Once again my studies have been occupying me, and blog posts are left whirling in my head or scribbled in my notebook. And at just over seven months pregnant, I am entering the realm of wordlessness.
The words will come back, and find their space here. In the meantime, I am over in the Faculty Writing Corner, wondering who's knocking at the door?
Monday, 18 March 2013
Friday, 31 August 2012
Healing with moon and mind
The wooden stairs led down, deep deep down into the earth. When she finally reached the bottom, she found herself in a circular room, lined with wood. There were doors all around the room, and a bench in the centre. An owl sat on the bench. She found herself sitting next to the owl, without really thinking about it. She gazed around the room and noticed that each door had a circular symbol on it, in a different colour. 'What am I doing here?' she wondered out loud.
'This is a place of healing for your mind'. The owl was looking at her with that wide eyed look which only owls can get away with. 'Try a door, follow a path, find a freedom'.
She wandered around for a few minutes, looking at each of the doors. She first one she dared to open was marked in yellow. Standing on the threshold, she saw white shapes and silver smoke drifting about. She stepped out, and found herself floating in amongst them. Her mind cleared and she realised that the shapes and the smoke floating around her were ideas, weightless but full of potential.
And there she floated, for a while. Until it began to feel vague and unfocussed, and she found herself back in the circular room, standing in front of the red door. Stepping through this one was louder, brighter, and she found herself caught up in some unseen excitement. Suddenly all those floating ideas were on fire, pure energy ready to become somebody's passion. She buzzed around, excited by every new flame, until it became overwhelming and she retreated once more.
The blue door drew her next, and when she opened it, she heard the rushing sound of water. She leapt out into a river and was carried along, song and poetry and music echoing around her. The river demanded that she flow, and so she did.
Until she was washed up on a small beach at the edge of a woodland. The water had taken her breath and her energy, washed her clean, and so she lay for a while. She became aware of birdsong, the sound of the water flowing past, the rustle of leaves in the trees above. There was movement close by, and she looked up just in time to see a hare jogging past. She stood, followed, struggled to keep up. Winding through the trees, out into the fields, breath of wind on her skin and earth pulsing beneath her feet. When the hare stopped, so did she, and they contemplated each other for a while. Then the hare flipped her ears in salute and was off, sprinting across the fields.
And she found herself back in the circular room, closing a blank door behind her. Refreshed in body and soul and most of all mind, she nodded thanks to the owl and set off back to her world.
Written for the full moon blog prompt over at Ramblings of an Offbeat Goddess, and based on the Greenwood Ace of Arrows, which came up for me in response to the question 'How can I manifest healing for myself at this time?
'This is a place of healing for your mind'. The owl was looking at her with that wide eyed look which only owls can get away with. 'Try a door, follow a path, find a freedom'.
She wandered around for a few minutes, looking at each of the doors. She first one she dared to open was marked in yellow. Standing on the threshold, she saw white shapes and silver smoke drifting about. She stepped out, and found herself floating in amongst them. Her mind cleared and she realised that the shapes and the smoke floating around her were ideas, weightless but full of potential.
The blue door drew her next, and when she opened it, she heard the rushing sound of water. She leapt out into a river and was carried along, song and poetry and music echoing around her. The river demanded that she flow, and so she did.
Until she was washed up on a small beach at the edge of a woodland. The water had taken her breath and her energy, washed her clean, and so she lay for a while. She became aware of birdsong, the sound of the water flowing past, the rustle of leaves in the trees above. There was movement close by, and she looked up just in time to see a hare jogging past. She stood, followed, struggled to keep up. Winding through the trees, out into the fields, breath of wind on her skin and earth pulsing beneath her feet. When the hare stopped, so did she, and they contemplated each other for a while. Then the hare flipped her ears in salute and was off, sprinting across the fields.
And she found herself back in the circular room, closing a blank door behind her. Refreshed in body and soul and most of all mind, she nodded thanks to the owl and set off back to her world.
Written for the full moon blog prompt over at Ramblings of an Offbeat Goddess, and based on the Greenwood Ace of Arrows, which came up for me in response to the question 'How can I manifest healing for myself at this time?
Tuesday, 21 August 2012
Astrology and headology
Many astrologers these days combine their astrology with psychotherapy, or at least incorporate ideas from the latter into their readings. This is a twentieth century development, pioneered by the great Dane Rudhyar. Rudhyar was a humanist, and he was one of the first astrologers to see the natal chart as a map for the development of the self. Around the same time, Jung was developing his psychological theories and investigating all kinds of esoteric disciplines, including alchemy and astrology. Jung saw the psyche as a dynamic entity, in which different forces worked to create an equilibrium, giving impetus towards integration and therefore personal fulfilment. Rudhyar saw the chart as having the same dynamic, with the planets representing the psychic forces in their journey towards equilibrium. Thus the natal chart becomes a map of what happens in the psyche of the individual, and their personal path to wholeness.
This was a major shift from the fatalism, or determinism, of traditional astrology, in which events were seen to "happen" to the individual, out of their control. Now the inner world was seen as more important than outside influences, leading to the now fashionable idea that we create our own reality. The latter is simplistic as best and damaging at worst, but also contains some truth. Today, determinism is seen not as being circumstances or events controlled by some higher power, but as being our inner drives and the way they influence our behaviour, usually unconsciously. We are all products of our environment, social conditioning, and emotional patterns, and often we are not even are of how these drive our actions. The natal chart maps these drives, helping us to bring them into awareness. This allows us to move out of our conditioning, to understand our own dynamics and to change them to a more positive expression. Our chart shows us our shadow side and our projections, the parts of ourselves we don't care to admit to, and helps us to integrate them. And meeting the world, and especially our relationships, from a more integrated place, allows to to live and connect with others more authentically.
This psychological approach to astrology focuses on the meaning instead of the event, allowing us to interpret the chart across a range of symbolic manifestations. One person's Mars in Sagittarius may lead them to enjoy horse riding, another may react with anger to the slightest threat to their freedom, still another finds their power in a search for life's meaning. Instead of asking "Does astrology work?", Rudhyar asked "What can astrology be used for?". These days, astrology can be a theory of personality, a model of the psyche and an assessment tool. Astrology teaches us empathy, moving us out of our own habitual ways of seeing the world and showing the myriad of ways that a human being can, well, be. Rudhyar's humanistic approach sees every person as responding to a particular need of the universe, and the natal chart as showing what that need is and how the individual can work towards it. Seen this way, surely taking a psychotherapeautic approach to astrology can only be a good thing?
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This was a major shift from the fatalism, or determinism, of traditional astrology, in which events were seen to "happen" to the individual, out of their control. Now the inner world was seen as more important than outside influences, leading to the now fashionable idea that we create our own reality. The latter is simplistic as best and damaging at worst, but also contains some truth. Today, determinism is seen not as being circumstances or events controlled by some higher power, but as being our inner drives and the way they influence our behaviour, usually unconsciously. We are all products of our environment, social conditioning, and emotional patterns, and often we are not even are of how these drive our actions. The natal chart maps these drives, helping us to bring them into awareness. This allows us to move out of our conditioning, to understand our own dynamics and to change them to a more positive expression. Our chart shows us our shadow side and our projections, the parts of ourselves we don't care to admit to, and helps us to integrate them. And meeting the world, and especially our relationships, from a more integrated place, allows to to live and connect with others more authentically.
This psychological approach to astrology focuses on the meaning instead of the event, allowing us to interpret the chart across a range of symbolic manifestations. One person's Mars in Sagittarius may lead them to enjoy horse riding, another may react with anger to the slightest threat to their freedom, still another finds their power in a search for life's meaning. Instead of asking "Does astrology work?", Rudhyar asked "What can astrology be used for?". These days, astrology can be a theory of personality, a model of the psyche and an assessment tool. Astrology teaches us empathy, moving us out of our own habitual ways of seeing the world and showing the myriad of ways that a human being can, well, be. Rudhyar's humanistic approach sees every person as responding to a particular need of the universe, and the natal chart as showing what that need is and how the individual can work towards it. Seen this way, surely taking a psychotherapeautic approach to astrology can only be a good thing?
Friday, 29 June 2012
A summer of intensity
On 24th June, the Uranus Pluto square which will define the next few years was exact for the first time. This is the first of seven squares between now and 2015, and it's likely to bring dramatic changes. We are already seeing meltdowns in the financial system (Pluto is in Capricorn, which rules financial structures and established systems) and revolutions in the Middle East (Uranus is the planet of revolution and sudden change). Although these outer planets do not always affect us personally, they carry intense energies, and I know many people who are feeling extra stressed at the moment. Working with these deep energies can feel like wading through treacle, and it can be hard to tune in to them as they may feel alien and difficult to grasp. There are two exact squares this year, on June 24 and September 19, and the square is within orb, and so likely to be influencing us, from June 3 to October 10.
So how can we use these energies instead of feeling overwhelmed by them? First, we can look at where they fall in our birth chart. Uranus is around 7 Aries right now, and Pluto around 8 Capricorn. For me, Uranus is opposing my natal Pluto and Pluto is just moving out of a square to my natal Pluto, and life is feeling physically, emotionally and even spiritually demanding right now. Even if the square does not impact planets or angles in your birth chart, you are likely to feel it's energy most strongly in the house where it falls. For example, Uranus in natal second house opposite natal Pluto in the eighth is leading me to question my values, and the resources available to me, which are second and eighth house issues. I can feel the potential for eighth house life changing transformation, indeed I know exactly what I want that transformation to look like, but Uranus and Pluto are testing my vision, and it's not easy.
It's also useful to look back at the cycle of Uranus and Pluto, to see how they have manifested in the past. The last time they were in square aspect was 1932 - 1934, the time of the Great Depression, a time when financial structures were challenged and many people struggled to make a living, just as they are now. The current Uranus Pluto cycle began in the 1960s with the conjunction around 16 Virgo. It's also worth looking at this point in your natal chart, even if you weren't born then, to see how the seed point of these energies manifest for you. For me, the conjunction falls in my eighth house, reinforcing that Plutonic urge to transform. My natal Chiron and Sun (in close sextile aspect natally) also key in to the conjunction, and indeed these energies are clamouring to be heard.
Many writers, especially those of a "New Age" persuasion, are talking about the Uranus Pluto squares as a major evolutionary step forward for humankind, a chance to radically shift (Uranus in Aries) the kind of world we build (Pluto in Capricorn). And this could happen, but I can't help being cynical. The established powers represented by Pluto in Capricorn will not give up without a fight, and Uranus in Aries can be a violent energy. This very dynamic is playing out in Syria right now, with devastating consequences.
But maybe we can make genuine changes. Uranus is the planet of the individual, and perhaps Uranus in Aries is the beginning of a cycle where individuals seek their own power. Pluto is concerned with power, and we need to shift the "power over" that defines our world to "power from within", allowing each individual to shine. By looking at our natal charts and working out how these energies are affecting us, we can make changes. An example from my own second house musings - there's been a return in the last few years to activities once considered old-fashioned (Capricorn rules old things) like knitting and keeping chickens, finding in them new and more sustainable ways to live. I know lots of people, myself included, who are trying to grow their own, live more frugally and make things by hand - transforming the economic system just as Pluto in Capricorn demands. You may be challenged to look at your relationships, your work (especially as Capricorn is also linked to work) or your health. Whatever feels difficult in your life at the moment is a huge clue. But information is power, and once you know how these planets are affecting you, you can seek positive ways to use their gifts. It might be seeking therapy for past hurts, taking some Aries initiative to make changes you've been putting off or simply building a new relationship with money. If each of us does the work we are called to do, we might just transform our world.
So how can we use these energies instead of feeling overwhelmed by them? First, we can look at where they fall in our birth chart. Uranus is around 7 Aries right now, and Pluto around 8 Capricorn. For me, Uranus is opposing my natal Pluto and Pluto is just moving out of a square to my natal Pluto, and life is feeling physically, emotionally and even spiritually demanding right now. Even if the square does not impact planets or angles in your birth chart, you are likely to feel it's energy most strongly in the house where it falls. For example, Uranus in natal second house opposite natal Pluto in the eighth is leading me to question my values, and the resources available to me, which are second and eighth house issues. I can feel the potential for eighth house life changing transformation, indeed I know exactly what I want that transformation to look like, but Uranus and Pluto are testing my vision, and it's not easy.
It's also useful to look back at the cycle of Uranus and Pluto, to see how they have manifested in the past. The last time they were in square aspect was 1932 - 1934, the time of the Great Depression, a time when financial structures were challenged and many people struggled to make a living, just as they are now. The current Uranus Pluto cycle began in the 1960s with the conjunction around 16 Virgo. It's also worth looking at this point in your natal chart, even if you weren't born then, to see how the seed point of these energies manifest for you. For me, the conjunction falls in my eighth house, reinforcing that Plutonic urge to transform. My natal Chiron and Sun (in close sextile aspect natally) also key in to the conjunction, and indeed these energies are clamouring to be heard.
Many writers, especially those of a "New Age" persuasion, are talking about the Uranus Pluto squares as a major evolutionary step forward for humankind, a chance to radically shift (Uranus in Aries) the kind of world we build (Pluto in Capricorn). And this could happen, but I can't help being cynical. The established powers represented by Pluto in Capricorn will not give up without a fight, and Uranus in Aries can be a violent energy. This very dynamic is playing out in Syria right now, with devastating consequences.
But maybe we can make genuine changes. Uranus is the planet of the individual, and perhaps Uranus in Aries is the beginning of a cycle where individuals seek their own power. Pluto is concerned with power, and we need to shift the "power over" that defines our world to "power from within", allowing each individual to shine. By looking at our natal charts and working out how these energies are affecting us, we can make changes. An example from my own second house musings - there's been a return in the last few years to activities once considered old-fashioned (Capricorn rules old things) like knitting and keeping chickens, finding in them new and more sustainable ways to live. I know lots of people, myself included, who are trying to grow their own, live more frugally and make things by hand - transforming the economic system just as Pluto in Capricorn demands. You may be challenged to look at your relationships, your work (especially as Capricorn is also linked to work) or your health. Whatever feels difficult in your life at the moment is a huge clue. But information is power, and once you know how these planets are affecting you, you can seek positive ways to use their gifts. It might be seeking therapy for past hurts, taking some Aries initiative to make changes you've been putting off or simply building a new relationship with money. If each of us does the work we are called to do, we might just transform our world.
Saturday, 9 June 2012
In and out of moon and sun
The words spiral around my mind, but I have not been making the time to articulate them here. And much as I am tempted, I am not going to promise to find that time, because I am immersed in study, trying to finish my astrology diploma which I started way back in 2004. My natal chart is full of fixed energy, and I don't like to leave things unfinished. But right now I am between studies, so I come back here to wax astrological.
The moon's nodes are on my mind, lately. The point on the ecliptic where the path of the moon crosses that of the sun, the nodal points are often linked to karma, relationships, a place where we can bring inner (moon) and outer (sun) selves together. The South node, also known as the Dragon's Tail, is where we act out of habit and from unconscious patterns, laid down in past lives or in early childhood. The south node is out comfort zone, a place and way of being which is easy, but not very helpful. We don't learn anything from these behaviours, and ingrained habits can be detrimental if we don't question them and try to change the cycle.
Which is where the North node, or Dragon's Head comes in. This is the point in the natal chart where we develop, explore and find new ways of being. The North node takes effort and initiative, and probably involves facing the fears we are avoiding by staying in our south node patterns. When the nodal axis (for the north and south nodes exist on a continuum, like any opposition, and we act from different points on the continuum depending on our current circumstances) transits the natal planets, powerful energy is released for change. The nodal points are linked to the Saros cycle of eclipses, and so spiral back to the same point every 18.6 years or so. I had a nodal return last year, an opportunity to become aware of past patterns and to grow away from them. And that is certainly what I am doing, as I try to build a more fulfilling life for myself and my family.
To do this, I need to move to the North node end of the continuum, and so it is hard work. The first half of this year has brought new opportunities to connect to the nodes, as the North node has been transiting other key points in my natal chart. In March it crossed my Midheaven and then natal Neptune in rapid succession, bringing my attempts to follow a new and more spiritual path in life into focus. It was around then that I committed myself to finishing my astrology diploma - I have Saturn conjunct South node in Gemini so achieving a study related goal is a nice friendly place for me. And it has been concerning me a little, sitting in my comfort zone of study instead of moving more, for example, into North node in Sagittarius teaching. But I am learning new things, new areas of astrology and new ways of applying astrological knowledge. In the last couple of weeks, the nodal axis has squared my natal Mercury (so that's literal - the nodal axis on my mind!), which brings communication, study, the life of the mind to the fore. As I work to find the balance between that studying comfort zone and a new approach, I have been pushing my boundaries a little. Finding my voice, doing natal chart readings to help people find their creativity and spirituality just as I am exploring my own. I have been talking things through with a mentor, a very good friend who pulls me out of my habitual Saturn in Gemini conjunct south node trine Mercury reserve.
Astrology teaches us about the cycles of our lives, about why we find ourselves re-visiting past energies and goals when we do, and about how we can develop them. When I started my formal astrological studies eight or nine years ago, the North node was transiting Gemini, passing over that Saturn South node conjunction and moving on to square my natal Mercury in Pisces, from the opposite side to its current position. And so once again I am using Mercury mindfulness to become aware of those outdated South node patterns, spiralling along the continuum to the awareness of the North node. In and out, around and around.
The moon's nodes are on my mind, lately. The point on the ecliptic where the path of the moon crosses that of the sun, the nodal points are often linked to karma, relationships, a place where we can bring inner (moon) and outer (sun) selves together. The South node, also known as the Dragon's Tail, is where we act out of habit and from unconscious patterns, laid down in past lives or in early childhood. The south node is out comfort zone, a place and way of being which is easy, but not very helpful. We don't learn anything from these behaviours, and ingrained habits can be detrimental if we don't question them and try to change the cycle.
Which is where the North node, or Dragon's Head comes in. This is the point in the natal chart where we develop, explore and find new ways of being. The North node takes effort and initiative, and probably involves facing the fears we are avoiding by staying in our south node patterns. When the nodal axis (for the north and south nodes exist on a continuum, like any opposition, and we act from different points on the continuum depending on our current circumstances) transits the natal planets, powerful energy is released for change. The nodal points are linked to the Saros cycle of eclipses, and so spiral back to the same point every 18.6 years or so. I had a nodal return last year, an opportunity to become aware of past patterns and to grow away from them. And that is certainly what I am doing, as I try to build a more fulfilling life for myself and my family.
To do this, I need to move to the North node end of the continuum, and so it is hard work. The first half of this year has brought new opportunities to connect to the nodes, as the North node has been transiting other key points in my natal chart. In March it crossed my Midheaven and then natal Neptune in rapid succession, bringing my attempts to follow a new and more spiritual path in life into focus. It was around then that I committed myself to finishing my astrology diploma - I have Saturn conjunct South node in Gemini so achieving a study related goal is a nice friendly place for me. And it has been concerning me a little, sitting in my comfort zone of study instead of moving more, for example, into North node in Sagittarius teaching. But I am learning new things, new areas of astrology and new ways of applying astrological knowledge. In the last couple of weeks, the nodal axis has squared my natal Mercury (so that's literal - the nodal axis on my mind!), which brings communication, study, the life of the mind to the fore. As I work to find the balance between that studying comfort zone and a new approach, I have been pushing my boundaries a little. Finding my voice, doing natal chart readings to help people find their creativity and spirituality just as I am exploring my own. I have been talking things through with a mentor, a very good friend who pulls me out of my habitual Saturn in Gemini conjunct south node trine Mercury reserve.
Astrology teaches us about the cycles of our lives, about why we find ourselves re-visiting past energies and goals when we do, and about how we can develop them. When I started my formal astrological studies eight or nine years ago, the North node was transiting Gemini, passing over that Saturn South node conjunction and moving on to square my natal Mercury in Pisces, from the opposite side to its current position. And so once again I am using Mercury mindfulness to become aware of those outdated South node patterns, spiralling along the continuum to the awareness of the North node. In and out, around and around.
Monday, 5 March 2012
Sensations of spring
Today Venus came home to Taurus, one of two signs ruled by the planet of love and attraction. She joins Jupiter who is on a year long trip through Taurus's pleasures and possessions. Spring is returning, the sun is warming the earth, and we are re-discovering the sensual pleasures of the warmer weather. We feel the sun stroking our skin, the buzz of life in the soil when we rest our hands on it. The fruit trees are beginning to blossom and everything is in bud.
Venus shows us what we value and what we are attracted to, and in Taurus, this is nature, the beauty of the green earth. This is a sign of sensation, of what we can see and hear, feel and touch, the pleasures of all our senses. Taurus wants to be rooted, to be grounded, which is why Taureans have a reputation for being concerned with material security and with possessions. It's about home, and about our connection to the land. My family and I have been getting out into nature, exploring our local countryside (main attraction for the two year old set: Doggies!). Jupiter in Taurus can symbolise finding meaning and spirituality in nature, the sacred sites where we feel a deep connection to the land, to spirit and to our ancestors. For me, a sacred site doesn't have to be a famous stone circle or a neolithic monument, it simply has to be a place where we connect. The herb garden in the park where I seek sanity in the midst of my day job, the beautiful hawthorn tree which stands in the centre of the park where my daughter plays.
As well as spirituality and religion, Jupiter is the planet of the teacher, and I find myself studying again. As I do so, I'm trying to move away from old habits of book learning and instead to learn from experience, to follow the Taurean way of learning through my senses. As I walk in the woods with my family, I want to learn to identify edible plants, to forage a little. Trying to learn them all is overwhelming, so I'm following the good advice here and practising heart-centred learning. Slow and steady and from the heart, that's the Venus in Taurus way.
Venus shows us what we value and what we are attracted to, and in Taurus, this is nature, the beauty of the green earth. This is a sign of sensation, of what we can see and hear, feel and touch, the pleasures of all our senses. Taurus wants to be rooted, to be grounded, which is why Taureans have a reputation for being concerned with material security and with possessions. It's about home, and about our connection to the land. My family and I have been getting out into nature, exploring our local countryside (main attraction for the two year old set: Doggies!). Jupiter in Taurus can symbolise finding meaning and spirituality in nature, the sacred sites where we feel a deep connection to the land, to spirit and to our ancestors. For me, a sacred site doesn't have to be a famous stone circle or a neolithic monument, it simply has to be a place where we connect. The herb garden in the park where I seek sanity in the midst of my day job, the beautiful hawthorn tree which stands in the centre of the park where my daughter plays.
As well as spirituality and religion, Jupiter is the planet of the teacher, and I find myself studying again. As I do so, I'm trying to move away from old habits of book learning and instead to learn from experience, to follow the Taurean way of learning through my senses. As I walk in the woods with my family, I want to learn to identify edible plants, to forage a little. Trying to learn them all is overwhelming, so I'm following the good advice here and practising heart-centred learning. Slow and steady and from the heart, that's the Venus in Taurus way.
Thursday, 9 February 2012
The 'when?' question
My latest online tarot reading request asked, as an aside to the main question, for an indication of timings. The question of how accurately, if at all, tarot can predict timings is notoriously difficult. There are many different techniques for predicting when something will happen, from the vague to the specific. Most rely on correspondences, linking a card or a suit of the tarot to other systems with a similar energy signature. Using the seasons is a simple way of doing this. For many people, the suit of Wands is linked to spring, Cups to summer, Pentacles to autumn and Swords to winter. So we can look at which suit is strongest in a reading to get a sense of when in the year things might happen.
However these correspondences can be very subjective. Personally, I link (today at least!) Cups to autumn, Pentacles to winter, Swords to spring and Wands to summer, mostly based on intuition. There is no defnitive answer. And if our method of prediction cannot be definitively set, how can the results it gives?
I tend to rely on astrology for timing questions, as the movements of the planets are an objective reality. There are many systems of linking tarot cards to the signs of the zodiac and the planets. The Golden Dawn system is probably the most often used and is seen as fairly definitive by most in the western mystical tradition. A sign of the zodiac or a planet is allocated to each card in the Major Arcana. The Star is linked to the sign of Aquarius, where the sun is at present. The court cards cover the final decanate (or period of ten zodiacal degrees) of one sign and the first two decanates of the next. For example the King of Swords is connected to the last ten degrees of Capricorn and the first twenty degrees of Aquarius. The numbered Minor arcana cards are allocated a decanate each, so that the Five of Swords rules the first decan of Aquarius, the Six of Swords the second and the Seven of Swords the final decanate. Using this method the tarot reader can be much more specific - the King of Swords suggests that the desired outcome will happen between January 10 and February 8.
Correspondences are useful, and can be powerful messages when the synchronicities pile up. But for me, the most useful method of using tarot for timings is simply to incorporate them into the structure of the reading. So you might ask a question like 'What do I need to know about getting a job in the next three months?'. Or you could lay out a spread including a card for each month. In either case, the reading will tell you not exactly when you will get your answer, but the energies around that answer. In the online reading I did recently, all of the cards were fairly static, showing seated figures who didn't move. For me, this indicated that things would not move on soon. Ultimately, the point of a tarot reading is to arm the querent with the information they need to move forward. It may be frustrating when the cards show a lack of movement, but you might take that as a challenge and decide to get things moving yourself. Or you could focus your energies elsewhere, knowing that things tend to happen in their own good time.
And of course, all this is to ignore the bigger questions, like whether time is linear? It's all about the spirals, after all...
However these correspondences can be very subjective. Personally, I link (today at least!) Cups to autumn, Pentacles to winter, Swords to spring and Wands to summer, mostly based on intuition. There is no defnitive answer. And if our method of prediction cannot be definitively set, how can the results it gives?
Correspondences are useful, and can be powerful messages when the synchronicities pile up. But for me, the most useful method of using tarot for timings is simply to incorporate them into the structure of the reading. So you might ask a question like 'What do I need to know about getting a job in the next three months?'. Or you could lay out a spread including a card for each month. In either case, the reading will tell you not exactly when you will get your answer, but the energies around that answer. In the online reading I did recently, all of the cards were fairly static, showing seated figures who didn't move. For me, this indicated that things would not move on soon. Ultimately, the point of a tarot reading is to arm the querent with the information they need to move forward. It may be frustrating when the cards show a lack of movement, but you might take that as a challenge and decide to get things moving yourself. Or you could focus your energies elsewhere, knowing that things tend to happen in their own good time.
And of course, all this is to ignore the bigger questions, like whether time is linear? It's all about the spirals, after all...
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