Maybe a goal you’ve chosen this year involves this…
Knight of Cups: An act of love
You might feel this…
Judgement: A call to serve others
In which case you’re this…
King of Wands: My hero
My resolution this year was this…
Three of Cups: Start up a dinner club with friends to experience the amazing food we have here in Melbourne.
However, this happened…
The Tower: Omicron
And my friends…
Eight of Cups Reversed: Don’t want to go anywhere outside their comfort zone
So I joined a bushwalking club instead…
The Empress: Enjoying nature
This week my youngest daughter said she would join my dinner club. We went to this high-energy Japanese eating house in the city, Yakimono, where I enjoyed the most wonderful smoked paprika raw tuna steak AND spent precious time with a child who is always super busy…
Nine of Cups: Feeling sated
So I get to participate in two new hobbies this year #win
I’ve started doing a ritual on the solstice before Christmas – the true New Year – whereby I choose a Tarot card to represent the year that is coming up.
This year I got the Two of Wands.
Not a card I’m super familiar with.
It signifies…
Having power over others
Wielding influence
Being a pioneer
Investigating a new opportunity
Stepping outside social expectations
Figuring out the way forward
Note: Wands involve action. So the figuring out occurs by doing, not thinking.
We’re in the pause between Christmas and New Year. A time many have off from work. In some ways, this is my favourite part of the Christmas season. The manic rush of Christmas has passed and there is time before the New Year to reflect. But maybe you prefer another part?
Let’s explore the different stages of the Christmas Season…
We decorate the house…
Ten of Pentacles: Taking part in valued traditions
Catch up with friends for a drink…
Three of Cups: Socialising
Buy presents…
Six of Pentacles: Giving and receiving
Rush around like mad at the end to get everything done…
Ten of Wands: Being overextended
By Christmas Eve, you hopefully begin to feel this…
Ace of Cups: Spiritually renewed
Beit through your faith, by listening to carols, or by spending time with loved ones.
On Christmas Day we spend time with family.
Hopefully, it felt like this…
Ten of Cups: Counting your blessings
Rather than this…
Three of Swords: Reigniting old heartaches
Maybe by the end of the day you experienced this…
Nine of Cups Reversed: Food coma or other over-indulgence
We now have a week between Christmas and New Year.
Which is a great time for this…
Four of Swords: Restful contemplation
Before the new year comes around.
When we do this…
Ace of Swords: Set a clear direction for the next twelve months
What is your favourite stage of the Christmas season?
The death of Prince Phillip, consort to Queen Elizabeth, has made news around the world this week. Let’s dive into the Tarot of this a little bit, shall we?
With his passing, Britain has been plunged into this…
Five of Cups: Mourning
The British press has been united in lauding him…
Knight of Cups: The knight in shining armour
Even though they spent years doing this…
Five of Swords: Sticking in the knives
Prince Phillip was definitely…
The Emperor Reversed: A fallible man (aren’t we all?)
However, he was also…
King of Wands: A man of great achievements
I currently run a Duke of Edinburgh club at the school where I teach. Prince Phillip created this award scheme to encourage personal growth in young people. It has been incredibly successful in this endeavour for many decades, and I am proud to be a part of it.
But perhaps his greatest achievement was this…
The Lovers + Queen of Pentacles: Supporting his wife and queen
It wasn’t easy for him to always walk two steps behind the queen, but he did.
Judgement: Serving a higher good
He had to give up this completely…
The Fool: Freedom to do what he wanted when he wanted
His experience must have felt a lot like this at times…
I love this David and Goliath image. Two men and a tractor turn up to dislodge the massive cargo ship currently stuck fast in the Suez Canal. It feels like a metaphor for these crazy times. There’s us with our little arsenal of tricks trying to deal with the overwhelming corruption and stupidity of the world.
The stuck ship is this…
Wheel of Fortune Reversed: Putting a hold on everyone’s plans
Those two men are this…
Seven of Pentacles: Wondering what the bleep they signed up for
The tractor is this…
Seven of Wands Reversed: Battling against overwhelming odds
The rest of us are this…
The Fool: Enjoying a bit of light-hearted relief on the internet for once
Of course, the blockage of one of the world’s largest shipping channels is no laughing matter. It is a very big, very expensive problem for companies which ship goods around the world. It will impose a cost that will eventually be passed down to us consumers.
But maybe, like Covid, it’s another sign from the universe that we all need to slow down and reflect on just where society is at in this moment.
Like many others, I spent the Christmas-New Year period glued to Bridgerton on Netflix. An 8 part series produced by the wonderful Shonda Rhimes. Based on a series of Regency romances written by Julia Quinn in the noughties.
Let’s investigate the Tarot of Bridgerton, shall we?
Obviously, it falls under this category…
The Lovers: Romance
As is typical of this literary genre, the female protagonist Daphne is…
The Fool: A naive ingenue
And the male protagonist, the Duke of Hastings, is…
Knight of Wands + The Devil: Dashing and damaged
They both come from…
Ten of Wands: Wealthy families
The plot is centred around Daphne’s attempt to…
Four of Cups: Get married to another member of the ton – a word used to reflect a member of English high society during this period of history
In order to improve her chances of appearing desirable, and, so he can avoid appearing available, she and the Duke make a pact to…
The Lovers Reversed: Pretend to fall in love
And we all know what happens when characters pretend to be in love…
The Magician: They create that reality!
But before there is any chance of a happily ever after…
Seven of Wands: They must battle many obstacles…
Not least of which is…
The Moon: Their own personal faults
One of the things I love about this series is the rich array of supporting characters, whose own stories are explored in some depth.
There’s the eldest Bridgerton son, Anthony, head of Daphne’s family…
The Emperor Reversed: A dysfunctional autocrat
Daphne’s mother, who sometimes provides…
The High Priestess Reversed: Terrible counsel
My personal favourite is Eloise, Daphne’s slightly younger sister…
Seven of Wands + The Empress: A raging feminist
Also notable is Eloise’s best friend, Penelope Featherington…
Three of Cups Reversed: The wallflower at every ball
There’s also the mysterious Lady Whistledown, who provides biting commentary on the London season, without ever revealing her true identity…
Knight of Swords Reversed + Seven of Swords: A sneaky barbed wit
Bridgerton has been brilliantly created by Shonda’s protege, Chris Van Duesen, who is an absolute…
King of Wands: Master of his craft
The tone is…
Six of Cups: Hyper-reality
The books and the era have been…
Wheel of Fortune: Given a modern spin.
This allows the series to have interesting conversations about…
The Empress + The World: The role of women in society
Seven of Swords: Cheated of a normal childhood/young adulthood
If you’re middle-aged, you might be feeling like this…
Two of Pentacles + Seven of Wands: Juggling never-ending battles
If you’re old or have serious health conditions, you might be feeling like this…
The Devil + Death: Terrified of dying
Wherever you’re at, Christmas is a time to stop and remember…
The Christmas Star: There is ALWAYS hope…
Life CAN get better. We could be just around the corner from a turning point in our fight against the virus currently plaguing our planet. You could be one interview away from a much-needed job. One phone call away from loving support.
As Tarot reminds us, nothing lasts forever…
Wheel of Fortune: Life goes up AND down (not just down)
Wishing you and your loved ones a healthy and happy Christmas together!
Ten of Cups: Happy families (in whatever form they come for you!)
As a Christmas gift, you can read the first chapter of my Tarot Teaclub series now published on Amazon for free on Christmas Day. Just click on the link below…
But right now, non-whites are incarcerated and killed by law enforcement at higher rates than whites. So that’s where the focus needs to be. Including in my own country of Australia.