Monthly Tarot: Pisces

Last month was so crazy that I haven’t even begun to process it.  Hopefully, this month will be a little more manageable—though this last week tells me it probably won’t be by much.  Interestingly, this lunar month began precisely as the sun moved from Aquarius into Pisces.

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Annual Card for Pisces (February/March) = Ace of Cups

1st – Self, Viewpoint — Ace of Cups

Bliss, inner wealth, openness.  Opening up to the mystery of all-encompassing love.

I find it highly auspicious that my 1st House card matches my monthly card from my annual reading.  It gives me hope that the bliss and renewal I’ve been feeling is not just illusionary.

2nd – Finances, Income, Communication — XX the Aeon

Transformation, new beginning, hope.  Steps in the right direction.  Encourages opening up to a new development, but warns against underestimating initial difficulties.

Not sure what to do with this one, as I’m on a fixed student-loan income.  Perhaps it’s time to put out my shingle?

3rd – Daily Experiences, Immediate influences — Princess of Swords

Esprit, clarity, mental reward, provocation, quarrelsome nature.  Critical confrontation with old thought patterns.  People with common interests, fighting over standpoints, hateful atmosphere, debates, dirty tricks.  Encourages coolly and decisively clarifying a situation; discourages frontal attacks and “sharp-tongued criticism”.

However Ace of Cups-y I may be feeling, I think my temper may take a while to simmer down.  I also suspect that the issue which prompted my last post may continue to cause me trouble.

4th – Home-place, Family, Land, Roots — XIV Art

Finding the right proportions, balance of powers, harmony, relaxation, healing.  Overcoming inner tensions and finding the way out of an apparently unsolvable dilemma.  Encourages giving one’s best to overcome contradictions and differences; warns against underestimating the difficulty of a plan or the depths of a problem.

My first impulse is to take this as an admonition: to take this month to settle back into my home-place, to bolster the house-wards, and focus on deconstructing my growing sense of alienation and disillusionment with my college.

Alternatively, I’ve already been thinking a lot about what to do with my apartment over the summer.  The chief question is one of work: will I find work here in Sunrise, or will I go back to KC?  or even Larryville?

Or, perhaps more literally, this is about getting back on top of my alchemy experiments.   Mmm, Abramelin Oil.

5th – Fun, Pleasure, Children, Hobbies, Lovers — Queen of Disks

Fertility, sense of security, sensuality, serenity, endurance.  Patiently trusting to natural cycles.

Nothing makes me more nervous that a fertility card in association with my sex life.  (Child-free for LIFE!)  At least it’s not the Princess of Disks … or, worse, the Empress.

6th – Work, Illness, Duty, Routine — 10 Cups “Satiety”

Fulfillment, culmination, completion, gratitude, sociableness.  Successful work, good business transaction, positive working environment.  Encourages enjoying one’s happiness; warns against the decline to follow.

This helps reassure me that, despite the volatile irons I have in the fire, and the could-well-be-read-as-a-warning-card in my 10th House, the work, itself, will go well.

7th – Partnership, Associations, Spouse — Knight of Disks

Firmness, sobriety, perseverance, stable values, reliability, straightforwardness.  A mature, sensual man.  Stable relationship, sensuality, mutual appreciation, trust.  Encourages enjoying what has been achieved and using one’s means in a responsible manner; warns against hording.

More fucking court cards.  I hate court cards.  I’m never sure if they’re talking about me or about someone I know or someone I should be looking for or something else, entirely.  If it’s a person, should I look for someone with the physical attributes or the birthday associated with the card?  Yes, I know that this is a struggle most people go through with the Tarot.  It’s one I’ve been going through for years.

I am not a Knight of Disks.  (Am I?  Please, someone, answer this question.  I thought I was a Prince of Cups [yes, I know Crowley hated us.  probably because we’re better in bed than him.])

8th – Taboo, Crisis, Sex, Death, Taxes, Loans — XI Lust

Courage, vitality, love of life, strength, passion, intrepidity.  Desire to work, commitment, willingness to take risks.  Encourages passionate devotion to a person, task, or experience; warns against trampling other people’s values.

For a rarity, I think I have some idea what’s going on here.  My crisis is my passion: I’m letting it get in the way of more practical ambitions, and the careful politics of academia.  This may be good or bad, it’s always hard to say.  But right now, I’m very nervous.

Also, my sex life is awesome, and if I can ever kick this head/chest cold, it will be even better.

9th – Higher Perception, Journey, Movement — Princess of Cups

Dreamer, muse, longing for union.  Having a medial experience.  Encourages opening up and expressing concealed feelings or desires.

This seems self-explanatory, despite being a court card.  Medial/trance work is precisely what’s on the table for the month.

10th – Recognition, Career, Ambition, Status  — 7 Disks “ Failure”

Destroyed hope, bad circumstances, bad luck, unhappiness.  Failure of a project.  Encourages recognizing futility and turning away from it.

looks like 3S “Sorrow”

Bad news, disappointment, weakness.  Encourages opening up to an unwelcome but necessary insight.

So … this makes me nervous.  There are some very real problems in my academic life at the moment – struggles with a professor and the registrar (unrelated).   Is this saying “deal with it!” or “give up before it’s to late”?

No, I haven’t done divination about it, yet.  Yes, I know I should.

11th – Friendships, Groups, Social Activities –5 Cups “Disappointment”

Faded hope, melancholy.  Dying feelings, the beginning of the end.  Encourages showing one’s worries and disappointments.

looks like Knight of Swords

Easygoing but unstable relationship.

So … no new friends this month.  Possibly loss of an existing friendship.  I don’t really have any to loose, though.  So …. WTF?

12th – Secrets & Fears, Hopes, Ambitions — XVII the Star

Good prospects, hope, trust in the future, higher guidance.  Following one’s calling.  Deep insight.  Warns against getting too involved in the future and missing out on the present.

This is easy.  I just want everything to come out alright.  That is my secret hope, my ambition.

+2 – Current Position / Outside Influences — V the Hierophant / Princess of Wands

The search for the truth, power of conviction, virtue.  Meaningful activity, following one’s calling, higher education, trust in one’s own abilities.

Impetuous new beginning, desire for adventure, impatience.  Innovative ideas.  Euphoria.

I still struggle with Crowley’s Hierophant.  I have so much trouble separating him from the Waite-Smith Hierophant, who is pretty much the Pope.  The Princess of Wands, however, I have a moderately good handle on.

The two together, here, as my natural state and influences for the month, I think I know what’s going on: a conflict between my “higher” callings and my impulse to just throw down and have a good time

Underlying Theme – the Hexagram

Hand of fate.  Do magic about it.  Hahah, we’re not telling.

First impulse: Fuck you, tarot deck.

Second impulse: Okay, let’s do some fucking magic.