Take a damn break 🌳 Nine of Wands
Tarot for the week of 05/06/23 🧶 Tying together this years lessons and getting you ready to break some cycles...
Hi Y’all
It was a hectic week, what with a wedding and a lot of asparagus. But I’m back again with a Monday tarot reading for you all to enjoy. To ruminate on. To leave unopened in your inbox. Whatever takes your fancy…
Speaking of taking your fancy, for those of you who subscribed back in early May, how did you find the voiceovers? Did you listen to them? Were they helpful? Do you have any idea what I’m talking about? Let me know.
I shuffled quite a lot to get this card. Most of the cards that kept coming out of the deck for me were in clumps, fits and starts. Honestly, a lot of my own personal questions got answered pretty quickly. Not that I had intended on asking them. But boy did it feel like the deck had something to say. When I finally got some things squared away I asked again for a general weekly reading. And this card lept out.
Tarot for the Week of 05/06/23: Nine of Wands
Ok, so this is so damn interesting to me. Because over the past few weeks, we have had so many Nines. My last was Nine of Pentacles, the seeking and prioritising of pleasure. Less than a month before that the Nine of Cups, the forming of networks and the emotional feeding of connections. And here comes the Nine of Wands. All we need now is the Nine of Swords.
My prediction is this: Over the past month or so we have been closing off cycles, rounding the home stretch. Culminating work that has been brewing and building for some time. First came the emotional strength to keep going. This was the cups, the lessons learned of filling our own and others, in pouring ourselves into the people around us. And being filled in return. Then the reminder that we have achieved a lot, that pleasure can be taken not only in seeing how far we’ve come but how much we have grown. The permission was given to stop to smell the roses. To slow down, enjoy this stage before the next one. And now here are the Wands. The call to remain focused, to keep the barriers we have created strong (but permeable to the right people). To not work alone. But instead rest for a moment, confident that those around us will protect us. Before we carry on on the best path. I think the Nine of Swords will follow in the next few weeks. In turn signalling a time of indecision, where our own fears threaten to overtake us. But this strengthening of networks, of capacity for joy and of action, will allow us not to be stopped by these fears, but to eventually wield them. When Nine of Swords does show, remember this. Remember that you’ve been preparing for this test. And that you have to tools to pass it and use it to your advantage.
Speaking of tests the Nine of Wands is often associated with a test of faith. A moment where, in the suit wands which symbolises action, inaction is the best course. What a terrifying time that can be. To trust, to flow, to rest a while.
If we look at the card, the figure leaning heavily on their staff while behind them a wall of staves punctuates the idyllic landscape there are various symbols to unpick. To whittle away at. First, the clear blue sky is not yet an ending (as a yellow sky would indicate). There is still a way to go in this arc. Next, the sprouting staves which divide the card horizontally, echoing the protective swords of the Six of Swords back in September. The protection and boundaries necessary to take a break. This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to take action to protect yourself. But more that you can rely on others, the safety in numbers to slow down this week.
This is also interesting because of the powerful force exerted within the Eight of Wands card, which we saw back in March, the culmination of small actions. The work within groups of affinity and purpose, and within our own day-to-day lives. The Nine of Wands seems to say, you’re work has been going well. A break will not derail but sustain you. Trust in what you have done so far. And ain’t that a relief!
The card which comes next, the Ten of Wands, speaks of burden. Extra responsibility, the culmination of work, the corralling of all your actions into one focal point, one last push. It tells you to get your ducks in a line. It warns it won’t be easy. It will be heavy but it will be worth it.
I feel like I have been jumping all over the past year with this reading. Pulling stands and ideas from nine months ago, weaving them all together. So how does this all tie in for this week? Hopefully, these journaling prompts will help you make a tapestry of your own…
Journaling Prompts for 05/06/23
Six of Swords: What thoughts you have in place for times of trouble? How are they different for times of smooth sailing? How can letting your guard down make you stronger than ever?
Eight of Wands: What practices do I need to cultivate to keep me aligned? How can I make difficult tasks more manageable? What small things do I want to commit to? Where could I see them leading? How can I cultivate that feeling in the now?
Nine of Cups: How do I feel in my connections with people? Which connections do I want to put more energy into? Where can I forge connections in an unexpected way?
Nine of Pentacles: What have I been working really hard at? How can I take a moment to recognise this work? What forms of pleasure do I want to prioritise?
Nine of Wands: What or who can I rely on when I need a break? Where have I but in the work to allow myself to rest? What is the road ahead? How can I take time out to help me recharge for what is ahead? What boundaries have served me well and which need to be updated?
Nine of Swords: What can I see tripping me up in the weeks to come? Where will I overthink? How can I plan for this? Where can I ask for support or advice? What do I need to feel prepared for roadblocks or upsets? How can I help remove others roadblocks?
Quite a bit to think on there. Try to think back to what you were up to in September, in March, in early May. Do those times feel distinct? Were you experiencing similar things or are you handling them differently now? I always want to know…
As always, my Tarot offerings are available online. They can be written or via Voicenote, or as a live Zoom session. All of my sessions are done on a sliding scale, so it's pay what you can. If you can pay more, then the “extra” is carried forward so that someone else can get a session for free. Let me know if you're interested in any of this.
Catch you in either,
M
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