During this episode, I talk personally about myself and my journey this past year, working with the Chariot, and moving into 2024 with the Card of the Year--Strength. I also talk about the biggest astrology transits of the year and how to work with them.
Tarot, Earth Medicine + Astrology for December
Blessed December! December’s astrology has retrogrades, directs, action, adventure, and momentum for 2024. Doesn’t that sound great?!?
Of course, we start December, like every December in the optimistic and enthusiastic energy of Sagittarius, which honestly encourages us to see the best in the future. A wonderful way to set lofty, ambitious goals for yourself. As we enter Capricorn season at the end of the month, we open the path to turn those lofty ambitions into reality, paving the way for a thriving 2024. Capricorn is an earthy leader and doer. Opening a way, even if it is not evident at the beginning of the month. I am counting on this, y’all. I’m just saying.
During Sagittarius season, we're all encouraged to embrace compassion, generosity, and joy. There's this boundless energy that serves as a reminder that incredible things can happen when we believe in ourselves and strive for more. Yet, it can also be challenging to set boundaries or exercise restraint. Listen ad-free to the episode for the Tarot of the Month, Earth Medicine Allies, astrology of the Month, and, of course, my crazy tangents into Greek Mythology and more.
As always, December’s Medicine Bundle is available for sale on my website:
Blessed New Moon in Virgo
I love me a Virgo New Moon. Because I love me some labels on bins, neat and orderly cabinets, the organization and order of mouse medicine (paying attention to details). I love streamlining things, and the beauty of efficiency, and Virgo New Moons are great times to get your shit together and implement some efficiency or organization habits.
This is particularly true when it comes to caring for the self. Virgo is a healer & caregiver. This moon is awesome for learning radical self-acceptance, practicing exquisite self-care, implementing some effective care habits, and learning to mother yourself with deep compassion and love.
The New Moon on September 14th is at 9:39 PM EST, and Mercury stations direct on September 15th at 4:21 pm ET. So, the Sun, Moon and Mercury are all happening in Virgo, making this a lovely time to do Virgo work.
Reflect on the last month or so and think about our "mistakes" or the setbacks that arose...what did they teach you? Where is the wisdom in mistake? Where is the beauty in the recovery? And maybe most importantly, what was your first reaction to the mistake or block or error?
And that is the rub this New Moon--the mistakes, the disorganization, the setbacks and how you responded, is the medicine. We are on a fact-finding mission to understand ourselves.
So, reflect over the last lunation, from August's New Moon in Leo to now. Where were your setbacks, then follow it through...why did that arise? How were you or weren't you present in the moment? How did you talk to yourself? How did you soothe yourself? How did self-criticism help or harm? We can look at how we were triggered, then where is the wound? Where did it come from? How can we feel safe? How can we be kind to our wounded self? Where are our joys, our needs and our wants?
The personal Tarot layout for this New Moon is all about self-care and how we can integrate it in with our goals, then develop habits that heal and move us to more radical self-acceptance. I shared my personal reading, and used Laura Tempest Zarkoff 's deck Anatomy of a Witch for extra insight. Blessed New Moon in Virgo!
Tarot of the Month: Ten of Cups
Deals With Family & Home
Brings Emotional Stability
Healing After Difficult Period
Harmony & Happiness
The Ten of Cups shows a rainbow with ten cups. Under this image, we see two children playing, and a woman and man celebrating the land, their home and the joy of the rainbow. We call this, unsurprisingly, The Happy Family Card.
There is no castle in the distance, or ostentatious symbols of wealth, like in the Ten of Pentacles. But the parents appreciate all they have. It is the simplicity of their life and their home, the beautiful weather, happy children, togetherness. There is a sense of gratitude and appreciation for the blessings of their life.
This is one of the happiest, most positive cards of the Tarot (Pips and Majors included). It shows gratitude and contentedness. It is about togetherness, emotional connectedness, community, love, simple pleasure and of course the family. And by family, I mean many things. It can be your biological family, your partner and children, it can mean your work family, or your chosen family of friends. It can be any group of people who live together, work together or spend quality, intimate time together. If you are estranged from your family of origin, this might refer to the family you can created around you, rather than urging you to see the positive in your abusive family (Just want to clarify.)
But remember that the rainbow only comes after a storm, and so this card is about the end of difficult times. Tens carry the numerology of 1, so the beginning of a new cycle of joy, gratitude, harmony, and happiness. From the Abrahamic traditions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), the rainbow comes as a symbol of the covenant that God made with Noah after the Great Flood that He will never create a flood again. There is this idea that this is a symbol of wrath and punishment is over.
The family home shows stability and comfort, while the river shows there is a healthy flow of emotions. And then there's the happy couple. They have everything they want. They're in love. They have a home, kids, and a community. The celebration they are engaging in is not about some rite of passage, but the everyday joys, simplicity of being together, and growth.
The Ten of Cups is the final card of the pips or the numbered cards in the suit of Cups, the symbol of Water. The Ten indicates we are ready to start a new cycle after a long emotional journey. We see this is a whole family dancing in front of a rainbow, as they look over their abundant land. So, the beginning of the Cups is the Ace, which is the Gift from Great Spirit of love, and the, the Two shows the marriage, but as you traverse the suit of Cups, you have emotional challenges, ups and downs. It is a powerful journey into the Ten. The Ten gives us hard-won emotional stability. We have harmony and love for the entire family. And the entire family is important, because the message here is that you work as a unit—if some member of the family suffers, we all suffer. The rainbow is key; it tells us a lot about the journey and arrival after great suffering.
The shadow or challenge of this archetype for the month is feeling like the rainbow isn’t quite there, or not seeing it by focusing on the little things or even to focus on what you do not have. Combined with other cards that indicate this, this card can be about leaving a family situation, breaking up the family or divorce when it comes reversed or inverted. The breakdown of the happy family. In months where we work with archetype of a card, we can sometimes volley between the upright expression and the shadow expression—meaning one day you are happy and the next day, you are threatening leaving your “happy family”. Obviously, I don’t suggest following the whims of a Tarot card. This card asks you to list out the simple joys of your relationship, family or chosen family unit. To remember that the rainbow appears sometimes during a storm to let us know the end of suffering is near.
This is a card that urges you to acknowledge and celebrate that you have been through storms and stormy times. It is about finding gratitude, joy, harmony and happiness within the daily grind of life, which can be hard when we are stressed. We look at our own ability to create untenable expectations (planned resentments) or cause our own suffering by seeing our partner or family through resentment or unhealed wounds. This is time to give yourself closure and choose to let the past be. The Ten of Cups says, Happiness is right there, honey. Just accept it.
Blessed September
Holy cow, it is all retrogrades, all the time. In this episode, I talks about the sky medicine, I mean, astrology of the month, pulls a Tarot card archetype for September (10 of Cups), and the Earth Medicine allies—Plant Medicine of Evening Primrose; Stone Medicine: Rose Quartz, Clear Quartz and Pyrite as well as work with the medicine of Wolf.
Remember these earth medicine guides can be tools for this month, and help you do your thang! A medicine bundle is for sale in my shop, as always. You can find September's Medicine Bundle here: https://themoonandstone.com/medicine/sept-2023-earth-medicine-mojo-bag-4lgxz
Remember I do collective Full Moon + New Moon readings for my membership group as well as a Guided Shamanic Journey with the animal medicine of the month. We also meet each Friday for circle, and you get free bonus of Q&As with me. Check out more information here:
https://themoonandstone.com/monthly-memberships
Some pieces I mention in the podcast that you might find interesting:
Most U.S. wolves are listed as endangered—again. Here’s why: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/gray-wolves-relisted-endangered-species-act
I love the story of Cailleach told by Scottish storyteller Shona Cowie. I link it in the show notes. https://youtu.be/faX4qZ4Ipbk?si=4egBKt39TAjw2UJs
Fresh Air: What we get wrong about Armageddon in the Bible. https://www.npr.org/2023/04/03/1167732024/what-we-get-wrong-about-armageddon-in-the-bible
Genesis Chapter 9:http://web.mit.edu/jywang/www/cef/Bible/NIV/NIV_Bible/GEN+9.html
Super Blue Moon in Pisces
A watery, mystical, dreamy Pisces full moon at the start of earth and detail-oriented Virgo season awakens your subconscious dream life and brings it in for a reality check. I love that these two mutable signs can help you shift focus from societal prescriptions and comfort to what you really want. Hey, this is a time for dreaming, and maybe even taking it a step further by allowing the Virgo Sun to say, Here are the actionable steps I would take to make that dream a reality.
Don't forget to ground and tap into Earth energy during this dreamy time. It is easy to get that 100 yard stare imagining a different life and seeing a whole other existence that honors who you authentically are. But then again, maybe it just means you are spacey. Whichever, take a moment to cleanse, ground, protect and honor your inner dreams. Write that shizzle down. What changes are you needing? Go back to March 2023's intention...what goal did you set and how has that shifted?
I have a personal Blue Moon Tarot Layout for y’all, so check that out if you are a tarot reader, and here is the collective reading.
Blue Moons are auspicious times, bringing magick & light to our dreams & long term goals. This Blue Moon is wonderful for focusing on setting long-term goals, exploring the deepest of our dreams (the one we daydream about, but never speak aloud), intentions, & releasing what blocks the way to your goals. This Piscean Blue Moon is more mystical & spiritual than other Blue Moons, This tarot layout helps you go deep with your dreams. With this layout we can discern what dreams we are ready to pursue, how to get there and become aware of all those energies that distract us from our goals & bring clarity to our wounded inner voice that lies to us about our worth & limits our infinite potential. Blessed Blue Moon!
Blessed Virgo Season + Mercury Retrograde
Welcome to Virgo Season, witches!
We kick it off with a Mercury stationing Retrograde today, so hang onto your husbands, girls!* And by husbands, I mean, your communications. Keep them in your pants/in your drafts folders. Though this is an excellent time to plan things, because Virgo loves a good five-year plan and is an excellent wind at your back for the details that a bigger picture Earth sign isn't always great at (ahem, I am looking at you, Capricorn!)
Virgo is known for being fussy, but it isn't as much fussy as efficient, analytical, detailed, and a powerhouse of getting shit done. Some of you Air and Water signs might see it as fussy or sticklery, but that is just because you don't mind if the tablecloth is crooked and that is your prerogative. (But you are wrong.) Because it is a mutable earth sign, Virgo can manifest that mutability as anxiety, but it is really attention to all the things at the same time. Everything everywhere all at once. Virgo can make a minor typo feel huge. It is just because it is all important to Virgo brains, because the details make up the big picture, not the other way around. (Again, I am looking at you, Capricorn.) Virgo channels that native wisdom of streamlining, efficiency and order.
Virgo is ruled by Mercury, so you might find this particular Mercury Rx isn't as intense, but I still suggest the planning is more important than the doing in these three weeks.
Virgo heals. Virgos are natural healers, in the sense, that order, stability, and cleanliness heal our chaotic minds. Virgo is the sign of the healer, giver, space holder. So, this is a great season to be engaging in new routines with healing and service work. And by service work, I mean, being of service to fellow humans and/or animal friends. How and where can you be most helpful to your community?
Now, let’s talk a little about Mercury Retrograde. So, are you like,”Angie, are you effing kidding me right now, bro? I thought we were already in Mercury Retrograde?!?! I mean, shit ain’t right already.” We go into a pre-retrograde period a few weeks before it starts, and then go into a shadow retrograde period after it ends. So, you might have been stalking you for a few weeks in its pre-shadow time frame. So, you are already swimming in the soup, people!
welcome to the jungle!
Mercury Retrograde has a reputation, because it happens three times a year for three weeks a piece, then counting the pre-retrograde period and the shadow retrograde, that is like a good 2 months 3xs a year, so calculating in my really math-deficient brain that seems like a good 6 months of Mercury doing its thing. It reminds me of my friend Billy during a Daylight Savings time change. He posted something on FB that said, “OMG, stop complaining about the time change. It happens twice a year. JUST GO TO SLEEP!” Or that one cartoon I cannot find now where the Moon is leaning in some lady’s window when she is in bed and says, “Stop blaming me for everything!”
It is because Mercury rules communication, and we often notice electronics being a little temperamental, my dryer is broken, por ejemplo, (I feel like Laura Ingalls Wilder hanging my clothes outside with actual clothes pins. I even wear a bonnet to do it and call my kids Half-Pint.)
Communications is a little wonky, like sending a text before you edited it 15 times or mispelling something on your resume for an editing job...just double check things. Mercury Retrograde is in Virgo, and Virgo is a stickler, so expect those issues of Mercury Rx to be in the little details that drive you crazy. Listen, Mercury Rx is just as important as Mercury Direct...we get to use every part of the Moon + Planetary movements. We can use this time for planning, dreaming, laying out what our steps might be. Take three weeks for that planning time, but hold off on moving forward. I have some tips for you during this time:
And if you use Tarot, here is a cool layout:
If you are up for using crystals, I use a combination of Throat Chakra stones and grounding stones. Throat chakra or communication stones like Aquamarine, Blue Lace Agate, Hemimorphite, Amazonite, and my favorite for Mercury Retrograde is Fluorite, often called the stone of the student. It really helps with clarity and understanding. Grounding stones I use are Hematite, Smoky Quartz, Black Tourmaline and...wait for it, Garnet are great. My friend Chris (Tall Chris Crystals) gave me some Black Garnet, and that is going to be my new GOTO for Merc. Rx. The grid here is Fluorite, Smoky Quartz and Hematite, but you do you, boo.
(*I am quoting Practical Magic, not suddenly shifting personalities here.)
new moon in leo
Blessed New Moon in Leo!
Creative transformative energy! Leonine powers of expression and boundaries are yours! You the shit, babe, and you know it! Find that thing you are exceedingly good at and be exceedingly good at it! Don't use your confident, sexy Leo powers to manipulate others and you be good! Remember almost everything is retrograde, so take it easy with other people! Let this New Moon guide inspiration, boundaries, expression and then do the perspiration part of your goals! You got this! Don't give up 5 minutes before the miracle happens! Remember transformation and annihilation feels the same until the end! Continue being very energetic and excited about every statement with a proverbial or literal exclamation point!
full moon in aquarius
new moon in cancer
Blessed New Moon in Cancer on July 17th, 2023 at 2:32 pm ET. Time to practice some deep self-care, rejuvenation. The New Moon in Cancer happens the same day the lunar nodes shift signs for the next 18 months. The north node moves into Aries, and the south node moves into Libra. So, we deal with issues around the Self + Others, particularly around boundaries and home. This can be emotional, particularly if you have gone through some deep wounding around family, home, safety and where we feel safe emotionally. It may be a time when we jettison friendships or relationships that threaten us, or do not provide nurturing or safety. Or it can be a time to heal those wounds, or at least give ourselves a kind of closure. When Venus goes retrograde later in the month, it will be hard to have conversations, but this may be a time to do the work around how to heal, how to have conversations, and intuitively how to nurture and heal the self.
Happy new mooning!
full moon in capricorn
Here is my personal one…whew, it was a doozy.
blessed midsummer
Blessed Midsummer, friends, it is Angelica Yingst with a bonus episode celebrating another turn of the Wheel with Summer Solstice celebrations. Some call it Midsummer, Summer Solstice or litha or Leetha, as others pronounce it. I could not get a clear pronunciation of it. I found an Irish speaker who said Litha, but Wiccans will sometimes say Leetha. Ultimately, the word for the holiday comes from the Anglo-Saxon name for the month of June — Ǣrra-Līða. That essentially translates to “the first liða” — and July is effectively named “the second liða.”
hello from the Abyss
Yes,I created this digital art. Thank you for asking.
I had the most incredible dream last night: Kali first came, with her tongue and severed head necklace, then Kuan Yin with this pearlescent aura, almost like the chatoyance of a crystal with layers of light and colors of gold and pink (quite the contrast from Kali) and then la Virgen de Guadalupe with her grief and eternal love, she showed me the protectiveness of her aura, all spiky and sharp. They came in one by one, appearing to me, holding me, healing me, nurturing me, caring for me, the Mothers, as though I were convalescing, recovering from something or maybe even dying. They all held me as I lay on the floor crying.
I watched this as an omniscient viewer—above and away from the pain of this scene.
I still don’t quite know if this was the past or the present or the future, and also maybe it doesn’t matter so much. Maybe I just needed to be reminded that I am held by the Mothers, by the goddesses of Time, Compassion, and Love.
Lately, I have been in a deep hole of Not-Enough. Time looks down and says, “You will never get ahead of me, honey.” And then Energy says, “Angie, I sent you some fatigue, so you slow the fuck down already.” And then Chaos brings her deviant whirlwind of memories and triggers, she throws down random shit she found in her basement. There are kid-illnesses, construction projects with their loud beeping and noises. There are also sounds of machine gun fire from the local Army base. "OH, also, that new medication that is supposed to alleviate your joint pain has a side effect, excruciating migraines, you will love that," she laughs. "I also found a bunch of rabbit holes that will distract you for a while from what you are doing, because I know how much you love being sidetracked. Have fun!”
I decorated my abyss with a galaxy lamp too, so I am just making this place home for a while. Sometimes when you stare at the abyss and it stares back, just imagine me in there reading about the Eleusinian Mysteries and how you make bath bombs from scratch.
+ + + + +
I am neck deep in the middle of a session of the Complete Tarot.
I always have the most amazing students, who are insightful, wise, and interesting. And when I am pulling classes together, I love to innovate, change things up, weave more in. But dang is it a shit-ton of work. Have I mentioned (this hour) how much I love the Tarot—the art, the symbolism, the depth of meaning, the research?
I mean, it fires me up. For this session, I have brought in all the symbology and iconography as a step of the teaching. Is it too much information? Maybe. Possibly. But thus quoteth the Buddhist prophets of Brooklyn, the Beastie Boys—I can’t, I won’t, I don’t stop.
I also recorded a bonus video telling the stories of the Greek myths that appear in the Tarot, and I just wanted to keep going and going, but that’s how I ended up in the abyss of Not Enough time, energy, and stability. I reminds me of this Tarot Meme that makes me laugh.
So, that's what is up with me. I'm in a hole and it involves pain, exhaustion, and lots of research. It's not as bad as it sounds. What is up with you?
Much love. Angelica
PS I have some classes come up, so check out my Events page for all the stuff I have planned until the end of the year.
Blessed May!
Happy May! Here is the Tarot, Earth and Sky Reading for May with some significant lunations:
The Card of the Month is the Three of Wands and we are working with the Medicine of Arnica, Smoky Quartz, Carnelian and Green Aventurine with the specific beautiful energy of the beloved Condor. You can purchase a medicine bundle of May’s medicine in my shop.
May 1st is also Beltane, or May Day, the energy of fertility, sex, creativity and joy comes through loud and clear and we honor our own fertility and flirty natures. I recorded a podcast with all the history and lore of Beltane as well as a reading.
Tarot + Earth Medicine Reading for April
Listen to this month’s tarot + earth medicine reading on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts, or right here on my website!
Blessed Vernal Equinox
Blessed Vernal Equinox, friends! This episode of Centered is a reading, history and insights around Vernal Equinox or what modern pagans and Wiccans call Ostara.
Disclaimer for this episode is that I nerd out on some religious and cultural history of this time of the year. I include talk about Christianity, Judaism and the bible. I tend to give you biblical verses for context not preachiness. One thing to know is that I have a degree in Religion. We tend to say that Theologians, of which I am not, focus on what God thinks about humans, and Religion scholars focus on what humans think about God, so I am coming from the latter of these. And in this quest to put things into context, I often will go to the source within that religion. I do my best. I was raised Catholic and am now a pagan. I’m an earth-worshipping, tree hugging, faithful and faith filled believer in the Goddess and God, and often will just say God to mean it all. I want you to know that, because I don’t want to mislead anyone. I tend to see our alikeness in religious beliefs rather than our otherness. I could literally talk Religion all day. And maybe I will some episode.
So, there is no one traditional religion or culture where you would find all eight pagan/Wiccan sabbats as a holiday system. Wicca, also known as Witchcraft or the Craft, seeks to reestablish the link to the earth and the cycle of seasons by following what Wiccans call the "Wheel of the Year." Celebrations, known as Sabbats, serve as the spokes of the Wheel, reminding practitioners of humanity's intimate connection to nature. The Lesser Sabbats, tied to the solstices and equinoxes, and the Greater Sabbats, purportedly tied to harvest and livestock cycles, occur approximately every six weeks. Through observance of the Sabbats and Esbats, rituals taking place every new and full moon, witches keep in touch with the progression of the year and nature's rhythms.That came about in the 1950s with the creation of Wicca by Gerald Gardner.
Ostara celebrates the vernal equinox. Ostara is one of the holy days that Gardner solidified for pagans. Ostara, named after the Eostre, the Germanic Goddess of the Spring (others say she is Celtic) is celebrated on the Vernal or Spring Equinox. Like many other spring celebrations in other cultures, Ostara symbolizes fertility, rebirth, and renewal. This time of year marked the beginning of the agricultural cycle, and farmers would start planting seeds…listen to continue.
Centered Episode 49: Tarot Q+A
In this episode, I am talking about Tarot + the spiritual work of the healer. I have questions that I keep finding that I forgot to answer earlier, or just held onto for a bit, so apologies if that was you. I like to create Q&As that are related. I also have some events and things coming up that you might be interested in, so I have that after my questions, if you hang out that long. Enjoy this episode of Centered.
The questions:
Can you talk about how to create your own tarot layouts? How did you start doing that? And how do you recommend doing it?
What is a significator and why don’t you talk about them?
Beka Caudill asked Is there a certain day you suggest doing your tarot pull for the year? Any specific questions to ask?
Julie Milletti asked Are there times when you don’t do anything spiritual — tarot, meditation, earth medicine practices, etc.?✨
Tarot + Earth Medicine Reading for March
Blessed March, friends! They say March roars in like a lion but leaves as a lamb. But this March is roaring in with so much astrological shifting, we may want to roar, cry, mew, dance the Macarena, and hide under a blanket with a computer to take over the world.
This is the month we have all been waiting for, or at least, that is what we were told in the beginning of the year by astrologers. All these retrogrades, they said, just wait until March when everything shifts. I was in my live membership group circle and someone mentioned the crazy astrology in March, and I had totally forgotten. I was so caught up in what I thought would be a mild February. It was anything but for me. I was definitely getting ready for March.
So, if you have felt like me and are saying to yourself, “What gives? I thought this would be the calm time of the year.” You have laid the foundation, friend, to shift, change, adapt and let yourself get taken by the inevitable transformations of March’s astrology and energy.
Of course, I discuss this all in the Tarot + Earth Medicine Reading for March in my latest podcast. Click to listen here or at my Anchor site. Or you know Spotify, ApplePodcasts, etc…whereever you get pods, you can get mine.
+ + + + +
If you like these readings for the month and want to dive deeper with me, I have my Moon + Stone Healing Memberships. I do readings for the group on the Full Moon and the New Moon and provide a monthly shamanic journey to all members. We circle up for Coffee on Fridays and talk, pull cards, explore topics. There are a few price points for everyone and for one tier, I do a personal reading.
I just wanted to share that, since so many of you ask for how to work with me, or learn from me, I also have a place where you can schedule distant sessions with me.
And one more thing, I am starting a monthly Live Q&A, which will be very similar to my office hours at Hibiscus Moon Crystal Academy. You can sign up here. The last Wednesday of the Month. More about that coming!
