By Brandon Alter:
There’s no such thing as bad Astrology. There’s only good Astrology and Astrology for growth. Lately, like the last fourteen months, we’ve been besieged by some pretty intense Astrology for growth. And look! It’s worked! You’ve grown! We all have. But right now, we are entering into a delightful window of good Astrology. And this is cause for cosmic celebration.
After months of struggle and restriction, these next couple of weeks promise expansion, optimism, and, above all, some ease.
Let me break it down for you, starting with the biggest planetary shift first: Jupiter’s entrance into Pisces. This Thursday, two days after the New Moon, Jupiter will leave the cool, electric air of Aquarius and splash into the mystical waters of Pisces. Jupiter is proclaimed to be exalted in Pisces, meaning it's a Zodiacal energy that Jupiter loves to be in (and in which Jupiter thrives). It’s an Astrological sweet spot years in the making. Jupiter hasn't felt this free since late 2018 when it was in Sagittarius. Since then, as it's journeyed through Capricorn and Aquarius, it's had to answer to Saturn—the ruler of both those signs. Just being in those signs would be tough enough for Jupiter, but it was made even more tense by Saturn's physical presence there, restricting Jupiter at every turn. It's almost like inheriting a kingdom but the old king is still alive and looking over your shoulder at every turn. But that's old news now. Jupiter, the planet of expansion, now enters a sign where expansion isn’t just possible, it’s encouraged—and there’s no one to hold Jupiter back; it's like planetary Spring Break!
Jupiter will be in Pisces for a full two months. And in those two months you can be sure this skygod/des will be living it up. Come mid-June, Jupiter will begin a retrograde phase that takes the planet of optimism and abundance back into the last degrees of Aquarius to tie up some loose ends. But for now, let's party, let's explore, let's remember anything really is possible if we allow our imagination to soar. Consider that Jupiter is the watering can of the cosmos, growing and nourishing whatever we bring to the forefront of our attention. Particularly in Pisces, the invitation is to grow our spirit, our sense of boundlessness and creativity. As the last sign of the Zodiac, Pisces rules our collective unconscious and the things we can't see. Jupiter wants to bring growth and luck to all that invisible soup. Jupiter in Pisces is endlessly resourceful and inspired to find better ways to accomplish our goals. Jupiter will spend much of 2022 in Pisces, but these next two months are the first act of this transit, and it couldn't come at a better time. Wherever Pisces exists in your birth chart is about to get a Jupiter-sized infusion of luck and abundance, so prepare the way!
This Jupiter story is just beginning, and we won't really understand the impact of Jupiter's transit through Pisces until next year. But there's another story already in motion, and the next chapter gets released at the end of this month. This is an Eclipse story I'm talking about, which means, yes, we are entering back into another Eclipse Season. Sometimes you may feel like you're always in Eclipse Season, and you're not wrong. It happens every six months, so just when you've forgotten the fated power of the eclipse, it rears its head (or tail) again. Eclipses help us course correct our destiny. They put us in touch with the lunar nodes of fate that can act as celestial gatekeepers, bringing in or taking out fated people, places, projects and more. Eclipse Seasons last for generally six weeks or so and can contain two or three eclipses—luckily this upcoming Eclipse Season only has two.
Eclipse Season can bring a heightened intensity to our lives, like living in a realm where every day is a Full Moon. This particular Eclipse Season promises to be extra feisty, as it partially coincides with a Mercury retrograde period. Are you starting to get a sense of why I said we should enjoy these next couple weeks as best we can? Mercury stations retrograde on the 29th of this month, two days before that is the first Eclipse of the Season in Sagittarius; it's a Lunar Eclipse, meaning we lose the light of the moon. Eclipse season asks us to consider our soul's trajectory over the course of our lifetime. Are we really doing what we came here to do?
But these aren't called Eclipse Tarotscopes or even Jupiter in Pisces Tarotscopes—these are New Moon in Taurus Tarotscopes. She is the main event for the moment. She is why we are here. So let's explore this current cosmic portal and the invitations she brings our way. The New Moon in Taurus is always a favorite because the moon loves to be in Taurus. This is a sign that is celebrated for its earthiness, and the moon is an extension of the Earth. As the closest planet to us, she has lots of resonance with the grounded, lavish taste Taurus brings.
This New Moon is the beginning of that two-week sweet spot I've been talking about. It's a time that ushers us outside, outdoors, and asks us to seek pleasure and communion with the physical world. Consider this a chance to reset your relationship with anything physical, i.e., your body and the way you move it, your backyard or local park and how you tend it, the food you eat, even your crystals, your clothes—renew or release the material building blocks of your life.
The lovely thing about this New Moon is that there aren't any other planets trying to throw a wrench in this new beginning. It's what we call an unaspected planet. The Sun and the Moon in Taurus are on their own in the sky. Think of them as Mommy and Daddy on vacation, and the kids are being watched by a trusted babysitter. That means this Taurus energy can really take root. Taurus energy wants to build things and grow things. So take some time over the next few days and really consider what you are growing and building in your own life. There's an invitation into longevity here. Taurus isn't always the most forward-thinking sign. It can sometimes be seduced by the glamour of the moment and ignore the future consequences, like buying the expensive shoes cuz they look so good and realize only weeks later you're short on rent. But this New Moon takes place in the last decan of Taurus, which is ruled by Capricorn, an earth sign that really knows a thing or two about going the distance. Whatever you begin under this New Moon will be around for a while, so make sure it's something that can grow with you.
Ordinarily, Taurus Moons are quite physical in nature, but this one has a psychological twist. It's not just about the flowers you plant but why you chose those flowers in the first place. Venus, the planet of love and money, rules Taurus, but currently she's in Gemini. Venus in Gemini answers to Mercury, who is currently in Gemini as well. Gemini energy, as we'll explore more next month, wants to know why. Gemini loves good questions and good conversation. So while this New Moon in Taurus is absolutely about a new start somewhere in your tangible world, it's a new start that needs to be informed by your why. Don't be afraid to probe deeply into your real motivations around work and play. You may find there are new values that have become more resonant in this last year, and your old ways just don't honor them fully.
As you can see there's a lot happening in the heavens and there's a lot more to come. But for now let's enjoy. I'm thinking of the Janet Jackson song "Enjoy" right now, and it could well be a theme song for these next couple of weeks—she is a Taurus after all. If you need a cosmic primer, consider joining us for our Gemini Season Astro Club, where we will dive into all this and more. Also, our latest episode of the podcast was all about the North and South nodes that rule Eclipse Season—you might find listening in gives you a greater understanding of what these tender spots in a chart can signify for us personally and collectively. And if you're feeling overwhelmed by all this energy (who isn't?!), perhaps you'd benefit from a soothing healing in our bi-weekly breathwork circles. Breathwork can help you release your old stuck shit and drop into your authenticity. This Saturday's breathwork, as inspired by the Cancer moon, is themed as Breathwork for When You're Lost at Sea—let us help you make your way back to shore.
Lastly, we are so excited to announce a brand new class that will launch our Spiritual Gayz Summer School! It's been a long time coming. This five-week course is called Spirit Worlds, and it's a completely safe, playful, and life-changing taste of Animist practice. Animism posits that everything is alive! Everything has a spirit, including objects, places, and creatures, not to mention ideas, words, even your business all possess a distinct spiritual essence and agency. Throughout the course, you will learn how to take spiritual journeys and engage with the spirit world, where you can connect more closely with your spiritual support system, including guides, powerful animal ancestors, and other invisible allies. There will be many different types of experiences to try, and you will be able to find those that resonate most profoundly for yourself. When we can connect with the spirits around us, we can receive tremendous healing and power. I hope you'll consider joining us for this spiritual safari and esoteric adventure! Head here to learn more and explore the complete syllabus, maybe we will see you in the Spirit World!
You'll find your Tarotscopes below. Because the Moon is exalted in Taurus, you might start by reading your Moon sign first.
TAURUS
Four of Swords (reversed)
The past holds no power over you.
Stop looking back,
that is not where you are headed.
Don't look forwards,
the landscape changes before you arrive.
Instead look to this moment.
Look to the now, the senses of your body,
that would free you from who you've been
if only you could step outside of time.
The time for rooting through history is over.
You've learned from your mistakes.
You know where you came from
and why you are how you are.
To stay there any longer will only increase your suffering.
And suffering cannot endure
without the past or the future to anchor it.
This is a time for action,
now, inspired by your understanding
of you are,
now.
Bury who you've been,
not as funeral, but as a seed you're planting
for some ripe time to come.
GEMINI
King of Pentacles
We cannot control anyone beyond ourselves.
Not the weather, not our friends,
not even our pets or houseplants.
The only thing we can control is ourselves
and how we spend ourselves.
Time is not as slippery as we pretend.
She can be shaped into a sharp sword of action.
Be the master of your time.
Organize each day as if you were a king,
as if your whole life were a kingdom.
Corral your resources into a river of possibility
and instead of letting them flow aimlessly,
choose where to direct the currents.
You have the power. You call the shots.
Be careful not to give this preciousness away
to those who will squander you
and your substantial gifts.
Now is not the time to ask your life what it wants of you.
Now is the time to ask of yourself what you want for your life.
And then, make it so.
CANCER
Two of Pentacles
One of the most amazing things about being a human
is our endless capacity for change.
As we seek better balance, we change, as we change,
we seek better balance.
Balance is fluid like a river,
not frozen like an ice cube.
Balance finds us swinging
back and forth
across our lives like a pendulum,
giving over to each extreme
yet yearning for the center sphere.
Let your life change, dear one.
Let your routines and your habits transform
as you have transformed.
Do not become addicted to the surety of your old ways.
Not everyone is supposed to be a vegetarian for a lifetime.
Not every body wants to run hard miles each morning.
Ask your stomach what it wants to eat.
Ask your body how it wants to be moved.
Ask of your life how it wants to be shaped
and then shape it.
Give over to the changes with ease.
Welcome them like a lover or an old friend.
LEO
The Empress (reversed)
A life without passion is a life without meaning.
A frame without a painting.
It may not kill you,
but it feels like death.
Inspiration comes suddenly or not at all.
And when they visit, you must be ready
to offer them treats and pull out a chair.
Try to stall them and they leave.
Ask them to patiently wait
and they turn right round again.
When they arrive, when Passion arrives,
drop everything.
Forget the food on the stove.
Let your whole house catch fire
as you linger on their every word.
Better to be engulfed in flames
than living cooly from a safe distance.
Passion will remind you,
if you let them,
that life is a banquet.
Or at least it should be.
Let them remind you that life isn't something to survive,
it's something to be celebrated.
VIRGO
The Hermit (reversed)
Don't resist turning inwards.
The world may be reopening,
maybe.
You are reopening to yourself.
Imagine you are a book,
a real page turner,
a book you can't wait to tuck back into
at the end of each day.
A book you hungrily read in your car
before returning to the office.
Whenever you can
tuck back into yourself.
Turn back into yourself.
Learn from your inner depths.
Find the secret inroads leading
to the hidden pools
that call to you
with their quiet mists
of longing.
What you long for is yourself.
This is the true meaning of adventure.
The greatest adventure of a lifetime isn't being who you are,
it's discovering yourself anew.
Turn inwards.
LIBRA
Ace of Pentacles (reversed)
We expect our new beginnings
to appear as fireworks,
announcing their presence
with explosive fervor.
But many new beginnings
are quiet flowers
that bloom inside the dark gardens of our heart.
There is a tender ripening calling out to you,
and it can not be rushed.
Let yourself attend to this surprising awakening
as if it were a new child
delivered to your doorstep.
Before the dream job or the perfect lover
is the emergence of the you who summons them.
This is the bud that beckons to you,
a subtle perfume that perhaps only you can sense.
It will grow stronger as you grow stronger.
Linger in it, lean into it,
if you do, one day, not long from now,
it will intoxicate us all.
SCORPIO
Seven of Cups (reversed)
Once you choose, you can't unchoose.
Once you turn, there's no turning back around.
The crossroads
is a perfectly good place to sit and contemplate.
Even if it feels tense,
take your time with these decisions.
The rush you feel is an illusion.
We all have more time than we think.
If it's truly for you,
it'll be there
when you reach for it.
And if it's not for you,
no matter how fast you grab,
it'll dust in your hand.
Take yourself to the dream store,
try each dream on.
Step into it like a ballgown,
and twirl,
see yourself in it from all angles.
Trying on the dream helps us choose the dream.
And if you are still struggling to make a decision,
remember,
at a future place and time
the decision has already been made.
Listen forwards.
Reach for the one in you who knows what to do and
who has already done it.
SAGITTARIUS
Ten of Pentacles
Everyone wants abundance.
The witches cast spells for it,
the yogi's chant for it,
even the insta-influencers are manifesting it . . .
or trying to, anyway.
But true abundance isn't something you create,
it's something you grab,
because abundance is always there,
winking,
just on the other side of the veil.
What you want already exists.
The rosebush drips invisible petals
as it dreams of Spring.
Don't act is if there is a finite amount of success or magic.
The illusion is that there isn't enough.
When the truth is that there is more,
so much more, than you can imagine.
The work isn't in creating what you want.
The work is in releasing all the things
that keep you from receiving it.
CAPRICORN
Death (reversed)
Death reversed is sweet death,
gentle death,
death the friend, the compatriot,
the wingman, the ride or die . . .
except with death, there is no die.
There is only ride.
So here you teeter,
interminably,
on the cliff of great change.
And death comes and gives you
a loving shove
because you would teeter forever
(you know you would)
without an ally to empower this leap.
And yet it's not a leap,
not really.
You're not trying to make it to the other side.
It's a fall, a skydive,
and death is the parachute.
The tighter you grip yourself the harder the impact.
So let go.
Death billows behind you like a smoke cloud,
and you land with quiet cat feet.
What saves you from death is your willingness to die.
AQUARIUS
Seven of Pentacles
Life is a ceremony.
Each day a ritual.
How you greet the sun,
or don't,
how you dress your body,
or don't,
and spend your time,
or won't,
is how you show yourself what you value.
Time to put your money where your spirit is.
If you ritualize the things you hate,
they grow.
If you ritualize the things you love,
they grow.
Observe yourself ceremonialize your days.
How you stir your coffee, what you listen to in your car,
how you talk to your friends about yourself.
Are you casting spells that you hope come true?
Think of your actions like seeds that grow like beanstalks.
What are you planting with your time?
This is a moment to observe your garden,
as if you were a stranger here, and weed out the plants that you never wanted
to tend
in the first place.
It's your garden after all.
PISCES
Eight of Pentacles
Work is a four-letter word.
But so is play.
When we work for others,
we forget that we can play with others as well.
How we approach work
determines the quality of the work.
Where is the play in your work?
Let your approach evolve.
Everything is a painting,
every job a canvas.
And you are an artist,
no matter the medium of your work.
Bankers sculpt money, bakers bread.
What are you sculpting with the hours of your life?
Don't take it all so seriously.
At the end of the day,
work is just one way we can craft meaning
out of our lives.
But it can be the most satisfying one
if we give over to it
and let it shape us
into masters.
ARIES
Two of Cups
Can you fall in love with yourself
as if you've just met yourself?
As if you were someone else
who just entered the room of your heart?
Loving yourself is the key to living free,
and you have been chained up for so long.
There are parts of you—
sweet, surprising, trickstery aspects
of your wholeness
that you haven't been willing to welcome until now.
Take them to bed.
Hold them in your arms.
Pour into yourself from yourself.
Sit in the seat of your heart and send out a call
to any aspect of your authenticity
that has been hiding.
Welcome them in.
Hand them the keys to the kingdom,
or at least the Range Rover.
Let them drive and you can sit shotgun.
They will drive you to landscapes
you couldn't comprehend,
and yet as soon as you set foot on that strange land,
you will know you are home.
BRANDON ALTER is a spiritual healer, Tarot reader, Astrologer, 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. Brandon is a thoroughly trained healer and teacher who 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 the myriad ways one can work, heal, and grow with the help of the spirits.
Visit www.thespiritualgayz.com to learn more. To sign up for The Spiritual Gayz newsletter and get these Tarotscopes delivered to your inbox, click here.