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I love a good monthly forecast, and there are a multitude of ways to do them. The newest way I’m exploring blends Tarot and astrology.

At the beginning of August, I decided to do something a little different for my month-ahead tarot reading. Instead of pulling a few cards and asking generally what August had in store, I used the 12 houses of astrology as a framework for my spread.

If you’re unfamiliar with the houses, think of them as 12 different rooms in your life. Each governs a different area of your human experience.

1st House: Self, identity, appearance
2nd House: Money, possessions, values
3rd House: Communication, learning, local environment
4th House: Home, family, foundations
5th House: Creativity, pleasure, romance, children
6th House: Daily routines, work, health
7th House: Relationships and partnerships
8th House: Intimacy, shared resources, transformation
9th House: Travel, beliefs, education, expansion
10th House: Career, reputation, public life
11th House: Friends, community, hopes for the future
12th House: Subconscious, spirituality, endings, what is hidden

In other words, pretty much everything that could possibly be happening in your life has a house.

So why not pull a tarot card for each one?

Creating Your Month-Ahead Spread

I started by choosing a card to place in the center of my spread as my significator. This card represents me entering the month. What energy am I carrying with me this month? How am I showing up?

You can choose your card intentionally, perhaps a court card or Major Arcana card that represents the energy you’re currently embodying, or pull it randomly and let the deck tell you what energy you’re bringing into the month.

The card I pulled was the Page of Cups, which embodies creativity, heartfelt exuberance, and possibility. To me, this speaks to entering August with fresh, open energy. It can also indicate exploring new passions, following my curiosity, or simply approaching the month with a greater sense of wonder.

Then I pulled 12 cards and placed them around my center card, one for each astrological house. Below are the cards I pulled and some of the ways their energy could potentially express itself throughout the month.

And I want to emphasize potentially.

I like to use tarot to explore themes and possibilities rather than as a list of predetermined events. This isn’t, “Oh no, I pulled the Devil in my seventh house, so obviously all my relationships are going to fall apart.”

Instead, I’m asking: What themes might be showing up here? What should I pay attention to? How could I work with this energy if it does arise?

The cards give me something to explore, not something to spend my nights agonizing over.

My 12 Houses Card Reading for the Month of August

1st House: Eight of Cups
The Eight of Cups represents walking away from something that no longer serves you. In the first house, this could emphasize physically stepping away or taking some much-needed time out. It could also represent leaving behind an old version of myself or letting go of a way I’ve previously perceived or defined myself. That feels particularly fitting right now, as I’m working on rebranding myself professionally while also letting go of physical habits that no longer serve the person I’m becoming.

2nd House: Two of Cups
The Two of Cups is a card of partnership, connection, and working together. In the second house of money and resources, this could quite literally represent conversations and collaboration around finances with my husband. It could also point to partnering with others to create new financial opportunities or finding that connection and collaboration play an important role in building greater financial security this month.

3rd House: Nine of Cups
The Nine of Cups is a card of satisfaction, enjoyment, and getting what you wished for. In the third house, this could show up as enjoyable short-term travel, which is already fitting, since we just returned from a family vacation this month. It could also point to success and fulfillment through writing, teaching, or communication, or simply feeling more connected to and appreciative of my neighborhood and local community.

4th House: Strength
Strength is a card of patience, perseverance, and working through challenges with a steady hand. In the fourth house of home and family, this could quite literally reflect the updates we’re currently making to our home, something that definitely requires patience and persistence. It could also point to working through household or family issues with compassion and resilience rather than trying to force an immediate resolution.

5th House: Wheel of Fortune
This one feels incredibly fitting. The Wheel of Fortune represents change, turning points, and new cycles beginning. The Leo solar eclipse is happening in my fifth house of children, creativity, and self-expression, already highlighting this area of my life as one undergoing change. Recently, I’ve also felt inspired to expand my writing and pursue opportunities with other publications. The Wheel of Fortune here could point to a creative turning point, new opportunities, unexpected developments, or simply a shift in where I’m directing my creative energy.

6th House: Knight of Wands
This one is also right on the nose. The Knight of Wands is about action, momentum, and throwing yourself into something with enthusiasm. In the sixth house of health, work, and daily routines, it could reflect the new workout regimen I started this month and my efforts to integrate more movement and activity into my everyday life. On the work side, it could also point to taking action on new opportunities, pursuing projects that excite me, or simply bringing more energy and initiative into my daily work.

7th House: The Devil
Despite the Devil’s negative connotations, I didn’t see this card and immediately think, Oh crap, my marriage is doomed. Instead, I thought, Hmm, I wonder if this connects to that Two of Cups in my second house? Both cards depict two people, although in the Devil they’re chained together.

In the seventh house of relationships and partnerships, this could point to feeling bound to another person through shared responsibilities or obligations. Paired with the Two of Cups in my house of finances, it made me wonder if money, shared resources, or financial decisions could be a theme my husband and I are navigating together this month. It could also be an invitation to look at any patterns within my closest relationships that feel restrictive, habitual, or ready to be examined.

8th House: Page of Swords
The Page of Swords is curious, observant, and eager to gather information. In the eighth house of shared resources, intimacy, debt, and transformation, this could point to asking more questions or learning something new about our shared finances.

Considering the themes already showing up in my second and seventh houses, I’m especially interested in how this card might connect to conversations around money and partnership. It could also represent digging deeper into something that has been hidden or simply approaching more complicated subjects with curiosity rather than fear.

9th House: The Sun
The Sun is one of the most positive cards in the deck, bringing themes of success, visibility, confidence, and growth. In the ninth house of publishing, higher learning, beliefs, and long-distance travel, this feels especially interesting alongside the Nine of Cups in my third house.

With satisfaction showing up around writing and communication in the third and the Sun shining in the ninth, could I be experiencing growth around writing or publishing this month? Could my work reach a wider audience or open up new opportunities? It could also point to positive experiences with travel, education, or simply expanding my worldview. Either way, this combination feels like an invitation to think bigger about where my words, and perhaps I, could go.

10th House: Eight of Pentacles
This one feels very apt. The Eight of Pentacles is about putting in the work, developing your skills, and building something through consistent, tangible effort. In the tenth house of career and public life, it reflects exactly where I am right now: working out the details of my future career and trying to build something that feels both stable and fulfilling.

The card reminds me that figuring out what comes next isn’t just about having a grand vision. It’s also about showing up, honing my craft, and doing the actual work required to create it.

11th House: Temperance
Temperance is about balance, patience, and bringing different elements together in a way that works. In the eleventh house of friendships, community, social networks, and future goals, this could point to finding greater balance in my social life or connecting with people who complement what I’m trying to build.

It could also represent collaboration, blending my ideas and talents with those of others to create something new. Since the eleventh house also represents our hopes for the future, Temperance feels like a reminder that the future I’m working toward doesn’t have to happen all at once. Sometimes it’s about patiently combining the right ingredients until everything begins to come together.

12th House: The Hierophant
The Hierophant is associated with teaching, learning, tradition, and structured knowledge, which feels especially fitting since I may be starting a new course this month. In the twelfth house of the subconscious, spirituality, and what happens behind the scenes, this could point to a period of deeper study or learning that is more internal and reflective. It could also represent exploring my own beliefs, learning from a teacher or mentor, or even considering how the knowledge I’m gaining privately could eventually become something I teach or share with others.

Putting It All Together

Looking at the spread as a whole, what strikes me most is how much it reflects what is already unfolding in my life.

Clear themes emerge around career, writing, publishing, money, and partnership. The Eight of Pentacles in my tenth house asks me to keep doing the tangible work of building my next career chapter, while the Nine of Cups in my third and the Sun in my ninth suggest that writing, teaching, publishing, and expanding my reach could be particularly fulfilling areas of growth.

Meanwhile, the Two of Cups, Devil, and Page of Swords create an interesting thread through my financial and relationship houses. Money, shared resources, and partnership may require more conversation and attention this month, not necessarily because something is wrong, but because they’re areas asking to be explored.

And then there are the cards that seem almost comically literal. Strength in my fourth while we’re working on our house. The Knight of Wands in my sixth as I throw myself into a new workout routine. The Hierophant in my twelfth as I consider beginning another course.

For me, the value of a spread like this is having a map of the month ahead. It gives me 12 different areas of my life to pay attention to and a framework for noticing themes as they emerge.

Tarot doesn't have to tell you exactly what's going to happen next to be useful. Sometimes it's enough to give you a different lens through which to notice what's already happening.

I think we have all been there, we think we are getting an intuitive insight, but can’t tell if it's actually our intuition or our monkey minds making stuff up.

In this guest essay, tarot reader and educator Callie Yaeger explores this very challenge with honesty and vulnerability. Drawing from her own experiences with anxiety, therapy, and spiritual practice, she reflects on the moments when intuition feels clear and the moments when self-doubt clouds the message.

If you’ve ever questioned your inner voice or wondered whether your instincts were trying to protect you, I think you’ll find something of yourself in her story.

-Danielle at Modern Mysticism

Is It Anxiety or Is It Intuition?

I’ve had this question kicking around in my head for a few months now.

Maybe it’s not so much a question as it is a concern.

I don’t run into this problem when I sit down to do readings for clients. Nor do I have trouble tapping into my intuition when a friend asks for advice. In those situations, I trust what I receive. I don’t give it a second thought.

The issue lies in trying to intuit information about my own situations and concerns.

Am I paranoid and therefore anxious? Am I worrying for nothing? Or am I missing key signs?

When the Reading Is About Me

The best example I can give right now is the struggle I’ve been having with one of my friend groups.

I constantly question my role and position within the group. I question the value I bring to it. I worry that one day I’ll realize I’ve been slowly “ghosted,” and that will be it.

No explanation.

Overdramatic? Probably.

But it’s happened before.

When I turn to my spirit guides for guidance, I struggle to discern where the thoughts and feelings I receive are coming from.

Am I genuinely intuiting information from Spirit, or am I simply anxious about being cast aside?

That distinction becomes much harder to make when the situation feels personal.

Understanding Where My Anxiety Comes From

To understand the anxiety, I think it’s important to understand where I’m coming from.

Almost twelve years ago, after working in a very toxic and mentally abusive environment, I finally sought help from a therapist. I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety.

If I’m honest, that therapist wasn’t a great fit, and I stopped going.

Eventually, I found a therapist who really clicked with me. We dug deeper into the depression and anxiety, worked through cognitive behavioral therapy, successfully tested medication, and helped me reach the other side with a better understanding of how my body and emotions respond to the stressors and environments around me.

Not long after that, I was also diagnosed with ADHD.

So, what does all of this have to do with intuition?

Where Anxiety and Intuition Begin to Blur

Somewhere in my mind, anxiety and intuition start to blur together.

Fear becomes the byproduct.

Fear of misjudgment. Fear of misunderstanding. Fear of misreading the context clues.

And that fear feeds the anxiety.

It’s not difficult to get stuck in that loop.

One fellow medium and reader once suggested that anxiety can arise when we ignore our intuition for too long. It was such a simple but powerful observation.

It’s entirely possible that’s exactly what I’m doing.

I pride myself on being honest, authentic, and genuine with my clients. It turns out I’m not always so great at doing the same for myself.

When We’re Too Close to the Message

I know many readers feel similarly.

We’re in our own heads too much to clearly see the messages set before us. We second-guess ourselves. Sometimes, we even miss what should be obvious.

Maybe some of you struggle with the same concern.

As our worries grow, so does the importance we place on finding answers. For some of us, the frustration grows, too, especially when those answers don’t appear right in front of us.

I won’t pretend to know the answer or the solution to this problem.

I know I’m experiencing it.

And I know I can’t be alone.

What Do You Think?

Have you ever found yourself asking whether something was anxiety or intuition?

How do you tell the difference between an intuitive warning and a fear shaped by past experiences?

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Callie Yaeger is an intuitive tarot reader, educator, and lifelong student of the metaphysical arts based in Havre de Grace, MD. Encouraged by friends and mentors who recognized her natural gifts, she began reading tarot professionally in June, 2022. She continues to deepen her practice through advanced training with Debbi Starr of Spirit Garden, developing her abilities in clairvoyance, clairaudience, claircognizance, and evidential mediumship. Callie hopes to make tarot and spiritual exploration approachable, thoughtful, and empowering. Whether she’s exploring symbolism, sharing practical guidance, or reflecting on the everyday magic that surrounds us, her goal is to help others connect more deeply with their own intuition and discover meaning in the cards—and in themselves.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calliereadstarot/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theavidreadertarot

Substack: https://substack.com/@theavidreadertarot?utm_source=global-search

An Important Note Before We Begin

Tarot is a tool for reflection, not diagnosis.

While certain cards may mirror experiences like sadness, worry, burnout, or hopelessness, they cannot determine whether someone has depression, an anxiety disorder, or any other mental health condition.

If you’re experiencing persistent feelings of depression, anxiety, or emotional distress that are interfering with your daily life, I encourage you to reach out to a licensed mental health professional or your healthcare provider.

Tarot can be a meaningful companion to self-reflection and personal growth, but it should never replace professional mental health care.

We’ve all had those readings.

You turn over a card and immediately think, “Well...that looks concerning...”

Maybe it’s the Nine of Swords, with someone sitting upright in bed after another sleepless night. Maybe it’s the Five of Cups, standing in the middle of grief. Or perhaps it’s the Eight of Swords, a figure who seems completely trapped by their circumstances.

It’s natural to wonder: “Is this card trying to tell me something about my mental health?”

The answer is yes...but probably not in the way you think. Tarot is not a tool for diagnosing mental health conditions. And it certainly doesn’t replace therapy, counseling, or medical care.

What it does remarkably well is reflect our inner emotional landscape.

It gives shape to experiences that can be difficult to describe, grief that feels all-consuming, worry that won’t quiet down, emotional exhaustion, burnout, isolation, or the longing for hope after a difficult season.

That said, one card can’t determine the entirety of your emotional state. The surrounding cards, the question being asked, the position within the spread, and the reader’s intuition all contribute to the story that’s unfolding.

A Nine of Swords surrounded by healing cards tells a very different story than one surrounded by the Eight of Swords, Five of Cups, and The Devil.

As you read through these cards, think of them less as labels and more as invitations to become curious about your own emotional experience.

Let’s explore some of the cards that often appear when we’re navigating grief, anxiety, emotional exhaustion, or burnout.

Recognizing Difficult Emotional Patterns

Tarot readings don’t always reveal joy, confidence, and clarity. Sometimes they reflect the more difficult parts of the human experience. Things like stress, anxiety, burnout, grief, loneliness, self-doubt, or emotional overwhelm. These emotions are a natural part of life, and it’s not uncommon for them to appear in a reading when we’re navigating challenging seasons.

Rarely does a single card tell the whole story. Difficult emotions often develop gradually and overlap. Stress can lead to burnout. Anxiety may fuel isolation. Grief can leave us feeling emotionally depleted or disconnected from the people around us. Rather than showing one specific emotion, tarot often reveals the emotional journey we’re moving through.

It’s also important to remember that tarot offers symbolism, not diagnoses. No card means someone has anxiety, depression, or another mental health condition. Instead, these archetypes can highlight emotional patterns, internal struggles, or experiences that may deserve our attention and compassion.

Grief: Five of Cups

If I had to choose one card that most clearly captures grief, it would be the Five of Cups.

A cloaked figure stands before three spilled cups, completely focused on what has been lost. Behind them, two cups remain upright, unnoticed for the moment.

This is one of tarot’s most compassionate reminders that grief changes our perspective. When we’re hurting, it can become incredibly difficult to see what is still supporting us. Our minds naturally return to what went wrong, what we wish had happened differently, or what we’ve lost.

The Five of Cups doesn’t tell us to “look on the bright side.” Instead, it honors the reality of loss while gently reminding us that our story isn’t over. Healing doesn’t begin by pretending the spilled cups don’t matter. It begins when we’re finally able to turn around and notice what remains.

Questions for reflection:

• What loss am I still carrying?

• Am I giving myself permission to grieve?

• What sources of support might I be overlooking right now?

Rest, Withdrawal, and Emotional Exhaustion: Four of Swords

The Four of Swords is often described as the card of rest.

And sometimes, that’s exactly what it is. After stress, grief, illness, or emotional upheaval, we need time to recover. This card reminds us that rest isn’t a luxury, it’s an essential part of healing.

But context matters.

When paired with other challenging cards, the Four of Swords can also reflect withdrawing from the world. Canceling plans. Staying in bed longer than usual. Feeling emotionally numb. Needing quiet because everything feels like too much.

The card itself doesn’t tell us why we’re retreating.

That’s where the surrounding cards and our own honest self-reflection become important. Are we intentionally taking time to restore ourselves? Or have we begun to isolate because we no longer have the energy to engage?

Healthy rest replenishes us. Withdrawal that continues without relief may be a sign that we need additional support, whether that’s reaching out to loved ones, speaking with a therapist, or checking in with our healthcare provider.

Questions for reflection:

• Am I resting, or am I hiding?

• What would truly help me feel restored?

• Is there someone I trust that I could reach out to today?

Worry and Racing Thoughts: Nine of Swords

The Nine of Swords is one of tarot’s clearest depictions of an anxious mind.

The image is familiar to anyone who’s ever lain awake at three in the morning replaying conversations, imagining worst-case scenarios, or worrying about things that haven’t happened yet. This card reflects the mind’s remarkable ability to create suffering before reality has caught up.

That doesn’t mean the fear isn’t real.

The distress, sleeplessness, racing thoughts, and emotional exhaustion represented by this card are genuine experiences. The Nine of Swords simply reminds us that our thoughts are not always reliable narrators.

Questions for reflection:

• What story am I telling myself?

• Is there evidence supporting this fear, or am I filling in the blanks?

• What would help me feel safer in this moment?

Feeling Trapped: Eight of Swords

Few cards capture the feeling of helplessness like the Eight of Swords.

Blindfolded and loosely bound, the figure appears surrounded by obstacles with no obvious way forward. Many people immediately interpret this card as being trapped.

But notice something important. The ropes are loose. The swords don’t completely surround the figure. There is space to move.

That doesn’t mean getting unstuck is easy. Emotional struggles often make it difficult to recognize options. When we’re overwhelmed, our world can feel much smaller than it really is.

The Eight of Swords reminds us that while our circumstances may be challenging, our perception can sometimes become even more restrictive than reality itself.

Questions for reflection:

• What belief is making me feel stuck?

• Am I assuming I have fewer choices than I actually do?

• What is one small step I could take today?

Seeking Safety Through Control: Four of Pentacles

The Four of Pentacles reminds us that control often begins as self-protection. When life feels uncertain, it’s natural to tighten our grip.

We might try to control our schedule, finances, relationships, environment, or even our emotions. Control can create the comforting illusion that if we just hold on tightly enough, nothing bad will happen.

The Four of Pentacles asks us to notice what we’re holding onto.

The figure in the card clutches each pentacle closely. While this protects what they have, it also makes movement difficult. Sometimes the very thing we’re trying to preserve can become what keeps us feeling stuck.

This card doesn’t suggest that planning ahead or creating healthy boundaries is a problem. In fact, those can be incredibly wise responses to uncertainty. Instead, it invites us to ask whether our desire for control has become driven by fear.

Questions for reflection:

• What am I trying to control right now?

• What fear is underneath that need for control?

• Where might I loosen my grip, even just a little, without compromising my well-being?

Burnout: Ten of Wands

Sometimes emotional distress doesn’t look like sadness or worry. Sometimes it looks like carrying too much for too long. The Ten of Wands can be the card of overload.

Responsibilities, expectations, caregiving, work, and trying to be everything for everyone. Eventually, even the strongest among us become exhausted.

Questions for reflection:

• Which responsibilities truly belong to me?

• Where am I saying “yes” when I need to say “no”?

• What could I set down, even temporarily?

Isolation: The Hermit

The Hermit is one of my favorite cards.

In its healthiest expression, it represents wisdom, reflection, and intentionally stepping away from outside noise so we can hear our own inner voice. But every card has a shadow.

The shadow side of The Hermit isn’t peaceful solitude. It’s isolation. The difference is subtle but important. Solitude restores us. Isolation disconnects us.

When this card appears, it may be worth asking whether you’re taking healthy space, or whether you’ve unintentionally withdrawn from the very people who could offer support.

Like the Four of Swords, this card invites us to consider whether our time alone is helping us heal or quietly keeping us disconnected. One restores us. The other keeps us from receiving the support we may need.

Questions for reflection:

• Am I choosing solitude, or avoiding connection?

• Who helps me feel safe enough to be honest?

• What small act of connection would feel manageable today?

Cards of Healing and Recovery

One of the things I love most about tarot is that it rarely leaves us in the difficult cards forever.

Just as life moves through seasons, so do our readings. After cards that reflect grief, worry, burnout, or emotional overwhelm, we often begin to see cards that point toward hope, resilience, and healing.

Notice that these cards don’t promise immediate happiness. Instead, they remind us that healing is a process, one built through hope, support, resilience, and taking one small step at a time.

The Star: Hope Returns

The Star is one of tarot’s most hopeful cards.

It often appears after periods of struggle, reminding us that healing is possible, even if we can’t yet see the finish line. The Star doesn’t promise that life suddenly becomes easy. Instead, it invites us to trust that hope has a way of returning, sometimes quietly, long before we fully believe it ourselves.

Questions for reflection:

• Where have I already begun to heal, even if the progress feels small?

• What gives me hope when life feels uncertain?

• How can I nurture that hope today?

Temperance: Healing Takes Time

Temperance reminds us that healing is rarely an overnight transformation.

Instead, it’s built through small, consistent acts of care. This card speaks to balance, patience, and emotional regulation. It encourages us to honor the process rather than rushing toward the outcome.

Questions for reflection:

• Where am I expecting instant results?

• What small daily habit supports my well-being?

• How can I show myself more patience during this season?

Strength: Meeting Ourselves with Compassion

Despite its name, the Strength card isn’t about pushing harder.

It’s about responding with gentleness instead of force. Strength teaches resilience, self-compassion, and quiet courage. It reminds us that some of our greatest victories come not from overpowering our emotions, but from learning to sit with them without letting them define us.

Sometimes the strongest thing we can do is offer ourselves the same kindness we would readily give to someone we love.

Questions for reflection:

• How am I speaking to myself?

• What would self-compassion look like today?

• Where have I already shown quiet strength?

Six of Swords: Moving Toward Calmer Waters

The Six of Swords is a card of transition.

The destination may not be perfect, but it is often better than where we’ve been. This card reminds us that healing is movement. Even if progress feels slow, we’re no longer standing still. Sometimes simply taking the next step is enough.

It reminds us that recovery isn’t about forgetting what we’ve experienced. It’s about allowing ourselves to move toward something gentler.

Questions for reflection:

• What am I ready to leave behind?

• What does my next step toward healing look like?

• Where am I already experiencing calmer waters?

Queen of Cups: Receiving Support

The Queen of Cups embodies emotional wisdom and compassionate care.

She reminds us that healing doesn’t have to happen alone. Whether it’s from trusted friends, family, a therapist, a support group, or another caring professional, this card encourages us to seek out the support that’s available.

There is strength in asking for help. The Queen of Cups also reminds us to extend that same compassion inward. We often become our own harshest critics during difficult seasons.

Questions for reflection:

• Who helps me feel emotionally safe?

• Am I allowing myself to receive support?

• How can I care for myself with greater compassion today?

Ace of Cups: Emotional Renewal

The Ace of Cups represents new emotional beginnings.

After periods of depletion, this card often signals that our hearts are becoming open again to hope, connection, joy, creativity, and healing.

It’s a reminder that difficult seasons do not last forever. There is always the possibility of beginning again. Healing doesn’t erase what we’ve lived through. Instead, it creates space for something new to grow alongside our experiences.

Questions for reflection:

• What am I ready to welcome into my life?

• Where am I noticing signs of renewal?

• How can I remain open to joy, even in small ways?

Looking at the Whole Story

Tarot is an incredible mirror that offers a rare view into our subconscious. By giving shape to our inner world, tarot invites us to meet ourselves with curiosity instead of judgment.

It reminds us that difficult emotions deserve our attention, not our shame, and that every season, no matter how challenging, has the potential to become part of a larger story of healing and growth.

When we stop asking, "What's wrong with me?"

and instead ask, "What is this experience trying to teach me?"

Tarot becomes a compassionate guide for self-awareness, resilience, and personal transformation.

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Astrology can be a complicated topic to learn.

When most of us first begin studying astrology, we’re introduced to the twelve zodiac signs and encouraged to memorize what each one means. Aries is bold. Taurus is stubborn. Gemini is curious. Cancer is nurturing.

While there’s nothing inherently wrong with learning those keywords, I’ve found that one of the most overlooked ways to truly understand astrology is to stop looking only at the signs themselves and start looking at nature.

After studying, practicing, and teaching astrology for the past several years, I’ve become convinced that nature is one of our greatest astrology teachers.

Astrology didn’t invent these energies. Nature has been demonstrating them all along.

When we say Scorpio is fixed water or Virgo is mutable earth, those phrases can sound mysterious or worse, like jargon. But they’re really describing patterns you can already find in the natural world.

Every zodiac sign is built from just two ingredients:

• An element, which describes what kind of energy we’re working with.

• A modality, which describes how that energy behaves.

Once you understand those two building blocks, the signs stop feeling like twelve random personalities. Instead, they become combinations of familiar forces you’ve been observing your entire life.

So instead of trying to memorize astrology...

Let’s go outside and see how nature has been teaching it all along.

Aries: Cardinal Fire

Picture: A match being struck.

Before you think about Aries, think about the match. What words come to mind?

Initiation. Spark. Energy. Momentum. Excitement.

Fire already wants to burn. Cardinal Energy wants to begin. Together, they create the energy that says, Let’s go.

Strengths

• Courageous

• Motivated

• Enthusiastic

• Willing to take the first step

Challenges

• Impatient

• Impulsive

• Burns bright, then burns out

Taurus: Fixed Earth

Picture: A mountain. Imagine standing before a mountain.

Solid. Steady. Reliable. Unmoving.

Earth creates stability. Fixed energy preserves it. A mountain doesn’t change because someone asks it to.

Strengths

• Dependable

• Loyal

• Patient

• Grounded

Challenges

• Stubborn

• Resistant to change

• Comfortable staying exactly where it is

Gemini: Mutable Air

Picture: Wind changing direction. Can you hold the wind? No.

It moves. It explores. It changes course.

Air represents ideas and communication. Mutable energy adapts. Together, they spark curiosity and a desire to learn a little about a lot of different topics.

Strengths

• Curious

• Adaptable

• Quick learner

• Excellent communicator

Challenges

• Scattered

• Easily distracted

• Constantly chasing the next interesting idea

Cancer: Cardinal Water

Picture: A spring bubbling up from underground. The water isn’t following another stream. It’s creating one.

Water seeks connection. Cardinal energy begins.

Cancer is like the source of a spring, initiating an emotional flow where none existed before.

Strengths

• Caring

• Protective

• Emotionally courageous

• Nurturing

Challenges

• Reactive

• Overprotective

• Easily hurt

Leo: Fixed Fire

Picture: A campfire that burns steadily all night.

Not fireworks.Not an explosion. A dependable source of warmth. Fire inspires. Fixed energy sustains.

Leo isn’t just about shining brightly. It’s about continuing to shine.

Strengths

• Loyal

• Confident

• Generous

• Encouraging

Challenges

• Pride

• Stubbornness

• Difficulty admitting when they’re wrong

Virgo: Mutable Earth

Picture: A well-tended garden.

A garden is never truly finished. There’s always something to prune. Something to improve. Something to plant.

Earth builds. Mutable energy refines. Virgo doesn’t just maintain systems—it continually improves them.

Strengths

• Practical

• Thoughtful

• Helpful

• Excellent problem solver

Challenges

• Perfectionism

• Overthinking

• Feeling like nothing is ever “good enough”

Libra: Cardinal Air

Picture: The wind turning a weather vane.

The air itself is invisible. You only notice it because something begins to move. Air influences through ideas and perspective. Cardinal energy initiates change.

Libra shifts the direction of a conversation, a relationship, or a way of thinking.

Strengths

• Diplomatic

• Fair

• Charming

• Cooperative

Challenges

• Indecisive

• People-pleasing

• Passive aggressive

Scorpio: Fixed Water

Picture: An icicle. Water usually flows. But what happens when it freezes? It preserves. It remembers. It becomes incredibly strong.

When water freezes, it stops flowing. Scorpios can do the same with their emotions, holding onto feelings, memories, and experiences.

Strengths

• Loyal

• Emotionally resilient

• Deeply perceptive

• Committed

Challenges

• Holds onto hurt

• Guarded

• Slow to trust

• Slow to let go

Sagittarius: Mutable Fire

Picture: A wildfire spreading across an open landscape.

A single spark lands, and before long, the fire has traveled far beyond where it began.

Fire seeks experience. Mutable energy explores. Together, they create movement, expansion, and possibility.

Sagittarius approaches life the same way—drawn toward new ideas, new experiences, and the next adventure waiting over the horizon.

Strengths

• Optimistic

• Adventurous

• Inspiring

• Open-minded

Challenges

• Restless

• Blunt

• Always looking toward the next horizon

Capricorn: Cardinal Earth

Picture: The foundation of a building. Long before you admire a skyscraper, someone had to pour the foundation.

Earth builds. Cardinal energy begins. Capricorn creates structures that last.

Strengths

• Disciplined

• Responsible

• Ambitious

• Reliable

Challenges

• Overworks

• Takes on too much responsibility

• Can become rigid

Aquarius: Fixed Air

Picture: A lighthouse.

A lighthouse doesn’t chase ships. It stands firmly in one place, shining its light. Air represents ideas. Fixed energy gives those ideas staying power.

Aquarius doesn’t simply think differently. It stays true to its vision.

Strengths

• Innovative

• Independent

• Visionary

• Principled

Challenges

• Detached

• Uncompromising

• Emotionally distant

Pisces: Mutable Water

Picture: The ocean tide.

The tide never stops moving. It flows around obstacles. It reshapes the shoreline over time.

Water feels. Mutable energy adapts.

Pisces reminds us that sometimes the greatest strength isn’t resisting change—it’s learning how to flow with it.

Strengths

• Compassionate

• Imaginative

• Intuitive

• Accepting

Challenges

• Escapism

• Weak boundaries

• Becoming overwhelmed by the emotions around them

Seeing Astrology in Nature

Astrology isn’t just found in birth charts.

It’s found all around you.

Watch how fire behaves. Notice how water changes form. Pay attention to the seasons, the wind, the forests, and the rivers. The natural world is constantly demonstrating the same patterns astrologers have been describing for thousands of years.

The more you observe nature, the more you’ll understand the zodiac not as a list of definitions to memorize, but as a living language you can recognize wherever you look.

Hello Mystics,

There’s something bittersweet about August.

It’s the month that gently reminds us summer won’t last forever. Vacation calendars are filling with one last getaway, children are getting ready to head back to school, gardens are overflowing with fresh produce, and there’s still plenty of time for ice cream runs, evenings by the water, and soaking up every last bit of sunshine.

And yet... if you’re anything like me, you may have already caught yourself eyeing the first pumpkin spice display or wondering when the weather will finally cool down.

August has a way of holding two seasons at once. One foot is still firmly planted in summer, while the other begins reaching toward autumn and everything a new season promises. It invites us to savor what’s here while quietly preparing for what’s next.

I think that’s one of the things I love most about this time of year. It reminds us that change doesn’t always arrive all at once. Sometimes it unfolds gradually, giving us space to appreciate where we are before encouraging us to turn the page.

Whether this month finds you planning one last vacation, getting ready for a new school year, harvesting tomatoes from the garden, chasing fireflies with your family, or counting down the days until sweater weather, I hope this guide helps you move through August with greater intention and a little more wonder.

So pour yourself a cup of coffee, or an iced tea if you’re still fully embracing summer, and let’s take a look at what this month has in store.

-Danielle at Modern Mysticism

Inside This Month’s Guide

• Monthly Energy Guide
  An overview of August’s biggest astrological themes, key planetary movements, and practical guidance for working with the energy of the month.

• Card of the Month
  The Tarot card guiding us through August and the insight it offers for the weeks ahead.

• Electional Astrology Calendar
  The month’s most supportive dates for launching projects, making important decisions, nurturing relationships, focusing on finances, and more.

• Self-Care Horoscopes by Moon Sign
  Personalized guidance for each Moon sign, including your emotional focus, self-care theme, and journal prompt.

• Final Thought
  A closing reflection to help you carry the month’s wisdom forward with intention.

  ---

Monthly Energy Update

August is a month of meaningful transitions.

The first half of the month encourages both courage and reflection. As Venus moves into Libra, Mercury enters Leo, and Mars enters Cancer, we’re reminded to balance confidence with compassion and ambition with emotional awareness. The Solar Eclipse in Leo on August 12 opens the door to new opportunities while encouraging us to release old patterns, identities, or creative pursuits that no longer align with our future. This is the beginning of a six-month chapter of growth and renewal.

The second half of the month shifts from inspiration to implementation. As the Sun and Mercury move into Virgo, the focus turns toward organizing our ideas, refining our plans, and creating practical routines that support our long-term goals. The month concludes with the Lunar Eclipse in Pisces on August 28, square Uranus, reminding us that growth often requires flexibility. Unexpected changes or revelations may encourage us to let go of what has become too limiting, creating space for new possibilities to emerge.

August supports:

• New beginnings and fresh opportunities

• Releasing outdated patterns and limiting beliefs

• Creative expression and authentic leadership

• Learning, planning, and meaningful conversations

• Building healthier routines

• Remaining flexible during times of change

Reflection Question: What am I ready to welcome into my life, and what do I need to release to make room for it?

Card of the Month

Deck: Mystic Sisters Oracle Deck (This is an affiliate link.)

Card: Coven

August reminds us that we are not meant to build our dreams alone. This month is about finding the people, communities, and collaborations that share your vision. When your intentions align with those of others who genuinely support your growth, your energy becomes more focused, purposeful, and impactful.

This is also an invitation to examine your motivations. Are you pursuing opportunities that are aligned with your deeper calling, or are you simply staying busy?

August asks you to let go of distractions and invest your time, energy, and passion where they truly matter. Whether you’re growing a business, strengthening relationships, or stepping into a new chapter, remember that the right people amplify your gifts rather than compete with them. Shared purpose creates momentum.

“Find others like you who have a similar goal. Put your minds together. Unite, and don’t let personal agendas distract you or tear you apart.”

May this month bring meaningful connections, aligned opportunities, and the courage to create something greater together.

August 2026 Electional Planner

All dates are in EST; please adjust according to your time zone.

August Lunar Self-Care & Intuition Insights

Read for your Moon sign. While your Sun sign reflects your personality and the path you’re growing into, your Moon sign reveals your emotional world, how you process feelings, what helps you feel safe, and the ways your intuition naturally speaks to you. It offers valuable insight into your emotional needs, self-care practices, and the habits that help you restore your energy.

Because this guide focuses on emotional well-being, intuition, and inner alignment, your Moon sign provides the most meaningful perspective.

Moon Sign Calculator

If you don’t know your Moon sign, use the Moon Sign Calculator linked above. If your Moon sign is uncertain because you don’t know your birth time, and it gives you two potential Moon signs, read both possible signs and trust the message that resonates most deeply.

Read more

Have you ever looked at your calendar and thought, Should I have that conversation today...or wait until tomorrow? Most of us think about timing more than we realize. We check the weather before planning a picnic, avoid rush hour if we can, and often wait until we’re feeling rested before making an important decision.

Electional astrology applies that same idea to the movements of the planets. Rather than asking, “What’s going to happen to me?” electional astrology asks, “If I’m already planning to do something, when might the cosmic weather be a little more supportive?”

One of my favorite features of the monthly energy guides is the electional dates I curate for Mystic Insiders (paid subscribers). They’re practical, intentional, and designed to help you work with the cosmic weather rather than against it.

Those dates aren’t random.

They’re chosen using a branch of astrology called electional astrology.

Why I Include Electional Dates Every Month

When I put together each monthly guide, I’m not just looking at the biggest transits. I’m also asking a much more practical question:

How might someone actually use this energy in everyday life?

If I notice a day that’s especially supportive for communication, I might recommend scheduling an important conversation. If Venus is beautifully supported, perhaps it’s a wonderful time for creative work, strengthening relationships, or making your space feel a little more beautiful. If the Moon is under pressure from several difficult aspects, I may suggest giving yourself permission to slow down rather than pushing through.

None of these dates are guarantees.

They’re invitations.

Small opportunities to work with the natural rhythm of the sky instead of feeling like you’re constantly swimming upstream. Sometimes the timing difference is subtle. Sometimes it’s surprisingly noticeable. Either way, I find that paying attention to these patterns helps me make decisions with a little more intention.

What Electional Astrology Can’t Do

Whenever we talk about choosing “good” dates, it’s easy to imagine there’s a perfect moment hidden somewhere on the calendar.

There isn’t.

One of the biggest misconceptions about electional astrology is that if you can just find the perfect chart, everything will magically fall into place. Life doesn’t work that way. A favorable electional chart won’t rescue a project that hasn’t been prepared for. It won’t make someone fall in love. It won’t guarantee success, eliminate uncertainty, or remove every obstacle from your path.

Electional astrology simply offers us a forecasting tool. It’s a way of asking: “If I have some flexibility, is there a time that naturally supports what I’m trying to accomplish?” Sometimes the answer is yes. Sometimes real life means Tuesday at 3:00 p.m. is the only option, and that’s perfectly okay, too.

Astrology should support your life, not run it.

How I Actually Use Electional Astrology

When I’m planning something important, I don’t spend hours searching for a mythical “perfect” chart. Instead, I start with a much simpler question:

What am I trying to accomplish?

The answer tells me what kind of planetary energy I’m looking for. Launching a creative project? I may pay closer attention to the Sun or Venus. Having an important conversation or doing some writing? Mercury suddenly becomes much more interesting. Beginning a spiritual practice? I might look for supportive connections involving the Moon or Neptune.

From there, I look at the bigger picture. Is the Moon generally supportive? Are there major challenges likely to complicate the energy sector? Does the overall tone of the day align with the intention behind what I’m doing?

It’s a bit like checking the weather before heading outside. If rain is in the forecast, I don’t cancel my life. I grab an umbrella.

Astrology works much the same way. It doesn’t tell us what we have to do. It simply gives us another layer of information so we can move through life a little more intentionally.

For example, one transit I always keep an eye on is a Mercury cazimi, the moment Mercury is exactly conjunct the Sun. Traditionally, this is considered an especially clear and insightful time for Mercurial activities.

Whenever possible, I try to schedule writing, publishing, teaching, or other communication-focused work around these dates. It doesn't mean every Mercury cazimi automatically produces my best work, but I've found they're often wonderfully supportive for thinking clearly, finding the right words, and sharing ideas with others.

Now that you understand the philosophy behind electional astrology, let’s put it into practice. For Mystic Insiders, I’ve created a simple step-by-step guide to help you use electional dates with more confidence and intention.

Below, you’ll find:

• A practical framework for choosing supportive dates

• A planetary reference chart to help you match your intention to the right type of transit

• Simple guidelines for knowing what to look for and what to be mindful of

Subscribe now

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Profiles in Modern Mysticism: A Conversation with Learn Witchcraft with Astrid

A recurring interview series spotlighting individuals who are living esoteric practices in the real world—how they apply them, and what we can learn from their experience.

Astrid is the creator of Learn Witchcraft with Astrid, and is a practicing witch and folklorist who teaches modern paganism and European folk magic. She’s worked as a witchcraft consultant for the Tower of London and Penguin Random House Publishing, talked about Prague’s alchemy history on ARTE TV, and since 2016, she has run the School of Holistic Mastery.

She’s translated multiple esoteric books by Czech hermetic authors into English, bringing forgotten Central European magical texts to a worldwide audience. She’s been a guest on countless podcasts and hosted her own radio show about witchcraft on Para X Radio. She’s spent her life reclaiming the pagan practices that never quite died —they just learned to hide in folk customs and everyday rituals.

To learn more about Astrid or take one of her courses, visit School of Holistic Mastery.

_{This post contains affiliate links.}

A Brief Introduction:

Manifestation. Intention setting. Candle rituals. Prayer. Visualization.

Depending on who you ask, these practices are either completely different or remarkably similar. In my conversation with Astrid, creator of Learn Witchcraft with Astrid, we explored the surprising overlap between modern manifestation practices and traditional witchcraft.

Whether you’re simply curious or already have one foot in the mystical world, this conversation invites us to look beyond the stereotypes and ask a simple question:

What if we’ve been practicing magic all along?

1. Many people associate witchcraft with Hollywood stereotypes or social media aesthetics. How do you define witchcraft?

Astrid:

“I don’t actually love the word witchcraft,” Astrid admits. “Over the centuries, it’s accumulated so much baggage that people hear the word and immediately jump to expectations that have very little to do with what it actually is.”

Instead, she describes witchcraft as something much simpler.

“Witchcraft is a bridge between humans and the divine.”

Rather than viewing it as something separate from spirituality, she sees it as a form of folk spirituality, beliefs, and practices that developed organically within communities over generations. Unlike highly structured religious systems, these traditions evolved naturally, adapting to the needs of the people who practiced them.

“It’s really a framework,” she explains. “A way of connecting with something greater than ourselves.”

2. One idea that kept coming up during our conversation was that witchcraft isn’t as different from manifestation as many people think. Can you explain that?

Astrid:

Laughing, Astrid offered one of my favorite lines from the interview:

“Manifestation is just witchcraft in different packaging.”

At their core, she explains, both begin with intention. You identify what you hope to cultivate, focus your energy, and direct that intention toward a desired outcome. From Astrid’s perspective, the language we use, manifestation, prayer, visualization, or spell work, often reflects our spiritual tradition more than the underlying process.

As one example, she notes that lighting a candle while offering a heartfelt prayer shares some of the same symbolic elements she sees in candle magic.

“The same noodles,” she laughs, “just different packaging.”

3. If they’re so similar, why does the word ‘witchcraft’ still make people uncomfortable?

Astrid:

Part of it, she says, is history. “Witchcraft has never really been allowed to tell its own story.” She believes much of what people fear comes from centuries of misunderstanding, cultural baggage, and misconceptions passed down over time.

But she also thinks something deeper is happening. “If someone is drawn to witchcraft,” she says, “there’s usually a reason.” She compares it to craving oranges when your body needs Vitamin C.

“If you’re interested in it, there’s probably something there that your soul needs.”

4. What’s the biggest misconception people have about witchcraft?

Astrid:

Most people, she says, fear the wrong things. “They’re worried about demons or curses.” Instead, she believes the real challenge of this spiritual practice is much closer to home. “Witchcraft asks you to examine your own intentions.”

Why do you want this relationship?

Why do you want this job?

What’s really motivating your choices?

That level of honesty can be uncomfortable. “If you want to be afraid of something,” she says, “be afraid of the transformation.” Because real spiritual work changes the way you see yourself, and sometimes changes your relationships with the people around you.

5. You also shared a different perspective on intuition. Instead of trying to “open” intuition, you suggested removing the blocks.

Astrid:

“The connection is already there,” she explains. “If it wasn’t, you wouldn’t be alive.”

Rather than teaching people to gain intuition, Astrid encourages them to uncover what’s already present. In her view, intuition isn’t something we acquire; it’s something we learn to hear beneath the noise.

Fear, conditioning, self-doubt, and our need for certainty often become the biggest barriers. Sometimes the fear isn’t even about intuition itself, she says. It may be the fear of being judged, being wrong, or having our worldview changed by what we discover.

“The work isn’t adding something,” she says. “It’s removing what’s in the way.”

For Astrid, developing intuition is less about mastering new techniques and more about cultivating radical self-awareness. As we begin to understand our fears and question the beliefs that keep us disconnected, she believes our intuitive voice naturally becomes easier to recognize.

6. How has your own spiritual practice changed over the years?

Astrid:

Like many long-time practitioners, Astrid says her practice has actually become simpler. While she still teaches candle magic and traditional spell work, most of her daily practice now centers around what she calls “tool-less magic.”

Rather than reaching for a ritual every time something arises, she focuses on intention, awareness, and consciously directing her energy throughout the day. Candles and formal rituals still have a place, but more as moments of emphasis than everyday necessity.

7. How did teaching become such an important part of your work?

Astrid:

Teaching, she says, wasn’t a career change; it was a natural progression. Before becoming known for witchcraft education, Astrid taught photography, worked as a tour guide, hosted a radio show, and regularly spoke at events.

“When I’m passionate about something,” she laughs, “I can’t stop talking about it.”

Eventually, those conversations became workshops, then courses, and finally an online school dedicated to making witchcraft approachable for beginners (you can find her Witchcraft Foundations course here).

Her goal has never been simply to teach spells. It’s to help people understand why these practices matter.

8. What do you hope someone who’s curious, but maybe a little hesitant, takes away from your work?

Astrid:

“I hope they realize they don’t need to be afraid.” The real work of witchcraft, she says, isn’t about superstition or fear. It’s about becoming more intentional, self-aware, and connected.

Whether someone ultimately calls it manifestation, spirituality, folk magic, or witchcraft isn’t what matters most. What matters is finding practices that help them better understand themselves and their place in the world.

Final Thoughts

Going into this interview, I expected to learn more about witchcraft. Instead, I found myself thinking about labels. How many spiritual practices do we accept simply because they’ve been given more comfortable names?

How many ancient traditions continue to shape our lives without us even realizing it? Whether you call it manifestation, prayer, ritual, meditation, or witchcraft, perhaps the deeper question isn’t what we call these practices.

Perhaps it’s whether they help us live with greater intention, greater compassion, and greater awareness. If there’s one thing I took away from my conversation with Astrid, it’s this: The aesthetics may catch our attention, but personal transformation and a sense of connection to something greater are what keep us coming back.

-Danielle at Modern Mysticism

Shake, shake. “Outcome unclear.” Shake again. “Does not look good.” Keep shaking...

For those of us old enough to remember the Magic 8 Ball, it was the original oracle. A mysterious black sphere that promised answers to life’s biggest questions: Does my high school crush like me? Will I make the team? Is the new No Doubt album coming out soon?

When I think about predictive work, I’m often reminded of that little toy. Not because prediction is frivolous or unhelpful, but because it perfectly captures something deeply human: our desire for certainty. We keep shaking, hoping that if we ask the question one more time, we’ll finally get the answer we want.

As an astrologer, tarot reader, and lifelong student of spiritual tools, I’ve been just as guilty of this as anyone else.

In fact, having access to more tools simply gives me more ways to ask the same question.

Maybe the tarot will tell me. Maybe astrology will clarify it. Maybe an oracle deck will confirm it. Somewhere in all of those symbols, surely I’ll find the answer that finally gives me certainty and maybe even a little control over the future.

Of course, that’s not how any of this works.

One of the very first articles I published here on Modern Mysticisms was The Dangers and Delights of Future-Tripping: An Astrologer’s Dilemma. In it, I explored the temptation to become so focused on what might happen that we lose sight of what’s happening right now. I wrote about treating predictive tools like a weather forecast: valuable for understanding the climate ahead, but never a guarantee of exactly how events will unfold.

As someone who works with clients and offers predictive readings, I've come to appreciate that prediction is rarely just about the future. More often, it's about finding perspective during seasons of uncertainty. And if I'm being honest, I'm no different. Whenever I reach for my cards or pull up my transits, it's worth asking myself what I'm really hoping to find.

To be clear, I still believe prediction has tremendous value. Understanding the energetic “weather forecast” ahead can help us prepare, reflect, and move through life with greater awareness. Knowing that a season may ask for patience, courage, or flexibility can be incredibly empowering.

But as my own practice has grown, I’ve noticed something shifting.

More and more, I’m drawn to using astrology, tarot, and other esoteric tools not to answer the question, "What will happen?" but rather, Who am I being asked to become?

Instead of asking, Will this opportunity work out? I find myself asking, How do I want to show up if it does, and if it doesn’t?

Instead of asking, What’s coming next? I ask, What energy am I being invited to embody this week?

It’s a subtle shift, but it’s changed the way I relate to these tools entirely.

The future will always remain uncertain. Maybe that’s not a flaw in the system. Maybe it’s an invitation to spend a little less time shaking the Magic 8 Ball, and a little more time becoming the person who can meet whatever outcome eventually appears.

One of my favorite parts of building Modern Mysticism has been introducing you to thoughtful voices from across the spiritual community. While our practices may differ, I love discovering ideas that bring us back to the same place: living with greater awareness, intention, and authenticity.

This month, I’m delighted to welcome Mark Jacobs of MANY PATHS Connected. In this reflective essay, Mark explores the difference between simply setting an intention and truly living in alignment with it. Rather than viewing manifestation as something we “make happen,” he invites us to consider what becomes possible when our thoughts, heart, body, and actions begin moving in the same direction.

Enjoy the read, and I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments afterward.

— Danielle at Modern Mysticism

When Intention Becomes Magic

This week has invited me to slow down.

As I wandered beneath the trees, I found myself thinking about intention. We speak of it often in spiritual or ritual circles. We set intentions at the beginning of a new year or write them in a coveted journal before the day begins. There is something meaningful about pausing long enough to ask ourselves how we want to live.

But I kept returning to a different question.

Am I following the energy of my intention?

I can intend to create more, love more deeply, live with greater courage, or become more present. Yet if my actions, my attention, and my energy continue moving in another direction—or no direction at all—the intention remains little more than a constrained idea.

That realization immediately changed the way I think about manifestation.

Over the past year, I’ve spent time exploring the Merlin archetype. What continues to fascinate me isn’t the magic itself but the presence behind it. Merlin doesn’t seem to force outcomes or chase certainty. He listens. He observes. He waits until inner knowing and outer action become one.

Perhaps that is the real magic.

Many of us have been taught that manifestation begins with thinking positively or visualizing what we want. While those practices have value, I’ve found they are only the beginning. An intention held only in the mind remains cut off from the rest of us. It directs our lives to change without asking us to change first.

An intention held only in the mind remains an idea. An intention embraced by the whole being becomes a living force.

When the soul nudges and the heart says yes, the mind grows clear, the body begins moving in the same direction, and our energy naturally follows. We stop trying to convince the universal life force to cooperate with us because we have stepped into our greater power. We have become coherent within ourselves.

From the outside, that kind of alignment can look almost instantaneous. Opportunities appear. Conversations unfold at just the right time. Doors begin opening.

People often call it manifestation.

I think it is simply coherence becoming visible.

Lately, I’ve also found myself reflecting on how much energy people invest in searching for answers somewhere beyond themselves. We long for certainty, for signs that explain what is happening in our lives and in our world. Yet some of the deepest revelations arrive much more intimately. They emerge through stillness, discernment, and a willingness to notice what has already begun awakening within us.

The Everyday Mystic—or what I sometimes call the Working Mystic—isn’t separated from ordinary life. They still answer emails, walk the dog, prepare dinner, and navigate deadlines. Their practice isn’t escaping the world but meeting it with greater presence and intention. Every conversation, every choice, every act becomes another opportunity to align with what matters most…another opportunity to follow the energy.

That kind of alignment requires practice.

It asks us to become quiet enough to hear what our soul is inviting rather than what our fears are demanding. It asks us to release our attachment to the exact shape an outcome must take while remaining committed to its deeper essence.

I’ve noticed that life often responds more generously when I stop insisting on the destination and remain faithful to the direction.

Perhaps intention has never been about controlling the future.

Perhaps it has always been about becoming the person who can meet it.

When our heart, soul, mind, body, and energy begin moving together, something extraordinary happens. We no longer experience intention as something we occasionally set. It becomes something we embody.

And that may be the most authentic kind of magic there is.

Mark Jacobs is a channeler, mentor, and author of MANY PATHS Connected, where mystical transmission meets grounded embodiment. A lifelong spiritual seeker, he collaborates with The Collective to support emerging souls navigating awakening in what he calls the Resonant Age. Based in Seattle, Mark now devotes his work to guiding others through conscious transformation, integration, and soul-led living.

Website: https://markofthesoul.com/

Substack: https://manypathsconnected.substack.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MarkoftheSoul

Instagram: @beingmarkofthesoul

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mark.jacobs.77964201

I have a confession to make: my relationship with crystals is a little complicated. I love them. I collect them. I decorate with them. But I’m not always 100% sold on every claim made about their healing properties.

Does that stop me from owning a metric ton of them? Absolutely not.

In fact, I’ve been collecting rocks since I was a little kid. Whether it was a smooth stone found on a hike, a sparkly piece of quartz from a gift shop, or a crystal picked up because it simply felt right, I’ve always been drawn to them. These days, my own child seems just as fascinated by them as I was.

That said, I’ve often found myself wondering what exactly to do with them.

As I’ve developed a more intentional spiritual practice through tarot, astrology, and mindfulness, I’ve become increasingly interested in practical applications rather than in collecting tools for their own sake. Naturally, that led me to ask the same question about crystals:

How can I actually use these in everyday life?

While I certainly don’t have all the answers, I do have three simple ways I’ve incorporated crystals into my routines that feel meaningful, accessible, and realistic.

1. Use Them Decoratively

Sometimes the simplest solution is the best one.

Rather than keeping crystals tucked away in boxes or piled on a shelf, I incorporate them into my home decor. Crystals bring beauty, texture, color, and a bit of personality to a space.

One of my favorite examples is a little jade frog that hides among the leaves of my money tree plant. Every time I notice him peeking out from the greenery, it makes me smile.

You can place crystals:

• In plant pots

• On bookshelves

• On your desk

• In seasonal displays

• Near windows where they catch the light

Whether or not you believe they radiate healing energy, they can absolutely create moments of beauty and delight throughout your day.

2. Pair Them With Your Monthly Intentions

This is probably the practice I use most consistently.

At each New Moon, I spend time reflecting on what I want to cultivate during the upcoming lunar cycle. After setting my intentions, I choose a crystal that feels aligned with the energy I’m working with and place it on top of my written intentions.

Do I know for certain that the crystal amplifies my goals?

Not necessarily.

But I do know that every time I see that crystal throughout the month, I’m reminded of what I’m working toward. It becomes a physical anchor for my focus and attention.

If you’d like to try this practice, here are some crystal suggestions based on the zodiac sign of the New Moon:

3. Wear Them

If I’m being completely honest, this is probably my favorite way to work with crystals.

I’m a jewelry person.

The pieces I wear often feel like part of a daily ritual. Just as I choose clothing based on how I want to feel, I sometimes choose jewelry based on the energy I want to embody.

Some examples:

• Going somewhere unfamiliar? I often reach for my antique turquoise ring.

• Giving a presentation or teaching a class? Tiger’s Eye.

• Wanting to feel bold, confident, and magnetic? Garnet.

• Cleaning, organizing, or focusing? Fluorite.

Whether the crystal itself is creating the effect or simply serving as a reminder of my intention doesn’t really matter to me. The result is the same: it helps me step into the version of myself I want to be.

Here are a few ideas:

Full disclosure: I’m a little biased, but they have some beautiful options.

Also, I don’t receive any monetary compensation for mentioning his business. Occasionally, however, I am paid in shiny rocks and jewelry, which, if we’re being honest, is probably my preferred currency anyway.

Final Thoughts

Perhaps crystals work because they carry energetic properties. Perhaps they work because they help us focus our attention. Perhaps it’s a little bit of both.

Either way, I’ve found that crystals become far more useful when they’re integrated into daily life rather than left sitting in a bowl collecting dust.

That’s probably true for most spiritual tools. The magic isn’t always in the object itself.

Sometimes it’s in how intentionally we choose to use it.

Paid subscribers receive:

✓ Monthly Survival Guide

✓ Resource Library

✓ Printable rituals

✓ Bonus journal workbooks

✓ Practical astrology/tarot via chat

Introduction:

Pick a card and learn your destiny. That’s the typical path in Tarot. To let it guide us, to show us what will be.

But what if instead, we flipped the deck, chose a card intentionally, and stepped into the best version of ourselves?

Tarot is a great tool for introspection. Who am I meant to be? What does my path look like? But it is also an incredible tool for embodiment.

Who do I choose to be?

What traits do I need to become that person?

Tarot isn’t just a tool for self-discovery; it’s a tool for becoming.

The Power of the Queens

The Queens of the Tarot are often viewed as representations of people in our lives. They embody the receptive aspects of their element, expressing wisdom, mastery, and power through intuition, nurturing, and inner knowing. Yet the Queens are more than characters within the deck; they are archetypes that live within each of us.

Each Queen embodies a different expression of feminine wisdom and personal power.

It’s important to note that this energy isn’t limited to women. Every person contains both receptive (divine feminine) and active (divine masculine) energies. The Queens represent the receptive, intuitive, nurturing, and internally guided aspects of ourselves.

In Tarot, each Queen corresponds to one of the four elements:

• Queen of Cups — Water

• Queen of Pentacles — Earth

• Queen of Wands — Fire

• Queen of Swords — Air

Together, they form a complete picture of embodied feminine power.

The question isn’t:

“Which Queen am I?”

The question is:

“Which Queen do I want to embody?”

Be the Chooser, Not the Chosen

Instead of waiting for a card to tell us who we are, we can intentionally choose an archetype and begin embodying its qualities.

Rather than asking:

“What does this card say about me?”

We begin asking: “What would it look like to become this energy?”

Thus, choosing who we want to become. And there is power in making that choice. In directing your energy with intention.

You are declaring to the Universe, “This is who I am.”

And in doing so, aligning with the opportunities associated with that energy.

The Four Queens of Personal Power

Queen of Cups: The Intuitive Healer

The Queen of Cups teaches us to trust our inner knowing. She is emotionally intelligent, compassionate, and deeply connected to both her intuition and to others' feelings. Her strength doesn’t come from force. It comes from understanding.

When we embody the Queen of Cups, we learn to listen before we react. We honor our emotions without allowing them to control us. We make decisions that align with our values and trust ourselves to navigate uncertainty.

Choose the Queen of Cups when you need more self-compassion, emotional balance, or a stronger connection to your intuition.

Queen of Pentacles: The Grounded Nurturer

The Queen of Pentacles reminds us that caring for ourselves is not selfish. She is practical, abundant, and deeply rooted in the physical world. She understands that true success requires both ambition and sustainability.

When we embody the Queen of Pentacles, we create stability. We tend to our homes, our finances, our health, and our relationships. We recognize that abundance grows through consistent care and attention.

Choose the Queen of Pentacles when you need grounding and stability. She is a reminder that your well-being is the foundation upon which everything else is built.

Queen of Swords: The Wise Truth-Teller

The Queen of Swords is clear, discerning, and unapologetically honest. She sees situations for what they are and isn’t afraid to speak the truth. While she is often perceived as detached, her wisdom comes from experience. She has learned what matters and what does not.

When we embody the Queen of Swords, we establish healthy boundaries. We stop shrinking to make others comfortable. We communicate directly and think critically. We trust our own judgment and make decisions accordingly.

Choose the Queen of Swords when you need clarity or stronger boundaries. She will give you the courage to speak your truth.

Queen of Wands: The Confident Creator

The Queen of Wands radiates confidence, creativity, and magnetism. She knows who she is and isn’t afraid to be seen. Her energy is warm and inspiring. She leads not through control, but through authenticity.

When we embody the Queen of Wands, we take up space. We share our gifts, pursue our passions, and let ourselves be seen. Rather than waiting for permission, we trust ourselves enough to move forward.

Choose the Queen of Wands when you need confidence, visibility, or the courage to step into a bigger version of yourself.

My Queen of Wands Story

When I first launched Modern Mysticism, I intentionally chose the Queen of Wands as my guide. She represented the version of myself I wanted to become. The Queen of Wands is confident, creative, visible, and deeply connected to her own power.

She leads from the front with creativity, vitality, and confidence. She encourages others to step into their own power and champions growth and transformation. She isn’t afraid to be seen or to share her light with others.

When I first started, visibility felt uncomfortable. I worried about taking up space. I worried about whether I had anything worth saying or writing that others would want to read.

So I placed her image on my desk.

Whenever I faced a difficult decision, I asked myself, “How would the Queen of Wands handle this?” Little by little, I began embodying her energy. I started acting as if I already possessed the qualities I admired in her, and over time, the energy followed.

New opportunities to be seen began to appear. Modern Mysticism became a place not only for me to shine, but for others to shine as well. By selecting her as my guide, I wasn’t predicting who I would become.

I was choosing it.

Closing: Choosing Your Queen

Personal growth isn’t always about discovering something new about yourself. Sometimes it’s about intentionally cultivating qualities that already exist within you. The Queens remind us that power takes many forms: intuition, truth, self-worth, and confidence.

Choose the Queen whose energy you need most right now. Then ask yourself:

How would she think?
How would she speak?
How would she care for herself?
How would she move through the world?

The goal isn’t to become someone else.

The goal is to step into the most aligned and authentic version of yourself.

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Due to the incredible success of the recent article 6 Ways I Use Tarot that Aren’t Prediction. I have decided to provide you with a deep dive into each of the 6 suggestions. Over the next couple of months, expect an article a month that goes deep into each suggestion.

This month, I will be talking about Tarot for Self-Care and Emotional Check-Ins. What follows is an article on that topic.

For my Mystic Insiders (paid subscribers), there is a Self-Care Tarot Companion with reflections and actions for each of the 78 cards.

One of the reasons I love using tarot for self-care is that I don’t believe the cards have to predict the future to be incredibly valuable. In many ways, I think tarot functions similarly to a psychological tool known as a Rorschach test. If you’re unfamiliar, a Rorschach test consists of a series of inkblots. There isn’t a single “correct” answer. Instead, you’re asked a simple question: “What do you see?” Your response often reveals something about your current thoughts, emotions, beliefs, experiences, or state of mind.

Tarot can work in much the same way. When you pull a card, the traditional meanings certainly provide helpful context. They offer a symbolic language that has developed over centuries. But what often proves even more valuable is noticing what resonated for you initially. Were you drawn to a specific detail within the card? Did it bring up a specific feeling or memory?

Even more than the cards’ prescribed meanings, it is valuable for us to apply our own definitions and interpretations. The same card can evoke completely different thoughts depending on what you’re experiencing in your own life.

The cards become a mirror, reflecting thoughts and emotions that may have been sitting just beneath the surface of your awareness. Much like the Rorschach test, the card merely reflects what our subconscious already knows.

What follows is a simple ritual that anyone can use with their preferred Tarot or Oracle Deck and a journal.

Step 1

Ground. Three deep breaths. Feet on the floor. Notice your body.

Step 2

Name today’s emotional weather. Complete the sentence: I feel...

Step 3

Shuffle while asking: What do I most need emotionally today?

Step 4

Pull one card. Observe. What do you notice? How does it make you feel?

Step 5

Journal prompts (use as many or few as you choose)

• What emotion stands out?

• What part of myself needs attention?

• Where have I ignored this?

• What would caring for myself actually look like today?

Step 6

Choose ONE action.

Examples:

• Take a walk.

• Call a friend.

• Cancel plans.

• Drink water.

• Journal.

• Cry.

• Nap.

• Set a boundary.

Step 7

Close the ritual. Thank the cards. Notice how you feel.

What I like about this ritual is that it’s simple. It can be done in a few minutes, but it allows you the opportunity to think more deeply about what you need to support yourself on that day.

It makes you ask, " How am I showing up today, and what do I need?”

To provide you with additional ways to utilize the cards, I've created a simple reflection guide. These prompts invite you to explore what each archetype might be asking you to notice within yourself. Though I implore you to start with your own interpretations of the card and what it brings up for you. Then look it up in the guide. Thus, you honor your own insights and wisdom first.

Here is a sample guide to get you started. It contains reflections and actions for the Major Arcana in the Rider-Waite- Smith Tarot Deck.

Mystic Insiders (paid subscribers) will have access to the entire 78 cards of the Tarot deck below.

If you are using oracle cards, I encourage you to create your own reflections and actions based on the cards' theme. Feel free to use the chart below for ideas.

Want prompts for all 78 Tarot Cards?

Mystic Insiders (paid subscribers) get full access.

Subscribe now

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A recurring interview series spotlighting individuals who are living esoteric practices in the real world—how they apply them, and what we can learn from their experience.

Alea Dawn Joyce-Reno is a medium, channel, writer, and creative guide whose work explores intuition, healing, self-expression, and personal transformation. Through her writing, she encourages others to embrace the messy, imperfect process of becoming more fully themselves. To connect with Alea, visit her Substack.

A Brief Introduction

Earlier this year, Alea Dawn set out to do something simple: write every day for 100 consecutive days.

What began as an attempt to break through creative blocks quickly became something much deeper. Through daily writing, Alea found herself reconnecting with her creativity, rediscovering forgotten parts of herself, and learning that devotion can be far more powerful than discipline. Along the way, the challenge sparked new artistic pursuits, deeper self-expression, and a renewed sense of possibility.

In our conversation, we discuss creativity, healing, the courage to be imperfect, and what happened when a 100-day writing project became a journey back to self.

What inspired you to commit to writing for 100 consecutive days?

Alea:

Surprisingly, the challenge began because she felt disconnected from creativity.

“I was creatively blocked in my writing, creatively blocked in my life, and creatively blocked in my business,” she explains. “I would write something and feel unsure of myself while I was writing it.”

As both a medium and a channel, Alea often turns inward for guidance. When she asked her spirit team what needed to change, their answer was immediate:

“Everything.”

Rather than looking outside herself for solutions, she decided to create a challenge to reconnect with something she had always loved: writing. “I love challenges,” she says. “And I thought, what if I really pushed myself? What if I committed to something bigger than I’d ever done before?”

What began as a way to unblock her writing soon became a much larger journey.

Why 100 days?

Alea:

“I’ve done seven-day challenges. I’ve done thirty-day challenges. Those felt manageable.”

But 100 days felt different.

“It was long enough that I couldn’t rely on motivation. I would have to become someone who kept showing up.” At first, she considered ninety days, but the number one hundred kept calling to her.

“It felt exciting. It felt audacious.”

That word—audacious—would become a recurring theme throughout her journey.

What was the biggest lesson you learned along the way?

Alea:

Like many people, Alea initially approached the challenge through the lens of discipline. But somewhere around day fifty, something shifted.

“I realized I wasn’t devoting myself to the blog.”

She pauses.

“I was devoting myself back to me.”

That realization changed everything. What began as a writing practice transformed into a daily act of self-devotion. “I had spent so much of my life devoted to everything outside of me. This became a way of returning to myself.”

From that point forward, the challenge felt less like an obligation and more like a sacred practice.

Did your writing change over those 100 days?

Alea:

“Yes—but not in the way I expected.”

While she noticed her writing becoming stronger and more focused, the greatest transformation wasn’t on the page. It was in her creativity itself. During the challenge she began drawing again, something she hadn’t done seriously in years. That eventually led to painting, taking art classes, and exploring entirely new forms of creative expression.

“I was told as a child that I wasn’t artistic,” she says. “Now I’m painting, and I’m creating things that I’m genuinely proud of.”

The writing challenge opened a door she didn’t know was still there.

“I’m realizing that there’s still so much more of me to discover.”

Were you ever tempted to quit?

Alea:

“Absolutely.”

In fact, some of the hardest moments came almost immediately.

Within days of beginning the challenge, Alea found herself navigating family conflict, major life transitions, aging parents, caregiving responsibilities, and profound emotional upheaval. “There were a million reasons to stop.”

Yet the challenge became an unexpected anchor. “When everything else was changing, this was the one thing that stayed constant.” One evening, she accidentally fell asleep and woke up after her self-imposed midnight deadline.

“I remember sitting there in my pajamas thinking maybe this is where I quit.”

Instead, she opened her computer and wrote. When she woke up the next morning, knowing she had kept her promise to herself, something shifted. “I remembered that feeling every time I wanted to quit after that.”

How did you work through writer’s block?

Alea:

By refusing to pretend she wasn’t experiencing it. Rather than waiting for inspiration, she wrote directly from wherever she was. Sometimes that meant beginning with: “I don’t want to do this.” Other times, it meant admitting she had no idea what she wanted to say.

“I gave myself permission to be messy.”

That permission became one of the most important lessons of the entire project. “So many people stop because they think it has to be perfect,” she says. “I let it be imperfect. Sometimes it was a beautiful mess. Sometimes it was just a mess.” But she kept showing up.

Did the challenge create tangible results in your life?

Alea:

While the greatest changes were internal, those shifts eventually created external results. Her writing improved. Her confidence deepened. Her connection with clients became stronger. “I became more myself through the process.”

As that happened, her business began to grow in unexpected ways. Clients noticed changes in her writing. New opportunities emerged. Deeper relationships formed. “The external results came because something internal shifted first.”

Rather than chasing outcomes, she focused on becoming more fully expressed and the results followed.

What advice would you give someone considering a similar challenge?

Alea:

“Don’t do it for what you think you’ll get.”

Don’t do it for followers.

Don’t do it for validation.

Don’t do it because you think success will arrive on a certain timeline.

Instead: “Do it with the audacity to become more of yourself.” She encourages people to let go of perfection and allow the process to unfold naturally. “Start messy.”

Show up imperfectly and allow the experience to change you.

“Do it for yourself. Do it to see who you become.”

What’s next for you?

Alea:

One of the most unexpected gifts of the challenge was reconnecting with creative projects she had long kept hidden. Among them are several novels she wrote years ago but never shared publicly. Now, she’s rewriting one of them from scratch.

A paranormal mystery filled with psychic themes and intuitive elements, the story has returned with renewed energy and inspiration. She’s also developing a whimsical creative project involving art, storytelling, letters, and a fairy character named Peony.

For Alea, these projects represent something larger than writing. They represent permission to create, begin again, and become something new. “I have the audacity to become an artist at fifty-four years old,” she says with a smile.

And perhaps that’s the lesson at the heart of her story. Not that creativity belongs to the gifted. Not that transformation belongs to the young. But that there is always another layer of ourselves waiting to be discovered, if we’re willing to show up, imperfectly, and meet it.

Final Thoughts

What struck me most during my conversation with Alea was that this was never really a story about writing. It was a story about devotion.

A hundred days of writing became a hundred days of choosing herself. Of showing up through uncertainty, grief, caregiving, creative blocks, and self-doubt. Of learning that creativity is not something we find outside ourselves, but something we uncover when we consistently return inward.

In a world that often asks us to seek validation externally, Alea’s journey offers a different perspective: sometimes the most transformative thing we can do is create for the sake of creating, and trust that who we become in the process is enough.

To follow Alea’s work and creative journey, be sure to visit her Substack.

I’ve been experimenting with the format of these monthly energy guides based on what resonates most with this community. As part of that process, July includes a new Lunar Self-Care & Intuition Insights section.

To give everyone a chance to experience the updated format, I’m offering a larger preview than usual this month. Normally, the paywall appears after the Card of the Month.

For July, you’ll be able to read through the Lunar Self-Care & Intuition Insights before the guide transitions to paid subscriber-only content.

The format may continue to evolve over the coming months, but my goal remains the same: helping you apply astrology, intuition, and spiritual tools in practical, meaningful ways.

Hello Mystics,

I want to let you in on a little hot take of mine: summer isn’t actually my favorite season.

Maybe it’s because I grew up in the Northeast, where summers are short and temperate. Maybe it’s because, despite living in the Mid-Atlantic for the last decade, I’ve never fully adjusted to the heat and humidity. Either way, I’m usually the one looking for shade and air conditioning.

That said, one thing I do love about this season is how it draws people to the water. Whether it’s the beach, a lake, the pool, or a sprinkler in the backyard, people naturally seem pulled toward water this time of year. Which is funny, because we spend much of July in Cancer season, a water sign associated with emotion, intuition, nourishment, and home.

For me, July feels dynamic. On one hand, it wants us to slow down, spend time with family and friends, and read a book by the pool. On the other hand, it seems to speed everything up: more social events, more invitations, more activity.

The energy of this month is much the same. It’s a month of both action and introspection with a few unexpected twists and turns along the way.

In This Issue

• Monthly Energy Update

• Card of the Month

• How I’m Working With This Energy

• July Lunar Self-Care & Intuition Insights by Moon Sign

• Astrology-Aligned Dates (Electional Astrology)

• Crystal of the Month

• Intuitive Self-Care Practice

• Final Reflection

Monthly Energy Update

July carries a duality of energy.

The month begins under the unpredictable influence of the Mars-Uranus conjunction on July 4th, bringing an atmosphere of sudden shifts, surprises, and course corrections. This energy can feel restless and impulsive, reminding us that not everything can be controlled or planned for. Flexibility will be one of the most valuable skills we can cultivate this month.

As the month unfolds, the energy becomes more introspective. Mercury retrograde in Cancer and the Cancer New Moon encourage us to slow down, revisit old stories, reconnect with our intuition, and reflect on what truly nourishes us emotionally. Rather than pushing forward at all costs, July asks us to pause long enough to ensure we are moving in the right direction.

The second half of the month gradually shifts toward visibility and future vision. Mercury stations direct, the Sun enters Leo, and the North Node moves into Aquarius, encouraging us to think about where we are headed and who we are becoming. The Aquarius Full Moon, conjunct Pluto at month’s end, serves as a powerful catalyst for release, helping us let go of identities, expectations, and patterns that no longer support our growth.

July supports:

• Reflection and self-discovery

• Emotional healing

• Adaptability during times of change

• Journaling and intuitive practices

• Revisiting unfinished projects

• Creative expression

• Authentic visibility

• Community and connection

• Future visioning

Sometimes the fastest way forward is to pause long enough to make sure you're heading in the right direction.

Reflection Question: What in my life deserves a pause before I decide what comes next?

Card of the Month

Deck: Mythical Goddess Tarot

Cards: 9 of Earth Community and the 8 of Earth Nurturance

I typically only pull one card, but this time two came out—and how fitting that they complement each other so beautifully.

The 9 of Earth in this deck is all about coming together as individual contributors to support the greater community. As the guidebook explains, “This is a time for wholeness, healing, and enrichment. From individual success comes unity, bringing new vision and goals that enrich the entire community.”

The 8 of Earth is represented by the image of a gardener—not simply as a physical practice, but as a spiritual one. It speaks to labors of love, cultivating abundance, and creating beauty through what we choose to nurture. The guidebook reminds us, “Through self-respect and respect for life, it is easy to revere and care for all of life’s creatures. Continue to let your heart be filled with love for yourself and others.”

Both cards belong to the Earth suit, doubling down on one of the most important themes of this month: grounding. With so much powerful and potentially chaotic energy moving through July, the ability to keep our feet firmly planted on the earth becomes essential.

These cards offer two paths toward that grounding. The first is through community. This month highlights the importance of surrounding ourselves with people who bring out the best in us and coming together in meaningful ways to support one another.

The second is through personal nurturance. Just as a gardener tends a beloved garden, we are being asked to tend to ourselves; our bodies, our spirits, our homes, and our daily practices.

July reminds us that we do not have to choose between caring for ourselves and caring for others. In fact, these cards suggest that the strongest communities are built by people who are deeply rooted within themselves. Nourish your own soil, gather with those who uplift you, and trust that both acts are helping create something beautiful.

July Lunar Self-Care & Intuition Insights

Read for your Moon sign. Your Moon sign reflects your emotional landscape, inner needs, and intuitive nature. If you don’t know your Moon sign, use the Moon Sign Calculator linked below. If your Moon sign is uncertain because you don’t know your birth time, and it gives you two potential Moon signs, read both possible signs and trust the message that resonates most deeply.

Moon Sign Calculator

Aries Moon

July asks you to slow down and tend to your emotional foundations before charging ahead. The Cancer New Moon may bring family dynamics, old memories, or unresolved feelings to the surface, offering an opportunity for healing. If you feel impatient, consider it a signal that something deeper wants your attention first.

Later in the month, the Aquarius Full Moon encourages you to look beyond immediate concerns and reconnect with your larger vision. You may find yourself questioning where your energy is going and whether your current commitments still align with the future you’re trying to create.

Self-Care Focus: Rest before action.

Journal Prompt: What emotional truth am I being asked to acknowledge before I move forward?

Taurus Moon

The Cancer New Moon offers an opportunity to reconnect with what makes you feel emotionally safe, supported, and grounded. Conversations, memories, or moments of reflection may help you clarify what truly matters. Later in the month, the Aquarius Full Moon and Pluto challenge familiar patterns and may push you beyond your comfort zone. While part of you may crave stability, another part knows that growth requires change.

The key this month is not resisting change, but creating enough security within yourself to navigate it with confidence.

Self-Care Focus: Grounding during times of change.

Journal Prompt: What foundation can I strengthen within myself so I feel safe embracing what comes next?

Gemini Moon

The Cancer New Moon encourages you to slow down and check in with what you truly value, emotionally and energetically, rather than getting swept up in distractions or other people’s priorities. Mercury retrograde may bring old conversations, ideas, or opportunities back into the spotlight for review.

Later in the month, the Aquarius Full Moon broadens your perspective, helping you see a situation from a new angle or reconnect with a possibility you may have overlooked. With Uranus now in Gemini, you may find yourself juggling more ideas, information, and possibilities than usual. Be mindful of overstimulation. Your intuition is most likely to emerge when you create space for stillness between the noise.

Self-Care Focus: Journaling and reflection.

Journal Prompt: What message keeps finding its way back to me?

Cancer Moon

This is a deeply personal month for you. The Cancer New Moon offers an opportunity to reconnect with yourself and set intentions rooted in emotional authenticity. While Mercury retrograde encourages reflection, it also asks you to release the pressure to have everything figured out.

Later in the month, the Aquarius Full Moon invites you to step back and view your emotions from a broader perspective. Rather than carrying everything alone, consider what support, resources, or new ways of thinking might help you move forward. Emotional healing becomes easier when you allow yourself to receive as much as you give.

Self-Care Focus: Emotional nourishment.

Journal Prompt: What part of myself is ready to receive greater care and compassion?

Leo Moon

You are standing at the threshold of a new chapter. The Cancer New Moon encourages you to slow down and reconnect with yourself before stepping into the spotlight. Emotional clarity now will help ensure that what you build next is rooted in authenticity rather than expectation.

Later in the month, the Aquarius Full Moon shines a light on the relationship between self-expression and belonging. Questions around visibility, authenticity, and how you show up in your relationships or communities may come into focus. This month asks you to shine not for approval, but as an honest expression of who you are.

Self-Care Focus: Creative expression and confidence.

Journal Prompt: What would I share with the world if I trusted that I was enough exactly as I am?

Virgo Moon

July invites you to pay attention to the details of your emotional well-being. The Cancer New Moon encourages you to consider whether the people, communities, and commitments in your life are truly nourishing you. Mercury retrograde may reveal where you’ve been overthinking, overworking, or trying to perfect things that don’t actually require fixing.

Later in the month, the Aquarius Full Moon shifts your attention toward your daily routines and well-being. Small adjustments to how you care for yourself, manage your time, or organize your environment can have an outsized impact. This is less about dramatic transformation and more about creating a life that feels beautiful, supportive, and sustainable.

Self-Care Focus: Creating beauty and stability in everyday life.

Journal Prompt: What small change would help me feel more supported, secure, or at peace?

Libra Moon

The Cancer New Moon invites you to reflect on the balance between your public responsibilities and your private emotional needs. If you’ve been focusing on keeping everyone else comfortable, Mercury retrograde may highlight conversations, relationships, or situations that require greater honesty.

As the Aquarius Full Moon approaches, you may feel called to express yourself more authentically. Whether through creativity, romance, friendship, or simply speaking your truth, this lunation reminds you that genuine connection is built through authenticity, not perfection.

Self-Care Focus: Authentic connection.

Journal Prompt: Where am I withholding my truth in order to maintain peace?

Scorpio Moon

The Cancer New Moon offers a supportive opportunity to explore your emotions with curiosity rather than judgment. You may find yourself revisiting old beliefs, memories, or experiences through a different lens as Mercury retrograde encourages reflection.

Later in the month, the Aquarius Full Moon and Pluto may bring deeper emotional patterns to the surface. While this process can feel intense, it also offers a powerful opportunity to release attachments, fears, or expectations that have quietly been shaping your choices. Trust what is being revealed.

Self-Care Focus: Deep emotional processing.

Journal Prompt: What truth am I finally ready to stop avoiding?

Sagittarius Moon

The Cancer New Moon asks you to slow down long enough to connect with what you’re truly feeling beneath the surface. Mercury retrograde may bring old opportunities, conversations, or ideas back into the mix, encouraging you to revisit them with fresh eyes rather than rushing toward the next adventure.

By the Aquarius Full Moon, your perspective may have shifted significantly. New insights, conversations, or learning experiences could help you see a situation differently. Stay curious. The answers you’re seeking are more likely to arrive through exploration than certainty.

Self-Care Focus: Exploration and perspective.

Journal Prompt: What possibility am I being invited to consider?

Capricorn Moon

This month highlights the balance between independence and connection. The Cancer New Moon sits opposite your Moon sign, encouraging you to pay attention to your emotional needs and the relationships that support them. Mercury retrograde may bring old relationship dynamics or unresolved feelings back into focus for review.

The Aquarius Full Moon reminds you that vulnerability is not a weakness. You don’t have to carry everything alone. In fact, true security often comes from accepting support, resources, and care when they are offered.

Self-Care Focus: Receiving support.

Journal Prompt: What would become possible if I allowed myself to be supported?

Aquarius Moon

The Cancer New Moon encourages you to pay attention to your emotional and physical well-being, particularly the daily habits, routines, and commitments that shape your life. Mercury retrograde may reveal where you’ve been operating on autopilot or prioritizing what works for everyone else over what truly works for you.

Later in the month, the Aquarius Full Moon, combined with Pluto’s influence and the North Node’s move into Aquarius, brings your attention back to yourself. You may feel a growing awareness that certain roles, relationships, or identities no longer feel authentic. Emotional well-being comes from having the freedom to be fully yourself. This month asks you to stop questioning whether you belong and instead ask whether the spaces you’re occupying truly reflect who you are becoming.

Self-Care Focus: Authenticity and emotional freedom.

Journal Prompt: Where in my life am I ready to stop shrinking, editing, or explaining myself?

Pisces Moon

July heightens your natural sensitivity and intuitive awareness. The Cancer New Moon supports emotional healing, creativity, and reconnecting with the activities, people, and experiences that bring you joy. Mercury retrograde may encourage you to revisit creative projects, relationships, or dreams that still hold meaning for you.

As the Aquarius Full Moon approaches, your attention shifts inward. You may become more aware of subconscious patterns, hidden fears, or intuitive insights that have been quietly working beneath the surface. While your instinct may be to simply observe these messages, this lunation encourages integration. Wisdom becomes meaningful when it is lived.

Self-Care Focus: Spiritual and creative renewal.

Journal Prompt: What intuitive guidance deserves to be acted upon rather than simply observed?

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Astrocartography asks: Where should one live?

Tarot helps answer the follow-up: What might be experienced once one arrives?

The study of astrocartography (the astrology of location) allows practitioners to map planetary energies across geographic locations, offering insight into where certain life themes may be more accessible. One might seek out a Venus line to invite in connection and harmony, or a Neptune line to deepen spiritual awareness. While astrocartography illustrates which energies are available, tarot can add layers of nuance to how those energies may be experienced.

Integrating tarot into locational astrology allows for deeper interpretation. Tarot introduces subjectivity and psychological context, enabling the practitioner to explore not only what may be present in a given place, but how an individual may engage with those influences.

Consider, for example, a location situated along a Jupiter line, traditionally associated with expansion, opportunity, and growth. A tarot card drawn in relation to this location can offer insight into how that expansion may manifest.

If the Star appears, the indication may be renewal, emotional healing, or alignment with a greater sense of purpose. Expansion in this context may feel restorative and hopeful.

If the Devil appears, the interpretation shifts. While Jupiter may still bring abundance, tarot highlights a potential shadow: overindulgence, excess, or entanglement in patterns that ultimately limit rather than liberate. The opportunity remains present, but awareness becomes essential.

In this way, tarot does not contradict astrocartography; it refines it. It provides insight into the personal expression of planetary influences, allowing for a more nuanced and individualized interpretation. To begin applying tarot to locational work, it is helpful to understand how certain archetypes naturally align with themes of place, movement, and belonging. These recurring symbols provide a foundation for interpreting how a location may be experienced.

Below is a chart with some examples:

(Biddy Tarot, n.d.)

As with astrocartography, no single symbol exists in isolation; the meaning of a tarot card is shaped by its context within the spread, as well as the individual’s lived experience. Building on this layered approach, oracle cards may be incorporated to further enrich a locational reading.

While tarot follows a defined structure of 78 cards, oracle decks are more fluid in both composition and symbolism, allowing for a broader range of themes and imagery that often speak to more abstract or intuitive dimensions of experience. In the context of astrocartography, oracle cards can serve as amplifiers, highlighting overarching themes or underlying purposes associated with a location. When used together, tarot and oracle systems offer both grounded interpretation and symbolic expansion, providing a more nuanced understanding of the energetic experience of place.

This spread integrates both systems to provide a multidimensional view of a potential relocation. To begin, one could shuffle the tarot deck and divide it into three piles, drawing the top card from each and assigning them to the positions below.

Following this, an oracle card is drawn to serve as an interpretive overlay, providing a broader, more intuitive context for the reading as a whole.

Tarot Card 1 — The Energetic Theme of the Location
What is the dominant experience or atmosphere of this place?

Tarot Card 2 — Opportunities Available Here
What growth, expansion, or support may be accessed in this location?

Tarot Card 3 — Challenges or Shadow Expressions
What difficulties, blind spots, or areas of tension may arise?

Oracle Card — The Deeper Purpose or Soul-Level Invitation
What is the overarching lesson, transformation, or meaning behind this place?

While structured spreads offer clarity and direction, tarot can also be used in a more fluid, narrative way, particularly when exploring the emotional and psychological transition of moving. To explore this dynamic, one could shuffle the deck while focusing on the potential move, then locate the Four of Wands, a card traditionally associated with home, celebration, and arrival.

The card immediately preceding it represents the energy being left behind, symbolizing where the reader is moving from. The card immediately following it reflects the energy being entered into and the direction the reader is moving in. This approach reframes relocation as a progression, one that honors both departure and arrival. It emphasizes that moving is not solely a geographic shift, but an evolution of identity and experience.

Astrocartography identifies where particular energies are available, while tarot reveals how those energies may be experienced. When integrated, these systems shift the focus from selecting a location based solely on potential to understanding how that potential may unfold through the individual—emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually. Place, in this sense, is not merely geographic. It is relational. And tarot offers a way to engage with that relationship more consciously.

References:

Biddy Tarot. (n.d.). Tarot card meanings. https://www.biddytarot.com/tarot-card-meanings/

You’re staring blankly at your phone, scrolling on autopilot.

You’re trying to numb your brain and quiet what your body, mind, and spirit have been calling out for all along: rest and nourishment. Burnout isn’t just an epidemic that affects us physically and mentally. It has spiritual repercussions as well.

When our nervous system is fried, our ability to tune in to ourselves, our intuition, and the Universe becomes increasingly difficult. It’s not that Spirit leaves us during times of stress or fear. It’s that we become less able to listen.

Our intuition often arrives as a quiet nudge; a thought, feeling, or subtle knowing gently guiding us toward what is right for us. Those of us who have spent years strengthening our intuition may even say that occasionally it gives us a shove.

But it’s difficult to hear that guidance when both the outside world and our own bodies are generating so much noise. Our anxieties start talking louder. The endless stream of information demands our attention, and suddenly that quiet inner voice is drowned out.

Burnout often manifests as decision fatigue, chronic stress, overconsumption of media, and a state of constant reactivity. We stop trusting our own guidance and begin relying on others' guidance. We seek repeated reassurance, external validation, and someone else to tell us what we already know deep down.

Signs Burnout May Be Affecting Your Intuition

• You second-guess every decision.

• You seek repeated confirmation before taking action.

• You feel overwhelmed by too many options.

• Every choice feels equally urgent.

• You constantly consume information but struggle to act on it.

• You find yourself reaching for distractions to numb your current reality.

• You feel disconnected from practices that once helped you feel grounded and centered.

Ironically, these are often the moments when we most want access to our intuition. We long for clarity. We want a sign. We want reassurance that we’re moving in the right direction. Yet the very exhaustion we’re experiencing can make that guidance feel inaccessible. So how do we reconnect with our intuition when burnout has turned the volume of everything else up to maximum?

The first step is to find a moment of quiet, even if it’s only for a minute. Take a deep breath and acknowledge your need for care.

The starting point is recognizing that you are human and that you are allowed to have needs beyond sustenance and shelter. In a culture that often glorifies productivity, many of us have been conditioned to believe that our worth is tied to what we accomplish. Burnout is often a sign that we’ve forgotten that we are humans, not machines.

The second step is to identify what would give you 5% more peace. This may seem like a small place to start, but that’s precisely the point.

When you’re burned out, you don’t need another item on your to-do list telling you how to “maximize your wellness.”

You need simple, sustainable actions that create a little more breathing room in your life.

For you, 5% more peace might look like:

• Leaving your phone off for the first 30 minutes of the morning.

• Adding five extra minutes to your shower because it’s the one place where no one needs anything from you.

• Taking a short walk without listening to a podcast.

• Going to bed thirty minutes earlier.

• Saying no to something you already know you don’t want to do.

Burnout often teaches us that we must keep giving, keep doing, no matter the cost. Yet every time we honor a boundary, we send ourselves a powerful message: my needs matter too. The goal isn’t to overhaul your entire life overnight. The goal is to create enough space for yourself that you can begin hearing your own voice again.

If burnout has been making it difficult to hear your own inner wisdom, the answer isn’t necessarily more information; it’s often more space.

For paid subscribers, I’ve included a Burnout to Clarity Ritual to help you reconnect with your intuition, along with a handout titled "25 Ways to Find 5% More Peace in Your Day."

Read more

Overview

Anyone who follows astrology has probably heard that July looks fairly intense. While there are several significant transits happening throughout the month, much of the attention has centered around the Mars-Uranus conjunction in Gemini on Saturday, July 4^th at 2:07 am EST. Exact timing may vary slightly depending on your time zone, but the energy of this transit is one of the major astrological focal points of early July.

A conjunction occurs when two planets come together and blend their energy. In this case, Mars, the planet associated with action, conflict, force, momentum, and impulse, joins Uranus, the planet of disruption, awakening, unpredictability, innovation, and sudden change.

Because this alignment takes place in Gemini, themes surrounding communication, media, technology, transportation, travel, information, and the nervous system become especially activated.

And while this is certainly not the only major astrology unfolding in July, we also see the lunar nodes shifting signs, a Jupiter-Pluto opposition, and an Aquarius Full Moon conjunct Pluto later in the month. Much of the current astrological conversation has centered on this transit due to its volatile, unpredictable nature and it coinciding with the 250th anniversary of the United States.

Many mundane astrologers (those who focus on world events and collective astrology) have noted that this conjunction could coincide with heightened tension, disruption, or instability worldwide, particularly given the current political and social climate in the United States and abroad. Because the conjunction occurs around the July 4th holiday in the United States, there has been additional discussion surrounding its potential collective implications.

That said, one of the most important things experienced astrologers consistently emphasize is this:

Collective astrology does not impact everyone equally.

Whether or not a transit strongly affects your personal life depends largely on your own natal chart. That’s where personal astrology becomes incredibly helpful.

Rather than approaching this transit from a fear-based perspective, I thought it might be more useful to offer a simple tutorial on how to locate the Mars-Uranus conjunction in your own chart and better understand which areas of life may feel most activated for you personally.

Understanding the Mars-Uranus Conjunction

Uranus is associated with awakening, disruption, liberation, shocks, and sudden change.

Mars represents action, conflict, force, impulse, drive, and movement.

When these two planets come together, their energy combines and intensifies.

And because this conjunction occurs in Gemini, the sign connected to communication, information, transportation, technology, travel, media, and local movement, those themes become especially activated.

This energy can manifest as:

• sudden insights

• impulsive decisions

• disruptions

• technological issues

• heightened tension

• nervous system overload

• rapid change

• breakthroughs

• unexpected news

Importantly, this transit is not inherently “bad.” Sometimes Uranian energy disrupts things because something has become stagnant or unsustainable. It often acts as a catalyst for change.

Many astrologers have noted that this transit could coincide with disruptions or heightened volatility around July 4th, particularly given the broader political and social climate. We all know there is a great deal happening globally, as well as politically in the United States. As a result, this transit may have implications for the collective stage.

That said, the purpose of this article is not to predict world events. Its purpose is to help you understand how this energy may show up in your own life and how you can work with it more consciously.

Step One: Pull Up Your Birth Chart

To begin, you’ll need a copy of your natal chart.

Having an exact birth time is ideal, but if you don’t have one, even an approximate time (morning vs evening) can still be helpful. And if you have absolutely no birth time, you can still work with planetary aspects — you’ll simply want to avoid relying too heavily on houses and angles, as those are more time sensitive.

If you don’t already have a preferred chart generator, I personally like Astro.com because it’s both free and beginner-friendly.

Once you generate your chart, go to Extended Chart Selection. From there:

• Select your name

• Choose natal chart and transits as the chart type

• Set the date to July 4th, 2026

• Under Zodiac and Houses, choose Whole Sign

(See the screenshot below.)

If you’re using a different astrology website or software, that’s perfectly fine. The important thing is simply making sure:

• The chart is set to the July 4th, 2026 transit date (or the appropriate date depending on your time zone)

• The house system is set to Whole Sign

July 4th is important because this is when Mars and Uranus form a conjunction in Gemini, one of the major transits astrologers are focusing on this month.

While it’s certainly not the only significant astrology happening in July, it is one of the more volatile, fast-moving, and unpredictable alignments of the month.

Step Two: Find Gemini in Your Chart

Now we want to locate where this transit lands personally in your chart. Start by finding Gemini on your chart wheel.

(A quick note: if you do not have an accurate birth time, you’ll want to skip this step. House placements are determined by your rising sign, so if you don’t have a birth time, this won’t be accurate. Also, for this tutorial, I am using the Whole Sign house system. If you use a different house system, your house placements may vary slightly.)

Here is a visual example of finding Gemini in an example chart. The Gemini symbol is circled in red. You can see that Gemini is in the 10^th house. The house symbol is also circled in red. In this example, the person’s career or public reputation may be affected. See the chart below for information about the topics of each house.

Once you locate Gemini, ask yourself:

What house is this occurring in? Each astrological house represents a different area of life. The house where the Mars-Uranus conjunction lands can offer clues about which themes may feel the most activated, disrupted, accelerated, or transformed during this time.

• 1st House = identity, appearance, sense of self, independence
  Sudden personal changes, shifts in identity, heightened restlessness, a desire for freedom, or feeling pushed to reinvent yourself.

• 2nd House = finances, resources, self-worth, possessions
  Unexpected expenses, shifts in income, changing values, financial breakthroughs, or reassessing what truly feels stable and secure.

• 3rd House = communication, travel, siblings, local environment
  Miscommunications, important news, technology issues, travel disruptions, nervous system overload, or sudden conversations that change your perspective.

• 4th House = home, family, roots, emotional foundations
  Changes within the home or family dynamic, moves, emotional breakthroughs, tension around stability, or shifts in your sense of safety and belonging.

• 5th House = creativity, romance, pleasure, children
  Sudden romantic developments, creative breakthroughs, unexpected risks, changes involving children, or a desire to reclaim joy and self-expression.

• 6th House = work, routines, health, daily responsibilities
  Changes in schedules, work disruptions, burnout awareness, health wake-up calls, or the need to radically rethink your routines and habits.

• 7th House = relationships, partnerships, contracts
  Relationship tension, sudden beginnings or endings, shifting relationship dynamics, revelations within partnerships, or unexpected interactions with others.

• 8th House = shared resources, intimacy, transformation, debt
  Emotional intensity, financial entanglements, psychological breakthroughs, shifts in intimacy, or situations that force deep transformation.

• 9th House = beliefs, higher learning, travel, spirituality
  Changes in worldview, surprising educational opportunities, travel disruptions, spiritual awakenings, or questioning long-held beliefs.

• 10th House = career, reputation, public life
  Career pivots, sudden visibility, leadership pressure, public changes, unexpected professional opportunities, or tension around direction and ambition.

• 11th House = friendships, community, goals, social networks
  Changes within friend groups, shifting long-term goals, online/community disruptions, networking surprises, or feeling called toward a new future vision.

• 12th House = subconscious, healing, isolation, spirituality
  Heightened intuition, nervous exhaustion, hidden information surfacing, emotional release, spiritual awakenings, or a strong need for rest and retreat.

Step Three: Check for Aspects to Personal Planets

Next, we want to see whether this transit is directly interacting with sensitive points in your natal chart.

Pay especially close attention to your personal planets and angles:

• Sun = identity, ego, vitality, core self

• Moon = emotions, instincts, inner world, emotional security

• Mercury = communication, thinking, learning, technology, information

• Venus = relationships, love, pleasure, values, finances

• Mars = action, drive, anger, motivation, conflict

As well as your chart angles:

• Ascendant (AC) = self, identity, physical presence, how you move through the world

• Midheaven (MC) = career, reputation, public life, long-term direction

• Descendant (DC) = relationships, partnerships, interactions with others

• Imum Coeli (IC) = home, family, emotional roots, private life

These points tend to feel the transits more personally and directly. The closer the degree, the stronger the influence tends to be. For a transit like this, I personally use an orb of about 5°, though astrologers vary in what they prefer.

Major Aspects:

An aspect is the relationship two planets form with one another based on the degrees between them in the chart. In astrology, aspects show how planetary energies interact, whether they flow easily together, create tension, intensify one another, or open opportunities for growth.

For example, if two planets are sitting very close together, they form a conjunction, which blends and amplifies their energy. If they are 90° apart, they form a square, which tends to create friction, challenge, or pressure.

You can think of aspects as conversations between planets. Some conversations feel supportive and harmonious, while others feel tense, activating, or disruptive. The type of aspect helps astrologers understand how a transit may manifest and how strongly it may be felt.

Below are some of the most common aspects and the ones most likely to feel personally significant during this transit:

Conjunction (0°)

Intensity, activation, merging of energy.
The transit merges directly with your natal planet, strongly activating that area of life.

Opposition (180°)

Push-pull dynamics, external tension, relationship themes.
Often experienced through other people, circumstances, or situations requiring balance.

Square (90°)

Challenge, friction, pressure, forced growth.
Squares tend to create tension that pushes us toward action or change.

Trine (120°)

Ease, support, natural flow.
This aspect tends to feel smoother and more supportive, allowing the energy to move more naturally.

Sextile (60°)

Opportunity, momentum, openings.
Sextiles can create productive opportunities, though they often require conscious participation to fully utilize.

Summary

Conjunctions tend to feel the strongest because the transit planet is sitting directly on top of a natal placement, amplifying its energy significantly.

It’s also important to remember that not every activation means something dramatic or catastrophic will happen. Sometimes transits manifest internally as realizations, emotional shifts, important conversations, heightened awareness, or changes in perspective rather than major external events.

Astrology is symbolic, not literal.

Example

In the chart example below, we can see that the green symbols for (transiting) Uranus and Mars are conjunct (on top of) natal Mercury. Mars and Uranus are sitting outside the chart at approximately 3° Gemini, while the natal Mercury is at 5° Gemini.

Because these planets are only a few degrees apart, this person will likely feel the transit quite personally through Mercury themes such as communication, technology, transportation, information, decision-making, and the nervous system.

This could manifest as:

• important or unexpected news

• communication disruptions

• heightened anxiety or mental overstimulation

• sudden insights or realizations

• technology or travel mishaps

• impulsive conversations or decisions

Of course, astrology is symbolic, not literal. How this energy manifests will vary from person to person, depending on the rest of the chart and current life circumstances.

Please note that this section of the tutorial is an advanced astrological technique. If you’re newer to astrology and the aspects or degrees feel overwhelming, don’t worry too much about mastering all of it right now.

Instead, simply focus on the house where the transit lands and whether you have a Sun, Moon, or Rising sign within approximately 0–6° of Gemini, as those placements will likely feel the Mars-Uranus conjunction more personally and directly than others.

So… What Do You Do With This Information?

The purpose of astrology is not to make us fearful or hypervigilant. Its purpose is awareness. Understanding where major transits land in your chart can help you navigate them more consciously, rather than reacting from anxiety or fear.

If you notice that July’s astrology strongly activates your chart, consider it an invitation to:

• Slow down before reacting impulsively

• Stay flexible when plans shift

• Pay attention to your nervous system

• Double-check communication and travel details

• Create extra space for rest and grounding

• Remain open to change rather than resisting it

For example, this transit is occurring in my third house, the house of communication, travel, and local movement. Because Mars-Uranus energy can sometimes coincide with unexpected disruptions or sudden changes, my family and I have decided to stay home for the Fourth of July this year rather than travel. It isn’t because I’m afraid of the transit. It’s simply one way I’m choosing to work with the energy consciously rather than ignore it.

Mars-Uranus energy can feel chaotic at times, but it can also bring breakthroughs, liberation, innovation, and the courage to make necessary changes. Often, the greatest growth comes when we’re willing to adapt to what life is asking of us in the moment.

Final Thoughts

Astrology is not meant to make us fearful of life. Its purpose is awareness.

Understanding where major transits land in your chart can help you move through them more consciously and intentionally rather than reacting from panic or fear.

Some people may feel July’s astrology quite strongly. Others may barely notice it. That’s the beauty of personal astrology: it reminds us that collective energy always filters through the unique blueprint of our own lives.

Because so many of us are trying to navigate the intensity of July’s astrology in real time, I’m also opening a paid subscriber discussion thread/chat to talk through the transits together.

Paid subscribers will be able to share their charts, ask questions, and discuss where these transits are landing for them personally. I’ll be popping in periodically to offer insight, guidance, and help identify which areas of life may be most activated in individual charts.

Today, I’m excited to share another special guest edition of our weekly publication. As part of our occasional feature, I continue to invite guest authors to explore themes of intuition, spirituality, and modern mysticism through their own unique lived experiences.

For this edition, I’m honored to introduce Intuitive Life Coach, Ronnie Ann Ryan. What immediately stood out to me in her writing was the way she explores synchronicity not as something abstract or unreachable, but as something deeply personal, grounding, and woven into everyday life. Her reflections on midlife, intuition, and the subtle signs the universe leaves along our path felt especially resonant for the energy of this community.

In the piece below, Ronnie explores how synchronicities can become more noticeable as we grow older and more connected to ourselves, and how learning to trust those moments can deepen our relationship with intuition, inner wisdom, and magic itself.

I’m thrilled to share her insights with you below.

The Universe Is Always Leaving Clues. Midlife Is When You Finally Notice

Back in 2023, I was going through a deeply spiritual transformation related to happiness. Mostly because I wasn’t all that happy.

Synchronicities Reinforce Your Growth

I worked with a body-centered practice called the Power of Gesture that helps release stuck emotions and shift energy. Through the practitioner’s prompting, I created a physical gesture or pose that I committed to doing daily to lift my spirits. Honestly, it changed my life, helping me feel happier every day. That was almost three years ago, and I’m still doing it!

Here’s the pose I struck. I stood with my feet shoulder-width apart and my hands in prayer position in front of my heart. Then, with my palms together, I slowly raised my arms above my head and spread them wide, palms facing up, tilting my head back slightly. I called this the Sunflower Pose. I still get chills when I do this move.

This was a highly empowering gesture that I put words to. “I surrender to my higher self and open to the divine flow of creativity, abundance, and joy.” Doing this somehow opened me up to feeling more joy. It felt like I was a sunflower facing my seed head up to the sun and smiling.

From here, the synchronicities started to flow. I’m a curious person, so the first thing I did was look up the spiritual meaning of sunflowers. What I discovered completely blew me away.

Since the sunflower follows the sun’s path, they represent personal growth and the ability to seek out positive energy. The vibrant yellow mirrors the sun’s warmth and life-giving energy. They are considered to represent happiness, abundance, joy, resilience, optimism, and spiritual truth. Wow! That’s exactly what I needed! All of it.

Within the next few days, I saw sunflowers everywhere. I didn’t think much about it at first, but as the sunflowers continued to appear, I couldn’t ignore it. I saw them at the grocery store in pots and as cut flowers. They showed up in photos on the web and direct mail flyers. I even picked the sunflower card from a flower oracle deck I often use.

The message was clear to me that I could let go of so much that was bothering me through this pose. If I embodied all that the sunflower stands for, life would be better for me, and I would naturally feel happier. This was a tremendous shift that has lasted for years and continues to run through my life.

Synchronicities in Midlife Magic

I share this because what happened to me isn’t unique. Midlife turns up your spiritual antenna without you even asking. Since my fifties, I have found that synchronicities are more frequent and I notice them more often.

Midlife brings with it a far greater awareness of signs from the Universe when you choose to pay attention. That’s what midlife magic means to me. It’s about noticing the signs, relying on your intuition, and trusting yourself.

Here’s what I mean by synchronicities. I’m not talking about basic luck or mere coincidences, although it might feel like that sometimes. Synchronicities are a type of guidance from your higher self, or some say from the Universe, your guides, angels, or ancestors. Wherever they come from, all I can say is “Thank you!” I find these messages very helpful for reducing self-doubt and feeling greater certainty.

My intention is to be aware and notice the synchronicities that offer me confirmation on my path. They help me understand that I’m headed in the right direction, which I greatly appreciate. It’s easy to doubt yourself, and these signs help you feel more confident about your choices. The little nudges or sometimes big “intuitive hits” are so affirming.

Greater Access to Inner Wisdom

Your skills of discernment are better in midlife because you know yourself well by this point. You also care less about what others think and are more likely to be true to yourself and what is for your highest good. You tend to trust yourself more, and your sense of inner authority rises. All of this strengthens your intuition and access to your own inner wisdom.

Noticing synchronicities, paying attention to little nudges, and listening to that inner voice have become normal, and you may even feel a lot more willing to simply trust your gut and go with it. I sure have.

There’s a reason why women at this stage were once called Wise Women. Not just because of age, but because of age-earned experience that strengthens your ability to trust yourself and connect with your inner knowing. As a woman in midlife, you have more life experience, and that alone changes how you receive and use intuitive guidance.

Midlife magic kicks in because you are far more perceptive during this phase. You are more likely to notice underlying themes and messages from spirit. Your magic shows up due to a greater awareness and understanding of the resonance you feel for synchronicities that are providing guidance.

Synchronicities Affirm Your Choices

Here’s another powerful example of synchronicity in my life. I was in a healing circle on Zoom with others doing an energy clearing for a client. When the clearing process is finished, the protocol is to replenish the newly empty spaces with good energy.

One way to replenish is to discover if there are any gods, goddesses, angels, ascended masters, etc., who want to support the client. My pendulum landed on a goddess I had never heard of: Abundantia. I looked her up to see what she had to offer.

Abundantia is an ancient Roman goddess of prosperity, success, and preservation of wealth. Because of her name, she clearly offers abundance and is usually depicted with a cornucopia dripping with coins and wheat kernels. Immediately, I was taken with her, and the synchronicities started to flow again.

I decided to create an altar to her on my living room coffee table. It felt like Abundantia had been in my life before, maybe a past life in ancient Rome, and I welcomed her back into my life.

Mentioning this story to a friend, she said she had ancient Roman coins with Abundantia on them. Who knew? I found one on eBay that wasn’t expensive and asked my husband to get it for me as a holiday gift.

Next, as I was dusting one of my altars, I discovered a photo of Abundantia that I had no recollection of. I don’t know where it came from or how long I’d had it, but there it was. The exact same rendition of the goddess I had printed from the web for the altar I had recently built. That wasn’t a coincidence.

I was also in a spiritual book group, and we were reading a book on goddesses. It was my turn to present, and I discovered that Abundantia was listed in the book! I was thrilled to present her to the women.

Next, I was recording a podcast with a friend, and we decided to pick cards. I used a Goddess oracle deck and much to my surprise, I chose Abundantia without even knowing she was in the deck!

All of these events happened within a couple of weeks, reinforcing that Abundantia had returned to my life and that working with her was in my best interest.

Tiny Coincidences Count

Then there was the afternoon my friend and I sat by a river, asking big questions about life and the chaotic world. We had over 30 years of this kind of intuitive work together, and we learned a lot by tuning in with her.

Walking back to the car, something made me glance down, and there, as if lit by a spotlight, was a four-leaf clover near my right foot. What are the chances? All I did was look down, and there it was.

I had been guided to find it and saw it as a sign that we were on the right path. We had done good work that day to minimize our fears and return to feeling centered.

Synchronicities don’t have to go on for weeks or have a major impact on your life. They can be small moments that still let you know you’re on the right path or that something is happening worth paying attention to.

How to Notice Synchronicities

The process is so easy and basically begins with a simple intention. Every morning, you can state you intend to be open and aware of the synchronicities in your life. You will notice them and jot them down in a journal. Then you pay attention to the messages or confirmation they provide.

Sometimes they might point you in a new direction. Or maybe they confirm something you’re already doing.

It’s been my experience that spirit is always dropping clues to help guide you along your path. I invite you to stay open to synchronicities, so you can begin to see the stream of breadcrumbs your guides and higher self offer you. You are never alone on this journey.

The universe is always leaving clues.

Midlife is simply when you finally start to listen and are wise enough, and brave enough to notice and trust where they lead.

Ronnie Ann Ryan offers midlife women a radical alternative to the self-improvement industry’s message that you need to be fixed and work harder on yourself. Instead, she believes there’s nothing missing and the answers aren’t out there, but within. If something feels off, that’s a signal to reconnect with intuition and inner magic, where clarity, synchronicities, and your sparkle returns naturally.

With over 20 years of coaching experience, Ronnie shares simple and fun practices through her Midlife Magic program and her top 5% globally ranked podcast, Breathe Love & Magic, helping women feel lighter, more connected, and more joyful. Featured on ABC, NBC, FOX, NPR, and BBC, she brings a grounded yet magical perspective that makes life feel richer, more aligned, and full of possibility.

Website: https://IntuitiveEdge.biz

Substack: midlifemagicawaits.substack.com

Instagram: linkedin.com/in/RonnieAnnRyan

Podcast: https://intuitiveedge.biz/category/podcast/

When you think about a Tarot reading, what is the first thing that pops into your mind?

Is it wondering what future the cards have in store for you?
Is it hoping the Tower card doesn’t appear?
Is it asking questions about love, career, timing, or what happens next?

For many of us, Tarot is viewed primarily as a tool for prediction — a way to explore possibilities, outcomes, and the many “what ifs” of life. For a long time, that was true for me as well. And honestly, some days it still is. But over time, my relationship with Tarot deepened. What once felt like a tool for predicting external events slowly became something much more personal: a tool for reflection, manifestation, creativity, emotional awareness, and spiritual connection.

I began to realize that Tarot was not simply showing me what might happen. It was helping me understand who I was becoming. The cards became less about fearfully searching for answers and more about learning how to ask better questions.

Here are six ways I use Tarot that have nothing to do with prediction and everything to do with personal growth and intentional living.

1. Self-Care and Emotional Check-Ins

One of the most grounding ways I use Tarot is for emotional awareness and self-care.

Instead of asking:

“What’s going to happen today?”

I might ask:

• What do I emotionally need today?

• Where am I depleted?

• What energy should I prioritize?

• What am I avoiding?

• How can I best support myself right now?

Sometimes the cards reveal stress I haven’t yet consciously acknowledged. Other times, they point toward the need for rest, boundaries, joy, movement, creativity, or emotional processing.

Tarot can function almost like an emotional mirror.

In our busy lives, many of us become disconnected from ourselves. We move through routines automatically while ignoring our emotional and energetic state. Pulling a card each morning creates a moment of pause—a quiet opportunity to check in honestly with ourselves.

The Queen of Cups may remind me to slow down emotionally.
The Four of Swords may signal the need for rest.
The Hermit may encourage solitude and reflection.

Not every Tarot reading needs to solve a problem. Sometimes, the most powerful thing the cards can do is help us witness ourselves with compassion.

2. Manifestation and Energy Embodiment

Tarot becomes incredibly empowering when it shifts from passive prediction into active participation. The cards hold energetic archetypes that we can consciously work with and embody in our daily lives.

For example, I currently keep the Queen of Wands on my desk. She has been there since I first started Modern Mysticism. At the time, I wasn’t simply hoping for growth; I was intentionally trying to embody the energy she represents: creative leadership, confidence, visibility, passion, magnetism, and trust in one’s own voice.

Over time, working with her became less about “pulling a card” and more about asking myself:

How would the Queen of Wands show up today?

Would she hide her gifts?
Would she second-guess herself constantly?
Would she wait for permission to create?

Definitely not.

And honestly, through consciously working with that energy, I’ve watched many of those qualities begin to emerge in my own life. The growth of this Substack, the confidence to share my voice publicly, the willingness to lead creatively; all of it feels deeply connected to that intentional embodiment practice.

The same can be true with other cards.

If I want to cultivate confidence and radiance, I may work with the Sun card.
If I need discipline and structure, I may focus on the Emperor.
If I want to strengthen intuition and receptivity, I may meditate on the High Priestess.

Over time, I’ve found Tarot works beautifully as a manifestation and embodiment practice because it allows you to emotionally connect with the version of yourself you are becoming.

Manifestation is not simply wishing for something externally. Often, it begins by becoming energetically aligned with what you desire internally first.

Tarot helps bridge that gap.

3. Creativity and Writing

Tarot is one of my favorite creative tools.

Whenever I feel stuck creatively, overwhelmed, or disconnected from inspiration, the cards almost always help me reconnect with my imagination and emotional depth.

I use Tarot for:

• Article inspiration

• Journaling prompts

• Storytelling themes

• Symbolism exploration

• Emotional processing through writing

Sometimes I’ll pull a single card and simply ask: “What is this trying to teach me?” That one question can unlock pages of reflection.

Tarot has a way of bypassing purely logical thinking and accessing deeper layers of emotion, intuition, memory, and symbolism. Because of this, it can be incredibly useful for writers, artists, spiritual creators, and anyone who wants to reconnect with their creative voice.

Many of my favorite pieces of writing have begun with a single Tarot card sitting quietly beside my keyboard.

4. Shadow Work and Pattern Recognition

Tarot can be deeply illuminating for shadow work. The cards often reveal patterns we are unconsciously repeating:

• Fear of visibility

• Self-sabotage

• Scarcity thinking

• Avoidance

• Control issues

• People pleasing

• Emotional suppression

• Fear of change

And sometimes… they reveal truths we are not fully ready to hear yet. But what I appreciate about Tarot is that it rarely exposes these things to shame us. Instead, it invites awareness.

Awareness is where healing begins.

When certain cards repeatedly appear, I often ask myself:

• What lesson am I resisting?

• What cycle keeps repeating?

• What fear is operating beneath the surface?

• Where am I abandoning myself?

Tarot encourages honesty in a way that feels symbolic rather than harsh. It allows us to explore difficult emotions with curiosity instead of judgment.

The Devil card may point toward unhealthy attachment patterns.
The Moon may reveal confusion, illusion, or emotional uncertainty.
The Eight of Swords may highlight limiting beliefs.

The goal is not perfection. The goal is awareness and integration.

5. Decision Making and Clarity

Tarot has an incredible ability to get straight to the heart of a situation.

Need clarity?
Facing a major decision?
Trying to determine which path forward feels most aligned?

Tarot can offer perspective in a way that is often deeply honest, and not always gentle. It’s one of the tools I turn to most when I feel uncertain, conflicted, emotionally overwhelmed, or disconnected from my own inner knowing. Not because I believe the cards should make decisions for me, but because they help me better understand the energy surrounding the situation.

Tarot can help clarify:

• emotional motivations,

• hidden fears,

• potential blind spots,

• energetic alignment,

• internal conflict,

• and possible outcomes.

Often, when I pull cards around a difficult decision, I realize I already know the answer somewhere deep down. The cards simply help bring that awareness to the surface.

6. Spiritual Connection

Sometimes, Tarot is not about answers at all.

Sometimes it is simply about connection.

Lighting a candle.
Pulling a card.
Sitting quietly in reflection.
Listening inward.
Creating ritual.

In a world that constantly demands productivity, speed, and external validation, Tarot can become a sacred practice of slowing down and reconnecting with yourself spiritually.

For me, Tarot often feels less like future casting and more like a conversation with my inner world.

A reminder to pay attention.
A reminder to trust myself.
A reminder that symbolism, intuition, and spirituality still matter.

And honestly, sometimes that quiet connection is more valuable than any prediction could ever be.

Final Thoughts

Tarot is not only about predicting the future.

It can also help you:

• understand yourself,

• care for yourself,

• inspire yourself,

• challenge yourself,

• reconnect spiritually,

• and consciously create the life you want to live.

The deeper I’ve worked with Tarot, the more I’ve realized that its true magic often has very little to do with certainty about the future. Instead, it helps us become more present, more intentional, and more aware of who we are right now.