Dreamwork Ritual for Pisces Season + Card Spread

Pisces, our mutable water sign and last sign of the zodiac, evokes the artist, the mystic, the dreamer, in all of us with its connection to music, poetry, spirituality, and the dream world.

In this blog post, I’ll be sharing a card spread and a ritual for Pisces season. To learn more about Pisces energy and your personal birth chart’s connection to Pisces, check out our Understanding the Energy of Pisces Season blog post here.

Card Spread for Pisces Season

This card spread can be done using an oracle deck or a tarot deck.

I invite you to create a ritual space for you and your deck to communicate by taking a moment to ground and center yourself; lighting some incense, herbs, or candles that help you drop into your heart space; and opening to allow messages to come through. 

Truly, it doesn’t matter what you do, just that whatever you do helps you feel more grounded, centered, and open. When you feel centered and ready, shuffle your deck and draw a card for each of the following questions:

• What is Pisces energy here to teach me?

• Supportive energies to draw on to support my learning and growth 

• How can I embody the artist, the mystic, the dreamer this season? 

• What dream(s) to tend to at this time.

• How to tend to those dreams 

After you pull your cards, take some time to journal and/or meditate with them to really connect with the full meaning they have to offer you.

Dreamwork Ritual for Pisces Season

As someone who loves dreamwork already, Pisces season is basically a dream come true! This ritual is intended to support you in receiving a message through your dreams, and so is best done right before sleep. You’ll need:

• A dream tea (many herbs support sleep and dreaming. Personally, I like a simple combination of mugwort, chamomile, and lavender tea before bed. But as always, with herbs, make sure you research or check with a professional about what’s right for your body. Mugwort should not be consumed by pregnant or lactating people.)

• A journal and something to write with 

• If you'd like to add some supportive crystals aquamarine and amethyst are great options.

1. To start, brew your dream tea and take it to your altar (or bed, if you don’t have an altar or that just feels better for you). As you sip your tea, start feeling into what you need clarity on (you could sense into this, meditate on this, journal about this, or do anything else that helps you clarify what you want to know). This is the question you’re going to take into your dream space.

2. When you have that question, you’d like to receive clarity through your dream tonight, spend some time meditating with your question and take deep breaths. Feel the question in your body. Feel your desire for clarity. Let your body soften and your crown open. When you finish your tea, set your journal beside your bed and go to sleep.

3. In the morning, record your dream in your journal (or a voice memo on your phone if you’re not into writing) right away. It’s okay if you don’t know what it means (in dreamwork, I often find there are no clear-cut yes/no answers, rather things to explore, energies to connect with, and more questions to ask).

4. Record the objective facts of your dream (what happened, who was there, what you saw, etc.) as well as how the dream made you feel, what stood out to you, and what feels particularly alive or significant in the dream. Do you have any gut feelings about what this dream means for you? Write them down.

5. After you record, spend some time meditating and journaling with whatever sparks curiosity, feels intriguing about the dream, or feels particularly alive or significant in the dream. Notice how it makes you feel, what it makes you think of, what it brings up for you.

It’s okay if you are left with more questions - this is about engaging with your dreams and coming into a relationship with them, not thinking of them like a vending machine for wisdom. The more you consciously dream, the more you’ll start to understand the language of your dreams! 

You can repeat this ritual as often as you’d like - I think three nights in a row is really helpful, with the same question - to get more clarity. 

(And if you want more rituals to support your sleep and sweet dreams this season, check out our blog post 7 Rituals to Help You Sleep Like a Goddess here.)

Happy Pisces season, dreamers! I hope this card spread and ritual support - share your spreads on Instagram and tag us @cassieuhl so we can see them! 

Card Spread & Sigil Ritual for Aquarius Season

Welcome to Aquarius season! Our fixed air sign, Aquarius energy is about authentic expression, bringing forth the new age and the next world, and upgrading the collective to its highest expression.

To learn more about Aquarius energy, you can check out this blog post. In this post, I’ll be sharing a card spread and a sigil ritual to help you tap into the healing invitations of the Aquarius season. 

Practice these Aquarius offerings together or separately, whatever feels best for you. Scroll down to explore both of them!

Card Spread for Aquarius Season

For this card spread, you’re welcome to use a tarot deck or an oracle deck. In the spread, we’ll explore the Aquarius themes of authenticity and belonging. 

I invite you to create a ritual space for you and your deck to communicate by taking a moment to ground and center yourself; lighting some incense, herbs, or candles that help you drop into your heart space; and opening to allow messages to come through. 

When you feel centered and ready, shuffle your deck and draw a card for each of the following points:

• Where do I have a block from authentic expression?

• How can I support my authentic expression in this area?

• What's keeping me from feeling a sense of belonging? 

• How can I create deeper belonging within myself?

• Who will I be in my most authentic expression?

Take some time to journal and/or meditation on your cards to connect with the full meaning they have to offer you.

Sigil Ritual for Aquarius Season

For this ritual, we’ll be creating a sigil to help you embody your truth. As an air sign, Aquarius evokes truth. You can see this in the King of Swords, our Aquarius card in the court cards of the tarot. It invites us to speak and embody our truth, to take up space with our voice and our message, and to not shrink - even when we’re afraid. When we embody our truth and share our voices, we create more authentic belonging. Associated with group energy and friendships, this is something Aquarius energy is deeply connected to. If sigils are new to you, think of them as a powerful symbol that is completely personal to you. What you’ll need: 

• paper

• pencil

• optional: crystals, herbs, or candles that support the element of air like yellow or blue candles, mint or citrus, and amethyst or kyanite. 

Ritual Steps: 

1. As with the card spread, open your ritual by taking some time to ground and center yourself. You might like to visualize yourself sending roots down into the core of the earth, take some deep breaths, place your hands on your body, or do something else that feels grounding to you. 

2. After you ground, you might like to cast a circle to protect your ritual space and invite any well ancestors, spirit guides, or other loving beings you have relationships with to join you in ritual.

3. When you’re ready, it’s time to create your sigil. Write down some phrases and affirmations on your paper that support you in speaking your truth. Just let them flow! Some phrases to get you started: I EMBODY MY TRUTH. or I AM TRUTH.

4. After you write them down, sit with the phrase (or phrases) you wrote. If you wrote multiple phrases, speak them out loud and see which one lands in your body. Choose one that feels alive and supportive.

5. Re-write that phrase or phrases on a new page. In the next few steps, you’ll work towards simplifying and unifying this phrase into a single symbol. 

6. Re-write the phrase again, removing all of the repeating letters and vowels. 

7. Re-write this line, turning the remaining letters into simpler symbols or shapes, like this. 

8. Connect the lines together into a symbol in a way that feels intuitive and natural to you. This can be as simple or as elaborate as you’d like. As you create, breathe deeply and focus on your intention. 

Tip: If drawing isn’t natural for you, this might feel uncomfortable, and that’s okay! Focus on the intention of your statement rather than what the sigil looks like. Remember this is a symbol for you and you alone. 

Tip: Your sigil will look different than the one pictured.

9. When you’re ready, it’s time to activate your sigil. You can do this in many ways, but for this ritual, I recommend a brief meditation. 

10. Place your sigil to your heart, with your palms on top of it, and breathe deeply. Visualize light (any color that comes intuitively is great) flowing from your heart to the sigil, activating each piece of it. Spend some time here letting energy flow, and when you feel an energy shift you’ll know that your sigil has been activated. 

11. Close your ritual by placing your sigil on your altar, under your pillow, on your bedside, or somewhere else that you’ll see it regularly and be reminded of its power. 

Wishing you a nourishing Aquarius season, and please feel free to share your ritual experience with us on Instagram!

Understanding the Energy of Capricorn Season

Welcome to Capricorn season! Our cardinal Earth sign, this sign is here to help us climb the mountain towards our dreams.

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

CAPRICORN ENERGY + RULING PLANET

Symbolized by the mountain goat, Capricorn energy is here to help us climb the mountain towards our dreams, visions, and whatever success means to us. It offers us ambition, direction, and structure. Within this structure, our emotions, our intuition, and our hearts have space to flow and move. In this way, Capricorn helps us move towards our purpose in this lifetime.

Ruled by Saturn, Capricorn can be stereotyped as only about structure and authority. But as an Earth sign that begins with the winter solstice, it also connects us to the magic of the Earth, of the physical, of the tangible.

The Saturn ruling of this archetype also connects it to the patriarchy and father energy. Soul-centered Capricorn asks us to find healthy expressions of the masculine and dissolve patriarchy as well as the patriarchy within. 

When Capricorn integrates with its polar sign Cancer, it holds the structure for Cancer’s water to flow, finding deep balance between receptivity and action, being and doing, feeling and acting. 

CAPRICORN IN THE TAROT

In the tarot, Capricorn is associated with the Devil, the World, and the Knight of Pentacles. Each of these cards speaks to a different aspect of Capricorn energy. 

The Devil card, ruled by Capricorn, speaks to the aspect of Capricorn that is about power. How do you connect to your power, and do you use it to create power with? Or are you using it to replicate harmful hierarchical systems and continue to reinforce power over?

The World card, ruled by Saturn, is the embodiment of reaching the pinnacle of the mountain. One cycle ends and so another cycle begins. How will you honor the completion of cycles? Will you immediately move on to the next thing, or will you create some space to process, celebrate, honor, and grieve?

The Knight of Pentacles, cardinal Earth in the court cards, is an action-oriented card. All of the knights move, and the Knight of Pentacles moves in a slow, embodied, purposeful way. Its actions are based on a foundation that is strong and sustainable. Embody Capricorn energy by taking slow, embodied, purposeful action towards your dreams.

UNDERSTANDING CAPRICORN IN YOUR CHART

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

• Any planets in Capricorn

• The house that Capricorn rules in your chart. Whatever house Capricorn rules indicates the area of life where you are meant to be visible and channel ambition.

• Your 10th house. The 10th house is traditionally ruled by Capricorn. The sign that rules your 10th house can add another layer indicating how Capricorn themes show up in your life.

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

Want to connect more deeply with Capricorn energy? You can also try working with earthy crystals aligned with this season like smoky quartz, garnet, obsidian, and shungite. 

Understanding the Energy of Sagittarius Season

Welcome to Sagittarius season! Our mutable fire sign, this vision-oriented archetype is here to expand our minds and hearts into new dreams of what’s possible.

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

SAGITTARIUS ENERGY + RULING PLANET

Symbolized by the archer, the fiery sign of Sagittarius' energy is on the go. It’s a journey sign: it moves, it changes, it flows, it hungers, it desires. I think of this archetype as mind-expanding, adventurous, and freedom-seeking. It’s not an energy that wants to be reined in or held in a container. With that, it’s also an archetype that is always orienting towards truth — which means yes, it can be a little blunt at times. 

Sagittarius doesn’t just seek external journeys. It seeks internal journeys, as well. It’s an archetype that loves to learn, teach, and inspire. This energy can play with the big questions of life, philosophizing and exploring, for hours and weeks and years. At its core, Sagittarius is truly a visionary, carrying us forward on our paths towards our dreams.  

Ruled by Jupiter, the planet of expansion and travel, Sagittarius has such a quality of aliveness. It’s a sign that says YES. 

All signs have a shadow energy and expression, and in its shadow, Sagittarius can tend towards excess and even rigid fundamentalist belief systems. But when fully integrated with its polar sign, air sign Gemini, Sagittarius finds more flow, pursuing its desires, big questions, and dreams with a little more centeredness. 

SAGITTARIUS IN THE TAROT

In the tarot, Sagittarius is associated with Temperance, the Wheel of Fortune, and the Queen of Wands. Each of these cards speaks to a different aspect of Sagittarius energy.

Temperance, ruled by Sagittarius, is an alchemist. This card shows us what’s possible when we orient towards our vision, honor our desire, and embrace who we are. 

The Wheel of Fortune, ruled by Jupiter, speaks to the magic that can happen in our lives when we let the Universe take us for a journey. It speaks towards our expansion: which can certainly be uncomfortable at times.

Featured decks are the Starchild Tarot and the Waite-Smith deck.

The Queen of Wands, mutable fire in my practice with the court cards, speaks to Sagittarius's aspect that is about hunger, desire, and truth. Queen of Wands embodies their magic, their desire, and their truth, and in doing so, embodies more of themselves. 

UNDERSTANDING Sagittarius IN YOUR CHART

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

• Any planets in Sagittarius

• The house that Sagittarius rules in your chart. Whatever house Sagittarius rules indicates the area of life where you are meant to expand continually. 

• Your 9th house. Sagittarius traditionally rules the 9th house. The sign that rules your 9th house can add another layer indicating how Sagittarius themes show up in your life.

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

Want to connect more deeply with Sagittarius energy? You can work with chrysocolla to connect with vision and expansion or sodalite to connect with truth. 

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. 

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. 

Understanding the Energy of Libra Season

Welcome to Libra season! Our cardinal air sign, this archetype, initiates autumn and brings us into the fall season. 

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

LIBRA ENERGY + RULING PLANET

Libra doesn’t just initiate autumn. A sign focused on relationships and exchange; it initiates right relationships. Traditionally a peacemaker and peacekeeper, Libra energy can also initiate peace and connection. 

Libra may be an air sign, but it’s ruled by Venus, a planet that invokes sensuality, pleasure, love, and beauty as well as soul fulfillment. Through Libra, we learn to invest in relationships that fulfill us at a soul level. This energy teaches us about love and the ways love can change us, open us, grow us. The air aspect of this sign points to communication and exchange, helping us learn how to communicate truth, love, and beauty. 

Featured Card is The Ritual Deck. 

Libra’s Venus ruling helps us understand the power of creativity, beauty, sensuality, and pleasure. We learn to pour forth our creativity in service of beauty - and not just beauty on a surface level, but the beauty of a sunset or a piece of art that really changes us at a soul level. 

Associated with fairness and equity, Libra’s scales teach us the value of justice and how to find the middle ground rather than constantly sliding between extremes. 

All signs have a shadow energy and expression, and in its shadow Libra can tend towards indecision, codependency, making peace above all, and giving up your power. But when fully integrated with its polar sign, fire sign Aries, Libra learns how to not dissolve into the ocean of “we” but retain individuality, to fight for what’s right, and create incredibly fulfilling relationships based on independent expression and embodiment. 

Learn more about Libra season from me in this video from Cassie Uhl's IGTV.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Cassie Uhl (@cassieuhl)

LIBRA IN THE TAROT

In the tarot, Libra is associated with Justice, the Empress, and the Knight of Swords. Each of these cards speaks to a different aspect of Libra energy. 

Justice speaks to the truth: what is true and what is not. From a place of truth, we can then decide what needs to be done, what actions must be taken to right wrongs, and center into a place of fairness. When Libra is in its most soulful expression, it does this rather than splashing in the shallow end and keeping things light all the time. 

The Empress invokes Libra’s Venusian aspects. Pleasure, beauty, and just being are centered over capitalism’s workshop of practicality, logic, and doing. 

The Knight of Swords is a double air card, making it the airiest card in the tarot. Too much air can mean flightiness, flakiness, lack of direction, and indecision (all of which we can see in the shadow of Libra). But channeled air can be powerful — intellect and focus engaged in the direction of our choosing. 

UNDERSTANDING LIBRA IN YOUR CHART

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

• Any planets in Libra

• The house that Libra rules in your chart. Whatever house Libra rules indicates the area of life where you are meant to focus on love, pleasure, beauty, and fulfilling relationship. 

• Your 7th house. Libra traditionally rules the 7th house. The sign that rules your 7th house can add another layer indicating how Libra themes show up in your life.

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

Want to connect more deeply with Libra energy? You can work with rose quartz for love and beauty, jasper to support standing up for what you believe in, or pink and green tourmaline for balance and creativity. Find a card spread and ritual for Libra season here. 

Understanding the Energy of Virgo Season

Welcome to Virgo season! Our mutable Earth sign, this archetype is here to bring us through the portal that is late summer into the fall.

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

Cards featured are the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot Deck and The Ritual Deck.

VIRGO ENERGY + RULING PLANET

Mercurial Virgo wants to discern and understand. Ruling over the digestive organs in medical astrology, Virgo analyzes, discerns, and purifies. What is no longer needed, that can be cleansed and released? What is of value and should be expanded? 

At its core, we can think of this archetype as the priestess, the healer. Virgo loves to be in deep devotion and in the act of service - pouring their gifts out for the world. Think of the Vestal virgins in ancient Rome, who tended to the sacred temples and their flames.  

Some astrologers say that Chiron, the wounded healer, is the ruling asteroid of Virgo. Chiron’s rulership offers a different dimension to Virgo, one of deep, embodied healing. Connected to the body and holistic health, this sign works to unite body, mind, and spirit. 

When I think of Virgo, I think of the lush fullness of late summer, the back-to-school energy of getting all of your ducks in a row for an organized and productive fall, building altars with fresh flowers, making offerings to the Earth and rivers, and nourishing the body with delicious food, care, and intuitive movement. 

All signs have a shadow energy and expression, and in its shadow, Virgo can tend towards perfectionism and judgment. But when fully integrated with its polar sign, water sign Pisces, Virgo learns to integrate Earth and water, mind and spirit, to become a vessel for love to pour through.

VIRGO IN THE TAROT

In the tarot, Virgo is associated with the Hermit, the Magician, and the Queen of Pentacles. 

The Hermit, ruled by Virgo, shows us how Virgo can be in service. The Hermit shares their wisdom accumulated through life experience and deep reflection with others - being in service through the sharing of knowledge. The Magician, ruled by Mercury, points to the Mercurial aspect of Virgo.

The Magician teaches us that when uniting intellect, emotion, creativity, and spiritual downloads, you can be a powerful force of will, able to create and manifest in the physical world. 

The Queen of Pentacles, mutable Earth in my tarot practice, helps us root into the Earth aspect of Virgo. This card teaches us how to be in our bodies, work in the most aligned ways towards what we desire, and honor ourselves as nature. 

UNDERSTANDING VIRGO IN YOUR CHART

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

• Any planets in Virgo

• The house that Virgo rules in your chart. Whatever house Virgo rules indicates the area of life where you are meant to be in deep devotion and service. 

• Your 6th house. The 6th house is the Virgo house. The sign that rules your 6th house can add another layer indicating how Virgo themes show up in your life.

Another way to understand Virgo energy in your life could be to ask your oracle or tarot deck: how is Virgo energy showing up in my life right now? Want to connect more deeply with Virgo energy? You can work with black tourmaline for grounding and protection or amazonite to gain focus and clarity. Find a ritual for Virgo season here. 

Understanding the Energy of Leo Season

Welcome to Leo season! Our fixed fire sign, this archetype is here to invite you to step into your courage, be seen in your truest essence, and stand in your power.

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

LEO ENERGY + RULING PLANET

Generous and warm, the archetype of Leo invites us to express our most radiant selves, embody courage, and stand in our power. Never one to be a wallflower, Leo energy knows how to take up space and be seen as the center of attention. Find a card spread and authenticity ritual for Leo Season here.

The Sun’s bright influence on this sign lends it a radiance that has the ability to warm everyone around us. Take a moment to call to mind the feeling of the sun on your skin and breathe into it - notice the warmth, the richness, and the joy the sun can bring us. Leo can bring forth those things within us, as well. 

At its most soul-centered level, Leo is a heart-centered leader, understanding that fully embodying the essence of your heart gives others permission to do the same. As a fire sign, Leo brings a natural charisma, warmth, and passion to the world - reminding us how good it feels to be lit up by what we love. 

Featured card from The Ritual Deck. 

All signs have a shadow energy and expression, and in its shadow Leo can tend towards self-absorption and narcissism. But when fully integrated with its polar sign, air sign Aquarius, Leo learns to unite the individual (Leo) with the group (Aquarius). At a soul-centered level, Leo understands the oneness of us all as a human community, and uses its gifts for that greater good. 

LEO IN THE TAROT

In the tarot, Leo is associated with Strength, the King of Wands, and the Sun. 

Ruled by Leo, the Strength archetype in the classic Pamela Colman Smith Rider Waite tarot deck depicts a soft human gently holding open the mouth of a lion. Strength reminds us of our sacred inner power, a power grounded in trust, surrender, and love - in contrast to the more action-oriented and even violence-based depictions of strength we’re used to seeing. 

Featured Tarot card deck is the Rider Waite/Colman deck.

The Sun card, ruled by - you guessed it - the Sun, brings forward themes of freedom, confidence, inner child healing, emerging from shadow to be seen fully in the light. As the ruler of the 5th house of children and creativity, Leo can help us heal our inner children through creation, play, and vulnerability. Find a Journey to your Inner Child here.  

The King of Wands, fixed fire in the court cards in my tarot practice, embodies that heart-centered Leo leadership I spoke of above. All of the Kings are masters of their element - as the master of fire, the King of Wands exudes warmth, confidence, and passion. 

UNDERSTANDING LEO IN YOUR CHART

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

• Any planets in Leo

• The house that Leo rules in your chart. Whatever house Leo rules indicates the area of life where you are meant to radiate love and express yourself fully. 

• Your 5th house. The 5th house is the Leo house. The sign that rules your 5th house can add another layer indicating how Leo themes show up in your life.

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

Want to connect more deeply with Leo energy? You can work with sunstone for joy and optimism, carnelian for creativity and passion, and tiger’s eye for courage and strength. 

Understanding the Energy of Cancer Season

Welcome to Cancer season! Our cardinal water sign, this archetype is here to help us tap into our inner world of emotions, heal our ancestry, and connect with the themes of home, family, and mother.

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

CANCER ENERGY

As a cardinal sign, dynamic Cancer initiates us into the swirling, watery, fiery container that is summer. Ruled by the moon in western astrology, this archetype connects us to the inner world, to the chaotic nonlinear world of feeling.

If you feel grief coming up during Cancer season, rest assured - that’s normal. If you feel deep swells of feeling, rest assured - that’s normal, too. As many have said, we are bodies of water on the planet of water and so, of course, our emotions flow with the moon. When the sun is in Cancer, we all feel the movement of the moon through its phases and cycles more acutely. We can feel its pull on our hearts, our intuition, our bodies.

Featured deck is The Ritual Deck.

There’s an inherent vulnerability to Cancer season, and the protective urge that comes with it as well. Picture the crab shell that represents Cancer: the crab makes its body a home and is protected within it. We can learn from Cancer how to protect ourselves and others, and we can also learn how to distinguish between what is protection and what is hiding from ourselves, our lives, our feelings. 

This archetype’s association with family and the archetype of the mother connects us not only to our relationships with our families and the ways we mother ourselves but to our ancestors as well. Cancer season can be a time of deep ancestral healing, waking us up to patterns, traumas, and wounds in our lineage that we are invited to heal. 

All signs have a shadow energy and expression, and in its shadow Cancer can be reactive, overprotective, and overcautious. There is a tendency for Cancer to hold things in, and a danger in holding them in for too long. When balanced with its polar energy of earthy, structured, Capricorn, Cancer’s watery energy is free to flow within a safe and boundaried container. 

Watch more in this video from Eryn.

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THE PLANETS

As I mentioned above, Cancer is ruled by the moon in western astrology. In esoteric astrology, Cancer is ruled by Neptune.

The Roman sea god, Neptune is associated with water, sensitivity, imagination, and the dream world. According to astrologer Heidi Rose Robbins, Cancer at its highest Neptunian level is all about being a great mother for the world, wrapping humanity in its arms, and nourishing us all. 

CANCER IN THE TAROT

In the tarot, Cancer is associated with the Chariot, the High Priestess, and the Knight of Cups.

Featured deck is The Starchild Tarot. 

The Chariot, the seventh card in the major arcana, teaches us how to move from the heart and tap into a deeper kind of knowing to guide us on our path. This card speaks to the balance between holding boundaries to protect ourselves and still allowing our water to flow. The High Priestess shows us how to descend into our own underworld (where there are no gurus, no masters other than ourselves over our own energies and lives) to gather the knowledge we seek of our own mysteries. Lastly, the Knight of Cups, the initiator of water, invites us to embody love and compassion.

CANCER IN YOUR CHART

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

• Any planets in Cancer

• The house that Cancer rules in your chart. Whatever house Cancer rules indicate the area of life where you are meant to let water lead. 

• Your 4th house. The 4th house is the Cancer house. The sign that rules your 4th house can add another layer indicating how Cancer themes show up in your life.

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

Want to connect more deeply with Cancer energy? Work with moonstone to tap into the power of the moon, green aventurine for emotional clarity, or rose quartz for heart healing. 

A Card Spread for Eclipse Season

Eclipses can seem scary, and they are certainly a powerful energy! Generally, eclipses are thought to be wild cards, magnifying the energy of a new moon (for a solar eclipse) or a full moon (for a lunar eclipse). I like to think of eclipses as portals for endings and beginnings —things may be “eclipsed out” or “eclipsed in.” It’s common for births, moves, engagements, new jobs, break-ups, new relationships, and more to happen around eclipses and during eclipse season.

Eclipses can also be powerful illuminators, bringing hidden truths and feelings to the light for us to work with and heal through. They’re an important time to carve out space for listening, noticing, and receiving information. You can learn more about eclipses and how they interact with your specific birth chart in this blog post. 

With these current (Summer of 2020) eclipses taking place during Gemini and Cancer season, themes you might expect to come up in your life are around communication, being seen, home and family, and ancestral healing. Litha, or the summer solstice, also takes place during this eclipse season, highlighting themes of joy, vitality, abundance, and growth. 

Tip: If you’re reading this post later than the Summer of 2020, the card spreads are valid for any eclipse season!

Working with tarot or oracle cards can be powerful anytime, but especially during eclipse season. You can use the card spread below to more clearly understand the invitations, challenges, and opportunities of eclipse season for yourself. 

A CARD SPREAD FOR ECLIPSE SEASON

Before drawing your cards, take a moment to ground and center yourself. This might look like just taking a few deep breaths, or laying on the ground and feeling all the points of contact your body is making with the Earth. 

When you feel ready, set an intention for your spread. You might ask your higher self, your spirit guides, your intuition, or another helpful energy you’re familiar with to communicate with you through the cards. Shuffle your deck, and pull a card for each of the questions below:

• What (pattern, limiting belief, structure, relationship, etc.) is eclipsing out?

• Who am I right now?

• Challenge of this eclipse season

• What am I not seeing clearly?

• What healing do I need through this season?

• What (pattern, limiting belief, structure, relationship, etc.) is eclipsing in?

• How am I ready to evolve?

• Who will I be emerging from this eclipse season?

Take some time after pulling your cards to meditate and/or journal with them. This can really help you process and integrate their meanings!If you use this spread, feel free to share your cards over on Instagram and tag us at @cassieuhl! We would love to hear your interpretations of your cards.

Understanding the Energy of Gemini Season

Understanding Gemini

Welcome to Gemini season! Our mutable air sign, this archetype is here to help us open our minds, connect to each other, and communicate our truth. 

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

Tarot cards featured are The Starchild Tarot.

GEMINI ENERGY

Ruled by the messenger planet, Gemini is a sign that’s about exchange, communication, connection, and relating. It’s a mutable sign, transitioning us from the spring season into summer.

At its most soul-centered level, Gemini energy helps us bring together people and ideas, share our message and our voice, create love through connection and communication, and find the magic right here at home in our neighborhoods. 

As an air sign, Gemini connects us to the mind. Mercury brings a lightness, a sharpness, a witness to this sign. Its mutability brings a capacity to change, shift, and morph. Exchange is critical for Gemini, which teaches us how to build bridges, share ideas, and bring communities, individuals, and ideas together. 

All signs have a shadow energy and expression, and in its shadow, Gemini can stay at a shallow, surface-level and fear going deep. It can bring scattered quality and anxious energy. Sagittarius is Gemini’s polar sign, and this axis is all about the mind. Where Gemini taps us into the concrete mind of facts and knowledge, Sagittarius connects us to the more visionary, abstract mind. These polar signs teach us that we need a balance of both!

Keep scrolling to read more, or check out this video with Eryn to learn more about the energy of Gemini season.

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THE PLANETS

In Western astrology, Gemini is ruled by Mercury. Known as the messenger planet, Mercury brings us into the realm of language, thought, and information. Mercury rules not only how we communicate but how we receive communication and process information. Its rulership focuses Gemini on relationships and self-expression. 

In esoteric astrology, Gemini is ruled by Venus. Esoteric astrologer Heidi Rose Robbins says Venus rules Gemini at the esoteric level because Venus is interested in fusing things, in weaving a fabric of love together that underlies everything.

GEMINI IN THE TAROT

In the tarot, Gemini is associated with the Lovers, the Magician, and the Knight of Swords.

The Lovers is ruled by Gemini, the Magician is ruled by Mercury, and the Knight of Swords is mutable air in the court cards in my tarot practice. 

In the Lovers, we see ourselves reflected in the other. Other becomes a mirror for self, and vice versa. Of course, there is a connection and weaving together here, of hearts, energies, and perhaps lives, which to me speaks very much to the esoteric Venus ruler of Gemini! 

The Magician shows us how Gemini energy helps us translate our ideas and visions into the physical world. The esoteric becomes the tangible, formless becomes concrete. The Magician is a helpful aid that we need if we want to use our creativity and ideas to create actual change.

The Knight of Swords connects us to the mutable texture of Gemini. The airiest card in the tarot (double air!), movement is key here. Movement creates clarity, joy, and the change we seek. Air is also associated with the mind and the voice, which connects us to Gemini’s mercurial side. 

UNDERSTANDING GEMINI IN YOUR CHART

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

• Any planets in Gemini

• The house that Gemini rules in your chart. Whatever house Gemini rules indicates the area of life where you are meant to express, share your voice, and build bridges. 

• Your 3rd house. The 3rd house is the Gemini house. The sign that rules your 3rd house can add another layer indicating how Gemini themes show up in your life.

CONNECTING WITH GEMINI ENERGY WITH CRYSTALS AND ORACLE

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

Want to connect more deeply with Gemini energy? You might like to connect with some crystals for Gemini season. Try apatite for clear communication and focusing your mind, howlite for calming anxiety, or celestite for throat chakra opening. Black tourmaline can help you ground the heady energy if it feels like a lot for you!

Understanding the Energy of Taurus Season

Welcome to Taurus season! Our fixed earth sign, this archetype is here to ground us in our bodies, teach us about beauty, and help us tap into the tactile pleasures of being alive. 

In honor of Taurus season starting on April 20th, I’ll be diving into Taurus energy in this blog. I’ll be sharing what Taurus energy is all about, the planetary and tarot associations of Taurus, and how to understand Taurus in your chart. 

Featured cards from The Starchild Tarot. 

TAURUS ENERGY

Grounded and rooted, the earth sign aspect of Taurus offers practicality and steadfastness to this sign. It connects us to the physical, tactile world through the pleasure that’s available to us through the body and each of our senses. Think of really tasting a delicious meal, smelling the flowers, feeling the warm sun on your skin, touching soft silks, and immersing yourself in a painting. Now you know Taurus energy! 

Card featured from The Ritual Deck. 

Taurus has a beautiful capacity to see beauty and manifest beauty. It’s also a sign associated with value, the material world, and money. Taurus has lessons to teach us all about self-worth, what we really value, and how we value ourselves. 

At its most soul-centered level, Taurus can see the beauty and light in all things, and knows the inherent worth in us all.

All signs have a shadow energy and expression, and in its shadow Taurus can be stubborn, immovable, and resistant to change. The polar sign to Scorpio, a sign of transformation, Taurus can get stuck in its ways, resenting movement and change. This sign can also get trapped in the physical world, only following desire and forgetting spirituality and higher purpose. 

THE PLANETS

In Western astrology, Taurus is ruled by Venus. Venus is the planet of love, beauty, and pleasure. It’s an archetype that helps us find soul fulfillment and teaches us how to love unconditionally. This planet lends Taurus its appreciation for beauty, its connection to sensuality and pleasure, and its association with divine feminine energy. 

TAURUS IN THE TAROT

In the tarot, Taurus is associated with the Empress, the Hierophant, and the King of Pentacles.

The Empress is ruled by Venus, the Hierophant is ruled by Taurus, and the King of Pentacles is fixed Earth in the court cards in my tarot practice. 

The Empress is an archetype of unconditional love (Venus!) who teaches us how to receive. Creativity and love flow through the Empress, without forcing or pushing. Nothing could be more Taurean than the Empress herself as depicted in the Pamela Colman Smith Rider Waite tarot deck! The Empress is lush, present, and embodied and she teaches us how to tap into those parts of ourselves, too.

The Hierophant speaks to Taurus’ Earthy side. This archetype understands how to communicate esoteric truths so that they are understood by all. The Hierophant is able to pull spiritual knowledge out of the ether into the physical plane, making spirituality practical and part of the material world. 

The King of Pentacles, the master of the suit associated with purpose, work, and the material world, teaches us what it means to live your purpose in the world and feel abundant in doing so. This archetype speaks to Taurus’ connection to self-worth, money, manifestation, and finances, reminding us what is possible when we tap into our inner abundance. 

UNDERSTANDING TAURUS IN YOUR CHART

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

• Any planets in Taurus

• The house that Taurus rules in your chart. Whatever house Taurus rules indicates the area of life where you are meant to ground, manifest, and pour love.

• Your 2nd house. The 2nd house is the Taurus house. The sign that rules your 2nd house can add another layer indicating how Taurus themes show up in your life.

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

Want to connect more deeply with Taurus energy? You might like to connect with some crystals for Taurus season. Try rose quartz or emerald for unconditional love and stability, red jasper for connecting with your physical body, black tourmaline for grounding, or carnelian for pleasure. 

Understanding the Energy of Aries Season

Welcome to Aries season! Dynamic and fiery, this warrior archetype is here to bring us a fresh start.  

In honor of Aries season starting on March 19th, I’ll be diving into Aries energy in this blog. I’ll be sharing what Aries energy is all about, the planetary and tarot associations of Aries, and how to understand Aries in your chart. Keep scrolling for more tips and a video where I dive deeper into Aries energy. 

Cards featured are The Ritual Deck and The Starchild Tarot.

ARIES ENERGY

Aries is our cardinal fire sign and as the first sign of the zodiac, it begins the astrological wheel of the year. The first day of Aries season is always the spring equinox, ushering us into spring with the spark of life! 

Aries energy is like a match being lit. It brings with it fire, passion, and creativity. Aries is a warrior and a pioneer, and the question is: what will you be a warrior for? Where are you ready to be a pioneer in your own life, leading the way for us all? 

This sign invites us to tap into our bravery and courage, to go it alone, and go forward in the direction of the life that is calling us. Independent and impulsive, Aries can take you places you never thought you could go (or that you thought would take a lot longer to get to!). During Aries season, we are all asked to channel our passions and creativity in healthy ways, to tap into our inner fire, and to burst through self-imposed limitations to step into the new. 

All signs have a shadow energy and expression, and in its shadow, Aries can be aggressive, domineering, and even violent. If you can learn to work with Aries in its highest expression, it can teach you a lot about working with anger and frustration in healthy ways, finding balance between leading and following, and being an autonomous individual in relationships with others.

Learn more about Aries season from Eryn Johnson in this video. 

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THE PLANETS

In Western astrology, Aries is ruled by Mars. In esoteric astrology, Aries is ruled by Mercury. Mars tells us how we work with Aries in a day to day way, and Mercury tells us what’s possible to embody when we work with Aries from a soul-centered level.

Mars is the planet of drive, assertion, and aspiration. You can think of it as the gas pedal of your birth chart: it’s what moves you forward. Fiery Mars lends Aries the energy of the warrior, it’s what drives Aries to burst through.

Mercury, on the other hand, as the esoteric ruler of Aries speaks to what’s possible when working with Aries at a soul-entered level. Mercury is an air planet very much associated with the mind (and the Magician card in the tarot!), so the creativity of Aries becomes new, exciting, even bold ideas put forth into the world. 

ARIES IN THE TAROT

In the tarot, Aries is associated with the Emperor, the Tower, and the Knight of Wands.

The Emperor is ruled by Aries, Mars rules the Tower, and the Knight of Wands is cardinal fire in the court cards in my tarot practice. 

The Emperor is a leader, here to pioneer a new world. This card speaks to structures and systems, at a micro-level in our personal lives and at a macro level in the collective, that make up the world and asks us to create truly collaborative systems that serve the good of all. Associated with power, this archetype also asks us to reflect on our own relationship with power and step into a space of power with rather than power over. 

You only need to take a look at the Tower card to understand what it’s all about! The Tower represents a lightning strike, a clearing that causes a crumbling to the ground. Foundations may be shaken and things will not be the same afterward - but it’s very much the spark kind of energy that Aries has to offer us. The clearing that takes place in the Tower only ever clears away what doesn’t serve us.

The Knight of Wands teaches us how to let our fire move us. When we take action in our lives, we’re always taking it from a specific place. We can take action from love, from fear, from desire, from many things - but the Knight of Wands asks us to let our passion, our creativity, our innate sense of our own power, to guide us in moving through the world. 

UNDERSTANDING ARIES IN YOUR CHART

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

• Any planets in Aries

• The house that Aries rules in your chart. Whatever house Aries rules indicates the area of life where you are meant to burst through, create something new, live boldly, and fight for something. 

• Your 1st house. The 1st house is the Aries house. The sign that rules your 1st house can add another layer indicating how Aries themes show up in your life.

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

Want to connect more deeply with Aries energy? You might like to connect with some crystals for Aries season. Try carnelian for creativity and courage, sunstone for independence, or red jasper for energy and vitality. 

Understanding the Energy of Pisces Season

What is your relationship with Pisces energy?

Pisces is the last sign on the wheel of the zodiac, so it ends the zodiac year. It invites us into a season of water, dedicated to spirituality, art, and love.

In honor of Pisces season starting on February 18th, I’ll be diving into Pisces energy in this blog. I’ll be sharing what Pisces energy is all about, the planetary and tarot associations of Pisces, and how to understand Pisces in your chart. 

PISCES ENERGY

Pisces is our mutable water sign and as the third water sign on the wheel of the zodiac, it’s our superconscious, cosmic, or collective water sign.In its highest expression, Pisces is unconditional love. Pisces brings the energy of compassion and deep feeling. This energy can make us feel sensitive and like we need to retreat to be alone.Pisces invites us to open our hearts to let unconditional love and compassion pour through - for ourselves, for others, and for the world. It evokes the artist, the mystic, the dreamer, in all of us with its connection to music, poetry, spirituality, and the dreamworld. 

All signs have a shadow energy and expression, and in its shadow, Pisces can be depressed, aimless, and overwhelmed by their deep emotions. In its shadow, Pisces may not be able to tell what emotions and energies are theirs and what belongs to other people. This is why boundaries are critical for Pisces goddesses and all of us during Pisces season!

Pisces is the polar sign to Virgo, and this axis is all about healing. Where Virgo offers structure and grounding, Pisces offers boundless love.

THE PLANETS

In Western astrology, Pisces is ruled by Neptune. In esoteric astrology, Pisces is ruled by Pluto. 

As the planet of love and imagination, Neptune speaks to the mystical, spiritual, and artistic side of Pisces. But this planet can also bring confusion and illusion (think of the energy of the 7 of cups in the tarot!), making it difficult for us to tell what’s real and what isn’t. 

The Pluto rulership at the esoteric level shows how love is the transforming agent with Pisces. Love is the medicine, love is the channel for transformation, love is the vehicle of death and rebirth in our lives.

PISCES IN THE TAROT

In the tarot, Pisces is associated with the Moon, the Hanged One (pictured as the “Perspective” card from the Starchild Tarot), and the Queen of Cups.

The Moon is ruled by Pisces, Neptune rules the Hanged One, and the Queen of Cups is mutable water in the court cards in my tarot practice. 

The Moon card shows us the mystical side of Pisces - an invitation beyond the veil into the inner mysteries, into lunar magic, into an exploration that transcends the linear and logical. 

The Hanged One shows us the magic that can happen when we stay present with our discomfort. A key part of love and compassion is acceptance, and in the Hanged One we learn that we will never heal or thrive until we accept what is. 

The Queen of Cups brings the energy of the selkie, one who is just as at home in the depths of water as they are on land. The Queen of Cups invites us to go within - to feel our feelings, explore our subconscious and its manifestation in the dreamworld, to connect with our inner voice. 

UNDERSTANDING PISCES IN YOUR CHART

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

• Any planets in Pisces

• The house that Pisces rules in your chart. Whatever house Pisces rules indicates the area of life where you are meant to pour more love, the area of life that has a spiritual flavor, a mystical flavor. 

• Your 12th house. The 12th house is the Pisces house. The sign that rules your 12th house can add another layer indicating how Pisces themes show up in your life.

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

CRYSTALS TO HELP YOU CONNECT WITH PISCES ENERGY

• Amethyst. Amethyst is highly protective and aids intuitive abilities. Pisces season may leave you feeling more open and sensitive than usual. Amethyst can help you tune into the flow of intuition around you while also keeping you protected. 

• Aquamarine. Because Pisces is a water sign, watery stones, like aquamarine will help soothe and soften you during Pisces season. Aquamarine can also help to soothe emotions, which may be more present during Pisces season.

• Fluorite. It can be easy to become lost in your dreams during Pisces season, fluorite can help you find clarity and focus when you need to during this season. Green fluorite is also a heart healer which may also be helpful during Pisces season. 

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. 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?

NEW MOON CARD SPREAD

Every new moon, we get a beautiful opportunity for a fresh start. The new moon is the time of the lunar cycle where we get to dream, vision, and set intentions for what we would like to heal, manifest, and create for the new cycle.

Cards, whether oracle or tarot (learn all about the difference between oracle & tarot cards and how to choose here), can be a powerful way to help us gain clarity and understand how to work with the whole cycle holistically. 

Keep scrolling for your new moon card spread and to learn how to work with the cards throughout the whole moon cycle!

Cards featured from The Ritual Deck.

CARD SPREAD FOR THE NEW MOON

This is a card spread designed to help you work with the moon cycle holistically- through all of the major moon phases of the cycle including the new moon, first quarter moon, full moon, last quarter moon, and dark moon.

To ritualize drawing cards, you might like to take some time before getting started to light incense or burn other herbs, ground yourself (click here for suggestions on how to get grounded), and/or do a practice that helps you open your channels such as breathwork, a movement practice, or a visualization meditation.

When you feel ready, you can start pulling cards:

1. What cycle is opening up for me?

2. What wants to emerge, grow, be tended this cycle?

3. What blocks are coming up around this? (Draw one to three cards - let your intuition guide you!)

4. Why this block is here/the shadow underneath the block (draw one card for each blockage card)

5. Advice for healing these blocks (draw one card for each blockage card)

6. Advice for working with these energies to come back to myself

This card spread can offer some beautiful guidance for working with the phases of the moon holistically. I’m going to cover the 5 major phases of the moon below - the new moon, waxing moon, full moon, waning moon, and dark moon.

THE NEW MOON

The new moon is a time of dreaming and feeling into what you want to grow during the cycle. So during the new moon time, you’ll want to focus on cards one and two. I recommend creating an altar based around the themes of these cards.

For example, if the cards showed that in this cycle, spirit is inviting you to work with your creativity, then you could create an altar representing your creative energy blossoming. This might include lush flowers, the tarot cards you drew, anything that represents your creativity to you, and sacral chakra crystals like carnelian, peach selenite, or tiger’s eye.  

Seeds are always a great addition to a new moon altar as well, a symbol of what you’re planting this cycle.

WAXING MOON

The waxing moon is the time for action. It’s an opportune time for taking the steps needed to bring your dream, your desire, into reality. During the waxing moon, you’ll want to focus on the steps that need to be taken to help card number 2 emerge and grow.

This could be internal or external! Often, I find, it’s a combination of both. 

For example, say that your cards showed that this cycle is all about growing your business. During the waxing moon phase, this could be a time where you take more external steps to grow your business (like sending your newsletter, making a content calendar for Instagram and sticking to it, etc.) as well as doing an abundance ritual. 

[Looking for abundance rituals to work with? Find four abundance rituals on the blog here.]

Remember to work with the sixth card, advice for working with the energies this cycle to come back to yourself, to support you through every phase.

FULL MOON

The full moon can feel like “everything all at once,” as one of my teachers says. The water in our bodies is heightened- emotions, intuition, fertility, psychic abilities. This is the last big push in the growth phase of the cycle so it’s the perfect time to do a manifestation ritual around your first and second cards, what it is you’re cultivating this cycle.

Notice any feelings or downloads you receive at this time and take note - you’ll weave them into your work through the waning part of the cycle.

WANING MOON

The waning moon is a time for shadow work, for releasing, for turning inward. It’s our invitation to work with cards three through five of the spread above: the blocks around your dream or desire, the shadow underneath the block, and the advice for healing these blocks.

This is a great time to explore the roots of these blocks and do practices like tapping (EFT) or breathwork to deprogram the stories and patterns that make up those blocks. If any of those blocks feel ready to be released, this is also the time to release them!

DARK MOON

The dark moon is the time of the cycle when the moon disappears from the sky. It’s a deeply internal time for rest, shadow work, banishing work, and cord-cutting.

If you feel ready at this time to release the blocks and work with the fifth card, the advice for healing those blocks, this is the time. A cord-cutting ceremony or banishing ritual would be ideal to help you wrap up the cycle and release these blocks once and for all.

You can return to this new moon card spread with every new moon to help guide your cycle. Want more rituals for the new moon? Click here!

Rituals to Help You Thrive During Mercury Retrograde

Every Mercury retrograde, it feels like the whole internet goes crazy (including Instagram crashing, the technology breakdowns with Mercury retrograde are real!) for a while with memes blaming a whole slew of problems on Mercury retrograde.

But the fact is, Mercury goes retrograde a few times a year every year, and it can be an incredibly potent time for your growth and transformation if you treat it as such. I really believe that all cosmic events happen for us, not to us, and we can let them have power over us or we can view them as empowering invitations to help us on our journeys in specific ways.

In this blog, I’ll be sharing some rituals for Mercury retrograde to help you tap into the magic of this time. But first, what is Mercury retrograde?

WHAT IS MERCURY RETROGRADE

Mercury retrograde occurs when it appears from planet Earth that Mercury has slowed down, stopped, and moved backwards.

Mercury doesn’t actually move backwards--this is just a function of the orbits of Mercury and Earth.

HOW TO USE MERCURY RETROGRADE

Mercury is the planet of communication, of the voice, of how we receive, process, and share information and wisdom.

So Mercury retrograde always highlights these themes for us, asking us to look at our challenges, blocks, and wounds around communication, the voice, and how we exchange with other people.

It’s a beautiful time for turning inward, slowing down, connecting with our intuition, and reflecting on our own process. Use the rituals below to help you make the most of this time!

TAROT OR ORACLE SPREAD FOR MERCURY RETROGRADE

Mercury Retrograde can be a time of incredibly deep listening--listening that we’re able to drop into because we’re slowing down, turning inward, and turning off the external “noise.” Cards, whether you prefer tarot or oracle cards, are a great tool to assist you with this. Use this simple tarot spread to help you understand how to use Mercury retrograde to deepen your understanding of yourself and your journey.

To ritualize drawing cards, you might like to take some time before getting started to light incense or burn other herbs, ground yourself (click here for suggestions on how to get grounded), and/or do a practice that helps you open your channels such as breathwork, a movement practice, or a visualization meditation.

When you feel ready, you can start pulling cards:

1. What inner work am I being invited into this Mercury Retrograde?

2. What in my life needs re-evaluating during this Mercury Retrograde?

3. How can I care for and give to myself during this phase?

4. Where is this Mercury Retrograde leading me?

SPELL BAG FOR CLEAR COMMUNICATION

Spell bags are one of my favorite ways to work with spells. They’re simple, effective, and you can work with the same bag for a while. My favorite kind of spell! Here’s what you’ll need to create a spell bag for clear communication:

• A small cloth bag

• Marshmallow, rosemary, or thyme herbs

• A drop or two of lavender, grapefruit, rosemary, or time essential oils (optional)

• The King of Swords tarot card (you can put the actual card in, or make a photocopy of it and put the photocopy in)

• Sodalite, lapis lazuli, blue topaz, and/or blue lace agate

• A relevant mantra, phrase, or sigil (learn how to create your own basic sigil here) on a piece of paper. Here are some suggestions, but feel free to use your own:

  • I express myself authentically and clearly

  • Sat nam, a Kundalini mantra meaning “truth is my identity”

  • Ham, the bija or seed mantra for the throat chakra

  • I always communicate clearly and my words are received as I intended them

As you place each item in your bag, visualize healing blue light flowing into your body, filling you up with this fresh energy of clear communication and truth-speaking.

Place your bag on your altar and leave it there for a full moon cycle!

RADICAL REST

In a culture that prioritizes the yang, the active, the solar--rest is radical. I recommend blocking off an evening, a weekend day, whatever time period you’re able to and creating an intentional, luxurious time of rest.

Here’s what that might look like:

• Take a bath with your favorite herbs, oils, crystals, and candles (click here for some herbal bath recipes to inspire you!)

• Wear your favorite clothes with soft, sensual fabrics and eat chocolate (or whatever other sweet treats you love--chocolate for me!)

• Bring a blanket to the park and nothing else (no phone, no book, no distractions) and just lay down and watch the clouds move, or the stars and moon if it’s nighttime.

• Turn off your phone, cancel your plans, and stay in to read inspiring books or watch a documentary.

• Turn radical rest into a ritual by bringing intentionality to it and creating a ritual space, whatever that means to you.

• That could mean lighting candles, having your crystals in a circle around you as you lay under the stars, meditating in the bath, or breathing deeply as you eat.

The options are endless! Give yourself full permission to rest in whatever way feels best to you.

Remember, Mercury Retrograde is here to help us. The things we associate with Mercury Retrograde, like communication breakdowns and technology glitches, can certainly happen. But the invitations we receive through that--turning inward, slowing down, acceptance, re-evaluation--can be beautiful if we choose to say yes and sit with our discomfort.

What Are Tarot Birth Cards + How To Find Yours

Tarot birth cards, also called soul cards, are cards based on the numerology of your birthday that can give you more information about who you are.

Birth cards can give you more information about your identity, your inner world, and your journey in this lifetime including your potential, key themes, strengths, and struggles.

Keep reading to learn how to calculate your cards and discover their meanings!

HOW TO CALCULATE YOUR BIRTH CARD(S)

As with most things in tarot, there is no hard and fast rule on calculating birth cards. There are a couple of methods, and here I’m going to share the method that I use personally and have found the most powerful!

1. Write out your birthday numerically. For example, if your birthday is October 19th, 1994, the digits you’ll be working with are 10-19-1994.

2. Add up each individual number in your birthday. Keeping with the example above, that means I’m adding 1 + 0 + 1 + 9 + 1 + 9 + 9 + 4 to get 34.

3. Add up any remaining digits if they are greater than 22. Since I got 34 in the step above, that means I’ll now add 3 + 4 to get 7. So the number of your birth card is 7!

If you received a number greater than 22 in step 2, like in this example, then that’s it! But if you received a number equal to 22 or less, then you’ll actually have two birth cards.

Say the number you received in step 2 was 18. The number of your first birth card will be 18, and the number of your second birth card will be 1 + 8 = 9. So you have 2 numbers to work with!

Mary K. Greer is a prominent tarot teacher who has a specific method with birth cards. In her practice, the number 18 will identify your personality card, what you are here in this lifetime to learn. The number 9 will identify your soul card, which shows your purpose across multiple lifetimes.

4. Look up the major arcana tarot card that corresponds to your number(s). I’ve made it easy for you! Keep scrolling to learn what card is associated with each number and what it means.

WHAT YOUR BIRTH CARD MEANS

1: THE MAGICIAN

The Magician, the first card of the major arcana, is a path of manifestation. You may have a lot of ideas, and you’re learning in this lifetime how to channel them, pull them down, and make them manifest in this physical reality.

2: THE HIGH PRIESTESS

In this lifetime, you are learning to embody your lunar nature. You may have a naturally strong intuition and psychic abilities, or this may be something you work to cultivate throughout your life. Working on your psychic development as well as connecting to and honoring your intuition is important for your life path.

3: THE EMPRESS

The Empress as a birth card is an invitation to connect with your creative energy and your Venusian nature. This card is about magnetizing and attracting to you, rather than pushing or forcing. It invites you to nurture yourself and to learn how to receive in this lifetime.It can also indicate a need to explore your relationship with your mother or heal something in your matrilineal line.

4: THE EMPEROR

The Emperor is an invitation to take up space. Throughout your life, you will need to work with the theme of owning your right to take up space, to expand, to be an authority, and to build what you desire without apology.

5: THE HIEROPHANT

The Hierophant teaches us how to be a channel for the wisdom of the Universe, of our guides, of the angels and other cosmic beings. In the Hierophant, we learn to channel truth and to share it with others without overly attaching to outcomes, getting stuck in our ego, or recreating harmful systems of power and authority. Throughout your life, this is a lesson you are learning and an energy you are stepping into.

6: THE LOVERS

With the Lovers as your birth card, you will be learning how to honor and unite duality within you. Throughout your life, you learn how to accept and love all the different, sometimes conflicting, parts of yourself. Evolving through your relationship with others is another big theme of this card, inviting you to allow your relationships (platonic, romantic, business, family, etc.) to trigger you, open you, and evolve you for deeper healing.

7: THE CHARIOT

The Chariot brings an energy of fierce will and determination. But it’s also the number 7 and is ruled by Cancer, adding a more watery flavor and indicating a deeply spiritual path. With the Chariot as your birth card, you’re learning to explore sacred action, action as a spiritual practice, and to trust in the power of your will to bring you where you want to be.

There’s this idea of success and victory with this card as well, indicating that you’ll need to continually redefine over your life what success means to you and what you’re actually moving towards. Is it based on your ego? Or is it truly based on your soul’s mission and purpose?

8: STRENGTH

Strength as your birth card means that you are learning about your relationship to your own power in this lifetime. Strength invites us into a deep knowing of our own power, but it’s a soft, subtle power - not one that dominates, that harms, or is in your face.

It’s a more lunar sense of power, a deep trust in your power that allows you to surrender, to open, to be vulnerable, and to trust yourself and the universe. Stepping into this energy and this sense of power is an important theme on your life’s path.

9: THE HERMIT

The Hermit teaches us how to integrate our own knowing. The Hermit isn’t looking for teachers or knowledge outside of themselves, they know they have a path where deep internal seeking is required.

This isn’t about having a lonely life, it’s about knowing that your evolution comes when you allow yourself the time alone to go inside of yourself, to close off from the external, to integrate and process whatever has come up for you.

10: THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE

The Wheel of Fortune as a birth card indicates that in this lifetime, you are learning the balance between action and surrender. You’re learning to trust the balance of fate and free will, of control and trust. Major changes may tend to be a pattern for you, but know that they’re always in your highest and best good.

11: JUSTICE

Justice as a birth card is all about truth. You are learning to believe not what you wish was true but what is actually true - a difficult and powerful lesson. Justice holds a sword to cut away that which is not true - inviting us to look at the truth of who we are, the truth of who others are, and the truth of injustice in our personal lives and in the greater systems that overlay it all.

In the more literal sense, your life might be involved with law, contracts, and partnerships in some way.

12: THE HANGED ONE

The Hanged One is an invitation to step into a new perspective and to get comfortable with discomfort. You are learning how to surrender to what is, to be in the liminal space between where you’ve been and where you desire to be, and to sit with uncomfortable situations, emotions, and thoughts without judgement.

13: DEATH

Death, ruled by Scorpio, is a path of transformation. Your life is about death and rebirth, about shedding the snakeskin of the ego, continuously evolving into the most soul-centered version of you.

14: TEMPERANCE

Temperance is a path of alchemy and magic. Temperance teaches us how to alchemize our pain, our trauma, our shadow into our greatest gifts, into our purpose, into our unique magic. This is what you are learning in this lifetime with Temperance as your birth card.

15: THE DEVIL

The Devil teaches us how to see, claim, and love all the darkness within us. When we see, claim, and love all of our shame, our fear, and our shadow, it becomes a source of our power. With the Devil as your birth card, your invitation is to get deeply acquainted with your shadow rather than letting it run as unconscious programming, controlling your life.

16: THE TOWER

The Tower is a path of cleansing and burning down old structures- internally and externally. The burning down of internal structures can look like: deprogramming unhealthy ways of talking to the self, releasing old emotional patterns like codependence or manipulation, or finally releasing self-hatred and loving yourself. The burning down of external structures can look like moving homes or cities, fighting for restorative justice, ending unhealthy relationships, changing jobs, etc.This is an energy you are moving through throughout your life.

17: THE STAR

The Star, ruled by Aquarius, is a healing path. The Star is an invitation for deep personal healing of core wounds and traumas (from this lifetime and past lifetimes) that has a ripple effect into the collective, into your ancestral line, into your descendants.

With the Aquarius ruling of the card, your path could also involve humanitarian work and efforts, helping facilitate healing for humanity.

18: THE MOON

The Moon is a path of re-wilding. With this birth card, you are learning to tap into and connect to your wild, primal nature - who you were before the world told you who and how to be. Connecting with your wildness is a sacred path of connecting with yourself, your needs, and your desires - and being brave enough to claim and step into them.

19: THE SUN

The Sun is a path of being seen. With this card as your birth card, throughout your life you are learning how to allow yourself to be seen - not as you have been, or think you should be, or wish you were - but how you actually are in each and every moment.

Bringing all the parts of you - even the parts of yourself you don’t love yet - into the light to be honored and witnessed is how you release shame and step into your fullest potential.

20: JUDGEMENT

Judgement, ruled by Pluto, is a path of breakthroughs around judgement and criticism. You are learning that every judgement we have for someone else is just a mirror of what we don’t love within us. With this card, you’re learning to release judgement and criticism towards yourself first and foremost, and all beings everywhere.

21: THE WORLD

The World is a path of endless potential, of closing karmic loops. With the World as your birth card, there is the potential to end painful cycles that may have gone on through generations in your ancestry or through many past lives by doing your own healing work.

22: THE FOOL

Technically, the Fool card is actually 0. But in this practice, you can use the number 22 to identify the Fool card. With the Fool as your birth card, you are learning to release the ego mindset of “I know” or “I should” and step into a curious mindset or “what if?” Or “I could.”The Fool is the embodiment of a seeker, willing to take leaps into the unknown, trusting that they are fully guided and supported.

The meaning of your birth card will likely evolve over your lifetime. At certain points in your journey, you may relate to the card in different ways or feel into a different aspect of it. That’s great! Like life, each tarot card is complex and multifaceted.

You can start to get to know your birth card on a deeper level by meditating on it, journaling with it, putting it on your altar, and working with embodying it.

Interested in learning more about birth cards? I recommend getting Mary K. Greer’s famous workbook Tarot For Yourself and diving in!

What Are the Astrological Houses & How to Understand Them In Your Chart

So you’re learning astrology and understand the planets and the astrological signs in your birth chart or natal chart. Beautiful! Now you’re ready to mix in another piece of the puzzle: houses.

[To download your own free printable birth chart, click here.]

WHAT ARE THE ASTROLOGICAL HOUSES & HOW TO FIND THEM IN YOUR CHART

If you look at your birth chart, you’ll see that it’s divided up into 12 pie pieces. You should see a circle in the middle of the chart with some lines, and branching out from that circle are the pie pieces. Each of these pie pieces is a house.

Depending on the software you use, there may be little numbers at the top of the pie pieces, closest to the inner circle of the chart. If not, you can find the first house by thinking of your chart as a compass, with the line extending out of the top of the inner circle as north (your midheaven), the line to the bottom as south (your IC), the line to the right as east (your descendent) and the line to the left as west (your ascendant). You can learn more about understanding your birth chart here.

The pie piece that starts with your ascendant line, that line to the left, is the beginning of your first house. The houses continue to move counterclockwise around the circle- so starting with your first house, move right to find your second house.

These astrological houses show us where in our lives certain energy may show up. Each house has a specific meaning and is ruled by a particular sign, which I’ll get into below.

FIRST HOUSE

The first house is ruled by Aries. This is the realm of the self, identity, appearance, leadership, fresh starts, and beginnings. If you have a lot of planets in your first house, you may bring a lot of pioneering or initiating energy to your life.

SECOND HOUSE

The second house is ruled by Taurus. It represents income, money, self-esteem, and all things related to your material and physical world, like the senses. It’s said that if you have a lot of planets in your second house, you may manifest things easily in the physical realm.

THIRD HOUSE

The third house is ruled by Gemini. This house is the guardian of all forms of communication as well as siblings, neighborhoods, learning, local travel, community, and the giving and receiving of knowledge.

FOURTH HOUSE

The fourth house is ruled by Cancer. This house rules the foundation of all things and is the foundation, the very bottom, of your birth chart. Think of it as the root chakra for your chart! It covers the home, your basic security, your parents (especially your mother), and how you nurture yourself.

FIFTH HOUSE

The fifth house is ruled by Leo. This house is the guardian of creativity, play, self-expression, romance, fun, drama and attention.

SIXTH HOUSE

The sixth house is ruled by Virgo. This house governs health, service, and daily work. Think schedules, routines, organization, the health, and wellness of your physical body, and being of service to others.

SEVENTH HOUSE

The seventh house is ruled by Libra. This house governs relationships, including all kinds of intimate partnerships (business, romantic, best friends), as well as things associated with relationships such as marriage, contracts, and business deals. This house begins with your descendent, the part of your chart I mentioned above on the far right.

EIGHTH HOUSE

The eighth house is ruled by Scorpio. This house is the realm of birth, death, and rebirth. It covers sex, transformation, bonding and merging at the deepest levels, as well as taxes and other people’s property and money.

NINTH HOUSE

The ninth house is ruled by Sagittarius. This house covers expansion, philosophy, religion, long-distance travel, the higher mind, inspiration, optimism, publishing, broadcasting, higher education, and adventure.

TENTH HOUSE

The tenth house is ruled by Capricorn. This house is at the very top of your chart, beginning with the midheaven. It is the realm of structure, tradition, public appearance, rules, discipline, authority, and the father. With the border of this house as the midheaven, it can reveal truths about your career path.

ELEVENTH HOUSE

The eleventh house is ruled by Aquarius. It governs teams, friendships, groups of all kinds, society, humanitarian causes and social justice, technology, and the internet. It rules all things futuristic, original, eccentric, and surprising.

TWELFTH HOUSE

The twelfth and final house is ruled by Pisces. As the last house of the chart (which ends with your ascendent, bringing us back into the first house), it rules endings. It’s thought to be the most mysterious house, governing the afterlife and past lives, institutions, mysticism, the arts, imagination, the subconscious mind, surrender, hospitals, and jails.

THE HOUSES IN YOUR CHART

Each house has a traditional rulership, as you saw above. This gives us insight into the meaning of the house. But in your chart, the house will likely be ruled by a different sign, which all depends on your rising sign.

Your rising sign is the sign on the ascendant — you should see a little AC to the left of that line, but it’s the line on the far left side of your chart that I mentioned above. Your rising sign will rule the first house.

For example, I’m a Virgo rising. So my first house, which has Aries energy, is ruled by Virgo. My second house will be ruled by Libra, my third house by Scorpio, and we continue around the wheel.

Click here to download your free printable birth chart

HOW TO INTERPRET YOUR HOUSES

Now that you know what the houses mean, how do you interpret them with the other pieces of your chart: the signs and planets? (We won’t get into aspects in this post!)

You can weave these three aspects of your chart together by looking at planet + sign + house.

For example, my Venus is in Scorpio in the third house. So we can look at Venus + Scorpio + 3rd House.

Venus is the planet that shows us where we find great soul satisfaction. It shows us who, what, and how we love. Scorpio is an energy that is about transformation, deep bonding, mystery, and the occult. The third house, as we saw above, rules all things communication and community.

Astrology is an intuitive art, so use your intuition! I would say that this means there is great soul satisfaction for me in communicating about the occult, deep bonding, and transformation. It could also mean that I love to deeply bond with others through communication.

For another example, say you have your Mars in Leo in the 11th house. So we would look at Mars + Leo + 11th house.

Mars is the warrior in our chart, the planet of aspiration, drive, motivation, and willpower. Leo is a sign that loves to be seen, to express, to create, and to be an individual. The 11th house, as we saw above, is the realm of group energy, technology, innovation, humanity, and authenticity.

So one way to look at Mars in Leo in the 11th house is having a lot of drive and motivation to express yourself in a group setting, or to express yourself for the good of the collective - all of humanity.

Try this out with one placement at a time in your chart, and see what mysteries about yourself are revealed!

Want to explore more of your natal chart? Learn about your north node and how it can reveal your life purpose here.

How Do Eclipses Affect Astrology?

Every “eclipse season” it feels like all of Instagram loses its mind. But what’s really the deal with eclipses? Are they as scary or as powerful as we might have heard?

In this blog, I’ll be demystifying eclipses and sharing how you can use these special cosmic events for your evolution and growth.

WHAT ARE ECLIPSES?

There are two types of eclipses: lunar eclipses and solar eclipses. Within those categories, eclipses can be partial, total, or penumbral. Generally, the most powerful and rare eclipses are total eclipses.

Lunar eclipses occur when the Earth’s shadow blocks the sun’s light, which then reflects off the full moon. Solar eclipses occur when the new moon moves between the sun and the Earth, blocking out the sun’s rays and casting a shadow on parts of Earth.

ECLIPSES IN PAIRS + ECLIPSE SEASON

Eclipses come in sets—in pairs or sometimes as threes. The time period between a set of eclipses is known as eclipse season. Eclipses always happen along an astrological axis—so a pair of eclipses will always be in one of these sets of signs:

• Aries-Libra

• Taurus-Scorpio

• Gemini-Sagittarius

• Cancer-Capricorn

• Leo-Aquarius

• Virgo-Pisces

For example, in January of 2019, we had a partial solar eclipse in Capricorn and a total lunar eclipse about two weeks later in Cancer. The period between these eclipses was known as the eclipse season.

Eclipse season is thought to be a time portal, a time of transformation.

HOW TO WORK WITH ECLIPSES

Eclipses are thought to be wild cards, sort of a magnified new moon (for a solar eclipse) or a magnified full moon (for a lunar eclipse). We can think of them as portals for endings and beginnings—things may be “eclipsed out” or “eclipsed in.” It’s typical for births, moves, engagements, new jobs, break-ups, new relationships, and more to happen around eclipses and during eclipse season.

Eclipses are also illuminators, showing the truth that you may have been ignoring or didn’t want to look at. Eclipses will bring these thoughts and feelings to the forefront so that you can’t ignore them anymore and have to look at and work with them.

To see how an eclipse might affect you personally, take a look at your birth chart. Look for the house that will be highlighted by the eclipse—for example, a partial solar eclipse in Capricorn affects my 4th or 5th houses, depending on the degrees of the eclipse.

So if the eclipse affects my 4th house, then I could expect things around the home, family, my inner emotional world, my foundations, safety, security, my mother, and self-care to be coming up.

Generally, eclipses are a really important time to spend time with yourself listening and noticing. Carve out space and time to receive truths, and notice any signs that are pointing you towards releasing something or stepping into something new.

Some practitioners like to work big magic on eclipses. Others, like myself, find that eclipses are a better time for listening and noticing than doing spells. Notice how eclipses feel to you and follow what feels right! If you feel called to, you can check out this card spread for eclipse season.

Our next eclipses are happening on July 2nd, 2019 (a total solar eclipse in Cancer) and July 16th, 2019 (a partial lunar eclipse in Capricorn).

For the eclipse in Cancer, take a look at what house Cancer rules in your birth chart. Same thing for the Capricorn eclipse!

Overall, eclipses aren’t something to be scared of. Like every cosmic event, they’re not here to hurt us—they’re here to help us grow and evolve. Know that anything that releases during an eclipse or anything you step into on an eclipse is furthering your path and purpose.