When I do a reading, different decks speak to me. As my clients know, I often mix decks. Two decks yelled at me for August – The Starman Tarot, by Davide and Esther De Angelis, which I have used often for readings on the blog, and my new favorite deck, The Tarot of Bones by Lupa. Before I get into the reading, I just have to tell you how delightful it has been, getting to know The Tarot of Bones. This deck lends itself very well to a daily retrospective, which is a great technique for learning a deck, and it’s very Shamanic, while still being a tarot deck.
The card I pulled from the Starman Tarot was the Ten of Pentacles, which is an incredibly hopeful card to me, especially considering the pandemic and the general trend in politics. It speaks of connections, ideas, the creative process, and humanity as a family. This card holds the overall energy for the month.
The next three cards are all from Lupa’s Tarot of Bones.
In the position of Theme for the month we have the Queen of Swords – Being the Thinker. Lupa’s imagery is that of a replica red-tailed hawk skull, floating amidst the clouds, in a wide blue sky. It is a caution to not be sentimental this month; rather, be in cool, logical thought, and don’t let drama, fear, or proclivities knock you off your center. Straight forward communication and practicality are what is going to be called for.
For more clarity on this, we go to the Nine of Wands, to see what’s operating below the surface and behind the scenes. We’ve done a lot of work, and we’re almost there, but sometimes that last little push is a bitch, you know? If you will recall, my earlier prediction for August was “Shore up your resources, the storm is still coming.” Nine of Wands agrees, but it reminds us that was have the fortitude, tools, strength and allies to do just that. In that final battle, a clear head can absolutely be an asset, so we are in line with the theme. I keep hearing in the back of my head, “assemble your Zombie Apocalypse team.”
The Advice card for August is The World – usually the last card in the cycle of the Major Arcana (except, of course, Lupa has included the Happy Squirrel, so The World is the second to last card in the cycle). Keep moving, don’t get complacent. The theme this month is a clear, cool head, and the best way to have that is to actually get out of yourself and talk to others. Listen for the message, be part of the connected-ness of humanity, expand your view; otherwise things can get muddy in your head. Letting thoughts rattle around too much doesn’t often lend itself to clarity.
Personally, I’m going to spend a little less time paying attention to headlines, and a little more time connecting with other humans. I tend to prefer data to sensation when gathering information anyway, especially during this pandemic.