Hi. I’m Nova (not my real name). I’m a data scientist, a tarot reader and an astrologer. I exist between logic and intuition. This is a space for both.
I’m a Capricorn stellium trying to make meaning out of everything. I’ve spent years building models, studying math, and writing code...but somewhere along the way, I realized I was also tracing patterns in stars and cards. This space is where I let both sides of me speak. Tarot and astrology filtered through the mind of someone who was told to think logically but never stopped feeling symbolically.
My Website and Commissioning Readings:
I have a website now! It's part linktree, part landing page, part introduction to my approach to tarot and astrology readings and how to get one.
Handwritten keepsake tarot and astrology readings. Symbolic, narrative, and slow. POC- and trauma-informed, read from the in-between.
I have a Ko-Fi and an Etsy both, for slightly different audiences.
My Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/novalum
For the Tumblr crowd! I prefer Ko-Fi but it's hard for people to find you there, so my prices are a little lower on Ko-Fi than Etsy.
My Etsy: novalumarcana.etsy.com
For everybody else to request a reading, plus: soon I'll have digital and printable resources I've made: guided journals, workbooks, worksheets, reference booklets, and practice advice. Check them out when they land!
My Email: If you have a private question or request that doesn't fit my existing listings, contact me here: [email protected]
Ask Me Anything:
Please feel free to ask me anything you like about tarot or astrology! (Or math, data science or machine learning if that's what you're into.) I love weird and/or specific questions if you've got 'em.
My inbox is open! I'll try to get back to you in a timely manner.
Masterlists:
Reddit r/AskAstrologers Reponse Masterlist: Sometimes I write a response on that sub and overshoot my word count. This is a mini-series bringing in-depth analysis of real people's charts over here to Tumblr.
Tarot Spreads Masterlist: All of the spreads and layouts I've posted on here. Sometimes on a whim, sometimes after a lot of polishing.
How Was I Then? : A Tarot Spread for Lost Memory & Emotional Retrieval [Part One]
Content note: this spread series works with trauma, dissociation, and hard memory. There's no rush to use them. Come to them when your timing feels right, and stop whenever you need to.
Or: moving from the Moon to the High Priestess, with grace.
A symbolic spread for divining what was true when memory is incomplete, inaccessible, or emotionally obscured. It's designed for readers working with trauma, dissociation, DPDR (depersonalization-derealization), or long stretches of "not being there." Use it as a ritual of reconnection, not re-exposure.
This spread isn't linear. It's dimensional. It orients the forgotten you in space, not time. It isn't about what happened or didn't happen. It's about the impact it had on you (emotionally, mentally, physically), and how you can gently come to terms with it.
This is a spread for the parts of you that don't speak in full sentences. Let it be a door, or a window, or a mirror. Let it be an exercise that asks nothing of you, except to witness.
I wrote this spread for my own use, but I thought others might get something out of it.
The Moon to the High Priestess
The Moon: confusion, distortion, emotional disorientation, dream logic, lost time
The High Priestess: stillness, silence, integration, sacred knowing without needing to be witnessed
This spread starts in the fog of forgetting. It ends at the veil left unlifted, honoring the protection and the filtered sight it brings.
A question to hold while you shuffle
If you remember the situation and are comfortable naming it:
What was true for me during (event) that I couldn't fully see or feel? What is that me saying now?
If not:
What was true for me then, that I couldn't fully see or feel? What is that me saying now?
For dissociation:
Help me remember the shape of myself without carrying the weight again.
What chapter did I live through that I'm not able to read?
Spread Layout
The State: What was I going through? The outer situation. The moment. This is the center of it all, the echo of what you were in. It's the shape of the storm your past self was lost in.
The Emotion: What was I feeling, even if I couldn't access it? The inner current. In traditional tarot terms: what is (or was) beneath you, the part that was submerged. What the body may have felt even if the mind didn't.
The Silence: What I couldn't face, say, or name. What was held in shadow. In (somewhat) traditional tarot terms: what is (or was) above you, like a psychic ceiling or wall. It's the veil of silence descending. It's what couldn't be spoken at all, what was veiled on purpose, either by you or by your subconscious.
The Seed: What was planted in me during that time? A belief, an ability, a pattern. It sits to the left, on the side of memory and the past, the things that carry forward. It might not have sprouted yet.
The Message from Then: What that version of me, from that moment, wants me to know now. It sits to the right, on the side of movement and of now, what actively reaches into the future. What does that version of you have to offer you?
(Optional) What Helps Me Integrate: What can help me hold that past event with grace? How can I fold it back into the depths of my heart? This sits at the bottom, at the root system. How do I root the memory back into myself and integrate it? How do I clasp it to my chest with both hands and let it melt, let it soften, into my active memory, my sense of self, my sense of truth?
Notes on Usage
Use this spread for soft symbolic truth, not forensic memory.
Don't push for detail. Pull from the past gently.
Let the card images lead you: describe the weather, the color, the mood.
Speak in imagery, not logic. "This was a Five of Pentacles day" might say more than a concrete timeline could.
A few more suggestions for the reading:
Anchor with a grounding object: a crystal, a favorite stuffed animal, something that feels safe to you now.
Journal what arises from the fog, even if it's just snapshots or fragments.
Close by saying to yourself: "I am allowed to feel now what I was not allowed to feel then."
Key phrases:
I'm not here to remember. I'm here to receive.
I don't need to justify what I thought or felt.
Symbols are enough.
The version of me that lived through this still exists inside me. And they are speaking aloud, even if the sound is warped and muffled.
I'll publish a followup spread to this soon: "How Do I Carry This Now?" for reintegration after retrieval. It'll be linked here once it's up.
Hi, I don’t know if you do Q&A related to personal stories, if this is inappropriate i’m so sorry for that. I want to ask about career in birth charts and tarot.
Are tarot or birth charts really reliable for career choice? A while ago, I booked a tarot reading just to see what kind of career I might be suited for. The reader is one of my friend at that time and she said I’d do well in medicine, psychology, research, or teaching. The thing is, those fields don’t really interest me, so I decided not to pursue them.
However, she keeps insisting that my chart shows I should become a doctor or do something related to caregiving. Every time a new method or reading trend appears, they tell me to “check what field suits you best according to this one,” and if it ever points toward art instead of something “practical,” they said the reader just flattering me when they gave me an answer that aligned with art or different from medicine and psychology.
One day I was exhausted and didn’t want to care anymore, so I said, “Whatever, I’ve already chosen my path. I can’t change it now, and I don’t want to overthink it.” Since then, I’ve been distancing myself from them. But today, out of nowhere, they sent a quote in our group chat, aimed at me, implying that I’m “proud because I believe I’m on the right path” when in their eyes I’ve made a huge mistake.
I think they pulled a tarot card and it shows that I’m proud of my choices so they assume that is my thoughts. But the irony is that I’ve never felt confident about my choice, a part of the reasons come from them when they keep saying I’m not suitable for art. I question myself every day, wondering if I picked the wrong path, feeling anxious and unsure. Yet they talk like they know exactly what’s right for me.
So I want to ask are tarot readings or birth charts really that accurate when it comes to determining one’s career path? If everyone is “assigned” a specific profession based on the planets, angles, then what’s the point of human experience, curiosity, and free will? Wouldn’t life lose its excitement if everything were predetermined?
Hi Anonymous -- I'm sorry it's taken me this long to respond to your very well-written question. Life has been...turbulent lately to say the least, but that's neither here nor there.
Point 1: Your Friend
Your friend is, to put it bluntly, kind of a crap friend who is using spirituality and mysticism to control you, rather than inform you. This might be intentional on their part, or they might just be caught up in the rush of astrological knowledge ("oh! This placement means this, according to my books/Robert Hand/TikTok/whatever"). Either way, the way that they're using their supposed expertise to bear down upon you and exert their will is unbecoming of a friend and quite frankly, an ethical failure as an astrologer or tarot reader. I wouldn't patronize them, personally.
Just like a therapist (which to be clear: readers/astrologers are never a substitute for a good therapist) will try to guide you but not be didactic and control your choices, a good modern astrologer or tarot practitioner will offer you the "wisdom of the stars/cards" but won't insist you follow them.
Point 2: Free Will vs. Determinism
Ah, the age-old discourse around divination: How much of divinatory practices is set in stone? How much is altered by free will? Astrologers have been debating this for centuries and, thankfully, the modern consensus is: your instincts are correct, Anon. A Chart is not a Prison. A birth chart shows potentials, themes and energies -- not foregone choices and conclusions. What's more, the same placement (think: twins who are radically different people) can manifest in wildly different ways, in the same way that siblings might react differently to the same home environment or parental attitude.
Heavy Scorpio/8th house energy, for example, might draw a person to psychology, but it can also alternatively draw them to occultism, art that explores the darker aspects of life, horror movies, hospice work, tattooing, or "seeking the depth" in literally any field. A natal chart shows the energies and quality of the circumstances of your birth, not the specific, nitty-gritty path of your life. (Just taking a guess -- you might personally have a lot of planets in your 6th house of service and routine. This can manifest as going into medicine, or it can manifest as being an artist with meticulous attention to technique and process.)
On the topic of tarot -- my view of tarot is largely analytical. I view it as a reflective tool that can (in the vein of "fortune-telling") tell you which way the wind is blowing on your current path -- but you're always free to make different choices on your journey to change that. Good readers open up possibilities for their clients and help them explore things from different angles. They do not repeatedly insist that a client is wrong about their own life, or use the cards to confirm their own biases and opinions on what someone "should" do. Tarot isn't didactic. It's exploratory. And if your friend/reader doesn't realize that, then they are doing all of their clients (including you) a disservice. And you should never denigrate a client's choices or make them feel worse about themselves by using tarot or astrology as a cudgel of authority.
Point 3: Your Feelings and Actions
It's completely understandable that you'd feel unsure and anxious or self-doubting about your choices and path, especially with a "friend" breathing down your neck and constantly critiquing your moves and (magically) knowing your mindset. Whatever card they pulled (nine of cups, maybe? Meh, it doesn't really matter): reading into other people's heads without their permission is an ethically risky practice -- and it's risky in terms of accuracy, too. The card they pulled might have caught you at a proud moment in time when you were feeling good about yourself. It might also be totally off the mark, because they went off half-cocked and read for someone without their consent.
Let me tell you directly, Anon, in case you were still doubting yourself: You did the right thing by distancing yourself from them. Their behaviour and them pressuring you is on them and quite frankly, it's not a cute look. It reeks of a need to control others and be "the only right person in the room." I'm glad for you, that you saw the wrongness of how they made you feel and took appropriate steps. Don't waver on that, and please don't go back to them for any other readings -- tarot, astrological, or otherwise.
If you ever want to explore your chart or the cards again, on your own terms, with someone who approaches you with curiosity rather than judgement, that door is always open to you. Don't let one frankly subpar practitioner close that opportunity for you and sour you on the idea of tarot or astrology. (Although, I wouldn't blame you if you took a break from them for a while).
Introducing Stellium: A live webapp + free, open-source Python package for astrology calculation, chart visualization and reporting that I've been building
I've been working on a Python computational astrology package called Stellium and wanted to share it with people in case they found it useful.
Stellium is a free library for calculating, visualizing and reporting on: natal charts, synastry, transits, progressions, returns, and composite (and Davison) charts. It uses Swiss Ephemeris (similar to many other libraries and software) for planetary positions for maximum accuracy.
Try its outputs live: stelliumastro.app (free, no login required)
The webapp demonstrates about 70% of what the package can do: generate various types of charts, download SVG images and PDF reports, compare famous charts.
I built it because:
I wanted to calculate multiple house systems for a chart at once, to see where planets fall in each
I wanted beautiful chart wheel visualization with lots of configurable options and pretty themes
I wanted "meta-level" chart analysis out of the box: essential and accidental dignities, aspect patterns, sect-aware calculations for Arabic Parts/Lots, midpoints, etc.
I wanted nice-looking, composable "reports" that can be generated in plaintext, command-line tables, or pretty PDFs
Some features of the package:
Basics:
Chart types: natal, synastry (relationship compatibility), transits (natal vs. current sky), progressions, composite, davison, returns (solar, lunar and planetary)
50+ objects, 18+ house systems, and highly configurable aspects (major/minor/harmonic). Includes 25+ sect-aware Arabic Parts (+ your own custom ones), essential/accidental dignities, and both traditional/modern rulerships.
Calculate and visualize multiple house systems on a chart simultaneously (ie, see where your planets fall in Placidus and Whole Sign all at once -- I use this a lot).
More advanced:
Midpoints and fixed stars; dispositor graphs in reports for both planets and (experimental homebrew!) houses. Aspect pattern detection. Declinations and parallel/contraparallels.
Sidereal calculations and basic vedic dignities
Arc directions (solar, lunar, planetary, and some experimental options -- advancing by motion of sect ruler or chart ruler); Zodiacal Releasing with Lot of Fortune, Spirit and (experimental) 23+ other lots.
Trans-neptunian objects (TNO) and uranian planets; dials for 90/45/360 degrees.
Visualization, Reporting and Database:
Really pretty (at least IMO) SVG chart rendering, with lots of themes and palettes for 900+ combination options (13+ themes, even more options for zodiac wheel colors, aspect colors, etc.)
Buildable reports -- you can put together a full, customizable, repeatable report of detailed chart + tables for any chart type, and output it in plaintext (sentences), pretty (rich) command-line tables, or in a nice PDF report!
Small (but growing) database of notable people's births and other events, for easy chart demo-ing or just analyzing the charts of notable figures.
The API is designed to be pretty friendly and readable, so you don't have to know much Python at all to get started. Here's an example:
from stellium import ChartBuilder # Two lines to pull together a nice chart! chart = ChartBuilder.from_notable("Albert Einstein").with_aspects().calculate() chart.draw("einstein.svg").with_theme("midnight").save()
How to get it:
pip install stellium
(If you want a primer on how to install Python, here's one I wrote up for another project -- but same steps are applicable here: Link to Walkthrough)
Links:
Github: https://github.com/katelouie/stellium
Live webapp: https://stelliumastro.app
Short user guide: https://github.com/katelouie/stellium/blob/main/README.md
The question on my mind all day today, ever since my stressful (very!) early morning meeting, has been: "Should I take this gummy?" I made this little 3-card spread variant to let the cards express their opinion on this crucially important matter.
[1] [2] [3]
Invited Energy: What will this gummy (or toke, or what-have-you) offer me today? What kind of energy am I going to feel in this session? What kind of mood will I be in?
Undercurrent: What might come up to the surface if I take it? Where is this session going to end up flowing? What state of me will become more noticeable? Which part will rise to the fore?
Anchoring: What can help me stay grounded and safe during this experience? How do I stop from greening out or drifting into a mental hellscape? What keeps me here and the high pleasant?
Example Reading
(This is what I actually got today.)
Invited Energy: The Five of Cups (oh…)
Undercurrent: Ace of Wands (hmm…)
Anchor: The Empress (ooh!)
The Five of Cups is a sad little card, but it's not necessarily telling me "don't! reverse!" It's saying -- there's going to be some emotional processing that comes along with taking this gummy today. Maybe a little cathartic, lightweight crying -- but nothing crazy (nothing Nine of Swords-like). The energy will open up in an emotional space for me. Maybe some meandering thoughts down the forest trails of the past, maybe crying softly at Marcel the Shell videos. This won't be a high-energy high…
…until it is. The Ace of Wands says, once you do some emotional pre-processing and exploration, there's some creative sparks just waiting to be coaxed to full bloom underneath all the melancholy. If you let the sadness move on through you instead of ignoring it, there's some catharsis that can be reached -- maybe even something beautiful. Fresh ideas. Buzzy thoughts. Cartoon zebra patterns and a sudden urge to draw things. Much is possible with Le Gummie.
Finally, the Empress says: keep in touch with your body, your self, your breath, your muchness. She lends stability to the creativity and flowing energy of the previous card…but also presence. You must be present in yourself to keep a good handle on this evening and keep from spinning off into the distance. Keep your snacks close. Pet some fabrics. Light a candle. Ground yourself in your body. You're allowed softness and feeling good, even if it's chemically assisted.
Verdict: Yes on the gummy, with both tissues and snacks at the ready. See you all later.
The Echo Spread, or the 3+3 Spread: An Expansion on an Old Favorite
Spread Names:
The Echo Spread
The 3+3 (+3) Spread(s)
"What, and then What?"
This is intended as a modular extension on the old faithful three-card spread, for all of its many variants. The three-card is a great spread -- enough cards for context and nuance, not so many cards you start to get overwhelmed. However, I've often found myself wishing for a "and then what?" once the spread is finished. The Mind, Body, Soul…and then what? The past, present, future…and now what? This is an attempt to extend and integrate the original spread into something a little more actionable and responsive.
Use this spread when you need more than a snapshot. This gives you a path forward.
Here's your original spread:
[1] [2] [3]
[4] [5] [6]
Then we add another row of three cards beneath it to represent a single question for each of the original cards: Okay, so what do I do with this information?
It's three cards for what you see, and three cards for how you live it.
Here's a little breakdown of the way to interpret the extra row for several standard variants of the three-card spread.
Past-Present-Future
What do I do with this past? How do I integrate this past?
What do I do with this present? How do I response to this present?
What do I do with this future? How do I prepare for (or avoid) this future?
Mind-Body-Spirit
What do I do with this mind? What thought wants to be shifted?
What do I do with this body? What does my body need right now?
What do I do with this spirit? What brings me back to myself? What does my spirit need to remember?
You-The Other-The Relationship
What do I need to offer or cultivate? What's my responsibility?
How can I meet or understand the other more clearly?
How can I support this relationship as a whole?
Situation-Obstacle-Advice
What's my relationship to the situation? What am I projecting or resisting?
How can I work with this obstacle? What's in my power?
How do I embody this advice? How do I make it real?
Option A-Option B-Choice
What fear, hope, belief or idea lives in Option A? What are the emotions here?
What fear, hope, belief or idea lives in Option B?
What does "truth" and alignment feel like in this choice? How do I sense my "yes"?
An Advanced Extension: The 3 + 3 + 3 Mind-Body-Spirit Spread
Here's also a spread specifically for mind-body-spirit (though it can be adapted for others) that focuses on three different aspects of the triad, and thus has three rows of 3 (plus an anchor card at the bottom if you want it).
MY BOOK "THE SKY WITHIN" BY FRANCESCA AVAILABLE ON AMAZON AND ALL DIGITAL PLATFORMS
Your Sun sign isn’t just who you are, it’s the opening scene, the way the light first breaks, not the full story that unfolds after.
Your Moon sign isn’t just how you feel, it’s the undercurrent, the tide beneath the surface, the private weather shaping your inner world.
Your Mercury sign isn’t just how you think, it’s the cadence of your voice, the handwriting of your mind, the way ideas find their shape in you.
Your Venus sign isn’t just how you love, it’s the color you paint over longing, the song you hum to invite someone closer.
Your Mars sign isn’t just how you act, it’s the strike of the match, the raw force of wanting, the way your body insists on moving forward.
Your Jupiter sign isn’t just your luck, it’s the open window, the call to stretch, the promise that the horizon is always a little wider than you thought.
Your Saturn sign isn’t just your struggle, it’s the scaffolding, the weight that forges patience, the bones that hold you steady when nothing else does.
Your Uranus sign isn’t just your rebellion, it’s the lightning jolt, the sudden crack in the pattern, the reminder that freedom is non-negotiable.
Your Neptune sign isn’t just your dream, it’s the fog on the glass, the shimmer on the water, the invitation to see beyond the obvious.
Your Pluto sign isn’t just your shadow, it’s the soil that swallows and remakes, the pressure that turns what breaks into something unshakable.
Your Rising sign isn’t just your mask, it’s the threshold, the doorway others step through before they glimpse the rooms inside.
Your Midheaven isn’t just your career, it’s the echo you leave behind, the name etched into the skyline long after you’ve gone.
Your North Node isn’t just your destiny, it’s the compass trembling in your hand, the dare to walk where your comfort zone dissolves.
Tarot Courts and Parts Work: An IFS-Inspired Framework
What is IFS?
IFS stands for Internal Family Systems. It's a psychotherapy model based on a core idea: People aren't just one unified personality. Each person is a whole system of inner voices, roles and reactions. Every part of you -- even the messy, ugly parts -- has a reason for being here.
IFS therapy is sometimes called "parts work." It's often used to address trauma, heal shame, and for deep emotional integration.
When I first heard about IFS, it resonated immediately. It's pretty easy to see its principles within yourself. For example, when you're facing a painful problem, one part of you wants to run away from it and another part of you wants to stay and fix it. Another part is still carrying related pain and trauma from five years ago. And yet another part of you is numb and tired of feeling anything at all.
The General IFS Structure
I said that IFS sees your inner self as a collection of parts -- but it also tends to organize these parts into three (very) general categories.
Exiles: The wounded parts. These parts of you carry your pain, shame or unmet needs. They often represent aspects of you that are young or frozen in time or development. They're scared -- and they can be loud or quiet about that. We try to avoid triggering these parts. (And yes, I mean "trigger" in the formal psychological sense, not the pop culture sense.)
Managers: The parts who try to keep things under control and manageable. They keep your system running. They enforce rules -- but they also overthink and micromanage. As with most over-functioning managers in real life, they're often exhausted.
Firefighters: The parts that reactively swoop in to put out the psychological and emotional fire when an Exile part gets triggered/activated. These parts distract and soothe -- but that soothing isn't necessarily calm. Sometimes it's chaotic and even louder than the Exile's reaction. They can self-sabotage and be impulsive (with a purpose). They will do anything to stop the pain.
In the center of this solar system of parts is The Self (sometimes called the "adult part"). They are calm, compassionate and grounded. When they're in control, other parts feel safe enough to let go and relax. This is you at your best and most "locked in."
In IFS, healing isn't about getting rid of parts, necessarily. It's about tending to and leading them differently.
How Does This Connect To Tarot?
When you look at your chart or a spread laid out before you and think immediately "That's me -- but also not me. But also so me." That's oddly close to parts work. To my mind, tarot is a parts system by its nature.
Cards can speak with different voices, and suits embody different desires and needs. The Court Cards act out different roles in a cycle or system.
If you've ever pulled a card and thought, "Ohhh, that's the part of me that's anxious about (thing)" or "This card feels like a protector" -- that's almost like a different dialect of parts work.
Mapping The Court Cards
The Tarot Court is already often interpreted as distinct people within the deck. However, we can look at them not as external figures, but as internal parts of yourself -- a cast of characters that inhabit your emotional / psychological / behavioral system and story.
Looking at the cards this way, The Page is the part of you that's still young, unformed, curious and learning whether to touch to stove to see if it's hot. The Queen is the part of you that manages emotion. Each court identity becomes something different: a protective strategy, a developmental stage, or a symbolic part of your internal world.
Important Note: This is not diagnostic. This is metaphor and resonance. It's a symbolic look into how our inner worlds move.
Additionally, court cards aren't being mapped 1:1 with IFS roles. They're mapped to types of parts or partial expressions of behaviour and internal unconscious strategy.
The Pages: Exile Parts
Pages are innocent, curious, and unprotected. As parts, they are frozen in time and development: young, open, and vulnerable. They still wonder and sharply ache. They are unresolved. When pages appear, they could be asking for safety, a guiding hand, or actual integration into the calm, central adult Self.
*Page of Wands
The part that wants to start things, to explore, to be bold. It's also impulsive and naive. This exile says: “I wasn’t allowed to be excited. I was told to calm down.”
Page of Cups
The part that still wants to be held. It's sweet, unguarded, and daydreamy. They might carry pain from rejection, embarrassment, or feeling “too sensitive.”
Page of Swords
The part that learned thinking fast was how to survive. Always watching, always reading the room. Doesn’t trust easily. Wants clarity and protection.
Page of Pentacles
The part that seeks safety through control. It gives love through tasks and seeks validation through productivity. It learned the rules to stay protected.
The Knights: Firefighter Parts
The Knights are reactive and action-based. They protect through motion. They are the parts that move fast when pain is triggered. They often act with good intentions and poor boundaries. Knights want to help and they want to save. But they might also be running from something they can’t strictly name.
Knight of Wands
“If I move fast enough, I won’t feel the shame.” This part uses action, spontaneity, and chaos. They are a thrill-seeking escape from stillness.
Knight of Cups
“Let’s turn the pain into romance.” This part soothes through fantasy. They want to be loved, adored, and rescued (or rescue someone else).
Knight of Swords
“I’ll out-logic this feeling and fight the pain with certainty.” This part defends through sharp words, fast thinking, and decisive action. It doesn’t feel -- it out-argues emotion.
Knight of Pentacles
“If I keep working, I don’t have to feel.” This part controls through steadiness. It resists chaos by never stopping. It has the energy of a "quiet" firefighter, with burnout masking as reliability.
The Queens: Manager Parts (Emotional/Relational Managers)
The Queens are reflective, pattern-aware, and protect through attunement or regulation. They're more self-aware than the Knights or Pages, but still trapped in their own patterns. They are the parts of us that hold emotional knowledge and protect the system by maintaining relational or internal harmony. They’re strong, wise, and sometimes over-functioning.
Queen of Wands
The part that protects by shining. They exhibit confidence, charisma, and strength. (Vulnerability only happens backstage.) This part manages through presence.
Queen of Cups
The caretaker and the empath. This part says "I'll feel it for you". She protects you through sensitivity…and she can drown inside others if she doesn't protect herself too.
Queen of Swords
The part that makes boundaries and tells truths. It knows things and doesn't flinch. It manages via keeping all the emotions well-structured and firmly in place. She is fierce, clear and eternally out of reach to others.
Queen of Pentacles
The part that cooks, fixes, prepares, and nurtures. She manages through acts of care, and sometimes forgets that she has needs too.
The Kings: Manager Parts (Structural, Behavioral, Identity Managers)
The Kings are directive and strategic. They protect through competence and control. They are the parts of us that run the system (or try to). Kings take the lead and make the decisions. They manage who we become. These parts are full of wisdom…or rigidity. They’re often the most reluctant to let the adult Self take the wheel.
King of Wands
This part is the visionary and protector -- he says "I'll lead us out of this". He can inspire or steamroll his way into a result. This part believes that vision overrides reality -- "If I inspire hard enough, the problem will solve itself." It confuses passion and charisma with leadership and gets frustrated. In response, it can jump-start a situation….or it can overwhelm people. It depends on whether anyone actually asked to be led.
King of Cups
The King of emotional regulation. He doesn't panic, he doesn't crack. He feels things very deeply but keeps it all locked down and contained. "Master of his emotions." Sometimes treats his feelings like an exotic fish -- nice to observe and analyze, but not something to let out into the wild.
King of Swords
The commander. Logic comes first and feelings come last. It might exile anything that doesn’t fit the mental framework. Thinks clarity requires control. It cuts through "emotion" to get to "truth" -- and sometimes it slices far too deep.
King of Pentacles
This part is the provider. It keeps the system safe by keeping it stable. It can be generous, grounding, or a total control freak with a ledger and line items. It equates safety with control, and that love is best expressed through providing resources and protecting them. This part can become possessive about things -- whether resources or people.
What Do We Get From This?
This framework doesn't try to turn tarot into therapy. Instead, it turns tarot into a symbolic language for self-exploration.
You can…
See which parts of yourself are active in the moment
Name your inner conflicts with clarity and without shame -- what shame is there in a Page or a Queen? They're just doing what they do best, and what they are made for.
React to yourself with compassion and understanding
Maybe learn to lead with the full Self, rather than with parts that are simply trying to protect you in the (only) way they know how to.
A Note for Tarot Readers
We've always known that court cards are parts of a bigger story than "this is a tall, dark man in your life". They are both more and less than other people. Use this framework to ask them:
What are you trying to achieve for me?
What do you need?
Where do you hurt?
Are you tired?
Don't label yourself with tarot. Just listen.
Resources
"No Bad Parts" by Richard Schwartz
"Self Therapy" by Jay Earley
"Introduction to Internal Family Systems" by Martha Sweezy and Richard Schwartz (clinical text)
"Internal Family Systems Skills Training Manual" by Frank Anderson (clinical text)
Hi I would love to ask about My Jupiter in Cancer in the 8th, Along conjunct Chiron, and Vertex, and my Pluto in Scorpio in the 12th I'm Sagittarius rising. Thank you! I've had spiritual awakening in the last 4 years, and I have spiritual abilities such a clairvoyance, and seen some my past-lifes.
Thanks for sharing your placements, and apologies on the belated reply! You've got a pretty juicy chart, even with partial details (and one crucially missing piece that I'll get into!).
There's a lot going on in your chart that really explains your spiritual awakening and abilities that cropped up.
First off -- your rising sign is Sagittarius, so Jupiter is your chart ruler. And Jupiter is…exalted in Cancer in the 8th house, conjunct Chiron and your Vertex. So your entire identity and way of moving through the world is organized around the themes of the 8th house. Those are: the hidden, transformative, emotionally intense, often interpersonal things that most people don't see or try not to see.
Jupiter actually rules both your 1st house (identity, self-ego), and your 4th house (emotional foundation, family, home, roots). Both of these "disposit" (or essentially link their concerns in life) to your 8th house, since that's where Jupiter lives. So, your sense of self and your emotional safety are both filtered through the lens of 8th house experiences, which points to why spiritual insight and sudden self-reevaluation via crisis and intensity occurred in your life.
The Jupiter-Chiron conjunction is interesting, and key to your spiritual insight. It's a very Chironic thing that, most likely, emotional pain and wounds manifested or "broke (good)" into spiritual abilities or transformation. "The wound becomes the gift."
Your Jupiter (exhalted!) in Cancer also suggests that you're very comfortable with unseen things, emotional undercurrents, cycles of death and rebirth -- the uncomfy things in life. You likely intuit hidden emotional or power dynamics easily. Lots of potential ancestral wisdom and a intense, somewhat dark sense of creativity. The Vertex added in means that you're likely fated to encounter transformation and intensity -- likely through relationships that feel fated, themselves. They might bring pleasure or pain to your life -- that's the coin flip of the 8th house. Whatever they are, they'll be big -- these relationships have very deep, almost subterranean emotional components.
Pluto in Scorpio (in domicile -- ruling itself) is normally a generational placement, but when it's in the 12th house it becomes personalized and internalized -- especially with the large focus and number of objects in the 8th house. Pluto and its transformations (often painful) that operate in the unseen areas of your life (12th house) resonates on the same frequency as your 8th house placements. Past life patterns or karma might be trying to awaken in you in this life. Past-life memories make a lot of sense. The 12 house holds what is brought forward unconsciously, the 8th house activates it (and you've got a lot of 8th house to go around).
You seek things (hence Sag rising) -- but for you, you seek the internal, the personal, the unknown. (Cancer, 8th house Jupiter). You gain insight and knowledge through loss, pain and intensity. That's your journey, and you'll have more of it than most people. Sag rising gives you the courage and perspective to deal with all of the pain and intensity in your 8th house.
Also, here's a big thing in your Chart. I mentioned Jupiter, and how it is a big, core component of your chart (and also rules the 1st and 4th houses). The thing is, the Moon rules Jupiter in your chart (since it's in Cancer). That means the Moon is a huge missing piece in your chart -- a key, essential part that most of your chart will hinge around. The placement of your Moon -- house, sign and aspects -- is crucially important here. It shows how all of that 8th house energy (and 1st…and 4th…and Chiron…and your Vertex) get processed emotionally and instinctually. It shows how it impacts you, and how you gut-react to it. It's the big missing puzzle piece. Please, if you don't know already, find out where your Moon sits, and (hopefully) what phase it was in.
One last thing -- the 4-year timeline you mentioned likely corresponds with major transits in your chart to things like Pluto, Jupiter, Chiron or (especially) the Moon. If you're interested, check those out for the beginning, middle and end of that particularly spiritually-fecund period of your life. You'll likely see some major aspects happen in your chart to transiting planets.
Do you have any spreads about job searching? I see many spreads related to interviews/will I get the job/career goals but not many geared towards the search & application process. The market is a miasma of 💩 right now & any insight would be helpful
@weirdhologurl
Hey there! Sorry, I actually recently went through my own job overhaul and was off of Tumblr for a couple of months. I won't say that I hope you're still searching, but I hope this reaches you in time to be helpful.
I didn't have anything already written regarding job searching specifically, so I messed around a little and came up with two different spreads, focused on two different sides of the job search: the lay of the land, and the burnout. (And a bonus sub-spread, for tired days.)
"Lay of the Land" Spread (For Job Markets, or your search specifically)
Purpose: For when you need to stop doomscrolling Indeed, LinkedIn or Craigslist and re-orient, re-center and motivate yourself with a deliberate move forward. This is for beginnings, pivots, or re-alignments.
(Center) The current terrain: What's the energy of the job market around me right now?
(Above 1) Compass: What values, goals and aspirations should guide me and drive my search?
(To the left of 1): Unstable ground: What looks like it might be promising, but ultimately won't serve me?
(To the right of 1): Equipment: Which of my tools, skills, strengths will serve me best right now?
(Below 1): The opening paths: Where am I the most likely to genuinely find opportunities? (Picture an image of a forest path coming towards you, reaching outward from the painting).
(Below 5, like a path continuing onwards) The First Step: What's a small, actionable thing I can do right now (or soon) to move forward meaningfully?
(Optional, kind of off to the side): What are the external conditions of my journey? What might shift soon or bear (ha) upon me? (These are things like timing, the market, the economy, etc.)
"Job Search Burnout Spread" (For the Miasma of Shit)
Purpose: For when you've shotgunned out applications and got nothing but auto-rejects back. You feel eaten alive, sucked inside-out, and you need to come back and re-center yourself. This is for self-maintenance and the "long middle" of the process.
Structure: This is a gentle spiral inwards, to the center of you.
(High above) The soul-sucker: What's depleting me? What part of this travesty is exhausting me the most?
(Far left) The parasite: What am I internalizing that isn't mine? What part of the shame, the pressure, or the defeat have I absorbed too deeply? This was never mine to carry.
(Low below) What do I release? What's an expectation or fear that I can set down now?
(Far right) How to rest. What source of renewal or release do I have -- even if it's small?
(Below 1) What to remember. What is the truth of me that hasn't been lost, even now? What do I still carry close to my heart? What message is there from the cards about my truth, my worth, my future, my resilience?
(Optional, above 1) Rekindling. What can reignite me -- my hope, my energy? What can warm me from the inside or outside? Again, this card is optional. Sometimes you don't have the energy to jump back in and that's okay.
And for if you're too tired from the miasma to read 6 cards…
The Mini-Burnout Spread (For Foggy Days)
Structure is meant to show the weight in (1), with (2) and (3) as the parts of yourself that are still holding on and need some attention. This version of the spread is designed for holding, not for challenging (unlike the full-fledged burnout spread above). Some days you just need to hang on until the next day and the next shuffle.
(Below, bottom point of a downward-facing triangle) Where am I most depleted?
(Left point of the triangle) What can I let go of for now?
(Right point of the triangle) What still warms me?
I hope this still can help you, and I hope your search is going better.
A Tarot Spread for Interview Prep and Soothing Nerves
(This spread can also be adapted to other stressful events and trials in your life: exams, auditions, public speaking, client pitches, etc.)
I've been interviewing a lot lately, trying to find a new job in my field. I've been doing this for almost a decade and I still struggle so much just to get myself in the room -- both in terms of opportunity and emotion.
In the past, my anxiety has sometimes been so bad that I've cancelled interviews outright. It's something to do with my deep fear of public failure (and my Virgo Chiron in the 6th house, I'm sure -- lots of wounds around perfectionism and not being enough).
Lately I've been reading for myself a day or two before an interview (or sometimes the morning of, if I'm extra nervous). It's not a panacea but it helps to calm my mind before I spiral due to the sheer unknown factor of the interview experience. And if nothing else, shuffling and drawing the cards is meditative for me.
If you've got something coming up, try this spread out! I've included deeper explanations and extra questions for each position in the post below, as well as an example reading and card-by-card interpretation.
Positions
Card 1: First impression
What energy do I naturally radiate to interviewers? What will they notice first about me when I enter the room (consciously or unconsciously)? What part of me enters the room before my words do? What story does my body language tell?
Card 2: Your Strength
What quality or skill is my biggest asset during this interview process? What parts of me shine under pressure? What do I already have that they need? Where does my confidence lie?
Card 3: Your Challenge
What internal or external hurdle could trip me up during this interview? What fear, bad habit or self-inflicted blind spot could be a problem for me? What sensitive point within myself do I need to hold with care -- not force?
Card 4: Best Strategy
What approach, strategy or way or preparation with maximize my chances for a good outcome and serve me best? Where should I lean in? What tool or tone will help me the most?
Card 5: Hidden Factor
What unseen influence could shape the outcome of this interview? Is there something subtle and quiet I should watch for? What am I not being told? What is happening under the surface? Is there an invisible wild card I should know about?
Card 6: Outcome and Key Takeaway
What is the likely outcome here -- and the lesson, regardless of the result? If I zoom out after this is done, what can I take away from this experience?
Card 7: (Optional) How to calm your nerves
What small practice, anchor or mindset will help soothe and ground me? Where does peace already exist in me? What steadiness can I bring with me into the room?
Tips
If you have the time, consider pulling an extra clarifier for Cards 3 and 5 -- these are the "shadow" cards in the spread, and they might be sharp.
Consider choosing a Significator Card and placing it above Card 1 to symbolize and embody yourself, walking into this process. Good candidates are: The Fool (0), Strength, the Queen of Pentacles, the Queen of Swords, the King of Swords, and the Page of Pentacles (if you're early in your career).
Example Reading
Card 1 (First Impression): The High Priestess (II). You come across as thoughtful and observant -- and maybe a little mysterious. You seem like someone who notices a lot but only speaks when you have something to say. You might be intriguing to your interviewers -- someone with a hidden depth beyond just your resume.
Card 2 (Your Strength): Three of Pentacles. You excel at teamwork and collaboration. You love to build alongside others and you get along well with your team. You look the best when you're working as part of a larger team or vision, not when isolated. Focus on interview examples where you worked as part of a team and created something bigger than yourself.
Card 3 (Your Challenge): Five of Wands. This card indicates conflict -- internal or external. External competition or internal self-sabotage might trip you up. There might be a lot of candidates jockeying for this position -- or you might be getting in your own way and being your own worst enemy.
Card 4 (Best Strategy): King of Swords. Stay calm, clear and strategic. Lead with mental clarity and keep your communication structured. The interviewer prefers someone who seems on top of either stuff and who is clear and measured. You might be interviewing for a more senior or managerial role. Speak with authority but not bravado. Be honest.
Card 5 (Hidden Factor): Six of Cups (Rx). You may have negative past experiences (childhood, education, or at a toxic past workplace) that are influencing your emotional and mental state. Watch out for emotional triggers that cause you to regress or pull inwards. You might have felt unappreciated or unworthy in the past. That's not you anymore -- you need to keep reminding yourself of that. You are worthy. You are accomplished. You are not an impostor. They have you in this room because you have things they want.
Card 6 (Outcome and Key Takeaway): The Star. Whatever happens, this interview is a turning point -- away from chaos and disappointment, and towards hope, visibility and recalibration. It might be a success, or it might be a re-alignment of your own expectations and emotions toward a more positive direction. Either way, you can expect the interviewer(s) to be a positive interpersonal experience. This is a strong positive indicator.
Card 7 (Calming Nerves): Four of Swords. Rest is key and paramount. Do not overstimulate yourself or cram before this interview. Give yourself plenty of time to prepare your answers to common questions or practice common technical patterns. Give yourself a calm pocket of time before the interview to simply be. Drink some water. Take a walk around your home. Be silent. Meditate. Even 10 minutes of a little stretching can help center you. Don't rush yourself. Inner peace (I know, I know -- but still) is key.
Synthesis
This spread is about quiet power and calm communication (King of Swords, High Priestess, Four of Swords). You have a natural groundedness and likability and gift for collaboration (Three of Pentacles), and you can use that to your advantage -- as long as you don't get caught up in inner conflict or outer competition.
Preparation matters (King of Swords, 4 of Swords) -- don't shortchange yourself in the time leading up to the interview. The past may try to rear its ugly head and make you doubt yourself, but this interview is already about looking forward and moving into a brighter future -- regardless of the actual outcome of this meeting.
Hi. I’m Nova (not my real name). I’m a data scientist, a tarot reader and an astrologer. I exist between logic and intuition. This is a space for both.
I’m a Capricorn stellium trying to make meaning out of everything. I’ve spent years building models, studying math, and writing code...but somewhere along the way, I realized I was also tracing patterns in stars and cards. This space is where I let both sides of me speak. Tarot and astrology filtered through the mind of someone who was told to think logically but never stopped feeling symbolically.
Ask Me Anything:
Please feel free to ask me anything you like about tarot or astrology! (Or math, data science or machine learning if that's what you're into.) I love weird and/or specific questions if you've got 'em.
My inbox is open! I'll try to get back to you in a timely manner.
Masterlists:
Reddit r/AskAstrologers Reponse Masterlist: Sometimes I write a response on that sub and overshoot my word count. This is a mini-series bringing in-depth analysis of real people's charts over here to Tumblr.
Please feel free to ask me anything you like about tarot or astrology! (Or math, data science or machine learning if that's what you're into.) I love weird and/or specific questions if you've got 'em.
My Style
I read tarot symbolically, narratively, and psychologically. I focus a lot of court dynamics, tarot archetypes, and internal dialogue between the cards. I have a strong focus on structured spreads and readings.
I approach astrology with a blend of traditional methods (rulerships, aspects, decans, houses != signs) and modern mythic/psychological insights. I look at the chart as a story or a cosmic song (the music of the spheres, if you will), and each of the planets is a player.
No question is too specific or too general -- and there are no "stupid questions." Astrology and tarot are just stories that we all tell to each other -- I'm happy to help you write some new ones.
You can check out my blog if you want to see my style, focus, musings and mini-essays.
Hit me up and I'll get back to you as soon as I can!
Mars in Cancer in the 8th house: A Quiet Storm (Reddit Analysis)
Reddit r/AskAstrologers Reply Masterlist
Yet another astrology question on Reddit that I overshot my word count on.
In today's entry in the series, we're looking at the significance of Mars in Cancer, Mars in the 8th House, and Mars aspecting Pluto.
The Question:
What is the significance of my Mars in Cancer birth chart placement?
The Chart:
My Answer
Mars in Cancer
Mars in Cancer is "in fall." That means it operates in a very atypically Martian way -- it's not exactly playing to its stereotypical strengths. What does this mean? Pure Mars energy (think an Aries Mars) is quick-trigger, directly aggressive, and gets up in your face, and it doesn't necessarily need much emotional reasoning to do any of that. A Cancer Mars means a person is more passive-aggressive, protective of them and theirs, conflict-avoidant (until they explode and finally let the Mars fireworks out), and deeply loyal. Their rage boils deep inside until it reaches a point of no return. They also get triggered into their anger through emotion -- no quick-flash conflicts. Anything that sets them off is because it touched something deep, deep inside.
Another part of Mars being "in fall" is that you can feel constrained and limited by your mode of (passive) aggression - like you can't confront people. You have problems healthily expressing anger without bottling it up and blowing your top. You also struggle to decisively act and make fast decisions -- all signs of Mars energy being without its normal tools.
Cancer Mars people need emotional buy-in to act on...just about anything too. It has to resonate or it doesn't feel earned or true. About protection: typically Cancer Mars people protect via withdrawing, silence and providing care to people (or taking care of situations). That's the Cancerian "flavor" that is imparted on Mars, the planet of action.
Mars in 8th House
In the 8th house -- that means all that energy is located in areas of the life that are intense and psychologically *loaded.* Mars represents drive and action, so 8th house Mars is tangled up in deep emotions and trust issues, power dynamics, loyalty and, importantly, loss. You move like a deep, dark tide. 8th house is also the house of "other people's resources" -- so there might be some of that Cancer Mars behaviour and experience wrapped up in inheritance or death (but this is more on the predictive side of things).
Mars Trine Pluto (exactly)
A big thing that you didn't necessarily ask for but I wanted to mention -- you've got a zero-degree, *exact* trine with 12th house Pluto in Scorpio. So you have some crazy, soul-deep stamina and resilience. You transform yourself during (and via) emotional hardship, and you've likely got a great radar for emotional and social undercurrents, secrets, suppressed stuff. But you probably find it hard to pinpoint why, and sometimes disbelieve your own abilities to clock that kind of stuff (that's super 12th house -- hard to see the parts of yourself that live in that house.)
Some Additional Notes, For Tumblr:
Mars Rules 5th and 12th Houses
Mars also rules the 5th house (Aries) and 12th House (Scorpio, by traditional rulership). Because of this, your creative expression might be fueled by emotional intensity and the internal storm raging, not just the simple joy of creation. Your art and creativity serves to express your underworld. Romance and children can also serve as opportunities for you to protect things -- partners and loved ones.
Ruling the 12th house, Mars has a strong tendency toward the secret, the hidden, the subliminal -- you probably need or excel at shadow-work. In this chart, Mars rules the things that no-one sees...and combined with the 8th house, that's a whole storm of intense, personal secret actions and obsessions.
Mars Trine Mercury (loosely)
With Mars loosely trining Mercury in Scorpio, 12th house (the house it also rules) -- Mars just increases the sharp, probing nature of this Mercury placement. Your inner voice is sharp, clear and instinctually decisive, and it tracks things a lot of other people miss. Your mind orbits emotion, not impulse. However, you're the opposite of a public speaker -- your best communication and thinking is done behind the scenes. You observe things quietly and then make your decisions. Your thought processes are deeply subconscious, almost to the point of self-opacity.
Mars Square Midheaven / MC (moderately)
I mentioned that you're not a "public" kind of person -- and this is underlined by the loose square of your Mars to your Libra Midheaven (MC). You might have some frustrations and friction when it comes the visibility of your actions -- either you're seen as "too much" or entirely overlooked. You feel like what moves you internally doesn't match up with what other people see in you. You *hate* having your inner processes and emotions exposed, especially before you're ready.
Mars Opposite Neptune (loosely)
Your Mars is loosely opposite your Neptune (Capricorn, 2nd house). There's a deep but subtle well of spiritual tension here -- and you probably don't even notice it, because Neptune tends to obscure its own movements and aspects. Here, Mars wants to act and Neptune wants to dissolve. You tend to have problems knowing when to act or what to act on, and you have a deep well of self-doubt around the validity of your inner voice and instincts. (This is only worsened by your Mercury being stuck in the 12th house, where we often find occupants hidden from our self-perception).
Since Neptune is in the 2nd house, you might have confusion around self-worth vis a vis material value or the amount of effort you put in. You might feel like other people take advantage of your generosity, and then you may resent them -- because at the root, you don't know what you really want out of your own resources.
When You Lay Down Card 10 and Say "Wait, What?": A Clarifying Spread for the Outcome of the Celtic Cross
You've just finished a Celtic Cross reading. You lay down the final card and you just...stare at it. Instead of clarity, you get confusion. Or dread. Or a card that just doesn't make sense for the rest of the spread.
That's the situation this clarifying spread is for.
When the Five of Swords or The Tower hits the table and everything in you clenches up. What fresh hell awaits me?, you think.
When The High Priestess shows up in a reading about finding your keys. Well, that's spectacularly unhelpful.
When the Eight of Wands is the end cap on a emotional reading full of Cups and Majors. Okay, why all the hubbub all of a sudden? What happened to my deep spiritual reading? Are the cards telling me to run a lap so my head will clear? This reading feels unfinished.
That's what this spread is meant to deal with. It's a more structured version of pulling a clarifying card (or, three, or five) so that you have clear questions and answers. It's a compass through your temporary fog of uncertainty.
You're free to move around the card positions or switch up the order you draw them, though I find this setup works best for me. This is a spread directly from my own personal notebook, and I've used it fairly frequently over the years when the Celtic Cross completes itself and rides away into the sunset -- and I'm left here blinking and befuddled. "But what does that mean?" I want to chase after it and yell. Well, this is me getting it to finally yell back.
It's more of a structured investigation. The idea is to put the card in context and ask the right questions to illuminate it.
Setup
You've pulled a full Celtic Cross spread. You can either
A) slide Card 10 (Outcome) away from the main spread and layer this one over it, or
B) grab that card again later and set up this spread separately (maybe after you've had a day to think about it and realized that no, that stupid card makes no sense and the tarot god(s) have forsaken you.)
Explanation of the Positions -- Diving Deeper
The spread graphic should function self-contained without having to read this post, but I also wanted to dive a little deeper into each card position in case you have questions about one of the blurbs.
Card 1: What is the nature of this card or situation?
This is the "what the hell am I looking at?" card. It gives a new voice to the Outcome Card. It says -- what does this card embody? What is its essence, its internal logic. It paints a new portrait -- not a prediction.
Lay it directly on top of the original Outcome Card like a veil -- or an x-ray.
Card 2: What is the root of this card?
Where does this card come from? What fertile soil -- emotional, psychological, or situational -- is it springing out of? This card is a little like the "Below" card in the Celtic Cross. It can reflect the deeper cause, the underlying energy, the internal narrative, or the external circumstance that led to the current trajectory (and Card 10).
Card 3: How does this card affect the original situation?
This card is about impact. How does Card 10 change or impact the entire Celtic Cross that came before it? What ripples does it send out backwards across the spread? What does it say to help reframe the entire conversation you just had with the cards?
Card 4: What happens if I ignore it?
What's the consequence or result of simply...ignoring this card? Pretending you didn't draw it or it doesn't matter? Or of resisting, bypassing or circumventing it? It shows the potential cost (or benefit -- but mostly cost) of avoidance. What happens if you stick your head in the sand or turn your face away?
Card 5: What is the best way to navigate this card?
The wrap-up and advice-type card. It's not the "Outcome of the Outcome" -- it's the "How do I deal with my Trajectory" card. We're looking forward now. How can you engage with this Outcome consciously and mindfully? What's your own role in either integrating it or moving around it?
This card says: If you do nothing else...do this.
Final Thoughts
This spread isn't necessarily meant to tell you what the future holds -- the Outcome card already did that. It's meant to tell you how to meet that future with preparation and clarity, properly framed and contextualized.
Post Credits scene: The High Priestess smirks and throws your keys onto the table like poker chips. The answer was never lost -- just withheld until "your consciousness" was ready. Okay, ma'am.
Thinking About Tarot Court Cards As The Evolution of A Question
The Court Cards aren’t people. They’re questions-in-progress. Here’s how I think about their evolution.
The Court cards are a little opaque for most people (don't worry, they confound me too sometimes). What helps me is to think of them as people on a search of a particular piece of knowledge -- and their relationship to that topic is the attitude of the court card.
The Courts are roles in a symbolic cycle. They don't show status -- they show steps and signposts along the road to answering a question. Each one is a stage in how we engage with a question, an idea, a topic or a part of ourselves.
The Court Catchphrases: The Evolution of a Question
Page: "Oooh, what's that? What happens if I poke it?" They're the spark of curiosity, the beginning of attention.
Knight: "Let's find out the answer! At the exact speed I want, weee!" They are the pursuit, the action/reaction, the motion.
Queen: "Oh I get it now. The answer clicks -- that's really satisfying. Do you want to know the answer, too?" They're the understanding -- the moment of resonance and integration. The Queens are the feeling of knowing.
King: "I know the answer definitively. I'm going to wield it -- and my accumulated knowledge -- with confidence." They are the wielded synthesis, the directed action, the expression of "I've mastered this topic."
The Focus, Style, and Terrain of the Suits
The other aspect of each court card is the suit. It tells you what kind of question they're asking and how they'll inquire, chase, understand or wield the answer.
Wands (Fire): Story, creation, and desire. The court is curious about inspiration and driven by impact. They want to know what lights them up, what inspires them.
Cups (Water): Emotion, intuition, and connection. The court is curious about feeling and driven by intimacy. They want to know what moves them, what makes them feel, what heals them and others.
Swords (Air): Thought, speech and truth. The court is curious about logic and driven by clarity. They want to know what's right, what cuts through the fog.
Pentacles (Earth): Labor, time and value. The court is curious about process and driven by concrete results and longevity. They want to know what's real, what will last.
Layering them Together: The 16-Role Court System
Now we layer these perpendicular lines of the tarot on top of each other and we get the grid of the Court Cards.
Court of Wands
Page of Wands: "Oooh, what's that spark?" The Page of Wands wants to touch the fire -- it doesn't know yet if it's hot. It wants inspiration, novelty and a quest to start out on. It wants to see what something can become. They're the most impetuous of the Pages. They're a lit match.
Knight of Wands: "Let's chase this spark. Let's get some momentum going. Let's GO." They want to run while the story is still being written. It's curiosity that spurs them to get on their horse and fly like the wind -- fast. They're the fastest of the Knights (maybe tied with the Knight of Swords) but they're going off in every direction. They're a Roman Candle. They are yang fire -- but unbalanced.
Queen of Wands: "I understand this spark. I feel it inside. It makes me radiant. Do you want to feel it too?" The Queen understands and owns her fire. It makes her a beacon. She's a bonfire, warm and ready to share themselves. They radiate their knowledge like the sun. They are balanced yin fire.
King of Wands: "This flame is mine to lead with. I can shape the world in its image -- or inspire you to do the same." (Be careful you don't burn it down.) He leads via inspiration and turns passion into direction. He directs the myth of the flame and commands its narrative. He's a wielded torch. They are balanced yang fire.
Court of Cups
Page of Cups: "Oooh, what's this feeling? It it love? Is it magic? Is it sadness shaped like a fish?" They're the kid with their first crush, the first rush of emotion and tenderness. They are innocent, dreamy and porous -- very few emotional boundaries because they haven't learned their necessity yet. They sigh, look out the window, and draw hearts in their notebook. They're the first burble of a spring coming out of the ground, the first drops of a cup poured gently.
Knight of Cups: "Let's follow the longing and desire. Let's find the answer in beauty." They know the direction to go -- but it's up to them the loops they'll take to get there. They follow every beautiful interest and romanticize the entire process. They sigh and look over their shoulder at someone new. When they are centered, they are deeply set on their pilgrimage toward love and beauty. They are romantic, devotional and deeply escapist. They hold emotion up like a banner standard as they chase (tail). He's a dolphin, squirting water at you.
Queen of Cups: "I’ve held this feeling. I know how it moves. Would you like to feel safe with it?" She is the emotional vessel, and the wisdom of being with. She holds the feeling and understands it deeply, and she invites you into her calm, deep pool. She is a wading pond found in a moonlit clearing in the forest. Come join her.
King of Cups: "I know what this feeling requires. I know what love needs. I can lead with compassion." He's a lake with waves deep under the surface. He looks calm on the outside but "still waters run deep" -- he can turn into a tide pool, too. He's mastered himself in order to hold the needs and emotions of others.
Court of Swords
Page of Swords: "Oooh, what's that idea? I'm going to watch it, listen, and ask questions." They are smart and just a touch skeptical. They're "the smart kid" with boundless intellectual curiosity. They tend to watch from the sidelines -- they're used to living in the world of the mind. They are the first, rising breeze that begins to ruffle your papers.
Knight of Swords: "Let's go find the truth and wrestle it into submission. Let's fight to find the answer. Right now." They act fast, speak fast and sometimes think mid-motion. They are urgency personified -- just as fast as the Knight of Wands, but directed -- pointedly so. They are a jetstream, knocking you over. They speed-read everything and toss the book aside.
Queen of Swords: "I know what's true, even if it hurts. I'll speak it and clearly. I see the truth now, and I see its structure." Her voice is even-toned and rings out across a room, even if she speaks quietly. Her words don't necessarily hurt, even if the truth does. She is wisdom with precision, and her empathy is earned from her. She is a room with completely still air, where you could hear a pin drop. She is the angel of illumination in the devil's details.
King of Swords: "I will wield this truth and I will decide what matters. Truth is a tool and I know how to use it." He is logic as authority. His belief is hardened into a worldview -- for better or for worse. He is a gale-force wind, flattening everything in his path. You will submit. There will be no questions.
Court of Pentacles
Page of Pentacles: "Oooh, what's this seed doing here? I wonder what will happen if I plant it and tend it? Can I make it last?" They are curious about systems, cycles and craft. They want to make something real. They're the kid who plays in the dirt and turns it into joyful gardening. They want to create. They are the kid in the FFA (Future Farmers of America) with dirt always under their nails. They probably major in mycology later. They are a well-tended first sprout.
Knight of Pentacles: "Let's do the work. Let's walk the slow road. No shortcuts. We will get to the answer precisely when we are meant to." He's loyal, methodical, and sometimes stubborn. He’ll finish the hard work even if no one’s watching. He's the odd one out among his brother Knights, but he's the one you can trust to pack out in the morning, and set up the cookpot at night. He is the process of dotting your i's and crossing your t's in notes no one but you will ever see. If the Eight of Pentacles is the action, the Knight of Pentacles is the one who does it. He's a well-plowed field (as opposed to the Knight of Cups, who just leaves you well-plowed.)
Queen of Pentacles: "I understand this process and the rhythm of the soil. I know its worth. It has value. I will tend it with both hands." She is quiet power embodied as nourishment. She's the keeper of the garden -- be it edible or ornamental, though she prefers the former. She makes abundance sustainable. She is the Empress refracted into the courts. She's a soup-pot always simmering on the back of the stove. She feeds the entire village. She flourishes through hard work and careful loving tending. She's the hug that pulls you up by your bootstraps. She's not soft because she's weak -- she's soft because she's strong enough to care.
King of Pentacles: "I've built this from nothing into something, and I'll protect it. I will ensure it lasts." He is authority through provision -- he makes sure the village stays standing, sheltered, fed, and protected. He is the legacy-bearer -- he is the fortress. His walls aren't flashy like the King of Wands. They tell a story only through the fingerprints of those who built them. He guards what matters (and hopefully doesn't hoard it). He may, in his worst moments, veer into territory-guarding and over-protection, but he always means the very best. He is walls of mud and brick, and a figure standing sentinel in front of them. He is foundation.
Some Final Thoughts -- and a Question
The Court Cards don't have to be people -- they can be processes. They can show us how we move through questions on the way to the answer, and what we do with the answer once we have it.
You don't have to "identify" with one court card. You can become each of them in turn, changing from one moment to another, depending on the question you are pursuing. Today you are the King, tomorrow you are the Page. You can become any of them -- It all depends on where you are in a cycle.
What are you curious about right now? What do you already know? And who are you becoming as you follow that question?
