reading tarot

🌑 New Moon in Virgo – August 2025

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Tonight is the new moon, and like all new moons and full moons, I did a spread aligned to the moon’s current themes as a part of my recognition of the moon’s cycle and influences upon us. Today’s spread is courtesy of @caracadabra

New Moon in Virgo Tarot Reading with the Spirit Within Tarot

What can I do to stay grounded during times of overwhelm?

The Devil – Remember that your addictive tendencies and self-destructive inclinations have a habit of rising to the occasion when you are feeling overwhelmed. Keep an eye on these things you know can trip you up and make sure that they don’t get out of hand. If they do, it will just make your overwhelmed that much worse.

What area of my life is in need of my undivided attention?

Page of Swords – Stay on top of information channels, and make sure that you’re absorbing everything that you can from every source you can get your hands on. You’ll be able to sort it all out in time, but you’ll need as much information as possible in order for things to eventually make sense.

What’s the best way for me to implement personal re-centering and self care?

Knight of Wands atop The Sun – Make a game of it. You do better at keeping on top of things when you are receiving a measurable reward in the process. Those self-care practices that feel like they do nothing but actually do a lot, you don’t consciously feel like you’re being rewarded for them. Find something to reward yourself with in these instances, and you will experience more success in your consistency and the stability it creates.

How does prioritizing my physical and mental health benefit me the most at this time?

Eight of Wands – Prioritizing your physical and mental health allows you to be on your toes and able to react more quickly to the things going on around you. It also changes your view point to a more positive perspective, giving you a better chance of both enjoying life as well as accomplishing your goals.

What archetype can I rely upon to guide me during this Virgo New Moon cycle?

The Hanged Man – Wait and watch, but take no action. The cycle of this New Moon in Virgo is a time of observation. Watch closely, get others perspectives, but don’t do anything yet, no matter how tempting it becomes. By staying on the sidelines you help give yourself a buffer from the chaos, and give yourself room to react when the timing is right.

New Moon advice from the Minoan Goddess Amalthea.

Two of Wands – As was mentioned above, plot and plan; keep your eye on the ball concerning where you want things to go, but don’t act yet. It’s not time to “jump in the pool” just yet.

Other elements included in this reading:
Carved Bamboo for Positive Outcomes
Foraged Ponderosa Pine Cone for Resilience and Adaptability
Red Jasper for Awakening and Motivation toward Growth
Desert Rose for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: SPIRIT WITHIN TAROT

🌕 Full Moon in Aquarius – August 2025

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Tonight is the full moon, and like all new moons and full moons, I did a spread aligned to the moon’s current themes as a part of my recognition of the moon’s cycle and influences upon us. Today’s spread is courtesy of @onyerbroom

Full Red Moon Tarot Reading with The Real-Life Tarot Oracle

Release – The Cult – Stay grounded in reality and make sure you’re thinking for yourself. Nobody else can make the decisions for you at this time.

Illumine – Third Nipple – Those quirky things in your relationships that people look askance at are the things that make your relationships work.

Protect – Mom – Take care with her fragile feelings right now. She’s feeling extremely unsteady on her feet emotionally and needs a little reassurance to strengthen her foundation.

Reflect – Three Heads – Just how much shit is going on in your head? And how much of it is actually useful? Maybe it’s time to clear some space by looking at just what your brain is doing and shutting down some of the extra narratives going on.

Connect – Coin – C’mon now. You know you have to get the bookwork done. It won’t take long if you just sit down and really get into the flow of doing it.

Fuel – The Gamer – What gets you hyped up and excited? What has in the past, but you’ve been ignoring recently? Maybe it’s time to reconnect to it, and as a result receive a little extra boost in your day.

Purify – The Magician – It’s time to sort out what’s working for you, and what doesn’t needs to be tossed in the trash. Your performance is lagging because you’re too weighed down by too many things that aren’t working for you. Toss them out.

Empower – Chasing Dollars – Be the miser. If you’re worried that things are going to take a rough turn (which you are worrying about), now is the time to start scrimping and scraping on every every single scent.

Nourish – The Poster – Hey! You like what you like, and that’s perfectly okay . Nobody else has to like what you like as long as they’re not trying to force you not to like it

Full Moon advice from the Minoan Goddess Amalthea.

The Road Trip – Make plans before you move, and leave extra time and space for shit to go wrong or distractions to come along once you get started.

Other elements included in this reading:
Black Spruce Needles to Boost Self-Confidence and Positive Thinking
Dried Purple Heather Flowers for Independence and Luck
Northern Red Oak Leaf Impression for Inner Strength
Black Tourmaline for Grounding and Protection
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: THE REAL-LIFE TAROT (ORACLE)

First Harvest 2025 – Lammas/Lughnasadh

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Today is the First Harvest of the year. This day marks the transition into the harvest season of August, September, and October (of which there is a Second Harvest and Last Harvest that correspond to these months).

Wheat Field

This holiday is often called Lammas, Lughnasadh, or Lugh, although I usually just refer to it as the First Harvest. On my path, it celebrates the beginning of Summer’s decline and ramping up of the busy season where we begin to reap in the abundance that the bounty of summer’s energies has encouraged to grow and flourish.

Like with new moons and full moons, I usually do a spread to check in with myself and give myself some direction for the next couple of months for each solstice, equinox, and other Sabbats. This spread is an adaptation of my Self Care Saturday spread, so there are sure to be  some similarities in how it is read. The focus of this spread, though, is not about Self Care, but rather about progress and my path. The time period is also longer, reaching through the next handful of weeks until the celebration of the upcoming Second Harvest (aka. Mabon, Autumnal Equinox) in September.

Lughnasadh / Last Harvest Reading with the Pagan Otherworlds Tarot, Compendium of Witches Oracle, and Healing Herbal Deck

Theme of the Season – Lughnasadh, First Quarter Moon, Grass Lily (Ornithogalum umbellatum)

Lughnasadh is a harvest festival of Celtic origins with a theme that has to do with competition, hard work, and bounty.  Lammas (aka. Loaf Mass Day) is a Christian festival that centered around gratitude and blessings.  The themes are different, but in my practice they are combined, which is why I prefer to call this holiday the “First Harvest”, as I feel it connects to both the gratitude and abundance, as wel as the hard work that this part of the season involves.

Half way between the New Moon and upcoming Full moon, the First Quarter Moon is a time to look at the intentions we set and began working toward with the New Moon’s cycle, and reassess how things are going. This is a time of action and adaptation as we apply determination to our goal and move forward, pouring our energies into those things we are working to accomplish during this moon’s cycle. Energy is building as we move toward the Full Moon, and at this time utilizing that energy is the name of the game.

Metaphysically speaking, Grass Lily (Ornithogalum umbellatum) symbolizes innocence, purity, honesty, hope, and forgiveness; and can be used to help in dealing with the shock of loss.  In medical circles, it has been researched for use in heart medication to lower blood pressure, strengthen the pulse, and discharge excess fluid in those that struggle to tolerate digitoxin based treatments.

When looking at these three cards together…

Earth – Temperance atop Eight of Wands Rx – Times of rushing and pushing need moderation, but so too do times when things are moving slow. Otherwise, these slow times turn from slow but healthy movement into stagnancy and decay. Don’t jump the gun, and don’t freeze in place. You need to breathe through the uncertainty, and “thread the needle” between the two extremes one step at a time.

Air – Queen of Wands – Direct your focus to the things that you were passionate about, and you have influence over. There’s no point in worrying about the things that you have no ability to change or influence, instead work on those things that you can and do.

Water – Five of Swords Rx – It really isn’t surprising that you’re feeling a sense of defeat at this time. With everything that’s going on in the world right now and how much of it affects you personally, it can be a struggle to keep your head above water and not just give up. This is understandable and these emotions absolutely influence your spiritual well-being. Take time to reflect back upon the Earth position (above) in this reading and keep going anyway. There is grounding to be had by reaching for the shore.

Fire – Ace of Swords – It may take some clever thinking (and possibly some clever doing) to keep things on track right now. This can be helped by communicating what you want to happen to others and listening to their ideas as well. All ideas are good ideas when it feeds your brain, and can possibly give you a new perspective and shake something loose that could be useful.

Waning – The Seer and Moon – Ungrounded divination is not the way to go right now.  Make sure you are getting the grounding and centering you need before flirting with the veil.  Natural affinities need strong foundations too.

Waxing – The Veil Walker and Distaff – It is time to claim your power by beginning the process of establishing boundaries in your mediumship practice. Moving further along this path, you will need protections in place in order to help in bolstering your strength.

Take Away – Much of what’s said in this reading are an an echo of my month’s end reading, which isn’t surprising since they are overlapping a bit in the issues I’m running into in life right now. The advice here is to make sure you are staying on top of balancing your need to fix things and your need to retreat from the unknown. The anxiety in this tug of war is causing you to be vulnerable in your spiritual practice in ways that you usually aren’t.  Make sure you are taking care to uphold your boundaries, and let yourself get lost in the things you enjoy for a bit of relief from the stress.

DECKS USED: SABBAT THEMED ART CARD, PAGAN UNDERWORLDS TAROT, COMPENDIUM OF WITCHES ORACLE, HEALING HERBAL CARDS VOL 1 & 2

🌑 New Moon in Leo – July 2025

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Today is the new moon, and like all new moons and full moons, I did a spread aligned to the moon’s current themes as a part of my recognition of the moon’s cycle and influences upon us. Today’s spread is courtesy of @onyerbroom.

Oracle Reading with Die Geheimnisvolle Sprache der Blumen

Where am I being called to shine?

Hyacinth – Although you might feel like you are constantly in a time of flux and chaos has a stranglehold on you, others find you to be a sense of stability and constancy in their lives. This new moon, dedicate yourself to trying to touch upon that stability yourself that you lend so effortlessly to others.

What strength is rising within me?

Crocus – Rising within you is a greater ease in finding enjoyment in play. Sometimes it’s extremely difficult for you to connect with your inner child and the playfulness that resides within that inner spirit. Those blockages are thin right now, and as a result you are being given the opportunity to allow this playfulness rise up and make life a bit more colorful and fun.

What wild desire needs space to grow?

Apple Blossom – Step out of your comfort zone and confront your fears. The only way to get past the blockages that are holding you back is to take them head on. Skirting around them will get you nowhere.

Observation: Although this deck is filled with cards from throughout the seasons of spring through autumn, all of the cards in this reading thus far have been spring flowers. This indicates something new awakening during this time and, with it, a great potential for growth.

New Moon advice from the Minoan Goddess Amalthea.

Geranium – Remember that you aren’t on your won, and you do, in fact, have true friends you can trust that are willing and eager to come with you at your side through every step along your journey. Take care not to give the impression that you’ve forgotten about them or make them feel like they’ve been left behind.

Other elements included in this reading:
Dried Rhododendron Leaf for Fostering Confidence
Goat Figurine as Sympathetic Representation of Amalthea
Rose Quartz for Gentle Kindness to Self and Others
Carnelian Agate for Inner Drive and Focusing On One’s Aspirations
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: DIE GEHEIMNISVOLLE DER BLUMEN

🌕 Full Moon in Capricorn – July 2025

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Today is the full moon, and like all new moons and full moons, I did a spread aligned to the moon’s current themes as a part of my recognition of the moon’s cycle and influences upon us. Today’s spread is courtesy of “The Full Buck Moon Focal Points” graphic by @thewitchsfix

Full Moon in Capricorn / Buck Moon Oracle Reading with the Plant Spirit Wisdom Oracle

Growth isn’t always loud; sometimes it’s the small shifts that change everything. How have you stretched lately – emotionally or spiritually?

Mycelium – It’s all about what’s going on out of sight and away from observation. Even when you’re generous to others and help to support them, it’s often done privately or even secretly. You just want a strong foundation and are willing to do what it takes to get it there… no praise necessary. In the past, you’ve often needed acknowledgment or validation from others for this to feel “worth it”. But recently, you’ve been finding just as much satisfaction in when no one knows.

This moon highlights the strength you’ve earned through effort, boundaries, and persistence. What can you do to honor your resilience?

Mold – Pause to acknowledge what you’ve earned and how far you’ve come. Even if you simply do this in the back of your mind, once you’ve acknowledged your accomplishments, they continue to grow in the dark where you put them and build your confidence as a result.

You’re not who you were – and that’s the point. This moon supports you in shedding what no longer fits. At this time, how can you move with intention toward who you’re meant to be?

Reishi atop Lemongrass – Start cleansing and purging, but start small and take your time. No rushing, no pushing. To move with intention toward who you’re meant to be means leaving some things behind. Take the time to consider each act before you do it.

Full Moon advice from the Minoan Goddess Amalthea.

Witch hazel – Only once you start the cleansing mentioned above will you start to feel better. This is a potential healing process if it’s begun at this time.

Other elements included in this reading:
Black Spruce Tips to Boost Self-Confidence and Positive Thinking
Yellow Aventurine Dragonfly for Confidence During Change
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: PLANT SPIRIT WISDOM ORACLE

🌑 New Moon in Cancer – June 2025

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Tomorrow is the new moon, and like all new moons and full moons, I did a spread aligned to the moon’s current themes as a part of my recognition of the moon’s cycle and influences upon us. Today’s spread is courtesy of @lightningwildflower

New Moon in Cancer Oracle Reading with the Oracle of Water

Reflect : How am I changing or healing?

Clownfish Draco – It’s getting easier for you to look at the things that take you by surprise (including unpleasant surprises) as amusing rather than ire inducing. This doesn’t mean that you don’t sometimes still react emotionally before you process, but that you’re a bit less likely to react in anger and instead with amusement during these times.

Attend : What feelings am I being asked to pay attention to?

Deep Sea Kraken – Stop skimming the surface, and look deeper. It isn’t so much that there’s one particular feeling you need to examine more closely or pay more attention to, but rather your tendency to bury the important stuff deep and try to ignore it, and instead only deal with or acknowledge whatever is on the surface.

Connect : How can I improve my connections with the ones I love?

Underwater Ruins – Don’t allow others to rewrite history for you. Not all trips down memory lane are pleasant, but sharing history that includes an element of truth is essential to bonding with those important to you. Just because they don’t want to acknowledge what happened doesn’t mean it’s not there. Don’t participate in the rewriting of history, and show your preference for the truth instead.

Align : What area of my life needs attention or alignment?

Cacaelia – It’s time to examine what you’re holding onto so tightly that it’s beginning to hold you back in your journey. You may need to sit with this and consider it, even do a few readings on it to find what this is. Don’t allow it to slip away, but see, out what has your knuckles white in that too tight grip.

Allow : What is ready to come forward in my life?

Reef Wyvern – You don’t have to be numb, nor ignore your emotions, in order to let things roll off your back like rainwater on a slicker. Remember that you can be vulnerable on the inside with that thin layer of protection still in place.

New Moon advice from the Minoan Goddess Amalthea.

Frilled Sea Serpent – “Don’t hold back or make yourself smaller just to stay safe… Step into the light, even if the first few steps are shaky.” – Guidebook

As another reading earlier in the day previously mentioned, fear is holding you back. You need to step forward into your fears, rather than allowing them to keep you in a place of stagnancy. Stretch your wings (or fins, as the case may be).

Other elements included in this reading:
Aquamarine for fostering Wisdom and Clarity
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: ORACLE OF WATER