Mist, clarity, self-assessment (not the tax kind!)
Welcome to November!
The fact that I’ve drawn the Moon card is unsurprising, following the crazy astrology of October. The sky is full of intense energy! This seems to be a refrain I’ve been playing on repeat for the last considerable while, but unfortunately that doesn’t make it any less true. If you feel like a cork bobbing about on a stormy sea, you’re not alone. The moon card is reflective of this, telling us to be a little careful. All is not necessarily what it seems. We’re not getting the full picture, and it’s making us feel uneasy and uncertain. Fears and uncertainties and doubts are rising to the surface, and (mixing metaphors wildly) it might be hard to see the wood for the trees. (See the sea for the fish, maybe?!)
The Moon in astrology indicates our emotions and intuition, and because I’m an astrologer first , I tend to read this card as pertaining to that side of us, initially; the inner emotional and spiritual needs that we have. But this is tarot. Yes, the Moon speaks to us still of intuition and depths, but with the uneasiness of unstable energy. The key here is a delicate balance of trusting your intuition, but not letting the limiting beliefs that live in your subconscious have free rein. Intuition is mysterious and magical, like the moon; it relies on letting our wild side (the wolf) and our conditioned side (the dog) communicate with one another. In order for the intuition to work, neither of these parts of ourselves must take control. The moon is warning us to be careful in times of confusion.
Luckily, the next card is here to guide the way. The Queen of Swords is very firmly in the realm of intellect, and she’s here to reassure us that we, too, can cut through all the BS and use our intellect and judgement to make good decisions. It’s not that she doesn’t believe in the spiritual. It’s just that she is as clear and concise as a sword can be. She rules the air, which means she’s comfortable with change, and we see that in the movement of the clouds tumbling by and in the butterflies on her throne, signifying transformation. This queen takes you straight to the point. She could represent a literal person in your life, straight talking and not bothering trying to butter you up. This could even be you, or it could be a situation in which it is impossible to avoid the truth. You may be forced to face something without a blindfold. There are no soft edges here, and sometimes the truth hurts, but it can also be clarifying and refreshing. With this card, you always know where you stand, so whether that’s a person or a situation, you don’t need to wonder if something is hidden below the surface. It’s not. What you see is what you get, here. She lets us know that it’s okay for us to speak clearly and firmly, to set boundaries, and to meet expectations. And not just okay – it’s the best course of action.
Our final card is Judgement. Although the card has significantly Christian overtones, as a non-religious person, I let the symbolism speak to me in a different way. For me, this card is telling me to wake up from my Pisces south node dreaming! That’s a personal astrology reference, of course, but you get the idea. Judgement is telling us that we’ve spent enough time sleeping. It’s time now to take action. This card is often pulled when we’re either approaching the end of a phase or chapter, or have just completed one. It asks us to assess the choices we’ve made. It’s a card of evaluation, of karma, of accountability, and rebirth. We’re invited to think clearly about the beliefs that have shaped us so far, and to decide what needs to change. It asks us to look honestly at what we hold ourselves accountable for, and if this is what we choose to keep with us as we enter the new chapter in our lives. There’s some pretty heavy duty stuff here! but it’s okay. We can do hard things.
So what do these three mean together? Just like the energies in the sky at the moment, these cards are reflecting heaviness, confusion, and hope. The moon understands that we feel confused. It recognises that we are perhaps behaving instinctually, and maybe not using our intuition consciously, but living in the safety of limiting beliefs. When we’re overwhelmed by the moon, the Queen of Swords shows up to remind us that we have the tools within us. We can welcome her arrival after the confusion of the moon, because she will show us where the path is clear, and which direction to take. When we’ve learned to trust our intuition wisely, we can be decisive and mature. The Queen cuts a clear bright light through the moon haze. She allows us to think objectively and take the relevant information from the swirling fog. She reminds us that we are capable. She does not have time for cuddles and softness, because these could allow us to fall back into the comfort that is often found in escapism. Comfort is lovely, but it rarely moves us forward.
With the clarity of this queen, we can face Judgement. Rising above the watery emotions of the moon, using our intellect, we can communicate with ourselves with honesty and kindness. This queen may be absolute in her truth-telling, but she’s not unkind, and neither is Judgement. Both these cards suggest that it is more kind to be honest, in the long run.
Whatever we’re going to face this month, we can take comfort from the fact that when we’re drowning in a muddled sea, we can call upon our inner Queen of Swords to assess the situation and face it clear-eyed. We are capable of change and transformation, and an ending of a chapter is also the beginning of the next one. Judgement is number 20 in the deck. It’s almost the end of the cycle – just as 10 in the minor arcana is always the end of a cycle, 20 in the major Arcana symbolises that this chapter is drawing to close. There’s nothing to be worried about here. We have everything we need, and once again the cards remind us of this.
Have a lovely November everybody, and let me know how this resonates with you in the comments below.