Hello Tarot Family,

This is Jonathan with your Weekly Tarot Reading… and it’s a bit of a doozy. 

But first, Happy New Year! You’ve made it through another very strange and powerful year. So pat yourself on the back, and find some gratitude for living in a wild and wacky time. 

You deserve some serious love and recognition for doing what you do. 

Now let’s get down to it. 

While you are definitely sifting and sorting through this previous year, and starting to rev up your engine for a brand new one, it’s not going to feel totally fresh just yet. 

There are a few things needing to be finished off, and some conflict could be rumbling in the mix. 

Luckily, it’s all pointing you towards greater self awareness. 

So if you’re willing to take a thoughtful, moderate approach, you’ll be able to check off these last bits of turbulence, and start settling into a fresh new start. 

The cards have some good advice on how to make this transition. So let’s take a look at what’s to come.

Card #1: Temperance | Taking It Slow

The Temperance card symbolizes harmony, moderation, and the blending together of opposites. At its core, the Temperance card is about the alchemy within oneself. 

When Temperance is pulled in a reading, it can be a sign you are very attuned to the energies and vibrations around you at this time. 

You might find yourself feeling things you don’t usually feel, or noticing synchronicities happening in your life and around you. 

This is a sign there are messages and guidance knocking on your door.

When these magical experiences start to happen, take a pause and notice what you’re feeling and what you are thinking about. Allow yourself to be guided by these nudges from beyond the veil into a deeper understanding within yourself. 

As you can see in the card image, the angel is pouring one cup of water into another. This represents the mixing together of something in your life. You could be working on something in your emotional world, or chewing on a circumstance that hasn’t quite resolved itself yet. 

Either way, there is a deep process where two older things, or ways of seeing life, are being brought together, and are now becoming something new. 

Something you understood one way, could begin to shift in a powerful direction. 

Similarly the angel has one foot in the water, and one on land, indicating both a connection to the material earthly realm, as well as the deeper unconscious realm.  

You could be processing something at a deep level, and in a way that might start to really create a substantial change in your life. 

However, Temperance is about making small, incremental changes. So this is not a time to push through whatever is on your plate or try to get it to shift drastically. Instead, allow yourself room to sift and explore whatever it is you are working with. 

Ultimately, the Temperance card is about spiritual progress through the blending of opposites. If you have anger, fear, or uncertainty that has been bubbling beneath the surface, now is a good time to mix it with love and nurturance. 

Temperance also advises against extremes. So if you’ve set a high bar for your New Year’s resolutions, consider starting out at a gradual pace. 

Rather than blasting from zero to sixty with a new exercise regimen, or cutting out caffeine cold turkey, maybe build your way up week by week. 

Regardless of how it shows up for you, Temperance is a very potent card – just the symbolism alone could fill pages and pages worth of notes and esoteric information. So consider this a sign you may be refining your spiritual path in a major way in the coming weeks. 

And, as with any refinement, there is likely some letting go needing to happen. Your next card is a sign it’s time to move beyond a tough situation, even if it’s not all that easy at first. 

Card #2: Six Of Swords | Time For Change

The Six of Swords represents moving on, accepting lessons, and healing. 

In general the Six of Swords is about moving away from troubled waters, however it’s not necessarily a sign that the trouble is over. 

If you look at the card image, the boat is making its way from choppy looking waves, towards smoother looking water a little ways off. 

However, all six of the swords are standing up straight in the boat. This could be a sign that whatever has been troubling you might not be so easily escaped. 

What this means for you is it’s a good idea to face and finish off whatever has been giving you trouble, rather than just trying to get away from it. Of course, sometimes creating distance can be an important part of the process.

The Six of Swords could also be a sign there is a messy transition happening in your life, and maybe one that you’d rather not be going through.

It’s possible you’re being forced to make changes, rather than choosing to make them on your own terms. 

Instead of getting pulled too far off course, this is a good time to use your intuition and logic to begin to plot a new course of action for yourself.

It might be easy to get totally distracted by what’s bothering you in the moment, and lose sight of what the next step needs to be. So see if you can keep some of your attention on practical and positive actions. 

While what’s been troubling you might linger around longer than you want it to, if you can start making headway in a new direction, and find a positive outlook, you will definitely get through this. 

If you consider your first card, it might take some time to sift through what could feel like a complicated situation. The Temperance card wants you to keep your eyes on the prize, and keep to a healthy balance in everything you do. 

Ultimately, no one wants to go through challenging transitions, but if you can navigate the possible conflict your next card is indicating, you’ll be able to get through this in one piece. 

Card #3: Five Of Swords | Choosing The High Road

The Five of Swords can be a sign of conflict, arguments, and even aggression. 

When the Five of Swords comes up in a reading it is a warning that things might get a little bit hostile with someone in your life. So be prepared, and steer clear of particularly troublesome people for now. 

On the low side, the type of arguments indicated by the Five of Swords could be petty and filled with manipulation and unnecessary venom. 

These are the kinds of conflict that could leave you feeling drained, hurt, and even vengeful afterwards. Finding ways to avoid making things worse by not playing into the anger or frustration could help immensely. 

On the high side of the Five of Swords, it can indicate the kind of conflict that needs to happen. An example might be frustration that’s been building under the surface for a while and is finally ready to be aired out. 

Particularly if someone has been treating you poorly for a long time, you might find some fire lighting up inside that will help you to get your voice heard. 

When the Five of Swords arrives, it’s not generally a good idea to fly off the cuff with someone. Bringing strategy and cunning to the table of any battle that needs to be fought is a far better way to deal with a challenging situation at this time. 

If someone has been unjust or unfair towards you, it’s important to avoid being unfair on your end as well. 

As you can see in the image, the man with the three swords is gloating over the two men he has defeated. This isn’t a great look, and it ultimately begs the question if in the long run the man will actually be the winner. 

This is a great opportunity to take the high road, even if the other person has persistently taken the low road. 

Once again, your guiding light is found in the Temperance card. Give yourself space and time to feel things out before you enter into a sticky situation. 

Ask yourself, what is the best possible result from this situation? And touch into who you truly are, and how you want to be in life and in your relationships. Acting from your higher virtues could bring about a better resolution. 

Remember, Temperance advises the middle path. So while you may need to stand up for yourself, see if there is a way to do so without being unnecessarily mean or vindictive. 

Ultimately, this is all for the best. So don’t make the situation worse by getting down on yourself, or creating even an ounce more trouble than you need to.

One Step At A Time

While this might not be the most fantastic reading to get at the start of the new year, it is a sign that things are changing in your life. All change comes with a little bit of friction, and we all face moments of having to let go and move on. 

Luckily, the Temperance card is a very good sign that much of what’s happening is about you learning more about yourself, and the ongoing development of your spiritual self. 

The wisdom of the Temperance card is a reminder to take things slow, and to give yourself ample room to really look things over before taking action. You’ll be particularly attuned to the energy around you, so use it wisely to get clear about where you are headed. 

Your second card, the Six of Swords is an indication you might be in some choppy, uncomfortable waters right now. It’s possible you are being forced to make a change that isn’t a lot of fun. 

Luckily, it is also a sign you are on your way to a better shore, and one you’ll ultimately be better off with. So do your best to make your way out of a troublesome situation without causing more problems along the way. 

Sometimes we just need to move on. So be careful with the implications of your third card, the Five of Swords. At times conflict is simply unavoidable, or even absolutely necessary. 

But if you find yourself getting wrapped up in toxic battles, rather than clear and concise collisions, it can be a total drain. So use the wisdom of the Temperance card, and make sure you know what your ultimate goal is when coming into any kind of conflict. 

All around, you can do this! 

Take your time, be kind to yourself, and the best is definitely yet to come. 

With love,

And in service,  

Jonathan Lionheart

P.S. What conflict or situation are you starting to move away from? What have you learned this year that you can use to your advantage going forward? You can leave me a comment here on our blog, and let me know!   

P.P.S. If it feels like your way deeper in the “choppy waters” than you’d like to be, or you could use some energetic and transformation support, you can schedule a private reading, or embodied alchemy session, with me here.