Hello, hello! Welcome to the May Pick a Card Reading. I can’t wait to dive into this one because I’m using a “new-to-me” deck, Neo Tarot by Jerico Mandybur and I’m in love with it! It’s been on my list of decks to purchase for a while, but I just hadn’t gotten around to it; I let it sit in the cart for a really long time. I was floating around the web the other day and found a used copy of the deck for $5. I think it was a sign, so I couldn’t pass it up. I ordered it and I’m so glad I did. 

I don’t have a deck like this in my collection and I know this will become a go-to one even only after using it a few times. I love it when decks have that magical, you know, when they just, they really jump out at you, as soon as you open the box, that's what you really want in a deck. 

The concept of this one is totally my thing–it combines tarot with self-care. The whole deck is based on the concept of “Neo” meaning new and the creator says, “Neo–meaning new–Tarot is the name of this book, but it could just as much describe the new, empowering tarot movement.” After I read that, I knew this was the deck for me because I believe in tarot as something that can empower us. Right. That's something that can connect us to our inner voice and to our soul and to spirit. It just really speaks to me. I love when creators speak in a language that I understand, I think it makes the deck come alive so much more. 

So this deck comes with a beautiful guidebook and each card comes with an upright and a reverse. And also a section on self care, and I thought we could all use a little self examination on how our self-care is looking this month. And I love connecting with angelic energies when I'm looking at self care, because they bring such a nurturing feel with them. And so this month we're going to ask the angels, this question, what do I need to look at in terms of self-care.

Which leads us to our May reading… about self-care. I thought we could all use a little self-examination on how our self care is looking this month. I love connecting with angelic energies when I’m looking at self-care because they bring such a nurturing feel with them. This month we’re asking the question, “What do I need to look at in terms of self-care for the month of May?”

Let’s start with our collective message, first though. This is a message for all of us–then we’ll move into the singular cards. King of Pentacles is the collective message. It’s a beautiful card, a person sitting with a wand, dressed in black with pink hair, the sliver of a moon in the background, green plant fronds all around gazing at a pentacle in their hand. For group readings, I interpret my court cards a little differently than most. I think of them like a call for something. So looking at this card, it feels like May is the month to build on past dreams–past work–to really soar to new heights. There’s an opportunity to level up happening here, by building on what you’ve already set in motion. Pentacles really deal with home, abundance, money, wealth–those material things. And if we look at that then, it’s all about achieving new heights in terms of feeling safe with strong foundations. For some of you that may mean making choices that make you feel financially secure. For others, that may mean stepping out of thoughts and practices that are lack-based and moving more fully into abundance. And still for others, it may mean bringing things to life in regard to your home. It’s going to be different for each one of you, but no matter what, focus on the main theme of building on past successes to get to the next level.

Now, like I mentioned before, we want to be looking through the lens of self-care and each of these cards has a self-care section. I’m going to use the section in the guidebook as inspiration for different ways you can take care of yourself this month. So the collective card King of Pentacles self-care section talks about setting time aside to look at your finances. It’s funny because when I ask people about different self-care ideas, things like finances never come up–it’s usually baths, quiet time, being outside, etc. But having messy financials can really make us feel unsafe and unable to build something real in our lives. Don’t get me wrong, I know that financials are based on a lot of external factors–some that we don’t have control over. However, taking time to sort through them this month and look at areas you do have control over and coming up with a plan to navigate the next month or two will go a long way to helping you feel supported and safe.

Ok let’s look at our first pick-a-card–card #1. If you haven’t had a moment yet to select a card, pause the audio and do so now…Card #1 folks, you drew Ace of Wands in reverse for your message from the angels this month. This card has pinks and purples in the background with a yellow sun in the corner and a hand with green nail polish on the nails, holding a wand. Let’s chat about the message first, then dive into the self-care aspect. When the Ace of Wands shows up in reverse, there’s usually some sort of setback occurring. Either we are having issues accessing our fire or passion to get things moving again or something external is going on that’s blocking our ability to get things off the ground. Either way, something is holding you back this month. Don’t take it personally–I know, easier said than done.  Whatever is challenging you may not necessarily be your fault, but it is giving you space to slow down for a moment and look things over again. Just check in with what you’re having difficulties with. Is this something that is still in alignment with my intentions? Do I need to be more intentional with my energy and not spread it out too thin? Do I still even want this thing that I’m pursuing? You get the idea. Adjustments may need to be made to meet yourself where you are at.

In terms of self-care, the guidebook suggests learning agni pran, or fire breathing, from the Kundalini yoga practice. I’m going to broaden this and say self-care for my card #1 folks looks like tuning into your breath in general. I don’t think you need to learn a different way to practice deep breathing this month, I think you need to pay attention to your breath period. What does that look like? Well, setting a timer during the day to remember to breathe is helpful. I’m not kidding.  A lot of the time we are holding our breath or at the very least not breathing deeply enough. Setting a timer a few times a day, helps us to remember to check in. You know, I think my apple watch actually pings me during the day and reminds me to breathe with this little circle thing. It works. I take one minute and just tune in. Where am I holding tension? How deep is my breath going? A lot of the time I just take a really deep breath in and sigh it out or blow it out like I’m extinguishing a candle. It’s just a nice way to reset and check in with my body. So your self-care is breathing this month.

Card #2 folks, the Knight of Pentacles reversed is your card. We’ve got a person in purple sitting on a horse that is standing still. The person has a pentacle in their hand raised to the sky surrounded by green plant fronds and an orange sun in the corner. We’re back to a court card. When upright, the call is to take action, work at what you want. This time the call is getting blocked because it’s in reverse. It may feel like things have come to a halt for you this month or you’re having issues making decisions about how to move forward.  The key here is to go within for answers rather than looking to the external for solutions. If you want to get things moving again, check in with yourself. Ask, “What is holding me back?” “Where am I getting caught up?” “Am I ignoring my own power and letting someone else dictate the situation for me?”  “What is truly slowing me down and what is in my control to shift that energy?” You may or may not need to approach things in a different way, to move forward, but the key is to go within to discover that. In the self-care section of the guidebook, it speaks about getting clear with your main goal and writing it down, then using a wall calendar to break down that goal into achievable daily steps. I love this idea. Getting your goals in motion again, after feeling stuck, can require a bit more planning than before. Purchasing or creating a calendar where you can break it down into smaller and more manageable steps is a brilliant idea and a lovely way to take care of yourself.  And you can do this for big things, small things, really anything you want to get done this month but are feeling resistance to getting it going.

Card #3 folks, the Four of Wands is your card. It has a purple background with two figures dancing in front of two buildings with four wands in the forefront of a green lawn. Creating a happy home space is going to be important to you this month and will look differently for each of you. For some of you, it may call for balancing work and home better. For others, it may look like bringing more play into things–creating more moments of joy. It can also look like gathering with people you love and celebrating or connecting with them. Whatever you do, the intention is to bring more life, joy and stability into your home space. Even spring cleaning and usher out energy would help with this! Ask, “What would make my space feel more like home?” “What do I need to let go of to feel more at home?” “Who do I need to connect with this month and create joy with?” There’s a bunch of different directions you can go here. Just open your heart to see the way forward.  Self-care suggestion from the guidebook with this card is baking something sweet and sharing it with someone you love. I’m going to once again broaden this to share a meal with someone you adore and be fully present. If cooking isn’t your thing, go out. But if you love to cook, then create something delicious and eat it with someone you love. It’s about connecting and being fully present while sharing a meal–if you think about it, that ‘s a pretty sacred thing. Sharing a meal with someone means you trust them and want to spend time catching up and getting to share stories. Sharing a meal holds space to witness someone fully. So that’s your self-care idea for the month.

Let’s review, the collective energy is lending itself to get to the next level by vaulting off past efforts. Also, everyone needs to peek at their finances this month and get those cleaned up. 

Card #1 folks:You may be facing setbacks or challenges in regards to what you’re trying to bring to life. Take this time to review your plans and see if adjustments need to be made to make things easier. Also, self-care is tuning into your breath and really letting yourself breathe deeply, frequently.

Card #2: You may feel like things are stagnant or not moving forward in the way you desire. It’s ok. Turn inward, not outward to get a clear picture on how to get things rolling again. Creating a calendar breaking down each step of your goal is your self-care this month.

Card #3: You’re focused on home this month and the idea of making it feel more like “home”. Your self-care–share a meal with someone. It doesn’t matter if you cook it or not–slow down and be fully present.

And that is the month of May with the Neo Tarot. Thank you for tuning in. I want to give you a heads up, traditionally May is when I step back,  take a break from a busy year, and focus on my own self-care. It gives me space to go outside and really take care of my physical body–which is something I tend to ignore when I get busy or over-focused on work.  What does this mean for you? Well, things will be lighter on the social media front this month, but newsletters will still go out. I’ll also be taking part of May away from 1:1 sessions. I haven’t opened June up yet. So if you’re looking for a summer session, just know they exist, but I don’t know when–I’ll be looking at that in May. You’ll get a newsletter with the info to book a session, so keep an eye out there.

Also Soul Tarot in Real Life will continue to unfold. We’re on the Magician but you can always tune into any previous cards. There’s a link on this page to sign up for the FREE offering. Each card will have a soul journey and a guidebook to help you explore the energy of the Major Arcana. So far people are really enjoying it and I’m having fun doing it. Win-win. I’ll see you all again in June. Make sure to make space to take care of yourself this month.