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February 3 through February 9, 2025

We'll want to mark Monday as a "reset" day before the week gets off to a running start. Complete projects, regroup, and get organized under the Aries Moon. Tuesday is a mixed bag as Jupiter resumes forward motion and Venus moves into Aries. Both these planetary shifts are conducive to advanced movement, and with the Moon traveling through manifesting Taurus Tuesday and Wednesday, we should be able to get new projects off the ground or a lot accomplished! We'll be surfing the information highway as the Moon cruises through Gemini on Thursday and Friday, doing lots of research, brainstorming with others, or reaching out to connect with people we haven't heard from in a while. A few surprises could arise as we seek out new information, a gift of the Sun's move through Aquarius! So we could encounter a long-lost friend on social media or learn new health or financial options that haven't been available up to now. We can plan on an easy-going weekend as the Moon cruises through Cancer, sticking close to home and simply relaxing.

The Fullness of Shadow Work, by Christine Jette

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

When I finished the manuscript for Tarot Shadow Work in 1999, I didn't believe I could write one more thing about tarot and the shadow. I was wrong. Time has passed and I am able to revisit the book with a more objective viewpoint. I originally wrote that I used only the 22 cards of the Major Arcana because shadow work is a spiritual endeavor. While this is true, it's time for writer honesty: the concept of using 78 cards eluded me in the beginning. Four years later, I know how to use an entire tarot deck when doing shadow work and the Llewellyn Journal is the perfect place to share my expanded ideas on it.

Taking my cue from astrology, the Major Arcana cards represent the WHAT of shadow work, a description of the shadow and what its challenges and gifts entail. The Court Cards are the HOW and WHO of shadow work—how the shadow presents itself in personality development and whom we draw to us for our life lessons. The Minor Arcana depict the WHERE of shadow work, or in what department of life the shadow is operating.

The Major Arcana (Numbers 0-21), The Fool through the World, speak to you of both life lessons and life wisdom: those qualities being tested and developed, your gifts and challenges, karma and the reasons you are here. The twenty-two cards symbolize spiritual development and help you understand your place in the world. The "Greater Secrets" will point to the higher overview of life and give you insights into the "big picture." They will also hint at your healing potential and what lies in the shadows. (See the appendix in Tarot Shadow Work for more information.)

The Minor Arcana, or "lesser secrets," offer information along the planes of existence: Wands, spiritual creativity in everyday life; Cups, emotions and feelings; Swords, psychological well being/the mind; and, Pentacles, physical reality and the body. When the different suits shows up in a reading, ask yourself: What action can I take? (Wands) What am I feeling or dreaming about? (Cups) What am I thinking or what decision needs to be made? (Swords) Because Pentacles explore issues of food, housing, money, work, the body, and physical health, ask yourself: What do I value?

In life, there is no separation between body, emotion, mind, and spirit. It is impossible for something to happen to us without all four levels of existence being affected. It is likewise impossible to change without attending to these same four levels of being. Life does not fall neatly into categories. Because stress or concerns at any level affect all levels, the lines sometimes blur.

No other cards in the tarot deck have more interpretations than the Court Cards. Just pick up any three tarot books and compare. It's mind-boggling. We all have qualities that are traditionally associated with masculine and feminine ways of being. For instance, a woman can be competitive and a man can be nurturing. Be aware that the King and Knight can represent a woman and the Queen can symbolize a man. The gender or "occupation" of the court card is less important than the qualities it describes.

Pages can represent a child, but they also introduce the element of their suit, the willingness to change, risk, or learn something new. Pages can symbolize the catalyst needed for change and the child within us all. Pages also carry messages related to their suit: Telephone calls or significant e-mail (Page of Wands); important dreams (Page of Cups); written warnings (Page of Swords); and messages from your body, especially in the form of illness: What is your body trying to tell you (Page of Pentacles)?

Knights represent young adults or someone starting over, focusing on a specific task through their suit, be it creative (Wands), emotional (Cups), psychological (Swords) or physical (Pentacles). Our "knightly" qualities include being energetic, daring, headstrong and goal oriented. Knights show movement and action through their suits.

Queens are mature. They take their understanding of life inward and use this life wisdom to nurture others and encourage self-development through their specific suit. For example, the Queen of Cups nurtures the emotions. Because they are the embodiment of the feminine tradition of healing, Queens often represent healing in relationship to their suit. An example of this is the Queen of Pentacles symbolizing a natural healer. Our "queenly" qualities include sensitivity, fullness of expression, empathy, and personal, inner control.

Kings are also mature, but they project their maturity outward in the form of leadership through their suit. They take charge and give advice: Creative or spiritual advice (King of Wands); emotional advice (King of Cups); psychological or intellectual advice (King of Swords); and, practical advice about the everyday world (King of Pentacles, especially in the area of finances or work.) Our "kingly" qualities include being capable and in control, with an air of authority, leadership, and worldliness.

So how do you use the entire deck in shadow work? It's simple. Separate your deck into three stacks: the 22 Majors, 40 Minors and 16 Court Cards. Do a star layout, or any other activity in Tarot Shadow Work using Majors only, as described in the book. Look at your shadow layout or activity and select one card that puzzles or bothers you, or one that you especially like. Pull that card out of the layout.

Now think of the Minor and Court Cards as the cards to use for more information. Shuffle your Minor Card stack. As you shuffle, concentrate on WHERE, or what department of life, this particular Major card is operating. For example, you have chosen The Fool from the shadow layout because you know you allow others to take advantage of you and have decided that now this needs the most work. The minor card that turns up is the Ten of Wands.

You first decide if the Ten of Wands describes the challenge of the shadow or the gift of the shadow. In other words, does the card feel negative or positive? Hint: If you like the card, it probably represents a gift of shadow work, something to keep and nurture. If it feels negative, for instance being reversed, it means it is a lesson to be learned, something to improve or work on. You realize that it depicts the challenge of the shadow: others take advantage of you because you are unable to say no and you take on too much responsibility as a result.

As you shuffle the Court Card stack, concentrate on HOW the shadow presents itself in your personality. You can also think about the people in your life and why they might be there. Remember, the Court Cards are always a reflection of you—you draw the people to you that you need for your life wisdom. So it doesn't matter if the Court Card describes someone else. The card is still about you and your need to have those qualities in your life for good or ill. Randomly select one Court Card. First decide if it represents the shadow's challenge or the shadow's gift. Does it feel negative or positive to you?

Continuing with our example, you have drawn the Queen of Pentacles. At first you think, oh, great, the smothering mother card. After some thought, you decide she symbolizes the shadow's gift after all: Yes, you have been taken advantage of because of your need to nurture (rescue) others; but the answer is still in the Queen of Pentacles—if you start saying no and allow others to learn self-responsibility. Then they are able to find their own way, and you are free of the martyr's shadow.

You can use the Minor and Court Cards for more information on any shadow star layout, single card in a layout, or any tarot activity in the book. Using the entire deck helps pinpoint both strengths and challenges of doing shadow work. Think of it as your magnifying mirror for a better reflection of you. And for goodness sake, trust your intuition when deciding if a card feels negative or positive. Only you can know that. To review, ask the following questions when doing shadow work with the entire deck:

* For Major Arcana cards: WHAT shadow is this card describing? Does this card symbolize the challenge of shadow work or the reward for facing the shadow, the gift of shadow work?

* For Minor Arcana Cards: WHERE or in what department of life is this card operating? (Physical, financial, emotional, psychological, legal, creative or spiritual pursuits, etc., according to its suit.) Is this card a challenge (something that needs work) or something to keep and nurture—my strength or talent?

* For Court Cards: HOW does the shadow present itself in my personality development? HOW do other people see me? HOW do I see myself? WHO have I drawn into my life for soul development? Does this card describe the shadow's challenge or gift?

For me, shadow work and its resultant soul development are meaningless if not viewed through the lens of everyday living. Divinity lies in the details of life. The magic of shadow work doesn't come from the tarot cards—the magic comes from our willingness to change. If we ascribe to the philosophy of "as above, so below," then who we are and what we do is spirituality in action—not "out there" somewhere, but in us, here and now. May you find joy in the shadows.

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2003. All rights reserved.

I've been on a conscious spiritual path for a long time, but recently, things have really picked up, and I've gotten more involved in spiritual groups, classes and activities. My husband doesn't share my interests, and that was always fine by me, as I figured we all have our own paths. Now, however, he seems to be jealous of my spiritual friends and activities. When I talk to him about these matters, he isn't really interested. When I don't talk to him about all that I'm involved in, however, he says I leave him out. When I take him along into spiritual arenas, he acts different: distant, cold, uninterested - which of course makes it hard for me to relax and enjoy myself. He only goes to spend time with me; not because he wants to be there (which I thought was sweet). Lately he's even begun to mock me a bit - to make fun of my spiritual beliefs - which is causing me to pull away from him. I know this attitude is driven by his jealousy, but I don't know what to do about it. We're growing further and further apart. I am okay with him not being into my spiritual path, but as it takes over more and more of my life, I can see us naturally growing apart, since he can't or won't join me. We have tremendous difficulty communicating at an emotional level, as he gets very angry or defensive. Any suggestions or advice? - Beth

Dreamchaser:

Beth, I think your situation is addressed in the Bible: "Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers." I was raised Southern Baptist, and was taught that phrase meant not to marry people who were not Southern Baptist, or I would burn in Hell. As I grew older and wiser, however, I realized that the phrase refers to situations like yours. It is very hard to make a relationship work when one person is adverse to the other's beliefs.

Your husband gets defensive because he feels inferior now. He feels that you are going to find new friends and maybe even a new man who knows more or acts differently than he does, and you are going to choose that man over him. He is afraid that your relationship will change. He was really happy with the way things were before. As you change, he starts to feel insecure because he is not sure where these changes are leading you and how your new path will affect HIM.

I think you need to tell HIM everything that you just told us. You two need to sit down and communicate about how you feel. Explain to him that he is driving a big wedge into your relationship. Also explain to him that you would rather go and do these things alone, as you know he does not understand. Stress the fact that you realize he was going along for you and you appreciate that, but you will no longer subject him to the gatherings, etc.

In turn, ask him to allow you to do your thing without making constant comments. Express how you feel when he makes fun of you. You haven't spoken your feelings clearly. Without open and honest communication, NO relationship can last. We speak openly with family, friends and coworkers, but when it comes to "love," we close up and become afraid to say anything to that person. We are afraid of angering or losing them, appearing desperate and needy, etc.

You two can work this out, but you have to communicate your individual fears to each other. Of course it would be easier to live with someone who is like-minded, but it is not absolutely necessary as long as you each allow the other their "thing."

I wish you continued enlightenment in a safe and comfortable environment.

*****

Astrea:

I see a huge hunger for spiritual awakening in the world right now. Every person's spiritual beliefs are unique and personal, and tied to the very core of "who they are." We thus all have some big fears and emotions tied into sharing our beliefs with others. In many ways, we all have to walk our spiritual paths alone.

Speaking about yourself in terms of the God in you is getting easier and more important to you, but is impossible for your husband right now. Even if he was walking through processes similar to what you are feeling and going through, he has no frame of reference for expressing that to you. I feel that he might want to take what you are doing and apply it to his own life, but it's so difficult for him to EXPRESS this that he seems to be dismissing it instead of taking you seriously.

The mocking and taunting he's doing comes from nothing but his fear that he is going to completely lose you to this path. You wrote, "as this takes over more and more of my life" - to HIM, that means "as she is slipping further away from me." So it's natural for him to have SOME jealous feelings. Please try to get him to talk to you about this. If he won't, then try to get him to speak to someone else he can trust. He resents the time you are spending away from him, and it's coming through in those words and actions.

It would be a shame for you to have to leave him behind, but if he can't become more interested in what you're doing, and if it's not going to be an important part of his life, then you will have to think about leaving him. He is barely surviving emotionally because he won't let this Harmony come into his life. Some people never want that, but I believe if you can spend a little more time with him for now, and maybe a little LESS time on yourself and your own growth, you'll be able to find a good compromise that will save your relationship.

If you are on a true Spiritual Path, then his resentment won't bother you, because you'll find that the answer is to meet his resentment with Love. Once you begin to do that and become more understanding of HIS needs, this problem will disappear.

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.