Here are more readings from our friend Zan, a gifted astrologer. This time in relation to the full moon in Libra coming up on the 20th of March, the Spring Equinox! More of his articles and readings will be forthcoming on the website www.onemillionnights.com.
Aries:
Ace of Water: This card depicts the hatching of baby salmon, and that magical moment when they embrace their watery world, and are soon gonna start exploring it, while they travel back into the ocean. In the picture you can also see the remains of their parents, because that is the natural cycle of salmon, in order to create new life, they have to sacrifice their own. This card tells you the message, that you may have sacrificed way too much in the past, but never actually harvested the rewards of your sacrifice. You may have had travels, journeys, have been inspired by the lives of others, and how easily success came to others, but in spite of all the inspiration and nourishment your soul got, you never decided to take a leap of faith. Now, things are slowly changing for you, but on the inside, your intuition, your emotions, your dreams and desires are taking control of your whole being, and just like salmon are instinctively and irresistibly drawn to make their journeys to the ocean, so is your soul being called to follow your inner most desires, something that you’ve always felt inspired to do. The journey is always full of risks, but your wisdom, experiences, determination and ambition acts as a reassurance, you know that you can “swim” upstream as well, always having the possibility to return. The Ace of Water might symbolize your desire to change your career, start a new relationship, start a new business that you’ve always dreamed of, or simply to end all your obligations and dedicate your life to travel and seeing the world.
Taurus:
The Tree: This card is the correspondent of the “Hanged man” in the original Tarot, and it tells the story, that your current emotional, spiritual and material stability is heavily “guarded” by your ego. The Tree symbolizes, that there is infinite potential inside you, and your talents, skills, experience, masteries and everything that you have accumulated in this life is forcefully kept in a dormant state inside you. You have been through many unpleasant experiences in the past, all of which turned into very valuable life lessons greatly adding to your wisdom as a person, and crystallizing all the virtues of Taurus. It’s not the case that you are not aware of any of this, you have been through a multitude of journeys of self knowledge, and you can easily affirm that you know yourself inside and out, you have as much knowledge and awareness about yourself as the human condition allows a person to have, but perhaps this is the element which caused you to choose the comfort of the “hanged” state, which in it’s self is nothing negative, because it’s associated with the “vriksha – asana” yoga posture, symbolizing serenity. The Universe gracefully accepts your decision not to let go of this state of serenity, which you have accomplished through your own efforts and spiritual power, but also advises you that sometimes in life we have to let go of stability and the sense of being grounded, because that’s the only way we can experience the unexpected mysteries of life. You may wanna ask yourself the question: Is your current state of serenity and stability truly what you desire? Or is it simply a choice not to face your fears of change? The Universe and Earth Mother respect your choices as long as you are happy with them.
Gemini:
Temperance: This card bears a very significant message for Gemini natives, because it symbolizes the unity of two aspects. Geminis, as we well know, are one of the most dual sing of the zodiac. While most of the time their duality comes to their advantage, giving them the adaptability, versatility, multi-skills to face and conquer any situation, and of course it also makes them very communicative on every level, making them a people magnet, because they can communicate with almost everyone, at certain time however their duality can be a heavy burden, especially when their two sides at at war with each other. The Temperance card comes as a message from the Universe, to find serenity, the unification of all aspects of yourself, to forge an unbreakable alliance with your shadow self, through self-knowledge. In some Tarot decks the Temperance card is also a symbol of alchemy, because it represents the unification of elements, which is necessary for the process of creation, and it can lead to living a “state of flow”, a state where everything comes easily, effortlessly and the price of this easy energy is merely gratitude and joy. In the picture you can see the angelic figure pouring refracted light into a bowl, which symbolizes that your soul is a prism for so many different feelings, experiences, emotions, states of being all of which lead you towards greater wisdom and unconditional love, all you have to do to enjoy the true majesty of your being is to let go of polarities, choose the middle path, and transmute all positive and negative emotions alike into virtues. The temperance card also speaks of sharing your gifts and superior wisdom with the world, but in order for you to do that you must also reach a state of harmony and understanding and most of all acceptance of people in your life. The rainbow represents a non-judgmental attitude, seeing the beauty of everyone in their own distinctiveness, the awareness to see that everyone’s defects and clumsiness fits perfectly in their own story, and accepting them for who they are.
Cancer:
The Guardian of Air: This card depicts a mystic who has mastered the elements through self-discipline, logic, respecting the balance between the material and emotional. Because, she reached harmony with nature, by studying the cycles, not joust with perceptions based on emotion and intuition, but also with her mind, finding the logic and those truths that govern nature, and by which nature always keeps herself in perfect balance. Thanks to her knowledge and understanding of nature, she also understands the mysteries of her own body, of her own role in nature, and thus the cold and other elements do not hurt her and do not pose a threat to her because through her attitude and desire to know the truth, she gained Mother Nature’s respect. For Cancer natives the Guardian of Air might come as a message from the Universe, to tune down your emotions and those truth which are based on your own, subjective feelings and emotions. While understanding yourself, and everything that you feel is extremely important , that is merely half of the truth, in order to live an authentic life you must also carefully analyze if your own truth corresponds and matches with that of the exterior world. Thus, through “cold logic” and listening to your intellect, non-emotional intelligence, you can find a state of balance and see situations as they truly are. While the light of logic can be painful when it dispels ideals, fantasies, heightened enthusiasm, it is a necessary pain that must be endured in order to escape the emotional whirlpool, that Cancer natives can be trapped in. Ask yourself the question, how important certain people, situations, aspects of life, goals would be to you if you wouldn’t feel a strong emotional attachment? Without that inner spark, and without fueling your own emotional attachments, without forcing logic upon that which is merely a feeling, would you still pursue your goals? For those cancer natives who are currently feeling stuck in a situation, the Guardian of Air advises you to be totally honest you yourself, and through the light and power of the truth you can considerably change your life and be in balance with the world and those people who surround you. If you have already embarked on this journey of finding and living your most authentic truth and balancing out the intensity of your emotions with logic, then this card symbolizes that YOU BECAME the Guardian of Air, and you are going to harvest the results of your inner work, your inner truth is going to manifest on the outside, your logic and wisdom protecting you from all illusions and intrigues.
Leo:
Three of Fire: The picture depicts a woman dancing with infinite passion, joy, perfectly at one with the rhythm, and the air around her, along with the sky are a blazing inferno. This card comes as a message from the Universe to all Leo natives, that the time has come for you to be yourselves! While, we can’t ignore the fact that, Leo natives tend to be themselves and express everything about their persona most of the time, there are certain situation in life when this must be taken to the most heightened levels and this card speaks of the coming of such a period. The 3 of Fire suggests that your soul is full of creativity, it is full of passion, inner fire, the sparks are burning brighter than ever and it’s time to unshackle yourself and let the “lion” enjoy as much freedom as it can. This card symbolizes that is is a perfect time to engage in romantic interests, sexuality, to embrace your lust, and all the sensations your fiery nature could offer to another person, people around you are open towards receiving your affection, but it could also mean that you need to find the appropriate means to express your creativity, because it will nurture your whole being and recharge your batteries. This card can also express that during this time, you shouldn’t think about your responsibilities or the obstacles of life, it’s not the time to hold yourself back, quite the contrary it’s a perfect time to do anything that gives you pleasure. Get a tattoo, go out dancing and having fun, meet your dearest friends, go out dating, meet new people, let your fire shine and receive the admiration and love of other people with the grace and pride of a lion, be proud of yourself! For those Leos who are in a committed relationship, this card can symbolize that it might be necessary to spark up the flames of passion and try new and exciting things with your partner. This doesn’t have to be anything sexual, but your soul demands love, and the expression of love, so let your partner know that you need to do something that represents the joy of living.
Virgo:
Death: The picture depicts an old decaying boat on the beach. While the boat can no longer serve it’s original purpose, it is surrounded by wildlife, and the sunken parts of it probably house a lot of aquatic life. The Sun shines on the sunken ruins of the boat from a crystal clear sky, making this scenery extremely beautiful, serene, and also swarming with the dynamism of life. The Death card suggest that some things in your life are about to end, or they are dying, but by no means does this represent something negative, because something new is certain to replace them. The Gaian representation of the Death card also speaks of the past, where you might have hard feeling letting go, and allowing something in your life to fade away and die, but very soon you are going to see that whatever is destined to fade away has already fulfilled it’s purpose, it enabled your evolution and growth as a person, it helped you to sail in “uncharted waters” offering you the chance to gain new experiences, but now it has to sacrifice it’s self because it’s keeping you in place and you need more freedom, you need more space, to accept all the things that have to replace your old “boat”. There is no need to feel sorrow or pain, because the boat can always be replaced by a huge cruise ship, allowing you to take all your loved ones with you on your journey in life, or it could be replaced by an airplane giving you the speed and celerity to accomplish all your goals with the speed of the winds. Of course all of these have to be taken symbolically. From a spiritual perspective the Gaian version of the Death card signifies that certain losses have to enter your life, in order to transform it, your soul is ready to embrace a new environment, a new aspect of life, and you are ready to embrace a new role in society, which is going to be much more aligned with your inner truth and spiritual beliefs. The boat is also a symbol of the rite of initiation, so it may be that you might be starting a new business, new career, or if you are in a committed relationship, you might be welcoming a new member in your family.
Libra:
Seven of Fire: This card bares a very positive and encouraging message from the Universe: you are doing the right thing, you’ve made all the right choices, you’ve created opportunities for yourself by taking risks, and while it’s not exactly time to harvest yet, you know, you can feel that you are on the right path and you need to persevere in all your actions. As you can see the blacksmith uses her strength, mastery, and focus to shape red-glowing iron according to her will, very soon, the once shapeless metal is going to be a perfect representation of what mental image she had of it. This card means that you have the strength, ambition, inner power necessary to bend and shape your life (and material situation) and reality to manifest all those things which do not match with what you feel your life should be like. Instead of waiting for a miracle, or waiting on the cooperation of others, you took things into your own hands and started working. Since then, many things started to align, many things started to take the shape you desired, but this process is not complete yet, you sill have some work to do, so just as the blacksmith is striking the iron in the image, keep on focusing on yourself, on your progress, do not be afraid to put all your effort and power into this process because, you simply can’t go wrong. The tool, representing the life that you wish to live, already has taken shape, all you need to do now is refine it, decorate it, personalize it, make it represent your unique touch.
Scorpio:
Seven of Air: The 7 of Air depicts a man matching his position on the map, but also making plans for the rest of the journey, carefully analyzing and selecting the best routes to take. This card comes as a message from the Universe, that it is a good time to make future plans, to make choices, to set goals, because you have the clarity, intelligence, and of course experience needed to understand and interpret your own inner map. After setting goals it’s very important to follow them through with ambition, but the Universe is suggesting that you must always take a very cautious and versatile attitude, because life can be very unpredictable and there are many areas which aren’t charted, which are off the map, so always have an open mind, open door for the unexpected. It can also represents that you do not have to fear, exploring uncharted territories, because the air element signifies your own intelligence and inner compass, so if you choose the experience something that you haven’t had the chance to do yet, have courage and confidence in your self and life experience because maybe you are the one who has to create the first map, the first charting of that area, meaning that out of everyone you know, you are the most competent to start exploring. For those of you who own a business or do project based work, this is a massage to have faith in your experience because you know the “map” very well, but also do not be afraid to take risks, and to add your unique touch to your work, or to follow through on your own original ideas, because you are experienced enough to make it a success.
Sagittarius:
Two of Air: The image depicts a woman holding broken eggshells in her hands, while she listens with closed eyes to the beautiful song of the birds. This card speaks about an inner conflict that might keep you in place. The broken eggshells represent your wisdom and knowledge that you’ve gained through living life, witnessing one cycle after another, and thus you found the logic, the mechanisms, the order through which events succeed each other. Until now your life experience, your intuition, your inner voice always guided you and always helped you bring out the best, even when you were in the most delicate and difficult situations. But right now, that guidance is not very reliable, because you feel as if things are not gonna turn out the way you hope, you feel as if the succession of events which you internally predict, feel, are not gonna happen according to the logic that never misguided you until now. The broken eggshells may also represent your sensation that opportunities may be coming and going in a flash, not giving you enough time to react and cease them. The Universe is advising you, that the celerity, complexity, and many times the channeling nature of every day life, every day events have caused you to lose contact with your inner voice. It is advised to go out in nature, spend some time in sacred solitude in order for you to get in tune with yourself once again. Once you manage to relax your mind, quiet your thoughts, everything is going to feel more relaxed, more “according to your own rhythm” , more serene, and you are going to feel like your self once again. If there is stagnation in your life, do not perceive it as something negative, rather take the opportunity to relax, to spend time with yourself and do all the small things that feed your soul and imagination.
Capricorn:
The Wheel: This card is a beautiful representation of the “Wheel of fortune” of the classic Tarot, but it’s interpretation differs slightly. As you can see in the picture, the seasons, and the trees that represent the seasons are rooted in the fiery core of the Earth. This card speaks about the past, which required you to work very hard for everything that you have in the present. The amount of time, effort, both intellectual and material work that you invested in your career, or some lucrative purpose that was very important for you, may have left you feeling unrewarded, or at least you may feel that your struggle was disproportionate with your achievements. The Wheel card symbolizes that a big karmic change is about the enter your life, where your fiery core, representing your ambition, desire and motivation that held everything together, and now the time has come for you to harvest all that you have worked for. There’s an element of surprise in this as well, because you do anticipate your own evolution, that a change is coming into your life, but you do not expect it to come with ease. In this case you are going to be very positively disappointed, because the change is going to come as a very fortunate event, opportunity, as a touch of divine chaos enabling you to catapult yourself into a position you merely dreamed of. If the situation of the past describes your love life, then this is also a very positive message because it might signify that in the next 12 months you might meet someone very special who you’re gonna settle down with, or it could be that someone from the past makes a return and this time things will be ideal between the 2 of you.
Aquarius:
Three of Earth: The picture depicts three women, working together joyfully, creating healing ointments and medicines. The meaning of this card can vary, depending on your situation. If you’ve suffered or lost in love, this card represents your own personal healing. It signifies that you no longer consider yourself a victim, and you have found all those things which promote your well being, release of traumas, healing, and there are people in your life who support you and help you make significant progress emotionally. You are on the receiving end of your loved one’s caring nature, compassion and sympathy, and all of this nourishes your soul and increases your magnetism to attract more positive people in your life. Your recovery is also filling your soul with gratitude, so the 3 of earth can mean that you are also going to engage in activities destined to make others, who are going through the same hardships that you once faced, feel better, offer them help, support and guidance. Professionally the 3 of earth is the card of union and partnership, this could signify that someone very inspiring, very talented, with a visionary mind and a lot of experience is going to enter your professional life, giving you the opportunity to learn and grow career wise.
Pisces:
Five of Earth: This card depicts a hiker who got lost in the forest during a storm, and he takes shelter built from leafs and debris. The 5 of earth may signify that either materially or health wise you are going through a very stormy period where things may seem a little bit uncertain. This doesn’t mean that you are in any kind of danger, it doesn’t mean losses or financial disaster, it merely means that things are a little bit chaotic at the moment, because of outer forces, which do not depend on you. (For example economic crisis, problems with the market, stagnation of other businesses which cause the standstill of your own, Mercury retrograde period, the delay of payments etc) The bunker that the hiker built out of debris, is a very positive message from the Universe telling you that you have to be patient, until the “storm ends”. You have everything you need to survive, and all your basic needs are met, so you are not in danger or not abandoned from a karmic sense. There is a strong protective power that surrounds you, which could be people in your life, friends, business partners, managers, the company it’s self, your family, and of course the Universe it’s self is still guiding and protecting you, but it can’t shield your from stress, impatience and despair, all of which can have a very negative impact on your health. After the storm ends the whole “forest” is going to look and feel more clearer, and you are going to find the way home, all you have to do right now is stay safe in your shelter, be patient and know that things will work out it’s just a question of timing.