My Planetary Week # 21: October 13 - 19

[Nemia]

This is an invitation to work with one card deck for one week in a group reading.

You can pick any deck: tarot, Lenormand, Kipper, oracle or playing cards. From this deck, you'll draw one card per day - i.e., seven Daily Cards from your Deck of the Week that allow you to get to know the deck better, to hone your reading skills and get new insights about your life.

In a Planetary Week reading, we don't only draw a card per day but also give it a topic. We focus on motifs, topics, patterns in our lives, inspired by the planetary ruler of every weekday (for background information, look here).

On Saturdays, ruled by Saturn: Obstacles and Blockades,
on Sundays, ruled by the Sun: Inspiration and Goals,
on Mondays, ruled by the Moon: Dreams and Fears,
on Tuesdays, ruled by Mars: Conflicts and Challenges,
on Wednesdays, ruled by Mercury: Interactions and Change,
on Thursdays, ruled by Jupiter: Power and Influences, and
on Fridays, ruled by Venus: Love and Attraction.


The focus words I chose for each planet/day are not binding. Please don't limit yourself to the two short words if you feel other aspects of the planet are relevant to your reading.



There are different ways to perform a Planetary Week reading.

Traditional: draw a card per day and use the prism of the planetary influence to connect the card to your day and life.

Selective: select a card that suits the topic of each weekday and use it as affirmation and empowerment to improve your life.

Day-by-day: draw or pick your daily card one by one through the week.

Summarily: draw or pick all cards together before the week starts and treat them as a complete reading.


And what about those who just want to have a Deck of the Week, Card of the Day reading? They can just jump in and leave the planetary lore away.


Share pictures if you can or want to.

No matter how we do it - by reminding ourselves of the planetary regents and their influence, we re-connect to the sevenfold cycle of time that our ancestors established, with their eyes to the sky.



Participants:
Nemia - Zillich Tarot
Amoroso - Mary-El Tarot
CharlotteK - Sherlock Holmes Tarot
Joan Marie - Thoth Tarot

[Amoroso]

I'm joining with the Mary-El. Would apply this reading for my entire autumn season.

[CharlotteK]

I will join with the Sherlock Holmes Tarot

[Joan Marie]

I'm in also and am in need of some strong influence so I am going with Thoth.

[Joan Marie]

I am doing this a little different this week. I'm going with a 3-card spread each day. The middle card should represent the day's topic and give a starting point and the left and right cards serve a purpose I find hard to put words on at the moment but I will try later.

Saturday

Today is Saturday, the topic obstacles and blockades.

The middle card is 9 of Swords, cruelty and the cruelty it refers to is that I do to myself, living in my head. This describes well the kind of blockage I feel at the moment. I am feeling dominated by my unhelpful thoughts and missing much of what I need to be aware of.
The Empress reminds me of those things, the signs and symbols and helpful things around me that I must open too, that I have been feeling blocked from.
And the third card, 4 of Wands, reminds me that the best way to feel "clear" is to finish things, complete and move on and this is what I have prevented myself from doing lately which gives me a feeling all the time of being under pressure, real and imagined, like this wheel on the card, just an endless circle of unfinished business.

So the summary, the blockage and obstacles I feel are the result of my clouded mind in need of relief, of space to be allowed to expand and see what I have been missing, the signs and help I need to complete things which will cause the cycle to become a positive one, generating clearer and clearer thinking.

[Amoroso]

Saturday - Obstacles and Blockades

Temperance

It may be time to move beyond my comfort zone, take calculated risks that I never dared gamble on before if I wish to make great progress. This autumn advises against half-measures. If I want to win I must go all in.

[CharlotteK]

Saturday.- ruled by Saturn- obstacles and blockages / limitations and boundaries.

4 The Prince Consort (Emperor)

The Emperor is represented by Prince Albert, consort to Queen Victoria, tireless worker and man with a very highly developed sense of duty, willpower and commitment to serving others.

This is a day of taking responsibilities seriously and putting the needs of others above my own when deciding where to put my effort today, even if that limits my own personal desires for what I would prefer to be doing.

[Nemia]

Saturday! A quiet day, a family celebration, lots of good food....

2018 10 13 Zillich Ten of Cups.jpg (49.03 KiB) Viewed 4684 times

And there is nothing Saturn-y in this card, no obstacles, no slowing down, except for my feeling of time....

2018 10 13 Zillich Ten of Cups2.jpg (17.15 KiB) Viewed 4684 times

... just a nice day and a very beautiful card. Isn't the Zillich lovely?

[Amoroso]

Sunday - Inspiration and Goals

The Empress

Two cards, two majors. Nice.

This one is pretty straightforward. My inspiration and the one I'd aim to emulate this autumn is my mom. She has done so much for us. She can be stern but compassionate, tough but diplomatic, kind but she always gets the job done. She is a great role model.

[CharlotteK]

Sunday - inspiration and goals

Ten of Evidence (Wands)

And here it is - The card of emotional and physical burnout appearing on the "day of rest" when the ideal is relaxing and restoring oneself in the company of loved ones.

What is it telling me? That work has become an overwhelming pressure and a burden that is on my mind constantly and that I have no option to keep going BUT, I need to find ways to punch some holes in that stress bucket and get much better at delegating responsibilities to others. I can't let the pressure reduce me to a heap of ash but I need to get creative about how I regain some balance and get some quality recovery time.

[Amoroso]

(I won't be around this Monday and Tuesday, so I'm posting my cards for those days in advance.)

Monday - Dreams and Fears

Queen of Wands Reversed

What I truly fear the most this season is that my growth and creative impulses may be slowly, dangerously being stifled, perhaps even by my own hand. If there's anything I'm scared of it's becoming stagnant and irrelevant, as reflected too in Saturday's Temperance card. Both that major and the Queen of Wands answer to the element of Fire, and its negative aspect reflects a somber, silent, and flickering flame that's in danger of being extinguished.

[Amoroso]

Tuesday - Conflicts and Challenges

10 of Cups Reversed

Very apt. The Mary-El 10 of Cups represents the Horseman of the Apocalypse who rides upon a red horse - War. Under the position of Conflicts and Challenges, this might mean that I'll be involved in a huge fight or dispute this fall. Hope it'd turn out in my favor.

[Joan Marie]

Sunday: Inspiration and Goals
Mostly I decided to focus on inspiration. And again, the middle card represents the theme and here we go....

Sunday

Interesting that the middle card is the 10 of wands, Oppression. I'm a bit cloudy headed lately and when I can, I go with keywords because it's just easier for me right now.

I kind of get this, oppression as inspiration. Rainbows and butterflies are nice and can put one in a good mood but oddly we don't often find the muse there. Often she comes out of the darkness. Just this morning I ran across this quote from Susan Sonntag:

A writer — and, I believe, generally all persons — must think that whatever happens to him or her is a resource. All things have been given to us for a purpose, and an artist must feel this more intensely. All that happens to us, including our humiliations, our misfortunes, our embarrassments, all is given to us as raw material, as clay, so that we may shape our art.

The cards to the left and right speak to me about power, inner force, nature, animal strength. I need to re-charge myself today, take in some outdoor scene, some fresh air and think on these forces.

[Nemia]

2018 10 14 Zillich Six of Cups.jpg (44.39 KiB) Viewed 4787 times

Oh how lovely. Six of Cups for today - and it was indeed a good day. Lots of work but also lots and lots of inner happiness and smiles. A sunny day, and I was outside in the garden, in the sun, with my beloved son who is such a helper, such a bringer of sunshine in our household - just knowing that he's spending a month at home again makes me happy (he left home very early, he's very very independent). His presence makes everything around here run smoothly and nicely, he is such a wonderful young man. Sunday, Sun, sun, optimism, and also inspiration and fun and a strong feeling of things being JUST RIGHT.

2018 10 15 Zillich Ten of Wands.jpg (47.66 KiB) Viewed 4787 times

And for tomorrow - Day of Luna, of my inside life and deepest heart - Ten of Wands. No, my depression is not over yet, it was very long this time, and I try to find my way out again without help. But the butterflies within are there at least.

May I call what I suffered from in the last years and moths depression? It's probably too strong a word. Depressive mood swings or tendency to depressed thoughts and moods. Always sprinkled with hours and days of great happiness and gratefulness. And always this inner ambivalence: I'm a happy woman, I'm so lucky, my life is so good. How can I allow myself to feel sad? Then the guilt.

This card is actually a very strong symbol for what's going on within me. I love Christine Zillich's art.

[CharlotteK]

Monday - hopes and fears / emotions, intuition and shadow

Ten of Analysis (Cups)

Very heartened by this card as it signals a marked improvement to my emotional life. I'm working at home today, which always makes me fell more contented that a stressful commute just to sit in an overbright office.

[Joan Marie]

Monday, Dreams and fears.

Well this is one dicey spread:

Monday

4 of Swords, 3 of Swords, 4 of wands
Truce - Sorrow - Completion
I did this draw late in the day. The Sorrow for the center main theme card fits. Today is my dad's birthday. He'd be 94. He passed away 8 years ago and this morning when I woke up and saw the beautiful fall day I suddenly remembered it was his birthday and I felt his presence. I miss him a lot.

Then I got a message from my son telling me an impossibly sad story about how last night he helped an elderly homeless woman cross a busy street so she could get to the construction site where she had made a camp for herself. There was no crosswalk or even an intersection so he had to block traffic so she could cross using a broken down child's bicycle as a walker.

My father died in his own bed, his loving family around him. This poor old woman my son met has, like so many, fallen through the cracks of a society that doesn't understand it's priorities.

Talk about dreams and fears.

These three cards remind me that so much of what happens to us is just luck. Good or bad. And the tables can turn.

[CharlotteK]

Tuesday - Mars - conflicts and challenges

Three of Analysis (Cups)

Lots of conflict at work at the moment. A member of my team and I seem to be butting up against each other almost every day and yesterday there was what I can only describe as a locking of horns. She is challenging me at every opportunity and in many ways it's like dealing with my 5 year old son. But I think that's the wrong way of looking at it and I need to take a different approach today to de-escalate matters. Here Watson supports Holmes with his ability to communicate very skilfully. I need to pay attention to this today.

[Nemia]

2018 10 16 Zillich Ace of Disks.jpg (54.58 KiB) Viewed 4773 times

Today, the day of Mars, of confrontations and conflicts, I have a wonderful card - the Ace of Disks. Zillich's art makes everything look light and light - not-heavy and not-dark, and in this Ace, things are growing. If there was anger, and there was, something new is growing. Instead of well-armored Mars, I open up. I really do. I had some very good reconciliations lately. I'm trying my best to react thoughtfully and kind. The Ace of Disks also tells me that we need material growth, i.e., more money. Some conflicts in my life are about money. I still don't earn enough, no matter how hard I work. My ideas have to grow. They're only seeds - typical Ace-phase. I have to cultivate them, water them, make them grow. It's so true. Otherwise, the Martian anger and trouble won't go away.

[Joan Marie]

Tuesday: Conflicts and Challenges.

So far this week, my draws have been very odd and today is no exception:

Tuesday

Queen of Swords - 9 of Cups (Happiness) - Knight of Cups

Again, the middle card is the topic, conflicts and challenges and I get the happiness card. (I stated earlier that I am having cloudy brain these days and am relying heavily on the keywords of cards.)

Okay, so this is a very positive message for me. I love this queen's whole vibe. She's floating in the clouds, looking super chill with knees open and arms hanging wide, you almost don't even notice she's holding a sword and a severed head. All in a day's work.
The Knight is more in action but I love his vibe too. I get a real "taking care of business" feel from him too. Both appear graceful and in control to me and with happiness in the center I hope it portends to some effective problem solving on my part. Have confidence in my own style would be what I take from this. That and don't get riled.

[Joan Marie]

Wednesday: Interactions and Change

Wednesday

2 of Disks (Change) - Knight of Cups - 7 of Swords (Futility)

Well, well. The pursuit of change seems to be meeting with a call for compromise, or maybe just indecision.
The key to today is to not be put off by this but to look directly at it and see it for what it is.

[CharlotteK]

Wednesday - Interactions and Change

Three of Deduction (Pentacles)

I spent several hours with my direct reports today in a team building type session where we focussed on our performance, how we can better at what we do, more effective and generally more professional. I see in this card that theme of excellence, doing something precisely, with purpose and mastery. It reflects the conversations we had.

[Amoroso]

Wednesday - Interactions and Change

The Hierophant

This means that if I want to make effective and long-lasting change, I'd have to plan things carefully and commit myself to a structured routine. Traditional, proven, and well-trod systems will work better than experimental or novel approaches. This is very insightful especially regarding a project that I'll be undertaking soon.

[Joan Marie]

Thursday: Power and Influences

Thursday

Ace of Disks - Knight of Swords - Knight of Disks


An airy sign flanked on each side by strong symbols of earth and groundedness.

I think I need some nature, some garden work, something less digital today.

[Amoroso]

Thursday - Power and Influence

The Magician Reversed

The Magician in his reversed aspect suggests that I may be having some trouble manifesting my will on a concrete level, that my efforts to express my power or dominion will be ineffective. Today was a stark example of that. I will drink this bitter cup and learn from it.

Four majors out of six draws - this must be one fateful autumn.

[CharlotteK]

Thursday: Power and Influences

Peeler of Deduction (Knight of Pentacles)

A constable couches beside a body, examining the notebook and small wooden box that lies next to it. Holmes found the constabulary somewhat plodding compared with his brilliance, but they were trustworthy, honest and thorough.

Yesterday I was at a conference with some colleagues and we had some productive conversations during the breaks including some things that are concerning me. I managed to get a couple of them to take interest and to support me but I can see they want to work at their own pace on it and consider the various angles so the best j can hope for is some cumulative force behind it.

Friday: Love and Attraction.

The Magnifying Lens (The Sun)

It's the end of the week. The difficult relationship at work that has caused me some grief may be at last "in recovery" as i noticed a distinct thawing yesterday in tone and manner. Lets see today how that progresses but hopefully it will be like the sun breaking through the fog. We have family movie night on a Friday too so that's another opportunity for some lovely, happy time with 'my boys'. I do feel like I've got my mojo back after a really cool couple of weeks.

I've really enjoyed working with this deck this week. It's very useable despite being so heavily. The book is excellent. I would be inclined to use this deck for readings where I was looking for objective advice. The little nuggets of Holmesian widsom for each card are brilliant.