Tarotscopes, June 2019
By Brandon Alter:
The Zodiac is a progression. The signs, while separate, bleed into each other and support each other toward our own collective evolution. Aries becomes Taurus, which becomes Gemini. Each sign is a building block toward the next. It’s important to remember that you are NOT just a jumble of planets and placements—you are the whole of the heavens at the moment of your birth. And your job here on planet Earth is to figure out how to embody the unique constellation of cosmic energies that make up who you are.
At its core, Astrology is a language that helps us understand why we are the way we are. It is a tool to assist us in the act of radical self acceptance. There are no good signs or bad. There are no better planetary placements than others. Sure, there are differences and challenges, but that’s what makes life exciting. The more you learn about Astrology, the more you learn about yourself. And one of the most powerful gifts Astrology gives us is a means to fully respect and accept ourselves EXACTLY as we are. Your unique birth chart illuminates how you are hardwired so that you can stop working against yourself and start honoring your individual way of doing things. Astrology isn’t an excuse—you can’t blame bad behavior on the heavens—but it is an explanation. And oftentimes, once we understand our tendencies and leanings, we can more gracefully integrate them.
Why am I giving you this mini lecture? Because Gemini season is a particularly interesting progression in the Zodiac. But we need to remember how we got here. So let’s go back in time, just a few months, to the start of Aries season. As the first sign of the Zodiac, Aries can be self-obsessed, but not necessarily in a bad way. They are here to figure out the answer to the question "WHO AM I?" Next comes Taurus, who are here to integrate the lesson of Aries through answering the question "WHERE AM I?" You can’t just know who you are, you must know where you are (or else you will never know what you stand for). Taurus, through discovering relationships with their environment, can begin to create their values.
Then comes Gemini. They know WHO they are; they know WHERE they are. But the bulk of their life’s journey is to live the question "WHY AM I?" I know that’s a huge question, but perhaps you now understand why Gemini can feel a little heady. They are the first air sign of the Zodiac, meaning they rule over the mental realms and the big ideas, conversations and connections held within it. They are the seekers of personal truth, which is how Gemini Season becomes our opportunity to reconnect to the big WHY of our life. Why are you living in the city you are living in? Why are you pursuing the career you are pursuing? Why are you dating this person or reading this book or eating at this restaurant? It’s not about nit-picking every decision you make, rather it’s about making sure every decision you make has a clear path back to the deeper WHY of your existence.
This is an exciting time to begin to probe more profoundly into your purpose and your passions. And it’s not unusual that our motivations change as we get older and wiser. Is the current why of your life still resonating for you? Is it inspiring you to wake up in the morning and do your best? Maybe you’ve never taken the time to really ponder it. Maybe you have, and it’s time for an upgrade—or at least put a new outfit on the same old why. The good news is that the energy of Gemini Season is social as hell. You’re not supposed to be asking these questions alone in the dark of your own mind; you’re supposed to ask it amongst friends. Get chatty, start to exchange ideas, to have meaningful conversations, to marinate in these big ideas. Remember that Gemini is commonly known as the sign of the twins, which speaks to our own inherent duality. We are all mirrors for each other. So if you are struggling with your BIG WHY, perhaps a trusted friend or lover could help reflect you back to yourself. Sometimes we need someone outside our own head to help us see things clearly.
The New Moon in Gemini, which happens in the pre-dawn hours today (Monday, June 3rd), is your opportunity to seduce this new WHY into your heart. You’re not looking for the WHY that will make everybody like you, you’re not even looking for the why that will make you like yourself. What you’re looking for is power. What story do you need to tell yourself to get you motivated and moving on your real purpose? That’s the point of this. It’s not some mental gymnastics; it’s a search for your lost personal power. But don’t panic (I can feel you panicking), you have time. If you’re not ready to commit (which is soooo Gemini, btw), don’t sweat it! This New Moon portal is like a closet full of BIG WHYS and you can try them all on, see how they feel. If the why doesn’t have you feeling your oats, then honey child, it’s not the why for you.
If Gemini Season has you feeling trapped in your head or in need of more guidance and clarity, you are in luck, sis! I’m running a Gemini Season Tarot special to help you get out of your head and back into your heart. Get a fifty-minute Year Ahead Tarot Reading with me for just $75. This is a special offering just for you, follow the link here (https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=15786056&appointmentType=8766767) and book your one-on-one with me now!
COLLECTIVE CARD FOR THE MOONTH:
Balance (aka Justice)
I chose the Voyager Tarot Deck for this moonth’s readings because it’s full of evocative imagery, and it’s psychological AF—like Gemini energy itself. This deck has a cute little habit of renaming a lot of the Major Arcana cards and even some of the suits themselves. The card I pulled for all of us this moonth is the Balance card (which some of you might recognize as Justice). Interestingly, this card is coming up a lot these past few weeks. In fact, last week, I pulled this card as the card for the collective in my weekly video Tarot Forecasts for the Numinous Blog (check them out here!)
The Justice card shows up to remind us of our greater purpose. Justice empowers us to remember who we really are and what we came here to do. We are not just here to look good, make money, and take lavish vacations—sure that may be part of it . . . I mean who doesn’t love a lavish vacation? But we all came here to change this world for the better. What wrongs did you come here to right? What injustices get you fired up to actually do something about? That is the medicine of this card: to remember that you are an arbiter of divine justice. All of us are. And we must pick up our power and begin that work now.
Justice gives us an understanding of our place in the wider family of things. You have a purpose. You have a right to be here. But you also have a function to change things, to wake people up, to beautify this broken world. In Justice (or Balance), we begin to accept this responsibility. It’s a card that powerfully reconnects us to our larger why. Your WHY cannot be just about you. Your why must have some tributary that leads to back to the collective. As Ava DuVernay says, "If your dream is only about you, it’s too small."
Now, Justice isn’t saying to run off and join the Peace Corps or become the next Ama (unless you feel a deep soul calling to do those things). Justice wants you to work with your own innate passions and pleasures and figure out how serving yourself services us all. Think about RuPaul, his passion for drag, for beauty, for exploring and exploding the false prison of identity has helped evolve gay culture and now mainstream culture. Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s passion for politics brought her to the important seat she now occupies. J.K. Rowling knew she had stories that would heal the world if only she could get them out. You are not unlike any of these arbiters of divine justice. You too can make a huge impact by committing to your gifts and claiming your power to make things better. Start today. We need you.
Please find your individual Tarotscopes are below.
Read for your Sun sign and consider it your outer compass for the next moonth.
Read for your Moon sign and consider it your inner compass for this next moonth.
GEMINI
Seven of Crystals (Swords), Reversed
Any seven in the Tarot is going to ask us to approach the realm of the suit from a spiritual vantage. Swords (or Crystals in this deck) are the realm of the mind. Therefore this moonth is best spent ensuring your mind is as spotless as a sanctuary. The essence of this card is all about integrity. The only thing we have in this world are the agreements we make with ourselves. If you’re breaking those silent promises you’ve made to yourself, you’ve become a liar to yourself. These next few weeks could be your chance to regain the honesty with yourself that you’ve lost in the past.
I have a rule around this card: as long as I’m telling the truth to myself, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, I can be as gentle to myself as needed. But if I’m fibbing, even a little bit, time to muster up some tough love and pull those swords out one at a time. You will be your greatest enemy if you continue to hide from the truth. So put on your big boy pants and be your own knight in shining armor. Slay the self-deception, identify and eliminate the inner saboteur. I know it’s a tired cliché, but it still holds: the truth will always set you free.
CANCER
Ace of Crystals (Swords), Reversed
Crystals are used to represent the realm of the mind in this deck, because a highly developed mind is crystal clear. Crystals are also amplifiers, and our mind will amplify whatever is taking up space in our noggin. The Ace of Crystals signifies a brand new mental pattern beginning to develop. Perhaps you’re using new voices with which to communicate with yourself. Perhaps there’s a brand new story for your life that wants to be told through you. Your job over these next few weeks is to take a rigorous inventory of all the narratives clogging up your head. Which shouldn’t be hard considering Gemini Season is when all the voices in your head come out to play. Your goal is supreme mental clarity. If particular voices aren’t helping you, see how you can politely show them the door.
At the end of the day, the only thing that stands in our way (besides the Patriarchy) is ourselves. The Ace of Crystals can show you where you haven’t been fully believing in yourself. And then you have the power to rewrite your story. You can slay the dragon. You can sell the screenplay. You can get the guy of your dreams. The sooner you believe in yourself, the sooner the world will reflect that back to you.
LEO
Chariot
What would you attempt if you knew you could not fail? That’s the question to be asking yourself this moonth. Ambition is the name of the game this moonth, you brave Lion warrior. The Chariot shows up when we need a little push in the right direction, namely the direction of success. You’ve been building some good, strong foundations, but the dream isn’t big enough yet. With Chariot energy around you, there’s no way you can fail. So, taking failure out of the equation, what is the real scale of your dream?
Consider that your business, your art, your passion is the vehicle for your soul’s purpose. And honey, you have a huge soul! This moonth is best spent expanding the scope and scale of your vision—it must be large enough to contain all your gifts, not just your favorite few. Stop worrying about whether or not it’s “possible.” Spoiler Alert: it is! Let the logistics fall to the wayside, just for a few dreamy days. When the dream is powerful enough, the execution of it can happen with magical ease. Remember, a vision is a plan. A plan without a vision is just busy work.
VIRGO
Man (Knight) of Cups
In the Tarot, the function of the Knights is to move energy along. We look to the realm of the suit to see what specific energy needs to be stirred up and cleared out. The Knight of Cups is about unblocking emotional energy but not necessarily in the way you might think. This isn’t a cry-on-your-bathroom-floor card. This isn’t a let-everyone-know-what-you-think-about-them card. This isn’t even a share-your-feelings-and-be-vulnerable card. This card wants you to practice a dual awareness in your waking life. Notice your triggers, your emotional ebbs and flows but don’t act on them. Swim in the river of your heart but don’t put your head underwater.
I realize that’s a tall order. But the only way we can clear our old emotional habits is to identify them before they take over. So that is your task this moonth. Do your best and try to notice how you are feeling every hour, every half-hour. Ask yourself this question in the car on the way to work, at lunch, in a movie, on the couch watching TV: "how am I really feeling right now?" And then just allow whatever to come up. You see, when we are disconnected from the river of our emotions, we tend to bottle up and explode. If you can begin to train yourself to feel your feelings all the way along (the good, the bad, the ugly, and the exquisite), you will begin to gain more fluency in you own emotional language
LIBRA
Tower, Reversed
The Tower gets a bad wrap. It’s not a mean card, it’s not a punishing card. It’s real function is to liberate you from all the shit you think is real. It’s the moment in The Matrix when you take the red pill and realize all the falsehoods you’ve allowed yourself to be imprisoned by. Perhaps there are some old dreams that don’t need any more chasing, they need a funeral. Perhaps you don’t need as much money as you think you do, what you really need is time. Perhaps the perfect relationship you’ve been chasing is actually distracting you from your art (or your own heart). Surrender to the Tower, let it rip your comfortable illusions from you so that you can be reconnected to the truth.
When the Tower comes in upside down, it’s a gentler liberation, but a liberation nonetheless. Spend this next moonth paying attention to what is trying to leave you—and then let it go. The key word here is freedom. When you are free, no one and no thing can hold you down. That’s what the Tower wants to give you—it wants to give you back yourself.
SCORPIO
Fool Child (The Fool), Reversed
The Fool Child looks around with wonder. They don’t attempt to label or categorize. Instead of trying to understand the world around them, they would rather experience the world around them. Too often our mental narratives prevent us from really receiving the magic and magnificence of being alive. This moonth is your chance to throw caution to the wind and be playful in your day to day “reality.” Forget what you’ve heard, forget what you know, and look at your life as if you were alien come to Earth.
The gift the Fool Child wants to give us is the gift of awareness and presence. This isn’t something that happens in the mind. It happens in the moment, in your body, through your senses. Can you give up your carefully crafted stories and allow yourself to receive the truth of each moment? There is an abundance of joy and magic in this world, right under your nose, you just have to slip out of the back door of your mind in order to receive it.
SAGITTARIUS
Three of Wands, Reversed
The Three of Wands is all about courting a bigger vision. You can’t force it. You have to woo it. And when it shows up, gurl, you better be ready to grab it. Your job this moonth is to start to pay attention to the new vision of your life as it arrives. She may not show up complete. Calling in a vision can be a bit like putting together a puzzle. In my experience, the bigger the vision, the more it shows up in fits and starts, bits and pieces flying in. And you are ready for the big vision, I promise.
When the Three of Wands shows up in the reversed position, it can indicate your resistance to receiving these visions. And I would venture a guess that you like to make things happen as opposed to allowing things to happen. Well, time to play the game of your life a little differently this moonth. Figure out how to be the most open, receptive, and psychic version of yourself. That’s where the vision will find you.
CAPRICORN
Nine of Worlds, Reversed
The Nine of Worlds (or Pentacles as they are traditionally called) is one of my favorite cards in the deck. And it’s a great card for a Capricorn because it encourages entrepreneurship. Simply put, the Nine of Pentacles wants to give you a felt sense of your own true value. You have tremendous gifts to offer the world, and you are ready to share them now. Even if you don’t feel that way, you are ready now. But it’s not enough to know them, you need to feel them. You need to feel their power. And only by bringing them up and out will you learn how to work with them.
This moonth is your portal to feeling your worth in the world. And the more firmly rooted you are in your worth, the more empowered you will be to start selling those services. If you’ve been struggling with your career working for someone else, working for the man, working paycheck to paycheck, the Nine of Pentacles is your ticket out of that cycle. Stop giving away your power and start realizing how much you have to offer. The sooner you can receive your real worth, the sooner you can start charging for it! And if you have to fake it for a few weeks, I doubt anyone will be able to tell!
AQUARIUS
Three of Cups
Well, this is a sweet sight, fellow Aquarian. The Three of Cups is when we get to hang out with our sisters and enjoy the view. This is one of the most pleasant cards in the deck, so let’s not squander it. Do you know who your sisters are? I don’t just mean your friends, I mean those few lucky people who really see your soul. Those are the folks that you should tend to these next few weeks. Some of my dearest sisters don’t live in the same city as me, but that’s ok because we live in the future. Make a FaceTime date with your bestie on the opposite side of the world. Don’t let your deepest relationships dissolve because of time and space—that’s all just an illusion anyways.
My husband calls this the "new friends" card, so that’s a possibility too. If you’ve been doing some good, hard self-work, if you are actively evolving into a new version of yourself, then it might be time to call in some new sisters that reflect the YOU YOU’RE BECOMING—not just the you that you have been in the past. The key to identifying a real soul sister when you see one is this: no words need to be exchanged to be felt completely seen, heard, and held. That’s what you’re looking for this moonth. I’m sure with your keen eye, you’ll find it in abundance.
PISCES
The Moon, Reversed
This is your card, sweet Pisces. Literally. The Moon is the card connected to your sign. It speaks to everything a Pisces is: sensitive, dreamy, intuitive, and strange. The Moon shows up when it’s time to wade into the unknown. Luckily for you, every Pisces I’ve ever met has a least a timeshare in the unknown—if not an entire estate. This moonth is about diving into murky waters and dancing with your shadow.
Where are you resisting yourself? To have your own birth card come in reversed would signify that there are some fundamental aspects of yourself that you haven’t fully accepted. The hardest thing about being a Pisces is that most of the time you are more in the world of spirit than in the world of form. And that is unique to your sign. Just because the rest of the Zodiac doesn’t entirely understand your way doesn’t make it wrong. This moonth with the Moon wants you to really own yourself, your quirks, your addictions, your shame, your gifts. And if the moonth feels like a strange dream, then you are on the right path.
ARIES
Eight of Cups, Reversed
In the Tarot, the Eight’s are trying to take us somewhere we’ve never been before. It’s an expansion into unknown realms, going beyond what you thought was possible. And you’ll remember that the suit of Cups is all about the things in our life that flow: our emotions, relationships, intuition, and imagination. Therefore, I like to look at this card as the expansive heart card. You are being challenged to grow your capacity for joy, love, connection, and creativity. And how will you do that? By walking away from the things that are blocking this growth-spurt.
We could think of this card as the STOP SETTLING card. Stop settling for a job that doesn’t fulfill you. Stop settling for a relationship with a partner that doesn’t truly support you. When we settle, when we deny our heart's deeper callings, we literally stop our life from progressing. This moonth wants to find you walking away from anything (people, places, things, etc.) that doesn’t feel 100% in alignment with who you are and who you are wanting to become. Stop making excuses, stop pretending those things are gonna change. YOU are the only factor for change in your life. Remember, the energy of this card is trying to take you somewhere you’ve never been before. But if you continue to settle for the same old shit, you’ll never be able to experience the novel thrill of total satisfaction and fulfillment. And that, beautiful Aries, is exactly what this card is preparing you for.
TAURUS
The Universe
The Universe (or The World as it’s more commonly known) is one of the most mysterious cards in the entire Tarot. It is the last card of the Major Arcana, so it signifies major endings and also, hidden in those endings, profound new beginnings. If we use the Zodiac as our map, the World is that moment when we jump from Pisces to Aries, Winter to Spring. It’s that liminal space between death and rebirth, the known and the unknown, the collective consciousness and the individual self. Rachel Pollack, brilliant Tarot scholar, says this card charges us to “become a cosmic being and restore a broken universe.” So, you know, no big deal. Just go ahead and restore a broken universe this month, okur?
At its essence, this card shows up when something major in our lives has come to its natural conclusion. You are at the end of a journey. Maybe it’s a health journey, a spiritual journey, a relationship journey. Whatever it is though, boo, it’s over. Sure, there may be a few loose ends to tie up, but The Universe doesn’t want you to get stuck on the last note of the song—you’ve got a whole new opera to sing. Your work this moonth is to tend to all the significant endings in your life. Say thank you and move ahead. A whole new adventure awaits you.
BRANDON ALTER is a queer healer, Tarot reader, teacher, mystic and writer living in Los Angeles. He is passionate about sharing spiritual tools that have helped him reconnect to the wisdom of his heart. He is the Tarot reader in residence for The Numinous and he co-hosts The Spiritual Gayz with his husband, a twice-monthly podcast dedicated to exploring the wide reaches of spirituality, without pretending that it all makes sense. Brandon’s mom took him to his very first psychic when he was seven and gave him his first Tarot deck when he was eleven. Since then he has devoted himself to the study of Tarot, Yoga, Pilates, Reiki, Astrology and Shamanic Skills.
Visit www.brandonalterwellness.com to learn more. And to sign up for his twice-monthly newsletter, click here.