The Emperor…

A powerful card made two appearances this morning. First pulled reversed and then I shuffled and opted to pull again, and there he was staring at me upright. Funny, how the deck laughs at you sometimes. Perhaps the power dynamic within our relationships needs a little attention today? Who we are and how we approach friends, coworkers, family and loved ones on the surface can be quite different than what is operating underneath it all. It’s time to realign our intentions with our actions when it comes to how we present to and deal with others. Is there someone in your life who you feel like you must control? Why? Get to the root of it. Is there someone you resent and feel manipulated by? A closer look might reveal a different story than the one you have developed in your head. And, how might you adopt new strategies to rise above? It may be important to deal with all of this now, before it has time to fester and explode.

“Now don't, close your eyes and don't try to hide.
For a silly spook makes it by your side.
Shrouded in the depths disguise,
They pretend to terrorize.
Grim Grinning Ghosts, come out to socialize.” - Haunted Mansion Ditty - Written by Buddy Baker

The Emperor from Madame Leota’s Haunted Mansion Tarot

Three of Wands…

Tap into the divine passion you hold within and light up the world with a shimmering smile today. If you bring your creativity together with true intention and thoughtfulness, ideas will spring forth and growth is assured. In fact, it’s possible you have already experienced the virtue of these elements aligning within and it’s time to take action! Because you have devoted your energies to getting this moment right, the impossible can be possible. Embrace this feeling of euphoria and share it as you set your plan into action. Light up the world with your spirit - you are just getting started on this path, but the rewards you will harvest are limitless. Happy Monday!

“Inside every seed is the potential for an incredible harvest” - Farrah Gray

The Three of Wands from the Night Sun Tarot by Fabio Listrani

The Ten of Cups…

A treat (not a trick) for our week ahead! Joy, happiness and harmony are guaranteed! You may have to put yourself and your loved ones first to manifest this, but you will be rewarded if you do. Let’s face it, every so often, you deserve a little break from the daily struggles and the chaos that swirls around you at every turn. Sometimes, it’s necessary to just turn a blind eye to the world’s problems and really spend the time appreciating all the success and happiness you have acquired. This week, it is your sweetest desire - to embrace that rest, relaxation and overwhelming love the universe has bestowed on you. Do not allow yourself to be sucked in to external drama or haunted by guilt. Let the rest of the planet burn and relax in style. That mess will still be there when you have to reemerge…but for now, it’s all about YOU.

“It’s all about finding the calm in the chaos.” - Donna Karan

Ten of Cups from The Zombie Tarot by Raphael Geroni

The Tower - Reversed…

Did you wake up feeling like your internal wires have short circuited? Perhaps you are realizing that recent personal actions have created harm or chaos for others and your general tone of late has been sewing seeds of hate or fear? If you know that your approach to situations in your life is colored with negativity, it’s time to admit this to yourself and make some changes. This Saturday can be a day of reckoning for you in a transformational way. Fall into the fire in your gut, sift through the ashes that have accumulated and find all the pieces worth recovering. Fly those solvent elements of who you are back up into the fresh air and let the rest of it smolder until it’s gone. Bring your good intentions back up to the surface and start fresh. You can be an angel to so many and I think you know that it’s time to return to a well-intentioned way of living for the benefit of all that you love…including yourself.

“When your intention is clear, so is the way.” - Alan Cohen

The Tower (Reversed) from the Dark Angels Tarot by Lo Scarabeo

Page of Pentacles…

Have you ever had those weeks where every morning you wake up, look at your agenda and think “UGH. Why did I say yes to so many things and so many people?!?” The tiredness builds and you really start to lament what is coming? What if you rephrased that question to self with a tone of curiosity…”Why DID I say yes to so many things and so many people?” and continue to ask yourself that as you are fulfilling all those obligations and checking off that long list in your agenda. A deeper message might materialize - it wasn’t just the money or the recognition or a desired end result. In the doing, greater rewards can appear out of the blue. And those quiet, surprising moments that catch you off-guard in a ocean of activity are the ones that hold the answer to your question. Before you doze off tonight take a moment to reflect on your day’s most resonant offerings. See if you can get the true answer to your question. Right down that answer and leave it as a note on your bedside table, so when you wake up to start all over again, you already have the answer. Sweet dreams. Stay curious.

“Everything in the world began with a yes. One molecule said yes to another and life was born.” - Clarice Lispector

The Page of Pentacles from the Shadowscapes Tarot by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law

Knight of Swords…

I LOVE a Knight for the card of the late-night! Let the darkest of your thoughts run wild tonight in your dreams. Are you afraid to manifest a certain predilection in your waking life?!? Well, your deepest desires can run free as you slumber, so let them out to play! Prepare yourself for the fun - write about it, read about it or explore it online before you go to bed. Then, let the grey clouds which are highlighted by the pink light of the heavens surround you in support of your nocturnal adventure. Charge ahead, unbridled and unbound into your dreams. Fly into the lightening streamed sky at a fierce pace and accept that this moment, though a mere vision, is also a very big part of who you are. This fantasy may never materialize for you in your waking life, but that’s ok…it’s so much better under the half-moon and your warm blanket. Tomorrow, take your dark, delicious dream life with you wherever you go. Knowing that most people will never get a glimpse of this secret piece of you may thrill you even more.

“Fantasy is hardly an escape from reality. It is a way of understanding it.” - Lloyd Alexander

The Knight of Swords from the Dark Fairy Tale Tarot Deck by Lo Scarabeo

Two of Swords (Bats)…

Do you have the spooky feeling like life is pulling you in two different directions and you just don’t know which way to go?!? Thoughts swarm about your head, but you are paralyzed with indecision. But, are you paralyzed, or just resisting taking action because you don’t know what the result will be. Fear of the unknown is healthy, but not always useful. It’s ok to retreat inward for a spell, but soon you will have to rip off that blindfold and fly into the night. What is scarier - taking a chance on something or someone that doesn’t ultimately fulfill you in the way you had hoped or staying in this stuck position for eternity? Some will tell you there is no wrong choice EXCEPT no choice. You have wings - it’s time to fly in a direction. I guarantee that once you are in motion under the light of that moon, the situation will become clearer to you! So, let’s go - no more stalling!

“Life is a matter of really tough choices.” - Joe Biden

The Two of Bats from the Halloween Tarot Deck by Kipling West

The Six of Cups…

In the week ahead you may find yourself feeling like someone is watching you in the dark hours of the night. Instead of shying away from this feeling, embrace the uncomfortable, eeriness and explore what is there. I think you’ll find that there is an element of a former version of self that is attempting to materialize in a way that will benefit you. Channel this energy. Ask yourself, why might I need this piece of my past? What can I do with this fleeting memory? Should I reunite with a friend or family member that has moved on or moved away? Or is there something within that I should resurrect to help guide me through a current situation? Your haunt is not external - it’s the idea that you may need to reconnect with someone or something that you have let go of. There’s a sense here that something can be made “right” and transform the world around you. Let this message manifest and surprise you. It won’t be scary - it will be thrilling.

“There are many ways to haunted, not all of them supernatural. From photo albums to love letters, the memories of bad choices, broken promises, lost loves and shattered dreams can often linger for longer than the glow of satisfaction from our greatest accomplishments. Indeed, the most frightening ways to be haunted may be in the many ways we haunt ourselves.” - Tonya Hurley

The Six of Cups from The Ghosts and Spirits Tarot Deck by Lisa Hunt

The Five of Swords…

Shout out to my Uncommon Goods “In The Cards” Class today, for helping to select our card of the day! Today you must clear your mind of thoughts that are not serving you. Thoughts are often tricky, you see. They are constantly there, swarming about in your head, but it’s hard to delineate the fact from the fiction of what you are reflecting upon. The mind is rational - that’s what we like to believe. But, what you know to be true is sometimes just not and it can be hard to understand and accept the realities right in front of us. Am I making you feel dizzy?!? Take a minute to recognize the thoughts you are thinking right now. Instead of simply accepting them as logical and right, ask yourself how that thought is serving you? If it isn’t set it free. Release that which is weighing on your mind into the atmosphere and trust that the universe will deal with it in its own time. Be free of the conflict you create in your head - just for this night. You deserve it.

“I am willing to release old negative beliefs. They are only thoughts that stand in my way. My new thoughts are positive and fulfilling.” - Louise Hay

The Five of Swords from The Star Spinner Deck by Trungles

Four of Swords…

In the spirit of the season and things that go bump in the night, pay attention to what happens when you turn out those lights. As you are just about to drift off to sleep, are you haunted by things that happened during the day? Do dark thoughts of the past threaten to pull you under the bed? Does sleep come easy, but then you fall into dizzying, anxiety dreams provoked by what needs to be done? Perhaps none of these things happen and you drift off peacefully, feeling the magic of the cool, moonlight drift in through the window? I hope that’s the case. You need that rest to restore your psyche and spirit. If you do find your inner demons interfering with your slumber, perhaps this is just your body’s way of exorcising them, so you can recover freely and recharge your power for the next day. Let go of it all - imagine you have a forcefield of light encircling you with protection and filling you with the rehabilitating energy you require for the new day that will dawn. Or, you can just hide under the covers…nothing can get to you there - right?!?

“We stopped checking for monsters under our bed when we realized they were inside us.” - The Joker in Batman

The Four of Swords from Tarot of the Haunted House by Sasha Graham and art by Marco Pierfederici

The Three of Wands…

Are you a good witch or a bad witch? It doesn’t matter and you don’t have time to decide because you are busy mixing up a special brew for the season ahead. As you add your ingredients and stir the pot, take a moment to think about what might be missing. You have planned ahead a great deal, but there may be something more to add to your recipe that you haven’t thought of yet. In fact, this extra piece of magic could be something you have yet to learn or experience. Think big - think outside of your immediate location or scope. If you have to travel or study to acquire this final touch to your plan, do it! This could be the one spark of wizardry that makes your project take flight with enchanting potential. Stir it up by seeing beyond your current situation and allow yourself to advance toward limitless possibilities.

“No exact recipe for today. Gather all available ingredients and whip yourself up something delicious.” - Lin Manuel Miranda

The Three of Wands - Unknown Artists Rendering on Deviant Art

The Magician - Reversed…

So, I pull a card at the start of the day, but then the day just swallows me! Are you feeling the same?!? As we truly emerge from our cocoons into this new unrelenting pace of existence, it’s hard to hold on to the magic we found - isn’t it? And, while it’s a relief to be coming back to life - there are certain difficulties in trying to hold on to the enchanting solitude we discovered. Though, a year and half ago - almost two years now, our lives came to a screeching and uncomfortable halt, there was electricity in the undercurrent of our collective experience. Time became a gift to claim - time to reflect, time to share in new ways, time for self-care and time for new discoveries. A greater sense of self and a new understanding of what is truly magical appeared and clarified so much. So, here we are rushing in and wildly forgetting this beautiful sorcery, as if we never conjured it. Don’t let it fall away. The universe sent us into that captivating spin for a reason. Hold on to what was conjured. Stand your ground by honoring the magic you cultivated when you were thrust into beautiful silence. In that quietness, there was a voice that spoke to you in a whisper when you finally gave into complete isolation. It’s still there. Close your eyes and hear the spell it would like you to cast.

“If you feel lost, disappointed, hesitant, or weak, return to yourself, to who you are, here and now and when you get there, you will discover yourself, like a lotus flower in full bloom, even in a muddy pond, beautiful and strong.” ― Masaru Emoto, Secret Life of Water

The Magician (Reversed) Art by Flourescentwolf from the Drift of Dreams Tarot

The Six of Pentacles…

Hey Little Devils - the Halloween season is upon us and we often forget how much this time of year is about sharing. What impish fun can you plan to share in under the October Moon? Things in our world are really picking up and we can get absolutely lost in the pacing. Tonight, take a moment to decide who you want to be this crisp and spirited fall and how you plan to share the most devious and delicious pieces of who you are with others. What you put out, will multiply and come back to you - so get specific on the how, when, what and where and really connect to the feeling you want to generate in celebration of a thin veil and a decadent existence. You deserve some juicy fun, so plan ahead to make space for it all and decide who you want to invite to the party. Be mischievous, be daring, be sneaky and expand the fun by including all the right people. Trick or Treat, darlings - Give, receive and be devilish!

“Sometimes you got to go specifically out of your way to get into trouble. It’s called fun.” -Robyn Williams

The 6 of Pentacles from The Housewives Tarot by Jude Buffum and P Kepple

The Four of Wands…

You hold the keys to finding the personal harmony you crave. As a card for our week ahead, finding balance is essential, but think about taking it a step further. What are the elements that ensure you connect with that inner sense of absolute stability? What are the tools you use to feel secure? Those tools might be useful in other ways…. There are so many doors for you to open! How can you enlist your own mechanisms for stabilization to unlock those doors and walk into a few unknown, but exciting new situations with ease? Balance is nice, but exploration of possibility is calling to you. You don’t have to ditch your solidity to really push the limits of who you are and where you are! This week, investigate all the ways you might step outside of your comfort zone, but maintain your personal equilibrium as you branch out, fling open doors and discover the newness of who you are! You got this, friend. Have a blast and trust the steadfastness of your spirit!

“A very little key will open a very heavy door.” - Charles Dickens

The Four of Wands from The Magic Gate Deck - Fantasy Art by Samiramay

The Chariot…

It’s the weekend and you thought you could just sit back, relax and chill. Think again. Your couch is comfortable, but you have things to do and you can feel the urge to take action rising in your soul. The energy is right for you to advance with drive and determination. Stars are aligning for you to pursue something or someone specific that you feel quite passionate about. Make a move and just keep going. Allow the vivacity of the emerging fall season to be the wind that helps propel you forward today. Know that this may be only the start of a journey into the vast sky of your personal potential. As soon as you start to feel that easiness, keep moving forward toward the exhilarating challenges ahead. Lazy Saturday?!? I think not. Get going, friend. It’s time to light up the sky and claim what you want and need for fulfillment. Adventure awaits.

“If I’m an advocate for anything, it’s to move. As far as you can, as much as you can. Across the ocean or simply across the river. Open your mind, get up off the couch, move.” - Anthony Bourdain

The Chariot from The Star Tarot by Cathy McClelland

The Page of Swords - Reversed…

Speak your truth. You can write it, whisper it, sing it, shout it, dance it - there are many ways to express who you are, but if you never let it out you will never fulfill your true meaning in this life. All those thoughts flying around in your head may feel nonsensical to you, but if you express them they might have purpose you didn’t expect for others. Those words you keep to yourself, could help you soar to a higher existence and lift others up as you ascend. They could help cut through the perversity that threatens to invade all that is true and uncontaminated. Take a chance. Respect the power you hold within, by bowing down to the idea that your authenticity holds power. If you release your ideas and intentions into the world, who knows how and where they might land! Speak out! Tonight before bed, practice using your unique voice by whispering just one thought to the stars. Feels good - doesn’t it?!?

“In life, finding a voice is speaking and living the truth. Each of you has a distinctive voice. When you find it, your story will be told. You will be heard.” - John Grisham

The Page of Sword (Reversed) from the Moondust Tarot by Aunty Flo

High Priestess…

Do you feel like you are forgetting something today? Is there a kind of strange, uncomfortableness hovering around you? That is because your subconscious is whispering to you a secret message from within. You have instincts that are undeniably on target, but today is a day you must dive deeper and really connect with the hidden messages written in your psyche. It’s electrifying when you really think about how in tune with the universe you can be if you allow every cell to connect with your intuition. Set yourself up to sit on a throne of absolute knowing. And throw a little side-eye to the sun, because you are making more room in your world today for the shady light of the moon. Explore the unheard, unseen and unknown and take ownership of your own personal magic. If you have questions, look within for the answers - they are all there.

“Intuition doesn’t tell you what you want to hear; it tells you what you need to hear.” - Sonia Choquette

The High Priestess - Artists Rendering by Olivia Burki

The Knight of Pentacles…

A Knight for the card of the night! Sometimes in the doing of something we lose sight of the larger picture at hand. What you are devoting your time to in this moment can have far reaching effects on the world around you. So, pause tonight and reflect on the work you have been toiling over - how might this work blossom and grow over time? Who benefits from your contribution? What do you truly hope will spring forth from the efforts you have made? The seeds you pollinate now will bloom into the future, so make sure you are clear in your intention before wildly flying in to take care of what needs to be done. You hold great power in the tiniest ways. To experience the sweet taste of success, you must see the full array of possibilities ready to open an multiply. Pause, visualize it, take it all in and then buzz your way back into the doing, little worker bee…

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you plant.” - Robert Louis Stevenson

The Knight of Pentacles from the Orien’s Tarot

Temperance…

To find the right balance, you must temper the bad with the good….and the good with the bad. Have you been especially good lately?!? Playing by the rules and falling in line is necessary, but we must have balance, my friend. If a dark angel were to visit you tonight, what advice would they offer? Would the suggest you take a break from your need to achieve or stop people pleasing your way ahead?! Would they tempt you to do things you only dream you could, but know you shouldn’t? Would they tell you to take a break from your intellect and dive into your emotional life in a way that feels risky? Maybe they would urge you to cast aside the obligations in your life that seem important to focus on the situations that promise fulfillment and fun? Imagine how dreamy it would be to connect with a spirit so carefree and daring. Invite a visit from your Dark Angel tonight, feel the electricity of the danger they bring with them when they appear in your dreams. Ask them what you can do to find that balance that you so deeply desire. I know they will have quite a bit to say. When you wake up - write it all down and circe the one thing that seems the most perilous to you. Do that one and then check back in with your equilibrium. The path towards personal balance can be quite tricky - let it surprise you!

“When a dark angel falls, it’s because they trusted the light too many times.” - Anonymous

The Temperance Card - Artists Rendering by Buckley

The Star Card…

As overwhelming as your day to day challenges feel, you will come out on top. That dance you do just to get by amidst the chaos can sometimes feel forced and put on, but the components of who you are and what you have to offer are a magical elixir that can create a healing music for others. Your heart is full of good intentions and sometimes you can’t see how your efforts will materialize to benefit the whole atmosphere, but they will take shape, so just keep dancing. The universe is mysterious and no one can predict what pieces of your existence will rise to shine a light in the sky, but you can bet that your level of commitment to self and others will elevate you in ways you hadn’t imagined. Take center stage when the time is right, but for now - just keep dancing. You are pre-ordained to have those moments of celebration, but you are already a celebration to others in every moment of your day. Just keep dancing - you will soon light up the sky.

“It’s not in the stars to hold our destiny, but in ourselves.” - William Shakespeare

The Star Card - Mixed Media Rendering by Ginger Lou for Fine Art America