Monthly Tarot for July 2018

I realized while watering the plants on my deck that it was indeed the first of July and time again for Monthly Tarot! So I donned some herbal mosquito repellent and decided to sit out on the deck to do the reading. It’s such a lovely day and my new heat pump isn’t installed yet. They have to order some things so we’re probably looking at week after next, so it’s nice to sit outside where it’s cooler. We have so many trees throughout both yards that the area around the house is much cooler than anywhere else on the property. So with the windchimes making lovely sounds, I drew the cards for July.

I’m again using a three card spread for each week, with an initial significator followed by what challenges and then what supports us during that particular week. The cards break down as follows:

• Overall numerology is 7 or magick and divinity, balance, the resting point
• Weekly numerology
  • Week 1 ~ 9 or completion
  • Week 2 ~ 6 or the Spirit side of self, balance, harmony
  • Week 3 ~ 6 again the Spirit side of self, balance, harmony
  • Week 4 ~ 13 or 4, structure if using 4, if using 13, the power of the witch
• Suits represented ~ Swords (absent)
  • Cups ~ 4 cards
  • Stones/Pentacles ~ 2 cards
  • Wands ~ 1 card
• Elements ~ Water (emotions), Stones (physical), Fire (will)
• Major Arcana cards ~ 2
• Court cards ~ 3

Week One

We begin the first week of July with the 4 of Cups and some Mixed Happiness. Four cups are overturned and seemingly at odds with each other, their water collecting in the pool below. Water represents change and in this case, our emotions may be in conflict at times this week. The hexagram in the upper left-hand corner of the card suggests Difficulty at the Beginning indicating that we may be experiencing difficulty sorting out our emotions, or perhaps sorting out an emotional situation with others. Although we may have difficulty seeing what we really have, we have the ability to transcend whatever confusion we’re experiencing. The four itself invokes the Mother energy within to bring a foundation or structure to whatever we’re experiencing this week so that exists to bring us back to a still point from which we find a sense of clarity.

Reinforcing Water’s influence, Alchemy, the 14th card from the Major Arcana appears in the position of what challenges us. Here we’re blending will with emotion, Elemental Fire with Water and feeling the difficulty that can pose. This might be one of the most interesting cards in the Haindl deck. Fire on the right half and Water on the left, we see the rune Laguz in the upper right corner with the astrological glyph for Sagittarius in the lower. An ancient presence on the right and a devilish one on the left representing both form and Spirit, with a clownish face appearing next to a skull below representing life and death. In the position of what challenges this week, Alchemy is counseling us to be mindful of how much our will is reinforced by subjective emotion.

In keeping with my less than positive attitude surrounding Court cards, Haindl increases my attitude problem by changing them to reflect deities and cultural icons. At some point, I decided to research these people in an effort to discover why it was that he felt these particular people represented how he saw the Court cards. And I confess that I’m still not certain. The simplest way to look at Court cards is to either view them as gender and age specific and/or the qualities possessed by those people. Or you can look as them as potential personality types that we might take on in any given situation. And no, I’m not talking about multiple personality disorder, but only that it might be better in some situations to exude a sense of youthful abandon than the stodginess experienced with a King for example.

But in the position of support for week one, the Prince of Wands appears, a Knight in other decks, and retitled the Son of Wands in the East in this deck with Krishna as its personality. Bringing divinity into form, the Prince of Wands loves life and adventure and when this card appears, we’re to take a risk and accept some change with a little compassion thrown in as well. See the bigger picture and allow our will and emotions to strike a better balance.

 

Week Two

The 10 of Cups begins week two with an influence of Success. We see ten golden chalices upright and suspended before a craggy outcropping that appears to rise upward out of the water. There appears to be a darkened opening on the face of the rock, perhaps an entrance to a small cave. And although it’s difficult to discern, it appears that there is either a cliff in the background or mountains suggesting a challenge met. The 10 of Cups signifies the achievement of a desired outcome this week. Pushing Upward is the title of the hexagram on the card suggesting that any success is born of effort and determination.

Osiris appears as the Prince of Swords in this week’s position of challenge. The god of rebirth and the underworld, it’s still unclear to me why Haindl chose this deity other than possibly his pure heart and integrity, typifying the Prince. With his skill at agriculture, however, it may be that his affinity with Air and Swords has more to do with communicating that skill to others. Traditional interpretations involve doing what is right and having courage. The challenge may be in our efforts to communicate with others this week.

Material Difficulty is the message of the 5 of Stones. Here we see boulders in varying sizes and appear scattered around the scene. A sense of isolation or loss is felt with this card and in the position of what supports us, it may be warning us that we’re in over our head or that our foundation may be unstable. Splitting Apart is the title of the hexagram and indicates that intolerance may be affecting our process. Relating to the 10 of Cups, the 5 of Stones is suggesting that for success to take hold, we need to stay centered and focused and not allow fear or a lack of focus to influence the outcome allowing the influence of the weekly numerology of six and the Higher Self to inform our choices.

 

Week Three

We begin week three with the 5 of Wands as significator along with some Conflict which may indicate a continuation of experiences from week two. Both have an overall numerology of six with the influence of the Higher Self or Spirit informing our experience. On this card we see five flame-tipped spears pointing upward. Each spear controls its own flame suggesting control and a measured response. It also indicates balanced energy within the conflict. There may be an impasse of sorts this week or some competition or at least a slowing down of the process. The hexagram indicates Revolution and the awareness for transformation that is founded on spiritual principles on behalf of the greater good.

In the position of challenge, we have The Universe, the twenty-first card from the Major Arcana. The serpent of rebirth and transformation breathes new life into the universe, its fiery breath invoking creation. Synthesis and completion are traditional interpretations of this card, the fool’s journey at its end. The challenge here with such a successful card is to allow the process to unfold. Sometimes we get in the way of our own success and fulfillment. The conflict from the 5 of Wands may have more to do with our own intolerance than anything we’re experiencing with others. So, the message here then is to allow the process instead of exerting our own interference.

I disagree with Haindl’s title of the 7 of Stones, Failure. Instead, in the position of what supports us this week, I see this as stepping back and allowing things to settle before continuing on. Seven boulders are scattered about with no real pattern or structure. Standstill or inaction is the influence of the card’s hexagram. Trusting the process allows us to observe without interfering, allowing the outcome to be what it is. It’s allowing Spirit to inform our process instead of the ego. The outcome may not be exactly what we intended, but that doesn’t necessarily imply failure, only a new direction to take.

 

Week Four

The Page or Princess in tarot decks represents new beginnings, students, messages, and undeveloped potential. The Princess of Cups is depicted by Haindl as goddess Brigid of Ireland also referred to as the patron Saint of Kildare. She was reportedly one of the Tuatha de Dannan and considered the goddess of poetry. Upon her sainthood, her patronage expanded to include fertility and agriculture along with numerous others. In the position of significator, we should be exploring our undeveloped potential this week making use of our imagination and allowing inspiration and intuition to flow.

In the position of challenge this week, the 6 of Cups appears typically indicating family and friendship along with balance and fulfillment. Haindl makes use of bubbles to indicate purity, grace, and hope and we see a rather large bubble on the center-right area of the card. The hexagram on the card is titled The Joyous and suggests that stimulation is required for joy to exist. However what the 6 of Cups is asking is for us to be mindful of our balance this week so that we’re not getting ahead of ourselves or allowing only the ego to inform our process.

Finally, the 7 of Cups bring Illusions of Success this week. Six chalices line up in balance with a seventh over-turned in the center. This card may bring success but it’s success that’s usually temporary. The overturned cup suggests that some undermining of an emotional nature may be occurring representing a willingness to emotionally sabotage. But on the other hand, seven indicates balance and a resting point, so in the position of support, it may be indicating that we should find a balance between inspiration and a more practical approach when developing our potential.

Our emotions are dominating this month and we may be sabotaging our own efforts if we don’t remain balanced. And it’s interesting that two cards from the Major Arcana appear in the position of challenge during the month. That tells me that the Higher Self is insisting on informing us this month. A sort of ignore me at your own peril attitude. The overall numerology for the month is seven which I continue to view as a number representing balance. Three on each side of the one which represents the balance or resting point. For our efforts to be successful this month, it’s clear that we’ll need to take a step back to really see what’s going on. Allowing the outcome instead of controlling it may give us a better experience this month. Things may turn out differently than we expect, but maybe that’s the point. Maybe it’s the unexpected direction or outcome that provides us with our best experiences.

Blessed Be