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ACE OF SWORDS
The Ace of Swords represents a moment where we’re presented with a kind of understanding – a truth revealed, a sudden mental connection, new data, a primordial idea. When it shows up for us, all we have to do is be curious and open to what’s happening in our life. It might not be obvious, but try to pay attention to any shifts, omens or messages. What conversations, sources and thoughts are coming through? Give them the space they might need to bloom.
SEVEN OF WANDS
The Seven appears as a reminder to be honest with yourself about the challenges ahead of you but not to dwell on them too long. There’s a difference between strategizing and spiraling, and you don’t want to lose the momentum you’ve built.
SIX OF WANDS
The Six of Wands is the card of hard-won victory. It’s not the end of the road (though, truly, what is?) but it’s the moment when you can see your efforts beginning to pay off and your vision starting to crystalize into something more tangible. If you push and push yourself without taking the time to rest, to recharge, and to recognize how far you’ve come, the only thing you will be left with is demoralization and burnout. It is exhausting to go through life feeling as though all your efforts are simply not good enough.
SEVEN OF CUPS
The Seven of Cups is often depicted as a card of confusion, overindulgence, or delusion due to too many options. It can be totally overwhelming to sit in the fog, unsure of which cup to choose. We may feel pressure to make the “right” choice, even when we aren’t ready.
THE HANGED MAN
The Hanged Man is card 12 of the Major Arcana, and one that I always put into context with its ensuing card-Death. Meaning, this is the soupy space we must sit in before a transformation. It is the time to invite stillness, even if it’s uncomfortable. The more we struggle, the less we hear our own inner knowing. And so, we can be curious about where this discomfort is coming from. Listen deeply in this stillness to our needs, no matter how quiet the voice. Release what isn’t working in order to make room for change.
THE HIEROPHANT
The Hierophant is a card that represents tradition, belief structures, learning and growth. It tends to appear as a reminder that our inclination toward rebellion may not always serve us well — there are times when breaking the rules liberated us and there are times when it simply creates more work for ourselves. Why make things harder by reinventing the wheel when we can follow the tried and true patterns others have left for us?
THREE OF WANDS
Like all the Threes, the Three of Wands represents a foundation, specifically that which we build all our dreams upon. Because Wands are such an intangible suit, this tends to speak of our vision for our goals and what it looks like if we should reach them. Simply put, it’s difficult to make progress when one is wandering aimlessly or has a vague idea of what success would even look like; how can you break down the steps necessary to reach your dreams if you don’t even know what you’re dreaming of?
FIVE OF SWORDS
The Five of Swords isn’t a light card, even by this suit’s standards. Like the other Fives, it represents a kind of crisis point – in this case, we’re working with the mental aspects of difficult emotions. As with many of the Swords, the Five really shows us how tricky our relationship to our own minds can be. It’s often when something goes wrong and/or we feel hurt that we’re most prone to getting tangled in the noise of our more unhelpful thoughts.
THREE OF PENTACLES
The 3 of Pentacles is about putting effort towards building something tangible and long-lasting – something bigger than the sum of its parts, whether it’s a project or a space. It speaks to collaboration, asking us to understand our unique skills and abilities. Beyond a capitalist understanding of productivity, this card draws our attention to what we can contribute and put into the world, brick by brick.
STRENGTH
Strength is card 8 of the Major Arcana, often depicted by a figure with a lion, and is astrologically connected to Leo. When we let ourselves fully embody Strength, we integrate both fire and water, courage and vulnerability. Embodying Strength means working towards the courageous act of pure self-acceptance—giving ourselves permission to express conflict, sulk in our feelings, shout love, be brave. All without shame or guilt.
PAGE OF CUPS
The Page of Cups combines Earth and Water to form a reliable, imaginative, intuitive, and tender energy. I see this Page being very open to receiving messages and following inspiration. In the RWS depiction, they hold a cup with a fish, representing creativity. How fitting is fisherman Kim Seokjin as our Page of Cups?! Jin’s childlike playfulness and love for fishing led to the banger SUPER TUNA, which has resonated with children and adults alike. I love him as a reminder to let ourselves dream freely and share joy!
FOUR OF WANDS
Like all the Fours, the Four of Wands represents a natural pause. It’s a moment to breathe, to reflect, and appreciate your efforts thus far. Let’s face it - starting a new project or journey takes a lot of work and energy. It’s relatively easy to come up with new ideas and passing inspiration, but actually finding the motivation to put them into action is a feat in and of itself.
DEATH
It may surprise people, but Death is one of my absolute favorite cards in the tarot deck. There’s been a great deal of fear and superstition created around this card by pop culture and media - how many times have we seen an occult-inclined show where someone pulls the Death card and has their doom foretold?
EIGHT OF SWORDS
The 8 of Swords, like its siblings in the other suits, is about choice and having faith in the process of change. Often, it depicts situations where we’re kept stuck by our own thoughts, fears and lack of perspective. Our brains are wired to feel that what’s familiar, even if harmful, is safer than the alternative of the unknown, and this card asks us to work on rewiring those patterns so we can grow.
THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE
Whenever I draw The Wheel of Fortune for myself or others, I find that it’s usually this invitation to check where we’ve tightened our grip to avoid the negative. Where we’re clenched, where we’re hoping to stay in control of flawless outcomes. We want to seize the wheel and control its direction, rhythm, and velocity so that we don’t get hurt.
THE EMPRESS
Whenever The Empress appears in a reading, I take it as a sign that it’s time to get a little bit wild, to get my hands into the metaphorical dirt and see what grows. The Empress doesn’t search for beauty with the hopes of capitalizing on it, they indulge in beauty and pleasure for the pure joy of the experience. When they work on an artistic endeavor, it’s because they simply have the urge to create, not because they are working toward a larger goal. This card is a reminder to be in the moment, to see what gems you can unearth without even trying.
THREE OF SWORDS
The image of the 3 of Swords is perhaps one of the most striking in traditional decks. We see a heart pierced through by three swords against a rainy background – not the most comforting imagery. And it is a challenging card, but it’s no omen of doom.
ACE OF CUPS
Aces in the tarot represent an invitation to receive, to open ourselves up, to start a new beginning. For the Ace of Cup, our cup is overflowing, bursting forward with feelings of abundance, love, joy, and euphoria. I personally see it as the feeling you get when you don't know the destination, but you don't care because you trust yourself. You know you are inherently worthy to love and receive love. The Ace of Cups marks the journey to indulge in creative time, nurturing our bodies, and seeking comforts and joy of any scale.
FIVE OF WANDS
No journey is ever completely smooth sailing, and Fives represent one of the most difficult points in any of the suits’ cycles, a moment of conflict, frustration, and tension. In the case of the Five of Wands, it’s a conflict of vision that can manifest in a number of ways - your goals not aligning with the goals or opinions of those around you. Your vision for what you want to create being out of sync with the reality of what you can currently achieve. Your own mind being pulled in multiple directions or being undermined by self-doubt, lack of focus, or any other internal demons that rise up to tangle the metaphorical bicycle spokes of your motivation.
THE LOVERS – you got me // i got you
VMin as the Lovers?? During a collective 💘lovers💘 year?* Stunning! Actually groundbreaking! We absolutely love to see it.
Number six in the major arcana – and, in many figurative decks, the first card in the deck to feature two figures – the lovers is often aligned with the mercurial duality & (self)-twinship of Gemini. Big Mikrokosmos – “you got me // I got you” – vibes.