It's not over yet! ...or maybe it is?

Weekly Forecast for 7/1

Please forgive my janky photography!

Hello lovely readers and happy July! I’m taking Incandescent Tarot on the road and this forecast is coming to you from a coffee shop in one of my old stomping grounds, Northampton, Massachusetts.

I grew up in a small town nearby and this is my first time back in almost ten years. I’ve just arrived and, not one to shirk my duties, my first stop is a spot where I can get out my laptop and bang out this forecast.

It’s gloriously breezy out and the three cards are tucked under my laptop so they don’t blow away. I’m abuzz with the energy of being back in a familiar place and seeing how much it’s changed. This spot used to be a decrepit old diner; now it’s a bustling, witchy-hip coffee shop. Change is always happening and it’s nice to see it lead to beauty.

So let’s talk about these cards. We have an intellectual-emotional faceplant beginning the week, and I am absolutely, resoundingly here for it. Our card of the month for June was the Queen of Swords, so having the final card in the swords sequence appear at the beginning of a new month has me thinking that we’re finally putting some things to bed: hurtful narratives, limiting ideas, ties to what no longer serves us.

This is a week to embrace endings and invite in the power of moments when we’re not quite sure what’s going to happen next. If you’re feeling mentally exhausted, don’t fight it. Gift yourself moments of silence and even a bit of restorative stupidity. This is not a time to analyze or investigate, but it is a time to rest and grieve - or simply exhale - before we get back up again.

Since we had the Queen of Swords last month, the Ten of Swords isn’t raising as many alarm bells here. Yes, I know, this isn’t a pleasant image. You may be worried that you’ll end up impaled on a beach (mentally, I’ll stress - this is not a literal card!) but I think that this card’s excess is helpful. This is not a surprising moment. Perhaps you’ve been feeling overburdened by expectations, bogged down by grief, or struggling to find balance. We reach max capacity at the beginning of the week and, in a sense, it’s a welcome event. Know that this is the time to let go of burdens and that what’s feeling painful and acute is just what you’re ready to shed.

My optimism is also thanks to our next card, the Ace of Wands. This is a true change of focus. We’ve ended a cycle through the swords suit and are now beginning a tour of the wands. Analysis and investigation are giving way to action and energy. It may feel like a breakthrough and it also may feel suspiciously good. Remember that aces are gentle and new, full of potential but close to the ground. If we accept their invitation and chase them with steady curiosity we won’t risk all that much. Play around with what’s inspiring you this week just to see where it leads.

There’s a little self-generated trouble towards the end of the week as the Knight of Swords shows us rushing back to complicate the healing and release we’ve just done. Can you think of a more conclusive ending than the Ten of Swords? No? Well remind yourself about this when you feel called to revisit what you’ve processed, add another interpretation, or argue with yourself or others. This is a time to put down the “sword of the mind” and pick up the wand of action and movement.

Because the Knights are the young adults of tarot, I’m wondering if we’ll be reverting to some old patterns from this stage, perhaps spurred on by something that feels threatening: old triggers, opinions from people whom we disagree with but still want to impress, or insidious cultural expectations. Notice when you feel like you need to armor up, get on your horse, and swing your sword around, and then just… don’t.

Marking a new stage is important and can be as simple as giving yourself room to rest.

This week embrace:

• Marking the end of a swords cycle

• Putting to bed ideas, plans, and opinions that you’ve outgrown

• Moving on

• New sources of inspiration, activities, small adventures, curiosity

• Noticing and honoring small shifts within yourself

• Chilling out, saying less, doing more

This week avoid:

• Revisiting old issues you’ve worked hard to leave behind

• Having the last word

• Being provoked into arguments, pretending you’re unsure when you’re not, over-explaining yourself

• “That kid in college philosophy class who won’t stop talking about Nietzsche” energy

• Staying in your head