ARIES
GETTING UP TO PEE
I once had a homeopath ask me if I got up to pee in the middle of the night and if so, how frequently. I’d never considered that this might be indicative of some sort of health problem. I started to panic, “I…Sometimes I get up…I’d say once, or twice…wait no! Maybe only once…I’m not sure…” Part of the problem is that often times when you get up in the middle of the night, you are only partially awake. The process is mostly unconscious.
Aries, this week you may experience an emotional shift, but you are likely only aware of it the way you may be aware that your bladder is empty or full. The process of release could happen in a state of partial consciousness. Directing your full attention to the process may actually only cause you to try to control the it or “manipulate the data,” so to speak. Trust that this emotional release is entirely natural.
(8 of Cups Rev/ Tomorrow Never Knows- Junior Parker)
TAURUS
WELL-RESTED
I have a deep aversion to sweeping generalizations about how much sleep “people” need every night. Whenever someone says, “Well they say a person only actually needs 6 hours of sleep a night.” I think, “They” who? And what “person?” I also get prickly when someone says, “Why are you so tired? You got 6 hours of sleep last night.” Typically, in order to feel “well-rested” (my nightly goal) I need a solid 8 hours with a half an hour of lazying time on either end. I don’t usually worry about whether this is a “normal” amount of sleep, only that it is normal for me. I like the concept of “well-rested” as a barometer of sleep because it doesn’t suggest how much time you do or don’t sleep, it simply means you got the sleep that you YOU need.
Taurus, this week you may be feeling more well-rested, probably because you are getting the sleep that YOU need. It is this act of listening, an act of self-love, that puts you in touch with yourself and deepens a bond which won’t easily be ruffled.
(XI Strength/ Ghost Riders- The Space Lady)
GEMINI
A FLYING DREAM
I remember as a kid dreaming that if I used every muscle and pumped my arms I could get a good ten feet off the ground. When I woke up my muscles were tired from flying. I couldn’t get off the ground in my waking life, but it didn’t seem to matter as long as I retained the muscle memory of how it felt to be able to move myself into the air.
Gemini, this week you may have dreams of flying or you are starting to visualize new desires and talents. Even if you feel that gravity or logic holds you back in your waking life, you may only need to retain a muscle memory of the experience so you may translate that physical understanding into a form that can give your dreams lift.
(Ace of Wands L/ Feeling Good- Chrissy Zebby Tembo & Ngozi Family (thanks Julia Factorial!))
CANCER
AN UNUSUAL DREAM
Recently, I had a dream I was hanging out at a family reunion. We were all getting ready to eat hot dogs. My brother appeared, in a rather frantic state, “What are you doing? We have to get to the bank before it closes!” I dropped the mustard and my brother and I started running across a city park. My mom and my aunt trailed behind us with a picnic. My aunt handed me a hot dog, like a sprinter handing off a baton. I looked down at it wrapped in the bun and realized it looked like the butt of a giant spider. I took a big bite out of it anyway and kept running. To my brother I said, “Have you ever seen a close up of a spider spinning a web?” He shook his head. “It looks like they have fingers on their butt that spin the thread.”
Cancer, what does this dream mean? Freud has a few things to say about hot dogs, but I’m not sure they apply to this dream or at least not directly. I share it with you only because your subconscious may be making very cryptic appearances. I would encourage you not to go into too deep a psychological analysis of your dreams at this point in time. Write them down and keep them to look back on at a later date. There are wonderful things up ahead, but they require dedication to what you are spinning in this moment. Trust the intuitive knowledge of your spinnerets.
(XVIII Moon Rev/ Parallelograms- Linda Perhacs)
LEO
SIDES OF THE BED
Typically, I sleep on the one side of the bed whether or not I’m sharing that bed with another human. I’ve done this since I was a kid. When I was little I filled up one half of my bed with all of my stuffed animals because I didn’t want any of them to feel neglected. As an adult I sleep on one side of the bed and on the other are usually one or two books and a pad of paper incase I get any ideas in the middle of the night. My small chihuahua also manages to clear a significant amount of space for herself. But there is still a portion that remains unoccupied. For awhile I wondered if this open field was a sign of low self-esteem, maybe I was afraid to take up space. Every so often to test this theory I make snow angels under the covers. Now I have a new theory, which is that this open space is like a landing pad for possibility, its a portal for the creation and manifestation of dreams.
Leo, this week you seem to be stepping back a bit to allow for something new to take shape in your life. You may not know what you are making room for, but that’s okay. Now is the perfect time to simply give space to your feelings and dreams. And on the landing pad you’ve provided, new things may manifest.
(Shaman of Cups L/ Little Wheel Spin and Spin- Buffy Sainte- Marie)
VIRGO
STARING AT THE CEILING
Lately, I’ve been feeling so busy that when I crawl into bed at night all I want to do is stare at the blank expanse of the ceiling until I fall asleep. I suppose this is kind of like meditating. It is also kind of like setting the white balance when you are making a video. For those who aren’t familiar, you have to hold a sheet of paper or something you want the video camera to read as white in front of the lens and then adjust the white balance until it agrees that the paper or object as white. It’s the necessity and process of focusing on nothing that I relate to.
Virgo, this week you may need to do just that, focus on nothing. Take your time, focusing on nothing is a process with big pay offs. It allows you to recalibrate within and connect back up with yourself and from that place you will probably find it easier to make decisions and move in the direction that best suits your needs and tastes.
(4 of Swords/ In Another Land- The Rolling Stones)
LIBRA
REMEMBERING YOUR DREAM
There are lots of suggested methods for remembering your dreams, like going over the events of your day backwards before you go to bed or laying in the place and position you were when you woke up until the details of your dream solidify. It is sometimes strange to observe what you do or don’t remember. Like maybe you remember that a chair was mahogany, but you can’t remember if your dream was in color or black and white.
This week, Libra, it may be helpful to notice which details of your dream your mind clings to, whether that dream is formulated in your waking life or while you sleep. From these pieces a new form may be taking shape.
(7 of Cups R/ Sleep lad- Viky Mosholiou)
SCORPIO
SPOONING
At my grandfather’s funeral recently I was lying in bed feeling sad and thinking about how sadness is a rather lonely emotion. Even when you are surrounded by people all feeling sad and missing the same person, your experience of the pain can be rather individual. At that moment, my chihuahua, stretched and her two front paws pushed against my arm. Even though I’m sure her motives were not as altruistic as I interpreted them I was so grateful for the reminder that a simple squeeze can’t remove sadness, but it can penetrate the feeling of isolation.
Scorpio, it is still your birthday season and there will likely be constant reminders that you are not alone. And not only that you are not alone, but that you are loved and appreciated.
(2 of cups R/ Plutonian Nights- Sun Ra & His Arkestra)
SAGITTARIUS
THE ALARM
When I worked as a caterer there were mornings I would have to get up at 4 am in order to deliver breakfast by the designated call time. Knowing this I would prepare to go to sleep at 9 pm. This involved an elaborate set of bedtime rituals like drinking two different kinds of “relaxing” teas, laying out my clothes for the next day (including socks and underwear) preparing a snack for the next morning and placing my car keys in a prominent place. But it seems, the more you want to go to sleep, the harder it is to actually surrender to it. My eyelids were like broken window shades that kept fluttering open. The worst was finally falling asleep twenty minutes before my alarm.
Sagittarius, this week you may be trying to make all sorts of preparations or plans, but the reality is you will sleep when you’re tired. There may be an easier route to the changes you are trying to make. Trust that this path exists and will unfold naturally when you allow yourself to surrender to and express your desires.
(7 of Swords/ Moonage Daydream- David Bowie)
CAPRICORN
A BAD DREAM THAT MEANS SOMETHING GOOD
I’ve been looking up symbols in the dream dictionary long enough now that I know not to panic when I have a “bad” dream. For instance, a dream that someone is trying to kill you, often just means you are going through a healing process, and the “killing” represents a purification or a release of the old stagnant part of yourself. Dreams of public nudity sometimes point to freedom of expression and can indicate honesty and openness. Even if you are afraid of spiders in your waking life, they are typically a good omen in dreams.
Capricorn, this week you may experience a situation as uncomfortable or upsetting, but the direction in which this experience is urging you to move, or the transition it asks you to make is actually quite positive and may be long overdue. Try to look for the deeper meaning behind any apparent difficulties this week.
(4 of Wands Rev/ Katie Cruel- Agnes Obel)
AQUARIUS
SLEEP ITSELF
I always think its funny when someone says, “I don’t remember falling asleep.” Does anyone actually remember falling asleep? If you do remember falling asleep then you probably aren’t really sleeping because sleeping implies a lack of consciousness. There is a moment however where you may consciously decide to stop fighting sleep, when you trust your body to take you where you need to go.
Aquarius, this week you may find yourself in a similar place of surrender, trusting your body or the universe or any other elements to guide you quite naturally where you need to go.
(XII Hanged One/ Wandering Stars- Portishead)
PISCES
NIGHTMARES
In my earliest memories I thought that sleeping on my back was an invitation to nightmares. I had to sleep curled like a shrimp on my side. One night a bad dream followed me into this position as well. I awoke to the reality that my plan was not impermeable. Rather than give up on my theory I decided it was simply a sign to return to a pose of surrender and sleep on my back again.
Pisces, this week, you may be tempted to indulge in clever ways of protecting yourself from things you probably don’t have much control over. This is one tactic, but another may be to surrender to all your dreams and stand up, when the time comes, to the bad ones.
(4 of Cups R/ Blue Moon of Kentucky- Patsy Cline)