THEME/First few days

In my year spread, the cards suggest this coming month, November, will be focused on deep knowledge and intuition. What special teachings are waiting for us if we learn how to pay attention? After the constant personal development this year has seen, especially the struggle to know what is true and right, we may need to reestablish or fine-tune the connection to that inner voice so that it can be a valuable guide in the present and the future. The HIGH PRIESTESS operates on a higher plane of thought, immersed in the ordinarily unknowable. A crucial aspect of self development is learning to hear and trust our inner voice as it speaks to us in waking and dreaming life. This card represents all dimensions being accessible at once, allowing for more nuanced understanding of the self and situations we find ourselves in. This might include using tarot cards or other tools for divination to access different information, meditation practices, dream analysis, or consulting with guides and ancestors, depending on cultural and personal practices. The most important factor here is being receptive to the information that needs to reach us. (Card pictured is from Le Grand Etteilla deck. Don’t let the number and the name throw you. This early divination deck has a different structure, but this card is equivalent to what we know now as the High Priestess.)

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Nov. 5-11

In the Etteilla deck, this is a card of heat, possibly of disagreement and obstacles. In the context of this month’s High Priestess theme, this might signal an internal conflict as you adjust to channeling other sources of information. It might also mean that something must be heated in order to break it down into its elements so they can be purified and recombined into a more useful state. This kind of fire might lead to clarity if you know what you’re doing with the process. Even if this is a quarrel in a relationship, it’s often necessary to pass through the heat of anger. It’s a release of pent up energy. This might also be an internal struggle for those of you who have to vote in important elections this week. You must come to terms with the options, find your truth, and declare it.

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Nov. 12-18

This week’s card is the Monarch/Strength. Woman with a wild beast resting in her lap. One who perseveres and masters the rough forces within (when this card is upright). But how we have it here, reversed, the balance is distorted. The figure of power who previously offered protection has withdrawn that assistance. Perhaps that’s literal for you right now. Perhaps you are that creature in her lap but also the monarch, which means it might be a challenge this week to keep the creature inside from using its claws and teeth. Last week presented a fiery card of quarrels and disagreement within. The beast that was released must be tamed again. Again, our theme card of the High Priestess can provide cooling waters to balance this fire. Let the ashes be dissolved and further purification begin. Look inward for wisdom and embrace what you already sense is true. Embrace the rain if it’s that season where you are. Embrace the rule of your higher self. 

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Nov. 19-25

This week’s card, Priest/Nine of Swords, is often classically interpreted as a bad omen, but indicates that someone wishing  you harm will not be able to follow through with their dark desires. As this is the month of the High Priestess in our larger reading, perhaps this card signals intentions you are detecting that the person is not actually bold enough to act on. Regardless, you may be worried about what you’re sensing, leading to the anxiety we associate with the Nine of Swords in other decks. For many of you, this is a holiday week when you have to be around family you don’t typically encounter and maybe don’t share beliefs with. You might be anticipating conflict or discomfort. Be cautious in how you handle such interactions. Remember the lesson about strength from last week’s card. 

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Nov. 26-30

It is possible when you actually pay attention to what your inner voice is telling you you’ll discover uncomfortable truths. You have to come to terms with this difficult aspect if you’re to fully embrace High Priestess energy (our theme in this month’s reading). This type of knowing doesn’t filter out disappointments. It brings everything forward equally. Ultimately a card like this one, when considered in the context of this month’s High Priestess theme, is more than the devastation it seems to be. Instead it is another opportunity to let go of some way you’re fooling yourself and deal with what’s really happening. It’s better than continuing to lie to yourself or hold obsessive hope for something that won’t and shouldn’t be. We’re in a Mercury Retrograde period again, which is the perfect time to examine unhealthy patterns and close them down for good. ✂️ So...what are you allowing yourself to keep doing despite knowing on some level it’s hurting you or someone else?