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December 8 through December 14, 2025

A fairly calm week awaits, with only one hardly noticeable astrological shift when Neptune turns direct on Wednesday. Because of its proximity to Earth and its slow orbit, it’s practically a non-event. However, over the coming weeks, we will start to notice a more vibrant energy around us as we move toward more soulful and fulfilling activities and connections, so stay tuned! For those of us who celebrate the holidays, there will be a shift in focus toward upcoming events, and under the Leo Moon, we’ll start to gear up and take direct action for the celebrations afoot. The Virgo Moon will give us a bit of a pause on Wednesday and Thursday, as we stop to attend to financial or health problems that need to be rebalanced before the year ends. The rest of the week is also about balance as we’re under the influence of a Libra Moon Friday through Sunday. During this cycle, we’ll be inspired to restore order or update our living quarters, renew those friendships we address once a year (through phone calls or Holiday cards), and seek out a more balanced daily schedule to get us through to the end of the year.

World’s Smallest Problem-Solver Tarot Spread, by T. Susan Chang

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

When it comes to tarot spreads, I am a great believer in keeping it very, very, very simple. As is true for many readers, my first real experience with tarot spreads was the Celtic Cross, that hoary old standby with its spooky, spell-like phrasing: What covers you....what crosses you...what lies behind you, etc. etc. I enjoyed the incantatory rhythm of the Celtic Cross, and the way it invited long, pondering insights from both client and reader.

CLIENT: Should I act on my crush?
CELTIC CROSS: Let's examine why you're asking that question! or: Let's reframe the problem! or Love yourself first!

With its 10 talkative cards, the Celtic Cross offers a huge holistic download of information. Sometimes that can be an excuse for not really answering the question—either because we're not sure we can, or because we don't think it's a constructive question, or because we feel it ought to be re-framed in a more affirming light. These are all valid motivations. We want to help the people we're reading for, and we want them to experience the reading as positive. We don't want a starkly phrased question to lead to melodrama and angst. On the other hand, as the late, great Rachel Pollack once said to me, "Who am I to say whether the question is good or bad?"

The Celtic Cross always offers depth, and sometimes offers clarity, but what I so often found was that the person sitting with me wanted answers. And over the years I found that sometimes the best way to get them is JUST TO ANSWER THE QUESTION.

If I want to know whether it's a good idea to quit my job and try something new, I don't necessarily need to know everything about how my insecurities get in the way, or how my friends and family influence my decision, what could possibly go wrong and whether that is likely happen, and so forth.

Honestly, all I really need is two cards. Card One: Suppose I stay at my job. Card Two: Suppose I try something new. And while weaving in and out of the labyrinth of connections in a big spread may make me feel fully seen and heard by the forces of the cosmos, it also might help me put off any kind of actual decision.

Over the years, the two-card reading has become the little black dress of my tarot wardrobe. And there is one two-card reading in particular that I absolutely, positively cannot do without. I use it for myself, I use it for friends, I use it for strangers—and I hope you will use it too. Let's call it the World's Smallest Problem Solver Spread—or maybe just The Problem Solver. Because, as I've been trying to hint, life is short.

The Problem-Solver Tarot Spread
To use the Problem Solver, you're only going to have to draw two cards. ACTUALLY, you're only going to have to draw ONE card. The other one you're going to choose, on purpose.

Card #1: The Problem.

One of the core principles I teach in my new book, The Living Tarot, is this: Everything in life is in tarot. Rather than looking at the card—which forces you to extrapolate from the keyword in the little white book ("Energy! Authority! Balance!" Huh?)—look around you. Your rollerball pen is not a tarot card. But if it were, what would it be? The Ace of Wands? Close enough! This is what I call, "Tarot Backwards" (Chapter 2): we start with the thing itself, and then we figure out where it lands in tarot.

So, using our tarot Backwards technique, let's ask: What's the problem? Is it romantic disappointment? Work drama? Writer's block? Whatever it is, choose a card to describe it—and don't be too fussy. The 8 of Swords may not be a flawless portrait of your inability to finish your novel, but today, it's close enough!

Here are a few suggestions for cards and the problems they might represent. Of course, there are no wrong ways to do this, so feel free to come up with your own:

I recently gave this spread a spin with my online Living Tarot class. The results were fascinating. For example, Bette had the brilliant idea to use the 7 of Cups to represent her journey with ADHD, with which she'd been diagnosed at age 57. With its beclouded, phantasmagoric display of distractions, the 7 of Cups seemed like an apt representation for a mind pulled in too many directions. Her solution card? The 4 of Swords! Looking at the symbolism of the cards, it was easy to imagine the chaos of the 7 of Cups slipping into a contained "frame" in the stained glass corner window of the 4 of Swords.

Bette told us how the "Power of the Pause" (a concept used in ADHD coaching) had transformed her mental landscape, helping her to slow down and process; how a practice of "inner sensing" helped her find her "transcendent point" on the way to regaining focus. As always, I was struck by how simply and elegantly tarot spoke both to the challenge and its resolution.

Another reader, Tina, chose the 3 of Swords to represent the heartbreak she'd been going through with her younger sister. We talked about the visual parallels between the two figures on the cards in her deck, the Rose Tarot. We used astrological correspondences to consider the Saturnine remoteness of the 3 of Swords (Saturn in Libra) versus the solar immediacy of the Strength card (corresponding with Sun-ruled Leo). We talked about the contrast between rain and sun in the Rider-Waite-Smith versions. And we talked about the way maintaining a positive and heart-centered yet also strong and non-deferential posture might produce healing for both Tina and her sister.

As is always the case with tarot, there is no single right method for interpreting even a single card. Some may look first at the images themselves, at symbols and the body language of the figures on the card. For others, the cards might be a personal window that opens onto past memories and dreams. For others, the meaning comes to life through keywords and esoteric correspondences.

With time, the same spread with the same cards can evolve, yielding different meanings as our circumstances change. This, I believe, is because tarot is an infinitely flexible language, but the story it tells is always the story of our own lives. As we grow and change, so do our cards—and there is no better companion on our lifelong journey than the living, breathing tarot.

Once you've completed your Problem-Solution card, take a moment to stand back and appreciate it. You may "get it" instantly, or it might take a little while. Even if the answer seems obvious, don't dismiss it too quickly. You can take a picture on your phone (maybe even set it as your wallpaper for a couple days). You can carry the cards around in your wallet, or put them under your pillow. You can write a spell. For as long as the problem remains a live issue in your life, make sure you have easy access to the reading and allow its layers to unfold. When the issue resolves, the spread's work is done.

I share lots of simple techniques like this one in The Living Tarot: Connecting the Cards to Everyday Life for Better Readings. Whether you're a veteran reader with decades of client work under your belt, or you just bought your first deck yesterday, I hope you'll find many ways to strengthen and refresh your practice in its pages!

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2023. All rights reserved.

About ten years ago, my son and I saw an orb in our home. It was smaller than a tennis ball and looked like liquid smoke with swirling marble rainbow colours inside it. It had a vapourous, smoking, trailing tail. It was just floating by as easy as a surfer riding a wave. It floated by just under the ceiling. It felt like it was just minding its own business, saying, How's it going, just passing through. I'm looking to find out what this could have been. Also, could I call it to help me in order to find other answers? Thank you.

~Bobbie

Susyn:

Orbs are fascinating. While some can be seen by the naked eye, most are only discovered when they show up in photographs. Digital cameras are effective at capturing these images, so if you haven't seen this orb in ten years, you may want to take a few pictures of the ceiling where you first spotted it. You may also want to photograph your son in this same area to see if it's still around.

Rainbow orbs are often representative of loved ones who have died. If you suffered the loss of a loved one around this time, it's possible that this orb was a sign from them to let you know they were all right. If you had other experiences that related to this specific loved one at the time, you can consider this just one of many signs they were sending your way. You may have been able to interact with the orb at the time, but because so many years have passed, that is probably no longer an option.

This lighted orb could also represent a spirit guide or angel who took this form to catch your attention. It may not have had any specific message for you other than a signal that they were near. The most telling indicator of the nature of such a being is how you respond to it emotionally. You were not frightened or concerned, and got the impression that this orb carried an easy-going, just-passing-through energy.

Orbs are not always spirits of people we have known; they can be random entities who happen into your home. While there are orbs of a playful nature, some can be annoying, for they embody sprites or tiny entities that have chosen to invade your home. As it doesn't sound like this is what happened in your case, I see no reason for concern.

Because you have not seen this orb for over ten years, it's unlikely that you can call on it to return or help you with other questions you may have. Even if additional orbs show up in the photographs you take, unless there are many of them, you will not be able to call upon them for spiritual help or direction.

However, since both you and your son were able to see this orb, it's clear that you have clairvoyant or psychic skills you can develop. With these gifts, you can connect directly with spirits to get further information. At some point, you may even be able to call in loved ones or spirit guides and access messages and spiritual guidance from them for yourself and others.

When a person has an experience like this, more are sure to follow. As you continue to reach for greater awareness and watch for future orbs or signs of spirit, your ability to perceive and communicate with these entities will grow stronger.

*****

Oceania:

What a blessing to have witnessed this unusual phenomena with your son. Together you observed a rare atmospheric condition known as ball lightning, which usually occurs during a thunderstorm. Sharing an extraordinary event can be a bonding experience because it creates a shared memory the two of you can enjoy for a lifetime.

Some memorable shared events can be planned for. I just watched the solar eclipse of May 20 with loved ones through a homemade pinhole box. Other wondrous occurrences like ball lightning, a stunning rainbow or spectacular sunset can arise without notice.

Scientists have conflicting theories about why and how ball lightning forms, but these swirling orbs manifest in all sizes and colors. They often appear to leave a trail like the tail you described. Some fly by quickly while others mosey along at a slow pace, like your surfer riding a wave.

Although they are visually fascinating, it is important to avoid touching them just as you would avoid direct contact with any form of electricity. Some balls dissipate silently while others discharge with a boom like the thunder that accompanies traditional lightning.

You and your son can document and share your experience at the following website, which is an online forum dedicated to ball lightning stories. You might be surprised by the number of accounts that are similar to your own. For example, a passenger on a commercial jet saw a glowing sphere the size of a softball drift down the center aisle when the plane passed through a thunderstorm.

Some of the observed balls appear to be filled with smoke while others seem to contain tendrils of multi-colored lights. You can purchase a small plasma ball online, which resembles ball lightning and might serve as a fun reminder of your experience.

Since you asked about receiving answers from the orb, it seems you are hungry for guidance. It is sometimes easier to connect with our inner wisdom when we project it outside of us, where it can be reflected back to us. This is one reason people often find answers in tarot cards. A similar means of accessing inner truth is to focus on an object or mental image that holds meaning for you while asking it questions. It could be a blossoming flower, a flickering candle or the mesmerizing ball that sailed down your hallway.

Although this enchanting orb dissipated long ago, the image is still fresh in your mind, so I invite you meditate on that image and see if an answer takes shape for you.

Astrea:

Many times in life we hear, "You will always have what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANT." Your spirit must have needed to experience the feeling of leaving your human body, and the suggestion in the next chapter of Sylvia Brown's book was all it took to get you there.

Even though you hadn't read it yet, your SOUL recognized the title of that chapter as something it had been seeking, and your soul, knowing that you had that reference to read after your experience, got with it and out you went!

While I don't usually recommend her books, Sylvia Brown has a wide reaching and powerful effect on lots of people. A Gemini like you would be able to relate easily to her writing and put it to good use. Synchronicity - you gotta love it!

I like your description of "getting caught." That's exactly what it feels like, isn't it? One minute you're free and hovering above the room, and the next minute, ZAP! back down into your corporeal form you go!

As a little kid, I loved that "feeling of return." With practice, most of the time we can control that event, but sometimes, when our physical ears hear a distracting noise or something else occurs to knock us back into reality, back we go. With practice you will be able to control your return better.

I find it interesting that you were visiting your mother-in-law and not someone in your own genetic family. Evidently, you and your husband got married for reasons that are even deeper than love. His family's interest in "psychic stuff" will nurture your children in such matters and help them to grow into their own abilities.

You'll never have to be concerned that when your daughter visits them, she'll be discouraged from exploring her own psychic life and power. My parents encouraged me to develop my psychic senses in a time when it wasn't nice to even discuss such things in public. Heck, it's STILL not considered a great topic at the dinner table in some families!

Your kids will get to talk about it ALL and ask questions and read and study. This is going to give them such an edge in life! Talk with your husband about how you want to present this to your kiddos, so that you are united in your approach and ready to tell them their experiences are all natural and okay.

A word or two of warning: Geminis often have difficulty staying grounded in REAL LIFE. Don't get so strung out on your ASTRAL life that you neglect what you're doing here on Earth.

You are at the beginning of a long journey to learn where your power really lies. Try to be patient with this process and take your time.