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.
Ace of Cups – During this intermediary time and space this energy nudges you to contemplate emotional beginnings. This is a great week to start new relationships or take a relationship to the next level. Share the love you have with the lens for relationships to grow they must have a solid foundation to grow in and the freshness of air and water to sustain them.
Eight of Coins – As the years switch your contemplation is around mastering your skills. You have achieved much this past year. Going forward is less about learning something new and more about fine tuning skills or projects you already have mastered. What do you want to work on in the coming year? What do you want to take to the next level.
*Devil – As you transition from one year to the next, the cards have you look at how you successfully passed tests of 2019, and contemplating if you had to be tested on something for 2020 what would it be. You see once you pass a test you do not have to do it again. Contemplate the freedom of that.
Ten of Wands – Your transitional contemplation is the area of burden. What do you carry that you do not have to? Does the sense of obligation, expectation or ego make you do more than you need to? You do not need to do it all in 2020.
Ace of Swords – As the world turns for another year the cards have you pondering. Pondering is great if you are learning, communicating and making decision. The time for pondering for pondering sake is done. In 2020 new thought moving to new action is required.
Eight of Wands – Your transitional mediation is around information. When you look back what information do you load your quiver with for the coming year. And then with that information what positive outcomes would you launch into 2020. What would be the prize at the end of those arrows arc? Shoot for the stars.
Nine of Coins – This transitional week’s contemplation is about prosperity and isolation. For the sign that is all about relationships, this is a come to Jesus moment that you do better work with fewer people around. And if this is impossible your mediation is on creating a sacred space where you can prosper and have control on who gets in for 2020.
Two of Swords – This transitional energy for your musing is about making decisions. What decisions would you have changed last year or didn’t make because you felt you didn’t know which was the right one? With that information, in 2020 make decisions that go more for how you want to feel and less about the outcome or goal.
Four of Swords – Did you get enough sleep? Are you eating well? Have you taken care of yourself? These are the questions that you need to contemplate in this transitional period. In 2020 you will need to be in tip top shape, but it is up to you to take the time to take care of your body, mind and spirit.
Six of Swords – The energy during this transition of time is about simplification. 2020 will hold a lot of motion and for you to sail smoothly, you need to carry less cargo and have a narrower focus. Your contemplation is around what do you need that is vital to you going forward and put your energy into that.
Two of Cups – Your interim contemplation is around harmony and cooperation in your close relationships and with yourself. Do you feel like your relationships were emotional balanced in 2019? Was there enough romance? If yes or no feeding those bonds of love are vital. You all tend to pull back or stay in the air to cope and concentrate. Love is what grounds you. Invest in it in 2020.
*Hanged Man – Your contemplation is the concept of suspension. Are you ever truly inert? Is there a mind-space where you can stop your thoughts? Can you just be? Why does the feeling of not “going” bother you? Can you find peace in a moment? Just think, if you allowed yourself the time, space and belief to brainstorm, ponder and think outside the box, what 2020 might feel like. Meditation is the key to 2020.
Two of Swords – This week making decisions can seem difficult. Too many options or not enough. You are wanting decision-making to be clear. Heres’ the rub with this energy, it’s not the decision that is important but the journey you want to go on. Either choice will get you to where you want to go, but each path brings a different mood. Pick the path by how you want to feel.
King of Swords – The energy this week is best used in big picture planning. In fact, the challenge is you loosing the big picture by homing in on the details. It doesn’t mater how you get there if the why is intact.
Ace of Cups – All aces bring new beginnings into your life. This week the energy will be focusing on your emotions. The only challenge with this card is can you be open enough to the gifts that are around you and are wanting to propel you forward.
Ace of Swords – Last week, the Wheel’s energy was about changing your fortune. And getting you ready for the eclipse that happens on December 26th by figuring out where you are going to hook your cables to charge the next 12 years. Lucky for you, you have another week to spend pondering. This week’s energy will help you focus your thoughts; however, the challenge is thinking forward not into the past.
Eight of Swords – This week’s energy is a challenging one. Your thoughts can bind you and your progress. The best way to tame this energy is to just let go of a couple of negative thought patterns. You don’t have to tackle all of them but try to let go of at least two to give you a threshold to walk out of your thoughts.
Page of Swords – Investigation is key this week. Information and conversations are not as clear as they could be, so your challenge is asking more questions. Inquiry and listening are the skills you will need to gather important information this week.
Ten of Wands – Last week, the Hermit advised you, space was needed to gain perspective and grounding. This week’s energy is vastly different. You will need to be involved in the World, but hopefully with last week’s energy you gain some perspective on what is crucial to do and what responsibilities at least for this week can be put off. The problem is you taking on too much either out of wanting to get it all done or feelings of obligation. Your challenge is focusing on one thing until it is complete or as close as you can get before moving to the next item. And no feeling guilty that even you in super-person mode can get it all done.
Six of Coins – This week’s energy is all about Karma. Be very aware of doing no harm this week. The more good vibes you send out the more you will get in return. The challenge however is this works with negative energy too. The tidbit to know is the payback will not always be quick nor will it always come from where it was given.
*Justice – LOL you wait until the last week to get the theme for next year – Justice. Justice’s energy rules the balancing act of head and heart. Next year will be great for anything analytical, planning, writing, communication, research. They are all good if they have a practical application as well as a philosophical one. Your lessons with this energy are around the forms of justice – right and wrong especially when judging others. In ancient Egypt a dead person’s heart was weighed against the Feather of Truth. This will be your challenge – will your thoughts and actions balance out with your heart’s truth? And the concept of what is the retribution of a wrongdoing or is there even one? (for more info and insight on the myth 
Nine of Swords – The energy this week leads to overthinking and worrying. Perhaps because you all are coming into your final week before your birthday month. And/Or you are feeling the weight of Jupiter, planet of expansion, about to shift into your sign. The challenge around this week’s energy is to work with the worries you can fix. Worries are a byproduct of your analytical mind. However, the concerns that are not solvable are not worth the mental energy so let them go.
Three of Coins – This week is about collaboration and cooperation. Ask for help when you need it. Listen to others’ opinions. You will get more done and your work will be better for it.
Seven of Swords – This week’s energy is victorious; however, the test is that these victories cannot be lauded over or gotten in unscrupulous ways. Therefore, your challenge is making sure that your actions align with your morals.
*Emperor – Last week’s energy helped you with the processes of change. Telling you that, the more balanced you are with your goals the easier change can happen. This week’s energy adds builder energy to the mix. The combination of these two cards are great for building anything already in progress. Doing things with your hands and your body will help you connect to this energy of momentum. This can look as simple as rearranging your furniture or as complex as building a new product in your business.
*Devil – You roll into December feeling as if you are in mid-terms. There is a sense of completion if you could just finish your tasks. The key to getting through this week’s trials is sticking to your morals/plans. However, the challenge of that is two fold. First, you feel irritable and easily unbalanced by distractions this week. Also, you will need to listen to others this week even though you don’t agree. This energy has karmic threads tied to it, so the more tested you feel the more important it is to make sure you are on your moral ground before saying your peace. 
*Sun – The Sun brings with it the energy to do what is needed. Anything you do this week should come with ease if you focus energy on it. The challenge with this energy is focusing the right amount of attention on each project/person. Think of it like this, lasers are great for cutting away something but not so good for growth. Where a more ambient light is great for growth. Or soft light is great for viewing a landscape but sucky for details. Or candlelight is better for conversations and romance. All of these are light energy, but each has a purpose and a mood. This will be your fine-tuning challenge for this week.
King of Cups – Last week’s energy was creating opportunities in all areas, physical, emotional, mental and spiritual planes. Asking you questions like: Does this get me to where I want to be in five years? Does this feel right? Is this interesting to me? Does it connect to my purpose? This week’s energy drills down this idea of looking at your future on how you want to feel moving through it. This is a week to trust your feelings. They can feel overwhelming but that is a great time to pull back and sit in them. You don’t have to be scare of owning your feelings, and you can pull back to do that if that is comfortable for you. The big challenge is not running from them. They are opportunities of discovery.
Two of Wands – This week is best used by overall planning and designing what’s next. You can use this energy to go through emails or stuff to lighten your load, but this energy needs to be pointed towards the future. If a project is stuck let it drop and focus on the bigger picture, the details can be better handle in weeks to come.
Four of Coins – The energy this week is all about frugalness. You can do a lot during this time even though it feels as if there is not enough time, space or money. Also, this is when your sign rises to the occasion. You all are masters at making a dime stretch to a dollar’s worth. The limitation of resources brings out your creative response – use it to your advantage.
Two of Cups – The last two weeks have been high energy. The Death card’s energy was about letting something die off, and the Empress came in with strong growth energy to follow. This week the energy is lower and has the potential of being more fun. Romance and relationships are in the spotlight. The challenge is tending to the easiest of your relationships. They are the ones that feed you as much as you feed them.
*Magician – Bring the divine into the world is your task this week. Your dreams and ideas are asking you to bring them into reality. This universe is saying you are ready for the challenge. You have all the tools and lessons needed to create something new. This can be as simple as putting together a bike for your kid, or as complicated as starting the steps to bring your dream business into reality. The only challenge is you might have to hurry because even miracles take a little time – Fairy Godmother in Cinderella.
Nine of Coins – Another material plane week for you. Last week it was about enjoying the material plane with others. This week it is more about enjoying solitude. There is plenty of work to be done but this energy is best used when you are alone, or you have a finite group of people to work with. Your challenge is finding that alone time.
Two of Swords – Well last week was a decision-making time and this week follows another round of making decisions and planning. The big challenge with this energy is feeling like there are too many options and you don’t know where to go next. What this tries to teach you is that even though this feels like a crossroads, it is not. The decision or goal is not important but the journey. If it doesn’t feel right don’t do it. This is a week to follow the heart for it will guide the mind.
*Emperor – The energy this week is about building on what already exist. This is not a week to create something new. The challenge is making sure what you’re building helping others and is not from a place of hubris. My way or the highway thinking will get you nowhere. Build to create community not a regime.
*Hermit – You are at your best this week if you can gain perspective and some distance literally and metaphorically. You need time to hear yourself think and ponder. So, any quiet time you find will be vital for decision making, scheduling and planning going forward. The only challenge with this card is you must tell people you are taking time out otherwise they will think you ghosted them. Communication is vital before you take a hiatus of any kind. This can look as simple as taking a walk for 20 minutes each workday to readjust or as complex as taken a week long sabbatical.
Seven of Pentacles – Another great week to put time and effort into how you make your money. The Seven of Pentacles is the work horse card. Spend this week investing ways that will bring you material wealth. The only challenge with this card is having patience. This week is great for planting ideas/time/space; however, you will have to wait till late fall to see its bounty.
Queen of Swords – The Queen of Swords can play out two ways this week. First, because you are a true friend and have integrity, you might feel called to protect someone or idea. Second, your intellect is honed to see the smallest cracks in any project or process. However, the common challenge is when defending or helping you tend to be a bit too pointy in your communications and/or parlays. So, the question to work on is – how can you say and/or do your truth without coming off as being judgmental?
Eight of Cups – The Eight of Cups is the card of letting go. Whether it is emotional or physical baggage this is a great week to prioritize and simplify. This card is a mini-turning point in your life. So, look around your physical and internal landscapes and get rid of what no longer fits the you of NOW.
Nine of Cups – The Nine of Cups continues the theme of last week’s Sun card. The Sun closed out your birth month with its energy of growth and increasing your person shine. This card is about enjoying life’s abundance and being content with what is in the now. Take this week to partake and be grateful for all that you have.
King of Cups– Last week the Hierophant declared a theme for 2019-2020 – organization and structure. This week the King of Cups ask you to put responsibility aside and celebrate your birth. This King rules your emotional well-being, and he wants you to party, fall deeply in love, fill your cups and enjoy life overall. The only caution with this Bacchian vibe is be careful of overindulgence.
Nine of Pentacles – The Nine of Pentacles advice, this is a good week to get things accomplished and easier if you spend your productive time alone. This is not calling for you to be totally isolated but when or if you decide to invite others in choice wisely. Outsiders can be a distraction to your efficiency.
King of Pentacles – Last week, The Death card declared it was great time to start the ball rolling to create change in places that have bottom out, dead-ended or ran out of oomph. The goal was and is to weed out the dead growth so new things can grow in its stead. This week the King of Pentacles gives you a bit more control on the process and outcome than last week. Where last week was more go with the flow, this week is more hands on. This card brings with it the momentum to finish up or clean out projects that have spilled over from last week. The challenge is still not to start anything new but to finish up or build upon the old.
Seven of Cups – The Seven of Cups is the card of imagination and wishes. This is a great week to daydream and fantasy about what would satisfy your heart ie: make you content with love and relationships. There is a paradoxically challenge with this card and week. One side is challenging you that you are not dreaming or living big enough and the other is that your dreams play out in your life as more fantasy then fiction. The key dream bigger with love while being also realistic of human nature.
Page of Swords – When the Page of Swords shows up it means that you do not have all the information you need to move forward or make decisions this week. Take this time to put on your Sherlock hat and find out what is going on behind the scenes. The challenge is posing the right questions and listening to the answers with an open mind.
Knight of Cups – The Knight of Cups is the card of romance and people/places or things that stir your heart. This week take time to do all things that fill your emotion well. The only challenge with this card is you may wear your heart on your sleeve. This is not always a comfortable position for Capricorn’s hearts to be, but it is important to share some vulnerability and insight into what stirs you with those that you are close to. Intimacy is vital for the human experience.
*Moon – The Moon realms the realm of things that are hidden. Everything is not what it seems this week, and there is information that you need to process. This week is dealt with best when you open your mind to your intuition to find your path through the fog. This is a great week to daydream or follow your wimsy instead of cold hard facts and logic. And by doing so, you unlock some subconscious info that you will need soon. The challenge is when you are having to deal with the outer world. Be aware this week you can feel vulnerable and/or moody when pushed to make decisions in this misty moonlight. If you must move forward, follow your instinct instead of your logic.
Seven of Wands – The Seven of Wands is the card of challenges. This card foretells that this week can have some struggles, but they are important for you furthering your opportunities. The challenge is not to get discourage these trials are short lived and easily solved. Motto: Keep on Keeping on.
*Moon – The Moon card comes to light when you need to investigate the darker parts of your subconscious – lighting a fear. This anxiety or fear can be grounded in truth, and the Moon’s reflective light reveals the fact or fantasy of it. This can look as simple as if you are walking down the street and get a hint that someone is following you, don’t blow it off. Walk with courage to a well lite area with people, say Hi to someone and then turn around. Or a more complex situation of confronting an anxiety and dissecting it to see if it is based in reality. In both scenario your intuition and feelings are something to listen to but not let them overwhelm you.
Eight of Cups – The Eight of Cups is the spring-cleaning card. This card can literally mean you need to do some spring cleaning in your home or metaphorically any area of your life. Open the windows air, out your linens, and vacuum the dust bunnies from under your bed. There is a witchy ritual where you sweep out your front door sweep out the bad vibes. If you don’t have a broom to do that then at least clean out the bag/canister in your vacuum cleaner.
Five of Wands – Second five in a row, so let’s dive into the meaning of five. Fives are the cards of chaos where the chaos brings out things that are hidden or things that can sweep us away. Last week the chaos had you uncovering the positive and negatives in your life and asking you to choose the positive perspective. This week the Five of Wands looks at the chaotic energy you allow in from others. You have a choice whether to play in the chaos or simple turn around and walk away. The challenge with either choice is not getting swept up into or trigger by the drama of others.
Ten of Cups – The Ten of Cups is the rainbow card. It advises us to celebrate even after a storm. The challenge is seeing that happiness is not the absence of pain. Pain can co-exist with happiness without canceling it out.
Page of Cups – Time to pull out your rose-colored glasses. The Page of Cups advises you that this week no matter what happens to find the silver lining and the rainbow. You need an injection of naivety, play and an innocent perspective, even though that grumpy lion-ic side wants to roar. This week it’s all about your inner cub.
*Hierophant – This is card that Virgo feels comfortable in as long as you don’t get to self-critical. The Hierophant advise you to work on structures and efficiency this week. This can look as simple as oiling the door hinge that squeaks. Or as complex as fixing your money or schedule so that you are no longer broke at the end of the month or too tired at the end of the week.
Three of Wands – The Three of Wands advise you to do some planning before diving into projects this week. The best use of this time is focusing on how to make the work run smoothly. Think of yourself as the guy on the tarmac that guides the plane into the gate. The challenge is having foresight and peripheral vision for things to line up.
Two of Pentacles – Juggling is the name of the game this week with the Two of Pentacles. The challenge with this card is getting too brash. Make sure you start out simple and have two items/things/people on your plate and once you do that well then you can add another “ball” to the mix. This week a misstep can be a mishap.
Seven of Coins – The Seven of Coins is the worker bee card. This week’s energy is best used working your butt off. All the things you do and partake in this week fertilize and grow your productivity for the coming summer months. This is a week to start projects/plant seeds, weed projects in progress, exchange seeds, direct people in helping to tend the garden, water relationships, etc… Use this gardening metaphor to the fullest so you can harvest in the Fall.
Queen of Swords – Last week the Hierophant and Eight of Wands had some spiritual messages having you create a deeper meaning and structure to your life. Lucky for you the Queen of Swords is helping you with another week of this esoteric challenge. She is the card of critical thinking. So, take this week to do some Socratic questioning on the concepts of meaning itself to help complete the blueprint of the structures that you need.
Six of Swords – Last week, the Justice card said all things are just and fair, but it may take a while to see it play out. Justice challenged you to see the truth in situations and yourself without the lens of emotion. Reminding you that you can’t control every aspect of this life and by letting go of some of the control you let Justice takes its course justly. This concept still rings true this week. The only added advice that the Six of Swords is giving is to “let go” you need to simplify your life. Also, this card reminds you if you are stuck in how to do that, water either its rhythm or water itself can help you realize where and what to pare down.
Eight of Coins –The Eight of Coins is the card of mastery. You challenge is to use this energy to up your game at how you make money. Whether that is learning a new skill, honing an old skill, networking, refreshing your website/LinkedIn page, etc.., it is all business this week.
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