Incandescent Tarot Podcast

In Episode 4 of Seeing Tarot, artist Anna Rose Stabler and tarot reader Gina Wisotzky continue their card-by-card exploration of the tarot, moving through the aces of the Minor Arcana.Rather than defining cards through fixed meanings, this podcast explores what happens when you live with their energy over time: through art-making, daily life, season, and conversation.This month’s focus: The Ace of CupsIn this episode, Anna and Gina discuss:* Water as a fluid, transformative element that dissolves the hardness of Swords and Wands into something tender and ineffable* The shadow side of Cups: beneath the softness, what is sinister, soporific, and hidden* The Grail legend as tarot mirror: the holy fool, purity of heart, and the quest for impossible wholeness* How the five streams in the card’s imagery connect to the senses and the facets of being alive* The upside-down M on the chalice and its possible allusion to the Virgin Mary* Rachel Pollack’s framing of the Ace of Cups as “an emblem of love underpinning life”* Psychedelics, blue lotus, and states of perception beyond language* The Cocteau Twins as the ultimate Cups band* Gina’s March forecast and how the Eight of Cups, Ten of Cups, and Six of Wands illuminate the art of following the flow* Anna’s illustration process: gray skies, a sun-sized wafer, and a Medieval-style border* A preview of the Ace of Pentacles and the turn toward earthThe conversation moves freely between the mystical and the grounded — from Arthurian legend and Gnostic Christianity to perfume and Pokémon. The Ace of Cups emerges the place where the full spectrum of emotional life gathers: seeking, melancholy, beauty, and the underlying unity beneath it all.References & InfluencesThe Grail Legend by Emma Jung and Marie-Louise von FranzSeventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom by Rachel PollackThe Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer BradleyElaine Pagels and the Gnostic GospelsThe Cocteau TwinsAce of Cups MoodboardScents & Sensory CorrespondencesAce of CupsFragranceGina’s PickParfum de Thérèse by Frédéric Malle — created by Edmond Roudnitska in the late 1950s for his wife, who wore it exclusively until Frédéric Malle later brought it to market. Notes of melon, green violet, and moss that together evoke a secret shaded pool with water lilies — romantic, melancholy, and quietly watery.Anna’s PickUn Jardin sur le Nil by Hermès — light, aquatic, luminous. Anna’s mother’s signature fragrance.Natural MaterialStill water and lily padsRain on a gray afternoonViolets Blue lotus (flagged for future Cups exploration)EnvironmentA shaded garden pool, secret and stillClouds heavy before rainThe surface of things — and what moves beneathAbout the HostsGina Wisotzky The founder of Incandescent Tarot, Gina has been reading and practicing tarot and the intuitive arts for over two decades. Her work weaves tarot, writing, seasonal practice, and somatic inquiry through readings, classes, and audio reflections.Incandescent Tarot / AlchemagAnna Rose Stabler Anna Rose Stabler is an illustrator whose work centers symbolism, still life, and narrative imagery. Her practice explores how meaning forms through visual language, material, and seasonality.Website / Instagram / Tumblr This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit incandescenttarot.substack.com

Episode DescriptionWe’re coming back down to earth in April after practicing honesty and clarity with the King of Swords in March. This month brings us fully back into the body, the home, and the material world, while giving us a new perspective from which we can plan our next steps.With a strong two pentacles at the center of its reading, April emphasizes stewardship, presence, and participation in daily life. The Queen of Pentacles leads us into a space of care and attentiveness, while the Ten of Pentacles reflects a rich, busy, and interconnected environment. The Nine of Swords challenges us to notice old patterns of retreat or overwhelm, and the Two of Wands opens a quiet but exciting space for creative dreaming.This is a full and fertile month: April asks us to tend what is already here, trust the stability we’ve built, and allow new visions to emerge without rushing to act on them.Our CardsTheme: Queen of PentaclesApril is rooted in care, presence, and grounded stewardship. After March’s King of Swords clarity, we now come into the body and the senses. This is a month of tending: to your home, your relationships, your environment, and yourself.Rather than speaking or analyzing, the Queen of Pentacles asks: how are you showing up? How are you creating a space where you and your community can feel supported?There is a quiet confidence here, so trust that you know how to care for what matters.Environment: Ten of PentaclesLife is rich and full!The Ten of Pentacles reflects a world of many moving parts—people, responsibilities, relationships, obligations, and opportunities. It can feel like a lot, but it is also a sign of abundance and interconnectedness. It just might make you feel a little dizzy.This is not a spacious month externally, but internally, you are being asked to cultivate steadiness. Notice just how capable you’ve become in navigating complexity.Challenge: Nine of SwordsOld patterns of worry, overwhelm, or retreat may resurface.The Nine of Swords suggests that moments of busyness or abundance could trigger familiar emotional responses such as rumination, anxiety, or the urge to withdraw. Yet this card feels slightly out of step with the rest of the spread, hinting that these reactions may be echoes rather than current truths.Where might you be defaulting to old coping mechanisms that no longer fit?Opportunity: Two of WandsA gentle and exciting opening.The Two of Wands invites you to dream, explore, and imagine what’s next without pressure. This is not a month for major action or overhaul. It is a time for curiosity, possibility, and low-stakes creativity.Let yourself expand your vision. What if the best thing could happen?Key Themes for April 2026* Grounding into the body and daily life* Stewardship of home, resources, and relationships* Navigating abundance and busyness with presence* Recognizing and releasing outdated emotional patterns* Making space for creative dreaming without urgency* Finding stability within complexity🎡 Wheel of Fortune ContextApril continues the grounded phase we entered in March, with no Major Arcana cards present!This suggests a sustained period of integration where the dramatic shifts of earlier months are being metabolized into daily life. The Wheel is still turning, but now through routine, responsibility, and embodied presence.This is a time to build, tend, and stabilize while quietly sensing what may be emerging next. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit incandescenttarot.substack.com

Recorded on the waxing crescent in Pisces and released on the vernal equinox, this first episode of Elemental Explorations arrives at a threshold as the light just begins its return.In this conversation, Gina Wisotzky (Incandescent Tarot) and Bethany Carder (My Resonant Frequencies) weave together tarot, astronomical astrology, and somatic practice to explore what it means to live as a water body: porous, rhythmic, and in relationship with the earth. An expansive practice and attunement, this recording invites you to take in at your own pace and return as needed.Moving through the vernal equinox with the Sun and Moon in Pisces, we enter through the water body—attuning to the Moon and the wider Piscean field through sound, listening, and embodied exploration. An impromptu conversation about the Moon in its waxing crescent phase in Pisces, this episode weaves astronomical astrology and tarot into a reflection on emergence, sensitivity, and the living rhythm of the sky. Attuned to this moment within the lunar cycle, this offering follows the natural cadence of return, where with each phase we are given another chance to listen, reflect, and notice what this exploration is teaching usWhat we explore together:We open with the lunar moment itself — waxing crescent, just past new moon, the slow build before illumination. Bethany brings her six-year practice of attuning to planetary transits through sound and improvisation, arriving through health challenges and the discovery that lunar tracking was a way back into the body. Gina shares her own path to the moon: growing up in the countryside under a full-moon snowstorm, sending Lunar Dispatch voice memos with a long-distance partner, and now wanting something more formally somatic in her spiritual practice.From there, the conversation moves through the full arc of the Moon card in tarot: shadow, siren call, the High Priestess as creature of margins, the intoxication of going too deep, and the necessity of bringing what you find back into the light. We talk about the Moon’s relationship to nervous system regulation, the 10 of Wands as a personal nemesis, the Nine of Swords as an honest mirror, and what it means to birth yourself through the moon.Along the way, Bethany leads a grounding breath and embodiment practice, a full-body movement sequence mapped to the lunar cycle, and closes the episode with Pauline Oliveros-inspired deep listening - a water meditation followed by a slow, guided return. We close with an affirmation from Bethany’s teacher Krishna Kaur: I am the center of my world.To see tarot spreads, visit the project website elementalexplorations.comCards pulled: Seven of Pentacles · Seven of Wands · The World · Five of Wands · Knight of CupsPractices included: Belly breathing (4 in, 6 out) · Sounding for nervous system regulation · Lunar cycle movement sequence · Deep listening with water field recordings · Affirmation call and responseResources: Freesound — for sharing and exploring water field recordings from your own place Cities and Memory — a global project of shared listeningAbout the Project:Elemental Explorations is a collaborative audio and attunement series rooted in the seasons. With each equinox and solstice, we follow one element — through conversation, sound, movement, tarot, and somatic practice — as an invitation to come back into relationship with the living world and with yourself.The Elemental Explorations Ecosystem: www.elementalexplorations.commyresonantfrequencies.substack.comincandescenttarot.com incandescenttarot.beehiiv.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit incandescenttarot.substack.com

In Episode 3 of Seeing Tarot, artist Anna Rose Stabler and tarot reader Gina Wisotzky continue their card-by-card exploration of the tarot, beginning in the Minor Arcana and moving slowly through the suits.Instead of defining cards through fixed meanings, this project explores what happens when you live with their energy over time: through art-making, daily life, the seasons, personal practice, and conversation.This month’s focus is the The Ace of SwordsIn this episode, Anna and Gina discuss:Why the sword suit contains some of the most dramatic imagery in tarotThe Ace as the brightness of the swords suit before its darker expressions appearThe relationship between thought, communication, and conceptual clarityThe iconic Rider–Waite imagery and symbolism: crown, mountains, and descending yodsThe theatrical, almost comic, some might say emo, intensity of sword imagery (including the famous Three of Swords heart)Anna’s artistic process designing a new Ace of Swords cardWavy swords vs. straight, the abundance and drama of sqash vines, crowns as hierarchy and violenceRhapsodizing about dendritesThe air element, the season of spring, and the mental landscape of the sword suitBarren mountains as symbolic terrain for clarity and dangerThroughout the episode, the Ace of Swords emerges as both tool and threshold - a moment where ideas become clear and insight begins to form, hopefully in a potent, spiritually-informed direction!Scents & Sensory CorrespondencesFragranceL'Air du Desert Marocain by Tauer PerfumesVol de Nuit by GuerlainEarthscence Incesnse by Fragile GlassNatural MaterialGalbanumPine, Fir, evergreensBracing citrusEucalyptusMentholMetalEnvironmentRocky mountainsEvergreen forestsThe desert at nightAbout the HostsGina WisotzkyThe founder of Incandescent Tarot, Gina has been reading and practicing tarot and the intuitve arts for over two decades. Her work weaves tarot, writing, seasonal practice, and somatic inquiry through readings, classes, and audio reflections.Incandescent Tarot/AlchemagAnna Rose StablerAnna Rose Stabler is an illustrator whose work centers symbolism, still life, and narrative imagery. Her practice explores how meaning forms through visual language, material, and seasonality.Website/Podcast/Tumblr This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit incandescenttarot.substack.com

Episode DescriptionMarch notes a welcome tonal shift in the spin of the Wheel of Fortune; after the lunar loopiness of January and the catalytic intensity of February’s Ten of Swords + Magician pairing, this month offers something priceless: no Major Arcana cards!March brings us back to daily life, precise and grounded authority, and brave emotional seeking. The King of Swords anchors the month in clarity and discernment, while the Eight of Cups quietly invites heart-centered risk. The Six of Wands challenges our definition of success, and the Ten of Cups opens the possibility of genuine connection and fulfillment.This is a subtle and potentially decisive month. March asks us to stand clearly in what we know, move toward what matters, and choose belonging over status and performance.Our CardsTheme: King of SwordsMarch is all about clarity, intellectual authority, and discernment. After February’s saturation and intensity, we now hold a single sword instead of ten! This is a moment of breakthrough and accomplishment: the period at the end of a long sentence. Trust your perception and stand confidently in your values.Environment: Eight of CupsThe Eight of Cups shows a quiet but mature turning point. Nothing is being lost - the cups in our array remain upright - but we’re in search for something deeper to add. This is a month of walking toward meaning, especially if we can’t articulate it yet.Take slow steps and emotional risks in the search of your ninth (and even tenth!) cup.Challenge: Six of WandsThe challenge lies in how we define success: external validation, big wins, and personal riches? Or something else entirely?The Six of Wands suggests recognition, applause, and visible accomplishment may be available, but staying there may create distance. Are we using achievement to protect ourselves from intimacy?Opportunity: Ten of CupsTrue opportunity lies in connection.The Ten of Cups offers emotional fulfillment, belonging, and equal-footed relationship. If we follow the quiet pull of the Eight of Cups, we may arrive somewhere deeply beautiful.Yet fulfillment itself can be confronting. What happens if striving softens? What happens if you are held and seen? This card asks whether you are willing to be comfortable in joy.Key Themes for March 2026* Emerging from intensity into clarity* Precision in speech and decision-making* Emotional courage without drama* Redefining success beyond recognition* Moving from solitary authority into shared belonging* Integrating intellect and intuition🎡 Wheel of Fortune ContextMarch represents a lull in archetypal intensity.With no Major Arcana cards present, this month offers spaciousness within the larger spin of the Wheel. It is a moment to stabilize, integrate the lessons of The Moon and The Magician, and act from hard-won clarity.Where January and February evoked disorientation and catalytic transformation, March invites grounded forward movement - hooray!Monthly Reflection PromptsKing of Swords* How have you been bravely working through difficulty?* What sentence in your life is ready for a period?* What feels undeniably clear to you right now?* How can you act with precision rather than reaction?* Where are you being asked to trust your perception?Eight of Cups* What are you ready to walk toward, even if you cannot fully explain it?* What emotional risk(s) feels mature rather than impulsive?* Where are you searching for your ninth cup? (It's okay if you don’t now yet, ninth cups often come into focus slowly.)* What growth feels optional but necessary?Six of Wands* How are you currently measuring success?* Are you resting on achievement and not moving projects forward?* Where might recognition be creating distance?* What would success look like if no one were watching?Ten of Cups* What would it feel like to have what you truly want?* Are you comfortable being held and seen? How can you ease into more comfort?* What happens when striving softens?* What does fulfillment mean beyond achievement?* Where are you invited into equal-footed connection? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit incandescenttarot.substack.com

In Episode 2 of Seeing Tarot, artist Anna Rose Stabler and tarot reader Gina Wisotzky continue their card-by-card exploration of the tarot, beginning in the Minor Arcana and moving slowly through the suits.Rather than defining cards through fixed meanings, this podcast explores what happens when you live with their energy over time: through art-making, daily life, season, and conversation.This month’s focus: The Ace of WandsIn this episode, Anna and Gina discuss:The negative space of the Ace of Wands and the fear of open skyFire as both creative impulse and destructive forceThe pressure and impatience that can accompany new beginningsHow snow, illness, and disrupted schedules mirrored Wand energy in real lifeMoving from inspiration (Wands) to intention and structure (Swords)The sword as a forged tool: shaping energy, setting parameters, making decisionsGardening and seasonal planning as embodied Swords practiceSensory correspondences: cold green scents, ginger, roots, foliageThe relational nature of tarot and how one card evolves into the nextThe conversation lingers on initiation not as pure excitement, but as something expansive and at times overwhelming. The Ace of Wands brings spark and desire along with exposure and intensity. The Ace of Swords follows as response: discernment, clarity, and the deliberate shaping of energy into form.Over time, Seeing Tarot walks through the tarot by creating and exploring images together, allowing meaning to emerge through relationship and emerging correspondences rather than memorization.References & InfluencesSeventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom by Rachel PollackTwin Peaks by David LynchScents & Sensory CorrespondencesAce of WandsFragranceAura by Thierry MuglerGreen and Amazingreen by Comme des GarçonsNatural MaterialFresh ginger rootGinger tea with honeyLush green foliageMineral and concrete accordsEnvironmentCold green airDandelion growing through concreteExpansive open skyAbout the HostsGina WisotzkyThe founder of Incandescent Tarot, Gina has been reading and practicing tarot and the intuitve arts for over two decades. Her work weaves tarot, writing, seasonal practice, and somatic inquiry through readings, classes, and audio reflections.Incandescent Tarot/AlchemagAnna Rose StablerAnna Rose Stabler is an illustrator whose work centers symbolism, still life, and narrative imagery. Her practice explores how meaning forms through visual language, material, and seasonality.Website/Podcast/Tumblr This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit incandescenttarot.substack.com

Episode DescriptionFebruary 2026 continues the intense arc we entered in January, deepening our collective experience of the Wheel of Fortune. In this live tarot reading, we explore what happens when a period of exhaustion, over-analysis, and emotional saturation reaches its breaking point…and how genuine momentum becomes possible on the other side.Using a four-card spread, this forecast moves from the Ten of Swords as the month’s core theme into the activating presence of The Magician, with The Moon returning as a challenge and The Queen of Wands offering a path forward. Together, these cards describe a moment where rumination has run its course and learning shifts from internal processing to vibrant, embodied engagement.February asks us to stop studying our pain and begin responding to life again. Creativity, agency, humor, and decisive action become a path towards newness and growth.Cards DrawnTheme: Ten of SwordsOof. A moment of undeniable saturation. This card marks the end of a cycle of overthinking, rumination, and psychic overload. February begins by asking: what has become too much to carry? Where has analysis, information, or suffering reached its limit?Environment: The MagicianDespite the heaviness of the Ten of Swords, the surrounding environment is charged with possibility. The Magician signals available energy, agency, and catalytic change. Engagement with the world - people, projects, conversations - can quickly generate momentum.Challenge: The MoonThe challenge is lingering too long in January’s fog. While lunar disorientation was necessary last month, February asks us to stop performing confusion and start responding. Trust in motion can replace prolonged uncertainty.Opportunity: Queen of WandsCreative action, leadership, and visible engagement are supported now. This card invites confidence without rigidity, passion without over-attachment, and movement without needing full certainty. Fire warms the late winter landscape!Key Themes for February 2026* Endpoints, limits, and psychic saturation* Releasing over-analysis and repetitive suffering* Learning through action rather than theory* Creative engagement as restoration* Agency returning after collapse* Leadership, visibility, and warmth in community spacesClosing InvitationFebruary marks a shift from endurance to response. You’re invited to reflect on what you’re ready to put down, and where you’re willing to step back into the world with curiosity, creativity, and trust. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit incandescenttarot.substack.com

In this opening episode of Seeing Tarot, artist Anna Rose Stabler and tarot reader Gina Wisotzky begin a collaborative project using art and intuition to explore tarot as a visual, symbolic, and intuitive practice… and build a tarot deck.In this episode we explore learning how to look, how images carry meaning, and how intuition develops through attention, conversation, and lived experience.Together, we discuss:* Tarot as a visual language rooted in illustration and storytelling* The difference between memorizing meanings and cultivating intuition* Tarot’s layered history, from Renaissance art to modern decks* How artists collect symbols and build personal mythologies* The Minor Arcana as the “everyday” tarot, and why it’s often overlooked* Elemental associations as an accessible way into the cards* Seasonality, place, and daily life as sources of meaningThis episode also sets the foundation for the project moving forward. Over time, Seeing Tarot will walk through the cards by creating and exploring images together, beginning in the Minor Arcana and focusing on the everyday, human-scale moments the tarot reflects.Welcome to this collaborative journey!About the HostsGina WisotzkyGina is the founder of Incandescent Tarot, where she has been sharing her tarot experience of over two decades. Her work weaves tarot, writing, culture, and seasonal ritual through readings, newsletters, and audio reflections.Anna Rose StablerAnna is an illustrator and artist whose work centers symbolism, still life, and quiet narrative worlds. Her practice draws from place, personal archetypes, and the everyday magic of objects and rituals. You can find her work at annarosestabler.com and her podcast Exploring Videogames. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit incandescenttarot.substack.com

In this surprise audio edition of the January forecast, we return to a live, spoken tarot reading after a pause from the podcast. January opens the first full month under our new collective archetype for 2026: The Wheel of Fortune. This reading explores how disorientation, emotional processing, and shifts in communication shape the month ahead—and why clarity may not be the goal right now.Using a four-card spread (Theme, Environment, Challenge, Opportunity), this episode looks at how lunar energy, old mental patterns, and productivity culture interact with the Wheel’s turning.Cards DrawnTheme: The MoonJanuary opens in uncertainty, confusion, and psychic recalibration. The Moon reminds us that disorientation is not a failure—it’s part of the process. This is not a month for forcing clarity or demanding answers. Instead, we’re invited to notice what’s washing through us as the Wheel begins to turn.Environment: Three of SwordsThe surrounding emotional climate points to old wounds, familiar patterns of mental or relational pain, and moments that echo past hurts. Rather than signaling catastrophe, this card highlights the beginning of a cycle—where awareness of pain creates the possibility for change. Reactivity is unlikely to be helpful here.Challenge: Eight of PentaclesThe challenge this month is the temptation to hide inside productivity. Busyness, fixing, and “working harder” may feel culturally sanctioned—but they can also become a way to avoid deeper emotional or spiritual questions. January asks us to question whether effort is truly needed, or whether it’s functioning as a distraction.Opportunity: Ace of SwordsNew clarity is available—but it emerges slowly, through rest, reflection, and restraint. This Ace represents a shift in how we think and communicate, especially in charged situations. Unexpected breakthroughs may come from speaking differently, less defensively, or with greater simplicity.Key Themes & Takeaways* January is a liminal month, more about sensing than deciding* Confusion and emotional churn are part of the Wheel’s movement* Not every feeling requires action or communication* Rest and withdrawal (Four of Swords energy) support real insight* Productivity can obscure desire and lunar practice reveals it* Watch for subtle shifts in how you speak, especially under pressureMentioned ResourceFor a deeper exploration of the year’s governing archetype, including journaling prompts and practices, the Wheel of Fortune Guidebook for 2026 is available in the Incandescent Tarot shop for a limited time. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit incandescenttarot.substack.com

This month’s reading situates us in the Two of Wands’ visionary talents. What do we want to dream and then enact this month? The visions, goals, and questions we bring to the following month are likely to yield potent answers, especially if we devote ourselves to creative optimism and peaceful practices of the Queen of Cups. Of course, as with any wands-y reading, burnout is a real danger, particularly the vision-obscuring busyness of the Ten of Wands. Yet if we manage to thread this challenging and worthwhile needle, a whole new chapter can open up via the final card of The Fool’s Journey and the final card of our reading: The World. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit incandescenttarot.substack.com

This reading is brought to you by a technical difficulty resulting in a surprisingly cozy nighttime recording! It’s lovely as always to be back with a forecast, but first an important announcement: I’ll be pausing the regularly scheduled content here on the newsletter for a creative and spiritual reset; of course, paid subscriptions will also be paused during this time as well. If you have any ideas or input about the next phase of Incandescent Tarot, do reach out here or to info@incandescenttarot.com. I always love to hear from you - you’re the reason this space exists! Now, onto the cards… This month’s reading plunks us right into the darkness of the Nine of Swords where we’re asked to hang up our suffering, feel through it, and let ourselves feel and be held by the support available to us. In a beautiful gesture, the world reaches back when we reach out as our environment card, the Six of Cups, shows that tenderness and connection is on offer if we can step towards it. Our final cards illustrate a tricky process of discernment wherein we’re tasked with resisting the complacency of the King of Pentacles in service of the spontaneous, riskier magic of The Magician. Energy and growth is on the table, but if we choose The Magician’s path it will be both deeply meaningful and propulsive. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit incandescenttarot.substack.com

July highlights the burgeoning excitement, experimentation, and direction of the Two of Wands - this is a month to pay attention to what inspiration is appearing naturally while protecting this tender new growth from harmful influences. The Knight of Swords indicates a critical environment and a choice for us to turn against ourselves or turn against what’s holding us back via the Eight of Swords. The Knight of Pentacles reveals a different approach, one we may already be taking behind the scenes: slow, diligent, and dedicated work that can grow to support a meaningful life. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit incandescenttarot.substack.com

A robust and fiery energy for the start of the summer! This spread features the powerful, authoritative Emperor as our theme card. We’re positioned to make big gains this month, using our strength and determination to shape projects, routines, relationships - anything that requires our focus and vision. In our environment position, the Six of Wands shows an abundance of support and collaboration. Success is possible if we engage with others, delegate, and practice mutuality. The challenge, however, is to avoid burnout and emotional withdrawal via the Four of Cups while accepting the fast-moving developments (and successes!) of the Eight of Wands. Listen in for the entire forecast and be sure to share your comments below! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit incandescenttarot.substack.com

In May we step out of the world of pentacles and into the suit of swords. Led by the Page of Swords, our theme card, we’re inspired to revisit old narratives and step into a future that has us revising our assumptions and feeling awkward and inspired. The Queen of Swords asks us to be on the lookout for people, resources, and situations that encourage us to think flexibly and to trust our powers of discernment. It’s a powerful time to shift our viewpoint around struggle and effort: Will we choose to feel put upon and irritated like the Seven of Wands or dynamic and confident like the Two of Pentacles? All in all, this is a month of blue skies with clouds receding and a remarkable opportunity to reframe our lives, plans, and even beliefs. Listen in for the full reading and be sure to share your thoughts in the comments! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit incandescenttarot.substack.com

April sees us stepping onto the throne of the King of Pentacles as we’re asked to appreciate and be empowered by our increased ability to support ourselves, our lives, and communities. All things pentacles are getting a refresh as this powerful card joins forces our envrionment card, the Seven of Pentacles. What actions, plans, projects, and jobs have yielded results? Do you like them? This month gives us a wonderful opportunity to edit and prune our growing plans. Our challenge comes in the form of the Five of Swords as miscommunication and even betrayal from ourselves and others enters the scene. Grounding ourselves in what’s real, what feels generative, and what we’d like for the future can help offset any hurt feelings or impulses to lash out. Finally, our opportunity lies in the expansive vistas of the Two of Wands: What new horizons are calling us? This month we’re seeing how the small steps we’ve taken have led us to a pivotal and exciting turning point. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit incandescenttarot.substack.com

Well, only 2/4 of this reading are court cards, so it’s an improvement, right? March is set to be an intense month as we contend with the pain of endings via the Ten of Swords and the tempting call to enact consequential change through Judgment. Our opportunity card, the Queen of Cups, however, encourages caution; fiery and impulsive moves characteristic of our challenge card, the King of Wands, may further inflame an already difficult situation. Listen in for the entire forecast and be sure to share your thoughts in the comments below! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit incandescenttarot.substack.com

Well, we’ve decreased our “court card count” to 50% of the reading, and this month’s spread is, overall, far more gentle than January’s. We begin with an invitation to center ourselves in our networks of care through the Nine of Cups. Emotional and spiritual abundance is backing us as we contend with new inspiration through the Queen of Cups and new ways of thinking through the Ace of Swords. It’s not surprising that our opportunity from last month has pivoted into our challenge for February. Embracing the social intensity and drive of the Queen of Wands threatens to lead us into burnout - too much fire is not a good thing! - and the environment this month is, in contrast, characterized by the soothing and beautiful cups suit. Listen in for the full reading and don’t forget to share your insights and impressions in the comments below! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit incandescenttarot.substack.com

The Ask a Tarot Reader segment is back! This month, we have a timely question from a listener named Kristen, who asks:what is the difference between a personal card of the year vs. the collective card of the year? How would we relate to them differently and how might they affect us differently? My personal card of the year is always the next year’s collective card - I’m specifically, and personally, wondering what your thoughts are on the experience of living with a tarot archetype 2 years in a row (but maybe in a different way).Listen in as we explore the ins-and-outs of personal birth cards and the card of the year and how they can inform each other and the year ahead. To submit a question /// click hereTo calculate your birth cards /// click here To get a mini-reading /// click hereIncandescent Tarot is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit incandescenttarot.substack.com

Well, dear listeners, we certainly start 2025 with a bang! It’s such a delight to be back recording for you all. Our welcome to the New Year is packed with court cards. Yes, you heard right, 4/4 of our cards are in this group: two queens, one king, and one knight. Phew! January is poised to be full of action, characters, and adventures. We’re being asked to assume the poised and insightful position of the Queen of Swords while dealing with the boisterous and unceasing energy of the Knight of Wands out in the world around us. Reading between the cards, I’m sensing that the wisdom of our card for 2025 - The Hermit - will come in handy. Our challenge is in taking refuge in the false moral or emotional high ground of the King of Cups. What are we trying to protect ourselves from when we pretend we’ve got it all figured out and that the world doesn’t touch us? The Queen of Wands illuminates a path through the challenges of the Knight of Wands that sees us assuming a passionate, powerful, and authentic position of personal authority. Buckle up - it’s a wild ride, but with huge potential for zesty and fruitful growth. Listen in for the whole reading, including me waxing poetic about the passage of time, the first (and only other) time I turned over a spread with all court cards, and losing my mind over this impressive array! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit incandescenttarot.substack.com

Hello dear subscribers! This forecast is coming to us in a different format because of some unexpected delays this week. But I will not be defeated! We’re going audio because, to quote this perennial wisdom: ‘done is better than perfect.’ (See the unintentional “remix” at the beginning of our recording 😆.) Listen in for a full rundown of this week’s energy (challenging but rewarding!) as well as the classic “things to embrace/things to avoid” segment. If you’d still like to read, click above to access the transcript! We’ll be back with the usual written reading next week. Thanks as always for being here and best of luck in the holiday chaos! A check-in for the monthly reading is also coming tomorrow. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit incandescenttarot.substack.com