July 18 Waxing Phase Reading 🌓

Greetings honey hunters! I am back with another reading for you all. This spread will focus on what is manifesting amongst the collective during this current waxing phase. If you haven’t looked up in the sky recently, we are just moving through our first quarter moon of this lunar month. A quarter moon often acts as a climactic point where there is conflict or surging events that become resolved with the final moon phase – in this case, the upcoming full moon.

Decks used: Golden Art Nouveau Tarot, Moonology, Sacred Self-Care Oracle, and Whispers of Healing Oracle

1. What is rising up in the collective between now and the full moon? 4 of Pentacles

2. What solutions are available for challenges that may arise? 8 of Cups

3. Advice to follow? The Hermit

4. The final outcome? The Empress

This spread has some information that you may not want to hear. The 4 of pentacles depicts a man who is clinging to a gold coin – he doesn’t appear very pleased, but more like he clings to it because he is afraid not to. This coin is not really doing anything for him; he is dressed plainly and surrounded by humble dwellings. There is so much more out there for him to obtain, but he is afraid of letting go. There is a rising realization that this state of being is stagnant and unfulfilling – as told by the 8 of cups. The man turns his back on material security and makes his way for the mountains in search of something more. You also have the power to do this. Note, that the cups that are left behind are not broken – this doesn’t necessarily mean you must destroy or remove this source of material security from your life, though you may decide to.

Ultimately the message here is that there is more to life, to you as a person, than getting your material needs met. Perhaps there is some fear associated with discovering what more there is for you out there, because it may take you to places where you stand alone like The Hermit does. The Hermit is the man in the 8 of cups leaving everything behind and seeking out what’s true to him, which may not make sense to the people he’s left behind. His experiences age him and leave him wiser. He is guided by his own light, which appears to lead his gaze to the empress. Is he returning to the environment he previously left, with a new perspective?

This journey ends with The Empress – abundance, fertility, creativity. When you heed the calling of the hero’s journey, you find a kind of lush depth of plenty that you can’t experience when you live life as the man in the 4 of pentacles. Whatever you end up doing, it’s going to sustain you in a way that knows no bounds. Your cup will always be full. For some, this could also mean finding a partner (your own empress), but I’m feeling more that it’s about finding what drives you creatively, or possibly looking at what you’ve got with a new kind of appreciation that isn’t stifling or spiritually empty.

When I pulled a card to summarize the reading, I pulled “Show the world the real you.” This goes back to the man in the 4 of pentacles, transforming into the hermit. You have more to give to this life. It’s okay to stand out.

Other cards include Breathe and Aromatherapy. It can be scary to decide to turn away from something and face the unknown, or admit that something important in your life isn’t making you as happy as you thought it should. Breathe through it; use incense, essential oils, or your favorite scents to ground yourself in your body. Movement also appears to encourage embodiment. Chanting is another powerful tool for becoming aware of your body as you feel the vibrations of your voice project out. Allow more sensuality into your day to day – like the empress.

The last two cards I want to focus on are Compassion and Kindness. Compassion speaks particularly towards being patient with yourself. It also suggests that you depart from unfulfilling circumstances with compassion towards who or what’s being left behind – they served a valuable purpose in your life.

The image of Kindness is particularly symbolic when considering the words of Joseph Campbell:

The whole cycle of human life from childhood to old age has in its middle the period of participation in the historical society into which you have been born. The child is prehistoric in its character and has not been inducted into the way of its particular historical condition. The aged person, who has disengaged from the toils, concerns, and the prejudices of this particular society, again has gone back into the realm of the universal. So that figure of old age looking at childhood that we still use to symbolize one year passing into the next is one eternity looking at another, and in between is the time of historic action in the field of history. … What the cornucopia represents is that vessel of our own psyche out of which the crop must come, out of which the flower must bloom, and the figure carrying it can either be the child,…or the old man.

Goddesses: Mysteries of the Feminine Divine, ch. Mystery Cults

What a fascinating message which is so synchronous with this reading. This card can be taken to represent The Hermit looking back on the figure from the 4 of pentacles, who is naive to all that his life will offer him, represented by the flower. Reflect on the symbolism of the cornucopia, the flower, and The Empress. When you look at this card, who is giving the flower to whom? What things do you think the old man might have to say to the child, or the child to the old man? Make note of what comes up for you, and remember to be kind to yourself.

Thank you!

Please let me know in the comments if this resonated with you. I appreciate feedback! I hope you all have a lovely week and full moon.