constellations
The Empowering Symbolism Of The World Card
The World card in the Tarot remains one of my firm favorites. I am all for personal and spiritual growth, the completion of cycles, and new beginnings. The World represents exactly that: the ending of a cycle and pause in life, before the next major cycle begins with the fool.
The journey from the new beginnings of The Fool to the fulfilling endings of The World is a constant evolutionary process in our everyday lives that is represented by the sequence of the 22 Major Arcana cards of the Tarot. The World is the 22nd trump and therefore final card of the Major Arcana.
I have reflected on the imagery of the Rider-Waite version of this Tarot card in great detail. Rider-Waite is probably the most popular and universally recognized Tarot deck. The illustrations by Pamela Colman Smith at first glance appear simple, but the details and backgrounds feature abundant mystical symbolism.
The World pictures an empowered figure within a wreath – traditionally a symbol of victory, success, achievement, and eternal life. The figure holds a wand in each hand, which is reminiscent of the Magician card and the Two of Wands. However, while The Magician holds only one wand, the two wands in the The World card represents fulfillment, wholeness, balance and coming full circle.
The card is framed by four animals on the diagonal. The depiction of these four creatures parallels the four animal symbols used in Christian art to represent the four Evangelists, namely Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The four animals also represent the zodiac signs of Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius, the four fixed signs in Western Astrology, which in turn represent the classical four elements of Earth, Fire, Water and Air.
Boldly Into The Future With Jupiter In Pisces 2022
It’s a new year and I feel the need to exhale and wipe the sweat off my forehead. We all made it through a very intense 2021. I know I’m not the only one to feel the sense of relief.
Astrologically speaking, Saturn square Uranus was no laughing matter in 2021. I personally know many people whose lives were shaken. We’ve all taken a hit from the pandemic, losing loved ones, jobs, and our emotional sense of security (Uranus in Taurus).
And then for a brief time, from May until July, Jupiter, the planet of hope, freedom, and happiness, dipped its big toes into the ocean of Pisces with many public health precautions lifted and optimism returning.
We nervously stepped out, albeit a bit ‘grungy’ looking. Fashion became comfy loungewear, the beards were left bushy, and women owned their greys. But we ventured out of our caves and life began to stir as the sun’s rays nourished our now socially awkward selves.
It was nice while it lasted.
Then Jupiter went back into Aquarius, once again cohabiting with the Scrooge of the planets, Saturn, and we went back into our cocoons, experiencing increasing shell shocks as Saturn and Uranus completed their final square dance right before Christmas. Polarizing politics, flights canceled, families torn asunder.
And many celebrity deaths in the news this past two years, including our beloved Betty White to close out 2021.
But, the first four months of this year we will once again feel the benevolent optimism, miracles and good fortune of Jupiter returning to Pisces shining its light in the world! Jupiter will do the same again at the end of October to finish out the year.
Astrology Forecast June 14 – 20, 2021
Things unfold pretty calmly as the Sun spends its last days in Gemini this week, encouraging us to integrate all the new ideas and information we’ve learned over the past three weeks.
A Leo Moon hangs in the heavens today and tomorrow, bringing out our generous and heart-based sides. But beware the Leo Moon opposing Saturn in Aquarius today that can cause us to feel disenchanted or even depressed, and may also lead to a sense of emotional distance or feeling abandoned and lonely in our relationships.
Stay calms and be patient, because tomorrow Gemini Sun sextile the Moon in Leo will improve communication and social harmony and briefly reduce the need for power struggles. Tomorrow may therefore be a great time to ask your friend or relatives for help, or your employer for that well-deserved raise or promotion.
Details and organization will be the themes on Wednesday and Thursday under a Virgo Moon, so save those sorts of tasks for mid-week. However, the Virgo Moon opposition to Jupiter in Pisces may cause relationship conflicts from earlier in the week to resurface, so avoid unnecessary disagreement and drama, and try to keep the peace at home until the weekend.
A loving Libra Moon will fortunately accompany us into the weekend on Friday and Saturday, highlighting relationships and a return to fairness and balance. The Gemini Sun trine the Libra Moon will further contribute happiness and harmony to our relationships and family life over the weekend.
On Sunday Jupiter will turn retrograde, but we may not even notice, as we’ll be drifting through the spiritual and intuitive tones of the Scorpio Moon. After a month of information overload and two eclipses, this weekend is best spent regrouping before we move into a new season and all the wonders that await us.
The annual summer solstice also occurs Sunday, marking the start of summer in the Northern Hemisphere (and winter in the Southern Hemisphere).
Astrology Forecast June 7 – 13, 2021
The second of two eclipses occurs this week. On Thursday the Gemini New Moon will manifest as a solar eclipse. For the next two weeks, we’ll be focused on our emotional well-being and inner peace, as we using the New Moon energy to create new ways of expressing ourselves and processing our feelings.
Be careful not to give in to unnecessary moodiness and irritability this week. It is recommended we stay grounded and centered today, as the constellation of the Taurus Moon conjunction with Uranus, also in Taurus, can lead to a lack of inner harmony and emotional balance and even cause us to act unreasonably, or behave in a peculiar way that is out of character from our normal habits.
By the time the Sun moves into Cancer on June 21st, our ability to move with our intuition and inner knowings will be at an all time high. Before this transition occurs, we can use today and tomorrow’s Taurus Moon to get our most important projects off the ground and set a course for greater achievements over the coming months, enhanced by Mars’ move into power-filled Leo on Friday. Mars will spend the next two months encouraging us to quit hiding our lights under a barrel and express our dreams and true selves for all the world to see.
The Moon will saunter through Cancer Friday and Saturday, focusing our attention on home, family, security, and comfort. If your plans include being a couch-potato after a trying two weeks, you’ll have the full support of the planets. Take advantage though, as Sunday’s Aries Moon will have us back up and running, though the paths we choose will be filled with social fun or athletic pursuits.
Has Your Astrological Sign Changed?
Reports have been circulating in the media that scientists discovered that everyone’s zodiac sign has changed, due to a permanent shift in the constellations. The truth is this theory has actually been around since the mid-90’s, and has been causing quite a stir in metaphysical circles ever since.
A scientific study that measured the shift in the Earth’s axis (called the wobble) cites that the constellations are no longer moving in sync with the ancient dates and astrological positions originally assigned to signs of the zodiac in early times. This cast a lot of doubt and has been confusing people as to just what their actual sign might be. Of course, it also gave eager skeptics one more reason to point out why astrological practices aren’t valid.
Unfortunately, the scientists and skeptics who promote these claims base their entire theory on a misconception about how the signs of the zodiac came into being, and what they are really based on. In truth, the signs, degrees and divisions of the zodiac have no connection to the heavenly constellations that bear their same names.
The zodiac signs were originally assigned to an ‘elliptical belt’ that surrounds the earth based on the seasons of the year, rather than the stars above. An easier way to understand this is to remember that our seasons start on the first day the Sun enters a particular sign. The first day of Spring (in the Northern Hemisphere) corresponds to the onset of Aries; Summer to the first day of Cancer; Autumn to the first day of Libra; and Winter to the first day of Capricorn. Continue reading