Divination, Symbolism, Tarot Cassie Uhl Divination, Symbolism, Tarot Cassie Uhl

7 Tarot Myths Debunked

In our culture, there is no shortage of myths about tarot. Many of us were raised with the perspective that tarot cards are “scary” or that they have something to do with the devil.Misinformation is rampant, but the truth is, tarot can be a powerful tool to help you hone your intuition, connect with yourself, deepen your relationship with spirit/universe/guides, make decisions, and more. In this post, I’ll be debunking some major myths about the tarot so that you can feel freer to work with the tarot in a way that feels really good to you.

In our culture, there is no shortage of myths about tarot. Many of us were raised with the perspective that tarot cards are “scary” or that they have something to do with the devil.

Misinformation is rampant, but the truth is, tarot can be a powerful tool to help you hone your intuition, connect with yourself, deepen your relationship with spirit/universe/guides, make decisions, and more. 

In this post, I’ll be debunking some major myths about the tarot so that you can feel freer to work with the tarot in a way that feels really good to you. Check them out below!

MYTH 1: YOU MUST BE GIFTED YOUR FIRST DECK

This is a super common myth! Have you ever heard that you can’t buy your own deck and you must be gifted your first deck? 

Tarot reader and author Theresa Reed told Refinery 29 that this myth is “total rubbish.” She says, “If I would have waited around for that to happen, I might not have started working with the tarot as soon as I did — if ever.” 

I feel the same way. To me, this myth is just a form of gatekeeping in the tarot community. No one is exactly sure where this myth comes from, but it may be a legacy of 19th-century closed occult societies. 

Regardless of where it comes from, there’s nothing wrong with buying a deck for yourself — tarot is a folk magic practice, and it belongs to the people, so you don’t need permission from someone else in the form of a gifted deck to start your practice. If you feel attracted to working with the cards - pick yourself up a deck! 

Give this post a listen here.

MYTH 2: TAROT IS EVIL

Another variation of this myth is that tarot cards have something to do with the devil. I believe this myth originates from Christianity. There are various verses in the Bible about divination, “sorcery,” and mediumship that have been translated to be a condemnation of all occult, divination, and spiritual tools outside of Christianity.

This myth is also often perpetuated by the media, whose portrayals of tarot readers and cards have often been abysmal. Media is intended to be sensational, which means tarot cards are portrayed as evil or used for devil worship. Common tarot scenes show the “scary” cards with literal meanings - like the death card when someone is going to die or the devil card when something evil is going to happen.

This myth is easy to debunk when I ask myself a few questions:

  • Who benefits from me believing this myth (whether it’s dogmatic religion that wants me to rely on their truth rather than find my own through a tool like the tarot or a TV show that wants to make interesting TV and get viewers)? 

  • Do I really think that Barnes and Noble are selling a tool to connect with the devil? 

  • What have my experiences with the tarot been like?

Like with most things, we can use tarot in helpful ways and not so helpful ways. But the cards are not inherently evil, and we can use them in ways that support ourselves and our highest good.

MYTH 3: THE DEATH CARD MEANS YOU’LL DIE

Ah, another TV myth. Like I mentioned above, this card is often portrayed as a super scary card, and when it shows up in a reading, it could mean you’re going to die. 

All tarot cards are neutral. There are no good or bad cards. Some cards may be more uncomfortable than others (and this will change depending on every person!), but no cards are in and of themselves bad. 

So no, the death card doesn’t mean you’ll die. Usually, it means a transformation of some kind. It refers to deaths of a different kind - deaths of relationships, ways of being, of selves you have been, dreams, etc. 

In the United States, we have a cultural aversion to the idea of death, and I think we disconnect from the idea of death happening all around us all the time throughout our lives. The death card breaks this fiction and reminds us that death is a natural process unfolding throughout the seasons and throughout our lives and that it clears the way for our evolution and growth. 

That can be scary, too, of course - change is often hard. But next time you pull the death card, you can lean into that kind of scary and not worry that you’re going to die literally. 

MYTH 4: TAROT IS ONLY USED TO TELL THE FUTURE

Tarot can certainly be used to predict the future. But in my belief, the future is not set. The future is always changing, and we are actively creating it with our energy and our decisions each day. 

When I pull more predictive cards, I like to remember that I have the power to change the future and make different decisions if I don’t like the outcome card in front of me. This is a way to use tarot that feels more empowering and more honest.  

But more often than not, I’m not using tarot cards to tell the future, and I think many modern readers will tell you the same. Fortune telling is one powerful way to use the tarot. Still, there are many other ways to work with the cards that can be even more powerful, in my opinion: to connect with yourself, to understand your inner world, to process feelings, to understand current energies, to make support decisions, to connect with your intuition, to heal, and more.

MYTH 5: YOU NEED TO BE PSYCHIC TO READ THE TAROT

I think this myth is rooted in the previous one: that tarot is only used for fortune-telling. When we know that tarot has many purposes, we understand that you don’t need to be psychic to read the cards. 

You don’t need to be psychic to connect with your intuition, which is the most important piece of reading cards, in my opinion. Intuition can sometimes require some uncovering and trust work (click here for 3 daily actions to improve your intuition and here for 5 tips to learn how to trust your intuition), but it is innate and available to us all. 

Reading the cards with your intuition could look like noticing how you feel about certain cards, paying attention to memories or images that come up around cards when you pull them (even if they don’t match with the traditional meaning of the cards), or meditating with cards to receive messages from them. 

But regardless, tarot cards have meanings. You can study those meanings from different books and teachers and develop a rich and fulfilling tarot practice this way! As you learn to trust your intuition a bit more, weaving that practice into your work with your cards can add another meaningful layer.

MYTH 6: YOU CAN NEVER LET ANYONE ELSE TOUCH YOUR TAROT CARDS

This myth is rooted in the idea that the cards themselves contain magic or are magical. In my opinion, the cards themselves are a neutral tool and conduit. They don’t contain their own magic; youare the magic. So it doesn’t matter if other people touch them because they can’t take anything away from them. 

If you don’t like other people touching your cards, that’s totally fine! But there’s no need to keep others from touching your cards out of fear that it will take away the deck’s magic or shift the cards' energy irreversibly. 

In fact, many readers (myself included) like to have the querent shuffle the cards to infuse their energy and intention into the deck for a more powerful reading. If you feel the same, a regular cleansing process with your deck (click here to learn how to cleanse your cards) is all you need to keep your deck’s energy clear. 

MYTH 7: REVERSED CARDS ARE BAD

When a card is reversed, that simply means it came out of your deck upside-down. Reading reversed cards in the first place is a matter of preference: some readers read them, and some will just flip the cards right side up and go with that meaning. As with most things tarot and intuition, there’s no right or wrong answer. Just do what works for you!

But whether you choose to read reversals or not, reversed cards are not inherently bad. They bring a different energy, certainly, and can add a layer of clarity to a reading, but they’re nothing to be afraid of. Reversed cards can mean blocked energy, more introspective energy, a softer meaning of the card, or maybe some fear around that card’s theme. 

WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE TAROT?

Check out some of our other tarot blog posts:

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6 Ways to Work With Your Tarot Cards Besides Divination

Divination is a fantastic way to work with the tarot, but you’re selling yourself short with your trusted tarot deck if you’re only using it to glean insights into the future. At its core, and in my opinion, the tarot is a powerful self-reflective tool. It’s here to share insights and guidance about what’s going on with you right now, at this moment. Telling the future is one of the most common draws to tarot, but the tarot truly brings a host of other benefits.Read on for six ways to work with the tarot to grow and expand in new ways, aside from divination.

Divination is a fantastic way to work with the tarot, but you’re selling yourself short with your trusted tarot deck if you’re only using it to glean insights into the future. At its core, and in my opinion, the tarot is a powerful self-reflective tool. It’s here to share insights and guidance about what’s going on with you right now, at this moment. Telling the future is one of the most common draws to tarot, but the tarot truly brings a host of other benefits.

Read on for six ways to work with the tarot to grow and expand in new ways, aside from divination. 

Working with Common Archetypes

The tarot is full of common archetypes that you will encounter or embody at different times in your life. Archetypes are timeless and universal energies that people can understand across cultures. For example, the archetype of the mother is something we can all understand on some level. Even if you do not have a relationship with your biological mother or have children of your own, the overarching energy of the archetype of the mother is something you can understand. Furthermore, you do not have to be a mother or a woman to embody the mother's archetype. Anyone can access and learn from the energy of motherhood. 

The tarot is dripping with common archetypes, especially in the major arcana. The way the archetypes show up can be personal and vary from person to person. Most of the common archetypes appear in the major arcana, but they can also be found in the minor. Here are some of the archetypes I associate with the cards: the ego (the sun), soul (the moon), mother (empress), father (emperor), wizard (magician), child (the fool), lover (the lovers), martyr (hanged one), seer (hermit), and authoritarian (hierophant), etc. You may decide on different archetypal associations with different cards, and that’s fine. 

So, how can you work with the archetypes of the tarot? Lots of ways! You can explore how the archetypal energies associated with the cards make you feel, you can look at the symbology on each card and explore how it makes you feel about its archetype, you can journal about the cards and their archetypal connections, and you can layer it into how you interact with and understand the cards. 

Journaling

Journaling allows you to dive deep into the meaning and energy of each card. You’ll better understand the lessons each card wants to offer you through journaling about them. Truth be told, I’m not a big fan of journaling. Journaling with the tarot is different, though. I always write when I pull cards for myself. To begin journaling with the cards, you can work through them one at a time in order or intuitively select a card to journal about. Here are some suggestions for questions to ask yourself when you’re journaling about different cards: 

  • How does this card make me feel? 

  • What symbols or imagery jumps out to me? 

  • Are there any archetypes or human themes that stand out to me in this card? 

  • How does this card show up in my life right now? 

  • What can I learn from this card? 

Energy Readings

If you’ve followed my work long, you already know that I love all things energy! We are energy beings, and the tarot is another magical and beautiful way to work with your energy. What do I mean by this? Tarot is an excellent tool for reading your energy and understanding how to balance your energy. 

Each card in the tarot corresponds with different energy. When you work with the cards specifically to assess your energy, the cards can act as a guide for what kind of energy you may need more or less of. Each card's energy can act as a signal that you either have too much or too little of that energy.

For example, if you pull some cards to determine what your energy needs to be more balanced and you pull loads of pentacles, that would be a sign that you need more grounding in your life to feel more balanced because the pentacles relate to the element of earth. 

You could also consider pulling a card for each energy center or chakra in your body to get an idea of what each energy center needs to be in better balance. I dive into this more in-depth in my book, The Zenned Out Guide to Understanding Tarot

Exploring and Understanding Common Correspondences

If you’re a visual learner, like I am, you’ll love working with the tarot to understand common correspondences better. I won’t spend too much time talking about this here because I already covered this in a previous post here

Basically, each of the cards has a handful of correspondences (correspondences are simply energies that match or “play well together.”) The most common correspondences are the elements, astrological energies, and numerology. I’ve found that using the tarot as a tool to understand different types of energies better is immensely helpful, especially for visual learners. The cards' symbology and meanings will add a depth of understanding to your astrology, numerology, or elemental practice. You’ll also learn the tarot card meanings faster as well. 

Shadow work

The cards of the tarot contain a complete range of human experiences. It does not gloss over the hard, scary, and sometimes earth-shattering parts of life. This is one reason why, I believe, so many are nervous about diving into tarot. It’s also why it can be such a powerful healing tool. 

Your cards will not shield you from your shadow. Instead, they call you to cozy up to your shadow to understand better what it has to teach you. If the idea of shadow work is new to you, check out this previous post to learn more about what shadow work is. Here are a few ways to dive into shadow work using your tarot card deck. 

  • Journal about the cards that make you the most uncomfortable. Use the questions above from the journaling section. 

  • Ask questions specifically to explore your shadow, like “What parts of my shadow need healing and exploring?”, “ What do I have to learn from my shadow?” or “What parts of my shadow have I been avoiding?”

Spellwork & Magick

If you’re a fan of spellwork, altars, or magick, this one’s for you (it’s also another one of my favorite ways to work with my deck.) Because each tarot card carries a unique energy, they are perfect for adding energy and intention to spellwork, magick, and your altar. Here are a couple of ways to start working your cards into your magickal practice.

  • Place a card on your altar to invite in a specific kind of energy. For example, if you’re focusing on improving your intuition, you could place the moon, the high priestess, or the queen of cups on your altar as a reminder and energetic intention. 

  • Add a card to your spell. For example, if you’re focusing on bringing more abundance into your life, you could include the nine of pentacles or the empress into your spell. 

Want to learn more about working with the tarot? Order my book, The Zenned Out Guide to Understanding Tarot. Or, check out some of these posts: Understanding Tarot Correspondences, The Difference Between Tarot and Oracle, 7 Tarot Myths Debunked or Understanding Tarot Birth Cards

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Astrology, Divination, How-to, Tarot, Zodiac Cassie Uhl Astrology, Divination, How-to, Tarot, Zodiac Cassie Uhl

6 Tips to Learn the Tarot Card Meanings Quickly

So you got your first tarot deck, did a couple of solo readings, and then never picked it up again? Or, you work with tarot regularly but find yourself frustrated with being so reliant on the guidebook? One of the biggest hurdles people face when getting started with tarot is learning the card meanings. This kept me from diving deep into the tarot for years, too; I get it!There are much easier techniques to learning the meanings of all of the cards besides memorizing a guidebook word for word for 78 different cards.

So you got your first tarot deck, did a couple of solo readings, and then never picked it up again? Or, you work with tarot regularly but find yourself frustrated with being so reliant on the guidebook? One of the biggest hurdles people face when getting started with tarot is learning the card meanings. This kept me from diving deep into the tarot for years, too; I get it!

There are much easier techniques to learning the meanings of all of the cards besides memorizing a guidebook word for word for 78 different cards. Not only is memorizing a guidebook of 78-card meanings not very feasible, but it’s also an intuitive disservice in working with the tarot.

What if I told you that you could have a robust knowledge of all 78 cards by learning only 36 correspondences? I know 36 is nothing to sneeze at, but here’s the thing, the 36 correspondences I’ll layout in this post will not only help you understand the energy of each tarot card but will also help you in nearly all other facets of spellwork and magick.

What are correspondences?

Correspondences are simply energies that play well together or match. Each card of the tarot has at least a couple of correspondences, and when you better understand each card's correspondences, you’ll also understand the energy of each card. The correspondences associated with tarot are not unique to tarot and relate to numerology, astrology, witchcraft, and more. Plus, there’s a good chance that you’re already familiar with some of the correspondences that I’m going to outline in this post. If you are, that’s great! You’re already a step ahead. 

Before you dive in, correspondences and their meanings can be rich and deep. They can also vary somewhat from person to person. What I share here is enough to get you started to build a strong foundation, but I recommend digging deeper into the ones you’re less familiar with. 

Dive deeper into tarot correspondences in my book, Understanding Tarot. You might also find that reading an introductory book on numerology or astrology will really deepen your understanding of those specific correspondences. You can also read up on numerology and the four elements right here on the blog! Click here for more on the elements and here for more on numerology

Let’s dive in. Here are 6 tips to help you learn the tarot card meanings quickly. 

1. Understand your learning style! 

Before we jump into understanding the correspondences of tarot, you need to get super clear about how you learn and use that method as we dive into the correspondences. If you’re a visual learner, get a journal and start drawing and writing down what the correspondences below mean. If you’re an auditory learner, consider listening to an audiobook about the correspondences listed below. If you learn by doing, continue working with your tarot deck to weave this knowledge into your readings. Not sure how you learn best? Try a few different ways listed above and see what sticks. 

2. Understand Basic Numerological Meanings 

The largest part of a tarot deck, and for many, the trickiest cards to learn, are the numbered suit cards of the Minor Arcana (think 2 of cups and 4 of wands, etc.) Understanding the basic numerological meanings will make you feel MUCH more confident with these cards. There are ways to use numerology in the Major Arcana too, which you’ll be able to learn more about in my new book. For the minor arcana, use these numerological meanings to give you clues about what each card means.

  1. New beginnings

  2. Balance

  3. Creativity

  4. Foundations

  5. Change

  6. Partnership

  7. Intellect 

  8. Mastery

  9. Endings

  10. This one is kind of unique to tarot because, in traditional numerology, you always reduce down to a single-digit between 1-9. Fortunately, the meaning often in regards to the tarot is pretty obvious. It points to an end of a cycle and transitioning to a new phase. It has a slightly different feel than 9 in that it signals a willingness to move on. 

3. Understand the 4 Elements

Earth, air, water, and fire are, in my opinion, foundational in any magickal or divination practice. The elements are the energies that we’re made of and can be utilized in nearly all facets of a spiritual and magickal practice! Each of the four elements corresponds with a suit of the minor arcana, shown here.

  • Cups- Water

  • Pentacles- Earth

  • Swords- Air

  • Wands- Fire 

Now that you know more about the meanings associated with the numbered cards of the minor arcana, you can also apply the corresponding element. Now you have two things to go off of to understand the energy of each card better. Here’s a list of how the energy of the elements express themselves. 

  • Water- Emotions, intuition, subconscious

  • Earth- Work, money, materiality

  • Air- Communication, the mind, expression

  • Fire- Action, energy, momentum

There are ways to apply your understanding of the elements to both the minor arcana's court cards and the major arcana. I discuss these more in my book, but this is a great place to start! 

4. Understand Zodiac and Planetary Meanings

We’ll begin to transition more to the major arcana for this one. Each of the major arcana cards corresponds with either a planet or a zodiac sign, giving it a unique energy.

  1. The Fool - Uranus

  2. The Magician - Mercury

  3. The High Priestess - The Moon

  4. The Empress - Venus

  5. The Emperor - Aries

  6. The Hierophant - Taurus

  7. The Lovers - Gemini

  8. The Chariot - Cancer

  9. Strength - Leo

  10. The Hermit - Virgo

  11. Wheel of Fortune - Jupiter

  12. Justice - Libra

  13. The Hanged One - Neptune

  14. Death - Scorpio

  15. Temperance - Sagittarius

  16. The Devil - Capricorn

  17. The Tower - Mars

  18. The Star - Aquarius

  19. The Moon - Pisces

  20. The Sun - The Sun

  21. Judgment - Pluto

  22. The World - Saturn

Here are examples of how these energies express themselves. Zodiac Signs

Planetary Meanings

  • Sun - Ego

  • Moon - Subconscious

  • Mercury - Communication

  • Venus - Love

  • Mars - Warrior

  • Jupiter - Expansion

  • Saturn - Restriction

  • Uranus - Revolutionary

  • Neptune - Dreams

  • Pluto -  Transformation

5. Learn how Astrological Energies Correspond with the Elements

I imagine correspondences as a web of intersecting energies that play off of each other. When you understand how these different energies match up or repel each other, it will take your understanding of the tarot cards' meanings to a deeper level.

Each of the zodiac signs and planets corresponds to an element. Now, with your understanding of the elements and basic astrology, you can weave these meanings together. Here’s a list of how the planets, zodiacs, and elements correspond with one another. 

  • Aries - Mars - Fire

  • Taurus - Venus - Earth + Water

  • Gemini - Mercury - Air

  • Cancer - Moon - Water

  • Leo - Sun - Fire

  • Virgo - Mercury - Earth + Air

  • Libra - Venus - Air + Water

  • Scorpio - Pluto - Water

  • Sagittarius - Jupiter - Fire

  • Capricorn - Saturn - Earth

  • Aquarius - Uranus - Air

  • Pisces - Neptune - Water

With this information combined, we can see that the Empress corresponds to Venus, the earth element, and Taurus. Therefore the Empress card relates to love, beauty, and creation from an earthly and material perspective. 

6. Pair this Knowledge with your Intuition

Think of all of this correspondence knowledge as a way to bolster your intuition. They’re not the end all be all of learning the tarot, but they go a LONG way! The more comfortable and confident you become in understanding these correspondences, the easier it will be for you to intuit the card meanings for yourself and others without a guidebook. The correspondences are better than a guidebook because they give you nudges and insights about what the cards have to tell you, rather than a definitive answer.

Learn more about building up your intuitive muscles here in this previous post

Now it’s time for you to put these tools into practice. Find a way to learn them that works for you, and watch your ability to understand the tarot card meanings flourish! 

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Astrology, How-to, Tarot, Zodiac Cassie Uhl Astrology, How-to, Tarot, Zodiac Cassie Uhl

Understanding the Energy of Scorpio Season

Welcome to Scorpio season! Our fixed water sign, this archetype is here to help us transform darkness into light. Whether you have Scorpio placements in your birth chart or not, we’re all feeling into this energy during this season. In this blog, I’ll share what Scorpio is all about, the planetary and tarot associations of Scorpio, and how to understand Scorpio in your chart.

Welcome to Scorpio season! Our fixed water sign, this archetype is here to help us transform darkness into light.  

Whether you have Scorpio placements in your birth chart or not, we’re all feeling into this energy during this season. In this blog, I’ll share what Scorpio is all about, the planetary and tarot associations of Scorpio, and how to understand Scorpio in your chart. 

SCORPIO ENERGY + RULING PLANET

Scorpio has a reputation as being intense and…a little scary. Scorpio energy is definitely intense but scary only if you’re afraid of depth, shadow, and transformation. It’s no accident that Scorpio season takes place in autumn when things are shedding and dying in n nature around us. So it is in nature, so it is in us. 

Mars is the traditional ruler of Scorpio, and it lends the archetype its fiery intensity. Pluto, the modern ruler of Scorpio, brings the death and destroyer energy to this sign. Most millennials (born late 1983 to late 1995) have Pluto in its home sign of Scorpio, making this generational energy a very present one at this time on the planet. 

At its most soul-centered and deeply rooted level, Scorpio is here to take us into the depths and transmute darkness into light. Associated with topics generally thought of as taboo like sex and money (some of my personal favorite things to talk about, but maybe that’s thanks to my Scorpio stellium!), Scorpio gets right to the heart of the matter. 

All signs have a shadow energy and expression, and in its shadow, Scorpio can tend towards power games, secrets, betrayal, and fear. But when fully integrated with its polar sign, Earth sign Taurus, Scorpio finds a steady foundation from which to transmute, a rooted power, and a sturdiness the watery emotions of this sign need to flourish. 

SCORPIO IN THE TAROT

In the tarot, Scorpio is associated with Death, Judgement, and the King of Cups. Each of these cards speaks to a different aspect of Scorpio energy.

Featured decks are the Waite-Coleman Tarot Deck and Starchild Tarot Deck.

Death is the card in the tarot that deeply speaks to shedding and letting go. What was dies and takes new form - becomes compost for the Earth from which newness can be birthed. This is the continual process of Scorpio and a critical one in nature. 

Judgment, ruled by Pluto, surfaces that which is hidden from the underworld and brings it to the surface to be seen. What could be more Scorpio than that! This card speaks to the dealing in secrets, dredging from the depths, and shadow work that this archetype does so well. 

The King of Cups, fixed water in the court cards in my tarot practice, teaches us emotional mastery. We learn how to feel the depths of our feelings and use them to create change. We lead the way with love and compassion for others. A card associated with healing, it speaks to the healing potential around feelings, change, and shifting identities that Scorpio can offer us.

UNDERSTANDING SCORPIO IN YOUR CHART

To understand Scorpio in your chart, you’ll want to look at a couple of pieces:

  • Any planets in Scorpio

  • The house that Scorpio rules in your chart. Whatever house Scorpio rules indicates the area of life where you are meant to continually find death and rebirth.

  • Your 8th house. Scorpio traditionally rules the 8th house. The sign that rules your 8th house can add another layer indicating how Scorpio themes show up in your life.

Another way to understand Scorpio energy in your life could be to ask your oracle or tarot deck: how is Scorpio energy showing up in my life right now?

Want to connect more deeply with Scorpio energy? You can work with rhodonite to stabilize emotions, moonstone to support you through emotions and transformation, or smoky quartz to help release negative energy from the body. Check out crystals to support you during Scorpio season in the shop here. 

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Astrology, Tarot, Zodiac Cassie Uhl Astrology, Tarot, Zodiac Cassie Uhl

Understanding the Energy of Aquarius Season

You may know of Aquarius as a sign that’s innovative and eccentric. If you’re an Aquarius, you might be tired of seeing Aquarius stereotypes in every astrology meme on Instagram.While Aquarius is certainly innovative and unique, there’s so much more to this energy than meets the eye (or the meme).In honor of the Aquarius season starting on January 20th, I’ll be diving into Aquarius energy in this blog. I’ll be sharing what Aquarius energy is really about, the planetary and tarot associations of Aquarius, and how to understand Aquarius in your chart.

You may know of Aquarius as a sign that’s innovative and eccentric. If you’re an Aquarius, you might be tired of seeing Aquarius stereotypes in every astrology meme on Instagram.

While Aquarius is certainly innovative and unique, there’s so much more to this energy than meets the eye (or the meme).

In honor of the Aquarius season starting on January 20th, I’ll be diving into Aquarius energy in this blog. I’ll be sharing what Aquarius energy is really about, the planetary and tarot associations of Aquarius, and how to understand Aquarius in your chart. Book page featured from The Goddess Discovery Book V1.

Book page featured from The Goddess Discovery Book V1.

AQUARIUS ENERGY

Aquarius is our fixed air sign and as the third air sign on the wheel of the zodiac, it’s our superconscious, cosmic, or collective air sign. 

In its highest expression, Aquarius energy is about authenticity, bringing forth the new age and the next world, upgrading the collective to its highest expression, innovating, and experimenting. 

Featured Oracle Card Deck is The Ritual Deck.

Aquarius asks us: how do I express my authentic self in all circumstances? How do I find belonging in the world? What am I ready to break free from and how do I create the new to take the place of the old? 

All signs have a shadow energy and expression, and in its shadow Aquarius can be very detached, stubborn, and may want to be different just for the sake of being different.

Polar energies in astrology are also important. Aquarius is the polar sign to Leo, and this axis is all bout creative expression - personal expression with Leo and group expression with Aquarius.

THE PLANETS

In Western astrology, Aquarius is ruled by Uranus. Before Uranus was discovered, Aquarius was ruled by Saturn. I think it’s helpful to look at both of these planets when thinking about Aquarius.

Saturn speaks to the fixed aspect of Aquarius, bringing boundaries, the sacred no, and the ability to create strong foundations. 

Uranus is the god of change, of revolution and rebellion, which I will say does feel the most Aquarian to me!

AQUARIUS IN THE TAROT

In the tarot, Aquarius is associated with the Star card, the Fool, and the King of Swords.

The Star is ruled by Aquarius, Uranus rules the Fool, and the King of Swords is fixed air in the court cards in my tarot practice. 

In esoteric astrology, the phrase associated with Aquarius is “Water of life am I, poured forth for thirsty men.” I love this phrase and it feels very Star card to me. When you look at the Star in the Pamela Colman Smith Rider Waite tarot, the naked figure on the card is literally pouring forth two jugs of water into the land and in the pool of water, the figure has their foot in under the starry night sky. This phrase and aspect of the Star card really speaks to the aspect of Aquarius that is about ushering in a new age and healing for the collective. Featured tarot decks are The Starchild Tarot and Lisa Frank Major Arcana Deck.The Fool speaks to the aspect of Aquarius that is about taking a leap, rebelling, creating change, experimenting, and following your heart.The King of Swords brings in the aspect of air, reminding us that there’s a part of Aquarius that wants to heal and upgrade communication, voice, and sharing messages with the world for the greater good of the collective. 

Featured tarot decks are The Starchild Tarot and Lisa Frank Major Arcana Deck.

UNDERSTANDING AQUARIUS IN YOUR CHART

To understand Aquarius in your chart, you’ll want to look at a couple of pieces:

  • Any planets in Aquarius

  • The house that Aquarius rules in your chart. Whatever house Aquarius rules indicates the area of life where you are meant to awaken, innovate, do something differently, and bring your most authentic self.  

  • Your 11th house. The 11th house is the Aquarius house. The sign that rules your 11th house can add another layer indicating how Aquarius themes show up in your life.

Another way to understand Aquarius energy in your life could be to ask your oracle or tarot deck: how is Aquarius energy showing up in my life right now?

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