Archetypes to Embody this August

Based on your star sign and the tarot ofc 🎴

Aug 10, 2022

Hi all,

I thought I would send something out before my big launch in September. I’m writing this on the birthday of my childhood best friend and a day before that of my (favourite) little sister. Two wonderful truly Leos. Happy Birthday, Bitches.

For those of you in the astrology community, the Lion’s Gate portal, which some people consider the galactic new year was last night. To those unsure of what that means it is a potent date for manifesting and calling in changes for the coming months. While I’m all for aligning our practices with astrological happenings, the idea of key dates to do things sometimes gives me a little anxiety. Either from a fear of missing out on an opportunity to do something, or just from a pang of guilt at not having done something auspicious on each potent date that passes me by.

What always helps is remembering that at any time, literally in the middle of the day on a Tuesday, you can change how you act. How you move through the day. Through the world. The idea of Archetypes really helps with this. Archetypes are common mythos which can help us to become who we want to be, and that give us guidelines on how to act, and what to be wary of. Most people will have a similar idea of what I’m talking about when I say a “High Priestess”. Even if we have never studied the tarot, we have enough media and collective stories to get a general image. And by using the high priestess as a model for how to act we can begin to move through the world in a similar way.

So to set you off with a fresh start for the galactic new year, or at least for the month of August, here are archetypes based on tarot cards that the different elemental signs can embody.

I suggest not only reading your sun sign but your moon and rising sign too. If you’re feeling spicy, read your venus, mars or mercury signs to see how different aspects of you could be represented.

Fire Signs: ♈ Aries ♌ Leo ♐ Sagittarius

The World: This is your time, your month. Whatever fire sign you are in it’s eather time to celebrate YOU or there are parts of your chart that are lit up by the sun being in fiery Leo. This makes the archetype you are being called to embody a no-brainer. Honestly, I think of this as a party, where everyone is invited and tying it all together, is you. Scantily clad, for sure. But why the hell not, life is short and people adore you.

The World in all its glory is the amalgamation of all you have learned. Each of the animals present around the central figure of the world call back to the suits of the tarot and by association, the elements. It’s the stepping into not only your power but the power of those who have taught you. Lessons that took them years now take you moments, that is the power of wisdom. And lessons that you had to learn the hard way are now a gift you can pass on to those you inspire and teach. And with that, the cycle continues. The world keeps turning.

To embody this archetype, try bringing together people around a common cause (even if that is just yourself). Remember to call attention to all those who have helped you along the way and each of their unique talents. Without them, this would be a hollow world. With the summer beginning to wind down, or at least people making plans for the restart of September, let yourself bask in the warmth that you feel now. Rejoice in it. Let it warm you and recharge you.

Earth Signs: ♉ Taurus ♍ Virgo ♑ Capricorn

Two of wands: Oh earth, practical through and through. This month you’re feeling ready to plan, to change, to muster the courage. You are operating from a place of security and are willing to strike out into the unknown, to take the whole world in. Beyond the walls that you have built yourself are towering peaks and uncharted seas. And though this is a hopeful card, the sky in it is an uncertain gray.

You will have no problem embodying this archetype, in fact, it’s one you fall so easily into. The do-er, the person of action, with plans and battlements. You can feel the engrained restart of September coming and with it the changes you look to contend with. The figure in this card holds the whole world in their palm as if to say they can do anything. But do you want to, do you need to take it all on? In looking at only what is next you may not see the small village right outside your door, the winding roads, the good life.

This archetype is one of planned action, and with all the astrological goings-on you can very much set your course for the next few months through careful planning. In all this, you must remember to let vibrancy and heart drive you, not a need to conquer or vanquish or consume. You are more than capable of building, growing, and learning. Your passion can be overpowering but it can also be empowering. So let yourself dream, and point your arrow true.

Air Signs: ♊ Gemini ♎ Libra ♒ Aquarius

The Magician: Beginning the Major Arcana this card comes right at the start of a story, or more likely in your case, a cycle. On the table before the magician are all the tools needed to begin, the four suits of the tarot. You’ll need to combine thought, action, feeling and practicality. Alchemising them all together will help you to begin a new cycle of your life, to start off on your journey.

This August, you can embody this archetype by working together with all your resources. Maybe there is a project you have been mulling over or a new opportunity you are going to take. Before you do, it’s good to gather forces behind you. Check-in with your feelings, make sure you have the right tools in your toolkit to let your thoughts be piercing and potent, take account of past actions and see what you can replicate. And when it comes to pentacles, the earthy practicality, look at what financial resources you have available, what connections you have to build, and in what ways you can be present. How can you show up? To start something amazing, simply showing up, day in and day out, gets you so far.

The figure in this card holds within them the power to bring all this together. But it really just the first step. To progress on your journey you will have to work with people and experience the changes of taking action. There is beauty in this process. The vines trickling in from above and below in this card tell us of that. Of the ways in which nature creates room for growth, for change within ourselves and the community. If you start to feel lost, take a look at the natural world, at the vibrance and untempered beauty it brings. Let that be the secret ingredient in whatever you try to make. Seek to be vibrant and the path will become clear.

Water Signs: ♋ Cancer♏ Scorpio♓ Pisces

Queen of Cups: This card has such an ethereal air. I know the high priestess can hold it too, but looking at the way this Queen’s dress melds with the water, how they so easily become ripples and pebbles. This card often sits a little heavy with me. Just like the massive stone thrown behind the queen, there is a potent force to this message. To be one with your tides, with your flowing emotions and yet also not be moved.

Behind the figure in this card sits a cliff, which seems to have worn away after years of the sea waves. Yet at the forefront the queen is unmoved. Changed and unchanged. Admiring the closed chalice in their hand as if to say they have gained control of their emotions. Yet with their feet soaking wet and one with the sea. It seems like an oxymoron, to be within your emotions and yet in control. But it’s possible and it’s the archetype that you are being called to embody this August.

If it all feels alien to you, ask yourself, what would it feel like to let my emotions pass through me like waves? To be in them and apart? This is not to say that you need not feel, more that in letting yourself feel there is a new state of feeling open to you. You are not riding the waves, you are the waves. And that’s one of the most beautiful things about being on this planet Dear Water Signs, feeling the ocean-depths of what there is to feel. And in doing so, know yourself and others better than before. So let yourself feel.

Thank you all for reading this. I would love to hear what archetypes you have identified within your own lives and how this ties into them. What has your August been feeling like? What feelings did these cards bring up?

Xandua Tarot

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