ARIES
FEELS LIKE- A cool breeze
SOUNDS LIKE- Heavy stone scraping against heavy stone
I guess I’m still thinking about Indiana Jones (a reference to last weeks Tarotscopes in case you missed them) because when I thought of “stone scraping stone” I was imagining a door opening in, I think, “The Temple of Doom.” Its the sound of something old, big and heavy which was once obstructing your way, sliding aside to let you pass. In this case, Aries, it is likely an idea or concept you previously felt trapped by, but which no longer holds water, or you captive. The cool breeze also shows you that the door is open and it often indicates a change, day to night, summer to fall. The way becomes clear because you have cleared it yourself.
(V Hierophant Rev/ Ghosts- Ibeyi)
TAURUS
FEELS LIKE- Wet socks
SOUNDS LIKE- Electricity buzzing
There is a hike I sometimes take in Los Angeles that loops through these big power lines. The first time I passed by I was with a friend. As we approached she was telling a story and stopped mid sentence, “Wait…what is that?” We both listened for a second before I gestured to the power lines. Having pinpointed the source we both quickened our pace. It seemed dangerous, in one way or another, even though the lines were held by big metal towers high above our heads.
Wet socks, to this day, are something I can’t abide. As a kid I could frequently be found in the bathroom with the hairdryer trying to blow out a wet toe or heal. A wet sock was something I couldn’t ignore, especially in winter when it was usually a cold puddle of snow I’d stepped in.
Wet socks and electricity probably seem like an unlikely combination, but the feeling is similar. The desire to move on, move forward, make a change which is how you may feel this week, Taurus. Perhaps you’ve run yourself ragged and there is a sense that you can’t go on at this pace. Now is the time to collect yourself before the next wave of change comes in with the eclipses.
(9 of Wands/ Scandalize My Name- Kathleen Battle and Jessye Norman)
GEMINI
FEELS LIKE- Inhailing a flock of doves
SOUNDS LIKE- The TVs on downstairs
The sound of a television from a distance is almost as recognizable as the sound of a television up close. The difference is knowing something is being said and knowing what is being said.
There is a street corner in Los Angeles I pass by often enough that I’ve noticed there is frequently a community of pigeons and rock doves putting a bend in the power lines with the weight of their bodies. Sometimes, usually around sunset they take off in a huge swell. Every now and then, when they swoop low, I worry they will dip into traffic and be massacred. I hold my breath and my heart beat quickens, but this is also because it is exhilarating to watch. You can so easily project yourself into the flock.
Gemini, this week you may find yourself feeling far away from what you want to say and what you want to hear. It might be helpful to go somewhere you know you can see birds take off en masse because it is easy to project yourself into the flock and feel free.
(Shaman of Swords Rev/ The Eagle and Me- Lena Horne)
CANCER
FEELS LIKE- Pine needles
SOUNDS LIKE- Ripping paper
First grade was full of pine needles. The house I lived in most of my childhood had a big sappy pine tree out front and the school I went to had a larger grove of the same kind. I remember making a home in the grove with some friends during recess. We’d each scrape a pile of needles into a bed. They were incredibly soft to lay on, but if you hit them at the wrong angle they warned you away with a bite.
In elementary school someone always seemed to want to borrow a sheet of paper after the teacher had called the class to attention (“All eyes on me”). Ripping out a sheet of paper from your notebook at these moments typically caused “all eyes on me” to shift to “all eyes on you” as the teacher glaringly waited for the ripping to finish. It wasn’t a sound anyone could talk over.
Cancer, there are ways of setting boundaries without words, the way a pine needle stabs you if you encounter it at the wrong angle, or a teacher’s glare, or simply by silencing everyone by ripping a sheet of paper. But this week, it may be best to state what you want and need clearly in words or writing.
(6 of Swords/ Tell Mama- Etta James)
LEO
FEELS LIKE- Using your foot as a brake
SOUNDS LIKE- Rusty metal
When my training wheels were first removed I used to coast around on my bike with one or both feet floating off the peddles in case I needed to throw a foot down to slow, or stop myself because I could never remember to back peddle in the heat of the moment. But when you use your foot in lieu of your actual brakes it often takes longer to slow down and if you are going too fast down a hill the result can be catastrophic. This method also implies a lack of confidence in your bicycle. When you are collaborating with anything, the ride is often smoother if you can relinquish some control and trust the services it provides in moving you towards your destination.
I won’t go into an explanation of “rusty metal,” its probably just the sound your foot would make if it were actually a brake and not a foot. In any case, Leo, what you may be feeling this week is similar to what I’ve described, perhaps like something is dragging on your usual “get up and go” Leo tenacity. This could be because you are not trusting your “collaborators” to pull their weight or do what they were designed to, like a bicycle. Part of the uncertainty may be because you are heading in a new direction. Take your time, but do continue to put one foot in front of the other, eventually when you get more comfortable you’ll probably find it easier to trust your brakes rather than throw your foot down.
(VII Chariot L/ Someday, Someway- The Marvelettes)
VIRGO
FEELS LIKE- Slapping a fly with the swatter
SOUNDS LIKE- A mosquito whizzing past your ear
When and where flies are in need of swatting it is typically hot. When I pulled your card for the week, Virgo, I imagined a place where it is so hot that everything moves as though it were held back by liquid or caught in jello. Sweat is the only thing that travels fast, sweat and fly swatters. This past week your energy may have been amping up with the moon as it reaches its peak in Virgo on Thursday. You may feel more like the fly swatter than anything else in the afore mentioned scenario. Keep in mind that everything else might, in comparison, feel trapped in jello. Put the fly swatter down periodically to give yourself some room to breathe. You aren’t likely get behind in your work, because you are probably already so far ahead.
(Daughter of Swords R/ Better Than You- Rye Rye feat. M.I.A.)
LIBRA
FEELS LIKE- A shawl over your shoulders
SOUNDS LIKE- A wooden shoe on a wooden floor
My mother discovered shawls (“pashminas”) when my parents moved to Indonesia. I was 18 at the time and thought this aesthetic was the embodiment of what it means to be an “old-lady.” As I write this I have a shawl over my own shoulders because it is warm, feels like a hug and the associations don’t bother me anymore. For myself, I’ve noticed that getting older sometimes means taking comfort in different things or in the same things, but in different ways. There is a sort of shawl we wear over our shoulders as we get older which may be partially described as the comfort of knowing ourselves, from holding our own hand through various challenges over the years. It is solid, like the sound of a wooden shoe against a wooden floor.
This week, Libra, you may find yourself less afraid to go out on a limb or make a statement because there is comfort in knowing who you are and having seen yourself through change and transition before.
(Priestess of Swords/ Window Seat- Erykah Badu)
SCORPIO
FEELS LIKE- A warm spot in the water
SOUNDS LIKE- Silence under a blanket
When I was a kid I didn’t believe a warm spot in water could be a good thing. Even though I liked the way it felt, I never allowed myself to feel comfortable there. In a pool I thought it meant that someone had peed and in a natural body of water I was thought it was a sure sign sharks were lurking nearby, warming the water with their giant bodies or hot breath (which of course doesn’t make any sense because they breathe through gills and are cold-blooded). “It’s warm because of the sun,” someone would remind me time and again, but I always forgot.
Scorpio, this week you may find yourself waiting for something to materialize or develop. Maybe you aren’t even sure what you are waiting for, but whatever it is, allow yourself to enjoy this reprieve because it probably has more to do with the sun than sharks or urine.
(7 of Discs/ Chasing Time- Azealia Banks)
SAGITTARIUS
FEELS LIKE- Red rover
SOUNDS LIKE- Someone talking on their cellphone next to your conversation
Is Red Rover illegal yet? I wish it had been when I was a kid. I remember my classmates sweaty hands gripping my wrists because I kept my hold intentionally loose so I could escape at the last minute. The chant felt ominous too, “Red rooooverrr…red roooovvverrr…send… _____ right OVERRR!” Most kids didn’t seem to get that the best way prevent the person from breaking through your linked hands was to bend to their impact. The tactic usually employed was to remain as ridged as possible, which is, I would guess, how all the arms I heard about later were broken.
It may seem unrelated but trying to maintain a conversation you’ve started with one person while the person next to you is talking loudly on their cellphone is similarly challenging. Resistance, I’ve found in this scenario, is often fruitless.
Sagittarius, you may feel this week that you are trying to hold everything together, or maybe just hands with the people around you. Remember that the way through might have something to do with bending to the blows and not struggling to talk over the noise, but finding another route through it.
(2 of Discs/ Baby Can I Hold You- Tracy Chapman)
CAPRICORN
FEELS LIKE- Flattening cardboard boxes
SOUNDS LIKE- Breaking glass
I’ve been put to the task of “breaking down” cardboard boxes before, either as kid or as a task at a job. In terms of chores or tasks it is always presented as a treat because it is rather satisfying as opposed to sweeping a floor or cleaning a toilet. There are a few different approaches you can use to deconstruct the box, either by taking it apart in the same way it was constructed or by stamping on it until its flat. The sound accompanying this action is not nearly as satisfying or impactful as the sound of breaking glass so that is why “breaking glass” has been selected as the accompanying sound effect.
Capricorn, this week you may begin taking apart the structures in your life which have been taking up too much room. What ideas or concepts have you been living your life around? Now is the time to dismantle them or just stamp on them until they are flat.
(XV Devil Rev/ I Can’t Help It- Betty Carter)
AQUARIUS
FEELS LIKE- Wading through water up to your neck
SOUNDS LIKE- “Sunday Sunday Sunday…” on the radio
I haven’t heard it in a long time, but when I would listen to the radio as kid I remember hearing regularly an ad for monster truck rallies. They always began or ended with, “Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!” It was always so jarring because I was usually listening to the oldies station, so it would be sandwiched between something like “Lollipop” and “Penny Lane.”
The problem with trying to walk through water when it is up to your neck is that you can’t know how to navigate, you can only see what is happening on the surface. If you really want to make your way through the water with any ease or speed you have to be willing to get your head wet.
What do these two things have in common, Aquarius? I’ll tell you where they meet in my mind- going with the flow and collaborating with life. It might be necessary to take a break this week from what you are doing so you can see, hear, smell and taste where you are and understand the waters in which you are swimming.
(Son of Swords/ A Bridge Over Troubled Water- Roberta Flack)
PISCES
FEELS LIKE- A mouthful of cotton balls
SOUNDS LIKE- A whisper
I can’t remember ever having had an entire mouthful of cotton balls, but somehow I know exactly what it would feel like. I guess it might be related to having gauze in your mouth at the dentist, the texture and dryness is probably similar.
Pisces, there may be something you want to express or put out in the world, or perhaps you are preparing for a trip and are feeling slightly reluctant about leaving. Maybe your mouth is full of cotton or you are afraid of what will happen after you commit to expressing the things you are beginning to feel or after you’ve left your current location for a new one. Consider practicing first in a whisper and then getting louder.
(8 of Wands L/ Can’t Get A Letter From Down the Road- Elizabeth Cotten)