Tarotscopes that slay: New moon in Leo

The good news is that we are coming out of the cosmic woods, eclipse season is fully behind us. I can’t promise there won’t be any more tears shed but I can promise a quick dry of your emotional wardrobe.  And there is no bad news, except for the climate emergency our species is facing (for more on this, please click here). But we aren’t going to change the world from a place of fear or panic (even though there’s plenty to fear and much to inspire panicking). Change comes from the heart. It always has and it always will. Leo Season is our chance to shine our hearts as brightly as the Summer sun.

How close of a relationship do you have with your heart?  Is it your bestie? Is it your most tender lover? Or is it more like an old college friend whom you only talk to every other year?  Our hearts hold the secrets to why we are here. And the more easily we can access them, the more secret T our hearts will spill. Then we can speak from our heart and listen through our heart.  And it is precisely this heart-centered communication that profoundly impacts the world around us. Leo Season is when we enter a room HEART FIRST. We stick out our chests and we let our hearts do the talking.

A few years ago, my husband and I were on our honeymoon in the Atacama desert of Chile.  We found ourselves, through a series of blessed synchronicities, on the outskirts of town at the unmarked property of a renowned healer.  She lived, among horses and dogs, in an unfinished house at the edge of the vast desert plains. Her name was Karen and she greeted us warmly as we approached.  “The Brujos are here,” she perceptively exclaimed– which means male witches in Spanish. One at a time we lay on her outdoor massage table for treatment. I went first.  She called in her helping spirits and began to extract spiritual poison from my body. At some point during the session, as she worked to rehabilitate my severely rounded shoulders, Karen told me I was way too young to have such an ailment.  She told me it was because I was hiding my heart.

“The strongest position for the heart, Karen continued, “is when it is out, exposed.  When you hide your heart, you compromise its integrity.” This is the message I wish to convey to you during this time.  Yes, our hearts can get battered and bruised, torn– even broken. But do not mistake their tenderness for weakness. Our hearts are stronger than we can imagine.  And when we try to protect them we diminish their power.

Now, more than ever, each and every one of us must speak our hearts, every day.  Not just in safe spaces but everywhere. We must speak up and speak out about the injustices and imbalances we see in our society.  As the MTA promotes: If you see something, say something! We must be bold and proud and maybe even a little dramatic. Because that is how Leo’s communicate their precious truth.  This is also the season for creativity. Leo’s rule the arts and creative expression. Even if you’re not an artist, a playwright, a songwriter or just some kid with an Etsy store, you have a creative spirit.  We all do. It doesn’t have to be how you make your living, but if you’re not letting your heart express itself through dance or poetry or song or art– you are limiting it.

Above all, this season is about expanding into your heart and sitting in it like a throne.  The New Moon in Leo on Wednesday night is a portal that will take you into that sacred temple, so you can finally claim your rightful place in the kingdom of your heart.  No matter where you go, or whose presence you find yourself in, never leave that kingdom. Never hide your heart. This New Moon also serves as a period at the end of our latest Mercury Retrograde sentence.  From here on out we should be feeling clearer avenues of communication and more wind at our backs. Jupiter, the planet of abundance, is also gearing up to turn direct– so expect some cosmic gifts, some opportunities to level-up and spread out.

Jupiter is also the planet that serves as the gatekeeper to your abundance.  Where it sits in your chart is buried treasure waiting to be dug up. My husband and I did a whole episode on Jupiter last moonth on our podcast The Spiritual Gayz.

Have you checked it out yet? We keep it fun, we keep it fresh, we keep it one-hundred, okur? And if Astrology isn’t your thing, you should go back and listen to our episode all about the Major Arcana or the suit of Pentacles in the Tarot– or how about our interview with LGBTQ icon Lena Waithe?  And if you love it, why not share the love, rate us, maybe even subscribe?

Also, if you’re looking for more guidance or healing, check out my offerings as a reader and a healer.  I offer Tarot readings, obviously, but also Birth Chart Readings, Shamanic Healing and more. If you’re in Los Angeles we can have your sessions in person, but you’d be surprised how powerful the work can be no matter where in the world you are.  It’s Leo Season, give to yourself first and don’t hesitate to reach out.

I’ve also started releasing weekly video Tarotscopes on my Instagram stories.  Every Thursday I pull a card for the collective and talk about how to use that energy to grow us forwards.  If Moonthly Tarotscopes aren’t enough for ya, well sis, don’t sweat, I got you covered!

Alright, enough about me, let’s get to your medicine.

Below you’ll find your individual Tarotscopes.

Read for your SUN and your MOON… and if you don’t know your moon, look it up gurl, that’s part of your personal power waiting to be claimed!

Until next time.

Xo

Brandon

LEO.

TWO OF WANDS (Rx)

Before the Two of Wands was the Ace of Wands.  An explosion of excitement, raw power and creative force.  Sometimes this manifests as a spiritual awakening. Sometimes this manifests as a steamy new lover.  Sometimes it manifests as a burst of inspiration. But that’s in your past. Now you’re moving ahead.  The invitation around this card is to keep that initial eruption of energy growing forwards. The smoking wand is still in your hand, but now you must use it to light your way, to catch other things on fire.

If the Ace of Wands is the big bang, the Two of Wands is rubbing two sticks together to generate fire.  There is some work ahead of you and it will not nesecarily be easy. The reversal of this card suggests you are unwilling to admit how much effort is ahead of you.  Consider what is required to sustain the creative, spiritual or sexual endeavor that’s taking up center stage in your life. It can’t always be fireworks. Sometimes it has to be strategy, long range planning and patience.  That’s where you’ve landed. You are in the doorway, something wants to emerge. But unti you commit fully, the misisng piece will continue to elude you.

Two’s in the Tarot always give us a choice because the number two represents duality.  In this case the choice is: do we keep this wand lit or do we let it burn out? Will you persist and bring this dream forwards or is it not worth fighting for?  There’s no wrong decision. But you must be honest with yourself. Success will not come overnight. Your destiny will not be handed to you on a silver platter. You must head out into the jungle and hunt it down.

VIRGO.

KING OF SWORDS.

Here we meet the great teacher of the deck.  The King of Swords is you when you share your knowledge with the world.  Each of the court cards serves as a mirror, to remind us of who we really are when we’ve forgotten.  Perhaps you have forgotten that you are a natural speaker, a talented writer and now you must challenge yourself to put those gifts out into the world.  Swords rule over the mental realm, particularly words and stories. Now you must use your mastery of the written language to give voice to the truths only you can tell.

It’s not easy to admit we are an authority on something. Nobody shows up at your door with a certificate of completion, telling you that your aprenticeship is over– that you may now call yourself a master.  But just for now, pretend that I am that person. I will anoint you. You are now a King. You may not feel ready to be putting yourself out there, to call yourself a healer, or a leader or an expert but guess what, readiness is a myth.  No one ever feels ready to do anything. The time has come and you must jump or forever stay scared, stuck and full of doubt.

Do the damn thing already.  Your life has prepared you. You will never be more ready than you are right now.  At the very least, you are an authority on your life. You can share that. Use your past as parables and let the children gobble up the lessons like greedy trick-or-treaters on Halloween.  Do not keep all your brilliance to yourself. That’s selfish. Push beyond your comfort zone and step into your role as the great teacher we need you to be. You have an expterise waiting to be shared, if you hold onto it any longer it may suffocate you.  Share. Teach. And feel your expansion process begin.

***Give a reading as a gift or schedule your own reading or healing with Brandon here and follow him on Instagram @thebrandonalter and@thespiritualgayz.***

LIBRA.

THE CHARIOT.

The time for success is upon you.  You have spent a great long time building the container for your carreer.  You have poured your sweat and tears into it. Think of it like a giant ship.  Now, at long last, it is built. It is ready for the vast waters. Get into that ship, sweet Libra, draw up the anchor and set sail.  No more doubting or waiting, only action awaits you know.

The Chariot symbolizes our ambitions for real world validation.  It shows up when our dreams begin to root in the physical world. I would wager that you are beginning to see some sweet fruit from your years of toil.  Now you must trust it. There are big jobs coming your way; bigger than perhaps you even dreamed. Accept them. Receive them. Challenge your ability to believe in yourself.  Other people will read your confidence in yourself as a measure of whether or not they can trust you. Don’t sabotage yourself there. Don’t wait for others to claim your talent; claim it first.

When success comes knocking at your door, don’t question it.  Don’t ask: Why me? Ask instead: Where have you been? Becasue, the thing is, it’s not about you at all.  You are a vessel the cosmos can trust to do good work. You are the right person to bring forth something greater.  The Chariot, at its purest essence, is the container for the work your soul came here to do. Whatever your occupation, pour your soul into it.  Direct from your soul, design from your soul, serve and sweat and inspire from your soul. When you approach your work like that, there’s no way success cannot find you.  When you approach your work like that, you are living in The Chariot.

SCORPIO.

QUEEN OF CUPS

I’ve only lost one Tarot card in my entire life as a Tarot reader.  And it was the Queen of Cups. It makes sense. She’s so mysterious.  She’s barely here. I don’t even think I lost her; I think she slipped away.  She found a small tear in the veil between worlds and she slid back home. Before I could realize she was gone, she had vanished.  You see, this card refelects the part of yourself that is most at home in the depths of mystery.

When I design a deck, the Queen of Cups will be a mermaid, lounging on the Ocean floor.  Not a part of the Ocean floor where you can see sunlight stream in from the surface. I’m talking about the great depths, where shadowy, magical creatures live out their lives.  She is all water, meaning that she is a creature of profound psychic, emotional and creative gifts. She is a mistress of transformation– which means, you too this month are undergoing some sort of mysterious shift in the depths of your being.  And all you can do is feel into it as it occurs.

The hardest thing about this card is that you must surrender to the unkowable.  There are no words where you are going. There is no way to crystallize your experience– instead you must live into it.  Put out all your feelers and dive into the shadow of the deep. As a Scorpio you already live in this realm, and so this card is a natural match for you.  But perhaps you’ve forgotten how deep you are, how far beneath the surface you can plunge. Let this month remind you that even your depths have depths.

SAGITTARIUS.

THE FOOL.

Hold onto your wigs, honies, it’s time for a brand new adventure.  The Fool is here to usher you into new lands, introduce you to new characters.  And on this wild ride you are destined to meet new parts of yourself. The Fool comes to us when it’s time to shake things up in the largest way possible.  The Fool is a big move, a new career, even a new identity. In this archetype you allow yourself to be hollow and blown by the wind, trusting that you will be delivered to only the right doorsteps.

The Fool isn’t just the start of a journey; it’s a clearing of a slate, a brainwash of what’s come before.  Release your judgments, of yourself and others. Forget what you know about right and wrong, societal expectations– how the world works.  The Fool will teach you new paradigms, new ways of seeing and feeling, but only if you’re open. The most important thing, when working with Fool energy, is to be open.

Of all the cards in the Tarot, the Fool most captures our imagination.  There is a paradox here, a wise-innocent, a trickster-sage– someone who knows nothing and yet contains everything.  Let this next moonth awaken your wonder. Throw away your plans, stop trying to make your life happen and allow yourself to greet every small splendor that comes your way.  When we don’t have an agenda, when we don’t have expectations, when we can release our fear and our rigidity– that’s when the real fun begins. And the Fool knows how to have fun better than anyone.

***Give a reading as a gift or schedule your own reading or healing with Brandon here and follow him on Instagram @thebrandonalter and@thespiritualgayz.***

CAPRICORN.

QUEEN OF SWORDS.

You don’t want to lie to the Queen of Swords.  You don’t even want to fib. She sees all. She sees in the dark.  She has the sharpest mind paired with the deepest intution. Each of the court cards serves as a mirror, to remind us of who we really are when we’ve forgotten.  Perhaps you have forgotten your own illuminative capacities. Imagine you are walking into your own mind, holding a brilliant latern, bringing light to these shadowy places.  The more you can light up your own internal realm, the more clearly you will see the dark places in others.

The Queen of Swords has the most integrity of any court card; she prizes truth above all things.  As you move through this next cycle poise yourself for prophecy. Tell the truth on yourself and you will be able to tell the truth about the future.  You will be able to spot any deception. But it all starts from within. You must be willing to be relentless with yourself. You must have the courage to take a rigorous inventory of your mind.  Be objective. What are the stories you keep telling yourself? What that the thoughts that fill up your days?

In contemporary society, I like to picture Ruth Bader Ginsberg as a living embodiment of the Queen of Swords.  She is fierce, fair, impartial, sharp tounged and resilient AF. Can you take this next moonth and call it like you see it?  Can you tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth? But also, can you tell that truth with love? Start with yourself.  Love the truth in yourself and perhaps you will be able to love the truth in others– you may not like it, but you can always love it.

AQUARIUS.

JUSTICE.

The Justice card shows up to remind us of our greater purpose. Justice empowers us to remember who we really are and what we came here to do. We are not just here to look good, make money and take lavish vacations– sure that may be part of it… I mean who doesn’t love a lavish vacation? But we all came here to change this world for the better. What wrongs did you come here to right? What injustices get you fired up to actually do something? That is the medicine of this card: to remember that you are an arbiter of divine justice. All of us are. And we must pick up our power and begin that work now.

Justice gives us an understanding of our place in the wider family of things. You have a purpose. You have a right to be here. But you also have an obligation to change things, to wake people up, to beautify this broken world. In Justice we begin to accept this responsibility as heavy as it may feel.  As Aquarians, we are responsible for leading people to the truth that will save us all. Don’t get so mired in your own self-interest that you forget the humanitarian impulses who make you who you really are. As Ava DuVernay says: If your dream is only about you, it’s too small.

The work around this phase of becoming is to begin to integrate your soul’s purpose into your daily grind.  Being an arbiter of divine justice may not be your official job or career, but you can fold it into whatever you do each day.  You don’t have to be Mother Teresa, you don’t have to join the Peace Corps. All you have to do is make sure you are planting the right seeds with your words, your actions and your relationships.  Are you leaving each place you visit better than you found it? When you can effortlessly walk through the world as a blessing, leaving no wake, you are fully embodying the deep magic of Justice.

PISCES.

SEVEN OF WANDS (Rx)

Seven’s in the Tarot are sacred.  There are many reasons why (seven days of the week, seven notes in the musical scale, seven colors in the light spectrum… I could go on… don’t worry I wont) but just take my word for it that the number Seven has a profound spiritual significance.  You’re a Pisces, you probably already feel that this is true. The Seven of Wands is especially resonant because it asks us to align the sacredness of the Seven with the sacred intensity of our spirits. Essentially, this is the Trailblazer card. It asks us to go where no one has gone before.  It asks us to shine a path ahead that only our deepest inner light can illuminate. This is spirit on spirit– not an easy task in this physical world but a seriously indespensible one.

This next moonth is a portal for you and I know it will have its challenges.  I can almost hear you complaining: Why can’t it be easy for once? Why can’t someone just tell me what to do?  The reason is this: If someone gave it to you, on a platter, it wouldn’t mean a damn thing to you. Your destiny will not be handed to you– you must go out in the wilds of the world, armed with only your gut instinct and hunt your destiny down.  That is the invitation with this card.

At the risk of being overdramatic (but what the hell, it is Leo Season after all) YOU ARE FIGHTING FOR YOUR LIFE this moonth.  You may feel tired, bedraggled, befuddled, bereft but do not for one second doubt the power of your inner flame. You can do this and you must.  Break down doors. Hold people hostage. Rebel. Ignore the naysayers, the whispers and all the side-eye. If people think you’re crazy, let them.  They will be the first ones to applaud you when you succeed. Don’t look to others for help, look inside. There are no role models for you right now.  There are no paradigms. There is only your inner yearning for another way, a better way– and only you can bring that way back.

ARIES.

THE HIEROPHANT

Leo Season brings you back into the fire, dynamic Aries.  But perhaps not the fire you’re accustomed to. You love taking action, setting things ablaze.  But before you can move further on your path, you need to look back and see how it was done before you.  The Hierophant invites us into tradition, legacy and higher learning. It sits on the crossroads between the old way and new age, the invisible world and physical reality.  We can think of the archetype of the Heirophant as a Shaman or a Healer, who doesn’t so much generate spiritual power as husband it.

This moonth wants to find you expanding your capacity to call forth and deliver power.  What are the physical practices you utilize to stay energized and power filled? If you’re drawing a blank, dont panic– that just means it’s time to learn some new skills.  There are so many ways to keep yourself connected to a source of energy larger than yourself, you just need to find one that works for you. Trust that the right books are showing up on your path, the right teachers too.  If a workshop in Yoga, Qi Gong, Meditation, Visualization, Breath Work sounds interestering, TAKE IT. But it doesn’t really matter what the modality is, what matters is that you commit to it… or recommit as the case may be.

At the end of the day, you are an Aries, you are going to innovate and invent no matter what.  You are going to initiate new ideas and we need that, we need all of that. But before you get carried away re-inventing the wheel, make sure you understand how the wheel was desinged in the first place.  Make sure to respect what has worked in the past so you don’t end up throwing the baby out with the bath water. And as you explore the people who have gone before you, learn how they took care of themselves (or didn’t).  Learn from the mistakes of the past as well as the successes. We need you fully well, explosive Aries. We need you electric and afire, not burnt out. So take care of yourself, mentally, physically, emotionally and ABOVE ALL, energetically.

TAURUS.

SIX OF WANDS

In the Tarot, Sixes are expansions.  The Six of Wands is an expansion of energy, spirit and creative force.  I think of this card as the moment in your life when you find a new flow.  You learn how to navigate your way in the world by sailing with the invisible winds.  This usually comes after some kind of shake up. Now, instead of overcoming obstacles, you avoid them.  Instead of pulling yourself out of the quicksand, you sidestep it entirely.

There’s also an element here of not just expansion but ascension.  Instead of getting bogged down in the semantics of physical reality, you can begin to ride the upward currents– literally rising above the challenges of being a human in the world.  This also means we begin to notice the people, places and things that would like to suck us dry. Generally, energy vampires don’t know they’re energy vampires– the same way people who are asleep don’t know they’re asleep until woken up.  So don’t villainize them but do your best to keep them at an arm’s length (or two arms). This moonth, how you feel is your most valuable currency and you don’t want anyone to rob you of that.

When we find a new flow, when life feels effortless, it is because we have joined our energy with a wider stream.  What vast rivers are you wanting to meet up with? What larger currents can you fold yourself into? This moonth wants you to experience grace, harmony and above all an expansion of your own life force.  If something feels hard, slimy, static or stuck, take three steps back and follow another path. Follow a path that feels fucking great… because you deserve to feel great all the fucking time.

GEMINI.

TWO OF PENTACLES (Rx)

I know it must feel like you can’t quite get your footing these days but luckily you’re flexible as fuck and nimble, too.  Things are changing rapidly for you and even though you’ve been meeting these changes head on, your road of transformation continues.  The Two’s in the Tarot ask us to make a choice. The Two of Pentacles asks us to choose between holding on or letting go. Do we fight to stay the same or relinquish our power to the cosmic forces?  Do we allow ourselves a sweet death and gentle re-birth or will we dig our high heels all the way in? My humble suggestion, let go. And now I hear you saying to me: But Brandon, I have been letting go!  And you have. I affirm this. You have! But not all the way.

This month is the final severing of any old ways that continue to haunt you.  Purge your closets, your hard drives, even your little black book of tricks– you can’t have the new while secretly hoarding the old.  Think of it like this: When you’re swinging from vine to vine in the jungle, there is a moment where you must let go of the old vine in order to grab the next one.  If we could take a photograph of you, mid leap, between vines, we would see that you are not holding on to either. That’s where trust, faith and magic come in.

The truth is this: your life is already different.  If you think back to where you were two years ago and where you are now, your old self would be gagged.  And yet that old self is continuing to call the shots. Take him out back and lovingly kill him, bury him and bless his soul.  At its essence, this card asks us to playfully juggle our lives– to change what needs to be changed in order to restore balance to the wholeness of our being.  Don’t take it all so seriously. You can be grim or you can be saucy– either way, the wheel will turn.

***Give a reading as a gift or schedule your own reading or healing with Brandon here and follow him on Instagram @thebrandonalter and@thespiritualgayz.***

CANCER.

KNIGHT OF PENTACLES.

Head down, nose to the grindstone.  The work continues. Each of the court cards serves as a mirror, to remind us of who we really are when we’ve forgotten.  Perhaps you have forgotten how hard you can work, how tenacious you can be to bring forth your dream. The Knight of Pentacles (who is YOU) is the great mover of magic, a master of manifestation who knows that things only seem to appear overnight.  Flowers grow underground for a long time before they seemingly burst up through the topsoil. You are continuing your journey upwards, your ascension towards the light.

Perhaps this card has arrived in front of you to keep you grounded in your process.  Don’t go anywhere. Stay dedicated to your goals. Now is not the time to take a vacation or give yourself too long of a break– if you can stick with it, you will finally breakthrough.  And I get the feeling that this blockage is old, very old. It’s kept you stuck for sometime. It’s kept you from getting to the next level. Maybe it feels like a dragon of self-doubt and you wonder if you will ever really slay it.  You will! Sooner than you think, so long as you keep stabbing away at it.

Recommitting ourselves to our work is essential for longevity.  And the work must be the reward. The Knight of Pentacles isn’t in it for egoic reasons.  The fame and the fortune is a byproduct of a job done well. If cash or prizes is your primary motivation right now, you might want to do some deeper questioning into why you feel you need all that in the first place.  Because when you love your work, when you are willing to grow your roots all the way into it, to give it your complete attention for a sustained period of time– that’s when the magic really happens. And baby, nothing feels better than that!

***Give a reading as a gift or schedule your own reading or healing with Brandon here and follow him on Instagram @thebrandonalter and@thespiritualgayz.***

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