Page of Wands…

On this first weekend of February, get curious about your passion. What you love makes you lovable and how you direct your passion can inspire deeper love. If you are in a relationship, reconnect with the initial spark you felt for that other person and redesign a path to expand upon it. Examine what is hiding underneath the surface of your shared connection and see if you can let all of the juicy bits crawl out to the surface. Let that excitement nourish you both to grow and expand outside of your comfort zone and have fun discovering what more lies within the magic of your bond. If you are swinging single, let this weekend be a festival of flirtation. Explore each environment with the idea that potential for passion is there. Uncover the hidden mysteries of every new person you meet by asking them enchanting questions about who they are and who they want to be. Let your own personal spark flame out and expand everywhere you find yourself. This weekend is a passion party - love awaits if you let it in.

“Everything carries me to you, as if everything that exists, aromas, lights, metals were like little boats that sail toward those isles of yours that wait for me.” -Pablo Neruda

The Page of Wands from the Javanne Tarot by Javanna Jordell & Annelie Zofia

Ace of Pentacles…

I know you feel happy here in this serene sanctuary you have built for yourself, but opportunity calls! You must follow a path out side of your safe haven in order to realize your full potential. It’s true that what lies on the horizon will be a challenge - success is never promised, but even failure comes with rewards. When you put yourself out there in new and unknown territory, you stand to gain so much by expanding in raw and exciting ways. So, what are you waiting for? Don’t be intimidated by what you don’t know - find out what is truly there. The world outside of your protective garden has so much to offer and if you want to to claim the prize that the universe is dangling in front of you, it’s time to go find it, no matter how arduous the journey is.

“Climb every mountain, Ford every stream, Follow every rainbow, 'Till you find your dream.” - Mother Superior Sound of Music (I couldn’t resist…)

The Ace of Pentacles

The Chariot - Reversed…

I know you are feeling confident, determined and ready to move, but is that confidence? It could be ego spurring you into action and ego isn’t always the purest of motivators, so take a pause - slow down. Take a minute to put yourself in check. A confident and self-assured approach feels amazing - healthy and exciting! If it’s ego that driving you, you may feel there’s something underneath it all that just isn’t correct - an internal ickiness of sorts. This corrupted mode of motivation will not take you as far as you need because you may be just too cocky to understand all of the elements necessary to forge ahead successfully. So - chill out, de-puff and wait just a minute. If you truly want to get where you are planning to go, you’ve got to realign your intention.

“The ego is not who you really are. The ego is your self-image; your social mask; it is the role you are playing. Your social mask thrives on approval. It wants control and it is sustained by power, because it lives in fear.” - Deepak Chopra

The Chariot - Gee, I wish I knew which deck this is, but I do love the image.

Ace of Swords and Four of Swords…

Remember that time when you had to withdraw from the world around you in order to rescue your heart? That moment when you were so bereft that your mind descended down a never ending staircase of thoughts that twisted your psyche into believing you were invisible? At that moment your mind shut off, all was hopelessly quiet and you snuck away to hide. But, in your solitude you found a darkly beautiful path to restore your untethered longing. You listlessly curled up in rest and reconnected to the shimmer of light that still existed in your mind - that optimistic beam of self-belief that illuminated the truth of who you are. It was then that you could look within and hear the protective whispering of ancestors encouraging you to wake up gently and keep realizing your dreams. The love we feel for ourselves can often unravel and detach. I suppose my cards just wanted to remind you of that tonight - of how much you overcame in that moment of despair and just how protected and guided you are when you feel most alone.

“I wish I could show you when you are lonely or in darkness the astonishing light of your own being.”―Hafiz of Shiraz

The Ace of Swords into The Four of Swords from The Light Seer’s Deck by Chris-Anne

Four of Pentacles…

Feeling a bit protective of your personal and financial security? I don’t blame you - tax time is approaching and inflation is threatening to rob us all of our hard earned dollars. It’s ok to play it safe….sometimes. But, how can you hope to have exciting life experiences and meet entrancing people if you are stuck there with all your stuff. It may feel dangerous, but it’s time to take a few chances and either share what you have or spend what you have to encourage a moment of sharing. Why stay hidden just to stay safe? BORING. Good times await as soon as you free yourself of this self-imposed high security lock-down. Let go of some of what you are holding onto to gain so much more.

"Being rich is having money; being wealthy is having time."—Margaret Bonnano

The 4 of Pentacles from the Fenestra Tarot by Chatriya

The Two of Wands - Reversed…

It’s going to be a misty week - one that makes you long for brighter sparks of magic and adventure that lies beyond. It’s good to dream a bit and see where your passions lead you, but don’t take action on any whim just yet. Let it simmer inside, instead. Some of what you are feeling is just the light that wants to illuminate your mood through the fog. But, if you let it burn deep enough, there may be a truly radiant idea to be found there. An idea, though, that will need time to percolate. When it does start to really bubble, that is when you can turn up the heat by crafting a plan on how to fully realize it. You are at the very early stages here. This week, be patient and examine your internal fire deeply. You will know when the time is right to take action, because you will have already charted a path for it to become fully realized.

‘There are planners and there are dreamers. Planners make their dreams come true.” - Edwin Louis Cole

The Two of Wands (Reversed) Art by Enchanted Whispers Art

Three of Cups…

Tonight, connect with your nearest and dearest and raise a glass to all of the people who fill your heart with happiness. Three is a magic number, so if you were to raise your glass three times to give thanks an honor the soul stirring moments of your past year and those who have been a part of helping to create those moments for you - what are your top three? But, there’s more magic to be made from this exercise in joy - use those three moments that have risen to the surface to create a guide map for finding joy in the year ahead. I recently declared to three of my favorite people, “DEFINE JOY” and then promptly jumped off the zoom call. See, if you are seeking more joy in your life, you need to know what you are looking for. So, be a detective of fun tonight, gather your buddies and uncover the the three events of your past year inspired you and gleefully lifted you up (like the glasses you will raise). In honoring those moments of exhilaration, you will simultaneously be recognizing what truly makes you happy and taking a moment to invite more of it in. Celebrate with purpose - manifest - DEFINE JOY!!!

“Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls.” -Mother Teresa

The Three of Cups from The Illuminated Tarot by Carol Herzer

The Eight of Swords…

Do you feel like you are drifting but tethered? Do you know what I mean by that - like you are floating through life, but imprisoned by the expectations of others? Danger seems imminent when you are not fully able to act and react within your situation because of the limitations placed upon you by the outside world. But, if you become complacent in accepting this, you start to coast from day to day, not living up to your full potential. The ties that bind you may be self-inflicted acceptance of your current situation - because it seems easier to just float on rather than free yourself, which can feel daunting. Listen - the true obstacle is not external - the true challenge is to free your thinking and widen your perspective on what holds you back. I think if you look within, you’ll recognize that you are both imprisoned and the prisoner. Your thoughts are the rope that keeps you from advancing. Defy others by looking within so you can break the cycle. It’s time to stop presenting yourself as easy prey. You deserve the opportunity to free yourself - so take it!

“To know that you are a prisoner of your mind is the dawn of wisdom.” - Nisargardatta Maharaj

The 8 of Swords from The Vice Versa Tarot by Massimiliano Filadoro and Lunaea Weatherstone

The Devil into the King of Wands…

Tuesday has been daring us to push personal boundaries and rethink any guilt or shame we may be chained to. Sure - we all have our vices, but sometimes your most toxic inclinations - those actions that you wish you didn’t take, but just have to and you can’t seem to stop - that behavior can point you in a direction that is palpable, if you master it. You are probably thinking, “What on earth does Holly mean by this?!?” Well I suppose I mean that you should examine anything that you are continually drawn to that feels off-color or down right dangerous and see what the true need or want is deep within. What causes you to act this way or do these things? I think you may be surprised to find, though the behavior is subversive, the intention is authentic and may not be an evil one. How do you take the very potent piece of that internal spark and use it to create, envision, empower and strengthen who you are? Take control by cutting through the core of your imagined imprisonment to get to the root of that fire and then use it. Embrace and embolden that beast - there’s something powerful there.

“Each has its lesson; for our dreams in sooth, come they in shape of demons, gods, or elves, are allegories with deep hearts of truth that tell us solemn secrets of ourselves.” — Henry Timro

The Devil into the King of Wands from The Sacred Rose Tarot by Johanna Gargiulo-Sherman

The Moon…

This week we should dive into the depths of who we really are. Sound scary? Maybe…but the Moon is calling for us to illuminate and better understand all of the elements of self that we keep hidden away. Pay attention to your subconscious - if you find yourself suddenly drawn to something or someone - explore it. Take note of your dreams. Often hidden internal messages find their way into our nighttime visions. So if something vivid and engaging happens in your dream, dissect it and see if you can figure out how that might reflect what you might need to know in your waking life. If you find yourself wanting to say something that you might normally censor or re-frame, perhaps it’s best to let that thought slip off your tongue and swim into the conversation to stir up a little mud. Don’t shy away from your deepest desires. Sink into the the most cavernous parts of your heart and splash around. Allow the darkest parts of your psyche crawl out to the surface. There is a bottomless profound understanding to be discovered within. Let yourself play their, unapologetically.

“Only in darkness can we glimpse the fullest light our soul carries for us.” - Angie Weiland-Crosby

The Moon - Tarot Art by Ramona Szczerba aka Winona Cookie

The Wheel of Fortune…

I feel like this card just keeps coming to the surface for us since 2023 began. Perhaps this will be a fast and furious ride for us this year. In many ways, maybe we already feel a little dizzy. We cannot always control this wheel of life, can we? But, if we were to color our experience and control the dynamics of what happens all around us, what colors might we use? Take a minute today to think about the color you invite into your life this year. Do you hit this wild ride with flamboyant and celebratory neons or do you paint in calming pastel watercolors? Are you planning to stay within the lines, so that your world is pristinely depicted, or will you defy everyone by scribbling outside of those lines and changing the shapes within? You cannot stop the spinning, but you can decide how you choose to present it. Oh! This makes me want to break out the coloring book and stick my tongue out at anyone who insists I stay within the lines…Happy Saturday!

“We live in a rainbow of chaos.” -Paul Cézanne

The Wheel of Fortune from Color Your Tarot by Fay Martin and Mary Packard

Temperance…

Sometimes the true message you receive from the card lies within the landscape. Today, this message emerges for us, sunlit and ready for attention. This weekend spend some time answering a few questions: Are you on your true path? Where is this path leading you and what gifts will you find and share along the way? I know, very big questions. But, you’ve made it through so many rocky challenges and now that your path is coming into focus - it’s time to get specific and make sure you are going the way that best aligns with your authentic self. Intention is everything as you move forward. What should you do more or less of as you move along? What beauty is there to be discovered within this journey? If you feel totally out of alignment, how can you change the path you are on to better foster the existence you would like? You are more in control than you believe you are, so take a moment and pay attention to the path…

“Getting lost on your path is a part of finding the path you are meant to be on.” - Robin S. Sharma

Temperance from The Rider/Waite/Smith Deck

*In Advanced Reading Class for Uncommon Goods, we cover noticing and utilizing the deeper symbolism embedded in the cards, such as this path on the Temperance Card. If you are interested in learning more, jump into the class tomorrow, Saturday 1/21 at 6pm EST - 1 hour long and only $25, but full of incredible information on how to dive deeper into your tarot practice. Advanced Arcana - uncommongoods.com

The Two of Pentacles -Reversed with a Hidden Six of Swords…

If you are a card puller for profession or just fun - have you ever gotten a hidden card message? This morning a hidden card emerged after I pulled the card of the day and it was kind of exciting. What do I mean by a “hidden” card?!? When I went to put the cards away in their scarf after the pull - there it was that single card that snuck outside of the reading by remaining in the scarf. Sometimes a hidden card happens if you don’t notice a fly-away when you are shuffling and later find one lying lone and stray under the couch or bed. To me this is a secret message waiting to be read - directly informing your initial reading! So, are you feeling worrisome about the balance and flow of money in you life? Perhaps there are real debts that linger or maybe you just have an easy feeling about the level of uncertainty within your cash flow? Ugh - I feel it - income instability is a very terrifying haunt. However, hidden underneath it all is this idea of escaping - a journey into a safer space. Your solution will involve a physical transition - a movement from where you currently are into a better place. So, start thinking about how a change in location might benefit you. A move - a change in your job - traveling to make stronger financial connections - looking further away to bring in new and exciting business - travel for travel’s sake. The possibilities for increased income and security are endless, if you take a moment to think outside of where you currently reside. Oh! can’t wait to hear about where you go…

“What you want also wants you - it’s just waiting for you to make the first move.” - Anonymous internet wisdom

The Two of Pentacles (Reversed) with a “hidden” Six of Swords emerging from the Sacred Rose Tarot by Johanna Gargiulo-Sherman

The Four of Swords - Reversed…

I know it’s bedtime, but the message is clear - it’s time to WAKE UP! Whatever recuperative trance to which you have succumb has fulfilled its purpose. You are ready to emerge from this metaphoric slumber refreshed and rehabilitated. Use tonight’s sleep as a gratitude filled rest - a kind of last “internally driven” snooze. The colorful adventures of the outside world are calling and you can hear their song. So when you awake in the morning let the invigoration of life incite you with renewed spirit. Motivation and action will be your two closest friends. Leap into action with restored gusto and face tomorrow like the warrior you are! Sweet dreams - enjoy it while you can - it’s time to get busy!

“Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action.” - Benjamin Disraeli

The Four of Sword (Reversed) from Llewellyn’s Classic Tarot by Barbara Moore & Eugene Smith

The Page of Cups - Reversed into The Ace of Wands - Reversed…

Keep your eyes open today - there is someone in your circle that has intentions of stealing opportunity from you. This person is incredibly emotionally manipulative, but also quite immature. They may seem playful and fun, but underneath their curiosity about you likes a deeper motive. You see, you have something they want - potential. It’s likely they have already begun to plot how to steal your thunder, whether it be in work, love or some other way. The jealousy they feel has overtaken them and they are going to do whatever they can to take your possibility for success and snatch it away from you. What can you do? Be aware - trust your instincts and be ready for a fight, if it’s necessary. Don’t let them gleefully run away with an opportunity that is meant for you. And definitely do not let them take credit for any work you have done. In fact, I’d even say keep them far, far away from your friends and loved ones. It’s a tricky two-card Tuesday, but better to be aware than let a thief steal what is rightfully yours.

“You can try to steal the thunder all you want - it just reminds the people I am the lightening. You rumble in the distance. I light up the sky.” - Dane Cook

The Page Of Cups (Reversed) into The Ace of Wands (Reversed) from The Sacred Rose Tarot by Johanna Giargiulo-Sherman

The Five of Cups…

Having a little bit of a Blue Day? Mondays can make us feel a little tender and whatever grief you are experiencing on this day may be catching you off-guard. Life has all kinds of let downs and emotional overwhelm can hit us at any moment. Be kind to yourself today - allow for the time you need to process these sudden feelings. But, be careful not to let these feelings consume your whole day and follow you throughout the week. There is so much in your life that holds promise - so much to see and experience beyond this sadness. When you cover your eyes and hide from the world, you miss the incredible colors, textures and nuances of what is actually there. It’s not an accident that they call it “drowning in your sorrows”. Come up for air and you may find a whole new perspective awaits!

“The pain passes, but the beauty remains.” - Pierre August Renoir

The Five of Cups from The Lo Scarabeo Tarot by Mark McElroy and Anna Lazzarini

The Ten of Swords…

Happy Friday! As we venture into the weekend, having made it through this wild week, it’s important that we don’t let our burdens follow us. And, they will try my friends - they will try. Heavy thoughts and stabbing stress will do their best to haunt our psyche, so do what you can to release yourself from their vicious hold. I mean, let’s get real - you are at the start of what could be a fantastic weekend. You’ve earned the chance to free yourself from the grip of this insanely charged week. Take control of your days - don’t be manipulate by your mind. If you want to be symbolically pro-active about it, take a moment to write down all of your worries and be monstrous in your description. Make your missive as ugly as you can when you describe those demons. Then, just before you hit happy hour or any other joyful activity you might have planned, tear that list to bits and drop it in the toilet. Flush, smile and wave as it disappears into the sewage system to rot and disintegrate. Then go out and have the best damn weekend possible!!!

“I’m going to make a voodoo doll of myself and give it a back-rub.” - Anonymous but brilliant idea from the Internet

The 10 of Swords from Alainn Tarot Deck

The World - Reversed…

We truly are having a whirlwind of a week - all of these majors are emerging for us because, whether or not we recognize it, the actions we take this week will have an incredible impact on the direction we are headed. This morning I pulled this beauty, but tonight after a long day spent connecting with it, I deliver it to you. Completion is complicated because you must first define what signifies completion for you, especially when you are moving toward a specific goal. Where does the road to your destiny actually end? And how do you know when you have arrived where you are meant to be? Often we hit a tunnel and we may think that the light we see coming from the other side might signify that moment of fulfillment, but then we feel that light and we long for more. When I teach or speak to creatives, I often mention how art is always unfinished, but always impactful. If you were to ask Van Gogh his thoughts on “Starry Night” he would tell you that it was a failure - incomplete in his mind. Yet, the painting has been admired for centuries - moving almost every being that delighted to look upon it. Tonight re-define for yourself your own sense of completion. Instead of constantly moving through those tunnels toward the light, become the light and inhabit an incredible unfinished complexity. Meditate tonight on how you might be impactful - what your great work of art will be! Sweet dreams.

“I would rather die of passion than of boredom.” - Vincent Van Gogh

The World (Reversed) - Don’t know the deck and I’m leaving this one incomplete…

The Empress - Reversed…

Our Empress is back today, but she’s officially dissatisfied. If you have been trying to start new projects today or give birth to fresh ideas, it may be feeling impossible. A sense that the world around you is a raging forrest fire and you cannot work fast enough to put out the flames? Or maybe that much of what you have been working on or toward is going up in flames? Sorry - sometimes things just don’t grow the way we had hoped. In the spirit of taking action based on this card? Don’t try to control the situation - focus on the practical side of what needs attention in the moment, rather than planning for the future or building something new. If a brilliant idea comes to you, put it on the back burner and come back to it when you are in a better position to truly foster it and make it grow. Also, perhaps you might consider doing one small act today that honors the natural world? Water your plants, pick up litter when you see it or maybe even make a donation to a climate conscious organization (which is what I am going to do right now). Use your logical resources to restore the natural world and, perhaps the natural world will return the favor….

“One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.” - Shakespeare

The Empress (Reversed) from the Spiral Tarot by Kay Stevenson

Two Card Tuesday…

This is our second day of using our cards in an active way to combat everyday struggles with personal magic! But, the cards are definitely NOT cutting us any slack. Already so many majors squished into one week! Often when I read for others, they come to the cards because a sudden chaos has struck their life in some way. This turmoil can present externally and sometimes even internally as we can all experience a discord coming from our minds. I love seeing these cards side by side - Mother Nature has a way of embracing us with warm love and then violently jolting us to break our spirits. Her generosity is boundless, but her vengeance is unrivaled. If you are experiencing mayhem in your brain as you try to resolve the unruliness of life, it is important to remember, that you are a living, breathing creature on this planet and, therefore an element of nature yourself. If you can redirect your thoughts toward the idea that Mother Nature may simply be pushing you to grow and evolve, your disordered mindset may become less terrifying to you. If you have dark and shameful thoughts about self today, flag them and remind yourself that this may simply be your response to being thrust into change and growth by The Empress. Reframe. Give yourself a little grace by remembering that you are only human.

“In all chaos there is a cosmos, in all disorder a secret order.” - Carl Jung

The Tower and The Empress from The Tarot of Mystical Moments by Catrin Welz-Stein