Today is Mother’s Day. By taking the gender out of the day, this is about recognizing the nurturers in our lives. Nurturing is the process of caring for and encouraging the growth or development of someone or something. They can be your mother, a nurse, a partner, teacher, Mother Earth, a friend, a gardener, or your child… to name a few.
This week’s artist is Uemura Shoen (Uemura Tsune). She is considered a major innovator in the bijin-ga style. Shoen grew up in a time when women were admired for painting but only behind closed doors. Her mother, a widow, nurtured Shoen’s desire to become a painter by defying cultural norms. She let her paint in the corner of her tea shop, were Uemura soon became recognized for her painting skills. At age 12, Shoen’s mother sent her to study under Suzuki Shonen a famous Chinese landscape artist. By 15, Uemura became famous for the purchasing of her painting The Beauty of Four Seasons by the son of Queen Victoria.
Shoen was drawn to the bijin-ga style of painting. Bijin-ga, beautiful woman pictures, were produced from the 17th century to the 19th century and were exceedingly popular with the middle class. They traditionally depicted courtesans or “women” Noh performer (all the woman roles were played by men). However, Shoen chose celebrating ordinary woman and often portraying them doing domestic chores or dressing up in their finery. This elevated the women cultural, from lower-class citizens to beautiful and unique. Shoen paid forward the nurturing of her mother to all women.
Thank you, nurturers for giving us space to grow!
P.S. Signs with an * it a big week for you. Taurus this is a perfect time to get an Astrological Tarot Reading for your coming year. And Scorpio it is your halfway mark for your birth year, so if you need a Planetary Reading for a check in now is the time.
May light be on you, around you, and within you,
Nina
Aries
Four of Cups – This is your second four, so let us dive just a bit into fours. Four is the number of stability. Last week you needed to relax to increase your stability. This week is you need to withdraw. A retreat is needed. A time for reworking what is necessary to maintain your strength in the coming months. With that idea in hand you will feel less apathetic and more apt to action.
Taurus
Five of Coins – Some weeks are harder than others, so do not be shock if this week comes at you relentlessly. The best way to work with this energy is to ask for help. Assistance is there though you will need to exchange coinage in some form. This can be as easy as baking cookies for your helper or picking up milk for them when you run to the store.
Gemini
Two of Swords – This week’s energy is full of crossroads decisions, which you cannot avoid. If you come to an impasse, remember make the decision based on how you would feel once you have started on this path. Or another way to see this, the decision is more about the journey than the destination.
Cancer
*Magician – This week’s energy is about bring the divine down into practical applications. Use your resourcefulness and skills to create action. Now is a great time to conjure up next steps. The challenge is that the product needs to not only benefit you but has components that benefit others.
Leo
King of Cups – Careful this is a moody week for you. The energy around you can set you off easily and you may come across as uncaring. So, the challenge is finding balance by being compassionate with yourself. This is not time apologizing for your behavior, but it is a perfect time being vulnerable and tell people how you are feeling. And if they can’t take f@$% them. Figuratively or literally.
Virgo
Two of Coins – It is a balancing act this week. It is essential that you figure out your priorities and then cut that list in half. The key to this week’s energy is flexibility and avoiding overwhelming yourself. This is not a week to multitask or jump from one project to the next.
Libra
*Fool – This week has the energy creating new beginnings if you are not reckless or naïve in its undertaking. If you feel you do not have all that you need to begin a project, now is not the time to rely on seat of the pants logic or free-spirited spontaneity. This week needs planning and preparation before embarking on a new project or direction.
Scorpio
Page of Cups – The energy this week is full of possibilities if you can only be vulnerable and follow your heart. Pull out your rose-colored glass and look for the good. The more positive and open hearted you are the easier solutions will be found. Open heart – Open mind.
Sagittarius
Nine of Swords – Last week you were dealing with the card of change and awakenings. It wanted you to find your fissures, fix what is fixable, and if too broken then it is time for a significant change. Luckily, you have another week to work on this. The energy this week of letting go helps you cope with the strains and fractures of your structures. Worry only about the things you have control to change.
Capricorn
Six of Coins – The energy this week is about investing and receiving. Share and you receive in return, but be warned that goes for good and bad energy. The challenge with this exchange is that it takes a serpentine and circuitous route coming back. So, receiving the gold or the coal can be from surprise sources.
Aquarius
*Wheel of Fortune – It is time to take a bit of control over your destiny by just showing up. Yes karma, fate and luck all come into play this week and nothing is a guarantee. But just indicating your wants will give you that bit of control you need and even the odds more in your favor.
Pisces
Page of Swords – A piece to the puzzle is hidden that you will need to solve a conundrum(s). Using your charm will get you the needed information. Be aware this hiding is not to undermine you. It is done out of ignorance. Also be warned, your intuition is likely to miss some of the facts. This week intellect is your ally.
Six of Cups – Last week the World card heralded the concepts surrounding completion and triumph versus incompletion and disappointment as your coming year’s driving force. This week’s energy has you starting that search in the past. Look for useful models about completion in personal and/or world history to help process and expand your knowledge on how to maintain resilience no matter the outcome.
*Universe – Another great energy for your birth month! Last week’s energy had you ponder: How does information from your past effect the planning of your future? And does this process to get to the future holding you back? Can you plan without knowing the outcome? Now the Universe card has you looking towards a more distant future. This energy asks you: If everything were possible and you had infinite energy how and what would you grow? This is a call from the Universe to evolve but it can only help you if you give it some ideas. So, think big!
*Wheel – This is the last month before your new birth year and the universe is giving you a chance to change your fortune for the coming year. It is pushing you to take a chance on yourself. Yes karma, fate and luck are all part of the cosmic design, but you can and do have some control of where the ball lands on the cosmic roulette table. Your part is to show up and make the bet to change your destiny. Yep you got to play, so what you going to do?
*Strength – So if anything, this time has taught you that you have control issues to work on, and that you need a lot of self-compassion to tame these inner demons. The amazing bit about this energy work you been doing is that your inner strength is getting stronger. This week’s energy will help you in taming your insecurities and self-doubt and make you more resilient to boot.
Page of Swords – The energy around you this week is not helping your restlessness, but you can let your curiosity tame your gitchiness. As you let your curiosity roam more ideas start popping up. This exercise will not only divert you but also take you on a better path than the one you are on now.
Three of Swords – Forgiveness is key to this week’s energy of suffering and sorrow. Stop licking your wounds and let them heal. Now is the time to move on and take a more optimistic look into your future.
*Death – The energy this week is about transitions. There are places in your life that need to end so others can begin. Utilize this energy like weeding a garden. You need more space for what you want to harvest, so something needs to give. Let what doesn’t work go.
*Fool – Last week’s energy had you pondering the concepts of nurturing versus smothering, codependence versus interdependence, and growth versus obstructions. If you did this, you are now giving yourself and others the space, time and energy to grow with just enough structure to feel rooted and secure. Which readies you for this week’s energy of new beginnings and spontaneity. Now you have the space to take advantage of the free spirit energy that prevails this week. If you did not do this pondering, you may fall on a foolish path. So think before you leap.
Eight of Cups – This week is about creating some space and simplification. You need the space to spread out your mind and body, but your environment is cluttered. So, clean out the closet, your inbox, and/or your desk, so you can walk away from the old and into the spacious horizon of the new.
Ace of Wands –This week’s energy is full of opportunity and potential, but you must stoke your fires of inspiration. Create a vision board, daydream, dig into social media platforms like Pinterest and Instagram to rouse your muses, write lists of your wishes, peer into fire and conjure visions. Now is the time for new beginnings.
Two of Coins – Balance is key this week. The more flexible you are the better you can attend to your priorities. This sounds like a paradox, but it is key to not overcommitting yourself and giving away time to do not actually have.
Page of Coins – This is a week of possibilities that lead to achievements and victories. You will need to be diligent to make it manifest but anything you put effort to will move towards success. This energy comes to validate that your dreams are flourishing, and you are moving towards goals you have wished and worked into being a while back.
Two of Coins – Last week, change was in the air if you didn’t try forcing it. The energy wanted you to work with the ebbs and flows of natural cycles. Sharing the job of creating movement with the universe continues this week. If you share the burden, you will feel less like you are spinning plates and/or overwhelmed. The part is to work on your balancing act and be flexible.
*Death – Change is in the air this week if you would just let go of trying to force it to happen. This energy wants you to work with the ebbs and flows of natural cycles. Though this downturn in energy feels like stagnation, it is actually waiting for you to sort out what you fear will change. Take your hand off the wheel and let the universe drive. 
*Judgement – Again big energy and I know you might be feeling wiped out. All of March was a roller coaster of forces guiding you through your triggers, compassion for the universe and yourself, challenged you to weed to find room for the new, and then asked you to connect deeply with your spirit to gain more information on how to lead by example. And now this week’s energy is about rebirth. Your challenge is to answer what has this past month taught you? What has awakened you to be closer to your calling and the understand of it? 
*Hanged Man – You are resisting using this time as a moment to gain perspective. You are percieving this energy delaying you, but it challenges you by asking delaying you from what? This is big energy and has the potential for you to stockpile this inert energy like a pulling back a rubber band. This time is just a pause a place to reset or to reimagine your destiny. Take this time to gather your strength and gain perspective on where to you want to go after this pause. 
Nine of Swords – Last week you were feeling the chaos like energy of the worldwide change. And you had to wrestle with the idea of not having control over these big outside forces of change. The forces advised controlling only your small sphere and then allowing the rest to wash over you like a wave. This week you are still grappling with letting go. Worries still needle you like tiny gnats. The energy this week advise you to focus on hope instead of hopelessness. 
Six of Coins – Last week you needed to heed and hone your inner voice. Looking for the hidden truths, the synchronicities and cycles. Your discoveries have you feeling as if you do not have enough resources to deal with this week’s energy. However, if you put selfcare first, you don’t have to be stingy with the rest of your energy. So, heed the phrase put the air-mask on yourself first before helping others with theirs. But keep in mind they do need help and you can expend yours. 
Ace of Coins – The energy of grounded beginnings is rumbling under you. This is a great week to start a new project. Do not loss this opportunity even though you may be staying at home. All seeds are started in the dark. This is a time to water some ideas and see what sprouts in the coming weeks. 
Messenger – There are messages all around you this week. Your spirit guides are in your midst, protecting and divining to you what is and isn’t important. You will get some straightforward clues but also look for hidden meanings in synchronicities. 
Nine of Coins – This week energy is about abundance and finding ways to reward yourself and others. However, luxuries have a new meaning at this time. What were you taking for grant that now this week has become a luxury? And how can you share and enjoy them with yourself and others? 
Four of Cups – The energy this week continues your need for mediation. Where last week you needed to pull away from the everyday to gain perspective, this week you will need to occasionally look to your outer sphere to gain a fuller picture. Try to divide your time in to ¾ introvertive behavior and the last 1/4 as an extrovert. 
Three of Coins – Relationships and creation are again the resonating energy this week. However where last week your investigation where in the notions of contentment and choice respectively. Putting energy into relationships that bring serenity and envisaging the implementation of creating is based in choice. This week there is less contemplation and more active collaboration. Even if you are stuck inside take time to zoom, skype or face time with others. You need people as bouncing boards and to challenge you to get to the next level, not to mention some playful banter to liven your spirits. 
Page of Cups – This week’s energy is about looking for the brighter side of things. Your sign is the one that inspires humanity and raise us up to the next level. So, use your curiosity and rose-colored glass envisioning you and us a brighter future. 
Page of Wands – Pull out your paintbrushes, crayons, pencils, scissors, glue, wood tools and create. The challenge with this creative energy is not about having a goal but about investigating your mediums. This energy is best used in discovery and exploration. Doing so will bring you closer to a place where movement can happen. 
Queen of Wands – The energy of courage has your back this week. Your environment needs your fierce take-charge energy right now. Do not doubt yourself or worth to others at this time. However, watch that you let people have their independent thoughts. This will stop them and you feeling overbearing. As I once heard someone say, don’t push me but you can lead me. San Diego Zoo 
*The Beyond – Taurus out of all the signs you have had to deal with a lot of energy coming at you. The past weeks have triggered your self-doubt and insecurities. But also guided you to self and universal compassion. And last week embodied the energies of change and transitions asking you take time to, figuratively and/or literally, weed and plant anew. You are the sign that grounds the world and represents the more maternal part of nature. In some ways your sign is feeling this pandemic the most, because as the first earth sign you are feeling the tremors of change in our collective deeper ground. This week the Beyond has shown up calling upon you to believe and seek higher meaning from your higher power. If you can find ways to connect with your spiritual plane, then you plow the way for others to find it too. Remember this isn’t about doing others work this is about doing yours. Lead by example. 
Four of Wands – The energy this week is the celebration of the small things. The little things that bring community and harmony into your life. Host a virtual beverage party with a few friends. Hang with your pet in your favorite spot in your abode. Talk to your indoor plants. Map the sun as it goes through your house and make sure you have a sunny spot you can hang in. These little things are what balances you more than then big events and changes. 
*Tower – You would think that you all would love all this home time. But you are also feeling the chaos like energy of the worldwide change that is happening. The best way for you deal with this is first realize you have no control over these big outside forces of change. And second do what you can within the breadth of your crabby claws to make ease in your small sphere. There is an awakening happening, dig in and allow it to wash over you like a wave. 
*High Priestess – This is a week to heed and hone your inner voice. Your intuition and subconscious are working overtime. However, this is a land of metaphoric formations. Look for the hidden truths, the synchronicities and cycles. By sifting through the inner planes, you will see a clearer path in the outer one. 
Four of Pentacles – The energy this week is about conservation. Let go of anything that feels in excess, unused or no longer working. Take this time to declutter your space, time and mind. This is about using your resources carefully. Energy goes where the focus goes. This week will help you focus it in more constructive places. 
Knight of Wands – This week is filled with antsy energy. The best way to work with this is to get active and creative. Sing at the top of your lungs, dance while vacuuming, go through old magazines and collage. This action does not need a goal it just needs release. 
Five of Cups – Last week you were in the mists and now the fog has cleared. Acceptance and forgiveness are the keys to moving on. Do not let pessimism or regret come into play. Find the positives, give them your energy and leave the negatives behind. 
*Hermit – Another week of self-discovery is in store for you. Get some alone time to do some much needed soul searching. The challenge with this card is that you can hermitize but not isolate yourself. Being the hermit gains you enough space from civilization to get a deeper and broader perspective on your life and where it is going. By the end of this week answer the questions: Am I ready for another year of this life? Or is it time to start to envision the changes I need to make to gain the life I want? 
*Lovers – Relationships and creation are key components to focus on this week. And the heart of this investigation lies within the notions of contentment and choice respectively. Put energy into relationships that bring serenity and envisage the implementation of creation is based in choosing. Then see how these applications of serenity and choice feels in the broader picture. Think and do more like an abstract painting. Look how the colors and brush strokes feel next to each other. It is less about technique and more about emotional experimental mixing/creating. The challenge is you won’t know the painting is done until it is. 
Page of Wands – Last week, the task was finding moments of silence, synchronicities and moon beams to guide you to opportunities and solutions that were hidden in the light of day. Luckily you get another week of discovery and exploration. The challenge is how to be a free spirit when the world is “stay in place.” A hint, follow your passions and your imagination. 
Four of Cups – To make it through this week you need to find time and space to mediate. Now the challenge is when you try stopping your mind you end up going down rabbit holes of questions. Which end up with you withdrawing into self-loathing or other negative thought patterns. So, the key is working on the skills of contemplation. The definition of contemplation is the action of looking thoughtfully at something for a long time. So, when you are thinking, no questions, judgements, or what ifs, just utilize only certainties and the action of acceptance of what is.
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