What a mixed bag we have this week, dear readers! It’s one of those readings that seems to call on the one from the week before - I can’t help but connect the tenderness and new beginning of the Two of Cups + The Fool with the growth and competition of this week’s cards. What should we make of it all?
Well, firstly, I’ve been seeing a lot of swords cards appearing lately as a representation of pushback to growth. Because these cards focus on the mind, we can read them as manifestations of thoughts, beliefs, and orientations that begin within. Once we listen to these thoughts and accept them, they gain power which can ultimately influence our actions. This week, we’re seeing how having abundance (the Nine of Cups) and using it to fuel our growth (The Emperor) is inspiring either ourselves or others to do some dastardly swords-work: using words or even action to undermine our progress.
This is inarguably unsavory, but the rest of the reading is so potent that I’m not as concerned about it as I could be. I’m even envisioning a card that’s been surfacing in readings recently - the Six of Swords - and that appears as our environment card for the monthly reading. The events of this week could be urging us to fully embrace the power of that image and to choose to move on rather than engage with conflicts, internal or external, that have mired us in discord for years. In this sense, the difficulties of the Five of Swords are an important challenge that our reading for the month of February is encouraging us to take up.
We’ve been going through a lovely procession of cards recently: Cups from the minor arcana and bright, promising major arcana cards like The Fool and The Lovers. All the work we’ve done to open up, make connections, and see the world and our lives through the rosy glow of love has brought us to a place of stability and accomplishment. The Nine of Cups is a card of balance and arrival. Where do you find yourself feeling satisfied, filled up, and inspired in your connections? What is giving you a sense of safety, support, and abundance? Cultivating awareness of our wins when it comes to beauty, connection, inspiration, and spirituality will be of utmost importance this week. We’ll be using this awareness to branch outwards, shift focus, and start to make self-directed changes in our lives.
The Emperor is an intense card, both for its visuals and for the themes it speaks to: power, agency, ambition, generative struggle, claiming territory. Much of the card is dominated by the formidable and harsh elements of fire and earth. Arid mountains tower in the background, a heavy stone throne looms in the center of the card, and The Emperor themselves is protected with metal armor. Defenses, willpower, and assertiveness are all necessary to make headway in life.
This week is a time to channel the determination of The Emperor and to lean into your ability to use your considerable power to pursue your vision. Don’t balk at the intensity just yet. While it can be easy to see these attributes as aggressive and even harmful, we can’t fully engage with the world when we remain safe in innocence and inaction (a shadow side of last week’s major arcana card, The Fool). We all have power and agency - what happens when we use it for good? Look behind The Emperor’s throne and you’ll see a stream of water feeding a small strip of green grass. I’m imagining the meaningful and joyful abundance of the Nine of Cups forming a river that’s feeding the landscape of The Emperor. Using our values, emotions, and connections to inform and nourish our goals for the future is pushing The Fool from last week along their journey. It’s a necessary and powerful part of our process right now.
When it comes to the Five of Swords, be wary of both shady behavior for others (this can run the gamut between mild snarky comments that chip away at your inner peace and classic backstabbing behavior) and from yourself. Sometimes this card can be an internal issue where we want to take the easy way out and end up harming ourselves and others in the process. Making excuses, reasoning away what you know you need to do, and shirking responsibilities all fall under this card. So while this week isn’t exactly a walk in the park, it is a satisfying continuation of our current chapter. Fueled by the genuine emotion and relationships of the Nine of Cups, it has the potential to see big transformations in the way we work, strive, and operate in the world.
This week, embrace:
Using your emotional wins for strength, inspiration, and guidance
Stepping out into the world and going for what you want
A focus on building things meant to last
Integrity, acting from your values
Thinking before you act
This week, avoid:
Resting on your laurels
Feigning moral superiority by remaining out of conflict
Neglecting your goals and vision for the future
Letting sniping, criticism, or ill will from yourself or others infiltrate your armor
I’m always so grateful when you post the weekly reading on Sunday, and it feels extra sorely needed. I’m trying to use my resources via the 9 Cups and authority via the Emeror to support my 16 year old daughter through the last week of the most trying trimester ever, while not succeeding at the expense of our relationship (hello 5 Swords. Snarky teenage comments, anyone?? Sarcastic I told you so, says mom??) What I’m saying is, this week is a delicate balance. There’s an opportunity for a culmination of the last several weeks to wrap up with connection, support, growth, and empowerment for all. Or not. I feel like the 5 Swords is a very timely reminder to keep in mind what the ideal outcome of the week would be. It’s not winning/being right, it’s love.
Wow. This is so on point for my present experience of the week. I feel a sense of support and clarity through the challenges arising. Thank you, Gina. This space is an integral part of my weekly routine. 🙏🏻