August Guidance Reading

At first glance this month's cards can appear frightening or intimidating but the deeper meaning reveals a practical progression simplified to: Choice, Change and Comfort. 

Going down the line of progression we start with the Two of Swords, an indicator that there is a difficult choice that has to be made and a recall to our Summer theme of duality. When coming to a fork in the road, deciding which was to go seems almost impossible since the only way to know the outcome is by going down one road or another. This is where we need to prepare ourselves for any outcome. No matter how hard you rationalize each choice or calculate each movement, you'll only get your answers at the end. This choice is a fundamental part of the journey and looking at it objectively, there isn't a wrong answer. Whichever choice you make will have its own outcome, lessons and consequences, but you can only decide based on the knowledge you have now, and once you've gotten to the other side, in either case, you'll have more knowledge to make tough decisions in the future.
Ultimately, we're forced to take a leap of faith and use our best judgement to decide which road to travel, but in the end, they both lead to our next card: Death. 

The Death card is THE card for change. Death represents a big transformation in someone's life. It is both an ending and a beginning. This card can be quite intimidating but a significant change is crucial for growth.
We can even see in the layout of this reading a direct change as the borders along the cards change from blue to purple and a situation of dire-straights changing to calm and secure. 

Death in this case is a direct result of the previous choice. This will be an ample opportunity to redefine yourself and step into a new version of you - who that version chooses to be is entirely up to you. 

Any large aspects of change can be strenuous and painful but they are necessary and this journey isn't one that needs to be taken alone. 

Queen of Cups has a potential for two meanings - in relation to oneself or to someone around you. It is possible that it may even apply to both. 

Queen of Cups is the essence of emotions and in this case represents emotional support and fortitude. In relation to oneself, the former events may bring you a sense of better understanding, a channel for self-love or a broader range of compassion.

When attributed outside of oneself, you may find some emotional support during your journey. A comforting and nurturing person can be a huge help when going through big life changes. Don't be afraid to seek this out and have a shoulder to cry on, but be aware you don't fall into a codependency either.

Although things may be tough, don't take advantage of kindness to side-step the need to address the emotional aspects of change head on. Your burdens are not for someone else to bare, though there is nothing wrong with getting some support along the way. 

This is also a reminder to give yourself the compassion you deserve during an intense time. This is very important for outcome of your change - speak kindly to yourself through any success and all failures. Lessons are learned more efficiently with positive reinforcement and at the end of the day that's what life (and death) is all about: the lessons we learn from the choices we make. 

Take a long deep breath before diving in this month. You may feel like you're underwater forever but when you finally take that breath of fresh air you'll be taking it in with new lungs - a new outlook and a new journey.