This month, we’re using the Neo Tarot by Jerico Mandybur. I know I used this deck last May for the pick a card reading, but I’m really enjoying the energy of it and decided to bring it back for August. 

The Collective Card this month is 3 of Wands Reversed. We’ve got a person dressed in blue and black with three wands positioned around them standing near water.

This month’s collective card is a little different. Usually, I channel a message for the month coming up, but this month Spirit is changing it up a bit and telling us about the present energy surrounding the collective rather than the future energy. 

As a collective, we’re entering August with the feeling of being challenged–but not in a good way. Remember collective energy can have different effects on people. For some of you, this will be playing out on a level 10 and really obvious and for others it may be a 1 or 2 and be more subtle, but we’re all feeling it. The energy has been really challenging to work with. You may have set out this summer with goals you wanted to achieve and found you haven’t reached them. You may just feel like you aren’t getting anything done or that you keep trying but there’s a block or obstacle along the way. It can be frustrating. 

While you may be moving forward, it’s definitely not in a direct line–you may not even see the line at this point, but Spirit wants you to know that it’s there. You just need to keep going. However, you may need to step back and reevaluate what you’re doing. I say this because often delays and challenges give us a different perspective about what our original intentions were. With everything that has happened this summer, you may find that your original ideas and goals need to be adjusted slightly to meet the “you” that you are now–not the “you” that you were this spring. Take a few minutes and ask yourself what the “you” now needs and examine if those goals and intentions are really what you want to be working towards.

When we’re faced with challenges, we can sometimes revert back to our old ways of being, old patterns, old belief systems. Andrea and I chatted a bit about belief systems on the Adventures with Spirit podcast in July. You may have been seeing old ways of moving through the world or old stories pop up this summer that left you thinking “didn’t I heal this already?!?” or  “Why am I making these choices or decisions?” As to the healing question, I’ll give you a yes you did heal it and….you’re diving into different facets of it to continue to heal. Healing isn’t a one stop destination. I wish it was. Like magically we are just healed and now we don’t have to work at it anymore. Wouldn’t that be so nice? But it’s not-it’s a journey.  So when the 3 of Wands reversed showed up, I thought what way would help us better navigate the obstacles…and patterns showed up. We fall into old patterns when we are stressed or presented with the unexpected. Now, how long we stay in that old pattern is up to us. Sometimes we hang out there for a minute or two and then turn things around, while other times days and weeks pass by and we get stuck. I’ll give you an example from my own life. When I’m put in the caregiver position, I have the pattern or tendency to overgive. I mean I give it my all–often at the sacrifice of my own well being.  This pattern is tied to a belief system–whole other topic–but the pattern comes up when I’m stressed and feeling uncentered. In the past, this was the way I moved through life. Giving others my all at the expense of myself, however, I’ve done a lot of work on it. I still fall into those patterns from time to time but they aren’t my constant state of being. I’m getting much better at identifying when I slip into it and have tools to turn it around more quickly. This morning was a great example. I woke up and wanted green juice. I’m addicted to the stuff in the morning. It’s giving green tea a run for it’s money. Anyway I wanted green juice and knew we were running low–and I had the thought “Oh, I can’t have green juice because what if my husband wants green juice. I can’t take that away from him. He needs it.” Then almost immediately my inner voice/higher self whatever you want to call it stepped in and said, “Wait. You also need green juice to stay healthy and be the best you can be physically. You cannot put yourself second. Your need is different than his but no less than his.” Wow. So my higher self helped me get realigned. Because I knew what pattern was playing out, I was able to recenter very quickly. That turnaround was like decades of work y’all, so if you’re just starting out on identifying patterns–don’t judge yourself. 

With this in mind, I pulled 3 cards. Your job is to pick card 1, 2, or 3 while asking the question, “What do I need to understand about the patterns happening in my life right now?” Now, I want to be really clear–this isn't’ necessarily going to identify specific patterns for you. It may give you insight into that and it may not, but it will help you understand in some way what patterns are playing in your life at the moment. And remember patterns can be positive too! So if you pull a positive message from this reading–lean into it. Not everything has to be negative when we’re looking at this area.

Ok let’s dive into the reading.

First up, Card #1 folks, we have 6 of Swords Reversed. This card had blues, purples, and pinks with orange and green in it–depicting a person rowing a boat and another sitting in the front. There’s definitely movement happening with the water as well. The guidebook opens up with the line, “Comparison is the thief of Joy.” OMG. Yes. I think a lot of times when we’re attempting to make change, we look around and see how others are doing it. That is a sure fire way to suck the joy out of something, yes? So for card #1 folks, here’s the deal: Whatever patterns are happening in your life right now–good or bad–you need to stay away from comparing yourself to others. That’s a dead end road. Instead, you need to step back and look at your own personal progress. 

And that’s your homework for the month. Asking yourself, “How are things going in comparison to myself and no one else?” You want to look at how change is occurring for you. Think of shifting into a glass half full type of thing. Even if you’re not doing it the way you thought you would be, how are things going in comparison to how they were? It’s like celebrating the wins and then take a good look at what is still lagging so you can shift to accommodate. Drawing cards, journaling, talking it out with a good friend, meditation–all these things can help you do that. Just remember that comparison is not helping you when it comes to the patterns in your life right now.

Card #2 folks, we’ve got The Lovers in reverse. Two people standing in front of a huge being that looks like a mountain. I love this image. Lots going on with the subtext of the mountain being a being. So cool. Anyway, The Lovers reversed is talking about an imbalance.  So whatever patterns you’ve got going on, they’re causing an imbalance–a feeling of being out of sync. So you may be out of sync with people around you or your head and your heart may not be balanced (think too much head energy blocking heart energy). The patterns you're dealing with may leave you feeling like things are really discombobulated. LIke things aren’t flowing or fitting together. For you all, identifying what pattern is playing out is going to help settle this energy down. It will help you identify what’s pulling you out of orbit, so to speak. And bonus points if you can identify the patterns of the person you’re bumping up against. That might help you move into a more understanding state, allowing flow to come back into the situation. 

Side note: Just because you figure their pattern out, you don’t need to wield like a weapon and throw it in their face. Sometimes that is so tempting, but in the long run it’s not helpful. Just keep the knowledge for yourself and use it to move forward with more grace.

So that’s part of your homework. The other part is to not let your head take over your heart or your heart take over your head. Everything in balance. You may want to check in and see which one of those things is working over time. Then make adjustments to even it out. I love visualization for this. I will close my eyes and ask my guides to show me or help me feel where I'm putting most of my energy. (usually it’s my head) But once ai figure out which one is too “heavy”, I just imagine or put the intention out there that the energy flow from one space to another to balance out. Often it looks like a figure 8 of pink energy. With the eight crossing over my throat chakra and the loops over my heart and third eye chakra. And I just watch the energy balance itself as the pink color or color of my choosing flows through that figure 8 pattern. I just do it until I feel like the magic has happened. Some days take longer than others. So that’s your homework.

Folks who chose Card #3, we’ve got the king of cups. A person sitting on a black block surrounded by blue water with an orange sky and yellow stars.  Patterns are affected by your ability to navigate situations emotionally. So whatever pattern is playing out, it’s affecting how you show up emotionally. Questions like, “Are your emotions controlling this situation?” “Are your emotions adding fuel to the fire?”  or even better, “Are you blocking your emotions so you don’t have to feel discomfort?” Not feeling is often a pattern people turn to to feel safe.  “How are my emotions affecting my boundaries?” Lots of things to ponder here, but you’re focusing on your emotional state this month and the affect it has on your patterns and vice versa. So look at  how certain emotions trigger certain patterns too. Because while patterns can trigger emotional response or lack there of, emotions can trigger our patterns. See you thought, oh thank goodness my card was upright and not reversed–but little did you know that this upright card was going to be bringing in all the shadow work! That’s how Soul Tarot works. Always going deeper to understand yourself more fully.

Let’s recap:

Collective energy has been a challenge and it’s affecting how we move through the world. It is triggering old patterns to emerge and you need to just be aware that that’s happening and urge yourself to get a step back, when you can, and try to identify what’s going on.

Card #1: You're working on staying away from comparing yourself to others. Self-compassion will be key for you this month, as you navigate your patterns.

Card #2: Balance your head and your heart. Patterns in your life are pushing you one way or the other. It’s time to come center.

Card #3: You're looking at the chicken or the egg scenario. Are my emotions triggering my patterns or are my patterns triggering my emotions? And looking at the idea that it may be both.

So that’s August. If you don’t have a journal, it looks as though you may want to grab one. Lots of processing happening. If you get stuck, please reach out. I’m still in between worlds. Not sure what’s happening moving forward into fall, but if you email me and say I want a session, I’ll add you to the waitlist. When I have enough people wanting a session, I’ll open up a day to work with you all. I’m excited to be back in some capacity though and doing pick a card readings. I’m taking a break on my personal IG accounts but I’m active over at @adventureswithspiritofficial and we’ve got some good stuff coming up there and in the newsletter–so make sure you sign up at www.adventureswithspirit.com/newsletter . If you want to dive into belief systems and patterns a bit more, we did a podcast on that. You’ll find that episode on www.adventureswithspirit.com or your favorite podcast platform. Thanks for tuning in and I will hopefully see you all next month for another reading!