With a heatwave on the West Coast, I’m sitting with the sound of the fans droning on as the clock strikes 12. For some of you it’s already July, 1 2021. Since the heat has turned my sleeping pattern upside down, I thought what better time to do a Spread for the new month than right now. So, with deck in hand and fan turns on HI, let’s delve into what July, and the energy of this month has to offer.
Since we are halfway through 2021 I thought it would be a wonderful opportunity to use the spread we did at the New Year. The Journey Spread will cover the same topics as before, but due to where we are the context of these topics will be different.
All right, without further ado, let’s get into this month’s tarot spread…
As I’ve been looking at the media and what friends and family have had to say, there has been this huge conversation about returning to “normal” or getting back out there. And while I believe it is very important we continue living our lives, just because things are changing on a mundane human level, does not mean that we aren’t still undergoing a transformation and healing on a spiritual, energetic, and global level. For this reason…
My Question: Calling my spirit guides, Mother Earth, Spirit, and all else who would like to join in on the spread. I seek insight and guidance as to where we are on a spiritual level, at this time.
Shadow Card: The Emperor
All right here we are. We begin with our shadow card, representing the overall energy and feel for this month. The Emperor brings not only the energy of a Major Arcana card, but carries the energy of the number four as well. From this we learn that this month is very much about maintenance.
Imagine if you will a garden. Rather than plowing, an additional acre to plant new things, now is the time to reassess what we have with us already. Pull away the weeds, the dysfunction, to give life and room for growth, to those healthy, beautiful gifts that we carry within us.
#1: You when you begin the journey- Queen of Swords
With the Queen of Swords, we discover that we’re beginning our month from this place of weariness. The Queen of Swords oftentimes represents a person who has experienced great hardship, be that physical or emotional, and these struggles that come from living as a human being on Earth
have influenced the life journey that has been taken.
And as a result, the Queen of Swords holds the potential for destruction, in a way that a more innocent person might not be able to comprehend or conceive. However, the Queen of Swords depending on which path in life she chooses, always has the opportunity to reconnect with her inner child.
The innocence and joy, the forgiveness and compassion, those elements that we innately inhabited, selected, and displayed as children. And we see evidence of this potential within the Queen of Swords’ throne, with a small face on the side of her throne very much akin to the face of a child.
We also see butterflies on the Queen of Swords crown to the base of her throne, which is a common symbol of transformation. That we have the potential to go from this caterpillar and emerge as this beautiful butterfly no matter what history we bring with us moving forward.
#2: Encounters along the way- Six of Wands
Now this card symbolizes success, that our Fool has done something to warrant a celebration as he is led in the parade while others cheer him on. This card, given this position, lets us know that moving forward we can anticipate successes.
That while we are not near the end of our journey, the 6 of Wands being only #6 within a ten numbered arc, but that we can still have joys in our life, before we reach that final destination as that beautiful butterfly. We can choose to enjoy and cherish any moment in our life, the big celebrations and the small.
#3: What you need to leave behind- King of Wands
We see another court card with the King of Wands, and the King of Wands is an interesting card, for he begins the story arc of the kings, as the first suit in the Minor Arcana. But given the position he holds in this particular spread we’re not looking at the positive and beneficial attributes of the King of
Wands, we’re looking at the lower polarity that is encountered with this card.
So, we need to release moving forward this perception that the King of Wands exudes as the baby king. He is immature, self-centered, and while a great starter he doesn’t see things through to their finish.
This tells us that if we wish to take our wounds and pain and transform into this lighter being, this being that is able to take flight, this butterfly, then we need to stick to this path and plan. We must see it through.
We also need to embrace the responsibility that we have for our own life. It is our choice to release our pain, and the things that bring it, the habits, people, environments, and even perceptions.
It is our choice how we perceive, approach, and treat life. And as the world is undergoing this healing journey, we as individuals have a choice to also go on a healing journey.
#4: Where you presently stand- Five of Swords
The 5 of Swords is oftentimes a very turbulent card, made even more shifty with the number five energy. But sometimes turbulence is the only way to address life and sometimes having that five energy to bounce from moment to moment, is a skill that is beneficial to have.
In this particular position, currently representing where we stand, the first thing that has caught my eye is the separation between these individuals, and I read this as meaning the mentality that has divided these people. We see evidence of that with the King of Wands being a part of one of the “me” suits, and his self-absorption.
Given the context, the 5 of Swords is telling us that our perception, and attitude towards life needs to change on this healing journey from a self-centered place to a place of community. We are all interwoven and connected.
This truth is not widely acknowledged or embraced on a conscious level within the human societal world, the presence of this card tells us that we presently, are divided from each other. And I want to pull in an example I got from Dr. Dan Siegel, and I’ll include the link to his discussion: How Our Relationships Shape Us
The creator for the scientific field of interpersonal neurobiology, he works with the brain and our relationships as well as so much more. He posits that we have created a culture where we encourage people to take from others and we see this with the swords surrounding our Fool.
His Example:
Imagine if you will, that we are all candles. That in our culture, when we see another light sputtering, we have been taught to blow that other candle out. Because that person might qualify for a spot at the college we want to go to, or the job we want, or the relationship that we want. As a result, we have created a culture where we divide from each other, as we see within this card.
Dr. Dan Siegel then posits what would it cost us if instead, when we see this light sputtering within another human being, we leaned over and used our candle to help them out. What would it cost us?
How much more could we achieve if we supported and embraced each other? And rather than hogging all of these resources that we won’t even use- the Fool has two hands, but possesses five swords, what if instead we share. What could be achieved if we approach life from this mentality of community. (candle example: 53:10 – 55:43)
#5: The issue facing you now- Ten of Pentacles
I laid the spread out, face down so that I could focus on each card as we came to it. And so having just wrapped up card #4, I’m now looking at card #5. And here it just exemplifies this meaning I derived from card #4 so well.
The 10 of Pentacles shows us a family and we see this idea of community represented within this card. And, given its relationship with the 5 of Swords next to it, we learn that the issue facing us right now is that we are not being or acting like a village or community.
We can see two very contrasting images when we look at the 5 of Swords and the 10 of Pentacles next to each other. With the 5 of Swords, we see just three people, this very barren land, and questionable weather on the horizon.
Yet when we turn to the 10 of Pentacles, we see this growth, the flowers, we have nature and wildlife, we have animals, family, children, and wonderful buildings.
We see in the display of these two cards, how drastically different the end result is or what we can manifest when we approach life from this perception of “me” and this perception of “we”.
#6: What you need to take to the future- Ace of Wands
With the Ace of Wands being not only an ace, holding energy/potential but being the first card within the first suit of the Minor Arcana we see this idea of a new beginning. What we need to take with us moving forward, is this new understanding, this new idea, that we are
not alone.
That we may carry scars and pain, but those things do not divide us from connecting with people, achieving human connection, or achieving the giving and receiving of love.
With this new idea of community. We on a spiritual level are working towards a more harmonious lifestyle, and please don’t misinterpret this idea of the word “harmonious.”
It doesn’t mean things are bland or without adventure or entertainment. It merely means that when things are challenging, it is for growth and development not destruction.
#7: What is calling you onwards- Two of Pentacles
The 2 of Pentacles is a special card to me because he exemplifies that things aren’t always what they first appear. Because on first appearance it is easy to perceive this card as challenging. We see a Fool attempting to juggle, balance on one foot, the uneven seas behind him, and he’s
wearing this tall hat that might fall off his head at any moment. And we, or at least I get this feeling of “Whoops, oh no!”
But that comes from a perception of fear or worry. If instead, when I stare longer at this card and come from this perception of love and generosity, I am encouraged by the 2 of Pentacles. We see here a Fool engaged with the dance of life.
Rather than being this straight rod in the earth, unmoving, and snapping, we see instead the Fool dancing from foot-to-foot. Being able to move and bend with life, so that he can still achieve what he’s working on.
We also see with the 2 of Pentacles, that he’s juggling this sign of eternity, and given the context of the spread I see those two Pentacles as the self (internal reality) and the external, the collective community.
Right now the external reality is very much coming from this perception of individualism, as opposed to community. Yet we see here with this card, and given its placement, this card is telling us that moving forward we can still be us, and we can still be together. It is not a one or the other proposition.
So, by choosing a healing path, we are walking towards the state where we will be in a position and capable of dancing with the flow of life no matter what we encounter as an individual and as a community.
#8: How you take this next step- Queen of Cups
We see here with the Queen of Cups this continued theme of inner child, in essence and vitality, with three children depicted on the throne. We also have this cup energy, which symbolizes intuition, compassion, love, and connection.
When taking the next step, the Queen of Cups demonstrates movement and flexibility. If you imagine how water changes shape depending on what holds it, such as a mug, a bowl, or a vase, we see this water energy.
As opposed to the Queen of Swords, which is what we began the journey with card #1. She is very rigid, and when you think of that sword, it is unbending, unyielding, even unforgiving.
Given the relationship between these two queens, I’m actually reminded of a spread I did years ago when I was studying with my Tarot teacher. I had done a spread desiring greater intuition and wanting to know how I could achieve that, and both queens made themselves present in that spread.
With my teacher’s guidance, she showed me that what the spread was telling us is that with the Queen of Swords she is about organization and rigidity, which has benefits in certain contexts.
But that the Queen of Cups is much more malleable. This water energy enables her to go with life in a different way, and follow the flow, allowing for this intuition to come in. Where the Queen of Swords was so rigid that the intuition was a round peg trying to fit into this square hole.
Due to that reading, long ago, and this one right now, I would say that our spirit guides are letting us know that to take the next step we need to be open to the unknown. Be open to where the river of life is going to take you. Be that 2 of Pentacles dancing with life.
We are going to achieve this success and happiness as seen above the Queen of Cups with the 6 of Wands and the 10 of Pentacles (the attainment of our Castle of dreams) by being more open.
Going with the flow, not making quite as many definitive plans and letting life present to you the potential of joy. I know how much we want to envision and anticipate where we’re going with our life. But this is the wonderful thing about spirituality and faith, that when we
find what it is we believe and connect, and when that connection is healthy and loving, we’re able to reassess and view the world from this new perception and be ok.
When you have faith and when you understand that Spirit, or creator, is loving and generous, you come away with the knowledge that as we move on with our lives and move forward, that even if on a mundane human level things seem off kilter, that on a spiritual level, you’re taken care of and guided.
That we can be like the butterfly and fly from wonderful flower to wonderful flower and be okay.
#9: Journey’s end- The Sun
We end our spread with card #9, Journey’s End, and we see here, the Sun, our only other Major Arcana card. If you take a moment to look at this card you will see elements of our reading pulled together within this single card.
We see the child who is on the thrones of our Queen of Cups and our Queen of Swords. We see this bright, vibrant happy yellow, that has been present with our Pentacles, and with the throne of the King of Wands. We see these sunflowers representing joy and happiness.
All of these different elements tell us that on a spiritual level, we are on this journey from a state of that caterpillar into a state of the butterfly. Where those elements within us as children that have been hidden will shift and we’ll be able to embrace and come out into the light.
These elements within the child could be wonder- there’s always something more to learn. So, what interests you, what hobby could you delve into this month?
The joy- What kind of games could you undertake this month? I know for myself that the sprinkler outside is a wonderful enjoyment, and a very cooling therapeutic tool in this hot environment.
What sort of shyness, might you be comfortable feeling knowing that Spirit is supporting you and your spirit guides are right there beside you. What forgiveness can you share with yourself and with those around you.
Final Thoughts:
This month I wanted to place an emphasis on the spiritual aspect that is a part of our lives, because it is very easy to perceive things from a purely mundane perception. As a result, it is very natural to feel fear, worry, and even concern about livelihood, safety, health, and even what the future holds for us, given that what we have experienced recently.
I also know that when we have experienced hard times in our lives, that those moments can seem to dwarf the happy ones within our mind and chal
