Following the overall read of Mars retrograde, I've decided to do follow-up reads for each half-month segment. There are just too many interesting energies going on.
In the last two weeks of September, we left off with Empress and 8 of Swords, sort of an outwardly abundant but inwardly cloudy combination. The first week and start of October seems to be the transition from internally stuck, to finally surrendering to Death. Major transformations, willing or unwilling, transpire to shift/shock us into new cycles. 3 of Wands denotes readiness in receiving new opportunities and ventures. The Emperor confirms an inner surety in rightness of path. However, it is not time for action yet, as 2 of Wands suggests planning, strategizing, and waiting for right moment or spark. But within this waiting period, there is 10 of Cups assisting us to receive and reach a level of emotional abundance regardless of outer circumstance. A side note here, the 10 of Cups isn't a wishes fulfilled card in manifested things, it is the fulfillment of the emotional experience, which includes laughter, pain, happiness, sadness, grief, and so on. It is the blessing of emotional honesty. Being able to embrace the range of human emotions and be in totality with the experience. During these times, a lot of us are processing grief, and the encouragement here is to fully release into emotional vulnerability. The suppression of emotions would be the Devil card, the need to control, especially pain, which leads to addictions. Next, the Hanged Man mirrors the 2 of Wands energy, where the activities are more in the mind and etheric fields, and we are asked to process internally before anything else. It can be that we are asked to re-learn how to just break down and cry without needing to be anywhere else. Or we are asked to release into joy and laughter unabashedly in this moment without needing to drive for progress or achievements.
As we head for mid-October, the Lovers appear to echo the 2 of Cups drawn in the Mars retrograde read. There will be a sense that we don't have to face this alone. Another side note on reading the Lovers - it is a card of choice. The choice to be the beloved not only for another, but most of all for ourselves. It's about allowing oneself to come back to center and attract what's needed from that space. It does not denote romantic love, unless additional cards support it. So there is the opportunity to have the necessary clarity to choose self-care, well-being, and self-compassion, and let that be the foundational support. Next, the Page of Wands follows self-care into new frontiers of exploration. Is it diet? New ways of communication? Or new perspective on life? It all depends on where the three professors (Jupiter, Pluto, and Saturn) sit in our charts. Whatever the new initiative, we finally have some traction to move forward. The 9 of Cups now appears for manifestations that lead to pleasant emotions. Whatever actions that Page of Wands take can lead to a period of relief and lightness. The Magician together with 8 of Pentacles suggests we now have the necessary tools on the table to develop the skills and new habits that emerged out of necessity. Mars in mid-retrograde finally gets to release some of its energy into actual goals. And finally, we approach Mercury retrograde in mid-October with the Star. Believe it or not, the setup is there for a new horizon. Even if nothing seems different on the outside, the feeling is there that a new start is possible. Echoing the Hierophant in the Mars retrograde read, we are finding inner-authority and allowing it to be our guiding light. It is a tremendously hopeful time. And may it be just so. Namaste.