Tarot One at a Time, Part 5

Welcome back to my tarot learning series! On March 3rd there was a total lunar eclipse in 12° Virgo, so the emotional weight and occurring events revolving that date will span all the way till mid-March. There might be some confusion about the severity of this event, but it's mostly about aligning yourself to efficiency. Exposing institutions, a lack of understanding, new responsibilities, and a lack of regulation are some things you can expect. Remember, since virgo is ruled by mercury, and mercury is in retrograde, this adds on to the intensity of everything. Ground yourself and realize through disruptions and dysregulations, comes solutions that improve and strengthen your efficiency, so that these problems become avoidable.

This week's cards are The Hanged Man, Death, and Temperance.

(Quick note: upright means the card appears straight; reversed means it appears upside down.)

The Hanged Man XII

Card Description: A man is bound to a tree upside down, with his hands tied behind him, He has a halo made of sun rays sprouting out of his head, his expression is composed, and his clothes are neat with no sign of struggle. The tree he is bound to has leaves curving down. His right leg is tied straight up the tree, while the left is free and bent at a right angle. He is sometimes represented with a snake wrapped around his leg or around the branches of the tree.

Upright

His calm demeanor almost comes off as a sign of protest to me, it's like he has accepted the role he must take in order to push for some change, kind of like protesters who tie themselves somewhere until change follows. He represents acceptance of a pause that comes off as stagnancy but is actually a spiritual journey that differs from everyone's path (the upside-down view of the world).

❁ Relationships: Take initiative to sacrifice for your relationships. It's important you don't rush into anything new; prioritize necessary indecision. If you want this relationship to last you must give up control and let it evolve on its own.

❁ Finances: You might be going through a strong anxiety related to your earnings, it's important you look beyond the objective view of a lack of money, and instead see what comes from that lack. This could instead be a chance to change your perspective on how you handle your money and where you place your energy.

❁ Self-Growth:  Ultimate perseverance that highlights your patience as the most important part of your growth. If you weren't able to hit pause on the things you are doing, you might never have the outcome you want, people might view productivity in this part of your life as vital, but their perspective has nothing to do with your journey.

Reversed

When reversed, the hanged man represents unmet effort. You are putting in so much energy into things and yet aren't met with even half the benefits. It's an uncomfortable waiting period that you should transmute to reflection instead of frustration. Don't force outcomes or wait too long to make decisions. Release what's holding you back and step into the next part of your life.

❁ Relationships:  In trying to understand what this relationship means to you, you may have taken a step back. The distance does not mean you don't care; there may actually be a lot of anxiety surrounding the relationship. You aren't making an effort to mend the relationship, but you aren't cutting them off either. It's important you decide whether this relationship is worth nurturing or something you need to release.

❁ Finances: This represents sacrifice that did not lead to the reward you expected. Instead of a pause that teaches you something new, think of this as a detrimental lesson for future financial investments. You put your finances into your friendship, relationship, or family and their actions have you thinking it was a waste of an investment. Your sacrifice was not worth the outcome. Revaluate if your intentions were in the right place to start with. Did you give freely, or were you hoping for recognition, loyalty, or appreciation?

❁ Self-Growth: Your waiting period is over. The pause that once helped your growth has already served its purpose, and now you must move forward. When you look at The Hanged Man reversed, he almost looks like he's standing. His leg is still bent, but he doesn't look bound. Even though his hands are tied, it looks like he's standing with his hands on hips. Continuing to act like you are still in the waiting period of your life can hold back your growth. Keep pushing ahead.

Death XIII

Card Description: A skeletal knight on a white horse wears armor and holds up a banner with a black flag and white rose. The pope stands at the foot of the horse with his hands out, almost as if he is bargaining with the knight. A dead man lies beneath the horse, his fallen crown inches away from him. A child kneels with a small bouquet of flowers, and next to her is a woman mourning with her eyes closed, wearing the same flowers in her hair. The sun rises to the right of the scene.

Upright

The general understanding of Death is that it spares no one yet transforms everyone. The knight comes forward peacefully, holding a banner that represents life while his presence represents what lies beyond death. The pope to my understanding, looks like he is bargaining for the life of the dead king. It's important to accept change, even when it is hard to go through. Endings are necessary in order for something better to begin.

❁ Relationships: Death teaches us that it is time to transform into the best part of the relationship. Through the hardships you have faced together, both people are pushed to evolve and grow into something stronger than before. What happens when transformation doesn't happen equally? Sometimes only one person grows or changes, and this can lead to the relationship no longer working out. That doesn't have to signify a terrible ending; it represents closure.

❁ Finances: This is the closing of a difficult financial cycle and beginning of a new stage with your resources. You are probably coming out of a period that forced you to struggle and rethink how you approach money. What felt stressful no longer holds much power over you as new financial opportunities begin to appear.

❁ Self-Growth: Honestly, this might be one of the biggest messages tarot repeats over and over again: leave what does not serve you. Even if you grieve the familiarity you had with it, staying attached to something that is no longer good for you only keeps you stuck in an unhealthy loop. A new day comes no matter.

Reversed

When reversed, Death represents a strong resistance to transformation. A part of your life has already reached its natural ending, but you're still holding onto it. Transformation isn't easily accepted. Change will happen whether you're ready or not, but by not accepting the transition you're delaying it, and extending the discomfort.

❁ Relationships: This connection has already gone through transformation, but the people involved are still holding onto their past understanding of what the relationship used to be. There is a fear of letting go which leads to feigning ignorance about the change you both have went through. Not every relationship must end but not acknowledging it only prevents you from reaching the next stage.

❁ Finances: You are holding onto habits that have never served you well or investments that are past usefulness. This looks like continuing to invest energy or money into something that is clearly not working anymore. The fallen crown next to the dead man in the card can represent lost power or control; financial stability cannot come from clinging to something that has already ended.

❁ Self-Growth:  You are struggling to release an old version of yourself. That fear will only hold you back, don't confuse it with an accurate portrayal of things. It's important you understand the importance of new beginnings by accepting your past has ended. You won't lose the lessons you learned from the past. This card can come up when you are completely aware that you have outgrown something, but you continue to stay because it feels familiar.

Temperance XIV

Card Description: There is an angel holding two chalices, and water is being poured from one into another. One foot is in the water, and the other foot is on land. They are wearing a white gown with a triangle at the center of their chest. The angel has a calm facial expression. Around them there is nature, one side there are fields of grass and on the other side there are flowers. Everything about this card emphasizes balance.

Upright

This card really shows the importance of harmony and balance in order to achieve unity. It shows how an excess of anything prevents you from achieving your goals. It's proof to the work you have put to remain composed though different parts of your life. Balance allows different things to coexist.

❁ Relationships:  This shows a connection that benefits from patience and moderation. You are learning that not every situation requires an extreme reaction. Harmony between you and another person comes from meeting in the middle instead of pushing things too far in one direction. This is a relationship where balance is necessary.

❁ Finances:  You have found a balanced approach to your resources. Instead of letting financial stress control your decisions you are learning to approach finances calmly. Moderation is important; just like saving is important so is treating yourself.

❁ Self-Growth:  This shows someone who is naturally calm throughout almost anything they go through, you are able to separate what is happening in the world from how you feel internally. You are someone who avoids excess in many areas of your life, because of that, you are able to stay balanced even when things around you are not.

Reversed

When Temperance appears reversed, it means something in your life is out of balance. The harmony that normally exists is disrupted. You might be feeling like you're drowning in your emotions because it's hard to regulate them. It could also be a warning so that you avoid a path of excess.

❁ Relationships:  This shows an imbalanced relationship between people. They may be reacting in extreme ways instead of approaching the relationship with patience. Take the time to look at how exactly you react to small issues. Sometimes we can take things out of proportion instead of understanding the other perspective.

❁ Finances:  You need to find a middle ground to your spending habits or rather lack of. This shows up as overspending or constantly thinking about money in an unhealthy

way.

❁ Self-Growth:  You are struggling to reach the self-accepting version of yourself that you are capable of being. Things may feel out of balance, and because of that you might start overthinking what you can achieve. Choose to restore balance instead of reacting to everything around you.