As many of you know I love monsters. As a kid the monster under the bed was a real thing until I bargained my socks for not grabbing me when I went to bed. I then questioned maybe monsters were misunderstood and could be befriended. This of course was supported by the books by my two favorite storytellers and illustrators Maurice Sendack and Edward Gorey. One of my favorite monster artists John Kenn Mortensen also has brought to life some of the monsters scenarios that I came up with as a kid.
He is a self-proclaimed outcast, father of twins and works in comics and television. He “doodles” on sticky notes. He doesn’t consider them illustrations because they don’t illustrate a narrative. However, they do tell a story or maybe the beginnings of a visual one. The sense of scary is so well balanced with his sense of wry humor – a nightmare with a tongue in cheek wit. Not only is his imagination wickedly fun, it shows art doesn’t have to be big, can be done with things around your house and can still create an emotion.
You can find more of his stuff on Instagram @johnkennmortensen)
P.S. Remember signs with an * it a big week for you. Libra this is a perfect time to get an Astrological Tarot Reading for your coming year. And Aries it is your half way mark for your birth year, so if you need a Planetary Reading for a check in now is the time.
Aries
Five of Coins –Last week I hope you took advantage of the Emperor’s energy, building on the material plane. The Five of Coins continues the Emperor’s advice on you focusing on projects already started; however, you will find little time or resources to do anything else. Again, this is another week not to start on the new. One challenge is you can easily lose things and time, so be careful where you lay your keys and how you spend your hours.
Taurus
Page of Coins – The last couple of months you have had the Chariot with the Hanged Man giving you ample opportunity to get your show on the road. Luckily the Page of Coins has shown up to assist in the process for another week. The Page of Coins is the card of the student. Your environment is trying to share some useful information to help in your progression. The challenge is you keeping your mind open to new ideas while asking questions to deepen your knowledge.
Gemini
Eight of Wands – Information comes at you in all directions this week with the Eight of Wands. The challenge is only grabbing on to the information that you need. The best way to handle this barge of data is focus. Focusing on what you want betters the funneling of information.
Cancer
Nine of Swords – The Nine of Swords is the card of worry. The best way to deal with this is to give yourself time to worry and write them down. Then circle the ones that you can do something about this week. And the best projects to work with this energy are ones that ground you, like working with your hands and/or body.
Leo
*Devil – What a combination for the last week and this week. Last week, the Justice card came pointing out decisions that need to be made but you need more background information to make a justified decision. Reminding you to stay true to your truth throughout last week. Well that hasn’t changed with the Devil card. The added challenge this week is your morality, integrity and purpose will be tested. The Devil comes not really to teach you anything but to test you if you are being true to yourself. So, the more honest you are that your choices are compatible with who you are, the better you will do with the trials surfacing. This can look as simple as standing up for somebody on the bus, or as complex as telling your truth.
Virgo
Knight of Cups – The Knight of Cups energizes your emotions. If you follow your heart this week you will gain momentum. The challenge with this card is it tests your ability to be vulnerable. The benefits you get in this vulnerability exercise is you get stronger and increase your compassion for yourself.
Libra
Two of Coins – The Two of Coins is the card of balancing in motion. The challenge with this card is not trying to take on too much at once. Learn to juggle one item before you add another to your schedule. This is not a week where multi-tasking comes easily or productively.
Scorpio
Three of Cups – Nice card the Three of Cups. It is the card of friendship. This card comes when your emotional cup needs filling. So, make hanging with friends your priority this week.
Sagittarius
Six of Swords – The Six of Swords is the card of perspective and simplification. When this card shows up it advises standing back from aspects of your life or work this week to gain perspective. The goal is to help you streamline your thoughts, solutions, and/or processes. Your motto: Work smarter not harder.
Capricorn
Two of Wands – The Two of Wands come when you need to broaden your horizon. It is a great week for travel or going to events. Walk outside your normal circle of life. There is inspiration, intriguing information, and new experiences waiting just over your horizon – go find it.
Aquarius
Ace of Swords – Another Ace so new beginning abound once again this week. Though the material plane was the focus last week. This week is about decisions, information and ideas. The only challenge is trying to follow it all at once. So, the key to ease this week is focus and no multi-tasking.
Pisces
Page of Cups – Last week the Star Card had you making wishes, relaxing, healing and having faith in the Universe. This week the Page of Cups continues pouring hope into your heart. This Page challenges you that being kind to yourself and seeing the beauty that surrounds you with child-like eyes the more your emotional cup fills. Embodying hope not only changes your outlook but those around you.
May light be on you, around you, and within you,
Nina
*Emperor –The Emperor is the card of building on the material plane, and with the collaboration you hopeful built last week, construction will be easier. To take advantage of this energy, continue building on projects in the works or finishing up projects. The challenge is not to start new ventures. The emperor suggest work with the now and leave the future for another week.
*The Chariot – Last week the Hanged Man had you take a time out and work on piddling– the art of just sitting or puttering around for no other reason than just because. And now the Chariot pulls up for the third time for you in the past 2 months. Time to get back in the saddle, again. I cannot emphasize enough if you have not taken advantage of making something happen or go to the next level in your life, this set of Chariot cards in such a short time frame just doesn’t happen. To get the card of movement that solely lays in your hand this many times is destiny calling. You have no roadblocks but yourself. Maybe you are not feeling as if your project is as important as other things that are in your life. Don’t let your loyalty to others and your nurturing nature be in the way of making some ground on your own stuff. Time for using some of that hard headedness in protect and taking care of others redirected towards you and your work in the world. Take heed the world needs to hear your voice as much (or to be honest since you all got this card 3 times maybe more at this particular time) than the people you are supporting.
Seven of Swords –The choices you make this week demonstrate your moral make up. You will be tested. Which way are you going to choose? The path of indiscretion or apathy or the action of righteous action. The choice is yours.
Ten of Cups – The Ten of Cups is the card of bliss. This week seek out the things/people that bring bliss into your life. This card gives you permission to enjoy a bubble bath, have an extra scoop of ice cream, garden, cuddle with your family/pets on the couch, go take a walk on the beach, etc… Statistically, this card has a chance of showing up 5 times in a year. Your challenge is take advantage of it. Don’t miss a chance to indulge in the good in your life.
*Justice – The Justice card comes when decisions need to be made but you need more background information to make a justified decision. So, the challenge comes after you do your investigative work, by the end of the week the choice needs to be made. If you stay true to the information and your heart, things will end up fair in the end no matter how the journey plays out. This card reminds you to have faith and stay true to yourself. Never lose faith in yourself, and never lose hope; remember, even when this world throws its worst and then turns its back, there is still always hope. -Pittacus Lore
Two of Wands – The Two of Wands advises you to step out of your comfort zone this week. This card is a very positive card if you take the steps to expand your horizons. This can be as simple as trying zip lining for the first time, reading a self-help book, or going to an event you never would. The challenge with is expanding your horizons. They can be small or big steps, but they must develop your mind/soul.
Ace of Coins – The last two weeks have been about completion, so it is appropriate that you all would get the Ace of Coins, a card of new beginnings and planting seeds (literally and metaphorically). This is a great week to begin any projects, do anything with your hands, invest in something, increase your presence at work, and really anything on the material plan. You will harvest more later the more you ground yourself into the material plane now.
Six of Wands – Last week was all about Justice – balancing right from wrong by looking behind the scenes. With that information and perspective, you have an advantage to come out on the positive side of Justice this week. The challenge with the Six of Wands is though you won this battle and bathe in positivity this week, you haven’t won the war. So, don’t take anything new on and enjoy this week.
Two of Pentacles – Last week, the Strength card flung you into situations that you felt you couldn’t handle or befuddled you. However, that was not the case, this exercise helped you identify your strengths and weakness helping you navigate not only last week with more ease but the rest of the year. This week the Two of Pentacles advises you that even though you have found your superpowers don’t go multi-tasking just yet. You need to take one or two items and try your superpowers on them. This week is about balance, practice and restraint.
Eight of Swords – The Eight of Swords advises you that you need to look at how you are binding yourself. This can be as simple as checking how you talk to yourself when you make a mistake, or as complex as finding old thought patterns put there in the past by others that you still hold on to. Your motto: Let that sh*t go.
Ace of Pentacles and King of Wands – Last week, The Fool, card of new beginnings, challenged your thinking through new beginnings and being careful of naiveté when making decisions. Well the Ace of Pentacles continues the theme of new beginnings. All Aces are beginnings and Pentacles rule the material plane. So any beginnings that have to do with work, money or material plane projects are great to start this week. The King of Wands has also stepped in continuing the theme of the Fool’s advice. You have gained the wisdom to think things through before acting on them. This card says you rule your destiny. So this week is pretty much the same energy as last week without the intensity.
*Star – The Star Card is the card of hope and healing. This is a great week to make wishes and realize you are on the other side of a major hardship. This card advises you to relax and have faith in the Universe. This is a great time to take healing baths, massages, eat well, get the sleep you need. And it is a great time to ask the Universe for help for the next phase of your life. Your challenges – Relaxing, asking for want you want now to happen and looking for synchronicities to help you move to the next level.
Three of Coins – Collaboration and cooperation are key this week. The Three of Coins advises you to ask for help even if you don’t feel you need it. This might be challenging for you head strong fire signs, but multiple hands, eyes and minds ease the path. Motto: Many hands make light work-John Heywood
The Hanged Man – You all have arrived back in the land of karmic movement or actual non-movement this week. The Hanged Man is the card of inactivity on the material plane. That means you will have times of idleness whether that is a traffic jams or things just not working out. Take advantage of these time outs. This inertia comes not to be fought against but gives you the space to do a much-needed internal inspection. To work with this card try taking this week off or at the very least scheduling in moments of piddling, as Maya Angelou calls it. She describes it as the art of just sitting or puttering around for no other reason than just because. And lies the challenge with this card, introspection without a goal. Think of it as pulling over to the rest stop of life. You just came from a whirlwind of summer and now are heading into a productive fall. Don’t you think, just for this week, you can and deserve practicing the art form of piddling?
Ace of Swords – So a message from the past last week can help you to see new avenues of thought this week. Aces are always new beginnings, and swords are the realm of thought and intellect. The Ace of Swords foretells it is a great week to solve problems, expand your brain with new information, do anything with legal issues or PR or forms of communication and decision making. Your challenge taking in a account of the past to guide future choices. Your motto: The mind is everything. What you think you become. – Buddha
Eight of Wands – The Eight of Wands forecasts it is a great week to send out messages into the Universe. Whatever you aim/focus on this week will gain momentum. The challenge is picking the targets you truly want in your life.
Five of Swords – Last week the World card advised you to say yes to opportunities setting you up for exploration of your self and your surroundings. This week the Five of Swords, the card of an overactive ego, has you questioning all that is around you. Instead of seeing all the opportunities, you are seeing all the blocks. But many of these blocks are just your ego getting in the way. Whether that ego is low self-esteem or that you are overestimating your influence, you need to take a step back to really see what is really going on.
Ten of Coins – So just a reminder Virgo the Strength card is your birth year card and it will bring you situations that will ground you and help you acknowledge your resilience, self-compassion, and mental acuity. So, by your 2020 birthday you will feel more comfortable in your skin. This week’s card rounds out your birthyear readings with the Ten of Pentacles. This card foretells this will also be a year to focus on finishing up projects, enjoying the planet and your place in it. So not only will you feel more comfortable in your skin but also in your environment.
Ten of Wands – Your second ten so just a quick focus on the numerology – ten is the number of completion. So last week and this week is a great time to finish up old projects. But where last week things flowed a bit easier, this week can feel burdensome. With this card responsibilities can feel overwhelming. However, the goal of this card is to see that you are partly responsible for the feeling of being overwhelmed. You have control over how many wands/projects you take on. The challenge with this card is realizing you can put some of your obligations on hold to finish up what you consider the most pressing. Don’t worry, the ones you let go of will either still be there next week or will magically go away.
*Justice – The Justice card comes to help you balance right from wrong. The challenge is that things are not as black and white as one would like. As the Egyptians thought when weighing out a person’s heart for sins. The sin of killing would weigh differently for a military person than for a baker. The challenge is looking at the situations or circumstances around the decision or judgment. This could be a simple as figuring out which child broke the remote or as complicated as figure out why your date hasn’t called in a week. So, the work around this week is find out more before you make any decision. There is more behind the scenes.
*Strength – The Strength card comes to help you with your fears and show you your superpowers. This can play out by flinging you into situations that you feel you cannot handle. However, that is not the case, you can handle everything that is thrown at you. A fun exercise you can do is name your 3 superpowers, your kryptonite and your superhero name. This exercise of identifying your strengths and weakness will help you navigate not only this week with more ease but the rest of the year. Your Motto this week: I’ve got this.
Queen of Wands – The Queen of Wands is the muse of arts and nature. She stokes the fire of creation and inspirations. She advises either that you create in these arenas or that you immerse yourself in them. So, if you have the time take off to the forest/park, museum, studio, and/or concert hall. And if your time is limited watch your favorite indie movie, listen to music, play in your garden or read a good book. Your motto: Inspiration.
*The Fool – The Fool is the card of new beginnings. This is a great week to start new projects and/or travel. However, the challenge with this card is thinking through before starting on your new path. You must be very careful of naiveté when making decisions this week even small ones. This can look as simple as rushing off to work and forgetting your lunch or paperwork for the day. Or it can be as complicated as changing career paths like accountant to fisherman but forgetting you get seasick. If you take in consideration your past lessons with situations this will help from mis-stepping on to an unwise path or worse off a cliff. Your challenge this week is eyes on the ground, be practical, and have foresight by using your hindsight.
Eight of Coins – The Eight of Coins is the card of mastery. This week is about tweaking situations not starting over. When this card shows up you got the skills to master all that comes your way. The challenge is believing it. Motto: No one else is you and that is your power.
To all of you in the Bahamas and on the East Coast, may you find refuge and be safe.
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