Queen of Swords & Seven of Pentacles from the Wandering Star Tarot
Towards the end of this week, the moon is entering its first quarter phase in the sign of Taurus. The first quarter moon tends to bring up obstacles or highlight potential problem areas that need to be evaluated. It tests our resolve by encouraging us to come up with creative solutions. In the sign of Taurus this may be in the area of one’s finances, health, relationships, and other “earthly” matters.
It’s interesting that one of the cards that came out today, is the seven of pentacles, which corresponds to the sign of Taurus. The seven of pentacles reminds us to invest wisely. This is the classic “you reap what you sow” card. Progress is slow and steady, and this card indicates a certain amount of time and effort is required to make it work. This card can also speak of frustration if progress is slow. It also may ask us to carefully consider if we should continue to invest in something that is not yielding the results that we anticipated.
What in your life this week could use a careful review of the investment versus profit ratio? The Queen of Swords is in this reading, indicating that perhaps you would benefit from seeking impartial advice from someone you trust. She may also have shown up to encourage you to look at the facts and make a decision. It may be time to cut your losses and chalk it up to experience. Or she may give you some constructive criticism, tell you to roll up your sleeves and get to work!
Be prepared to hear what you need to hear, and not what you want to hear. The Queen of Swords either as a person, or as an archetype, tells it like it is! If you are connecting with this reading, what advice do you think she would have for you?
Have a great week!
Christine Mann (aka Texas Tarot Lady) is a gifted psychic intuitive that specializes in tarot, astrology & numerology. She is currently the Saturday in-house reader at Indigo Moons in Houston, TX. and is also available for private readings and parties/events. For more information, see her website at www.texastarotlady.com
Ace of Wands from the Rider Waite tarot deck & Tiger’s Eye crystal card
This Saturday, we have the first new moon of 2023 in the sign of progressive Aquarius. New moons mark the beginning of a new cycle. I find it interesting that the tarot card that came out for this week is the Ace of Wands and the crystal card is Tiger’s Eye. All the Aces in the tarot indicate new beginnings and potential. And both the Ace of Wands and the tigers eye crystal carry the frequencies of courage, fire, clarity, self-sovereignty, and faith in oneself. With this dynamic trio working together, you may be feeling inspired to make some positive changes or start something new this week!
There’s a saying that five seconds of courage can change your life. This may be your message to initiate a plan of action. The Ace of Wands upright is a “yes”. Weigh your options carefully of course. But don’t let self-doubt, fear or overthinking stand in the way of a good opportunity!
Tigers eye is an “all purpose” crystal that assists with psychic clarity, courage, protection, and helps one to channel their personal power in a constructive manner. It is also aids in lifting one’s mood, while at the same time, calms an overactive mind. Tigers eye carries a mid-level vibration which is well-tolerated by even very sensitive empaths. Try carrying a tigers eye tumbled stone or wear a bracelet or pendant this week to connect with this powerful, yet gentle, stone as you embark on your exciting new quest!
Friday, is the day of the Goddess! Corresponding to the Goddess Freya and ruled by the planet Venus, this day is a powerful time to set intentions and honor the gifts that the Goddess bestows upon us (creativity, sensuality, fertility, health, love, wisdom, beauty, the cycle of life/death/rebirth & magic).
Number 13 corresponds to the Death card in the tarot. This card is symbolic of the cycle of death and rebirth. Speaking of cycles, interestingly enough, number 13, also corresponds to the average number of monthly cycles a woman has during the year.
The number 13 adds up the number 4 which carries the energy of stability. And how does the Goddess with her never-ending, tumultuous cycles provide stability? By being the vessel from which all life on the planet springs forth from. The Goddess ensures the continuance of the cycle of life on this planet. No matter what happens, the earth continues to turn, and life goes on.
I hope this post was helpful in offering you a different perspective!
“I have called on the Goddess and found her within myself” (quote by Marion Zimmer Bradley)
Three of cups & three of pentacles from the Rider Waite Smith tarot deck
As the month of January progresses, one by one, the planets are moving direct, finally! However, it is important to note that this full moon is opposite of Mercury retrograde in the sign of Capricorn, as well as squaring Chiron in Aries. These aspects serve to highlight the growth and life lessons that we have experienced over the past moon cycle. And for some of you, the past year or even longer. Full moons in general symbolize completions.
So this full moon is the culmination of the dates of December 23 to January 6th. This time period included the heavy hitting Venus-Pluto transit which raised some questions about our happiness and fulfillment. This Venus transit occurred during the holidays, which may have given some of you a serious wake-up call! We had a chance to take a closer look at our relationships, our personal finances and what truly brings beauty and joy into our life. We also had an opportunity to analyze the parts of ourselves that could still use some work. As some triggers invariably come up at the end of the year, to give us a gauge of where we are. This brings us to the subject of Chiron. The wounded healer in our chart.
The full moon squaring Chiron in Aries, is a harsh aspect that is illuminating our Chiron wound in order for us to better understand it. This deep soul wound usually has its origination in trauma and fear. It can be brought forward from previous lifetimes, as well as can be linked to generational and collective karma. The lesson of Chiron brings up topics of independence, healing, transmutation, spiritual sovereignty and freewill, among other things that are beyond the scope of this reading. Let me know if you would like me to delve deeper into this subject in the future.
It is important to note where your natal Chiron is, as well as where the transiting Chiron is occurring in your personal chart. This will help you immensely in analyzing the areas in your personal life that are being highlighted at this relevant time. If you would like to explore this further, contact me and we can set up an appointment.
We have major planets going direct this month, supporting a fresh, new healthy energy. Do we allow our experience to continue to be chained by the old, outdated karmic wounds of the past? We’ve got the next two weeks as the moon is in its waning (decreasing) phase, to once and for all let it go or at the very least, begin to get a healthy perspective on it so that it no longer affects us in a negative way. Time is ticking! The January 21st new moon in Aquarius, is ushering in a dynamic new frequency! Are you ready to “tap in” to this fresh wave of energy? Here are some helpful tips for the next two weeks:
Focus on your well-being. Take relaxing baths, read spiritual and uplifting books, watch funny movies, spend time with loved ones, dear friends and pets, clean your house, mark off that “to do” list, etc. Home and heart based activities will serve you very well during this time. As much as possible limit negative people, fear based media, violent and/or vulgar social media & movies, anything that disrupts your psyche. Now, I know we cannot limit everything negative from our experience, but with conscious awareness of what you can control, you’d be surprised how much of a difference you can make within your environment!
I feel that The Chariot (the tarot theme card for 2023) has a very strong influence here. The numerology of this transit (16 degrees in Cancer) adds up to the number 7. As well, The Chariot’s corresponding zodiac sign is Cancer. Where is your focus? What distractions or emotions are pulling you off your path? 2023 is the year where we are responsible for taking control of those tricky shadow and light sphynxes! If you are not driving the Chariot in your life than who is? See my previous post on The Chariot for more insight. You will find it helpful as its messages do apply to this important first full moon of the year.
The tarot cards representing this transit are the three of cups (full moon in Cancer) and the three of pentacles (sun in Capricorn). The three’s in the tarot represent creation & creative energy. The three of cups is creative collaboration, celebration and reflects one’s social circles. The three of pentacles is of building a foundation, opportunities, and just like the three of cups, also has the element of creative collaboration. Both of these cards indicate combining varying skillsets and experience, in order to accomplish a goal. All three of the parties we see in both cards, are an intricate part of the project. Everyone is respected. Everyone is valued. Everyone is an essential component of the whole.
If we internalize this meaning, we come to understand that our experiences; the happy ones, the painful ones and all of them in between are elements that make us who we are. None of them define us, but all are an integral part of us. This powerful full moon highlights dealing with our “stuff” in a healthy way, instead of allowing a shadowy, wounded Chiron to continue to express itself through harmful patterns and behaviors, that negatively impact others as well as ourselves. This limits our spirit as these actions are fear based and remove us from love. For the opposite of love is not hate, it is fear.
The upcoming full moon and the following waning moon cycle is our chance to wash the Chiron wound clean so that it can heal. The scar will remain, but so will the valuable lessons learned from it. Treat yourself well, and make an effort to be kind whenever you can. Read the story of Chiron, the wounded healer. And think about how you can transform your shadow experiences into a source of light for yourself and others.
Year 2023 Theme: #7 The Chariot. Balance, focus, will, momentum
2023 in numerology, is a “7” year. The number 7 is a significant universal number. It combines life experience, science and mysticism. It is the number that represents “the spiritual seeker”. We see the influence of the number seven all around us. There are 7 main chakras, the 7 deadly sins, 7 days in the week, 7 major planetary influences, 7 bands of color in a rainbow, the list goes on.
The number 7 corresponds to The Chariot in the major arcana. Look at the image in this card. We see two sphynxes, one black, one white, and the Charioteer, confidently looking ahead. He has two crescent moons on his shoulders (emotional balance) and a canopy of celestial stars over his head. He is holding a wand in his right hand, symbolizing energetic force & direction. On his chest is a square, symbolizing the four elements of earth. He is spiritually enlightened, yet grounded in the physical world. I think all of you reading this can relate!
One detail that is often overlooked in The Chariot card is that when one looks closely, you will see that the Chariot and the Charioteer are fused together as one. He literally cannot move without the aid of the sphynxes. And let’s check out those sphynxes again. Did you notice that they are glancing in different directions? These ethereal creatures each have a mind of their own. Yin and yang, shadow and light, conscious & subconscious, they are easily distracted and often oppose each other.
Yet, all three beings in this card, must be on the same page and have the same goal in mind in order to move forward. There are no reins, so there is no cajoling or forcing the sphinxes into moving. Momentum is achieved solely through the universal cosmic forces of focus and will.
This card speaks of victory through self-mastery. Control, willpower, confidence, determination and balance are some keywords for The Chariot.
When The Chariot comes up in my readings, I call it my “get yourself together” card. As a collective, this is the theme for 2023. The planetary influences are also supporting this initiation of forward momentum. At the beginning of the year, Jupiter is out of retrograde and goes direct in the sign of Aries until May of 2023. So we have the planet of luck, expansion and growth in the
independent, fiery sign of Aries for the next five months. Mars, which has been retrograde since October, also goes back direct in January in the sign of Gemini. This gives us a boost of confidence as Mars in Gemini stimulates our intellect and communication. This is further reinforced by the planet Mercury, which will be moving direct in the sign of Capricorn in January.
Discernment is the name of the game in 2023. Our attention holds power. That’s why billions of dollars per year are spent in advertising trying to get it. So, what if we decided to be more mindful of what we give our attention to? We do have a choice. I’m not saying that every little action needs to be scrutinized. But if we want to begin to implement positive changes within our own life as well as societally, we must take it upon ourselves, to be responsible for being more aware of what we are energetically supporting consciously or unconsciously. Personally, I think over the last several years, we have all been afflicted with “big picture itis” due to all of the chaotic events taking place on the world stage. The Chariot symbolizes dialing back the lens a bit, in order to regain some perspective.
2023 is the year of Victory! I feel we as individuals, will be cosmically reminded (more than once), that the time has come to regain control of our own Chariots. So that our lives proceed forward in a positive direction within the framework of a sustainable momentum. As this is done individually, it will have a cocentric effect collectively. Resulting in productive changes and trends in the upcoming year.
This message today is for those of you who feel as if it has been a challenge to keep momentum on a project or situation in 2022. It seems that whatever this was for you, it would pick up steam, and then slow down. There was always a challenge or obstacle, or a distraction that came up that impeded your progress. And just as you would regain your footing, the scenario would repeat itself.
There may have been a very good reason for this! You most likely were experiencing a significant soul growth activation at the same time that you were trying to get traction on this project or situation. They were interlinked. In essence, this was a “first draft”. And now, as we end the year, you may come to realize that what you were trying so hard to get off the ground for the past 12 months, may not be what you want to pursue in 2023. You may be questioning yourself about now. But I assure you, you are just fine!
Your hard work has not been in vain! Let’s take another look. What you have is a foundation. But it is not the house itself. Have you ever built a home? There are always revisions to the plan before the actual building process begins. You may have poured the slab, but there were some required “adjustments” to be made to the blueprint! That is why you kept being pulled aside. There were some valuable experiences, lessons and insights that you needed to have. Its almost as if your future self was looking in on you and saying “not yet” or nudging you towards another path. But what you went through in 2022 is what got you to this point. So yes, you are much further ahead than you think.
And this leads us to our tarot card pull for this week. The Emperor.
The Emperor is all about leadership, structure, discipline, and focus. I often refer to The Emperor as a “hard ass” in my readings. LOL. He’s not into feelings and does not have time for excuses. But let’s be realistic. When we want to achieve something, when we have to get it done, when a situation calls for decisiveness and courage, when the time has come for us to be an authority at work, home or within ourself, The Emperor’s masculine influence is exactly the energy we call up from within.
This is an interesting card pull in combination with the upcoming Capricorn new moon on the 23rd.
Capricorn and The Emperor both have similar qualities such as building a solid foundation, self-respect, maturity, discipline, ambition, defining and achieving goals, responsibility, time and money, investments. They also both are a reminder that order and structure in our lives can be beneficial! It grounds our goals into reality so that we can attain them. It gives form to function (i.e. a solid plan). It also gives us the stability we require in order to have the freedom to focus on what really matters to us.
So, 2022 is almost over. You know what works, what doesn’t. Your priorities most likely have shifted as a result of your accumulated experiences from the past year. 2023 is going to be different. What areas in your life could benefit from the wisdom of The Emperor? Imagine, if you went to him for advice, what questions would you ask? How do you think he would answer? This would be an interesting journaling session.
Holding your crystals or having them nearby while journaling may help you “tap in” to this energy. Some helpful crystal suggestions are: Smoky quartz, hematite, garnet, malachite, aragonite, clear quartz, tourmilated quartz, red jasper, red tigers eye, bloodstone, carnelian.
Nine of wands from the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck
Tarot message for this week: Hang in there 2022 is almost over!
The 2023 astrology shows quite a change from what we have been experiencing collectively over the last couple of years. The “I” takes center stage next year. Expect to see more of a focus on individual rights and freedoms. Altruism is noble, but there is a fine balance that must be maintained between compromise for the common good and the sovereign rights of the individual. More will begin to speak out. We’ll see what happens!
The New Moon Solar Eclipse in Aries, in April, will have us feeling like a racehorse coming out of the starting gate! Especially for those who have been busy in 2022 clearing some of those internal shadows. Some of you were able to do this on your own, others worked with a counselor, therapist and/or a spiritual advisor.
Many of you have released years of karma through this intense work! Shadows brought into the light. Wounds understood and healed. Lessons learned. Chords cut. Done!
If you are resonating with this message, you’ll be feeling full-on empowered and sassy next year! You could end up rocking the boat a bit, as you will be inspired to make positive changes in order to live more in alignment with the new person that you have become.
But for now, you may be feeling like you are limbo. The space between the old you and the new you. Relax. It’s perfectly okay. Give yourself a break.
Pause for a moment and think about how far you have come over the previous 12 months. Really think about it. Who were you in January 2022 versus who you are now. Wow. What a difference a year made.
Tarot cards Nine of Swords, Nine of Wands for the Full Moon in Gemini
As I look at these cards today for this transit, I sense a lot of collective pent-up internal energy. The Gemini moon represented by the nine of swords, has us all up in our head! And the Sun in the sign of Sagittarius, represented by the nine of wands, has us battle weary, but holding strong, as we are in the final month of 2022. Full Moons have a strong effect on us and the planet, as they intensify energy. Add the hustle and bustle of the holidays to the mix, and we have quite a dynamic smoothie whirling in the blender!
The advice card that came out is #53 use your hands. Ground some of this energy by getting out of your head and into your physical experience this week! Exercise, get out in nature, walk, run, do yoga, cook, bake, make crafts, spend time with your partner, etc. Make lists to help organize your thoughts. Try to schedule your day to focus your intentions & add structure.
It is also important to understand that December, collectively, is the time of the year where there are interruptions and delays due to the holidays. December as well as full moons, are also when cycles are generally finishing up. Make peace with the process and try to work with the tide instead of against it. Some arrangements, resolutions or important decisions may be best deferred to 2023.
Gemini is a dynamic energy that is quick witted, active, social and highly adaptable. This is not one of those “deep thoughts” kind of full moon. Its more about swift decisions and action. I feel both the 9 of swords and the 9 of wands in this reading indicate a strong desire for connection and new positive experiences. Perhaps you would like to make a difference in your community? Volunteer at a church, charity, animal shelter, fund raiser, etc. Host a holiday party. After what we have been through the last few years, I’m sure friends and family would love to get together! Do some fun activities with the kids. Knock out that holiday list by getting your shopping done early. Do that final closet clean out and donate items to charity. Dress up and go to a local community event. Attend a local market. Rediscover yourself and your surroundings.
Gemini rules communications! Now would be a great time to pare down social media feeds that no longer contribute in a positive way to your well-being! As well as maybe add some new interesting feeds to your experience.
Collectively, this full moon is quite active and expressive! The pent up energy we are experiencing may seem a little frustrating, but channeled in a positive way, it gives us the opportunity to make some sustainable and positive changes as we approach the end of 2022.
Helpful crystal suggestions: Black tourmaline, black obsidian, smoky quartz, pyrite, tourmalinated quartz, howlite, tigers eye, moss agate, ametrine, moonstone, nuummite, chrysocolla, quartz pyramid or point.
The new moon in Sagittarius is occurring tonight at 4:57 PM Central time.
The six of wands tarot card paired with tonight’s Sagittarius new moon is a breath of fresh air!
Victory, courage & success is the theme here. You’ve been there, done that. What’s next? You’re ready to move forward and find out!
This new moon begins the waxing cycle for the next 2 weeks. So set an intention for what you would like to increase or attract to you during this time. Road openers, glamour spells, money magic, good health, spiritual work, self-improvement, etc. would pair up quite nicely with this tarot card & new moon combination.
This cycle ends with the full moon in Gemini on December 7th. That’s when you will have a chance to review your progress and/or set a new intention.
Here are a few helpful correspondences to help you “tap in” to this new moon:
Six of Wands: Jupiter in Leo (expansion, luck, sun, courage, confidence, success, leadership, fire energy)
Candle Colors: Orange, yellow, red, green, gold, white. Or a road opener candle as I mentioned above.
Crystals: Carnelian, citrine, clear quartz, red jasper, amber, sunstone, orange calcite, pyrite, goldstone, ametrine, tigers eye, lodestone, any crystals in your personal collection that bring you “luck”. If you currently have a lodestone in your collection, this is a good night to “feed it”.
One tarot card quick messages & meaning for this week: 3 of cups
The three of cups upright speaks of success, good people, celebration & socializing. I posted three quick messages for this card for love, money & personal insight:
Love: Accept that invitation! You may meet someone special at an event or party. In an established relationship, this implies good news shared with others, such as the birth of a baby, a reconciliation, or the announcement of an engagement or wedding.
Money/work: Success! A raise, promotion or accolades for a job well done! A grand opening or product launch that goes well. A group that works well together. A message to hire more people or to involve others on a project, idea or business.
Personal: Overcoming a challenge or celebrating a milestone. Spending time with friends and/or family. Get out and have some fun, but be mindful of potential overindulgence. Involvement with an organization, charity or other social group that has a positive common goal.
