Advice

Your Numinous Tarotscopes April 2018 are here, cast by Melinda Lee Holm using the Starchild Tarot …

ARIES//ARIES RISING
Four of Swords
Happy Solar Return, dear Aries! You, and the wheel of the zodiac itself, have completed another circle around the Sun and you are ready for a healthy dose of realignment. Four of Swords is a classic solar return card, encouraging us to take a close look at our patterns in the realm of Air and see if there is anything hanging out in there that is impeding stability in the realm of thought and communication. Don’t be afraid to look reeeeeaaaaal close—this can be a ‘Princess and the Pea’ situation. But while that fable implies a state of pathological sensitivity, your sensitivity to tiny bits of sand in the mental cogs is more akin to superhero perception. When something rubs you the wrong way this month, perk up, tune in, and dig it out!

With half of the month spent under the spell of Mercury’s retrograde motion, this interior examination will take on a positively epic tone. Messages can come from the least likely sources, so be extra vigilant and keep a laser focus on determining whether every little thing is an agent for harmony or discord in your elemental sphere of Air. Remember—the more pebbles your clear out, the more room you’re making to invite new patterns of thought, communication, and intellectual framing that can truly elevate your experience of your life. If this is a milestone birthday year, all of this applies tenfold. The passing of time tends to knock us out of complacency and into greater alignment with our Higher Selves. Take that baton and run like hell.

Your stone for April: Tiger Eye

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TAURUS//TAURUS RISING
Wheel of Fortune
Patience, my dear Taurus, is a virtue with which you are well acquainted. When you have your eye on a prize, you have an enviable talent for biding your time as you put all the parts in place to achieve your goal. You have a strong streak of perfectionism in your life and work and are willing to put in the time to get things done right, rather than rushing forward to plant your flag. This month is going to test you in this realm. While you are more than willing to take time, you are much less willing to give up control. The Wheel of Fortune is here to remind you that no matter how hard you work, how far ahead you plan, or how great of a team you assemble, the Universe sometimes has other plans.

Breathe, Taurus! You can bet that the plans of the Universe are in better alignment with your personal expansion and growth than the ones you’ve laid out yourself. With Mercury retro the first half of this month, I have a hunch that you’re going to get some small doses of this energy in the form of shake ups in practical plans as well as a much bigger, deeper, scarier, and more profoundly liberating twist later in the month. Be especially mindful of falling into victim mode. No one is out to get you, least of all the turn of the Wheel and the pull of the Universe. Let go of outcome attachments, take your hand off the e-brake, and enjoy your ride in the passenger seat.

Your stone for April: Rhodonite

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GEMINI//GEMINI RISING
The Tower
My goodness, Gemini, you are on the receiving end of an enviable one-two punch from the Universe these past couple months. Last month you were gifted downloads of sacred Divine wisdom from The Hierophant and this month you are being gifted with the revolutionary shift of The Tower! Wait, did I just say “gifted”? With THE TOWER? Yes, ma’am (or sir), I did. This is one of those card that you talk about first when it comes up in a reading, no matter where it’s laying in the spread. It looks scary. People fixate. But the only thing to fear when The Tower comes into your life is your own resistance to change and attachment to the past. Get ready to watch situations, relationships, patterns of thought, and structures of your life that you thought were eternal and unchanging crumble to the ground – in a good way!

Ok, I can’t lie, Gemini, I used the punch metaphor up there for a reason. This stuff is not generally pleasant. Even when the towers being knocked down are seriously impeding our development as spiritual beings (ideas like – women make terrible leaders, creative work isn’t real work, the world is an inert and unmagical place), it is still incredibly jarring to have our truth rearranged right before our very eyes. This month, be very kind with yourself. Prioritize your self care – whether for you that means 2 hours of daily yoga and a juice cleanse or eating gluten free pizza on the couch in front of a Law & Order SVU marathon. DO YOU. The Tower is going to feel like you’re knocked off of center, so connecting deeply with parts of yourself and your life that feel like home is going to be key.

Your stone for April: Ocean Jasper

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CANCER//CANCER RISING
Perspective (Hanged Man)
The insights will come in hot and heavy this month, Cancer, if you do the work to put yourself in a position to receive them. The Perspective card (the Hanged Man in most decks) is all about expansion in our view of the world, ourselves, and our place in the world, but to get the full dose of the medicine, we must put ourselves in positions and situations that offer us a different view of the energetic landscape than we are used to seeing. Fortunately, Mercury is going to keep bringing us messages about the past for the first two weeks of the month, which will be a wonderful catalyst for these shifts in perspective. I see your April energy being neatly divided into two sections – first a shift, then expansion.

For the first two weeks of April, focus on pushing yourself to see things – everything – differently. Take a new route to work, eat a food you’ve never tried, comsume media created by people with points of view different from your own. Once Mercury stations direct on the 15th, you can begin to really integrate all of this new perspective into real expansion, becoming wiser and stronger as you grow beyond your current spiritual, energetic, and emotional containers. By the end of the month, you’ll be a naked hermit crab, rummaging around for a new shell – right back in your comfort zone, but on a higher, more attuned level!

Your stone for April: Cinnabar

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LEO//LEO RISING
Strength
Leo, I was so happy when I pulled this card for you! You did so much hard work on yourself last month and now the Universe is reaching out a hand. The Strength card is all about the power of co-creation, the magical possibilities that open up when we recognize and embrace that we are all one and all drawing on and feeding into the same energy source. You’ve unburdened yourself from self-imposed chains. If that work of the past month left you feeling drained, rejoice and take the next four weeks to drink in and embody the Strength available to you now. I feel this is a rare time when the energy of this card is more quiet and restorative than motivating and active.

Watch for messaging that provokes a deeper loosening of mindsets or relationships that tend to make you feel small. It may be that you now have the Strength to gently release these things or you may finally be strong enough to make a shift in your own thinking and feeling that changes the dynamic. Either way, work to maintain a constant awareness that you are not in this alone. This would be a great month to spend time in nature, strengthening your connection with the Earth, or gazing up at the stars, contemplating the fact that we are all children of the same great Source. When at work or socializng, notice which people and situations make you feel powerful and supported and seek to grow their presence in your life.

Your stone for April: Petrified Wood

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VIRGO//VIRGO RISING
Ten of Crystals (Pentacles)
Build. It. UP, Virgo! Following last month’s reign of Fire, you’ve got a big, healthy dose of Earth energy to get those plans and intuitive hits grounded in reality. The Ten of Pentacles is a beautiful gift of a card that indicates the arrival of a period of accelerated growth in material circumstances. Does that mean you’re going to get a big fat raise? Maybe! More likely, it means that moves you make to secure your material world will work out in your favor more than you expect, especially when they are rooted in an effort to strengthen the material stability of your community as a whole. The Tens are big. Think major magic in the growth of your business, a rise in the value of your home due to successful sales by your neighbors, and an overall ability to polish up your own personal “Midas touch.”

Hey wait, but we’re not supposed to start anything while Mercury is retrograde, right? No, silly! While we would be well-advised to wait on signing new contracts and generally giving extra care and clarity to communication in general, anything ongoing is fair game in my book, extra points for ventures wrapped up in people or situations from deep in your past. There is an aspect of this energy that is a culmination, a maturation, and anticipation of a new beginning – the Tens all look ahead toward circling back to the Ace. If you have Scorpio rising (or are a Scorpio with Virgo rising) this month will prove especilly fruitful for maturing business plans that open doors to new oppurtunities. Look to your community for support.

Your stone for April: Mookaite

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LIBRA//LIBRA RISING
King of Cups
Ok, Libra! You’ve had a fairly practical year so far, Tarotscopically speaking, and now you can kick back and ride the waves of emotion. Feel all of the feelings, staring straight into the face of your raw emotional being. Given your sometimes extreme dedication to peace keeping, this may seem like a dangerous prospect – what if you see something in there that makes you sad or angry? How will you handle potential sources of confrontation? – this month, you have all of the support you need to safely wade into the emotional depths. The King of Cups is the master of navigating rough emotional waters, and with this guidance, you too can master the art of feeling deeply without reacting.

My guess is, you’re going to get a lot of practice the first couple weeks of the month, with people popping up from the past to come see how they can fit into your new matrix. Don’t get thrown off your game. Ride those emotional waves until the seas calm before making any decisions about how or even whether to respond. Everything that comes up is here to serve your emotional development. Like all cards that come at the end of a series, the Kings anticipate a return to their origin as Pages. Keep an eye out for how these lessons of the King may ignite a spark of ingenuity in how you hold your heart. This month is not the time to put these new Watery plans into action, but simply to catch a glimpse of them bobbing around on the horizon.

Your stone for April: Prehnite

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SCORPIO//SCORPIO RISING
Ace of Crystals (Pentacles) 
Get ready to climb up out of the watery depths and onto an island of your own making this month, dear Scorpio! The Ace of Crystals is here to bring you the power to create your own personal slice of grounded bliss. Your fluctuating moods can make it difficult to circulate socially at times, unless you are in the company of other like-hearted divers. Use this energy to build a clubhouse for you and your nearest and dearest, even if the membership list stops after your name. Sometimes solitude is the greatest company. Whatever you do, make absolutely certain that everyone and everything involved in your plan feels utterly and completely like home.

In practical terms, this could mean building an actual home, but I doubt it given the current retro cycle. I am seeing this Ace of Crystals moment as more metaphorical, existing in the space in between, one foot in the real world, creating a feeling of material space, the other in the ether, existing completely outside the “real” world. So, basically, RIGHT in your comfort zone, Scorpio. I can see you nodding your head in agreement, already fantasizing about the design and implementation of your personal island, making the guest list and checking it twice, knowing full well that only those who are on the list will be able to see it anyway. But those who are not will sense the boundary and sashay away and THAT is maybe the shiniest gift the Ace has for you.

Your stone for April: Clorite Phantom Quartz

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SAGITTARIUS//SAGITTAIRUS RISING
The Star
Out of the Starseed and into the Star! All of that open-souled wandering has led you right into the heart of the eternal Divine feminine, Sagittarius, and I am THRILLED for you to roll around in this energy all month. The Star represents the very earliest inklings that humans had about Divinity, a larger consciousness, an ancient Universal benevolent presence. Star symbology follows us throughout history, through every culture. We are all bound together by The Star. Traditional interpretations of this card tell us that it indicates hope—and I agree!— but it’s where that hope comes from that really lights my heart on fire. Hope based on faith is wonderful. Hope rooted in an ancestral knowledge of our origin in and continued dedication to an eternal Divine Feminine is GOLDEN.

I want you focus all month on basking in this power. Get together with those people in your life who seem to effortlessly possess the power of The Star, the ones that make you feel calm and cared for, who are tapped into ancient wisdom and allow it to flow freely and relatably out into the world, the ones who revel in deep conversations in pajamas and sheet masks. Have you noted that I have not used gendered language around their identities? All genders can carry the torch of The Star. We can all aspire to exude Divine Feminine consciousness, regardless of gender or sexuality. So gather your people, get powered up, and let that Star light shine out and inspire others to join you.

Your stone for April: Chrysocolla

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CAPRICORN//CAPRICORN RISING
Queen of Swords
If you’ve got something to say, Capricorn, now’s the time to get it out. And with your aversion to conflict, I am guessing there’s a statement or two getting eager to see the light of day. With Mercury retrograde for the first half of the month, there is a strong likelihood that you’ll have something to clear up with someone or something from your past. Depending on where things are aligning for you personally, astrologically, energetically, it could be distannt past or just in the past few months. What seems certain is that some situation that has been bothering you for some time will reach a breaking point and need to be talked about in the open. This does not, I repeat DOES NOT mean that you will find yourself in a yelling match or even a heated discussion in the next month. It simply means that you will find the words to express what you have not yet been able to express. This is very good news!

The Queen of Swords, being the Water of Air, brings an emotional intelligence to this communication project that should soothe both you and the receiver. Your prudent nature is a great asset to you here, as you have the time to identify your message, choose your words, and refine their tone before delivering. I advise that you spend the first half of the month identifying what message or messages you need to communicate, then deliver in the second half of the month after Mercury stations direct to avoid any crossed wires.

Your stone for April: Blue Lace Agate

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AQUARIUS//AQUARIUS RISING
Five of Wands
Well, Aquarius, I hope you like a good show! While all of the fives get a well-earned reputation as bringers of chaos and probable frustration in their element, the five of Wands stands alone among the bunch as the most promising of entertainment. Why is this? Because chaos of action is funny when you let go of expectations! It’s literally what physical comedy is based in – people trying to accomplish specific tasks and failing. And chaos of intuition, the other main apsect of Fire, is comedy gold as well. Ok, ok, it does not feel like it AT ALL when it is happening in real time in your own life, but that’s what I am here for – to give you a heads up so when you encounter it you can see it more clearly, recognize it, and point and laugh.

If you have older siblings, you are well prepared for this month. The Universe is basically your older sibling or cousin, waiting around every corner to scare you and make you drop your stuff, changing the rules of every game to make sure you lose, dipping your hand in warm water while you sleep. And just like when you were a kid, the frustration all these things cause can be instantly alleviated by simply refusing to take them seriously. All month long, when the Universe gives you lemons, draw silly faces on them and glue them together into crass sculptures, metaphorically speaking of course. You can go from being the butt of the joke to sitting front row center at the best show in town through a simple shift in perception.

Your stone for April: Purple Jade

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PISCES//PISCES RISING
Ten of Swords
If you have kids, I am going to apologize in advance for this reference, Pisces, but I can’t help it. Your April has my heart twirling on an icey mountain top belting out LET IT GOOOOOOO! You’ve made it! All of these swirling thoughts and messages that have lifted you up, kept you down, and mixed you up have reached their climax and it’s time to set them all aside and see what you’ve become. The power of Air has carried you to places you thought you’d never reach – high and low – and now this month you can take a moment to asses what’s serving you, what’s not, and what you want to take with you when you make the inevitable journey back to the Ace.

So how do you know what to let go of? Let your mind do the talking. I spend a lot of time advising people to stop thinking so much and listen to their heart or their gut instinct. Not this time. Think away! Your powers of analysis and interpretation are heightened this month, Pisces, so take advantage and tap into the energy to sort through all you’ve gathered. Mercury’s retrograde motion during the first half of the month is going to give you even more to sort through than you had before, so be patient and perseverant in your task. Take notes, talk things through with a trusted friend, make lists, meditate on it, put everything in spreadsheets if it helps. The rewards will be well worth the work.

(Confidential to Pisces: I still can’t sing that song at karaoke because I can’t get through it at home without crying. Not ashamed.) 

Your stone for April: Black Tourmaline