. It requires a huge amount of bravery and a resourceful spirit. It takes guts to be willing to face the chaos most of us carry inside us, and attempt to sort through it and make some kind of sense of it all.

As an archetype the Hermit is someone who has done that sorting. There is a serenity and inner peace in this card, that of the philosopher or guru who has understood life through going within, like HD Thoreau, or Siddhartha. The figure of the Hermit is one we recognise easily from mythologies across cultures – the solitary cloaked figure who lives in the woods or on the mountaintop or in the house at the edge of the village, the wise one our hero must go to for advice, for a kernel of wisdom that will guide her on her journey.

Like the Hierophant , the Hermit represents teaching and/or study. Mentorship and/or being mentored. Counselling and/or receiving counsel. As the Hermit, you may be beginning or continuing your studies, or you may be assisting someone else. Or both. Or, you may be encountering another kind of guide – an animal helper, a spirit guide, a therapist, an author – any wise soul who can guide your journey.

Where the Hierophant’s emphasis is on received wisdom (i.e. that passed down through generations) and discovering our position in some sort of lineage, the Hermit represents a more personal kind of quest. It is about going within. The lamp the Hermit carries is your inner light, the instinct and the desire to learn that will guide you to the answers you seek.

Advice from the Hermit

The wise woman in her cabin in the woods, the philosopher alone by the lake, these are romantic images, and they are metaphors. When you see this card, know that it is time to seek out some time alone – whether that be a full-blown retreat, or just a quiet night in. Know that you have much to learn. Make space for this to happen, claim a little time to yourself if you can. It’s okay to say ‘no’ to social engagements, but remember, also, to turn off the TV and read or think.

This card stresses the need to carve out space for your studies, or, if you’re not in the process of ‘studying’, then simply to think and collect your thoughts. It is hard to be ‘on the inner quest’ when surrounded by constant chatter, media, to-do lists, distractions. An artist needs a studio, a sailor needs a ship…and a thinker needs a space in which their mind can wander. Do you have a space in your home that is only for you? If not, is it possible to create a little nook to call your own?

The Hermit may also be encouraging you to guide others on their own journeys. What particular lesson might you teach, and how will you communicate these lessons effectively? Teaching might mean the traditional classroom kind, but could also be a writer, a YouTuber, a groupwork facilitator, a walk leader, or simply a friend who imparts knowledge. When the Hermit is representing you as ‘teacher’ it is specifically asking you to think about facilitating a learning journey for your ‘students’, not just (for example) standing at the front of a room spouting knowledge. Acknowledge yourself as a mentor and a guide. How will you help to ‘draw out’ the gifts of your students and enable them to find their way?

Lastly, the Hermit may be encouraging you to seek a mentor or guide of your own. Again, this may be in the form of a class leader, or a therapist, or a blogger, or an author… mentors come in all kinds of guises. Look for someone who has forged a path you admire, and either approach them for mentorship, or study their methods so as to guide your own journey.

Key words and concepts

• Solitide, retreat
• Peace and quiet
• Giving your mind space
• Working things through on your own
• Claiming space and time for you
• Mentoring / teaching
• Finding a mentor / teacher
• Self-guided or guided study

Some common symbols

• A lamp (inner wisdom guiding you)
• A staff (leaning on knowledge and wisdom)
• Mountaintops or isolated places in nature (solitude)
• Hooded cloak (devotion to study)

Navigating home to yourself

A counter-pose to the terror wrought by the Tower , the Star brings peace, hope, a light at the end of the tunnel. It’s coming home. Its something to hold on to.

In its most basic element, the Star is a soothing voice from the night sky, whispering “everything is gonna be okay.” It’s a hug that gives confidence, a cup of tea that calms and reassures.

Sequentially, this is a powerful shift of energy. We have recently met Death , the Devil and the Tower in quick succession (with Temperance bringing some relief). Things have been rough, a lot has changed and been witnessed, not all of it pretty. The Star’s appearance here is a welcome change.

It brings hope and positive energy. It tells us that things are looking up. It reminds us of our own power, the great capacity we hold for healing, ourselves and the whole world. It’s our collective energy of love and compassion. We are all interconnected. We contain multitudes. Our capacity for healing is immense.

The Star represents healing itself.

I always find it funny that it should be a celestial body – one that belongs in another galaxy, outside even our solar system – that should carry such comforting, grounding, intimate energy. The Star is about your inner light, the very essence of who you are, beautiful, creative, kind. Tuned-in, connected and free. So many areas of our life – education, society, career – have us creating barriers around all of these qualities, obscuring them from view. And yet, they are always there, shining within each of us. We can hold on to them.

Advice from the Star

It is a ‘star’, of course, because it is there to guide you. To help you navigate these tricky waters. Like a sailor following the constellations, that inner light inside you will guide you home to yourself. The Star brings you the healing, steadying message that you are still you. Whatever has changed, whatever you have been through, that essence of you remains, strong and bright, burning within. (It can also represent a person who has passed away, reminding you that their essence and energy lives on.)

We each contain infinite possibilities, infinite capacity for beauty, infinite wonder. When times are hard, remember who you are. Remember your capacity for healing and magic. Know that you are a creature of this earth and of this universe, that you belong here. That you are loved.

Things will be okay. You will be okay. Healing is in progress and you are doing fine. You are in a beautiful process of coming home to yourself.

Remember to be true to yourself. Listen to your intuition, and know that your body and soul are always working to heal, to grow stronger. Give yourself the space and the care you need to do this. And offer that healing love outwards into the world.

If you are feeling a ‘calling’ right now, answer it. If there’s something you’d love to do, create, try – approach it with love and give it a go. Take a positive, gentle approach to the things you do.

Key words and concepts

• Hope
• Love and support
• Coming home to yourself
• Self-care
• Healing
• Being true to yourself
• Being guided by your intuition
• Integrity, honesty
• A positive new start or new vision

Some common symbols

• The water bearer (Aquarius)
• Nakedness (being vulnerable, but feeling safe)
• Pouring water (soothing emotion)
• Stars (guiding lights)
• Cups (containers of emotion)

You are not your achievements

We’ve all done it. We’ve all said ‘yes’ so many times that, before we know it, we’re drowning in duties and promises and to-do lists.

We meant well, of course. We wanted to help, or move something forward, or feel useful, or wanted. Or else we just had to get this stuff done because it’s our damn job (hello, parents and carers!)

But, as we saw in the Nine of Wands, we all have our capacity. We all have our limits. There are moments in life where our to-do lists (real or metaphorical) simply become too much.

In the Rider-Waite-Smith version of this card, a person staggers forwards. The way they are holding their wands is quite ridiculous, spread out like a fan in front of their face. They can’t possibly see where they are going, all they can see is this great load of projects, ideas, actions, obligations, or whatever else these wands represent. Surely it would be better to put a few of those wands down? Carry them one or two at a time, perhaps?

It’s a shame that the wands suit – so filled with passion and dynamic energy – should end up here at this place of overwhelm. In this, it represents our immaturity with the element of fire. Fire is such a powerful force. As we’ve seen throughout this suit, it can rile us up, get us so excited about our ideals and our ideas, it can bring about positive action, it can encourage us to fight for what we truly believe in. But of course, we can have too much of a good thing, and fire left unchecked can be all-consuming.

That’s what’s happened here. We have taken on more than we can handle, and the result is, we are lost. Overwhelmed. Burned out.

In a reading…

You’re overwhelmed. With so much on your plate, it’s hard to know where on earth to focus your energy, or how on earth you’re going to get all of this done.

The answer? Delegation. Let go of control and let someone help you. Remember that wands very often point to ego, and our egos are so often bound up in our achievements. Our ability to tick things off a list and pronounce our days ‘productive’. The way others might look at us, saying “wow, how does she do it all?” It’s time to let go of that need. You are not the sum of your achievements, your worth is not measured by a fully-crossed-off list.

It may be time to just put the damn thing down – whatever that ‘damn thing’ may be. Maybe it’s time for that letter of resignation or that admission that you’re not going to be able to do that thing, or a care-free announcement: I quit! This isn’t about flaking out, it’s about working out the best way to ease your situation. Maybe it’s not safe to just walk away from something right now – well, get your loose ends tied up and a succession plan in place, because you can’t carry this thing on your own forever. Honour the commitments you’ve made if you must, but with an eye to gradually stepping away.

Also: It is time to learn the delicate yet vital survival skill of saying ‘no’.

You do not have to do All Of The Things. Did someone tell you you did? Perhaps you are a regularly-socialised woman who was brought up to believe that you’re not fulfilling your role in life if you’re not rushed-off-your-feet, stressed and overwhelmed (yet, probably, still going!)

Again, this is an important card for activist. So focused on what we are doing for everyone else, for the struggle, for the fight, we forget to take care of our own needs. Those who take on emotional labour in particular may feel drained, as this work usually goes unnoticed. The Ten of Wands is a reminder that the sustainability of our work comes from carefully building self-care into our practices. (What use is a group that fights for people’s, if all of its staff are burned out? )

Whether you feel like this right now, or you’re just embarking on some new, fun project, think about capacity. It’s a sum, a number, a thing that has an actual limit. Think about how you use your energy, think about its best, most productive use. Think about the ways you waste time (‘busy work’, for example) and how this eats up your energy, diminishing your capacity for more important things.

A generous leader

Here is a person who has achieved great things. Someone wealthy, whether that means materially rich, or simply very comfortable in their own life. This person has all that they need.

Implicit in this vision of success is a lot of hard work. The King of Pentacles is not someone who has simply happened upon great fortune, but who has worked for many years. They have been through the many trials of the suit of pentacles, the ups and the downs. They have been both the Page and the Knight of Pentacles, an eager explorer, and a dedicated worker.

Kings tend to derive power from structures. The King of Pentacles values order and logic, opts for quality over quantity, has an eye for things that will last. In this sense, this person may also be quite conservative, strongly prizing tradition. In many ways, this card is a lot like the Emperor.

This card represents a great sense of achievement. It may point to a comfortable home, reaching a happy place with your body, a job you love, or other high points of this earthy suit. This is a time to feel satisfied.

It’s also about generosity. When you have this much, what will you do with it? See to your own needs, of course – the King of Pentacles is adept at self-care – but what extra you have, you can share. The King of Pentacles opens their home to people they trust and care about, sharing their resources kindly and with love.

Beyond this, like all kings, this person may be a leader. Someone who holds a degree of status in society, someone who all can see has ‘made it’, and who – in the best expression of this card – helps others to do the same. The King of Pentacles asks us to look at how we use this kind of power in our lives – for self-advancement, or for the benefit of wider society?

Special skills: Richness, generosity, leadership.

Compassionate truth

When I ask people to tell me their favourite tarot card, the Queen of Swords often comes up. Why? Because this is a strong, powerful person who has been through a lot. Many of us relate to this queen’s story – all the heartbreak and the conflict we saw in the swords suit, all of the processing that accompanied that. We see her as a person of tenacity and courage; she represents getting through it, and coming out stronger (though perhaps a little sadder, too).

What gives the Queen of Swords her power is that she has integrated the lessons she has learned. She has taken each of those heartbreaking experiences and the renewal that came after, and forged them into diamonds. She doesn’t shy away from what hurts, she has simply moved forward, bringing her diamonds with her. Remember the person in the boat in the Six of Swords, taking their lessons with them to new lands? Here they are twenty years later, strong, wise, and self-aware.

This is a person who is committed to ‘doing the work’. That might be deep, personal shadow work, that might be unravelling privilege, that might mean figuring out how to live a life more in line with their principles. This person knows that in order to live authentically, truthfully, they must do inner work. The Queen of Swords is fully, consciously accountable to herself and to the world, yet always aware that there is more to unravel, more to learn.

In the best of the swords cards, we see the transformative power of mindfulness, the spiritual practice of observing our own minds without judgement. We are able to bring peace to our lives, to calm a chattering mind, through practice and meditation. The Queen of Swords has mastered this practice.

Like the King, she is logical and uses her sword to cut to the heart of the matter, again, keen to see the truth behind any situation. But there is more compassion here. The Queen of Swords does not need to be staunchly black and white, she does not lay down the law. She knows that there are grey areas too – and that these can be painful places to dwell. She has been there too.

Again, communication is a powerful skill. The Queen of Swords is able to articulate some of the most challenging truths of our time – she explains not only the sadness in this world, but where it comes from, the systems of injustice and fear that cause harm. She is a visionary too, and when she shares her vision for a fairer world, all can understand.

Special skills: Compassionate, strong, and has been through a lot.

All is not what it seems

When the moon shows up as a symbol on the other cards ( the High Priestess , the Chariot ) it is a symbol of intuition, the power of the subconscious. However, when we encounter the Moon card itself, there is a lot more going on.

The Moon is concerned with all things shadowy and hard to see. Secret messages, dreams, intuited information, obscure symbols and odd signs. It’s that “is it…? Or am I imagining it?” kind of energy, that feeling of just not being sure what you’re seeing or feeling.

The Moon, that great, grey rock in the sky that governs our oceans, pulls the tides and with them our moods, is at the heart of many, many myths. It represents mystery and madness, the unseen, shadows and sorcery.

The traditional image on this card is weird and otherworldly: Two odd towers form a gateway to the distant mountains, who knows what lies there. In the foreground, a lobster emerges from the sea, representing the unconscious and the intuited rising from the deep. In the centre, two dogs howl, either side of a river. One is a domestic hound. The other a wild dog. Both are parts of us. Under the Moon, the wild dog gets its chance to howl.

It is scary to see what is normally tucked away inside, out in the open, using its voice. We can be afraid to allow our inner wildness – which some may see as madness – to be seen. But it is liberating, too, to give space to that untamed, unsocialised nature. To let your wolf howl.

The Moon represents witchery, spellwork, magic and occult arts of all kinds. It’s rituals and ceremonies, and also smaller acts of magical intent. It asks you to forget about what is rational, what you ‘know’, and to delves into life’s mysteries. This can be soulful, creative and profound work, or it can be simple and experimental.

The Moon can also represent lies and manipulation. We all wear masks, we all deceive and are deceived. The Moon shines its silvery light on those elements of ourselves, asking uncomfortable questions about what is true, and what isn’t. What we present, and the reality.

As an archetype, the Moon is the lunatic, the ‘mad’ person (by whose definition, we may not know). Perhaps this person hears voices, sees visions. Perhaps they are trying to tell us something and nobody will listen. Through this, the Moon raises the subject of mental health. It can point to mental health problems or challenges, neurodivergence, different ways of perceiving the world. It can be read as encouragement to seek support, but it can celebrate aspects of being neuroatypical too – ‘mental health’ need not necessarily be seen in a negative light.

Advice from the Moon

There’s a lot going on here, and it’s hard to know what this card might be saying to you. Is it encouraging you to wake up and smell the coffee, or to give in to the mystery? Does it say you’re deceiving yourself, or that you’re receiving messages from the other side? Things are certainly strange, and it’s okay if you feel disorientated.

All is not as it seems, and frustratingly, this is not a card for answers. It’s a card for weirdness, secrets and mystery. It’s up to you to check in with how that feels, to listen as deeply as you can to your intuition, and to either figure out your next steps, or give up and go with the wild, howling flow.

Don’t focus on concrete answers right now, but be open to the grey areas, the swirling nature of things as truth is gradually revealed. Relax your need to know where you stand.

If you’re called to any kind of magical practice, now is a good time. Get as witchy as you like, really connect to that wild moon energy.

If you’re feeling the deception/manipulation vibe of this card, dig into that. It’s scary and its hard work, but it’s time to look closely at what’s really going on. What are you not seeing? What are you turning a blind eye to? What are you hiding from? (There may be echoes of the Devil here). Which areas of your life feel like they are lacking in integrity, or as though someone is not being honest? Why is this, what’s really going on?

If you’re wearing a mask, ask yourself – is this mask a healthy boundary, or am I pretending to be something I’m not. Go beyond this, to discover why.

Key words and concepts

• Shadow work
• Getting in touch with your wild nature
• ‘Letting you wolf howl’
• Listening deeply to your intuition
• Secret messages, signs and symbols
• Being totally non-rational
• Witchcraft, magic and spellwork
• Lies and deception
• Deceiving yourself
• Wearing a mask

Some common symbols

• Howling dog and/or wolf (your wild nature)
• Crab or lobster (messages from the subconscious rising to the surface)
• Sea, water (intuition, emotion)
• Mountains in the distance (a journey)
• The moon (intuition, hidden realms, inner wisdom)
• A mask (deception, obscuring the truth)

A playground tussle

This is a card of conflict, but it is the smaller, less heart-wrenching kind than we see in some cards.

The Five of Wands shows us a battle of egos, people fighting to find out who is strongest. It’s the kind of fight you see in a playground, kids working out who is top dog and who will be bottom through fighting or football or whatever.

These battles may feel incredibly important in the moment, their outcomes setting a course. But the Five of Wands points out that these egoistic, hierarchical battles are really quite meaningless. It’s important to stand up for what we believe in…but is that really what we’re fighting for here?

In a reading…

You might be feeling really challenged right now – maybe someone is attacking you or calling your beliefs or actions into question. Before you rush to stand up for yourself, consider if it’s worth it. What is this battle about, is it really worth fighting?

It may be, of course. If so, try hard to avoid pettiness. Don’t stoop to dirty tactics and stick with what you know. Don’t be drawn in to someone else’s war of egos – some battles are not yours to fight, others are simply not worth engaging in.

The Five of Wands might be pointing to any area of conflict in your life. If so, try to take a common-sense approach to the situation. Rein in the urge to just attack on all sides, and figure out what’s really going on. Again, as yourself – is this worth my time and energy?