Reaching for Wonder

Weekly Forecast for 4/29

My camera roll is full of pictures of my hands. Or, rather, my hands grasping objects and holding them aloft for the camera: a lush peony, a bottle of apple cider vinegar stuffed with herbs for an infusion, a flaky pastry.

I collect these images for two reasons. Firstly, I can’t resist texting friends with my latest delights and finds. And secondly, because after I noticed this trend I started developing a practice of commemorating these “everyday aces:” moments I can grasp easily - that life seems to offer up to me like low-hanging and delightful fruit - and enjoy.

Scrolling through, it’s clear to me how much there is to show for this practice. That the little collections of joy, contentment, pride, and fascination amount to an impressive array, a happiness that’s both mundane and transformative. It adds up. It’s ordinary and enough: bursts of delight that punctuate the early-wakings, doctor visits, and indecision.

I’m saying all this because we have an ace moment starting off our week. The Ace of Wands represents gifts and opportunities in its fiery suit. We’re poised to receive alluring invitations, inspiration, calls to action, and ways to jump into movement. After two weeks slogging (and/or, hopefully, blissfully floating) through the waters of The Moon card, this is a welcome change. It’s also, likely, an affirmation of the time we spent learning from the murk. I can’t help but notice this corresponding with Mercury stationing direct last week; jump into what feels right, inspiring, and galvanizing, even if the sudden decisiveness and energy feels jarring. Not only are we ready for it, the world is offering it up to us gladly.

I often say (or rant/bloviate/proselytize) that our main job when an ace appears in a reading is to identify and accept it. This is best done with practice and surprisingly tricky. We’re often encouraged to look for perfection and see lack where there’s abundance. The little things, in this line of thinking, aren’t important. They’re breadcrumbs, not worth pursuing, less than.

This week is challenging this assumption in a very wands-y way. The suit associated with the element of fire, wands have a way of making things happen quickly, and this ace could be like a match, igniting something within us. Take time to cultivate your own ace practice, whether it involves hand portraiture or not, so that you can seize this card’s energy whenever it appears. Look for magic in everyday places, relish in small moments of joy, and facilitate them for others.

Aces also represent a shift in the cosmic weather, a phrase I will never get tired of typing. But in all seriousness, a big change is afoot now. It’s worth taking a moment to see what wisdom or insight came to you in this recent lunar period over the past two weeks. What started off as a glimmer in the depths and came into focus over time? Which practices made you feel less unhinged throughout it all? What points of curiosity were you able to identify?

Having the Seven of Cups as our central card is slyly hilarious. In the context of our past few readings it’s coming across as a shirt that says “I went to the lunar depths of my subconscious and all I got were these lousy cups.” Oh, and did I mention that the cups are overwhelming, too?

I’m actually quite into this energy. The Moon is a big deal - it’s power lies in its ability to upset our lives and present us with challenging energy that ultimately catapults us to the next level. (And by challenging I mean anything ranging from lyrically beautiful to wildly confounding to absolutely surreal and inscrutable.) By mid-week we’re in the process of really looking at some of the treasures we’ve unearthed and, to be blunt, it’s a lot!

Listen, going through The Moon card is complicated. It makes sense that we’d have a “Moon-lite” card in the middle of the week; in fact, it’s heartening because it shows we’ve uncovered something good and lasting. Be open to feeling overwhelmed with ideas, awash with inspiration, and feeling generally fuzzy and scattered. It’s all coming into focus in time and, as our next card shows us, there’s a piece to the puzzle that’s missing. Pursuing wands-like activities such as movement, adventure, and anything that gets us our of our heads will help soothe any rising panic or unease.

The Wheel of Fortune represents a pivotal and important change. What was stable gets shaken up, what was diffuse comes into form and focus. All three of these cards speak to themes of opportunity, inspiration, and change which makes me feel quite optimistic about our reading. Lean into newness, trusting that some of your insights, while they may not be fully coherent or explainable are here to help you navigate this upheaval. In fact, it seems as if we’re in the mood for some upheaval and ready to ride it - even let it catapult us - into an exciting future.

This week, embrace:

• Taking new opportunities, following your inspiration, trying new things, experimenting with new practices and ideas

• Thinking on your feet, general zestiness and bravery

• Creative brainstorming, collecting inspiration, getting lost in rabbit holes

• Feeling towards the change you want (but don’t expect it to make sense or be too legible just yet!)

This week, avoid:

• PERFECTIONISM

• Preemptively coming to conclusions, finishing things, wrapping up projects, thinking you know it all

• Failing to recognize something new and good because you’re expecting something you’re already familiar with

• Stalling