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Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, slows down and turns backward from 10th April until 11th August 2019.
The planet of luck, expansion and growth is linked to the Wheel of Fortune, and the reversed aspect of this card offers us an insight into Jupiter‘s retrograde energies.
The first thing that comes to mind is that the Wheel of Fortune may slow down, come to a halt and perhaps even move backwards in the form of reversal of fortunes.
This can work both ways: if things have gone really well for you recently, then be prepared for a slow down.
On the other hand, if you’ve been experiencing bad luck or lack of progress beyond your control, then you might get a break and life is slowly going to take a turn for the better.
Whatever our individual situation, we may all feel less optimistic about things as new ideas and plans may not be realised, or progress may come slower than expected.
But Jupiter retrograde is happening in Sagittarius at this time, and in tarot terms that’s Temperance.
Temperance is the key to navigate Jupiter retrograde successfully – it’s okay to slow down, create balance and harmony, avoid too much, too soon and too difficult…. we need to learn to let good fortunes and progress flow into our lives whithout trying too hard.
Beneficial activities during Jupiter retrograde:
Take it easy, take a break, re-evaluate, open your mind to new possibilities, research new ideas, experiment, explore, be more flexible, listen to your inner voice.
Watch out for change (for better or worse), turn of events, u-turns, deeper truths, revelations, blessings in disguise, spiritual development and karmic payback.
Here’s a Jupiter Regrograde tarot spread to make the most of this energy influencing us over the coming months based on the Jupiter cards in the Tarot:
How can I best adapt to changes at this time?
How can I expand my horizon?
What do I need to be more flexible with?
What can I handle with ease?
What task/activity needs to be put on hold?
What will give me joy during this time of uncertainty?
In which area of my life do I need to show more leadership / take responsibility?
Jupiter retrograde will last for four months, so you have plenty of time to figure out how you can manifest positive change and growth during this challenging but also exciting time.
Interested in learning how to combine Tarot with Astrology? Check out my course.
Moving on from the Aries cards, let’s take a look at Taurus in the Minor Arcana and how this zodiac sign can be interpreted in a reading.
While Taurus is linked to the Hierophant in the Major Arcana, it is also associated with the King of Pentacles and the following pip cards:
Five of Pentacles – Mercury in Taurus
Six of Pentacles – Moon in Taurus
Seven of Pentacles – Saturn in Taurus
As you can see, each pip card has a planet and zodiac sign assigned to it, but what does it all mean?
Let’s take one step at a time.
Taurus Characteristics
Taurus is an earth sign associated with stability, steadfastness and a practical, down-to-earth attitude.
Taurus people are reliable and loyal. They favour tradition and security over change and uncertainty, which can make them inflexible and stubborn at times.
Now we can link these traits to the individual pip cards:
Five of Pentacles – Mercury in Taurus
This card is associated with hardship, poverty and insecurity.
Influenced by Mercury, the planet of communication and travel, self-reliant Taurus may need to overcome reluctancy to ask for help.
The mercurial energies of change and flux are a disruptive force for Taurus, who has to learn to do things differently in order to overcome this difficult situation.
Mercury and Taurus represent opposing energies, which are reflected in the stark image.
However, Mercury is primarily linked to the Magician, so it can also be a force for good. Taurus needs to tap into the Magician’s power to get back on track.
And while the Magician is focused on power, potential and purpose, the Five of Pentacles may also indicate (temporary) loss of these qualities.
Six of Pentacles – Moon in Taurus
The Moon represents the divine feminine (linked to the High Priestess), intuition and our feelings and emotions.
Combined with Taurus, the energy of the Six of Pentacles is benevolence and charity.
Keywords and meanings that come to mind with this astrological combination are humility, gratitude, generosity, benefactor, favours, kindness.
Here, Taurus gets in touch with feelings, acting on emotions and intuitive guidance.
Seven of Pentacles – Saturn in Taurus
Saturn is linked to the World in the Major Arcana, which suggests a sense of completion in the Seven of Pentacles.
While the World is focused more on being established and content with where you are, the Seven of Pentacles indicates the growing urge to break out of the status quo and do something new.
But Saturn is also ruler of Capricorn – the Devil – and combined with Taurus can create inertia or complacency. New ideas may never be turned into reality as that would involve leaving the familiar behind.
Taurus loves being in a comfortable position, and in the Seven of Pentacles we may also detect a hint of laziness and perhaps even unproductiveness. Lots of work to do, but another tea break, please! ?
If you would like to learn how to combine Tarot with Astrology in your readings, check out my course.
Just when I finished my last post about Venus Retrograde, Mercury Retrograde (RX) was looming on the horizon.
Mercury RX is a regular occurrence, happening three to four times a year for around three weeks.
During this period, the closest planet to the sun appears to be moving backwards when observed in the sky.
Everyone seems to get really flustered when Mercury goes retrograde, so I’ve created the Mercury Retrograde Tarot Spread to soothe your nerves 😀
It’s the planet of communication and travel (and all things Magician!), so expect misunderstandings, important emails ending up in your spam folder, software updates going wrong and disrupted travel plans during this time.
During Mercury RX it is worthwhile paying more attention to legal documents and the smallprint, choosing your written and spoken words even more wisely, and trying to avoid publication launches like blogs, websites and magazines.
The best way to understand what retrograde means in terms of energies surrounding us, explore the reversed meanings of the tarot cards linked to that particular planet, in this case all the cards linked to Mercury.
Explore these cards to discover specific areas you will need to pay attention to that can be affected by Mercury retrograde.
For the spread, shuffle your deck and draw a card for each of the following topics:
Venus cards, Universal Tarot (c) Roberto de Angelis, Lo Scarabeo
Venus stations retrograde about every 18 months for around 40 days, and because it is one of our closest planets, the energies can be felt more intensely.
The Tarot Love Match Reading is a fun and insightful way of exploring the dynamics of your relationship (or a potential relationship you are thinking of pursuing).
As the twelve zodiac signs are assigned to twelve cards in the Major Arcana, you can pick the two cards that relate to you and your (potential) partner and explore your compatibility.
Here are the Tarot cards with their associated zodiac signs and elemental attribution:
Before you start interpreting the cards, note the ruling element of each zodiac as the combination of the elements offer you a first impression of the potential harmony of your relationship:
We also tend to have more in common with other signs in our own element group, e.g. Earth/Earth, which would also be a friendly combination.
Please note that if the zodiac card combination of your current relationship is an “unfriendly” one, don’t worry!
The Tarot Love Match Reading gives you an insight into how your personalities may interact, and there will always be individual exceptions, which can be explored further by taking into account a full birth chart and associated Tarot cards.
People who are already attracted and connected to each other may well have other planets in compatible signs.
On the other hand, an “unfriendly” match could indicate challenges arising in your relationship, which could result in having to put a lot of effort into making it work long-term.
But being aware of this possibility empowers you to being more mindful about your relationship and explore it on a deeper level.
Examples:
1. Taurus – Cancer
Friendly earth/water combination.
The Hierophant likes structure, routine and tradition; he is patient, practical and faithful.
The Chariot is dedicated, protective and emotionally resilient; both enjoy comfort, security, and even accumulating material possessions.
Together they have the potential for lasting love and to build wealth and success in a long-term relationship.
2. Leo – Virgo
Neutral fire/earth combination.
Strength loves being the centre of attention and perseveres with the object of its desire; passionate, energetic, enthusiastic and optimistic.
In contrast, the Hermit is down-to-earth, introvert and modest.
Whereas Strength enjoys Hermit’s need to please in a relationship, Hermit’s critical nature can be a turn-off.
Likewise, Hermit may be amused by theatrical Strength but put off by Strength’s lack of empathy.
Both need to be more tolerant of each others quirks to make this relationship work.
3. Libra – Capricorn
Unfriendly air/earth combination.
Justice likes an ordered and serene environment; diplomatic, attentive listener, striving for balance in a relationship.
The Devil is ambitious, hard working and loves to be in control; he is often serious and reserved.
Justice can be irritated by the Devil’s tendency to be overpowering and ruthless at times, and overall there doesn’t seem to be a strong mutual attraction.
This relationship could well be a non-starter, or it may need a lot of hard work on both sides in order to succeed.
Tip:
When you look at the card pairs above, take a look at the position of the figures in the images and how they relate to each other.
What does their body language tell you about the dynamics of their relationship?
Now move the cards in each pair around, e.g. from Strength/Hermit to Hermit/Strength; what further insight do you gain from this swap?
If you enjoy this exercise, you can go deeper by adding the matching court cards, which have also been attributed to the zodiac signs:
Aries – Queen of Wands
Taurus – King of Pentacles
Gemini – Knight of Swords
Cancer – Queen of Cups
Leo – King of Wands
Virgo – Knight of Pentacles
Libra – Queen of Swords
Scorpio – King of Cups
Sagittarius – Knight of Wands
Capricorn – Queen of Pentacles
Aquarius – King of Swords
Pisces – Knight of Cups
So, using the examples above, we would be looking at the following card combinations:
1. Hierophant/King of Pentacles – Chariot/Queen of Cups
2. Strength/King of Wands – Hermit/Knight of Pentacles
3. Justice/Queen of Swords – Devil/Queen of Pentacles
What additional information do the court cards offer?
I hope you enjoy doing the tarot love match reading for yourself or even for your friends.
If you love journaling, you can also find this article in my Cosmic Faery’s Journal workbook together with a funky journaling sheet and lots of other tarot spreads and journaling ideas.
And if you want to learn more about how to apply astrology in your tarot readings, please check out my Starlight Tarot Astrology course.
After Jupiter, the next stop in the line of ancient planets is Saturn.
In astrology, this planet is associated with hardship, discipline and limitations, the latter being reflected in the famous rings composed of rocks and ice surrounding it.
Saturn is named after the Roman god of agriculture, who was also in charge of conformity, social order and creating civilisations.
Saturn is ruler of Capricorn, hence the presence of the Devil amongst the Saturn cards.
Saturn’s prime attribution in the Major Arcana is to the World. In the Rider Waite deck, we see the wreath around the figure, which we can link to Saturn’s rings.
Although the World is a card of completion, achievement and self-realisation, the Saturn energy also suggests boundaries and limitations.
Additional meanings of the World derived from Saturn: the end of the line; as good as it gets; the need for self-regulation; maintaining of what has been achieved.
Saturn reflects our innate desire for structure and order, and in the Devil its energy is reflected in a hard-working nature, which can easily descend into slaving along in dull routines, narrow-mindedness and lack of growth.
In astrology, Saturn is regarded as the greater malefic, which means it can indicate negative energy such as hardship and sadness.
Saturn in the tarot is linked to the following pip cards:
Five of Wands (Saturn in Leo)
Ten of Wands (Saturn in Sagittarius)
Eight of Cups (Saturn in Pisces)
Three of Swords (Saturn in Libra)
Seven of Pentacles (Saturn in Taurus)
How does Saturn influence the card meanings? Here are some suggestions:
Five of Wands – quarrels and misunderstanding due to narrow-mindedness; everyone is just focused on their own agenda. No discipline; rules not adhered to; lack of progress; a dull routine interrupted, pushing boundaries
Ten of Wands – awareness of self-limitations; bogged down; carrying the World on your shoulders; discipline and self-reliance creates suffering; sense of duty
Eight of Cups – leaving something behind that offered no more growth; having outgrown a situation; leaving the comfort zone; looking for something more unconventional; walking away from responsibility
Three of Swords – sadness, melancholy, emotional endurance, cold-heartedness; a painful lesson learned; having lost something comfortable or secure; being restricted by grief; absorbed by loss, not seeing a way out; stuck in a gloomy world
Seven of Pentacles – new growth outside the comfort zone; sowing new seeds; perseverance; hard work paid off; hesitating about taking a risk; security is important; frustrated about limited success
These are just a few ideas how Saturn influences the meanings of these cards. You are welcome to share yours in the comment box below.
You can also try this exercise:
Pick out all the Saturn cards from your deck. Which of the pip cards would you relate to which Major Arcana card?
Take into account visual clues as well as similar meanings. For example, I see the Ten of Wands linked to the Devil, and the Seven of Pentacles to the World.
But you may have different ideas. How do you see the Saturn cards connected with each other? Post your ideas in the comment box below.
Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system signifying growth, expansion, luck and higher learning.
Jupiter in the Tarot is primarily linked to the Wheel of Fortune, and because this planet rules Sagittarius, we can also link it to Temperance.
Although Jupiter’s energies are regarded as mainly positive and beneficial, it can also indicate challenges and setbacks.
The Wheel of Fortune makes this clear: perpetual movement brings change, not always good but sometimes necessary and mostly unavoidable.
When you are at the top of the Wheel, rest assured that at one point you will be moving downwards again. And vice versa.
Change always brings some kind of growth, new knowledge and insights – the silver lining in the cloud, if the change thrust upon you isn’t what you wanted or were hoping for.
And you cannot apply the brakes on that Wheel, because there aren’t any. Stuff is happening totally beyond your control.
Let’s take this further to Temperance. Here we see the angel performing some alchemy, creating the perfect mix from two opposing extremes to achieve moderation and harmony.
There is no recipe or science to it, so a good result is simply a happy accident after some experimental trial and error.
Now take a look at the Two of Pentacles (Jupiter in Capricorn) and compare the image with Temperance. Can you see the similarities?
The Two of Pentacles takes us down to earth – juggling the day-to-day essentials like money, work, family… and all the while Jupiter’s influence in the background is helping us grow.
The Six of Wands (Jupiter in Leo) and Nine of Cups (Jupiter in Pisces) show us some happy people, content and successful.
They are sitting right on top of the Wheel of Fortune. They are at their peak, but we also know that the wheel is turning….
And where are the people depicted on the Four of Swords (Jupiter in Libra) and Eight of Swords (Jupiter in Gemini) positioned on the Wheel?
The Four of Swords suggests rest, recuperation, retreat and healing, all of which can lead to personal growth, renewal and a higher understanding.
I’d say that this card is slowly moving upwards on the wheel, but then again that’s down to personal perception. Where would you place this card?
The Eight of Swords is the total opposite to Jupiterian expansion: restriction.
The figure in this card is dreaming of freedom, and although the shackles seem to be self-imposed, Jupiter may offer a lucky break to escape from Colditz…
Now it’s over to you to explore the cards:
Which cards depict movement and which stagnation?
If several of the Jupiter cards appeared in a reading, how would that influence your interpretation of the spread?
What similarities can you see in the Jupiter cards to link them together?
In what way do the cards reflect Jupiter’s energies, especially luck and lack of control?
Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, slows down and turns backward from 10th April until 11th August 2019.
Five of Pentacles – Mercury in Taurus
Six of Pentacles – Moon in Taurus
Seven of Pentacles – Saturn in Taurus
Just when I finished my last post about 
Friendly earth/water combination.
Neutral fire/earth combination.
After 
Jupiter is the largest