Ending The Cycle | Weekly Tarot Reading August 16th – 22nd 2020

Hello Sweet Friends,

This is Jonathan Lionheart with your Weekly Tarot Reading.

Today’s forecast is for August 16th – 22nd, but as always, whenever it finds you is the perfect time for you to be reading it.

This week harkens the end of a cycle. It is a time both for celebration as well as mourning.

Even when something coming to an end has been harmful or challenging, there can still be pangs of loss and sadness that come with an otherwise positive ending.

Over time, we grow comfortable with the status quo, adapting to our surroundings and making our home there, even when those surroundings are not ideal or healthy for us.

We get used to the way things are, so when a blessing knocks on our door, we may find that our tender hearts and guarded minds are wary of anything different and new. The old pains of disappointment or loss may hold us back from taking a chance, or opening up to the unknown. However, this week you can begin to dissolve an old and detrimental cycle into the light of new awareness, opportunities and celebration.

New Beginnings On The Horizon

Our cards for the week are the Ten of Cups, the Ten of Swords, and the Ace of Swords. Ten’s represent the fulfillment of a cycle, so pat yourself on the back because something significant in your world is coming to completion.

Uncannily, the cards representing completion are followed by a card indicating a major new beginning: the Ace of Swords. This is a big week for you, and the ramifications may take some time to fully anchor into your reality. But the message is clear: It’s time to move on, and you can do so with greater ease starting this week.

So let’s get into it…

Ten of Cups: Celebrate, Lighten up, and have some fun.

This is a card of celebration, family, overflowing gratitude, and fulfillment. If it hasn’t come yet, then expect a blessing to land in your lap this week. It’s as if the heavens have opened and said, “You, yes you! We love you and believe in you.” Now is the time to let your inner radiance shine out into your life and heal your heart. Give yourself permission to take a break, celebrate, and honor yourself for the beautiful spirit that you are.

Put down the labors of life for a little while. Connect with friends and enjoy the abundance around you. While it’s a bit complicated right now to share time with loved ones, you can give a best friend a call, or take a walk in the park with someone close to you. If you’re feeling more solitary, honor the completion in your life with a ceremony of some kind (yes, a glass of wine, good music, or time in nature counts as a ceremony, so long as you bring your intention to it).

This has been a heavy year for many of us, and right now the best medicine you can give yourself is to lighten up, have a good laugh, and be silly. Life is short, so take time to savor its sweetness.

Ten of Swords: Releasing Old Injuries

Like I said above, with completion also comes letting go and sadness. The Ten of Swords is a heavy card, indicating loss and sorrow. You may have experienced a big heartache this year, or are still processing a loss from years ago. It’s possible this loss is something you thought was already resolved, but now it’s suddenly cropping up again, needing some tenderness and love.

This card implies that it’s time to change your perspective toward an emotional injury. Unfortunately some injuries are so deep they leave a scar; one that we may walk with for longer than we would like. Luckily, the influence of the Ten of Cups helps to lighten the load. The combination of these cards creates space for a new perspective on an old pattern and offers the promise of new possibilities on the horizon, giving you cause for celebration and gratitude.

Often, when you soften and open up to receive love, it can bring to the surface areas that you’ve been protecting. We shut down so as not to feel the hurt that is there, but in shutting down we cannot feel the love within us and around us. Dearest, as you open in celebration, letting your heart breath the freshness of spirit again, allow the pain to move through you. Trust that in loving this part of yourself, the pain can be unwound and transformed. If you keep your vulnerabilities covered and hidden, they won’t have a chance to mend fully.

Ace of Swords: A New Vision

As you allow yourself to feel and look with fresh eyes upon recent (or not so recent) hurts in your life, you will find new insights available to you. These insights will help you break patterns that no longer serve you. The Ace of Swords is a divine and mental inspiration card. There is a wave of fresh thinking, insight, and inspiration coming your way.

When we experience hurt and trauma we create ways to protect ourselves from getting hurt again. This is an intelligent response which helps us cope with experiences that are too big for us to handle in the moment. The problem is these defense mechanisms, which were essential in keeping you safe as a child or during a time that was too intense to handle, become blockades to your evolution and growth when maintained for longer than necessary.

Defense mechanisms can shape how we think about our lives and the world. Our need to stay safe can distort the way we view and experience life.

However, this week you have a fantastic opportunity to see what’s happening in a new light! The energy of Ace of Swords is like a flash of insight. It’s as if you’ve been walking around in your home with only dim candles to see your surroundings, and then suddenly someone turns on the overhead light, revealing the full view.

This kind of clarity can be jarring, but it will orient you with fresh understanding that can change your life. What has felt like a vague obstacle for years may finally be seen for what it truly is. The energy of this card is like planting a seed of truth that will begin to dissolve anything false in your life and relationships.

Weekly Reading Overview and Ceremony Guidelines

Make time to celebrate this week and honor any losses. Give yourself room to process whatever is coming up for you, and take space to write some of your insights down, for they will surely arrive during this potent week.

You may want to do a formal “letting go” ceremony. One of my favorite ways to do this is to write down on a few small pieces of paper what it is you are letting go of, and then burn it in a safe environment. An example would be:

Writing down: “I choose to let go of the way I criticise my body.” or, “I forgive and let go of my ex.”

Light a ceremonial fire (outdoors if you can, or perhaps a candle on a large platter- whatever you do just be safe).

Take a few moments to connect with the flame and to settle into yourself. Let any emotions around what you are letting go of surface and move. Just witness them and be compassionate with yourself.

When you are ready, take each piece of paper, read it out loud, and burn it in the flame.

Take time between each piece of paper for your energetic intention to work it’s magic.

When you are finished, thank your Angels, Ancestors, and Spirit (or however you attune with the cosmos).

You are doing amazing! I’m celebrating with you at the end of this cycle. Give your transformation time to unfold. Big shifts can sometimes take weeks to fully land and be understood. This week, it’s clear you have crossed a threshold, and I honor the work you’ve done to bring yourself to this point.

As always, with love

And in service,

Jonathan Lionheart

P.S. If you are needing extra clarity on what is coming to completion, or what is ready to be let go of, let’s draw three clarifying cards to help you understand. Contact me to schedule a session here.

P.P.S. I’d love to hear how your ceremony of celebration goes, if you plan on doing it. Write a comment below about what you’re planning to do or what you experienced.

P.P.P.S Also, what are you grateful for right now? Kindling the energy of gratitude can do wonders in melting stuck patterns and emotions. Let me know in the comments below.