Are you feeling stagnant? As though you’re at the mercy of circumstance? That’s a theme I’m noticing in my reads and my interactions with others lately — it’s common to feel like a victim of the tumultuous world we live in. For that reason, I want to talk this week about receptive versus projective energy.
When your energy is receptive, you allow yourself to be affected by external forces. You are poised to receive, be it blessings or negativity. When your energy is projective, you instead bestow your energy onto your surroundings or onto others. You manifest and design.
While we may sometimes feel as though we are stuck being receptive, which is what I’m seeing in many of you recently, it’s actually easier than you think to become projective. You can take what you’re feeling and apply it wherever you can — maybe you can’t control the one particular aspect of your life that you are hyper-focusing on, but there is something else you can change and affect. Think outside the box! And on the flip side, if you’re putting forth too much projective energy and neglecting to attune with the world around you, you’ll be missing key information needed to move forward. Ground yourself, meditate and practice whatever self care comes most naturally to you to check in with yourself.
Many of the cards I pulled this week encourage you all to switch from one form of energy to the other. Some of you are struggling with balance, it seems. This issue’s read may offer some guidance, so settle down with a cup of tea, light a candle and check in on what to expect and where to take action over the next two weeks.
Like last time, I’ll be using the Marble Moon Tarot Deck, a gender-neutral spin on the original tarot designed by Oregon-based artist Samantha West.
Aries: Temperance
This card signifies a need for you to seek balance in your life, but it’s not chastising you. Rather, the message is an invitation for you to pursue what you desire: a peaceful and harmonious environment in which you can focus, love, relax and thrive. While Temperance is not a lecture, it is a gentle reminder to stay calm and be accommodating towards those who may be contributing to your current sense of instability. They are people too! The only way to resolve your situation may be to work together. Perhaps the biggest obstacle blocking you from a balanced life, though, is that you don’t believe you deserve it.
Taurus: Devil
Don’t freak out! The Devil here does not refer to the biblical beast, to sin or to shame; it speaks instead of temptation. What’s tempting you here need not be a moral issue or a religious qualm but simply something that is keeping you from being your best self. Whether it’s something mundane — maybe you can’t turn off Netflix and study enough right now — or something heavy, like an addiction or a cycle of behaviors you can’t break out of, the Devil card appears to let you know that the trap you’re in is one of your own making. Only you know what has stolen your attention, and chances are, you’ve known deep down for a while. While that’s not necessarily a positive message, look at the bright side: you got yourself here, so you can free yourself, too.
Gemini: Four of Wands
This card appears when there’s something to celebrate! It’s not necessarily a gift or a surprise, though. The Four of Wands symbolizes a joyous payoff after you’ve worked hard to accomplish a goal or bring a project to fruition. As I wrote in my introduction to the tarot, the Fours represent an idea beginning to stabilize after you’ve begun applying and structuring it, and the suit of Wands suggests that this is taking place in regards to a creative endeavor. If you can’t think of something you’ve created recently but you’ve been pondering something, take this as a sign to go for it.
Cancer: World
The World is one of the most interesting and enigmatic cards to me. It is the last of the 22 Major Arcana cards, so if you believe in the “Fool’s Journey” associated with the tarot, then this represents the final stage of the journey through life. It is the ending of cycles, the culmination of all failures and successes, the unification between the inner and outer, the moment at which you have become whole. While the Four of Wands refers to a particular project, the World speaks to a lifelong or long-term transformation. You have become more resilient as a result of what you have been through. The World gives a sense of connectedness, the feeling that the universe has your back.
Leo: Ace of Crystals
In the last Clusterscopes, you were due for a reckoning of sorts. However, it seems you’re now full of energy and potential for something relating to the physical world right now, and if you’re not yet, you will be soon. Expect to receive a reassuring sign that the emotional work you’ve put in lately is starting to pay off for you in other ways. You can start focusing outwardly again, whether it’s refocusing on school, work, finances, your home or anything else in the material realm. If you’re still feeling rattled from the last few weeks, take a deep breath. Try some grounding techniques. Repeat a calming mantra to yourself. Do whatever it takes to stay present so you can move forward.
Virgo: Page of Crystals
As people, Pages bring good news and a new perspective on issues related to the suit they occupy; here, the material and physical world. This may mean you’re due for improvement concerning money, school, career or health. The Page of Crystals has strong energy and a positive, comfortable future ahead of them, so whether you’re encountering a Page or embodying the Page yourself, you are bound to find inspiration in the next two weeks. This may be the message you were called to wait for in the last Clusterscopes!
Libra: Creator
In the Marble Moon Tarot Deck, the Creator is the third Major Arcana card, corresponding to the Empress in the traditional tarot. This person is comfortable in their surroundings, poised to bring something new into the world, something that sparks joy in those who see it. However, you can’t do this well if you’re not taking care of yourself. According to Sam West, designer of Marble Moon, the Creator “radiate(s) abundance and creativity. This is a call for receptive energy — self-care, love and nurturing.” You’ve been there for those around you a lot lately, but at what cost? Withdraw, and don’t feel guilty about it.
Scorpio: Rooted
Rooted takes the place of The Hierophant in the traditional tarot, representing a sage advisor or mentor who helps set folks back on track when they’re spiraling. West says that “the rooted is the gatekeeper of tradition, deeply rooted in the environment they were raised in.” From there, they draw their power. Their wisdom stems from their experiences. This person may be older or may have lived a life full of lessons. Whether this card refers to someone you should seek out to guide you or someone you must embody to help someone else, only you can decide — but make sure you never give so much of yourself that it drains you.
Sagittarius: Nine of Cups
I feel that the Nines are always complex and nuanced cards — they come after the struggles and self-doubt of the Eights but before the point of satisfaction and resolution marked by the Tens. To me, Nines imply the winding down of a particular cycle. The end is in sight, the best and worst of the journey behind you.
This card specifically whispers of self-reflection in the moment when you’ve finished something you never thought you could handle. It’s the awkward in-between when you sit down, take a deep breath and think, “Wow, I can’t believe I made it through” — exhilarated, yes, and exhausted for sure, but perhaps a bit restless now, wondering where to put your remaining energy. Since we’re dealing with Cups, the situation was an emotional and personal one. Use the remaining energy for self-care and for following up with yourself: what went well, what didn’t and what can you do next time to ensure everything moves smoothly? Most importantly, what are you learning about yourself, and how can you use that lesson going forward?
Capricorn: Ace of Wands
The Ace is perhaps the boldest card in each suit — not the most mature or most accomplished, but the most ambitious. Aces usually tell you to move forward with whatever you’re contemplating, letting you know that it will work out -- just not maybe the way you’re expecting it to. Since Wands refer to creativity and passion, think of the rawest form of that: often, it’s willpower and your identity. It’s time to assert yourself and take a stand. Be bold in who you are and what you’re about. This moment has the potential to develop into a breakthrough emotionally and personally. You have the ability to make it so.
Aquarius: Wheel of Fortune
The most serious card in the deck, in my opinion, the Wheel of Fortune reminds you of what is not in your control, what you must surrender to, what you must let go of. What goes up, must come down — if life has been spectacular lately, expect an obstacle to resurface; if life has been particularly fun and easy, get ready to be pulled back down to Earth.
The tenth card in the Major Arcana, the great Wheel shakes things up when we’re least expecting it, for better or for worse. Deck designer West writes, “The Wheel of Fortune is here to remind us it’s not always in our hands. If you’re looking for an answer, it may be time to release and let the Universe take its course. Everything is already in motion, and you can’t change that — so it’s time to let it go and watch how everything falls.”
Pisces: Five of Cups
So far, I’ve pulled this card for one sign in each Clusterscopes: first for Leos, then for Libras and now for you, Pisces. Something has gone poorly, and you’re blaming yourself unnecessarily; or the situation you’re in is fixable, but you’re not doing anything to solve it. It’s generally a card representing self-victimization in terms of your emotions. What you’re feeling is a direct result of your action or inaction, and you know this deep down. It’s time to move forward — the Fives in the tarot indicate trouble or disorganization, but it will pass. However, this time, you need to be what instigates a change.
