TAROTSCOPES for the NEW MOON in LIBRA

WELCOME BACK TRAVELERS! Aside from today's New Moon, Jupiter recently moved into Scorpio- collectively and individually this typically means a deep and expanded understanding of the themes of change and transformation. What can we learn from diving into our own depths, from looking our own shadow in the eye? By the time Jupiter leaves Scorpio we may have more answers to these questions. 

NEWS

Please see the Schedule a Reading section of my website for NEW rates and specials. I have a new introductory rate for first time clients. Also, you can now book a one hour reading and add-on up to two 20 min check-ins to redeem within 2 weeks of your appointment.  Please don't hesitate to contact me for an appointment if you have any burning questions, spiritual, metaphysical or metaphorical knots to untangle.  

A Tarotscopes horoscope is located on the back of the menu at Dimes in NYC !  It will change monthly so consider making Dimes a regular pit stop for food and fortunes.

THANKS TO ALL ALWAYS AND ALL WAYS FOR READING AND SPREADING TAROTSCOPES!!

new moon in the sign of the scales, by comparison pales, hammer and nails, puppy dog tails, a strong wind- a gale, comes in the mail, rain or hail, lifting the veil, holy grail, on the trail, looking frail, no tail, wind in your sail, see you real soon, happy new moon, playing our tune, stars above, love, love, love,

                     --MW

Without further ado! The card for the NEW MOON, pulled from Amy von Harrington’s deck...

XX JUDGEMENT

It’s been a long time since I had a flying dream, but what I remember was the effort it took to get up- flapping my arms, kicking my legs, treating air like water. I don’t remember flying in a dream the way flying sometimes feels in an airplane, with the ability to look down on everything as if you didn’t belong to it, as if you didn’t live there too. No, even dream flying required my full participation, complete awareness of my body in space. Maybe if I had stayed in the REM state a little longer I could have gotten enough lift to give me some perspective.

The card I have pulled for the New Moon on October 19th is in the Venus-ruled sign of Libra, is XX Judgement. The name of the card is a nod to the belief among many major religious groups that we will all be held accountable by God for the choices we have made and the actions we have taken in our lives. I choose to interpret this card slightly differently. My understanding of the indications of the Judgment card is that it asks us to locate the part of ourselves with the ability to examine our situation at some distance. 

For halloween one year my brother decided he was going to be a table with his head as the gory centerpiece. I remember watching him assemble his costume, it was something he was going to wear, something he was going to become, but in order to understand how it would look and function he had to dance around the outside first. Once he put it on new challenges were presented, he had to make sure that the circular cut-out balanced on his shoulders. My mother helped him glue a few more things to the cardboard so that it didn’t lean too much to one side or another. He wanted to know if he looked like a table, my mother was supportive. I don’t remember my reaction, but I’m sure as a sibling I was less encouraging. He probably replied, “I didn’t ask YOU.” For a table he was rather touchy. 

At the New Moon, exact on October 19th, 12:12pm, Uranus opposes the Sun and Moon indicating that the self-awareness suggested by the Judgement card may be brought about by an outside source. It could be delivered bluntly, the way I dished out a critique of my brother’s costume or it could be offered in a more helpful manner, the way my mother assisted my brother in balancing out his costume. As humans, emotionally we can’t be tables, even if we dress like one, but we can look at our situation objectively. Awareness of a situation or of self is difficult to swallow without some sense of direction or some understanding of the means by which we can change our behavior to receive and activate the gifts that Libra brings- peace, love, beauty, harmony. The suggestion of the Judgement card softens the shattering blow or punch that may accompany a Uranus opposition. It asks us to go way up, to the highest point of ourselves, and see our situation with compassionate honesty, to be objective.  From that point we can see most clearly what needs to be done in order to restore balance or peace in our lives. 

(Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)- Digable Planets)

Xxjudgement.jpg

TAROTSCOPES for the NEW MOON in VIRGO

WELCOME BACK NAVIGATORS OF THE ASTRAL PLANE! Eclipse season has come to a close, Mercury is direct and I wish I could say all is right in the world. Instead I offer this post with the hope that it brings some small comfort.  

NEWS

Please see the Schedule a Reading section of my website for NEW rates and specials. I have a new introductory rate for first time clients. Also, you can now book a one hour reading and add-on up to two 20 min check-ins to redeem within 2 weeks of your appointment.  Please don't hesitate to contact me for an appointment if you have any burning questions, spiritual, metaphysical or metaphorical knots to untangle.  

A Tarotscopes horoscope is located on the back of the menu at Dimes in NYC !  It will change monthly so consider making Dimes a regular pit stop for food and fortunes.

THANKS TO ALL ALWAYS AND ALL WAYS FOR READING AND SPREADING TAROTSCOPES!!

virgo new moon, old song new tune, fingers prune, last bloom, sweep of the broom, mercury direct, safe to inflect, dissect, inspect, detect, start small, here comes fall, give me a call, camped out at the mall, ten feet tall, having a ball, hitting a wall, quite a haul, creepy doll, mourning dove, stars above, all my love,

                                     --MW

 

Without further ado! The card for the NEW MOON, pulled from Amy von Harrington’s deck...

QUEEN OF PENTACLES

It’s been a while since I last wrote. I prefer to just ride the waves of eclipse season with everyone else and not try to write about it since my words are likely to come out all wobbly anyway. We are now on the other side of the eclipses with a New Moon imminent tomorrow night in the sign of Virgo.  This New Moon welcomes us home, back to our bodies. “Start small,” it says. “And do what is needed.” When you are in a hurry or in crisis it is hard to keep focus or attention on the present moment, on what is in front of you. If you are rushing to get to school or work the focus is on where you need or want to be not where you are which is probably why you tend to be more clumsy in these moments, spilling beverages or tripping over a bump in the rug. This New Moon does not suggest there will be less to worry about moving forward, in fact there may be more. But we are presented with an opportunity to alter our approach at this New Moon, which could render all the change, challenge and crisis more manageable. 

I want to say that there is nothing more special than the present moment, I’m almost certain that this is true because no moment can be replicated or repeated, it is entirely singular. Even if you were able to do something in exactly the same way it would still be unique because it happened at a different time, a time that we can never recover or return to. The New Moon in Virgo advises, that if you want to increase your awareness of the present moment you can start by becoming aware of your physical body as the vehicle for that experience. If this is too much to consider you can begin with something smaller like your pinky finger. Think of it as sort of thermometer, what does the air feel like against that finger? What would you say the temperature is based on the sensations in your pinky? When you feel ready you can start to share this conversation with your whole hand, maybe even your entire arm. It is this approach, the dialogue between self and environment, that can make make the world a little more manageable, and perhaps a little less overwhelming. This is the method suggested by the New Moon and the card I’ve pulled for this New Moon, The Queen of Pentacles.

If the Queen of Pentacles wants to make something or make something grow she asks what it is made of and needs. The Queen of Pentacles is in dialogue with her body and her environment and it is this conversation that creates abundance and comfort in her world. 

(Body and Soul- Amy Winehouse and Tony Bennett)

queensofpentacle.jpg

TAROTSCOPES for the NEW MOON in LEO

WELCOME BACK WANDERERS OF THE ASTRAL PLAIN! Eclipse season has begun! The first one will be a Lunar Eclipse August 7th! Stay tuned!

NEWS

Please see the Schedule a Reading section of my website for NEW rates and specials. I have a new introductory rate for first time clients. Also, you can now book a one hour reading and add-on up to two 20 min check-ins to redeem within 2 weeks of your appointment.  Please don't hesitate to contact me for an appointment if you have any burning questions, spiritual, metaphysical or metaphorical knots to untangle.  

A Tarotscopes horoscope is located on the back of the menu at Dimes in NYC !  It will change monthly so consider making Dimes a regular pit stop for food and fortunes.

THANKS TO ALL ALWAYS AND ALL WAYS FOR READING AND SPREADING TAROTSCOPES!!

new moon in the sign of the lion, eggs on concrete frying, sitting and sighing, outloud crying, fear of flying, im buying, no lying, sun mars and moon, see you real soon, sing a new tune, wet fingers prune, high noon, zoom zoom, plenty of room, sweep of the broom, last flower to bloom, fit like a glove, stars above, all my love, 

                                                  --MW

Without further ado! The card for the NEW MOON, pulled from Amy von Harrington’s deck...

QUEEN OF WANDS

You would think that being a Leo myself would make it somewhat easier to write about this New Moon, also in the sign of Leo. In fact, the opposite is true. It’s kind of like not being able to scratch your own back, you need someone else or a tool to reach the parts of you you can’t. Astrology and tarot can be back-scratchers, hopefully this post will also satisfy an itch. 

The card I’ve pulled for the New Moon in Leo is the Queen of Wands. In the Rider-Waite she is depicted with a black cat, a nod to her witchy ways. She represents someone bold and charismatic, who gets what she wants one way or another (by use of magic?). The Queen of Wands emphasizes the Moon’s conjunction with Mars, part of what kindles her drive (Mars) is the desire to be known and understood (Leo). 

The New Moon, exact at 2:46 Sunday Morning on the west coast, will occur at 0 degrees of Leo. This is the very beginning of the sign, the starting gate, like seeing the first rays of sunlight toasting the horizon knowing the day is about to pop. Leo is also the sign of children and play. It is the age at which you first begin to develop an awareness of self. If you go back and dig up some of your early drawings you might be surprised by how much those images still resonate with who you are today. Most of my childhood drawings and accompanying stories carried some sort of lesson like: There was a haunted house and everyone knew it was haunted, but the family moved in anyway so they all died because of the “evel sprat” (evil spirit). The moral of the story? Just because you don’t believe in it doesn’t mean it can’t kill you and/or don’t disregard your intuition. I’m still interested in the lessons life has to offer and writing about them and I am still someone who believes in the power of intuition- this much hasn’t changed. On a cellular level, however, I am a completely different person and in many other ways I feel very different from the 7 year old who refused to brush her hair. The traits we think of as fundamental to who we are have been proven by researchers to be quite changeable. Environment and circumstance have more to do with the ways in which we express ourselves than we have been taught. 

When I was 8 there was a shooting at the University in my town. A graduate student of physics and astronomy shot and killed 6 people including himself and permanently injured one. He was an international student from China, studying at the University on a temporary visa. He was upset because he had not received a prestigious award for his dissertation. He thought the award would ensure that he would be able to get a job and stay in the U.S. Recently I was discussing this incident with my dad and he told me that what was interesting to him about this tragedy was the different ways the shooter was portrayed by American and Chinese medias. The American press tended to describe him as someone who was mentally unstable and “a loner,” while the Chinese media chose to focus on his situation- being far from home, isolated from his family and community and under an incredible amount of pressure. Did he commit this atrocity because of “who he was” or was it a result of his environment?

The 23 year old woman, the sole survivor of the incident, who was shot and paralyzed from the neck down continued to be a dedicated activist throughout her life, in some ways in spite of the incident and in other ways as a result of it.  

The New Moon joins Mars in squaring Uranus, highlighting the tensions between the self independent of environment and the self as a direct result of environment, circumstance and incident. The New Moon raises questions such as: Who are we fundamentally and how do we express ourselves? Who are weand how do we express ourselves independent of situation and environment? And who are we and how do we express ourselves as a direct result of circumstance and environment? 

(Planet Caravan- Black Sabbath)

TAROTSCOPES for the NEW MOON in CANCER

WELCOME BACK WANDERERS OF THE ASTRAL PLAIN. Happy Solstice! The NEW MOON in CANCER was exact at 7:31pm on the west coast. To find out more read on...

NEWS

A Tarotscopes horoscope is located on the back of the menu at Dimes in NYC !  It will change monthly so consider making Dimes a regular pit stop for food and fortunes.

As always, please don't hesitate to contact me for an appointment if you have any burning questions, spiritual, metaphysical or metaphorical knots to untangle.  

THANKS TO ALL ALWAYS AND ALL WAYS FOR READING AND SPREADING TAROTSCOPES!!

new moon in the sign of the crab, taking a stab, gift of gab, feeling fab, hailing a cab, put it on the tab, take it to the lab, summer is here, man in the mirror, beyond fear, shed a tear, what we hear, gluten free beer, in the rear, cheers to my queers, the road veers, an ending nears, something new appears, ticket stub, bath tub, blub blub blub, stars above, love love love,

                              --MW

Without further ado! The card for the NEW MOON, pulled from Amy von Harrington’s deck...

 

X WHEEL OF FORTUNE

I ran right up to this New Moon before I realized it was actually happening. Then, acknowledging it was my designated time to write, I said to myself, “I don’t feel like it.” Being off the clock and having feelings are definitely within the realm of Cancer, the sign of this New Moon, so it seemed worthwhile to persevere (which is another Cancerian theme embodied by The Chariot in the tarot- more on that later). This New Moon in Cancer so close to Summer Solstice falls within the first few degrees of Cancer.  Cancer, in its early degrees, has a lot to do with understanding emotion as a tool. When summer hits we are often motivated to do things that “feel good.” We shed layers of clothing, we swim, we eat ice cream and popsicles, etc. This call and response between environment, circumstance and self are a valuable lesson taught by the early degrees of Cancer. Put simply, don’t touch the pot that’s hot, it burns.  In these terms it seems simple and easy advice to follow, but, the older we get the more we tend to complicate this basic principle.  How do we tell a hot pot from a cold one and at what degree is it too hot to hold?

This brings me to the back door of the card I’ve pulled for this New Moon, the Wheel of Fortune. The Wheel of Fortune is generally seen as an auspicious card, a sign of good luck to come, the right time to make wish. In combination with this New Moon, however, the indication is not to view your future as a lottery, but to actively engage with creating the future you want to inhabit. To begin, you may need to place yourself on the Wheel by assessing your current emotional landscape. How do you feel? If this seems like a difficult question to answer you can start with your physical body and assessing your comfort level. Are you sitting in chair? Is it comfortable? I’m sitting in chair right now and I just noticed that it has this bar that digs into the back of my legs. I could switch chairs, but I decided the discomfort isn’t enough for me to take the time to find an alternative. On emotional level, I feel somewhat better that I have acknowledged the feeling of discomfort.

My good friend does a lot of babysitting and I remember her telling me about one little boy that would cry every time his parents left. She said that the only thing that seemed to help was to acknowledge and relate to his feelings, “I’m with you, I totally understand. It’s hard when your parents leave and things change.” She said he would slowly nod or sometimes say, “Yeah.” And then his tears would roll to a stop and they could play or draw or do something else enjoyable. Even as adults sometimes all that is needed is to acknowledge the feelings present in a given situation and that is enough to change the situation or at least the way the situation feels. 

But back to the Wheel- would you say this is an up or down moment in the general wave of life? If it is just okay, does it feel like okay headed towards or away from an up or down period? Though feelings change several times within a day, there is usually a general feeling holding the period of time you are experiencing together.  For example, in general I feel okay, or in general I feel depressed or in general I feel an underlying existential angst. The New Moon held hands with Mercury indicating a need to not only acknowledge but also to communicate your feelings. In communicating our feelings we have an opportunity to take responsibility for them and by taking responsibility it becomes possible to change our thoughts, environment, situation, lives into a shape or form that will accommodate a different feeling or set of feelings.

As I mentioned before the Chariot is the tarot card associated with the sign of Cancer. In the traditional Raider Waite tarot deck, the image of the chariot, shows someone in the drivers seat, but they are not holding the reins, they are holding a wand, reminiscent of the Magician, who activates the will in order to bring about a desired outcome.  Similarly the suggestion of the Chariot is not to use force (reins), but your will and desire to turn the wheel and reach your goals. Again all of this can sound so simple in words, while in practice it is often more challenging, but, in combination with the Wheel of Fortune, luck is on your side.

( WORK- GANG STARR)

TAROTSCOPES for the NEW MOON in TAURUS

WELCOME WANDERERS OF THE ASTRAL PLAIN! In addition to what is discussed below under the card I've pulled for this New Moon in Taurus, THE MAGICIAN, several planets are retrograde.  I won't get into much detail, but Jupiter, Saturn, Pluto and Mercury are all currently retrograde.  In general when planets go retrograde the focus of the themes they represent become more internalized explorations and they tend to exhibit more intuitive qualities as well.  At times the energy of the planet can be harder to access when retrograde.  For example, when Jupiter is retrograde feelings of faith and trust in positive outcomes can be harder to access without conscious effort. 

NEWS

A Tarotscopes horoscope is located on the back of the menu at Dimes in NYC !  It will change monthly so consider making Dimes a regular pit stop for food and fortunes.

As always, please don't hesitate to contact me for an appointment if you have any burning questions, spiritual, metaphysical or metaphorical knots to untangle.  

THANKS TO ALL ALWAYS AND ALL WAYS FOR READING AND SPREADING TAROTSCOPES!!

new moon in the sign of the bull, push and pull, over certain thoughts we mull, sharp and dull, jonathan livingston seagull, void and null, feeling full, over our eyes the wool, planets moving slow, the road we hoe, high and low, the lawns we mow, with what in tow, we think we know, a desire to grow, a hope to show, to and fro, stop and go, the boat we row, peace dove, stars above, fits like a glove, lots of love,

                                    --MW

Without further ado! The card for the NEW MOON, pulled from Amy von Harrington’s deck...

THE MAGICIAN

I’ve stopped and started this post so many times today trying to figure out from what angle I could enter into the astrological chart and subject presented by this New Moon.  This is a habit of mine, to not let my eyes rest on the surface of things, but to always try and figure out the inside mechanics- the bones, the guts, the motivations.  When I realized I was attempting to approach the New Moon in Taurus in this same way I had to laugh. Taurus has more to do with the appreciation of what meets the eye than what escapes or avoids it. 

On my way into the library, where I sometimes like to write, a book pinned beneath the point of an arrow on a sign that said “Free” caught my attention.  It was red, pocket-sized and stamped in gold letters with the words, “Abundant Living.” Taurus is the sign of value, possessions and by what means you earn a living and so it almost felt as if the universe had thrown me this book.  It didn’t take long to realize it was some sort of religious text as some of the chapters included titles such as, “Is there a God? Can he be found? Where?” and “A ladder for finding God.”  Before I stumbled upon this book I had an image in my mind of this New Moon as being something like a flower, something that just is beautiful and you don’t have do anything with it or make anything out of it, you can just experience it, smell it, touch it.  When I opened up to the Preface of the book my eyes immediately fell on the following, “We have picked the flower of life to pieces, petal by petal, and we have lost its beauty in the procedure.”  It goes on to say, “We have handed the body over to the doctor, the mind to the psychiatrist, and the soul to the minister, treating these parts as separate entities.  They are not separate.  Life is a whole. You cannot affect one part without affecting all three.”  

The New Moon in Taurus, exact early in the morning on the west coast tomorrow (Wednesday, April 26) makes no aspects to major planets, meaning it may not “do” anything or emphasize the same types of changes that New Moons are known to spark.  The moon does however link arms with the asteroid, Demeter.  In mythology, Demeter was the mother of Persphone and the Goddess of fertility who gave agriculture and “the Mysteries” to humankind. Taurus is ruled by Venus and at the New Moon, Venus will be at the very last degree (the anoretic degree) of Pisces, a placement which also nods to Demeter’s gift- the unknown.  One main suggestion of this New Moon then, somewhat uncharacteristic of hardworking Taurus, is surrender.  There may be nothing to “do,” but to simply appreciate what is already in existence, to live life abundantly by appreciating the whole of life as it is.

The card I’ve pulled for this moon is the Magician, someone who can pull rabbits from hats and cut volunteers from an audience in half.  Typically the Magician is associated with sign of Aries and the Will. The Magician makes magic by determination and activation of the Will.  At this New Moon however, and in keeping with the themes presented by Demeter’s proximity, it seems that the Magician’s magic has more to do with what they are capable of doing passively, simply by their nature. Years ago I took an acting class which was less about acting and more about confronting shyness.  One of the exercises the instructor had the class do consisted of pairing up and have one partner tell the other how the person made them feel.  The activity made me extremely nervous, but to my surprise every stranger I partnered with said the same thing, “You make me feel calm.”  

New Moons can be seen as opportunities or even as tools for making wishes and bringing about desired outcomes, but consider at this New Moon how some of your desires could be more passively irrigated and grown, sprouting from your basic nature- who you already are- rather than who or what you are trying to become.    

(From Womb to the Tomb- The Space Lady)

TAROTSCOPES for the NEW MOON in ARIES

WELCOME BACK WANDERERS OF THE ASTRAL PLAIN! Besides what is discussed below under the card I've pulled for this New Moon, JUSTICE, the New Moon chart also features a square between Pluto and Jupiter.  Jupiter tends to inflate what it aspects and so the desire for power and control can become an obsession when the planet talks to Pluto.  The square formation indicates that perhaps Jupiter is struggling to hold Pluto to a moral standard.  It may be important to examine your hidden motivations before proceeding.

NEWS

A Tarotscopes horoscope is located on the back of the menu at Dimes in NYC !  It will change monthly so consider making Dimes a regular pit stop for food and fortunes.

As always, please don't hesitate to contact me for an appointment if you have any burning questions, spiritual, metaphysical or metaphorical knots to untangle.  

THANKS TO ALL ALWAYS AND ALL WAYS FOR READING AND SPREADING TAROTSCOPES!!

new moon in the sign of the ram, wham bam, final exam, on the lam, traffic jam, what a ham, finger in the dam, jupiter pluto square, what a pair, about what do you care, tortoise and hare, do what you dare, sirens blare, ask whats fair, stray hair, with whom do you share, along what line do you tear, fits like a glove, stars above, love love love,

                                  --MW

Without further ado! The card for the NEW MOON, pulled from Amy von Harrington’s deck...

JUSTICE

The New Moon loosely joins with fixed star Algenib, a star contributing to the constellation Pegasus, it is the point which locates the winged-horses side.  It’s representation is lose enough to suggest the back and/or flank- a point of communication between human and horse.  By pressing into this point the rider communicates its desire to speed up, slow down or simply to start moving.  How you will apply this pressure is part of the question folded into the New Moon, tomorrow (March 27th) at 7:57pm PST.

The Aries New Moon is the first of the astrological year, the very beginningest of beginnings, a good time for setting intentions or making wishes for the year.  It falls less than a stones throw from introspective and slow moving (Retrograde) Venus.  In Aries, Venus tends to be somewhat impulsive and egocentric, but when she is traveling in retrograde motion she becomes more thoughtful, more inquisitive.  This is a time of self examination, of understanding your own desires and how those intersect or conflict with the desires of others.  What do you really want and who are you really?

In 7th grade our math teacher decided it would be a “fun” activity to identify different personalities in the class by voting on who was the most- the most outgoing, the smartest, the most popular etc.  I can’t remember all the labels she generated, I just remember one vividly because I won.  I was voted the shyest person in the class, so shy that I was not invisible, as I’d assumed.  I was the opposite- so quiet that my silence had inadvertently created some sort of vacuum drawing attention to itself.  I remember the humiliation of seeing my name projected on the overhead in green marker, it wasn’t permanent but I wondered if it could ever be erased. 

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary “Personality” is first defined as “the quality or state of being a person.”  It is only the third definition which describes personality as “the complex of characteristics that distinguishes an individual or a nation or group.”  Until the third definition, a personality or a self (if these words are interchangeable) is defined unto itself, without reference to anyone or anything else.  What does it mean to be true to oneself if personality is defined using the first definition and what does it mean if defined by the third?  

The card I’ve pulled for the Aries New Moon is VII JUSTICE.  Interestingly, this card is traditionally associated with Aries’ opposing sign- Libra, but its appearance here, at the Aries New Moon suggests that somewhere in the self is an attempt to balance or calibrate will and desire in accordance with what is just and fair on a deeper and perhaps more spiritual level.  Justice is associated not with “the laws of man” but with the laws of the universe- “if this, than this.”  Justice assumes that when an action is taken a reaction naturally follows, perhaps not right away, but ultimately.  Are you currently taking action in your life or is the action in fact a reaction to something unexamined?  Now may be a good time to contemplate the moves you want to make without separating those movements from the response.  What is likely to follow?  What is the desired outcome/ response?  Where do you want your Pegasus to go and how?

(Twenty Mile Zone- Dory Previn)

TAROTSCOPES for the NEW MOON SOLAR ECLIPSE in PISCES

WELCOME BACK TRAVELERS!  Lately, in alignment with Pisces season,  my thoughts have been riding in on a snippets of song.  Its not enough for the moment to just say or think, "I'm tired," instead the thought comes in with accompaniment, "Soo tired...tired of waiting...tired of waiting for youuu.."  Music can be especially helpful during these astrologically soupy times for releasing what is trapped between mind and body.  

NEWS

A Tarotscopes horoscope is located on the back of the menu at Dimes in NYC !  It will change monthly so consider making Dimes a regular pit stop for food and fortunes.

As always, please don't hesitate to contact me for an appointment if you have any burning questions, spiritual, metaphysical or metaphorical knots to untangle.  

My rates have changed in the New Year.  If you would like a reading but are unable to afford one please don't hesitate to email me.  I will be having specials and promotions this year so stay tuned.  

THANKS TO ALL ALWAYS AND ALL WAYS FOR READING AND SPREADING TAROTSCOPES!!

new moon eclipse, sunken ships, a few good tips, full lips, seam rips, loose grips, backflips, shake your hips, taking dips, paper clips, lots of water, a son a daughter, wheel of the potter, wild otter, fuel and fodder, days get hotter, teeter totter, venus retrograde, plans laid, bills paid, beds made, waters to wade, rest in the shade, slow fade, steep grade, push comes to shove, dirty dove, stars above, all my love,

                                  --MW

Without further ado! The card for the NEW MOON, pulled from Amy von Harrington’s deck...

2 OF SWORDS

The house where my grandparents lived for most of my childhood had a small step that divided the living room from the dining room.  After a big meal the grandchildren could frequently be found beached here on this transition like seals.  It was the perfect place to rest the body while the mind sponged snippets of conversation from the adults.  This stair may be the best place to discuss the upcoming New Moon Eclipse in Pisces - it is a place of pause and surrender, allowing yourself to be held, for the time being, by something outside of your will and determination.  

Where this eclipse falls in your natal astrology chart (8 degrees Pisces) is a place to lean back, float, and listen. Neptune (and Mercury) will be in earshot of the sun and moon, both amplifying sensation and distorting reception, similar to the experience of being submerged in water. It may be important not to pin meaning to your feelings at this time.

“I keep thinking that if I can have something or do something I will feel less scattered, more grounded. The truth is that things just keep getting more crazy and harder to hold on to and that if I am going to locate any form of stability it’s going to have to come from some intangible place inside myself,” I told a friend recently. To carve out a refuge inside oneself is part of the order of this New Moon Eclipse in Pisces.  Not one planet will be in a fixed sign, while eleven will be in mutable signs- the signs requiring flexibility and adjustment.  Meanwhile, 9 planets will be in water and only 1 in earth. This could all feel like trying to stand on one toe.  How do you maintain your balance? Well, you probably won’t.

The card I’ve pulled for this Eclipse, is the 2 OF SWORDS.  The 2 of Swords is often negatively viewed as the inability to make a decision, but I find that when this card comes up, it recommends a halt on decision making. This is often because there is not enough information or meaning and direction are difficult to extract from what is being presented.  The image in the traditional Raider-Waite tarot deck is of a woman, blindfolded, holding two swords crossed.  This suggests that the kind of information she seeks does not require visual sight, but a different kind of sensing and perceiving.  The challenge with an eclipse is that it often kicks up an incredible burning itch, driving you to action, when in fact, the best course may be to simply rest and digest on this step between actions.  

(I’m Only Sleeping )

TAROTSCOPES for the NEW MOON in AQUARIUS

WELCOME BACK NAVIGATORS!  Below is just one thing, one perspective, one tiny snippet of conversation.  I started this post on the Aquarian New Moon from many different angles and landed on this one.  So much emotion.  Neptune is weighing in right now on many astrological conversations.  Neptune stimulates feeling of love and compassion, but it can also contribute to feelings of confusion and a strong desire to escape reality.  Additionally, Neptune heightens sensitivity and is extremely absorbent.  I often call this vulnerable sensation the shell-less clam feeling.  Feelings take up time and space, but they are invisible so it can be easy to not give them the room they clamor for.  You may find it helpful to give yourself and your emotions some blank space as we head into eclipse season.  

NEWS

A Tarotscopes horoscope is located on the back of the menu at Dimes in NYC !  It will change monthly so consider making Dimes a regular pit stop for food and fortunes.

As always, please don't hesitate to contact me for an appointment if you have any burning questions, spiritual, metaphysical or metaphorical knots to untangle.  

My rates have changed in the New Year.  If you would like a reading but are unable to afford one please don't hesitate to email me.  I will be having specials and promotions this year so stay tuned.  

THANKS TO ALL ALWAYS AND ALL WAYS FOR READING AND SPREADING TAROTSCOPES!!

new moon in air, what's fair, a rip a tear, about what we care, with whom do we share, sit and stare, a glare, a flare, a dare, a stray hair, make a great pair, mercury direct, words to inflect, inspect, detect, resurrect, people and rights to protect, jupiter stations, taking vacations, losing patience, a new fragrance, a mere acquaintance, peace dove, rubber glove, stars above, all my love,

                                          --MW

Without further ado! The card for the NEW MOON, pulled from Amy von Harrington’s deck...

THE CHARIOT

Friends, humanitarian causes, computers, electricity, airplanes, new technology, science, plans, experiments, hopes and dreams; these are words associated with the sign of Aquarius and the corresponding 11th house in astrology.  The New Moon, exact at 4:07pm on Friday the 27th of January on the western coast of the United States, is in the sign of Aquarius, reflecting many of these themes.  A good friend I admire for many reasons, but particularly impressive is her ability to maintain a detached awareness of a situation.  She often begins her descriptions or assessments of an experience with the words, “It was interesting…”  She then recounts the experience without judgement, the way a scientist might report on an experiment, detailing the physical environment until you are sure you can smell it.  I’ve always found it challenging to simply observe a situation without diving into it.  Objective awareness does not come easily, it is something I have to consistently practice.  

I keep a small collection of lab coats.  I began wearing one mostly as a rain coat because it is waterproof, but I realized I also wear it as a sort of empath flotation device, to pull me out of the water should I become too immersed in something outside myself.  To look at things from an Aquarian perspective is similar to looking at things as a scientist might, where every interaction is viewed as a fascinating result of an experiment which attempts to prove or disprove an hypothesis.  There may be no emotional attachment to a particular point of view because the emphasis is placed on finding the facts in order to discover the truth about how something works, functions or in order to find the solution to a problem.  When my cousin, a cancer research scientist, submits his work to science journals, he knows that it will be picked apart and analyzed by other scientists and that their questions and observations are not a personal attack, but a collective effort to find a cure.  

One thing I know is that I am emotionally sensitive.  For me feelings are accompanied by very strong physical sensations.  I am still learning to take care of these sensitivities rather than shrug them off.  My lab coat and my friends help me to maintain an objective awareness of my sensitivities, to respond to situations with, “Interesting…”  rather than frustration, irritation or guilt.  For a long time I stopped going to parties and group gatherings.  Afraid to examine the root of my discomfort, I would point to all sorts of symptoms, “I’m sooooo tired!”  “I have to wake up early.”  “I’m too busy.”  A deep guilt festered in the pit of my stomach, I became a recluse, dodging and deleting event invitations without opening them.  The repetition of certain phrases from friends (“Where were you? I didn’t see you! Is everything okay? You missed it!”) caused me to examine what I was afraid to face- facts.  And when I realized that was all it was, a simple fact- that I’m sensitive (to everything from food to feelings)- the situation suddenly felt easier to deal with and much of the fear and anxiety subsided.  Still, I must practice my scientific approach.  Instead of pretending the feelings don’t exist or that they are not informing my actions, I am learning, with practice to observe them so I can consciously decide on the actions I want to take.  OK, hopefully, I did not lose you with my long winded personal narrative, it’s simply an attempt to illustrate what seems to be recommended by the first New Moon of 2017.  

As we move into 2017, the year of the Fire Rooster, the desire and impulse to act will be very strong.  The New Moon and the corresponding card I’ve pulled for this moon, the Chariot, asks us to maintain an objective awareness, the “watchers mind”, so that we can be conscious of where our actions are stemming from.  What is driving our chariot?  Who is driving?  What is the destination?

The Chariot is the card associated with the astrological sign of Cancer, the sign ruled by the Moon.  The moon in an astrology chart shows our emotional natures, as well as how we nurture and what we are nurtured by.  Again this is a reminder that the task is not to disregard emotion, but to develop an objective awareness of the sensations that pass through our bodies, to notice the way we tend to respond when we feel attacked.  Scientists consistently have to make changes based on growing awareness and new information.  Aquarius wants a plan, a strategy, but the Uranian ruled sign also knows that the plan is subject to change.  If our desire is to end injustices of all kinds and combat the current political regime, developing a watchers mind may prove an important tool in the coming year.  

(Tom's Diner- Suzanne Vega)

TAROTSCOPES for the NEW MOON in CAPRICORN

WELCOME BACK NAVIGATORS OF THE ASTRAL PLANE! How many years have been bottled into this one month?  Mercury Retrograde seemed to come appropriately over the holidays, allowing us to move at a slightly slower pace, or at least recommending we do so.  The planet goes direct on January 8th.  Uranus stations to go direct just after the New Moon and an opposition to Jupiter.  Most aspects to Jupiter are considered beneficial, we will see how this one is experienced.  And that's all I will say for now.  Onwards to the Knight of Pentacles, the card I've pulled for the upcoming New Moon in Capricorn!   

NEWS

For a short 2017 prediction check out my latest interview with AQNB.

Whether you are interested in astrology or not, I highly recommend this beautiful new piece, Mother and Sun by astrologer Stuart Krimko

A Tarotscopes horoscope is located on the back of the menu at Dimes in NYC !  It will change monthly so consider making Dimes a regular pit stop for food and fortunes.

As always, please don't hesitate to contact me for an appointment if you have any burning questions, spiritual, metaphysical or metaphorical knots to untangle.  

THANKS TO ALL ALWAYS AND ALL WAYS FOR READING AND SPREADING TAROTSCOPES!!

new moon in cap, no mishap, learn to tap, sentimental sap, routine pap, the importance of the nap, mind the gap, oh crap, that's a wrap, check the map, clap clap, mercury retrograde, reflecting on choices made, bills paid, plans laid, fridges to raid, the hard earned grade, push comes to shove, rubber glove, peace dove, stars above, love love love,

                                          --MW

Without further ado! The card for the NEW MOON, pulled from Amy von Harrington’s deck...

 

KNIGHT OF PENTACLES

A dotted line ran through the dreams of my childhood and adolescence, the same nightmare of being chased.  Who or what was chasing me I never knew, but the dreams always ended the same way- exhausted from running, I’d throw myself on the ground hands covering my head, the way we’d been instructed to do in a tornado drill, and wait for whatever it was to catch up.  As a teenager I became increasingly frustrated with my role in this narrative.  “Why do you keep giving up?” I’d say in silent frustration to my dream-self upon waking.  Sometime in my early 20s I learned that my conscious mind could emerge and engage within this subconscious state (lucid dreaming).  Not long after, the nightmare returned.  Someone was chasing me down an empty city street.  I ran into a dry cleaners for help, but the employee behind the counter was barricaded behind piles of folded clothes.  I threw myself down on the floor, as I’d done so many times before.  But, at the last minute, I turned to face my assailant- David Niven in a tuxedo.  It was the last time I ran from anyone in my dreams.  This story isn’t remarkable (except for the David Niven part, I’m still trying to figure that out).  I recount this story because it may prove to be a useful tool or template for addressing the potential challenges suggested by this New Moon.  

The New Moon in Capricorn, exact at 11:53pm on December 28th PST, has been met with mixed reviews by astrologers.  This is in large part because it comes very close to the nebula, Facies.  Facies floats in front of the eye of the Sagittarius archer and is said to bring a dogged determinism to those with planets in proximity.  This is Facies cast in a favorable light, but many astrologers have a much less rosy perspective of the star cluster.  Bernadette Brady writes, “It is one of the most difficult, and possibly the most violent, objects in the heavens.  It gives a penetration of action that has no regard for others.”  

Mars will be in a supportive position to the New Moon, and shoulder to shoulder with Neptune, but in a sign the warrior planet is much less comfortable with, Pisces.  Neptune is the planet associated with dreams and the subconscious and Pisces is its home sign.  When Mars is in Pisces it can be a little like the afore mentioned description of lucid dreaming.  Typically, Mars is an action oriented planet, but in Pisces and hugging Neptune, the motivation behind the actions can become unclear, like trying to navigate a dream.   Or sometimes the reverse, the motivation may be clear but the actions are blurred- trying to navigate the “real” world in a dream state.  [Note:  Due to this influence, people may be more susceptible to the effects of alcohol than usual and it will be important to exercise extreme caution on New Years if you plan to go out.]  

Earlier today I was talking with my brother on the phone from a bad mood and our parents’ house.  I was splashing around in the puddle of gloom and doom that seems harder and harder to avoid these days.  “My friend in San Francisco said she’s taking a break from the news to focus on things that make her feel good like her art and friends,” my brother offered.  “That sounds like the kind of escapist behavior that got us into this whole mess in the first place,” I said and then immediately exhaled a laugh realizing how much I sounded like a cartoon version of a cranky bitter old man.  The cloud of doom I was wallowing in wasn’t necessarily more realistic than my brother’s friends’ very reasonable attempts to stay afloat.    

The card I’ve pulled for this New Moon is the Knight of Pentacles.  He represents someone who is practical and focused.  Knowing and understanding the reality of his situation aids him in reaching his goals because he can clearly see the challenges and what is needed to overcome those obstacles.  But to become too entrenched in the “reality” of his situation can also make it impossible for the Knight to reach his goal because he has to be able to hold his vision of a new reality.  This is where the Knight occasionally finds himself in a rut, when he becomes too focused on “what is” and fails to see “what could be.”  

“It’s a failure of imagination is what it is,” my parents’ neighbor said the other day, “to be unable to imagine what it’s like for another person.”  She was referring to the indifferent responses to an article about her husband(an immigration lawyer)’s case in which several illegal immigrants were being abused by their employer.  “It’s a failure of imagination,” I repeated her words silently to myself.  So many things that have happened lately could answer to this description.  It has been something like my reoccurring nightmare, how do we become conscious within this dream and and what actions do we take? 

The New Moon in goal-oriented Capricorn reflected in the Knight of Pentacles suggests that what we may be navigating over the next month and beyond could require a new approach, one which like the Knight is practical and focused, but one which also requires imagination, allowing our conscious mind to emerge in subconscious states.  

Return of the Grievous Angel- Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris

knight of pentacles.jpg

TAROTSCOPES for the NEW MOON in SAGITTARIUS

WELCOME BACK RIDERS OF THE ASTRAL STORM! I won't say too much about the current astrology here since I cover most of it under the card I've pulled for this New Moon, the 9 OF WANDS.  But I'd like to encourage readers to reply in the comments section of this post with any articles or links to groups/organizations you feel would be helpful in navigating the current climate.  I'd also like to say a very Happy (Belated) Birthday to Amy Von Harrington, a dear friend and the magician who created the tarot deck that I pull cards from every New Moon.  

NEWS

A Tarotscopes horoscope is located on the back of the menu at Dimes in NYC !  It will change monthly so consider making Dimes a regular pit stop for food and fortunes.

The monthly Dimes Horoscope is now available online through VSCO!  

As always, please don't hesitate to contact me for an appointment if you have any burning questions, spiritual, metaphysical or metaphorical knots to untangle.  

THANKS TO ALL ALWAYS AND ALL WAYS FOR READING AND SPREADING TAROTSCOPES!!

new moon in the sign of the centaur, what's it for, on shore, eagles soar, lion's roar, what we choose to ignore, blood and gore, folklore, it rains it pours, down on all fours, open pores, slamming doors, wind on the moors, peace dove, stars above, all my love,

                                                --MW

Without further ado! The card for the NEW MOON, pulled from Amy von Harrington’s deck...

 

9 OF WANDS

I want to be right all of the time.  I want to do only right things and say only right things.  The truth, that I cannot be right all of the time, that I will inevitably say “wrong” things and do “wrong” things, I find is a painful compromise of being human.  I first came to an understanding of my burning desire to be right when I began training at the Rape Victim Advocacy Program to be an MVP (Mentor in Violence Prevention) as a teenager.  After an introductory meeting our trainer asked my friend and I if we had any questions or concerns.  We both confessed we were afraid of inadvertently saying something that might be harmful to a trauma victim.  The trainer’s brow furrowed for a moment and she looked as if she found it hard to swallow.  Finally she said, “Trust your intention to help.”  After the training I realized why it had been so difficult for her to respond or offer comfort to our concerns.  We learned that it was quite easy to say the “wrong thing,” and that the supportive or healing response, even for those who had experienced similar traumas, wasn’t necessarily intuitive.  Certain words or questions can fall sharply on an open wound.  I didn’t want to risk saying the wrong thing if it meant causing pain to someone else and yet saying nothing at all could be just as harmful.   

The New Moon exact at 4:18am (PST) on Tuesday the 29th is in the sign of Sagittarius.  Sagittarius, ruled by Jupiter, is occupied with the search for truth and meaning.  Jupiter is now in Libra, the sign of balance, fairness, justice and peace.  The New Moon forms a square with Neptune, which recently passed over the South Node, signaling the end of an old dream or delusion.  The New Moon in Sagittarius joins Juno, the asteroid associated with marriage and partnership.  In Sagittarius Juno indicates a partnership of difference, a partnership between individuals who have vastly different experiences.  The square to Neptune presents a challenge to this marriage, it says, in order to forge these partnerships we must become conscious.  The New Moon and Juno also square the North Node in Virgo suggesting how we might proceed.  Virgo is the sign of health and healing.  Virgos are often accused of being particular, choosing their words carefully.  Virgo also represents staying present in the moment.  Now is the time to choose our words carefully, to be particular, because some words heal and others harm. 

In the days following the election I remember talking to many (mostly white) people and hearing them say that while they were devastated by the results, they also thought the protests that ensued created a sense of unity.  I nodded along at first.  It did seem reasonable that this moment should somehow unite those of us opposed to Trump, his policies and appointments.  Later I made a mental retraction of my premature nod.  I went to several protests and what I felt most strongly was how fragmented we all were.  The illusion entertained by many of us, white and liberal, that we were all on the same ride together, had come to a screeching halt.  Looking around, seeing Latinos, Muslims and Blacks it was painfully clear that we had not all been impacted equally by the results of this election since we were never treated as equals to begin with. 

Our experiences in this country were vastly different and yet we all there to protest a Trump presidency.  In bell hooks’ essay, Killing Rage, hooks says, “During the time of my life when racial apartheid forbid possibilities of intimacy and closeness with whites, I was most able to forget about the pain of racism.”  But now, hooks says, “Close to white folks, I am forced to witness firsthand their willful ignorance about the impact of race and racism.”  I, myself, am prone rush to a happy ending, to get to the “good part” where we are all marching together as a unified whole, but that would negate all that is now bubbling to the surface after the band-aid was ripped off. 

As we come together in protest and as the Sun and Moon meet in the sky, it may become clear that the road to healing and solidarity will be paved with difficult emotions.  Staying present with pain is challenging, we instinctually want to escape, detach, space out (shadow Neptune).  As Buddhist teacher Tara Brach said in a recent talk, we need to pay attention “because there’s such a tendency to act from the habitual, old states of mind where we respond to what we perceive as hatred with blame aversion and hatred.”  She goes on to quote her friend and colleague, Ruth King, as having said immediately following the election, “What is happening requires that we look, feel, understand and respond, but don’t get too far ahead of now. Now is enough to digest.  Let grief transform you, then make a conscious choice to be a light.”

The 9 of Wands, the tarot card I’ve pulled for this New Moon in Sagittarius is actually considered by many to be a Sagittarian card.  It is the light of hope after a period of darkness that is made available by a willingness to stay with the emotional intensity and pain of that moment.  The 9 of Wands represents consciousness, awareness that often comes as Ruth King says, by allowing grief to transform you.  

(Mad- Solange)

TAROTSCOPES for the NEW MOON in SCORPIO

WELCOME WANDERERS! If you've been feeling a lot of...well feelings, but are finding it difficult to put your emotions into words or pinpoint where these feelings are bubbling up from, then you are perfectly aligned with the stars.  Jupiter is the only planet currently in an air sign which means words can be hard to find or don't necessarily pair well with an emotion/sensation you may be experiencing.  This is of course a temporary state, but one from which a lot can be learned, understood and excavated.  Don't let your fears keep you landlocked.

NEWS

A Tarotscopes horoscope is located on the back of the menu at Dimes in NYC !  It will change monthly so consider making Dimes a regular pit stop for food and fortunes.

The Dimes Horoscope will be available online through VSCO starting November 4th...STAY TUNED...

As always, please don't hesitate to contact me for an appointment if you have any burning questions, spiritual, metaphysical or metaphorical knots to untangle.  

THANKS TO ALL ALWAYS AND ALL WAYS FOR READING AND SPREADING TAROTSCOPES!!

scorpio new moon, a haunting tune, call of the loon, an airless balloon, emotional typhoon, witches broom, shadows loom, gloom and doom, who from whom, veil is thin, next of kin, jack-o-lantern grin, twilight din, out on a limb, stars above, lots of love, 

                                  --MW

Without further ado! The card for the NEW MOON, pulled from Amy von Harrington’s deck...

XIV TEMPERANCE

To begin, here is an abbreviated overview of a few key planetary placements at the New Moon in Scorpio:  the Sun, Moon and Mercury were all in the sign of Scorpio.  Venus and Saturn were in Sagittarius having just met and Neptune was hugging the south node in Pisces.  

Typically Scorpio represents things we don’t talk about, or don’t want to talk about: money, death, sex, taxes.  It is the sign of secrets.  But this New Moon sidled right up to Mercury and the two seem to be communicating quite a lot, though perhaps not with words.  Mercury in Scorpio is powerful communication, a message that shakes you to your core, leaves you transformed.  Scorpio doesn’t need to lean on a litany, but can express itself with a deep penetrating stare or a stoney silence.

Additionally, Mercury trined Neptune in Pisces at this moon which may soften Scorpio’s sometimes ruthless approach to drudging up the secrets and also suggests that the truth Scorpio is interested in bringing to light may be more of an emotional one.  What feelings have you been hiding or hiding from?  Perhaps at the New Moon you found them bubbling to the surface uncontrollably.  Fears that seemed too powerful to acknowledge, may, over the next few weeks, find their way into expression.  And through that expression they can be released or transformed. 

Also highlighted at this New Moon, the recent conjunction between Venus and Saturn in Sagittarius.  Sagittarius is associated with truth, meaning and belief.  The card I’ve pulled for this New Moon in Scorpio is most closely linked with the sign of Sagittarius, XIV TEMPERANCE.  Traditionally this card, like XX JUDGEMENT, has been described using rather dogmatic Christian principles, asking us to cultivate and uphold pious moral standards, to choose right from wrong.  However, modern interpretations point to the development of a spiritual connection which does not necessarily adhere to a religious belief system.  Instead, principals are nurtured through deep intuitive listening, a sort of internal earpiece keeping us in conversation with something larger than ourselves.  

Sometimes fears and beliefs/principals become entangled, we can’t recognize dog from wolf.  Fears, are easily dressed up as a beliefs.  Venus in Sagittarius is expansive, freedom loving and idealistic.  When this wild child meets up with Saturn she is asked to take a sobering time out from her galavanting to examine her deeply held beliefs about the things Venus represents (love, relationships, beauty, art).  Saturn wants to know what can stand the test of time.  Which beliefs have become brittle and stale, no longer supportive?  Which beliefs have we maintained out of fear?  For Venus in Sagittarius these fears can manifest as escape hatches, exit strategies, always having one foot out the door.  Or it can be a tendency to idealize love at the expense of meaningful, everyday expressions of love, the subtle gestures, feeding a deep unscratchable itch, a dissatisfaction with love as expressed within relationships.  

Recently, it dawned on me that perhaps I was not expressing love to my dog in the language she most easily understands, one of care.  I’d been so busy with the tumult in my own life that I’d been neglecting the routine and consistency that makes her feel most secure.  I believed that she understood that I loved her because I told her in words and strokes everyday.  But while this is how I may receive love, for a dog it doesn’t provide answers to their most pressing questions (When do we eat? When do we go for a walk?).  Mercury’s proximity to this New Moon suggests a different kind of listening, one that involves really investigating what another might be feeling and attempting to respond with a message they can most easily receive.  

(The Moan- Marion Williams )

TAROTSCOPES for the NEW MOON in LIBRA

WELCOME BACK NAVIGATORS! Eclipse season comes to a close with this New Moon in Libra.  Whew!  What a powerful couple of Eclipses.  And now what?  The gift of a New Moon a chance to start fresh with a new approach.  I didn't end up pulling card for this New Moon,  I leave it open for you to pull your own cards for the moon and reflect on that card for yourselves.  If you don't have tarot cards you can even do this with a deck of cards.  In other news Pluto is now direct!  Change surfaces!  Combined with the closing of the Eclipses and an Eris/Uranus conjunction in Aries and Mercury retracing its steps as it moves forward, this time can feel very weighty and significant.  Everything has a sort of added resonance, echoes from the past and echoes into the future. 

NEWS

I was honored to be included in an art show which opened recently at LAX><ART in West Hollywood, entitled, "Protuberances."  The show is up through the end of October and will include several performances you won't want to miss!

A Tarotscopes horoscope is located on the back of the menu at Dimes in NYC !  It will change monthly so consider making a monthly pit stop for food and fortunes.

As always, please don't hesitate to contact me for an appointment if you have any burning questions, spiritual, metaphysical or metaphorical knots to untangle.  

THANKS TO ALL ALWAYS AND ALL WAYS FOR READING AND SPREADING TAROTSCOPES!!

new moon in the sign of the scales, in comparison pales, save the whales, holy grails, hammering nails, puppy dog tails, riding the rails, no more jails, a cure for what ails, when it rains it hails, a change in sales, hay bails, painted nails, the wind in your sails,  high and low, stop and go, two and fro, yes and no, head to toe, love you so,

                                                                     --MW 

Without further ado! The card for the NEW MOON, pulled from Amy von Harrington’s deck...

[CARD HERE]

I didn’t end up pulling a card for this New Moon.  I got distracted.  I just found out that Toughie died.  He was the very last of the world’s Rabbs’ fringe-limbed treefrogs.  The species is now gone forever, extinct.  When I was a kid I learned about the Dodo and the Passenger Pigeon.  I felt particularly connected to the Passenger Pigeon because I found a picture of one in a book and underneath the photo it said, “Martha*, the last of her kind.”  I used to carry around a photocopy of this Martha, the very last Passenger Pigeon, and I still keep the picture in a special box.  Originally, I think I saw it as a sort of call to arms, “Be strong, be tough,” I’d tell myself,  “Don’t let yourself be the last of your kind.” I didn’t really know what “my kind” was, just that I somehow felt the threat of extinction, which I now understand to be feelings of sensitivity and vulnerability.  

“Dodo” was a name you could get away with calling someone on the playground or sometimes, “You Dodo bird!”  which was more satisfying.  I don’t know exactly how this name evolved to be synonymous with words like ‘dummy’ or ‘stupid’, but all signs seem to point to the bird’s extinction.  When humans first encountered this bird, they did not know to fear humans.  Combined with flightlessness, this made the Dodo an easy target and eventually led to its extinction.  The Passenger Pigeon was similarly blamed for their demise.  They flew low and in large numbers.  It was recorded that during their migration people would stand on their roofs and knock the birds out of the sky with a stick.  What was particularly disturbing about the story of the Passenger Pigeon was that the bird had once been quite common, no different than a rock or mourning dove is to us now and yet somehow humans managed to eradicate every last one.  What Dodos.   

Here we are today, approaching a New Moon in Libra, the closing ceremony to Eclipse Season.  The last month or so has been a time of release and letting go. What can the loss tell you about how you want to proceed?  What is just, right, fair (Libran words)?  What will ultimately bring your life into a state of equilibrium?  How does the planet recalibrate and move towards balance now that, Toughie, the last Rabbs’ fringe-limbed treefrog has died?  

The process of creating balance and peace can feel nothing like actually being there, in a state of balance, in a state of peace.  We can see this quite clearly in this time of violence, change and chaos on the planet.  You can also probably see this quite clearly within yourself and within your relationships.  Where do you need to recalibrate?  What might help you feel at peace in a situation or a relationship?  Sadly, naming a sensitive, vulnerable animal, Toughie, didn’t ensure its survival.  How can we take some of the weight off?  How can we carry it on our side?  It seems we must be willing, at the very least, to inconvenience ourselves.  

My grandfather used to say, (I think he was probably quoting someone else), “You give away the copy, but you keep the original.”  It took me a while to understand what he meant, that anything you say or do to another is only a copy of something you carry within yourself.  Be kind and you keep kind, be cruel and you keep cruel.  Libra is about being receptive.  Its a kind of listening that goes beyond the ears to other ways of sensing and intuiting.  It involves really imagining what life must be like for another.  

What is often so terrifying about this process is that it presents an opportunity to see yourself and your behavior from another perspective.  And the fear is often, what if I don’t like what I see?  What if I learn that I am hurting people, or the planet?  Truthfully, we may not like all of what we see and there probably are ways in which we are hurting each other and the planet.  That is why Libra is also a sign associated with love and compassion, suggesting not only that we look, but how we look.  If we don’t look with love and compassion than we probably won’t look at all and we won’t really see all of what is there/here.

*My full name is Martha.

(Animal Instinct- Cranberries cover by two unknown women )

TAROTSCOPES for the NEW MOON SOLAR ECLIPSE in VIRGO

WELCOME BACK RIDERS OF THE ASTRAL STORM!  The season of change is upon us! Eclipse Season!  The first (or second if you consider the Full Moon in Aquarius a few weeks ago an eclipse) is a New Moon Solar Eclipse in Virgo!  If you want to know more about the astronomy behind solar eclipses, I found this to be a pretty clear explanation.  Mercury is now Retrograde in Virgo! Same sign as the Eclipse (Sun, Moon) and Jupiter.  I discuss the Eclipse in more detail under the card I've pulled for it, the 6 OF CUPS, but as far as Mercury's Retrograde is concerned this one may be pretty potent.  It is in earth, which means things can break quite literally as opposed to just breakdowns in communication.   Be extra careful about placing things in precarious places as they are already precariously placed astrologically speaking.  Okay, onwards!

NEWS

A Tarotscopes horoscope is located on the back of the menu at Dimes in NYC !  It will change monthly so consider making a monthly pit stop for food and fortunes.

As always, please don't hesitate to contact me for an appointment if you have any burning questions, spiritual, metaphysical or metaphorical knots to untangle.  

THANKS TO ALL ALWAYS AND ALL WAYS FOR READING AND SPREADING TAROTSCOPES!!

solar eclipse in the sign of the vir-gin, trash bin, win win, life of sin, toothy grin, anais nin, shark fin, pacific rim, sink or swim, out on a limb, no longer grim, light in the dim, on a whim, flam flim, giving life focus, something pokes us, spring crocus, sounds of locust, astrological push and shove, baseball glove, stars above, its all love,

                         --MW

Without further ado! The card for the NEW MOON, pulled from Amy von Harrington’s deck...

6 OF CUPS

I’m tired.  Whenever I make a statement like this now I can still hear my older cousin’s voice saying, “Nice to meet you, Tired.”  “Noooooo! I’m TIRED!” I’d whine.  “Nice to meet you, Tired,” he’d repeat.  “Noooooooooo!”  I’d wail again and the game would continue until I said, “I FEEL tired!”  It was always surprising how long it took me to find the words that would set me free to be myself again, instead of this other girl, Tired, or occasionally Hungry.  When you feel a certain way long enough or too many times in a row, it can start to feel like someone you are becoming.  Over time it is easy to identify with ways of being which maybe started out as just a feeling or a response to a difficult situation.  And then the eclipses come and like my cousin (a Virgo, as is this eclipse) they remind you that you are not your responses or feelings, but a person who feels and responds.  

The New Moon Solar Eclipse in Virgo is exact at 2:02am PST on September 1st.  With a Solar Eclipse particularly one in an earth sign like Virgo, the changes we experience tend to be quite palpable.  Something or some things may be “eclipsed” creating space for something new to emerge.  The symbol for Virgo is the Virgin, which of course has many negative connotations, but the reason this symbol is actually quite powerful and fitting for Virgo is not because the Virgin has taken a vow to remain celibate, but because they have taken a vow to devote themselves without distraction to their pursuits.  This is a particularly potent eclipse which seems to be asking, what are you willing to devote yourself to without distraction?  What are you willing to do or practice day after day?  Who are the people in your life that you feel devoted to?  Where have you become distracted or disinterested, perhaps because you no longer wish to devote yourself to those pursuits?  

“That’s what it could be like,” a friend of mine texted me after I’d watched (Virgo) Beyoncé’s performance at the VMA’s.  “The past and the future merge to meet us here,” were the words projected on a screen behind her at the opening of the performance.  It felt like an incantation and ended with all the dancers “getting in formation,” a woman’s symbol.  “Thank you God! Thank you Ladies!” She shouted.  The card I’ve drawn for this Eclipse is the 6 of Cups.  The 6 of Cups is an invocation of the past, it represents feelings of nostalgia.  “The past and the future merge to meet us here.”  What is possible, what could life be like?  With what will you fill the space cleared by this eclipse?  The 6 of Cups (and Beyoncé) suggest how we might begin calling in the life we can devote ourselves to most confidently.   

Since Eclipse Season began I’ve been re-watching old movies, some of them I’ve seen several times before.  Most recently I re-watched “Now and Then.”  In the trailer for the film the narrator, played by Demi Moore, says, “Am I happy? That’s a good question.  I’m just realizing that I’ve spent my entire adult life trying to recapture the way I felt the summer of 1970.”  The 6 of Cups asks you to think back to a time you wish to recapture.  What was it about that moment that makes you want to replay it again and again?  How did you feel?  What was supportive of those feelings?  It is neither possible nor desirable to live in the past.  But the past is available for visits, which may help you build a future you wish to inhabit, a future you, as person who feels and responds, can easily dedicate yourself to.  

(Hold Up- Beyoncé)

TAROTSCOPES for the NEW MOON in CANCER

WELCOME BACK TRAVELERS! Wow oh wow and ow oh ow what an incredible time to be on the planet.  So much is in flux and of course as above so below, as below so above!  We are in the throws of Cancer season- a liquid time, an emotional time.  Mars just went direct in Scorpio so as Astrologer Anne Ortelee says, "its full steam ahead."  But it would also  be good to think about how you want to move and what are the wisest moves to make.  Mars in Scorpio is more strategic about the actions it takes.  With the Sun, Mercury, Venus and the NEW MOON all in Cancer it might be helpful to consider the moves a Crab makes- side to side, into and out of its shell, into and out of the sand.  There is more than one way forward.    

NEWS

FRIENDS OF THE SOUTHWEST! The next screening of the documentary WEEDEATER made by Eden Batki, Amy Von Harrington and myself will be at the Loft in Tucson, AZ Wednesday July 13th at 7:30pm. Please come and catch glimpses of your beautiful city!  https://loftcinema.com/film/weedeater/

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON UPCOMING SCREENINGS IN NEW MEXICO AND TEXAS.

A Tarotscopes horoscope is now located on the back of the menu at Dimes in NYC !  It will change monthly so consider making a monthly pit stop for food and fortunes.

As always, please don't hesitate to contact me for an appointment if you have any burning questions, spiritual, metaphysical or metaphorical knots to untangle.  

THANKS TO ALL ALWAYS AND ALL WAYS FOR READING AND SPREADING TAROTSCOPES!!

planets in the sign of the crab, feeling fab, take a stab, taken to the lab, gift of gab, hop in a cab, just a dab, swingin pad, dear old dad, getting mad, thoughts we've had, feeling sad, or rad, being bad, just a tad, wearing plaid, recent grad, free to be, patterns to see, paid the the fee, scrapped your knee, who me, tee hee, together we, summer flea, you've got the key, stars above, all my love,

                         --MW

Without further ado! The card for the NEW MOON, pulled from Amy von Harrington’s deck...

XV THE DEVIL

As I sat down to write about the New Moon (exact this Monday, July 4th at 4am on the west coast) I thought, “Snap, snap, okay! Let’s talk about the New Moon!”  But what I felt was a giant bubble swimming to the surface where words would be, some sort of sensitive, watery, mollusk-type feeling.  So to the bubble/jellyfish/mollusk of emotion, I thought- gently- because they tend to be unresponsive when spoken to harshly or impatiently- “What would you like?”  And because words aren’t really their mother tongue I just sat with the sensations that followed for awhile.  And mostly what they seemed to want was just the freedom and permission to be, to exist, to not be inconvenient or change before they were ready.  So we came to a compromise, I will listen to what they want and together we will write this post about the New Moon in Cancer and the card for this moon, the The Devil.  

There’s a game I like to play which my friend Litia taught me.  You ask a question, it could be about anything, then you press shuffle on your iPod or press the seek button on the radio and whatever song comes up or radio snippet plays is the answer to your question.  I asked my iPod about the New Moon in Cancer on a walk the other day, “What can you tell me about this moon?”  The answer was a song by The Roches called “Runs in the Family.”  As I was walking and listening to the song I thought about the people we become or the hats we wear because it is expected or because there was a blank that needed to be filled and we knew or learned what to do to fill it.  This New Moon in Cancer, opposite Pluto in Capricorn, suggests that those expectations are shifting.  The people we once felt we had to be, the roles we took on unconsciously, or the inheritances we’ve accepted are all subject to change.  With this New Moon there seems to be more flexibility, it is a time for asking for what you want even if getting it requires further negotiation.  

Shortly after my 18th birthday I went on an exchange program and stayed with a Catholic family that had had multiple generations of men and women who became parents when they were 15 or 16.  I remember sitting on a bed with my host parents’ daughter in-law who was only a few years older than myself.  She was resting her head in her ten year old daughter’s lap.  She cradled her mother’s head and softly stroked her hair.  I was shocked by how old, wise and tired this 10 year old already seemed.  “When is she going to be a kid?” I remember thinking.  “When she has a daughter of her own?”  I thought of her mother getting pregnant when she was 15 and my host brother becoming a father when he was 16.  As a fly on the wall, I only brushed the surface of how complicated it had become for them to know what they wanted and to want what they wanted when they had grown up with so much responsibility. 

The Devil, the card I’ve pulled for the New Moon in Cancer reminds us of what we are all constantly negotiating in terms of responsibility and desire.  What do we want to do and what do we have to do?  When do we take on responsibility because it feels easier than acknowledging what we want?  Where have we told ourselves we can’t have something we want because we feel blocked and burdened by who we have to be?  The New Moon trines Neptune in Pisces suggesting that our dreams might be more easily integrated with who we are, who we want to be and what we are responsible for at this time.  

It is also worth noting that this New Moon falls on the 4th, the same day labeled “Independence Day” on most American calendars.  I’ve always punctuated this holiday with a deep sarcastic snort, “Yeah right! For whom?”  I find myself thinking about who so many people have had to be in order to live in this country and in this world.  Some laws and structures, which have forced people to change shape, are changing and some are in desperate need of restructuring in order to accommodate a more human shape.  With the New Moon trining Neptune there is more emphasis on the dream of being who we are and achieving what we want to achieve, unobstructed, unburdened.  This card and this New Moon supports us in taking actions big or small, personal and political which may proclaim these freedoms right now.  In so many ways, consciously and unconsciously, you probably already have “changed the law of averages” as The Roches song says.      

And that’s about all I want to say for now- Feelings, sensitivities, thank you, I couldn’t have gotten to the end of this post or anywhere else without acknowledging you.  

(Runs in the Family- The Roches )   

TAROTSCOPES for the NEW MOON in GEMINI

WELCOME TRAVELERS! The New Moon is almost upon us, Mars is retrograde until the end of the month, Mercury has gone direct and cleared its shadow, a Grand Cross is forming at the New Moon, and that's just above, here on Earth there is much buzz too.  You may find yourself feeling restless, anxious and short-fused.  It is easy to think that this is a sign that we need to be doing something, that there is an action to take, but often the surprising antidote to this kind of frenetic energy is to slow down (exercise also helps).

NEWS

A Tarotscopes horoscope is now located on the back of the menu at Dimes in NYC !  It will change monthly so consider making a monthly pit stop for food and fortunes.

As always, please don't hesitate to contact me for an appointment if you have any burning questions, spiritual, metaphysical or metaphorical knots to untangle.  

THANKS TO ALL ALWAYS AND ALL WAYS FOR READING AND SPREADING TAROTSCOPES!!

new moon in the sign of the twins, trip to the bins, shark fins, who's gonna win, sheepish grin, tonic and gin, begin again,  grand cross, horseshoe toss, no boss, soft green moss, from the freezer defrost, every option exhaust, all is not lost, stars above, peace dove, so much love, love, love,

                        --MW

Without further ado! The card for the NEW MOON, pulled from Amy von Harrington’s deck...

2 OF WANDS

Recently I had a moment which could be described as ecstatic.  It wasn’t composed of anything remarkable.  I was just listening to Chet Baker and eating a homemade protein ball with coconut milk out of my favorite orange tea cup, but I allowed myself to revel in the experience without running into the next moment or lining it up with the past.  As I basked in those few short minutes I thought, “This is not the kind of moment you take to your grave.”  I’m not sure what memories people actually “take to their grave,” but I imagine that when I make my final exit I will be thinking about all the people I love and not about the time I ate a protein ball at sunset.  “That’s why I will have to let myself enjoy everything about this moment now, while it matters to me,” I concluded.  And I did.  But that moment has passed and now I’m back to fine which is the sort of string that all spiky beads of emotion and sensation are strung on.  

The New Moon in Gemini perfects this Saturday evening at 7:59pm on the West Coast. I don’t want to get too entrenched in the astrology of this New Moon because it sets off several aspects which could each, very easily, occupy their own paragraph.  But, if the Gemini New Moon were to introduce itself and give a talk, I suppose the topic of that lecture might be something about love.  I hesitate to elaborate on this hypothetical moon lecture, being myself somewhat unpracticed in the ways of romantic partnership.  Partnership, however, is only one expression of love and love itself, I believe, is not unfamiliar to anyone, nor is romance.   

The card I’ve pulled for this New Moon is the 2 OF WANDS, which punctuates one of the Moon’s assertions- that love expresses itself as magic (i.e. romance) when two or more elements (and/or people) come together and form an experience (i.e. moment).  My sunset, smooth soundtrack, protein ball snack is one example of this kind of magic moment, but of course there are many others.  Love opens us up to the present where we have an opportunity to experience the miraculous in the mundane.  In the hours leading up to my snack, I’d been practicing confronting the judgmental voices in my head that had been relentlessly badgering me for months.  By the time the sun began to set and I was lounging with my snack and listening to jazz, I had found a pulse of appreciation for life within myself, it was love.    

The challenge which ultimately accompanies these kind of romantic experiences is the desire to sustain them.  Saturn’s opposition to the New Moon and Venus reminds us that we cannot rely on one moment or even a handful of them to ensure our happiness or contentment long term.  It would be easy to surmise that protein balls and Chet Baker are a recipe for joy because they evoked this response once.  However, I know from experience that magic moments aren’t easily replicated.  Inevitably self criticism and doubt will return and hold me up at the cost of a few potentially pleasurable moments.  But, just as inevitably, love will return because, in fact, unlike my voices of self doubt and criticism, love never leaves.  Love is always here, always available, even when apparently imperceivable.    

(I'm So Glad You Love Me- Juanita Rogers)

TAROTSCOPES for the NEW MOON in TAURUS

WELCOME BACK NAVIGATORS! I'm short on words this evening and so are the planets (as I explain in more depth below under the QUEEN OF PENTACLES the card I pulled for this Taurus New Moon) so...read on!

NEWS

Weedeater, the documentary film about Nance Klehm that my friends Eden Batki, Amy Von Harrington (yes the very same AVH who makes the tarot deck I pull from each new moon) and I made will be screening in NYC on May 7th at the Museum of Art & Design.  If you are in NYC come see and be inspired, as we have been, by Klehm's life, work and philosophy (which is actually one thing).  

A Tarotscopes horoscope is now located on the back of the menu at Dimes in NYC !  It will change monthly so consider making a monthly pit stop for food and fortunes.

As always, please don't hesitate to contact me for an appointment if you have any burning questions, spiritual, metaphysical or metaphorical knots to untangle.  

THANKS TO ALL ALWAYS AND ALL WAYS FOR READING AND SPREADING TAROTSCOPES!!

new moon in the sign of the bull, no more pull of the wool, getting full, push and pull, nothings dull, void and null, jonathan livingston seagull, grand trine in earth, new birth, laugh with mirth, for what its worth, mercury retrograde, words fade, waters to wade, finding some shade, fridges to raid, plans you've made, the past parades, good grades, stars above, fits like a glove, love, love, love,

                                 --MW

Without further ado! The card for the NEW MOON, pulled from Amy von Harrington’s dec

QUEEN OF PENTACLES

“Magic happens when you aren’t looking,” my cousin’s four year old son Peter told an audience of adults who nodded with one ear but whose gazes were fixed on other distractions.  He had pulled apart a magnetic puzzle and was fumbling with the pieces, attempting to reassemble it back into a ball.  As we approach the New Moon in Taurus (exact mid-day tomorrow (05/06/16) on the west coast), several planets of prominence are retrograde echoing Peter’s pronouncement- a lot will be happening while we aren’t looking.  

When planets go retrograde they tend to be experienced more acutely on internal levels- emotionally, psychologically, spiritually.  Additionally the element of air is currently unoccupied, all the planets are busy wrestling with earth, water and fire.  Things like rational thought and straightforward communication can be, not only challenging, but unproductive.  This current astrological weather may be best navigated with the senses.  And what comes to you passively may have greater significance for the time being than anything you hunt down or tackle.  

This brings me to the card I pulled for this new moon, the Queen of Pentacles.  The Queen of Pentacles combines the elements of water and earth and carries with it messages of fertility and production.  It should be noted however that unlike more action-oriented cards, the Queen of Pentacles is passively productive.  In many ways this card reflects the earth itself which produces an abundance of life just by being itself.

As I was considering this new earth Moon and the corresponding card, I was reminded of John Francis, the environmentalist known as the “Planetwalker” who earned this nickname after he gave up motorized transportation for 22 years and went everywhere by foot.  During this time he also took a vow of silence which lasted 17 years.  The power of Francis’ story is largely contained in what he didn’t do.  This message I think is extremely important and timely both astrologically and environmentally.  In a 2005 interview, Francis, discussing his 17 year silence said, “Silence is not just not talking.  It’s a void.  It’s a place where all things come from.  All voices, all creation comes out of silence.  When you’re standing on the edge of silence, you hear things you’ve never heard before, and you hear things in ways you’ve never heard them before.”  So here we are in the midst of a sort of void, a silence.  I won’t cloud you with many more words.  Instead I leave you with a long blank space for listening and passive receptivity

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________…

(Big Yellow Taxi- Joni Mitchell)

TAROTSCOPES for the NEW MOON in ARIES

WELCOME BACK RIDERS OF THE ASTRAL STORM!  As I write this I can hear an ambulance siren in the distance getting closer and then moving farther away.  An old professor in college told me that ambulance sirens are set at a pitch which allows you to pinpoint where they are and how close they are and warning sirens, like tornado or air raid sirens are designed to blanket an area with the sound.  I've definitely found my own alarms going off at certain points, but I haven't always been able to determine whether they are coming or going, how close they are or if they are just issuing a general warning.  Do we pull over and make way when our alarms sound or do we run for cover?  These are all questions to ask as we approach the upcoming transits (like the Mars and Pluto stations and retrogrades) and aspects (such as Saturn square Jupiter).  

NEWS

Just a reminder that if you are going to...not San Francisco, but New York, be sure to wear...whatever you want and stop by the amazing Dimes!  A brand new Tarotscopes horoscope is now located on the back of their menu!  It will change monthly so consider making a monthly pit stop for food and fortunes.

As always, please don't hesitate to contact me for an appointment if you have any burning questions, spiritual, metaphysical or metaphorical knots to untangle.  

THANKS TO ALL ALWAYS AND ALL WAYS FOR READING AND SPREADING TAROTSCOPES!!

new moon in the sign of the ram, wham, bam, on the lam, what a sham, for the exam cram, hole in the dam, not your jam, such a ham, malefic terrific, be specific, sail the south pacific, neolithic, mars stations, have patience, take vacations, filled with elation, state of the nation, rubber glove, stars above, blub, blub, blub, all my love,

                                                --MW 

Without further ado! The card for the NEW MOON, pulled from Amy von Harrington’s deck

THE CHARIOT

I woke up this morning with the first line and accompanying notes of Bessie Smith’s “Blue Spirit Blues” scratching out in my mind, “Had a dream last night that I was dead.  Evil spirits all around my bed.”  The song describes a nightmare, but its words and melody are extremely alluring and every time I listen I find myself eagerly marching down to hell as Smith narrates, “the devil came and grabbed my hand.”  

The chart for the New Moon in Aries, exact in the wee hours on Thursday morning (PST), is full of what are referred to in astrology as malefics.  Simply put, malefic planets are planets with destructive tendencies- Mars, Pluto, Saturn and Uranus are all included in this category.  Traditionally they have gotten a bad rap, but like the song, there is something sultry and compelling about the “badness” implied by these planets and this New Moon.  The New Moon brushes shoulders with Uranus in Aries and squares Pluto in Capricorn.  Somewhere in your natal chart (18 degrees Aries and 17 degrees Capricorn to be exact) you may experience the feeling of being at the end of your rope accompanied by a burning desire to break the rules, skip class, skip town, or just skip- if that qualifies as a rebellion in your present circumstance.  

There was a period in my late teens and early twenties when I found myself running away on a somewhat regular basis.  At the time I didn’t really see it as running away.  Adults would draw a line and say, “You can’t go beyond this point, this is your limit.”  But I knew my own limits intimately and I knew that the boundaries being set for me didn’t match up.  So I’d casually cross their lines and keep on going until I reached my own perimeter.  This is an entirely natural process in my opinion, we all have to find our own edges.  Sometimes that involves going past the point of comfort (the comfort of others as well as our own) in order to know where we stand most peacefully within ourselves.  

The card I’ve pulled for this New Moon is the Chariot.  In the Motherpeace Tarot book the chapter on the Chariot is subtitled- “Winning One’s Own Way.”  The Chariot is about accomplishment, but as the card suggests it is more about your path to accomplishment and/or your mode of transportation than it is about the accomplishments themselves.  Winning may be the goal, but you will probably spend more time running the race than at the finish line, the Chariot asks us to consider the path.  While the goal may be to get to the castle, the most rewarding and memorable part of the journey is probably slaying the dragons who guard it.  

This brings me back to the malefics- planets with destructive tendencies.  Without them, slaying the dragons impeding you from reaching your goals would be almost impossible.  The New Moon in Aries, full of powerful aspects to malefic planets, suggests there may be some obstacles to overcome before the wishes you wish come true.  But also embedded in this moon are the strength and tools you need to meet those challenges.  You might find the spirit of rebellion stealing over you- a sultry song like, Blue Spirit Blues, calling you to confront your fears.  Remember that these assertions, while initially creating some discomfort, may ultimately be part of the path to peace both within yourself and the world at large.  

(Blue Spirit Blues- Bessie Smith)

TAROTSCOPES for the SOLAR ECLIPSE in PISCES

WELCOME BACK DUSTY TRAVELERS! I seem to be saying this a lot lately but...wow.  Times are tough and we are incredibly soft, which is why it would be a good idea to treat everyone with extreme tenderness as we navigate the upcoming eclipse in sensitive Pisces.  This ocean is deep! Do you have some sort of receptacle for collecting your dreams?  They tend to get more vivid during Pisces season.   

NEWS

If you are going to...not San Francisco, but New York, be sure to wear...whatever you want and stop by the amazing Dimes!  A brand new Tarotscopes horoscope is now located on the back of their menu!  It will change monthly so consider making a monthly pit stop for food and fortunes.

As always, please don't hesitate to contact me for an appointment if you have any burning questions, spiritual, metaphysical or metaphorical knots to untangle.  

THANKS TO ALL ALWAYS AND ALL WAYS FOR READING AND SPREADING TAROTSCOPES!!

pisces eclipse, loose lips, sailing ships, offering tips, short trips, potato chips, skinny dips, back flips, paper clips, deep clean, gems to glean, heard and seen, don't be mean, on the same team, coffee add cream, fire plus water makes steam, toes pointed downstream, moonbeam, stars above, all my love,

                              --MW 

Without further ado! The card for the ECLIPSE, pulled from Amy von Harrington’s deck

THE HANGED MAN

 At some point in the past few weeks I started missing messages.  “It’s so crazy! I’m only getting about a third of my messages!” I told an employee at the T-mobile store.  The look on his face made it quite clear that this did not strike him as “crazy.”  He waved his hand over the screen and revealed a window on my phone with the words- Availability- 0 bytes.  “You’re just out of memory,” he smirked.  “Delete your pictures and old texts and your phone should start functioning normally again.” Silently, stubbornly to his smirk I thought, “And I’m out of memory for technical information like this, so I will see you again next month when I’m having the same issue.”  But given the current astrological weather, chances are I won’t need his help next month, chances are I will have let go of my resistance to absorbing tedious information about my phone. 

Over the past few weeks I’ve observed this feeling surfacing periodically like a stone in my chest.  It appears mostly when someone is attempting to make a helpful suggestion.  “No,” It says definitively.  Fortunately, I’ve come to manage myself as if I were a team and not just one person, so the word doesn’t escape my lips.  Another voice intercepts it and says, “Move over, make room for possibility.”  This voice pushes the boulder like a wave and it loosens its hold on my opinion.  

The card I’ve pulled for the upcoming Eclipse is the Hanged Man.  Most eclipses are about letting go, but this eclipse (and this card), seems to underline, highlight and embolden its message several times over.  Typically eclipses don’t ask permission before they clear your plate and this one may feel particularly hasty.  Pisces is the sign of the unconscious and so what is eclipsed could be some sort of a security blanket we weren’t entirely aware we were griping until we are left with an empty fist.  

“But how do you even know if you are holding on?” a client recently asked.  “I don’t know,” I empathized, “I imagine it feels like marching upstream.”  The problem with letting go for people like myself and my client is that charging the current can feel quite natural.  The benefit of an eclipse is that it often reveals, at times in very dramatic ways, which way the river flows.        

We will have to wait and see, but I am optimistic that what we stand to gain from this bi-annual cleanse is much needed space- memory for receiving messages.   

(Hello- Lydia Lee )

TAROTSCOPES for the NEW MOON in AQUARIUS

WELCOME BACK NAVIGATORS OF THE ASTRAL PLANE! What a month it has been, both in the world and at home.  It seems like all of 2016 was pinched between the Gregorian calendar New Year and Chinese New Year.  Mercury is out of retrograde, though still following the shadow it traveled when it was retrograde, so you may still be dealing with the repair and clean up of anything that snagged you then.  The New Moon in Aquarius will arrive early tomorrow morning on the west coast and is sandwiched between Venus in literal and practical Capricorn and Chiron in ethereal and intuitive Pisces.  There are so many things to think about with this New Moon, below under the card I've drawn for this moon, The HIGH PRIESTESS, are just a few, but I'll add a few more thoughts here:

Venus in Capricorn, is not overly sentimental or terribly romantic.  On the other side of the moon, at 19 degrees Pisces, is Chiron, deeply feeling and emotional and intuitive, but isolated, perhaps disconnected.  The New Moon in Aquarius has an ear to both and Venus and Chiron are benefiting from a sextile and therefore mutual appreciation.  With this configuration the New Moon in humanitarian Aquarius seems to be asking, "How can I help?" or perhaps even more broadly, "How can WE help?"

NEWS

Nothing new of note, but I am here and available for readings.  Please don't hesitate to contact me for an appointment if you have any burning questions or spiritual, metaphysical or metaphorical knots to untangle.  

THANKS TO ALL ALWAYS AND ALL WAYS FOR READING AND SPREADING TAROTSCOPES!!

aquarius new moon, sing a new tune, examine an old wound, importune, sweep of the broom, call of the loon, soon soon, square to mars, old scars, too many cars, on par, near and far, hardy har har, passing the bar, lions roar, eagles soar, a regular downpour, four times four, encore, folklore, ship to shore, wanting more, at the core, what we ignore, mercury trines north node, rough road, humble abode, lawn fresh mowed, stars above, love love love,

                                                      --MW

Without further ado! The card for the NEW MOON, pulled from Amy von Harrington’s deck:

HIGH PRIESTESS

The other day I was watching a crime show.  In this particular episode the lead detective is investigating a crime scene accompanied by an understudy, a detective in training.  The lead detective pulls a piece of evidence from a nearby trash can and says, “This was an execution.”  “That’s impossible,” the green detective says, arguing that there was no way that the killer could have known that those particular victims were coming.  “I didn’t say the killer was targeting the victims, I just said this was an execution,”  the detective replies.  “I don’t know what that means,” the newby chirps.  “I don’t know either,” the detective says.  I’ve been holding this exchange closely, turning it over.  I’ve found it helpful to look at many situations recently, in my own life, from this standpoint, as though I were investigating a crime scene, noticing what the evidence seems to suggest, but also not coming to any conclusions based on the evidence.  For reasons I could probably attribute to astrology, biology, physiology, psychology, mythology…I find myself often looking for the resolution, to not leave a question mark dangling.  But this hasn’t been working so well for me, especially not lately.  When you jump to a conclusion, you’ve turned your back on all the other possibilities- case closed, but not necessarily true. 

The High Priestess, the tarot card I’ve pulled for this New Moon in Aquarius, like a detective, follows a hunch.  She must also consider the evidence, not jump to conclusions, but ultimately trust her intuition.  In a TedTalk about making hard choices philosopher, Ruth Chang, says hard choices are hard because there is no best option.  She says we often assume that personal values are weighed the same as scientific values.  But with numbers, she says, there is only three possible comparisons- greater than, less than, or equal to.  We often assume that when we are making a difficult choice by weighing values, but what ends up happening is that rather than the choice presenting us with reasons, we assign our own reasons to a choice and this helps us to make a decision.  Chang’s argument was that the act of creating reasons defines who we are.  Yes, yes, I thought, but to me this information was interesting because it suggests that hard choices are ultimately made from a less rational place, either out of fear or from our intuition and that they are then rationalized with more socially accepted concrete reasons.  Fear-based decisions which typically lead to the safest option are easier to rationalize and won’t raise any eyebrows, where as intuitive decisions may not be understood until they have already happened…”I’m happier here, now, in this new job, on this island in the South Pacific than I was before.”  

But what does this have to do with the New Moon in Aquarius?  Aquarius is the sign of the inventor, the scientist, the innovator, airplanes and technology.  The Aquarian decision-making process is something like deciding where to land a plane.  Like most air signs Aquarius tends to be very practical laying out all the facts, possible outcomes and reactions.  Aquarius is the sign of the future and so decisions are often made in consideration of and to accommodate hopes and dreams.  But this New Moon in practical Aquarius squares Mars in deeply intuitive Scorpio suggesting that any forward movement will be difficult without careful consideration of BOTH the plain/ plane facts and the facts that exist below the surface- emotions, psychology, intuitive hunches.  The afore mentioned crime show is a good example of this conversation.  Forensic evidence alone was not enough to solve the mystery, an understanding of the psychology of the perpetrator also had to be taken into account.  Some important questions to consider at this New Moon might be: What is both above and below your present situation?  What are the fears which may be putting pressure on your decisions? What does your present situation look like from a plane?  What does your present situation feel like if you buried yourself in it like sand or dirt?

(Everybody Knows (The River Song)- O.V. Wright)

TAROTSCOPES for the NEW MOON in CAPRICORN

WELCOME BACK TRAVELERS!  Happy 2016!  The year is off to a somewhat slow start with a Mercury Retrograde in Capricorn.  If 2016 hasn't felt like a slow start, consider consciously slowing down. Snafus associated with Mercury Retrograde in an earth sign like Capricorn tend to manifest in accidents where something is literally broken- you drop your phone, your computer etc.  Slowing down might be one possible prevention method.  Jupiter also recently stationed to go retrograde in Virgo and it is at the same degree as the North Node of Fate, I won't get into this much here as I discuss it in more detail under the card for the week THE WORLD, but I will add that this aspect typically brings with it fated events and meetings with significant people.  As astrologer Anne Ortelee says, "Watch who you meet!"  With Jupiter retrograde these could be people you have met before, but they resurface again at this time.  

NEWS

The documentary film, Weedeater about Nance Klehm that my friends Eden Batki, Amy Von Harrington and I have been working on is finished and will be screened at Human Resources in Los Angeles on January 25th at 7pm.  The screening is a fundraiser for a film tour.  

A short video I made recently featuring my dear friend and artist, Dylan Mira, is up now on the Girls Like Us website. 

THANKS TO ALL ALWAYS AND ALL WAYS FOR READING AND SPREADING TAROTSCOPES!!

new moon in cap, the occasional mishap, one hand clap, water from the tap, making a map, that's a wrap, annual pap, fell in your lap, afternoon nap, its a snap, electric zap, mercury steps back, what did you pack, clickity clack, paint it black, love shack, don't step on a crack, don't give any flack, getting the knack, jupiter on the node, open road, lighten your load, kiss a toad, stars above, love love love,

                                     --MW 

Without further ado! The card for the NEW MOON, pulled from Amy von Harrington’s deck:

THE WORLD

It seems almost contradictory to call the Moon in Capricorn (culminating at about 5:30pm PST on January 9th) New.  With Mercury and Jupiter both retrograde, Mercury also in Capricorn and Jupiter forming a loose trine to the sun and moon, this New Moon in Capricorn seems to have history, personal and collective, tugging at it’s sleeve.  Consider that the past may always be an influence on how you approach things now and in the future and it would be beneficial at the New Moon to do something to bring this influence into your conscious awareness.   

Pluto also conjuncts this moon and forms a square with Uranus.  The Uranus/ Pluto Square was much talked about last year and many astrologers feel it contributes to a spirit of rebellion, of saying, enough is enough.  Pluto, the planet of power and transformation has been in Capricorn since 2008.  Capricorn is the sign of structure, of laws (not necessarily of justice, that is Libra).  Uranus in Aries squaring Pluto in Capricorn indicates that sudden events, often concerning an individual (Aries), illuminate where laws or structures are not functioning as they were designed or where they were poorly designed to begin with.  At the New Moon, rather than dwelling on the stale shadows of history, we may be turning towards the ways in which history can provide, by example, support for the future.  It may be particularly important to ask questions of the past in order to understand its significance in the present.  Martin Luther King Jr. Day is on the 18th of this month and February is Black History Month, both offering opportunities to do, as this New Moon suggests and reflect on the past as providing momentum for the future.  I highly recommend watching the extremely relevant (astrologically and otherwise) MLK speech I’ve attached below, if you haven’t already seen it, and if you have…watch it again.   

This brings us to The XXI World, the card I’ve pulled from Amy Von Harrington’s deck for this New Moon.  The World reminds us of it’s roundness and cyclical nature.  It is an ending, but also a beginning, it is a beginning but also an ending.  The World asks us to check our pockets, to look at what we’ve brought with us into the New Year.  The World, along with the North Node in Virgo conjunct Jupiter, asks us to make conscious our actions and intentions, to be deliberate as we step into 2016.  Have you felt like a sleepwalker?  The alarm is going off, it’s a New Year!  It is time to notice and pay attention and The World provides a good place to start.  The World asks us to reflect on what led us to this moment?  How can we use the past to guide us in the future? 

(What Is Your Life’s Blueprint?- Martin Luther King Jr.)