Dear Friends of the Zodiac,

Welcome back!  There isn’t much to tell you this week but we will have a Full Moon in Sagittarius on the 25th of May that coincides with our third and final eclipse of the season.  We’ll discuss more next week.  For now let’s dive into the stars.

NEWS:

I have a new website in the works! Stay tuned!

AGAIN:

Looking for the perfect gift?  Consider giving someone or some one(s) a reading with yours truly.  I offer GIFT CERTIFICATES so please contact me for details and/or if you want to gift a reading to yourself. My rates are sliding scale $65-100/hr.  I also offer shorter readings for smaller prices. 

I am also available and EXCITED to participate in EVENTS!  I recently participated in the LA ART BOOK FAIR, I also gave readings at FOR YOUR ART and a HALLOWEEN PARTY hosted by BOOBY TRAP.  Tarot readings could be the perfect supplement to your party, event, wedding, etc.  Feel free to contact me for inquiries or information. 

For comments and questions, to be added to the email list, or if you want to send links to music you would like to see in TAROTSCOPES please email me.

THANKS TO ALL ALWAYS AND ALL WAYS FOR READING AND SPREADING TAROTSCOPES!!

another eclipse, doing flips, using paper clips, sleep study, turn to puddy, the way is sometimes muddy, planetary trines, solidifying our spines, paying our fines, walking lines, love and hearts, astrology charts,

MW

VIII STRENGTH
I knew this would happen one day and today is the day, I’ve pulled a repeat.  We’ve already seen this card, but in a different astrological context.  Now what?  The astrological winds are kicking up new dust and we may need to call on our VIII Strength to navigate it.  I direct your attention to something Emily Trinkaus said in her Virgo Magic Blog, “The default mode of the Taurus South Node is, “Once I have enough money/material security, then it will be safe for me to take the risk of living my passion,” and this approach is NOT scheduled to work.”  When I was a kid my best friend and I were climbing a spindly dogwood in her back yard.  It wasn’t the best idea, but it was incredibly fun.  Our good time was cut short when the branch I was sitting on broke.  Even though the situation ended with me slightly bloodied and bruised I assured my friend’s mom that it was worth the risk, “On the way down,” I told her.  “It felt like I was flying.”  Of course I would never climb a skinny dogwood now, but I’m grateful for the experience and the feeling of flight.  Even when the risks we take fail there can still be surprising rewards built into our failures.  Now is the time to take risks in the direction of your true passions.  Strength is on all of our sides.
(Money Come and Money Go- Lee “Scratch” Perry)

STRENGTH (Part II) from Marty_windahl on 8tracks Radio.

ARIES
In one of my favorite childhood movies (and books), “Charlotte’s Web”, Wilbur the pig expresses disgust upon hearing that Charlotte, the spider eats insects.  “Do you realize that if I didn’t eat them, bugs would get so numerous, they’d destroy the earth?” Charlotte informs him.  “Spiders are really very useful creatures.”  Growing up my dad called all spiders, Charlotte, I think to remind me, as Charlotte indicated,  that they “are really very useful creatures”.  You may feel shy about showing the world what you are capable of, Aries.  Rather than holding back your gifts in fear of their reception, dive in and do what you love.  You have your own special place on this planet.  I, for one, will be thinking of all of you rams as Charlotte. 
(I Magician L/ Deep in the Dark- Charlotte’s Web)

TAURUS
On a recent visit, my mother told my brother and I about a friend of hers whose daughter is a champion rock climber.  Besides her amazing skills, the other remarkable thing about her abilities is that they think she may have learned them at an early age from a monkey.  She was raised in a small village in Benin in Africa.  There she had a pet monkey and together they would climb trees.  At twelve she became the youngest woman to scale El Capitan, a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park.  At thirteen she became the adult women’s champion in all four categories of rock climbing.  Whatever you have been doing in your solitude the last few weeks, Taurus, may now be paying off.  While you might not be literally climbing a vertical mountain, you will probably soon be reaching the top of the metaphorical mountains in your own life.
(VII Chariot/ I’d Climb The Highest Mountain- The Platters)

GEMINI
Years ago I was doing laundry near my apartment in Oakland.  I took my entire bag of dirty clothes and dumped it all into one washing machine, threw in some soap and quarters and slammed the lid shut.  At that moment I was startled by a loud hearty laugh.  For an instant I thought I had triggered the laughter with my quarters.  “You are going to live a looong life, I think,” a woman a few machines down said with a big grin.  “Look at me separating all my laundry and you just dump it in one machine and call it a day.”  True, my method saved time, but it put my clothes at risk of changing in unexpected ways.  Her method took more time, but ensured her clothes would most likely come out the way she put them in.  Either way, both processes involved closing the lid on our clothes and letting the machine do the rest.  Gemini, which ever method you choose, know that you can only carry things so far before you they are out of your hands.
(8 of Wands R/ Hold Your Horses- First Choice)

CANCER
In Brazil, my family’s kitchen had cupboards all the way around the room.  If you opened the the top two above the toaster they were lined with boxes of milk and bags of granola that my dad had stockpiled there like a squirrel gearing up for winter.  Of course, in Brasilia the temperatures hover around 75 and 80 degrees fahrenheit all year round and there weren’t any natural disasters to worry about or prepare for.  Cancer, this week you may feel anxious or worried, that something in your life will not work out or come through.  According to the card I’ve pulled for you this week, what you are waiting for will certainly come, but perhaps not as soon as you would like.  Try not to allow anxieties kicked up in your wait to trigger fears of not having enough or of being unprepared.  Even if it seems logical to prepare and stockpile resources now, eventually you will have to eat all those bags of granola and drink all that milk.
(Ace of Discs L/ Something’s Coming- West Side Story)

LEO
This week my family visiting coincided with a Los Angeles heat wave.  Normally I spend a lot of time alone and in my head thinking thoughts.  The heat, however, turned all thoughts to moans and my family visiting reduced my alone time to a few moments in the bathroom (and even then words were exchanged through the door).  Though I tend to think of my life as rather flexible, with only loosely structured routines, the changes in the weather and sharing my tiny apartment with my mother made me irritable and short tempered.  Finally, I lay on the floor and surrendered to the heat, scattered coffee cups and sounds of my mother watching videos of Hindu mantras and Rachel Maddow on youtube.  Suddenly, I realized that the reason I was so irritable was that I was still trying to do the same things I do when the weather is cooler and I am alone.  There on the floor I felt how nice it was to have company and to not think about anything.  Leo, there is a lot to be accomplished this week if you can trade the things you do under a certain set of conditions for the ones that may be more weather appropriate.  
(9 of Discs Rev/ Heat Wave- Ella Fitzgerald)

VIRGO
I’ve definitely referenced this movie before, but I’m referencing it again because as soon as I saw the card I pulled for you the week, Virgo, a scene from the movie “Labyrinth”  popped into my head.  In the scene, Sarah is confronting the goblin king (played by David Bowie).  He tells her to stay with him in the goblin city and “fear” him and “love” him and he would “be her slave”.  The whole time he is giving her this speech she is trying to remember the end of the poem that her whole journey through the labyrinth seems based upon.  “My will is as strong as yours…and my kingdom is great,” and then remembering the line she looks directly into his eyes and says, “You have no power over me.”  Suddenly, you see a bunch of breaking, mirrored glass and the goblin king falls with the glass to some unknown resting place.  I think about this line, especially when I feel stuck or afraid, even if it is just a bill I have to pay or some bureaucratic system I have to deal with.  Virgo, now it seems you, like Sarah, have finally remembered your last line and you are no longer giving up your power to systems or people or pieces of paper that seemed to have you under their spell in the past.
(XV Devil Rev/ Dance Magic Dance- David Bowie)

LIBRA
I have a book of six-word memoirs by famous and obscure writers, called, “Not Quite What I Was Planning”.  One of my favorites is by an author I’d never heard of named Paul Boggan.  His wrote, “Even the quietest sounds make noise.”  I spent a lot of time in my early childhood feeling ashamed of my shyness but simultaneously taking pride in my ability to travel noiselessly across a room or down a hallway.  Now I realize I was always making noise.  As I’ve practiced embracing my sensitive and intuitive qualities, I find myself more and more tuning into the “quietest sounds” and finding strength there.  I’ve come to understand that even the shy kid I was, was a courageous person too.  Libra, you may be feeling sensitive and vulnerable this week.  Remember and reaffirm that this aspect of yourself is a courageous person too and all of your sounds, even if it is only your heartbeat, make noise.   
(Priestess of Wands Rev/ The Sound of Silence- Simon and Garfunkel)

SCORPIO
Recently, my friend celebrated his birthday poolside at the Standard Hotel in West Hollywood.  After loudly serenading him with several rounds of “Happy Birthday” a drunk hotel guest behind us said, “Hey man, how’d you get all these women to celebrate you?”  He said several other disgusting things about the women in our party.  I kept my back to him the whole time he was talking.  My sweet friend, whose birthday it was, answered a few of his questions with nervous laughter.  Finally, our uninvited guest forgot about us.  My friend turned to me and burst out laughing, “Marty, your face!  It says everything I was feeling!”  Apparently the whole time the man was talking, my face was contorted into a deep look of disgust.  Scorpio, you are actually known for your poker face.  People may find you mysterious under most circumstances, but this week you may find it very hard to not wear what you are feeling on your face.  Which might help voice what others around you feel uncomfortable expressing.  
(6 of cups/ Lose It- Austra)

SAGITTARIUS
As a kid I was simultaneously excited and terrified by revolving doors (actually, I still feel the same way about them).  If they aren’t already moving, you have to give one of the doors a push, or walk into it.  Once you are inside, you are made to walk at the pace of the doors and depending on the size of the revolving door, you have to take smaller than normal steps so you don’t trip.  Even though you set the thing in motion, beyond that point you give up control.  Like a carnival ride, you’ve made the decision to enter or board, but once there, you have to give it up to the mechanism to see you through to the other side.  Sag, you have probably already given the door a push and now you may feel trapped by the pace of the door itself.  In his book of poems called “A Season in Hell”, the writer Arthur Rimbaud wrote, “In the dawn, armed with a burning patience, we shall enter the splendid Cities.”  While patience may burn, it is probably the best way to cross the threshold into the splendid places you want to go, Sagittarius. 
(VIII Justice R/ Oh! The Places You’ll Go- Dr. Seuss)

CAPRICORN
Recently, I had a dream that I was Natty Gann and I was hopping a train to somewhere unknown.  At some point I had to switch from land to sea and climbed aboard a boat that was one in a fleet of small ships.  The ships were made out of some sort of material similar to tinfoil that you could crush in your hand (incidentally this is also how some people have described the material alien spaceships are made out of).  All my fellow passengers were women and several were on roller derby teams.  At some point, right before we hit a powerful storm, it became apparent that the ships we were sailing were pirate ships.  The storm looked like a tornado and the tornado looked like a rope tied in a knot.  We were all knocked to shore next to a bait and tackle store where we all went shopping for fishing supplies.  When I woke up I tried to look everything up in the dream dictionary.  It was a frustrating experience, like trying to make a beaded necklace with different sized beads and a thick string.  Capricorn, of course you want to know what your dreams mean, but for now it is best to sail into them without trying to untie the knots or make them into a necklace.   
(XVIII Moon R/ Blue in Green- Miles Davis)

AQUARIUS
When I was in elementary school all of my friends would disappear after recess for an hour or so because they were in some sort of advanced placement something or other.  I was jealous because they would always come back with cool projects they were working on like a sweatsuit that came apart in several places and became other clothing items.  I also felt like every time they disappeared it was as if someone was telling me I wasn’t as smart as the company I kept.  “I could do that,” I thought rather bitterly. “I could make a velcro sweatsuit.”  The real reason they were in an advanced class was because they scored higher on their Iowa Test of Basic Skills.  Of course, now I understand that there a million different kinds of intelligences and being able to score well on a test is only one kind of smarts.  Aquarius, you might be frustrated feeling that everyone around is being recognized and validated, while your own version of smarts remains under-appreciated.  Try not to dwell on these discrepancies for very long.  Your way of being is just as important as any one else’s, and probably just needs a new place to shine. 
(3 of Swords/ The Last Living Rose- PJ Harvey)

PISCES
A few members of my family congregated in Los Angeles recently for my brother’s anniversary party.  At breakfast one morning my mom was trying to explain to the rest of us where her favorite restaurant was in the town where my cousin and I grew up.  We all sat there trying to create a visual 3-D map of the town in our minds.  As she mentioned certain landmarks, they sprang up on our mental maps.  “There is that gas station that grows corn on the corner and the restaurant is a block down on the opposite side of the street,” she said.  I finally realized what she was talking about, not because it matched the image I was creating in my own brain, but because I somehow understood what her visual of the town must look like.  My cousin was still lost so I said, “It shared a bathroom with Iguana’s, the comic book shop.”  I knew this would work because my brother and my cousin were avid comic book readers growing up.  “Oh yeah!” He exclaimed.  Pisces, this week you may have to walk the streets between one person’s perception and your own.  You aren’t being asked to trade your interpretation for theirs, you are just seeing the same city from all sides.   
(4 of Swords R/ The Angle- Jana Hunter)

Happy Belated May Day and International Workers Day and Happy Belated Cinco de Mayo!  Whew!  Besides all of these festivities, and cultural/ historical reminders we also have another eclipse approaching on May 9th, this time a solar eclipse.  This eclipse falls on the New Moon, marking a new beginning that will develop over the next 19 years.  Emily Trinkaus of Virgo Magic (http://virgomagic.com/) says this: “The Taurus Solar Eclipse wants to build something solid and lasting, aligned with our deepest values and priorities…Unlike your average New Moon, a Solar Eclipse typically involves an ending, revealing what we have to let go of, what needs to die, to clear space for a new start. Because this Eclipse is conjunct the South Node – old patterns that hold us back and block our evolution – there’s an especially strong focus on releasing the past, and in Taurus, we’re looking at issues around self-worth, self-love, over-attachment to material security and the status quo, and resistance to change (the famous Taurus stubbornness).”

NEWS:

I have a new website in the works! Stay tuned!

AGAIN:

Looking for the perfect gift?  Consider giving someone or some one(s) a reading with yours truly.  I offer GIFT CERTIFICATES so please contact me for details and/or if you want to gift a reading to yourself. My rates are sliding scale $65-100/hr.  I also offer shorter readings for smaller prices. 

I am also available and EXCITED to participate in EVENTS!  I recently participated in the LA ART BOOK FAIR, I also gave readings at FOR YOUR ART and a HALLOWEEN PARTY hosted by BOOBY TRAP.  Tarot readings could be the perfect supplement to your party, event, wedding, etc.  Feel free to contact me for inquiries or information. 

For comments and questions, to be added to the email list, or if you want to send links to music you would like to see in TAROTSCOPES please email me.

THANKS TO ALL ALWAYS AND ALL WAYS FOR READING AND SPREADING TAROTSCOPES!!

gifts and luck, new ways of getting unstuck, up and out of the muck, plant wishes, basketball through the hoop swishes, up in the stars, losing the cars, energy of mars, venus rules taurus, join the chorus, love and hearts, magic starts,

MW

X WHEEL OF FORTUNE
I’m so excited about this one, The Wheel of Fortune.  This is actually one of my favorite tarot cards, not only because it tends to be an offering of luck, but because it is a good reminder the movement and cyclical nature of life.  When I was little there was a small carnival in the park between my house and my cousin’s house.  As a kid I was convinced that this carnival was not in the park, but in some sort of parallel universe because I could never figure out how to get back to it when I was alone.  There was a carousel, a tea cup ride, a small train on a track that looped around the carnival and a ferris wheel.  All of these rides went in a circle, but my favorite was the ferris wheel because each point on the wheel offered you a completely different perspective.  The operator would always stop the ride to let people on so you never knew if you were going to get stuck at the bottom, the top or somewhere in between.  In astrology, each sign is positioned somewhere on a wheel and because that wheel is always turning we all have a chance to meet with opportunity and luck.  Even when we get stuck at the bottom in the trees, the wheel keeps turning and we’ll be able to see the forest again.
(Wheel in the Sky- Journey)

X Wheel of Fortune from Marty_windahl on 8tracks Radio.

ARIES
When I was around 8 years old I “adopted” a manatee or sea cow named Amanda.  Manatees were my favorite animal and I had two stuffed ones that I slept with, one under each arm.  My obsession sort of faded over the years, morphing into other animals, but the sea cow was definitely my longest relationship.  More recently, I was bingeing on Maria Bamford videos and during her hour-long Christmas special, while discussing relationships, she said, “You gotta find somebody who loves you for exactly who you are…[you] can’t change people, can’t change me…I’m a sea cow.  Yeah, I know the motorboats are gonna hit me, but this is where I fucking swim.”  Her words sort of completed this invisible circle in my brain.  As a kid I innocently admired these giant buoyant beings.  I was alone among my peers in my manatee admiration (especially in landlocked Iowa).  There is something of a peaceful protestor in the manatee and I appreciated the way that Maria Bamford identified that trait.  This week you may begin to draw a fresh circle, Aries.  Perhaps you will return to the intuitive kid part of yourself with the new conviction that this is where you fucking swim. 
(XX Judgement/ Ooh Child- The Five Stairsteps)

TAURUS
When I was little my uncle paid me a generous compliment, he said he thought I was prettier than Emily Dickinson.  I knew this was a very big endorsement, especially coming from my uncle because he is a writer and poet and he respected Emily Dickinson’s work.  I was curious in what ways we might be similar, so I looked her up in the encyclopedia.  There was an image of her staring into the camera through a screen door.  As a shy kid, this image really resonated with me.  My shyness had always felt like a barrier or a burden.  I felt validated being compared to this creative and prolific recluse.  Taurus, while your hermit-like feelings of the past few weeks persist, you may prefer to have the world see you through a screen door.  Feel free to let who or what you want through that door.  This moment is not indicative of future successes or failures.   
(4 of Discs L/ Ask- The Smiths)

GEMINI
Even though hours, days and years are relative and arbitrary measures of time, my body somehow knew that this was the last year of my twenties.  Within six months of my 29th birthday I started having back pain.  It became glaringly obvious that I couldn’t keep putting off the morning exercises I’d been telling myself I would make routine for years now.  Other people come to this realization in different ways, through illness, or a sports injury (I never played sports consistently, but I accrued several sports injuries from being hit by the ball in gym class), for me it has been the natural process of aging.  At 29 my back was suddenly yelling to my stomach, “Give me a hand here!  I can’t hold this torso up without you.”  Gemini, you may be seeing signs that you are entering a new cycle of change.  The changes could be happening on a physical level, but they are also probably effecting you mentally and emotionally.  Like physical exercise, you may want to integrate these new developments slowly or incrementally to avoid injury.  
(XVI Tower/ Looking Good, Feeling Gorgeous- RuPaul)

CANCER
In an interview Dori Midnight (Dorilandia.com) replies to a question about invasive plant species with this: “In the battles around indigenous and ‘invasive’ plants, we often talk about invasive plants in strange ways…People go and tear things out without addressing the history of the land—while meanwhile people also talk about invasive humans—or how those plants got there in the first place.  Plants aren’t people. They’re just growing; they didn’t mean to cross a sea. They’re just taking advantage of soil nutrients and water and air and sun.  Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica)—which is considered an invasive—is moving north at the same speed and in the same areas that Lyme disease is moving north, and it’s one of the main medicines for Lyme disease. It’s antiviral and it’s specifically anti-spirochete, which is what Lyme disease is… I wonder if there’s a way that humans are projecting guilt about invading land onto plants… I wish instead there was a taking of responsibility for genocide and invading other people’s land.”  Cancer, you may be feeling that things are out of balance in your life.  Try not to place these feelings anywhere they don’t belong, or push away the ones that seem to be causing you discomfort.  It is possible that the thing you are projecting your discomfort onto is actually a helping hand when you look at what it is growing next to.
(XIV Temperance Rev./ Next to Me- Emeli Sande)

LEO
A couple weeks ago my friend and I were getting cash out of the ATM at a liquor store.  I was talking loudly about turning thirty. “I feel like I’m going through a second puberty,” I said.  “My body is changing, dating feels like a middle school dance…”  At that moment, a woman standing behind us, who I hadn’t noticed said, “I know, I am too.  Isn’t it great?  I’m loving it!”  Her enthusiasm made me smile in spite of my previous complaints.  At happy hour I went to order our drinks and as I approached the bar the bartender said, “You look just like Mary Tyler Moore.”  Given the conversation of the evening, this compliment was eerily appropriate.  My mind flashed on the opening sequence of the Mary Tyler Moore Show.  For the longest time I thought the lyrics were mysterious, “You can never tell, why don’t you take it.  You’re gonna make it after all.”  But then I found out that the line was actually, “You can have a town, why don’t you take it.”  Lions, whether or not this summer marks an even or an odd birthday, you are most likely approaching a new cycle in your life, full of question marks.  Take it from Mary and the Mary behind me at the ATM, you can never tell, so why not take a risk and punctuate it all by throwing your hat in the air.      
(0 Fool/ I Love It (I Don’t Care)- Icona Pop)

VIRGO
I think one of the games I hated playing the most as a kid was musical chairs.  The whole process felt completely humiliating.  I didn’t like fighting over anything, especially not something as basic as a chair.  I also really hated standing there while everyone else was sitting down, waiting for an adult to call you out by name just to make it extra clear you had lost the game and that you didn’t have a chair to sit on.  This week, Virgo, you may be feeling there is scarcity in some area of your life.  I highly recommend that you not participate in games such as musical chairs which will only exacerbate the problem.  While there may not be a chair for you, there will always be a spot on the ground, just your size and right where you presently stand.  And that one no one can pull out from under you. 
(3 of Swords L/ Three Little Birds- Bob Marley)

LIBRA
While surfing the internet I found a quote from Emily Dickinson that stood out to me (of course I turned all the “man”s and “he”s into “person”s and “they”s):  “Behavior is what a person does, not what they think, feel, or believe.” This reminded me of a quote I referenced a few weeks ago in Tarotscopes from a drunk woman who approached my friends and I in a parking lot.  She said (among other things), “Like integrity, which most people can’t afford.”  I’ve always thought that integrity was when your behavior, thoughts, feelings and beliefs were in alignment and by that definition integrity is difficult to afford, or to obtain all of the time.  Libra you may find yourself juggling feelings, thoughts, beliefs and behavior this week.  While it maybe your goal to act with integrity in a given situation, it may not be an affordable option.  However, given the card I’ve pulled for you, it seems you will have no trouble expressing or determining the incongruities. 
(6 of Cups/ Family Tree- Belle and Sebastian)

SCORPIO
When I first moved into my apartment a few months ago almost nothing was working.  The landlord resolved most of these problems within the first month, but when I mentioned the oven she said, “Okay, just give me some time.  This takes time.”  Fast forward a few months and I was still igniting the burners on my stove using a lighter with a pot leaf on it that a friend had given me and the oven was cold.  Finally, I told her my mother was coming to visit (which was true).  They sent over a repair man within two days.  It seemed they were trying to raise the dead by “repairing” it since I’d already been told by the gas company that I would need a new one.  But when I returned home there were remnants of an electrical cord and it looked like they’d done some rewiring.  I tested it and the stove worked without a lighter, but the oven was lifeless.  After playing phone tag with my landlord for two days we finally spoke and she said, “Did you wait?  It doesn’t come on immediately, it takes a minute.”  I tried it again and waited, it came on within 15 seconds.  I know this is a rather long and boring story, Scorpio, but that is actually part of my point.  Perhaps nothing recently seems to be working properly, or maybe it is just your oven and somehow that feels like everything.  This week it would be helpful to strike a balance between patience and defeat.  Don’t give up on something just because it hasn’t worked in the past and don’t give up before you’ve given the situation a chance to ignite. 
(Daughter of Swords Rev./ Take Me Back to Piaui- Juca Chaves)

SAGITTARIUS
You know those candy hearts with messages on them?  I think they are called conversation hearts.  A while ago I was sifting through a bowl of them and I pulled one out, held it up and said triumphantly to my friend, “Look!  It says, ‘I’m Me!’  She leaned across the table to get a closer look, “It says, ‘IM Me’, like instant message, instant message me.”  I read it again, “I liked it better before.”  More recently I was watching Maria Bamford stand up videos on youtube and she said, “You don’t want to get in a bad relationship, watch out for those…I realized I was in a very volatile relationship with myself.  I know I seem charming, but I am always yelling at myself when I’m by myself.”  Sag, what messages are you sending to yourself?  Have you been yelling at yourself when you are by yourself?  Which of these voices are actually your own?  This week might be a good time to dig around in the bowl until you find the heart that says, “I’m Me”.
(Son of Cups Rev./ What’d I Say- Barbara Lynn)

CAPRICORN
A few days ago I was revisiting my book of Greek myths.  I found the section on one of my favorite gods, Apollo.  “He is the God of Light, in whom is no darkness at all, and so he is the God of Truth…a purely beneficent power…the purifier, too, able to cleanse even those stained with the blood of their kindred.”  Many of the other male gods I found rather disappointing because they seemed sexist and occasionally abused their power, but up until this point I thought, “At least Apollo seems like a decent guy.”  Then I read on, “Nevertheless, there are a few tales told of him which show him pitiless and cruel.  Two ideas were fighting in him as in all the gods: a primitive, crude idea and one that was beautiful and poetic.  In him only a little of the primitive is left.”  Though slightly disheartening, I was reminded of one of the main reasons why I like Greek myths in the first place.  The gods aren’t any less flawed than humans, they just have super powers and maybe more years of experience.  But they all get jealous and short-tempered and can be selfish and in these ways they are more relatable.  Now would be a good time to find the strength in the holes, Capricorn.  Your flaws or the mistakes you make don’t necessarily make you weaker, they just make you more relatable.  And in a Greek myth you could still be a god. 
(XI Strength/ Video- India.Arie)

AQUARIUS
Last week I was describing a dream to a friend of mine.  After each description I would say, “and then I looked it up in the dream dictionary and it said _____ in a dream often means _____.”  After I’d finished explaining the dream and defining each object, my friend said, “you believe all that?”  “All of what?”  I said.  “That it all means those things?”  “Well I think it means something.  It’s Jungian psychology,” I said, as if that somehow made it more valid.  For my friend and many others dreams are generally just remnants of the day, without much meaning beyond their significance in your waking life.  Aquarius, you might find yourself looking down one end of a telescope and realizing that there are several other people looking at the same situation from the opposite end.  It isn’t about right or wrong, but perspective.  And the conversations between the two ends are important to seeing all sides. 
(4 of Swords L/ Daydream- The Lovin’ Spoonful)

PISCES
On a recent walk, I noticed that I seemed to be leaning forward.  My thoughts up until this point were flipping through all sorts of things that happened in the past and all sorts of worries and concerns about the future.  As soon as my mind rested on the fact that I was leaning forward, I pulled my body and shoulders back into alignment.  People always tell you to stand up straight, but they don’t often tell you what occurs mentally and emotionally when you take this advice.  What happened to me was I suddenly noticed where I was and what was actually going on in that moment.  I felt instantly content.  I realized that none of the things I’d been worrying about were happening on that walk.  The sun beginning to set, the birds flying on and off of the lake and a slight breeze were the only things that were actually taking place in that moment.  Pisces, even if the moment you are presently experiencing feels uncomfortable, lean into it by pulling back into yourself.  According to the card I’ve pulled for you Fishes this week, there is strength and information available to you right where you are.  So stand up straight!  
(Daughter of Discs Rev./ Keep Your Head Up High- The Farm Band)

WELCOME ONE AND ALL!

We are in the thick of Eclipse Season.  We made it through the first, a lunar eclipse in Scorpio, which you may still be feeling the effects of.  Eclipses present opportunities for transformation, but are often uncomfortable to navigate.  For more information I direct your attention, once again, to http://virgomagic.com/.

NEWS:

I have a new website in the works! Stay tuned!

AGAIN:

Looking for the perfect gift?  Consider giving someone or some one(s) a reading with yours truly.  I offer GIFT CERTIFICATES so please contact me for details and/or if you want to gift a reading to yourself. My rates are sliding scale $65-100/hr.  I also offer shorter readings for smaller prices. 

I am also available and EXCITED to participate in EVENTS!  I recently participated in the LA ART BOOK FAIR, I also gave readings at FOR YOUR ART and a HALLOWEEN PARTY hosted by BOOBY TRAP.  Tarot readings could be the perfect supplement to your party, event, wedding, etc.  Feel free to contact me for inquiries or information. 

For comments and questions, to be added to the email list, or if you want to send links to music you would like to see in TAROTSCOPES please email me.

THANKS TO ALL ALWAYS AND ALL WAYS FOR READING AND SPREADING TAROTSCOPES!!

Shuffle the cards, pick up the shards, spend time in yards, self reflection, early detection, give affection, work and play, tomorrow is a new day, have your say, do it your way, love and hearts, 

MW

THE CHARIOT
The card I’ve pulled for all of us on the astrological wheel for the week is about victory, achievement, asserting yourself and maybe the most difficult part, knowing who the self you are asserting is.  Reaching goals and achievement are fantastic and they can give us confidence, but it seems dangerous to let those achievements define who you are as a person.  This is the trick of The Chariot, to not let your ego, confidence or identity rest on the pinnacles or peaks of achievement and conversely, to not build your identity on your failures.  When I was a kid my brother used to tell me I could be whoever I wanted to be. What I think he meant and what I took him to mean, more than the idea that I could be an astronaut or a private detective if I wanted, was that I had a choice in the personal qualities I wanted to express.  There are all sorts of ways of achieving your goals, but it is probably most rewarding to reach them in your own, unique, individual way, without compromising your integrity.  
(My Way- Shirley Bassey)

The Chariot from Marty_windahl on 8tracks Radio.

ARIES
A long time ago I found a book at a bookstore in Indonesia about the psychology of escape.  Not long before finding that book, I had runaway from an exchange program I was in in Brazil.  More recently, I met someone who is writing their dissertation on performance artists who deal with escape.  According to the book I stumbled upon, people are happiest in moments of escape and the feeling can become an addiction or compulsion.  The most obvious example was Harry Houdini who performed hundreds of escapes throughout his magic career.  While meditating on the idea of escape, I thought about all of its good and bad connotations.  I thought about how many people say that you should never try to out run a feeling, but instead sit with it.  I realized that sitting with the feeling is actually an escape.  It is an escape from the fear of the feeling itself.  Aries, this would be a good place to put your escape fantasies.  Sit with your feelings and they escape you, explore your feelings and you out run the fear of the feelings themselves.   
(VII Star Rev./ Run Run Run- Yoko Ono)

TAURUS
Recently, in another epic conversation in which my dear friend Dylan and I explored the mechanics, structure and inner workings of our emotions as well as external triggers and acknowledging things we’d come to terms with, I confessed that I didn’t really have a fear of missing out like many people have.  I wasn’t bragging, I was confessing it in order to understand the emotion, or rather, absence of emotion.  What I slowly unraveled was this, “I don’t have a fear of missing out, because if I’m not there it isn’t happening TO me or in my world.  I guess really the only way I could actually miss out on anything is if I was not present where I was.”  Taurus, you may continue to feel this week that you would rather stay in.  Try not to douse yourself in fears of missing out on something that isn’t happening to you and which may only serve to distract you from what is happening right in front of your nose.  
(Son of Wands Rev./ It’s My Party- Leslie Gore)

GEMINI
A friend of mine once brought up how people are always projecting themselves on to their pets.  “Fluffy’s not very good with people”  or “Spot isn’t having a good day,”  but if the animals themselves could speak they might not describe their behavior in those terms.  When I first got a dog I remember thinking that a half a cup of food twice a day seemed like far too little.  I kept thinking that if I ate only a cup of food a day I would be hungry.  Over time I learned to differentiate between my human needs and what my dog needed.  The process of training my dog also increased my understanding and awareness of these differences.  When a dog growls at someone or something you aren’t supposed to pet the dog because they understand the affection as a reward and will continue to growl, but if a person is upset it makes sense to communicate with pats and calming words.  Gemini, this week, you may be acknowledging the space between action and emotion.  You are aware that what works for one person may not work for another.  And this attitude will actually work for you.    
(Shaman of Cups/ It Ain’t Me, Babe- June Carter feat. Johnny Cash)

CANCER
I can’t remember where I saw it, who said it, or even exactly the way it was worded, but someone, somewhere said something to the effect of “it is not time that heals all wounds but what you do in that time that heals.”  But I would argue that it is also, and maybe even more importantly, what you DON’T do in that time that heals.  As I write this, I have had too much caffeine and I am having to fight the urge to run frivolous errands.  Instead, I am trying to redirect my attention and excess energy to your tarotscope, which is what I set aside today to do.  When something is uncomfortable or hurts, it seems natural to want to avoid the situation by drowning it out with distractions or to try to make sense of it by picking it apart or running over and over a sequence of events in your mind.  But, often times, this just aggravates the problem.  Cancer, things are happening, a wound is healing, or maybe you’ve sent out a message and now you are waiting a reply or both.  In any case, this part of your adventure is a mystery and perhaps the best thing you could do is nothing.    
(XVIII Moon R/ I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter- Fats Waller)

LEO
I have never really gotten excited about video games, but I can understand why other people enjoy them.  When I was a kid we got a computer and we had one game on it, “King’s Quest.”  The back story was kind of boring, as I remember it, you were a king and you had to save a princess from an ogre or something like that.  But what I did like about it was having the computer tell me that I’d entered the castle and I had to slay a fire-breathing dragon to get to the tower, or I had stepped into the enchanted forest and I had to find a magic wand.  This was fun for awhile, but the pixelated visuals couldn’t hold my attention for very long when behind my house was an actual enchanted forest that didn’t necessarily produce magic wands, but did harbor a few marijuana plants that I assume escaped from a crop some hippies had planted in the seventies.  Leo, whether you are navigating the virtual, the emotional, or the physical world, you are probably beginning to notice the ways that you make magic through your actions.   You are feeling your power to slay the dragons in the castle or find the wands in the woods.
(2 of Wands/ Hiding Your Present From You- Arthur Russell)

VIRGO
When I was younger I had a bad habit of asking lots of questions of the people around me about the movie we were watching.  “What are they going to do?”  “Who killed him?”  “Why did he kill him?”  The problem was I was usually watching these movies with people who hadn’t seen the movie before either.  “I don’t know,”  was a common hurried response.  After further questioning someone might say, “I don’t know, I’ve never seen this before.” Or, “I know just as much as you do.”  Virgo, you may be anxious to know what is going to happen next.  Now, it seems, there are no answers, but there soon will be if you give things a chance to unfold.  And according to the card I’ve pulled for you, I’m confident the conclusion will be satisfying.  
(7 of Discs/ The Waiting- Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers)

LIBRA
When I was a kid I really wanted to win a blue ribbon for something.  I wasn’t competitive,  I really just wanted something to hang up in my room as a symbol of accomplishment.  I was actually accomplishing things daily that I felt were ribbon worthy, but the ribbon givers never seemed to take note.  I felt very satisfied with my ability to render things in the real world from my imagination.  I was drawing, writing and sculpting and felt that if someone could see what was in my imagination they would award me a blue ribbon for how accurately I could capture my dreams.  One day, in art class our teacher asked us to paint dragons and said that the local bank would be judging the paintings and the winning dragons would be awarded blue ribbons and put on display at the bank.  I knew the kind of dragon the bank would be looking for and I also knew the kind of dragon I wanted to draw; they were very different.  But motivated by the reward I painted a very boring, stereotypical dragon.  It won and I got a ribbon, but I felt embarrassed and disappointed because I had not painted the dragons of my imagination.  They were still flying around in my head with no place to land.  This week, Libra, you may be looking to land your dreams.  Don’t compromise your dream for the reward.  
(Ace of Discs/ Sweet Nothing- Wanda Jackson)

SCORPIO
A long time ago, when my brother lived in San Francisco and I lived in Oakland, I was visiting him and we went to a coffee shop down the street from where he lived.  I gave him a $20 to pay for our drinks.  When he came back he only had a five dollar bill.  “Our coffees were fifteen dollars?!” I exclaimed.  “Um…no…I was trying to leave a tip and I got your ten mixed up with my one.  Sorry about that,” he said sheepishly.  “Can’t you get it back?”  I exclaimed.  “No way. I can’t take it back out of the jar!  That’s so tacky!”  He said matching my exasperated tone.  “Can’t you just explain it to them?” I pressed.  “No dude, what’s done is done.”  You may be feeling, Scorpio, that you have paid fifteen dollars for two mediocre cups of coffee.  Try not to spend more in energy by thinking about this expense.  “What’s done is done.”  Instead of dwelling on losses, put that energy into stimulating growth and creating a greater sense of abundance.
(Priestess of Discs L/ It’s Alright With Me- Oscar Peterson Trio)

SAGITTARIUS
My mother hates cold water, which for most of my childhood, meant she didn’t go in the any water at all since most water isn’t 98.6 degrees (37 degrees celsius, the average temperature of the human body).  Sometimes she would put her feet in, but she would always say, “I just hate the shock of getting in.”   After we left Iowa for Brazil however, my mother started swimming again.  Not a lot, but certainly more than before.  Since Brazil, I have seen her swim in Indonesia, India and Singapore.  All of these countries get very hot, but I think more than the actual weather, the shift had to do with her decision to leave Iowa.  Cold water probably feels a lot colder when you aren’t happy with other areas of your life.  Sag, once you resolve to make a change that seems difficult at first, know that all the other transitions that go along with that one change become much easier and jumping into cold water probably won’t seem like such a big deal.  
(VII Chariot Rev./ The Fairest of The Seasons- Nico)

CAPRICORN
I’d been in a negative spiral for several weeks.  On one of many walks to help clear my head, I noticed that all the trees and shrubs were budding, blooming or even beginning to bare fruit.  Earlier that day, my friend Dylan had given me a pep talk in which she said, “we need to use our energy for something besides self judgement”.  As I was observing the plant life, I was thinking about what she said.  It suddenly struck me how smart the trees are; they put all of their energy into budding, blooming and baring fruit.  They don’t waste energy beating themselves up about things they can’t control or change, like the weather, or about how they didn’t produce as much fruit last season.  They just keep taking in the sun and water and dirt so they can make flowers, fruit and new leaves now.  Take it from the trees, Capricorn, if you are feeling bad about your current situation don’t rub your face in the dirt, use it to grow something you really care about.    
(3 of Discs Rev./ Hold On- Wilson Phillips)

AQUARIUS
Recently, the musician Grimes bravely took a stand against the sexism she’d encountered in the music industry and in the world.  In a tumblr post, she stated, clearly and firmly, all of the things she was tired of dealing with and encountering as woman musician.  She concluded by saying, “I’m tired of people assuming that just because something happens regularly it’s ok…I have the best job in the world but I’m done with being passive about any kind of status quo that allows anyone to suffer or to be disrespected.”  You may be calling on your reserves for strength this week, Aquarius.  Perhaps, like Grimes, the last thing you want to do after working so hard on your music, or your art, or your job, or your life is to have to address the attitudes and behaviors of people who impede that process.  But according to the card I’ve pulled for you, you will have no trouble accessing the energy you need to push your message through.   
(XI Strength/ Oblivion- Grimes)

PISCES
Lately I’ve been bingeing on stand up videos by the comedian Maria Bamford.  In one routine she asks the audience, “Have you ever had somebody at work that hates you and you can’t figure out why?”  Maria says that she used to work with a woman named Vinette.  Upon meeting, Maria asks Vinette where she’s from and she tells her she’s from Glendale, California.  Maria says, “Oh that’s supposed to be really nice.”  Vinette replies in a voice dripping with attitude, “yeah, it is.”  Maria says, “Are we fighting now?”  Vinette started ignoring Maria.  Maria kept talking to her anyway, even though, as she said talking to Vinette was like “shouting into the wind of an angry desert that shows no mercy even to the benevolent armadillo.”  Pisces, you may feel that your kindness and vulnerability is under appreciated or maybe it is even being squashed by the insensitivity of others.  Instead of retreating, push into the wind.  Don’t let someone else’s attitude shape your own; be the “benevolent armadillo”.      
(Daughter of Cups R/ Don’t Mutilate My Mink- Cristina)

Hello Friends of Cards and Stars,

What a week.  I don’t actually want to say to much about all that has happened just now, but I will direct your attention to the following two articles which I found to be very helpful: http://mothersky.com/2013/04/martial-law/ and http://turningwheelastrology.com/currentarticle.html
. 

In the second article by Rhea Wolf, I really appreciated what she said about magic, “The roots of the word magic go way back to mean simply, ‘to be able, to have power.’  Magic then is simply being able to do something, to make something happen.  We may not know what we are capable of doing.  Our power to change often comes through most strongly when we are in crisis, when we’ve ‘hit bottom’, when we can’t go on.  Something shocking happens and we adapt.  We are compelled by circumstances to mutate, or we try to anyway.”  I love this idea and I think it goes very well with the witches’ creed: “do what you will and harm none”.  Make more magic.

NEWS:

Soon soon!

AGAIN:

Looking for the perfect gift?  Consider giving someone or some one(s) a reading with yours truly.  I offer GIFT CERTIFICATES so please contact me for details and/or if you want to gift a reading to yourself. My rates are sliding scale $65-100/hr.  I also offer shorter readings for smaller prices. 

I am also available and EXCITED to participate in EVENTS!  I recently participated in the LA ART BOOK FAIR, I also gave readings at FOR YOUR ART and a HALLOWEEN PARTY hosted by BOOBY TRAP.  Tarot readings could be the perfect supplement to your party, event, wedding, etc.  Feel free to contact me for inquiries or information. 

For comments and questions, to be added to the email list, or if you want to send links to music you would like to see in TAROTSCOPES please email me.

THANKS TO ALL ALWAYS AND ALL WAYS FOR READING AND SPREADING TAROTSCOPES!!

Mars, too many cars, tangled in the stars, earth day, new and old way, turning gray, things to say, bend and sway, when to stay, when to go, practice saying no, reap what you sew, no grass to mow, a boat to row, love and hearts,

MW

XX JUDGEMENT

In light of the events occupying the news lately this card does seem fitting. The XX Judgement card raises a couple of themes.  First, and most obviously, is the idea of judgment itself, making a judgment about someone or something.  I strive to not make judgements about other people.  A few years ago I told a friend this and I said, “because when you judge someone, you are actually limiting your own freedom and I want to be free.”  The other piece of XX Judgement is forgiveness, being able to forgive yourself and others for mistakes.  It is very difficult to be nonjudgmental without practicing forgiveness as well.  Whenever I think of forgiveness I think of the documentary called, “Forgiving Dr. Mengele”.  It is one of the more extreme examples of forgiveness.  Dr. Mengele was a German SS officer and physician at Auschwitz.  He conducted horrific experiments on adults and children and specifically twins held at the concentration camp.  In the documentary, which takes place several decades after World War II, one survivor of the camp and of Dr. Mengele’s experiments decides to forgive him.  Other survivors are outraged by this, but she says, forgiving him wasn’t as much for his benefit as her own.  She said she’d been carrying around so much anger and resentment that she felt like it was consuming her.  I think about her story a lot, even when I’m trying to forgive myself.  When I asked my dad about the themes of this card he said, “I had a little bout of judgment this weekend and I think that, as you note, judgment traps us and forgiveness sets us free.”
(Sinnerman- Nina Simone)

XX Judgment from Marty_windahl on 8tracks Radio.

ARIES
Recently, after an art opening, my friends and I were standing in the parking lot organizing ourselves to go to dinner.  A woman who, besides being very drunk, may also have been slightly mentally unstable, approached us.  She said a slew of things I didn’t totally understand, but at some point she said, “Like integrity, which most people can’t afford!”  Later, at the Ethiopian restaurant we had settled on, I went to the bathroom and across from the toilet were two posters, the bottom one said something I immediately forgot, but the word “integrity” stuck out.  Returning to the table I told everyone we must be on the right track because integrity was following us wherever we went that night.  Aries, you may be picking up on subtle signs that you are on the right track.  Take notice of which words may be following you wherever you go.   
(VIII Justice/ Oogum Boogum- Brenton Wood)

TAURUS
After being sick for three weeks, part of me felt nervous to enter back into social situations, mostly because I was afraid of getting sick again.  It seems slightly illogical, but I found myself associating evening social engagements with pain, exhaustion and post nasal drip.  Even so, I threw myself back into it and went to two different art openings and dinner with a group of friends.  I think I told close to ten people that it was my first real night on the town since being sick.  Somehow, the more times I repeated this information the more I felt okay about being out.  It was kind of a disclaimer to let people know that I’d been inside my house and inside my head with a weather system of foggy hearing and clouded judgment, so if I said anything off-kilter they would know why.  I was padding the landing of my social experience and it worked.  And it might work for you as well, Taurus.  You may be feeling vulnerable in social situations or in large groups this week.  Consider being honest about the way you are feeling, rather than hiding at home.  It could be a good segue into other conversations and the strange things you say could be even better given the context. 
(3 of Cups Rev./ Friends of Friends- Hospitality)

GEMINI
I have a glass vase that looks like a crystal ball with a spout or, if you are a person of science, a florence flask.  It is lovely, especially with a flower or twig in it.  The problem is that it is very difficult to clean out.  Recently I was using it to sprout a branch.  When I pulled the branch out, it left behind some crumbs, one of which stuck to the side of the glass and bothered me for several days with it’s presence.  I tried chopsticks and paintbrushes but nothing could get at quite the right angle to remove the particle.  I made a plan to invest in one of those bendy bottle brushes.  Then, on a walk I realized that bottle brushes grow on trees and they were in bloom all over my neighborhood.  Gemini, you may encounter some difficulty this week in the realm of tangible problems.  Try to imagine the perfect tool for accomplishing this task or tasks and then step outside.  It is possible the solution is hanging from the trees.
(Priestess of Discs Rev/ Brand New Key- Melanie)

CANCER
At the architectural salvage place where I sometimes work we have a landline with caller ID.  I’d been wandering the warehouse alone, taking stock of the inventory and mentally spiraling into a negative, somewhat self critical place when the phone rang.  I ran to pick it up.  The caller ID said, “Positive Energy.”  I eagerly answered the phone with the vague hope that positive energy would be waiting for me on the other end.  Sadly, it was a telemarketer, but it did distract me long enough to derail my runaway train of thought.  You may be seeking out a more positive perspective this week.  Most likely the answer is somewhere inside you, but external factors can be helpful distractions or reflections of where to find the objectivity you are seeking. 
(10 of Cups R/ Silver Springs- Fleetwood Mac)

LEO
One of my favorite things are reservations.  Not the kind that prevent you from doing things, but the kind that make room for you in time and space, like at a restaurant.  It is actually surprising how many restaurants (even if they aren’t all that fancy) will take reservations.  A while back, when I was going through a hard time my friend Zackary suggested we go out for dinner to a Polish restaurant in a part of town I don’t get to all that often.  Zackary had made us reservations even though we didn’t need them.  When we got there it felt really special to have the waiter say, “Oh yes, for two.  Here is your table.”  Leo, now would be a good time to make reservations everywhere you go, just for the fun of it.  You may now be feeling your specialness and understanding that you too deserve a place in time and space. 
(III Empress/ You’ll Lose A Good Thing- Barbara Lynn)

VIRGO
I feel very fortunate to have grown up across the river from my cousins.  At least once or twice a month our families would get together for dinner and often times we’d go to a local restaurant.  At the restaurant my brother, my two cousins and I all got to have our own table and as soon as we sat down my aunt would lean over to our table and say, “Remember guys, restaurant behavior!”  This was not a hollow warning, we pretty much embarrassed the adults every time we got together.  At least one of us would pee their pants or spray soda out their nose from laughing.  These raucous dinners are still some of my fondest childhood memories, though I doubt they are remembered so favorably by our parents.  You may be feeling like your own stern parent this week, Virgo.  But this would actually be a good time to pee your pants or spray soda out your nose from laughter.  Forget your “restaurant behavior”.   
(Daughter of Wands Rev./ Who Are Parents?- The Shaggs)

LIBRA
The author Patricia Highsmith (most famous for her books “The Talented Mr. Ripley”, “The Price of Salt” as well as “Strangers on a Train” which was turned into a movie by Alfred Hitchcock) was born in Fort Worth, Texas.   In her biography called, “Beautiful Shadow: A Life of Patricia Highsmith” the author Andrew Wilson says, “She would leave Texas for New York at the age of six…but the spirit of the Lone Star state…ran deep in her veins.  Later in life, when asked by a journalist whether she was aware of any typically Texan characteristics in her personality, the writer replied, ‘Maybe a kind of independence.’”  Libra, you may now be looking back over your own life in a similar fashion.  Perhaps you are now coming home to yourself and the connection between where you began and where you are now.  It could be seen as the “spirit that runs deep in your veins”.    
(XXI World/ In My Life- Judy Collins)

SCORPIO 
Lately, there has been a new infestation in my apartment (I suppose it is a little dramatic to call it an infestation, it is more of an over population) of gnats.  The problem was brought to my attention on two separate occasions.  The first was when my friend was staying over and she said, “you have a lot of spiders in your apartment.”  “Yes,” I said proudly.  “They are helping me with my gnat problem.”  “Ok, but just so you know, I found too spiders in your bed.”  This information inspired me to capture and release many of the spiders in my apartment, but it didn’t address the gnat situation.  Then one morning, I was looking at the books on my book shelf at the end of my bed and I noticed a strange scene extending from a book my grandfather sent me called, “Lucid Living”.  A spider web was growing from the spine of the book and the web was dotted with gnats.  It looked like stars in a galaxy and it seemed rather poignant coming from the book.  “Wake up!” was the message. “You’ve got a gnat infestation.”  Scorpio,  is there something you’ve been neglecting or ignoring?  Now would be a good time to expand your vision to include both the obvious and the hidden information.
(4 of Swords R/ Hoverin’- The Amps)

SAGITTARIUS
A few days ago, I was meeting someone at Canter’s Deli in Los Angeles.  I arrived first, so I got a good booth and scanned the menu.  When I lifted my gaze again, a small, round woman with a halo of grey hair piled in a bun and big thick glasses was directly in front of me.  She seemed to have materialized out of nowhere.  We locked eyes and she said, “I gave them a word.”  Thinking she meant that she had alerted the waiter to my presence I said, “Oh, thank you.”  But as she passed me I saw a group of men sitting at a booth on the far side of the room.  One of them was shouting after her saying, “Shove it up your ass!”  Suddenly, I realized that she had told them off and I had thanked her for it.  Sag, is there something you’d like to say to someone?  Do you need to alert someone to your presence?  It is best not to assume someone else will say it for you, or that they will know what you want to say without you saying it.  Give a word, but in your own words. 
(3 of Wands L/ Forrest Gump- Frank Ocean)

CAPRICORN
In an interview my friend Eden and I did with our friend Nance Klehm for our documentary about her, she tells us and the camera about a composting project she started in Philadelphia, PA.  Nance says, “This is a model that’s been done other places but what I think is important is the emphasis on the metabolic, the energy of the person building the compost and the energy of the microbes working on that compost.”  One part of the idea was for the composting materials to be gathered by bicycle from local businesses.  Nance told us that using a bicycle was part of this metabolic composting process, using physical human energy to collect the compost instead of relying on cars and gas.  Capricorn, you probably understand this metabolic idea better than most.  As a diligent sea-goat you know the importance of process and this week the emphasis will be on the impact and weight of your hand in the world.  You may now be feeling more fully the importance of the work you do. 
(8 of Discs/ Jambalaya- Brenda Lee)

AQUARIUS
The other day it was slow at work and I was bored, but I had a computer and the internet to occupy myself.  After I’d been surfing the web for a while, I suddenly came to and realized that I had about ten windows opened at the same time.  There was an article on bacteria, one on the Boston bombings, one window was playing a music mix, there was chapter one of Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein”, an interactive version of my birth chart,  and I had just clicked on a clip of the subtitled movie “Mishima”, when I realized that I was doing too many things at once.  It was like I was trying to drown my boredom by overwhelming my senses.  Aquarius, this week you may be on the verge of overwhelming yourself.  Consider closing some of those unnecessary windows.  It’s too hard to listen to music and watch a movie at the same time anyway. 
(9 of Wands R/ I Wish It Would Rain- The Temptations)

PISCES
When I was a kid my favorite books were biographies.  Most of the orders I placed in the scholastic book catalogue were biographies and autobiographies of historical figures.  I read about Helen Keller, Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, and Dorthea Dix.  I read a book called “Spies! Women in the Civil War” and another called,  “We Shall Not Be Moved:  The Women’s Factory Stike of 1909”.  You may already see the common thread.  All of these stories were essentially the same: there was a woman (or women) there was a struggle (or several) and they never gave up.  All of these books stacked on top of each other affected me profoundly.  And, by the time I was put to the test in junior high, I had decided that I was a woman and when I encountered a struggle, even if it was just cleaning the bathroom, I must never give up…unless I had a good enough reason (I’ve definitely used that loop hole a little too liberally).  Pisces, you may have been met with some difficulty and are now tempted to bow out in defeat.  Don’t do it!  Instead, be inspired by the true stories of Dorthea Dix, Harriet Tubman, Helen Keller and Sojourner Truth.  Then you can say to yourself “I am a Pisces and where there is a struggle, I never give up.”
(5 of Swords/ Try Again- Aaliyah)

Hello again! 

Another turn of the wheel and we are heading into Taurus season.  Happy Birthday Bulls!  We have also just entered another retrograde…Pluto!  Pluto is the planet of upheaval and transformation, when it goes retrograde the focus is on self reflection.    In college I took a modern dance class.  I hadn’t taken a dance class since I was a kid and I forgot that for a large portion of class you are asked to look at yourself obsessively in a huge mirror.  The hardest thing about spending so much time in the mirror is not being mean to yourself.  Now is a good time to address all those voices that are not helpful and to establish solid relationships with the healthier ones. 

NEWS:

I will be at the Pleasure Chest in Los Angeles on Monday night, April 22 doing readings to benefit “Dyke Day in the Park”, a Pride celebration that happens in Barnsdall Art Park in June.  Hope to see you there!

AGAIN:

Looking for the perfect gift?  Consider giving someone or some one(s) a reading with yours truly.  I offer GIFT CERTIFICATES so please contact me for details and/or if you want to gift a reading to yourself. My rates are sliding scale $65-100/hr.  I also offer shorter readings for smaller prices. 

I am also available and EXCITED to participate in EVENTS!  I recently participated in the LA ART BOOK FAIR, I also gave readings at FOR YOUR ART and a HALLOWEEN PARTY hosted by BOOBY TRAP.  Tarot readings could be the perfect supplement to your party, event, wedding, etc.  Feel free to contact me for inquiries or information. 

For comments and questions, to be added to the email list, or if you want to send links to music you would like to see in TAROTSCOPES please email me.

THANKS TO ALL ALWAYS AND ALL WAYS FOR READING AND SPREADING TAROTSCOPES!!

Hearts, making changes, free ranges, sun in taurus, join a chorus, most things are porous, pluto retrograde, handmade, its cool in the shade, love, fun and more sun,

MW

ACE OF PENTACLES
In astrology, the second house, associated with Taurus, concerns the material world.  What is materializing in your world right now?  What ideas are now hitting hammer to nail?  It has been very cool and gray in Los Angeles lately.  “It is supposed to be warm and sunny by Taurus,”  I told my friend.  She laughed, “Oh, is the end of the week Taurus?”  It is and based on the card I’ve pulled for us all, we can look forward to warm sun shining on the new growth of things we’ve been mentally incubating this winter.  This also requires a certain amount of trust.  If you keep an egg warm, trust it to hatch.  If you water a seed, trust it will sprout.  All you can do is all you can do, the rest is a kind of magic.  
(That’s How Strong My Love Is- Otis Redding)

Ace of Pentacles from Marty_windahl on 8tracks Radio.

ARIES
When I was a kid there was a garden that my parents and I always passed through on our after dinner walks.  It was beautiful and wild, but not so wild that you couldn’t see the handmade labels that were sticking out of the ground next to each plant.  I learned the name of several flowers this way.  My cousin told me that her hairdresser lived there.  I started calling him Mr. Rumphius, after my favorite children’s book “Ms. Rumphius” about a woman who sets out to make the world a better place by planting flowers everywhere.  One day my mom told me that a few people in the neighborhood had made complaints to the city that his garden was too big and was spilling into the alley way, obstructing cars’ view.  She said the city might make him take out large portions of his garden that were too close to the street and sidewalk.  I was so upset by the news that I decided to send him my favorite book.  I addressed it to “Mr. Rumphius from a fellow flower lover”.  Aries, this week you may feel somewhat defeated by your efforts at trying to make your world a better place.  Don’t give up!  Remember that often times the people or obstructions standing in your way are just louder, but not more numerous than the people and things that want you to succeed.
(5 of Swords L/ Love Grows Where My Rosemary Goes- Edison Lighthouse)

TAURUS
Last week at the architectural salvage warehouse where I work, a tall thin man and his tiny grandmother pulled up in the parking lot.  They were there to pick up a gigantic, antique, turn-of-the-century cash register.  The thin man and I managed to get the thing on a dolly and wheel it into the parking lot.  The man’s grandmother jumped out of the car to offer assistance.  She was wearing big bedazzled clip-on earrings that made her seem even smaller.  “Don’t you have a man in there to help with this?”  She asked me.  I shook my head.  “Of course if I was here by myself I would just move it myself,” she continued.  “There’s nothing I can’t do when I put my mind to it.  I just say, ‘God, how am I gonna get through this one?’”  Taurus, you might feel the burden of something heavy weighing on you right now.  While it seems that this difficulty requires much of your own personal stamina, consider looking to someone with experience who could help you lift it, even if it is just the strength of a few words of wisdom.
(IX Crone R/ You Know What I Mean- Cults)

GEMINI
Jane Goodall’s birthday sent me down an internet rabbit hole of research on the zoologists life.  One thing I found that stood out was an autograph she had written to someone named Megan on a photograph of Goodall sitting with a chimpanzee.  She wrote, “For Megan- Together we can make this a better world for all life. Jane Goodall”.  I know that she probably wrote similar notes to other fans, but the message still felt like the strong, supportive and tender words of a good friend.  Whatever Megan does to make this world better for all life, she knows Jane Goodall has her back.  This week, Gemini, whatever you do that requires great strength, you will probably feel you are not alone.  The hand a of a good friend is on your shoulder, whether in body or spirit.  
(2 of Wands/ What You Won’t Do For Love- Jessie Ware)

CANCER
I’m human.  Last week I was swallowed in heavy shadows of negative and self deprecating thoughts.  Things like, “Woe is me!” And, “Everyone else’s life is getting brighter and mine is burning out.”  And, “Grrr.” And, “My body is old, but my mind is naive.”  And, “Everyone’s brain is getting bumpier and mine is turning to escargot.”  Then I got to work on a project for an audio magazine my friend is compiling.  Suddenly I felt like one of those Sky Dancers that wave at you outside of car dealerships.  It was like someone had just turned on the fan and my arms were inflating and waving and my hair was blowing again.  What I realized was that I was blaming everything else for the fact that I was not inflating certain parts of myself.  Cancer, take a step back from your negative thoughts.  Observe them like pick up sticks, where do they lie?  Perhaps then you can see that it is really other areas of your life that need air instead of dwelling on where you think the holes are.    
(3 of Swords L/ I’m Real- Jennifer Lopez and Ja Rule)

LEO
Whenever I see someone put a scarf over a lamp in life or in a movie, I find myself anxiously watching it for signs of smoke.  A long time ago someone, maybe my dad, told me it was a fire hazard to put fabric over a lamp and I’ve never been able to forget it.  It is true that if left unattended, cloth near a hot lightbulb can potentially start a fire.  But, it also casts a warm glow, especially if you are using a florescent bulb.  You may be feeling, Leo, that your energies are capped under a blanket.  This is fine for a little while and it may be worth the risk for the ambient light it creates, but don’t leave the situation unattended.  When you feel more confident, remove any layers blocking your shine.  
(6 of Wands Rev/ Sittin’ Up in My Room- Brandy)

VIRGO
I’m in the process of recovering from a roller coaster ride of illness the last few weeks.  “Maybe it is emotional?” My friend suggested.  “Well, yes I’m completely bummed out about being sick for three weeks, but that is really chicken and egg.  I mean it is hard to determine which came first,” I said.  There are all these areas of your life that need attention and when you are sick it kind of funnels all that attention into just getting well again.  Part of the healing is redistributing the energy evenly.  It is easy to get bummed out when other areas of your life feel neglected.  It is kind of like making muffins, the way you have a bowl of batter and a tray of cups to fill.  Virgo, several areas of your life may be taking more of your energy than others.  You may want to try balancing this energy by redistributing some of it to other empty pockets of your life.
(10 Wands/ I.O.U.- Fol Chen)

LIBRA
It is easy for me to hermit, spending large amounts of time alone in my house without seeing more than a few people.  When you spend time alone you are much more in control of what is happening around you.  You are deciding what to do and when to do it.  When you socialize with people there is much more possibility for surprise.  What new story will someone tell you?  What will you see when you are out and about?  What will others see differently from you?  What will you see differently from them?  For me it is important to have balance between the time I spend with others and the time I spend alone, the time I spend in my house and the time I spend out in the world.  At home I can ground, integrate and synthesize the experiences I’ve had out in the world.  Out in the world I open myself to new experiences and fresh perspectives.  Libra, you are doing what you are famous for: balancing and integrating opposites, seeing and visiting both sides of a story.  Perhaps one side or the other may require more emphasis depending on your inclination.
(XIV Temperance/ Let’s Go Home- Best Coast)

SCORPIO
A good friend of mine is moving to Los Angeles soon.  Recently, I was talking to her and she said, “I’m going to have to get one of those shower curtains with a map of Los Angles on it.  My friend has one with San Francisco on it and I always learn new things about the city when I’m in her bathroom.”  Afterwards I was taking a shower behind my shower curtain and thinking about how maybe I should trade it for a map of Los Angeles.  Then I realized that my curtain already is a sort of map.  It looks like graph paper; it is a grid that I can mentally map anywhere on to.  It is the kind of map someone intuitive, like me would use.  Scorpio, spend sometime without maps of any kind.  Think about how you locate thoughts and feelings without a map or a shower curtain.  
(II High Priestess Rev/ San Francisco- Foxygen)

SAGITTARIUS
“She has no gut!” My uncle said.  My face wrinkled in confusion, “Wha..”  “I mean she has no gut!  You ask her what her gut tells her and she doesn’t know!”  My aunt said.  “Oh,”  I said.  “You mean like she doesn’t seem to have any intuition.”  “Right.  She has no gut.”  I find myself smiling about this conversation even now.  There is something very comforting and grounding about the way my Midwestern family describes what in California is often talked about much more ethereally.  Intuition is something often felt in the body.  If you are afraid or excited your heart could beat faster or your palms sweat.  If a choice or a decision doesn’t feel right you may feel it as nausea in your stomach, in your gut.  Sagittarius, you might find yourself at a fork in the road or even looking down several spokes on a wheel this week.  Don’t make any decisions until you’ve felt them in your body.  Where do you feel each possibility in your body and what does it feel like?  Trust your gut.  
(Daughter of Discs/ Jump in the Line- Harry Belafonte)

CAPRICORN
I have a great appreciation for collage.  I make them and I like looking at the ones that other people make as well.  I find myself making collages in life all the time.  I might observe something in someone, a strength, an independence, an attitude and I kind of cut it out in my mind.  I also like to cut out moments, interactions between people and compile those as well.  When I need to muster a certain amount of strength or confidence I might recall all the people or moments or movies that have inspired me with this quality.  When I look back over my life I can see the ways that this process has changed me.  As a kid I was shy and quiet.  As a teenager I became much more assertive, drawing on inspiration from feminist writers and musicians.  Capricorn, think about all the ideas and moments you’ve collected that have changed you.  You may find yourself undergoing a process of synthesizing and integrating these aspects into a new picture of who and how you want to be in the world.    
(XVII Star/ Fall For You- Young Galaxy)

AQUARIUS
A few weeks ago at the thrift store I found a handmade, grey, ceramic bowling ball.  At first I wasn’t sure it was a bowling ball because it was more slouchy, like a mushroom cap.  Then I noticed it had three holes and some words were etched into it.  I had to turn it around to read all of what was written, “To a momory not forgotten.”  I wasn’t sure if the artist had intentionally changed memory to momory or if it was an accident.  It was sad to see it resting there at a giant thrift store among broken candle sticks and dirty stuffed animals.  It was being sold for $5.99 which seemed like too much for a non-functional object and too little for a “momory not forgotten”.  The situation you may find yourself in this week is a bit like this bowling ball, Aquarius.  There are endless possibilities and stories you could attach to it, but in the end it is a mystery and in your situation it is probably best to wait and see what unfolds, rather than go hunting for the true story.  
(XVIII Moon L/ Mystery Train- Elvis Presley)

PISCES
The other night at the movies I found myself shutting my eyes and covering my ears.  This actually proved unnecessary because the acts of violence I feared seeing were never carried out to completion.  Going into the movie I was slightly skeptical.  From the billboard I determined that it would be the kind of action movie that achieved all its depth through gore and violence.  But I decided to keep an open mind and I liked the other movie the director had made.  The story and characters were complex and layered.  The movie was about so much more than the few intense moments featuring guns and gore.  It is easy to decide a movie is going to be a certain way, especially because the advertising often sensationalizes certain aspects of it to draw a crowd.  Pisces, even if you start the week from a certain perspective, open yourself to the possibility of change.  New ideas are likely to filter in, be open enough to catch and examine them.   
(4 of Swords Rev/ Open- Rhye)

Welcome Zodiac Navigators!

Another week in April and a very special new moon is upon us!  This one is special because it is the first new moon inside of spring and also in the sign of Aries which is the first sign on the astrological wheel.  For more information I direct your attention again to one of my favorite astrology blogs Virgo Magic (http://virgomagic.com).  Make your wishes for the year but make them after 8:22 pm PST (before that the moon will be void of course, leaving your wishes void of the moon’s magic).  Dream big!  Possibility yes! Impossibility no!

NEWS:

Things are stewing, but nothing ready for harvest, so I won’t say anything just yet!

AGAIN:

Looking for the perfect gift?  Consider giving someone or some one(s) a reading with yours truly.  I offer GIFT CERTIFICATES so please contact me for details and/or if you want to gift a reading to yourself. My rates are sliding scale $65-100/hr.  I also offer shorter readings for smaller prices. 

I am also available and EXCITED to participate in EVENTS!  I recently participated in the LA ART BOOK FAIR, I also gave readings at FOR YOUR ART and a HALLOWEEN PARTY hosted by BOOBY TRAP.  Tarot readings could be the perfect supplement to your party, event, wedding, etc.  Feel free to contact me for inquiries or information. 

For comments and questions, to be added to the email list, or if you want to send links to music you would like to see in TAROTSCOPES please email me.

THANKS TO ALL ALWAYS AND ALL WAYS FOR READING AND SPREADING TAROTSCOPES!!

Hearts, moons, silver spoons, wild loons, make wishes, swim with the fishes, try new dishes, love and kisses,

MW

V THE HIEROPHANT
The card I’ve pulled for all of us on the astral plane this week, is the Hierophant.  The Hierophant is many things.  It is about education.  It is about tradition. It is about conforming or following the rules and it is also about breaking them.  One of my jobs as a kid was to set the table for dinner.  “Forks on the left!” My mom would always remind me.  Finally I said, “I know they usually go on the left, but when I set the table they go on the right.”  I even invented a story in my head about the silverware to justify why the forks wanted to go on the right.  This week, think about the things you do and ask yourself why you do them.  Do those things only feel right because they follow a tradition?  Or, do you do them because they feel right and have meaning to you?
(Amazing Grace- Clara Ward)

V The Hierophant from Marty_windahl on 8tracks Radio.

ARIES
This week it was beautiful and windy in Los Angeles and I decided to get my Tarotscopes work done in the park.  I had brought everything I needed to camp out for awhile.  During my stay, I was struck by just how much can happen when you aren’t moving at all.  First, the gusts were blowing all sorts of debris across the grass.  Then a woman plopped down to do some stretching near by and was talking loudly on the phone saying, “you don’t get to have good things if you don’t do good things, that is the bottom line.”  Feeling that someone was watching me, I looked up to find a duck was standing to the right of my elbow looking me dead in the eye.  I offered it some bean sprouts from my take out and it jumped and bit my finger trying to grab the gift.  I let out an involuntary yelp of surprise.  There was a lot of something happening in my nothing.  Aries, don’t be afraid to hold absolutely still.  Astrologically speaking, the world is spinning rather fast right now and it may be an excellent time to pause and reflect.  While it could be true that doing bad things won’t bring good things, doing nothing may be just what is needed to figure out what the good thing is you want to do.  
(2 of Swords/ A Sunday Kind of Love- Etta James)

TAURUS
During the crazy windstorm that hit very recently in Los Angeles, dead palm fronds could be found everywhere, even banging on my door.  We get these gusts every so often in L.A. and seeing the debris used to make feel kind of sad, like the trees had lost something.  I was working on Tarotscopes when I heard someone banging on my back door.  I opened the door to a crispy golden frond laying dramatically across the steps.  It was then I realized that what the trees were losing was just dead weight and the powerful winds were just what they needed to detach from the old and make way for new.  The only ones really bothered by falling limbs are we humans.  This week, Taurus, you may need one final gust of wind to help you detach from what is no longer useful to you.  Others around you may be temporarily inconvenienced by the changes you make, but ultimately they will understand that it’s spring and it is time. 
(10 of Swords Rev/ I Lost Something in the Hills- Sibylle Baier)

GEMINI
For the longest time I thought the title and the lyrics to the song “Voices Carry” were “This is Scary”.  Finally a few months ago, the song was playing at the grocery store.   My friend said, “Yes!  Voices Carry!  I love this song!”  I was so surprised I stopped in the canned goods aisle and listened for a minute with my mouth open.  All this time I’d been hearing Aimee Mann singing “Hush hush keep it down now this is scary.”  The funny thing is that both of these phrases work for the song and “this is scary”  is actually what the man in the song means when he says, “keep it down now voices carry.”  Gemini, you could be embarking on a similar process.  You may be looking back and realizing that what you were hearing was the meaning of the song.   Now that you know the actual lyrics you are returning with the awareness that you’ve intuitively understood the meaning all along.  You are coming back to yourself with new knowledge and realizing that maybe you were already home. 
(XXI World/ Voices Carry- Til Tuesday)

CANCER
Whenever I’m in a situation where I feel “out of my element” I usually start out with the mind set that I am a visitor to a foreign planet (as an astrology nerd I will even try and decide which planet it is that I might be visiting).  I am a sort of sociologist or anthropologist observing differences and making mental note of them.  But if I spend a long time on this planet, I sometimes start to feel that there is something wrong with me.  I begin to question what I do, the way I say things, even the things I care about.  Given a little more time, I can remind myself of my original perspective.  This week, Cancer, you may have made it through a process where you were first seeing everyone else through your own eyes, then you saw yourself through everyone else’s eyes and now you are returning to your own lenses.  It can be exhilarating to take this trip especially when you finally come into your own skin again. 
(Ace of Wands/ Brass in Pocket- The Pretenders)

LEO
For a long time I didn’t live in any one place.  I had an address, I just didn’t stay there very often.  Now I’ve finally settled in to a new spot and it feels like home.  Recently I was away for a week and when I returned everything about my space felt luxurious.  I took a hot bath and filled it with herbs I’d collected from the neighborhood and some rose water from the Armenian market.  I propped myself up in bed using all of my blankets and pillows and put one of my favorite records on the record player and started to re-read the end of one of my favorite books.  I kept hearing Joan Rivers’ voice in my head saying, “How’d you get so rich?”  (The way she does on her show “How’d You Get So Rich?”)  Lions, you love luxury and you may be starting to feel that what you are already surrounded by is a much more enduring form of wealth.  Whether or not these things have any sort of monetary value you may find yourself wondering how you got so rich. 
(III Empress/ This Magic Moment- The Drifters)

VIRGO
As a kid, I remember eagerly climbing to the top of a hill knowing that I would be able to run down the other side.  But, while driving on the freeway recently I observed a large semi on a parallel road going down hill, moving very slowly.  You know the saying, “it’s all down hill from here”?  Generally it means that things will be easier once you’ve done the hard work necessary to reach the peak.  But, as the truck pointed out, going downhill can require careful determination as well.  Virgo, you may soon be headed down the mountain.  Take your time getting to the bottom.  That way you can be assured you will arrive at your destination without losing anything you were hoping to bring with you along the way. 
(7 of Discs/ Go Slow- Haim)

LIBRA
When I was really small my favorite things all began with the letter P.  They were going to the park, going to the pool and eating pizza.  My brother put all these things together and he would use them to taunt me saying, “Parkpoolpizza!” as if it were all one word.  Every year on my birthday I would combine all three and my friends and I would go to the park, go swimming at the public pool in the park and then have pizza.  It was the perfect recipe for a good time and it never failed to deliver.  Libra, you are in your element this week.  Whether all your favorite things begin with the letter P, Q or Z delve into them and share the positivity they alight with those around you.        
(Son of Wands/ Party Lights- Claudine Clark)

SCORPIO
What I like about doing tarot readings is seeing the connectedness of everyone and everything.  When I set up a table somewhere to do readings the faces change, but the bones of their questions are often the same.  I find it very comforting to know that some of the questions that haunt me are the same ghosts that are scaring everyone else.  In one of my favorite movies “Harold and Maude”, Harold asks Maude if she prays.  “Pray? No, I communicate,” Maude replies.  “With God?” Harold asks.  “With life!” Maude says.  Scorpio, you may now be settling in to a soothing equilibrium.  You are communicating with life and feeling your place in it. 
(XIV Temperance/ I Am An Animal- Pete Townshend)

SAGITTARIUS
I have a strong appreciation for anything equipped for a specific purpose, which is why I like cleaning supplies and safety equipment.  Recently, my friend was trying to explain the location of a bar to me and I said, “The one near the janitorial supply store?”  And she said, “Well I was going to say the one next to the movie theater, but yes that’s the one.”  Several times I have passed by admiring the mop buckets with special attachments for ringing out the mop and powerful vacuum cleaners with an array of nozzles for “hard to reach” places.  I find it very comforting that there is at least one area of life where you can be prepared or have an adequate tool for handling a problem.  This week, Sagittarius, you may be coming up with your own tools for dealing with tricky situations.  You are finding creative solutions for the “hard to reach” places in your life, freeing you up to focus on movie theaters instead of janitorial supply stores. 
(5 of Discs Rev/ (You) Got What I Need- Freddie Scott)

CAPRICORN
When you enter a dark movie theater it is often disorienting.  If there isn’t already, there should be a horror film about this experience.  All you can see are silhouettes of heads and seat backs which often look very close to identical.  If you are searching for a particular face in the crowd this process is even more difficult.  You invariably have to make your way to the front of the theater so you can see the faces illuminated by the screen.  What you are entering now, Capricorn, could feel very much like a dimly lit theater.  Take your time finding your seat and the faces of friends.  You may have to walk all the way up the aisle before you can get a good view of where you want to settle in. 
(XVIII Moon/ Waiting Room- Fugazi)

AQUARIUS
In the throws of a recent cold, I was singing along with the radio and noticing how unusual my voice sounded.  When you have a cold your voice sounds different than it normally does to everyone else around you, but the way you hear your own sick voice is something unique. This is usually because your ears or nose are plugged and you are hearing your throaty voice resonating inside your own head.  I became kind of sad realizing that I would never again hear my voice in this way.  It wasn’t even a particularly nice sound, but I was enjoying experimenting with it and seeing which songs fit my cold voice best.  Aquarius, this week you may find yourself birthing a new voice, like when your ears finally clear after sinus infection.  It can be sad to think you will never hear yourself the same way again, but as the sign of the innovator you tend to embrace new ways of being.  
(XIII Death/ Next Lifetime- Erykah Badu)

PISCES
Recently, at the architectural salvage warehouse where I work, a customer came in looking for some objects for the garden she and her husband were working on.  She was probably in her fifties with a short grey perm, khaki pants and a fitted t-shirt.  As we were talking she told me, “My girlfriend lives nearby.  I think she’s going to meet me here and I can get a second opinion.”  I was already imagining who her friend might be, she must be someone similar to herself.  A moment later a young woman in her early twenties with bright red lipstick and a black mini dress entered.  “Hey!” The older woman said.  “Did you go out last night?” “Yeah, but then I got up at 7am.” “Why were you up at 7am?” “I couldn’t sleep.”  “Where are we going for breakfast?”  I was delighted and surprised.  I loved that these two seemingly different women were friends and seemed genuinely interested in each others unique perspective.  Pisces, not only is the card for the week the V Hierophant, it is also your personal card.  This means you fishes will most likely be questioning, more than any other sign, what you’ve been told and the things you’ve always taken for granted.  Open yourself to the possibility of pleasant surprise. 
(V Hierophant L/ I Want To Break Free- Queen)

Friends of the Zodiac!

Welcome back!  We made it through the astrological tumult of March to April.  This first week encompasses April Fool’s, a holiday I am terribly vulnerable to because of my firm belief that anything is possible.  People have been able to pass the most preposterous tales off on me.  But what leaves me vulnerable on April Fool’s also allows me to receive all sorts of information and ideas I might have been blinded to if I believed those ideas to be impossible.  For me it is worth the risk.

NEWS:

I’m going to Palm Springs with OTHERWILD and Booby Trap!  I will be giving readings at the Ace Hotel on Friday April 5th, Saturday April 6th and Sunday April 7th.  Hope to see you there!

Again:

Looking for the perfect gift?  Consider giving someone or some one(s) a reading with yours truly.  I offer GIFT CERTIFICATES so please contact me for details and/or if you want to gift a reading to yourself. My rates are sliding scale $65-100/hr.  I also offer shorter readings for smaller prices. 

I am also available and EXCITED to participate in EVENTS!  I recently participated in the LA ART BOOK FAIR, I also gave readings at FOR YOUR ART and a HALLOWEEN PARTY hosted by BOOBY TRAP.  Tarot readings could be the perfect supplement to your party, event, wedding, etc.  Feel free to contact me for inquiries or information. 

For comments and questions, to be added to the email list, or if you want to send links to music you would like to see in TAROTSCOPES please email me.

THANKS TO ALL ALWAYS AND ALL WAYS FOR READING AND SPREADING TAROTSCOPES!!

Hearts, stars, local bars, april showers, magical powers, pass many hours, april fools, swimming pools, new tools, dog drools, break rules, love,

MW

6 OF WANDS
One thing I’ve resisted on and off through out my life thus far, is the knowledge that I am a sensitive person.  Growing up, I equated sensitivity with weakness.  I thought strength came from not crying and not caring.  I was a shy kid, mostly as a protection because I was so easily affected by my surroundings.  I was always absorbing and picking up subtle information from the people and places around me.  Now when I say that, I feel like I’m bragging, but for most of my life it has been a struggle to integrate these receptors and to learn how to take care of them.  I still slip up occasionally and forget to see the strength in my sensitivity, but Tarotscopes and the tarot readings I do depend on my sensitivities so I no longer have the desire to battle these aspects of myself.  The card I’ve pulled for all of us on the astral plane is the 6 of Wands which asks us to nurture our nature, not resist it.  
(Dancing With Myself- Nouvelle Vague)

6 of Wands from Marty_windahl on 8tracks Radio.

ARIES
Because I’ve pretty much mapped out the fastest routes to anywhere in Los Angeles (slight hyperbole), I often don’t think too much about how I’m going to get from one location to another.  But there are other reasons to take a particular route besides speed, which is something I forget to take into account until I find myself bored or antsy.  The other day my friend was using me as a human GPS and I forgot to tell her where to turn.  I ended up having to configure a new route to our destination which led us down a beautiful street hung with leafy limbs and budding fruit trees.  This week, Aries, things may be feeling dull or routine.  Remember that there is more than one way to get where you are going and perhaps what you need is not the fastest route, but the one that is most stimulating.  
(8 of Discs/ Maps- Yeah Yeah Yeahs)

TAURUS
The street where I grew up was originally mapped under the name “Bloody Run”  because there was a slaughter house at the top of the hill (somewhere near my house) and it was said that the blood from the slaughter house would run down the hill.  As a kid I used to watch the rain water running down the hill and into the gutters and try and imagine it was blood, that it was Bloody Run. When I lived there, there were only houses on one side of the road and the other side was all trees.  Behind our house was a steep wooded ravine with a creek running through the valley.  At certain times of the year both sides of the street ran with a river of pink, purple and white flowers.  Even in winter, the woods were wrapped in a hug of quiet snow.  Taurus, whatever difficulties were running through you are now part of the past, and are now covered in new growth and flowers.  Step into the sun and make way for spring.  
(XIX Sun/ California Sun- The Rivieras)

GEMINI
This week while trying to write Tarotscopes, I happened to be in San Francisco and away from home.  I realized, after I arrived, that I probably should have stayed home in order to get work done, but I have an occasionally inconvenient habit of saying yes to most things.  I also try never to dwell too long in regret.  During my stay my shoe broke and I had only brought one pair.  They were still wearable, but awkward to walk in.  The morning I was determined to write I found myself walking the streets of San Francisco in a gray drizzle with one broken boot, the end of a cold and a bad mood.  I passed coffee shop after coffee shop feeling that none of them were quite right.  After circling the same coffee shop three times I finally went inside and got a cup of coffee.  Once I sat down I seemed to settle into myself.  Everything suddenly felt perfect, the coffee, the sun seeping through the clouds, the wet pigeons splashing in the gutter, the muddy sidewalk.  You may be feeling worried or anxious about a decision you’ve made, Gemini.  But even if you think you may have made a wrong turn, trust that you will find what you need.  
(VIII Justice Rev/ You Can’t Always Get What You Want- The Rolling Stones)

CANCER
At a late night coffee shop where I was attempting to write Tarotscopes recently, I was dismayed to find that a band was playing when I walked through the door.  The music was mellow and unobtrusive so I opted to stay.  While I was waiting for my tea I watched them play.  They were certainly an eclectic group.  The lead singer and clarinet player was young and rather short with a cloud of curly hair.  In fact hair seemed to be the only outwardly unifying factor.  The other front person also had wild curls, but she was much older.  And the three members that played back up had very little hair to speak of.  But, the longer I listened the more I could see how well they played together and how easily they collaborated.  This week, Cancer, surprising combinations may bring forth your best music.  Don’t be discouraged from collaborating just because the only thing you seem to have in common is your hair, or lack there of.     
(3 of Discs R/ I Am A Rock- Simon and Garfunkel)

LEO
I used to have a ceramic fist that held my toothbrush.  But a few months ago, it fell and shattered into a million pieces.  I had found it at a thrift store in Pasadena.  I had never seen anything like it before or since.  A few days ago, while driving up to San Francisco for the weekend, my friend and I stopped at a thrift store we’d never been to.  We weren’t there for very long before I saw it rising above a pile of plates on a shelf above a row of sweatshirts, a pristine white ceramic fist toothbrush holder exactly like the one that I still kept in pieces next to my cookbooks.  I couldn’t believe my luck and this week neither will you, Lions.  The Wheel of Fortune is turned in your favor.  Something you’ve been visualizing for a long time might suddenly begin to materialize.  A handshake between hard work and luck, could be in order.  
(Wheel of Fortune R/ Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows- Lesley Gore)

VIRGO
When I was a kid my mom gave me a square of the garden to plant in.  I decided to plant all purple and red pansies from seed.  I watered and waited for them to materialize all spring and summer.  Green things began to grow over my patch of dirt, but it was just creeping myrtle that we had as ground cover on other parts of the yard.  My mom and I discussed the possible reasons why my flowers never came up and we finally concluded that it was because I had planted the seeds too deep.  Virgo, you may be feeling that you have planted your own seeds too deep and you are having difficulty finding your way out of the dirt.  Unlike my pansies you don’t have to wait until next season to try again.  This week would be a good time to remove some of the layers blocking your sun.  
(Ace of Wands Rev/ More Than A Woman- Aaliyah)

LIBRA
Another giant squid has been found and the first ever video footage of the animal in its natural habitat has been recorded.  Scientists have long been seeking to record images of the elusive animal to no avail.  The solution was laughably simple and proudly it was discovered by a woman.  The video equipment used on the ocean floor was not only a visual deterrent, it also gave off one of two sounds that were loud and repellent.  Finally a specialist in bioluminescence, Edith Widder, developed a much more unobtrusive method of collecting footage.  Widder’s method involved using an optical lure attached to a camera platform without noisy thrusters or motors, just a battery powered camera and the only light was the equivalent of infrared and invisible to most animals in the deep sea.  Libra, you may find yourself squid hunting with very loud and inappropriate equipment.  Consider that the answer you seek is actually quite simple and may not require fancy equipment, but is instead collected in peace and quiet.
(II High Priestess Rev/ I Melt With You- Modern English)

SCORPIO
Last week I was helping my friend’s parents move.  One of the construction workers at their new house told my friend’s mom and I that he had found a rat in the attic before we got there.  “I’m not afraid though,”  he assured us.  Then he proceeded telling a story that seemed unrelated.  He said that in construction you are constantly stepping on rusty nails, dropping heavy things on your toes or getting in other scrapes.  One week he had been working at a house and an old nail went right through his boot into his foot.  He pulled it out and thought nothing of it.  The next week he was taking a load of garbage to the dump.  He jumped out of his truck and stepped right on a rusty nail.  Again, he pulled it out of his boot and thought nothing of it.  Later that evening his foot began to swell and he was having trouble walking.  He went to the doctor and found out his wound was severely infected.  Coming back to the rat in the attic he said, “you know my co-worker is from an area in Mexico where they eat rats.  They are quite good, but I would never eat a New York rat,”  He said.  “It all depends.”  Scorpio, you may be tempted to apply old standards to a new situation.  Remember, that no two rats and no two nails are the same.  Try not to let the rules you’ve come to live by dictate your new direction or the decisions you have to make.   
(V Hierophant/ Manners- Icona Pop)

SAGITTARIUS
One of my favorite restaurants as a kid was a Japanese restaurant not far from our house.  I actually didn’t care for many of the things on the menu, but what I loved was that as soon as you walked in the door you had to cross a bridge over a small pond.  Next to the bridge was a wheel that turned under the weight of a waterfall that came out of a spigot on the wall.  A few times when we were there the wheel was not turning because the water was not flowing.  I remember standing on the bridge on these occasions and thinking that if I could just get in the water, I could splash water over the wheel and make it turn again.  You may have felt very recently, Sagittarius, that your wheel was not turning.  Maybe you even tried to splash water on it to make it move.  According to the card I’ve pulled for you, this action is not necessary.  Given time the water will soon start to flow and in turn the wheel will begin again.
(XVI Tower Rev/ Turn Of The Wheel- Yoko Ono)

CAPRICORN
Recently, at my job at the antique architectural salvage warehouse, a customer came in just before closing time.  She was looking for a mantle for the fireplace.  I led her back into an area of the store that has been made to look like a victorian living room, with several artifacts from the period.  We were standing by the fake fireplace when she turned to me and said, “I like this place, but I feel kind of scared here.  Do you feel it?”  I was slightly startled by her comment but I said, “Well, we get a lot of really old pieces of furniture and objects that were probably significant to the people they belonged to.”  It wasn’t really an answer or an explanation, but she said, “Yes, there is a residue.”  As a kid I was frightened by the very idea of ghosts, mostly by the idea that I couldn’t see them.  This week, Capricorn, you may be reminded of your fears, but it is your decision how you respond to them.  I can’t say that I’ve necessarily made friends with the ghosts at work, but I’m no longer afraid of the possibility of their existence.  At work, I practice accepting the things I can’t see or explain without ascribing fear to them.  
(9 of Swords/ Pandora- Cocteau Twins)

AQUARIUS
The other day a customer, at the antique warehouse where I work, bought some old postcards and asked for a bag.  Most of the objects we sell aren’t small enough to fit in a bag, so I had a hard time finding something suitable.  I pulled out five different bags and all of them were unglued.  “Oh well, it’s ok…” she started to say, but undeterred I said, “Wait! I’ll make one!”  I grabbed a piece of old butcher paper and began folding and stapling it into a bag.  Half way through my process she said, “Why don’t you just staple one of those broken bags together?”  I felt slightly embarrassed that my solution to the problem actually complicated the situation, but I also kind of enjoyed collaborating with this stranger and was proud of both of us for coming up with multiple creative solutions to one small problem.  Aquarius, now would be an excellent time to turn your worries and difficulties on their head.  While previously you may felt you’d hit a brick wall, you are now realizing that just by looking in a different direction the road opens up.  
(5 of Discs Rev/ Green Garden- Laura Mvula)

PISCES
In a commentary in the New York Times, writer Tim Kreider says, “Notice it isn’t generally people pulling back-to-back shifts in the I.C.U. or commuting by bus to three minimum-wage jobs who tell you how busy they are…It’s almost always people whose lamented busyness is purely self-imposed…They’re busy because of their own ambition or drive or anxiety, because they’re addicted to busyness and dread what they might have to face in its absence.”  He goes on to say, “I am not busy.  I am the laziest ambitious person I know.”  Now would be a good time to be “the laziest ambitious person” you know, Pisces.  Explore the gaps between the sharp teeth of busyness.  Do the “dead man’s float” in emptiness.
(XII Hanged One/ Stay- Rhianna ft. Mikky Ekko)

Hello Dear Friends of the Zodiac!

Do you feel the shift? Emotion to action.  Please see below under Knight of Wands for a more detailed account of the astrological storm clouds, which have already gathered.  Fear not friends!  These radical transits do not belong in boxes of good or bad.  As my grandfather (an avid storm chaser) says when he gives thanks at the dinner table, “Thank you for the wind and rain, the sun AND stormy weather.”

The mix this last week of Women’s History Month is GIRL GROUPS!  Kind of a favorite of mine.  Enjoy!

NEWS:

I’m going to Palm Springs with OTHERWILD and Booby Trap!  I will be giving readings at the Ace Hotel on Saturday April 6th and Sunday April 7th.  Hope to see you there!

Also concocting a collaboration with Rachel Day (http://www.dailycandy.com/new-york/article/144642/Rachel-Days-Zodiac-Subscription)!! <3 !

Again:

Looking for the perfect gift?  Consider giving someone or some one(s) a reading with yours truly.  I offer GIFT CERTIFICATES so please contact me for details and/or if you want to gift a reading to yourself. My rates are sliding scale $65-100/hr.  I also offer shorter readings for smaller prices. 

I am also available and EXCITED to participate in EVENTS!  I recently participated in the LA ART BOOK FAIR, I also gave readings at FOR YOUR ART and a HALLOWEEN PARTY hosted by BOOBY TRAP.  Tarot readings could be the perfect supplement to your party, event, wedding, etc.  Feel free to contact me for inquiries or information. 

For comments and questions, to be added to the email list, or if you want to send links to music you would like to see in TAROTSCOPES please email me.

THANKS TO ALL ALWAYS AND ALL WAYS FOR READING AND SPREADING TAROTSCOPES!!

Love, giant hearts, rollercoaster carts, monster moon, changes soon, getting in tune, aries sun, should be fun, holding hands, taking stands, shifting sands, new lands, strength of spring, what mysteries bring,

MW

Onwards with the general card from Amy von Harrington’s deck for all for all the week (individual cards for the zodiac signs are pulled from the MOTHERPEACE deck):

KNIGHT OF WANDS
We are mighty close to that “monster moon”  as it has been called.  Wednesday’s Full Moon in Libra has been the talk of the astrological town.  The Sun entered Aries at the Spring Equinox and has been fortified by Mars and Uranus, also currently in Aries.  The focus is authenticity, creativity, determination and as one of my favorite astrology blogs (http://virgomagic.com/) says further emphasis will be placed on “freeing ourselves from the layers of conditioning that keep us playing small.”  The Full Moon in Libra will act to turn the table over, exposing the deeper emotions we may have been hiding from view.  The Libra Moon will not only be in opposition to four planets in Aries it will also mobilize the Uranus-Pluto square (see Virgo Magic for details).  Now more than ever it will be important to take the high road.  The other article I would like to direct your attention to as we approach this planetary party is Big Sky Astrology’s “Libra Full Moon:  Befriending the Enemy” (http://www.bigskyastrology.com/libra-full-moon-befriending-the-enemy/).  I think this was my favorite piece that I read on the subject and I strongly recommend it to anyone wanting more information about how to navigate the potential conflict around this Moon and affiliated planetary alignments. 

Ok!  Now, I’d like to introduce you all to the card I’ve pulled for all of us for the week:  The Knight of Wands.  This card seems to be the perfect handshake between Aries and Libra.  The Knight of Wands is charming like Libra and daring like Aries.  He also embodies some of the difficulties that both signs struggle with; Libra’s inclination to say what is expedient and Aries tendency to be hot-tempered.  Together, however they can be allies.  Libra’s eagerness to please can help mitigate Aries’ impulsive expression of anger.  And Aries anger can speak truth when it is Libra’s inclination to suppress their feelings to maintain the peace.  The Knight of Wands holds both bravely.  She provides an excellent guide through this week’s adventure.   
(Nowhere To Run- Martha & The Vandellas) 

Knight of Wands from Marty_windahl on 8tracks Radio.

ARIES
I’m not sure if this is a true story or just something my brother told me as a kid to scare me.  But apparently, my brother’s friend’s brother’s friend refused to eat anything with the exception of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as a child.  His parents gave into this demand and for several years he ate nothing that wasn’t PB and J.  As an adult this led to all sorts of heath problems as he had spent some of his most important developmental years consuming only nuts, bread and sugar.  You may be finding, Ram, that the place where you’ve been drawing most of your nutrients and getting much of your strength and vitality is no longer working for you.  This may be because you have only been tapping one source.  No one thing, person, or sandwich can provide you with everything you need.  Consider tapping other springs this week.  As a fire sign in particular, welcoming fresh air fans your flames and makes you burn brighter. 
(5 of Cups Rev/ Sister Watch Yourself- The Mirettes)

TAURUS
In the past I’ve dealt with my car intuitively, treating it as if the problems it had were emotional.  I might have thought, “It just doesn’t seem like itself” or “I feel like it doesn’t really want to get on the freeway.”  I never take it in until the problems are more concrete than a feeling.  Recently I had to take it in to get a belt replaced.  I was staring under the open hood when it struck me just how simple the mechanics of a car are compared to human emotion.  I realized that anthropomorphizing my vehicle in this way actually just complicated its very material problems.  Think about the obstacles currently facing you that feel monumental, Taurus.  Can they be reduced to simple mechanics in order to see your way through them?  What may be left after you do this are the emotions you’d attached to them that were perhaps magnifying the problem. 
(Shaman of Discs Rev/ He’s Ready- The Poppies)

GEMINI
In a short documentary about Nina Simone made in 1969, the interviewer asks her what freedom means.  At first she says, “It’s just a feeling…it’s like how do you tell somebody how it feels to be in love?  How are you going to tell anybody who has not been in love how it feels to be in love?”  But upon further reflection she says, “I’ll tell you what freedom is to me, no fear!  I mean really no fear…That’s the only way I can describe it.  That’s not all of it, but it is something to really really feel.”  Simone also says that there are moments on stage where she has that feeling of freedom, of no fear.  Strength is a sort of vehicle to this definition of freedom.  Strength is what gets you from your fear of walking on stage to no fear during the performance.  And this vehicle, Gemini, is where you may find yourself this week. 
(XI Strength/ Duchess of Earl- The Pearlettes)

CANCER
While I am kind of embarrassed to admit this, Cancer, I am going to tell you anyway because it seems relevant to your current situation.  I was a terrible babysitter.  The first time I was assigned to the task I assumed it would be quite simple:  feed kids, put kids in pajamas, put kids in bed, watch whatever I wanted on TV by myself.  Everything was fine until the “put kids in bed” part of the plan.  Just putting on their pajamas seemed to make them wild and they began jumping on the bed and running round the room.  I tried all sorts of things until finally I said, “I happen to know for a fact that there is a school of land sharks circling around under your beds and if you don’t get in bed and stay there they will come straight for your ankles.”  It worked and I was feeling quite pleased with myself until my mother came to pick me up and  asked how I got the kids to go to bed.  “Oh no!” She laughed rolling her eyes, “They’re probably scarred for life!”  Cancer, it might feel that you are being held prisoner by a school of “land sharks”.  Rather than give in to these monsters, take a good look under your, bed, chair, desk or anywhere else you think they might be hiding.  It may be time to confirm once and for all, “land sharks” don’t exist. 
(XV Devil/ Sugah Wooga- The Three Playmates)

LEO
The only problem with “getting your hopes up” is that whatever it is you hope for might not happen the way you’d hoped.  But the actual act of elevating your hopes is fun and feels really good.  It is enjoyable to think about and imagine the possibility of something you want being manifested.  In elementary school we were asked to draw a floor plan of our dream house.  Of course we were all very entertained by the activity, because unlike reality our homes could be made of clouds or ice or stars.  No one told us not to get our hopes up.  The whole point of the activity was to get excited about the possibilities and the impossibilities.  There is actually nothing wrong with getting your hopes up or counting your chickens before they’ve hatched.  The painful part is when we expect the thing we hope for to happen and it doesn’t.  It may feel safer to hold your breath with your eyes closed, Leo.  But meanwhile, the sun is setting in a sea of your favorite colors and the hell’s bells and jasmine are sending out their best smells.  Allow yourself to feel as happy as you are.  Delight in all the possibilities and impossibilities life does or doesn’t have to offer. 
(XIX Sun Rev/ I Never Dreamed- The Cookies)

VIRGO
What I liked about working at the library was that it was quiet, relatively peaceful and full of possibility.  I also liked the diverse group of employees and pretending to shelve books I was really just reading.  What I didn’t like was actually shelving, which is what I’d been hired to do.  When I was shelving suddenly all of the words, ideas and narratives contained within each book were reduced to their place in the Dewey Decimal System.  Meaning was lost in numbers and I found it difficult to stay awake when my only task was to determine what belonged after 621.0951 and before 621.0955.  Of course I believe in organizing library materials in the most accessible way possible and I understand that when a book is out of place it is essentially lost to the public.  But unfortunately, even knowing its importance didn’t make me a better shelver.  This week, Virgo, you may be feeling bored or disillusioned with some aspect of your work.  Remind yourself of its importance and if that still doesn’t help it may be a signal for you to move on to something else entirely. 
(8 of Discs Rev/ Paper Sun- The Murmaids)

LIBRA
Not long ago I broke my fist.  It was a porcelain fist that held my toothbrush.  What I liked about it was that every morning when I was brushing my teeth the fist was handing it to me and simultaneously wishing me strength in my day.  After it fell and broke I replaced it with a ceramic coconut.  At first I felt disappointed by the coconut, it didn’t seem to offer any words of wisdom.  Then I realized that the message was still the same but through a different means.  Coconuts are tough to crack, but once inside they contain water full of replenishing and nourishing electrolytes.  I don’t really know what qualifies as a superfood, but in my book the coconut is one.  Libra, you may have shattered one source of strength, but look around because it seems another source is springing up in its place.  Perhaps one with more endurance.  
(XVI Tower/ Loop De Loop- The Soul Sisters)

SCORPIO
Given the astrological omens and the card I’ve pulled for you, Scorpio, I’ll direct your attention to a movie I often watch when I’m sick (because I know all the words, it’s long enough to keep me in bed for several hours and it is just that good).  I’m talking about the A&E version of Pride and Prejudice starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth.  To make a very long story very short Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy (Mr. Darcy) weave a tapestry of prides and prejudices between them, which really just stem from the passion they feel for each other and all that Victorian sexual repression/ tension.  Anyway, the wrench in their game is Mr. Wickham who charms and manipulates Elizabeth into thinking “ill” (as they say) of Mr. Darcy.  Later, she discovers that it is Mr. Darcy who has “all the goodness” and Mr. Wickham only possesses the “appearance of it.”  This week, Scorpio you might find yourself experiencing difficulty in a close relationship.  Consider the part you might be playing in your current situation.  Are you Elizabeth, blinded by prejudice and deceived by Mr. Wickham’s false charm only to realize later that it is Mr. Darcy who possesses all the goodness.  Or are you Mr. Darcy who has to learn to let go of his pride in order to give and receive love in a more authentic way.
(2 of Cups Rev/ Remember (Walkin’ in the Sand)- The Shangri-Las)

SAGITTARIUS
Our friend Nance Klehm, told my friend Eden and I and the camera (we are making a documentary about her) that she has been witness to several animal deaths.  She said that in her experience the animal always holds your gaze until they are gone.  It is as if they were trying to communicate something about the experience to you, or perhaps they just want you to stay with them as they are going.  When my mom had her 66th birthday a little over a month ago, my grandfather called and told her again about his memory of the day she was born.  He said he had been determined not to miss it because the draft and World War II had kept him from being present at his first daughter’s birth.  While the change you may be experiencing this week Sag, is probably not a literal birth or death, it is likely significant.  According to the card I’ve pulled for you, you won’t have to make this transition without support, even if that support is just a witness to the change. 
(10 of Discs/ P.S. I Love You- The Starlets)

CAPRICORN
If you’ve ever run a race, particularly one of the ones where you have to hand a baton to a teammate, there are probably certain points that stick in your mind more than others.  For some reason for me one of the strongest memories I have of the experience was just before the shot.  I always became obsessed with lining my toe up with the white lines on the track, making sure my shoe was just brushing the edge of the line.  I also remember trying to find the best place to hold the baton so I felt like I had a good grip on it, that I wasn’t going to let it slip from my sweaty hand somewhere along the way.  The other moment I remember was somewhere in the middle, after I started running where there is this quiet like thick snow around you.  It is calm in this place and the only sounds are the comforting thumps of your heart and the harmonizing claps of your feet on the track.  Capricorn, you have departed from the point of preparation.  You’ve got a good grip on the baton and your feet have left the place where you aligned them.  Now they are working for you, steering you towards the calm music and rhythm that will propel you towards your destination. 
(2 of Swords Rev/ Opportunity- The Jewels)

AQUARIUS
When I was ten my mom, my brother and I went to China for a month so my mom could teach English in a small university town.  While we were there, I somehow got roped into acting in a commercial for a Chinese brand of peanuts.  The whole experience provided me with a lot of firsts.  It was the first time I had been out of the United States, the first time I had seen or been on a commercial set, the first time I’d ever acted, the first time I had ever said something nonsensical in one language so that it could be dubbed into another language.  The whole shoot took twelve hours and I got paid 12 U.S. dollars for my time.  Aquarius, consider whether what you are currently working on is worth your time and effort.  Are you getting back from your experience what you are putting into it?  Is this experience helping you fulfill a larger goal or is it sapping your energy with little reward?  For me, the experience was worth it, not because I got paid well, but for all the things I had the opportunity to try for the first time and because I got to see what it would be like if I could actually speak Chinese.
(Son of Discs Rev/ I’m Gonna Get You Yet- The Dixie Cups)

PISCES
Recently, I had a terrible cold that started in my sinus’ and spread to my lungs.  As I was helping my friend’s parents move into their new house I noticed a huge magnolia tree dropping petals at the front door.  “Oooh!” I thought.  “I’m going to make a tea out of them!”  I instinctively began gathering the petals and putting them in my bag.  It was only later that I realized I didn’t know if you could actually make tea from magnolia petals.  When I googled it I found that magnolia flowers are used in Eastern and Western herbalism and also in traditional Chinese medicine for illnesses related to the lungs and sinus.  I was thrilled by my intuitive abilities.  It felt like magic, but what I realized is this ability is what the plant and animal world call instinct.  Animals and plants have known what to eat and where to find it for centuries without the internet.  This week, Pisces, you may find yourself making decisions more intuitively.  While your brain could demand to know how you know what you know.  Trust your your instincts.  All other living things have been depending on this method for lifetimes.  
(Priestess of Wands L/ Look At The Stars- The Bobbettes)

Welcome Back!

Mercury has begun its forwards motion, spring is only hours away and so is the reign of the Ram.  We are exiting Pisces and moving into Aries.  The feeling of being submerged in a pool of emotion will begin to lift as the Sun joins the moon in stepping outside the fishes’ deluge.  As my good friend said recently, “Get me out of this fucking bathtub!”  Mars (the planet associated with Aries) will soon enter a conjunction with Uranus creating an action-oriented if somewhat volatile time.  For more information about the fire-y spring ahead see Virgo Magic (http://virgomagic.com/).

It seems the Victorian Era came back to haunt me this week, as I unknowingly made an example of the period several times throughout your Tarotscopes.  May we never return to the politics of that period.

Leaping forward with the mix, however, I am excited to announce that this week’s mix is Riot Grrrl themed.  Hope you enjoy memory lane I’ve mixed as much as I did while making it. 

NEWS:

OTHERWILD, my favorite store in LA has MOVED to a beautiful and spacious new location in Echo Park! They are now open for business! Thanks for all who came out last week and supported OTHERWILD and TAROTSCOPES!

A special Spring Outlook from TAROTSCOPES will be included in the zine accompanying PORTLAND APOTHECARY’s Spring Share Community Supported Herbalism (CSH) box!  Order it now! 

Friends! Portland Apothecary is doing a give away of their Spring Share on the Mountain Rose Herbs blog (http://mountainroseblog.com/spring-tonic-vinegar-recipe-giveaway/). ♥ Please share!

Again:

Looking for the perfect gift?  Consider giving someone or some one(s) a reading with yours truly.  I offer GIFT CERTIFICATES so please contact me for details and/or if you want to gift a reading to yourself. My rates are sliding scale $65-100/hr.  I also offer shorter readings for smaller prices. 

I am also available and EXCITED to participate in EVENTS!  I recently participated in the LA ART BOOK FAIR, I also gave readings at FOR YOUR ART and a HALLOWEEN PARTY hosted by BOOBY TRAP.  Tarot readings could be the perfect supplement to your party, event, wedding, etc.  Feel free to contact me for inquiries or information. 

For comments and questions, to be added to the email list, or if you want to send links to music you would like to see in TAROTSCOPES please email me.

THANKS TO ALL ALWAYS AND ALL WAYS FOR READING AND SPREADING TAROTSCOPES!!

Hearts, stars, planets, forwards motion, strange notion, sun tan lotion, magic potion, mars-uranus conjunction, different function, firey-spring, tire swing, open up and sing, mood ring, heart goes ting, what to bring, some-thing, love, driving glove,

MW

Onwards with the general card from Amy von Harrington’s deck for all for all the week (individual cards for the zodiac signs are pulled from the MOTHERPEACE deck):

6 OF PENTACLES
When I was a kid I watched the movie “Babette’s Feast” with my dad.  I don’t think I could even read subtitles at that point, but for some reason the movie stuck with me and I had several re-occuring dreams, about the feast part.  I don’t think I knew why Babette was making a feast, but years later I found out that she had won the lottery and spent all her earnings on a feast to show her gratitude for the people that took her in and were kind to her when she was a refugee from Paris.  “Babette’s Feast” is a good example of the best course for all of us to take in the coming weeks.  Generosity and gratitude create a greater sense of abundance.  Babette’s winnings made a whole town happy and that feast was something my midwestern eyes had never seen.  In my dreams I happily sat at Babette’s table too. 
(For Tammy Rae- Bikini Kill)

6 of Pentacles from Marty_windahl on 8tracks Radio.

ARIES
I few days ago I re-read an essay originally published in 1970 called “The Politics of Orgasm.”  The author, Susan Lydon, describes the sexually repressive Victorian Era pointing to Dr. Isaac Brown Baker who performed numerous clitoridectomies (removal of the clitoris) as a way to prevent sexual excitement which he said led to “insanities”, “hysteria”, “epilepsy”, “catalepsy”, and other diseases.  Freud also said that the clitoral orgasm was something an adult woman would and should out grow.  He also indicated that to continue to experience pleasure in this way was a sign of psychosexual immaturity.  All of these attitudes and ideas developed, most likely, out of the fear that women could and can easily achieve orgasm independent of a penis.  I find it helpful to periodically revisit these histories, because antiquated attitudes often creep back in when we’re not looking.  However you identify, feel your fire, Aries.  Allow yourself to experience the strength inherent in the feminine facets of your personality, which, given the historical, social, political, and personal context, you may be hesitant to express. 
(Priestess of Wands Rev./ Watchmaker- Excuse 17)

TAURUS
When I was about five I took a ballet class for one day.  The one and only day I was in the class the instructor, who probably should have been working at a military boot camp instead of teaching ballet to kindergartners, had us stand up in front of the group and say our full name loudly and clearly.  If we didn’t say it loudly and clearly enough we had to repeat ourselves until our instructor was satisfied with our performance.  Of course, for me this meant that I had to repeat my own name at least four times.  As soon as the class was over I told my mom I wanted to quit and my mom enrolled me in a modern dance class where we got to do interpretive dances in stretchy lycra sacks.  You may be feeling strangely out of place doing something you thought you loved, Taurus.  Remember, that it isn’t that you don’t love to dance, you just might not be in the right class. 
(Ace of Wands Rev/ The Problem With Public Places- Cadallaca)

GEMINI
As a kid one of my favorite board games was “Save the Whales”.   If you aren’t familiar with this game, the objective is to get all the whales to safety.  It is a cooperative game so either all the players win, or no one wins.  I don’t really remember what it was like to play the game, but I remember wanting to be the Magic Golden Barnacle.  But you couldn’t be the Magic Golden Barnacle because it was actually just a tool used to help save the whales.  Of course in real life barnacles are neither magic nor golden, nor do they actually do anything to help save the whales.  Mostly they are just hitching a free ride to get some food.  Gemini, you may be feeling like there are too many barnacles in your life just catching free rides on your back.  See if you can’t change your perspective.  Is there a way that these “barnacles”  are actually magic and golden and are trying to help you save the whales?  It might help you feel more generous towards them if you knew their good intentions.   
(6 of Discs Rev./ Waitress Hell- Heaven’s to Betsy)

CANCER
One of my favorite guilty pleasures was the show “Medium” (based a true story).  It combined a lot of my favorite elements: Patricia Arquette, a psychic, a mystery, symbolic dreams, ghosts, and a couple of skeptics to keep it interesting.  (Side note:  It is also formulaic and at times offensive.)  Allison DuBois (Patricia Arquette) had strange dreams and visions, but she never suspected she was psychic until she realized that her dreams were connected with a real murder case.  She managed to convince the D.A. in Phoenix of her abilities and was put to work on several cases.  Cancer is there some talent you possess that you may have overlooked?  Take stock of your strengths, they could be valuable assets to you and others.  In Allison’s case they helped save lives.  
(9 of Discs Rev./ Remember Who You Are- Team Dresch)

LEO
Years ago, when my brother and I were visiting my parents in Indonesia we went snorkeling in the Java Sea.  As we were swimming back to the boat from an old shipwreck we’d been exploring, we swam through water that felt like sharp needle-y pokes or getting lemon on a bunch of scratches.  When we got back to the boat my brother and I described the situation to our guide and he said that we probably passed through a school of jellyfish.  What you might be experiencing, Lions, or what you are about to experience, could feel very much like this entire experience.  There may be the part where you say to yourself, “I am in the Java Sea!”  And another point at which you say, “I am exploring an old shipwreck with turtles in the Java Sea!”  And still another point when you say, “I got stung by a school of jelly fish in the Java Sea!”  You may feel grateful for even the more painful aspects of your week as they provide you a more 3-D experience of life and living it. 
(Daughter of Cups/ Surf Song- Sleater-Kinney)

VIRGO
At the antique architectural salvage warehouse were I work a few days a week I am surrounded by all these objects that had some sort of significance to someone or several people long ago.  Recently, I was looking around at all the inventory.  I wandered into one section of the warehouse that is set up sort of like an old victorian living room and sat down on a red velvet settee.  As soon as I sat down I smelled a strong sweet perfume.    I’m not sure if that smell had been there since the Victorian Era or if it belonged to some owner in between, but coupled with the fireplace and the lithograph of a stern-looking man from the same period, I felt transported.  This week, Virgo, you may begin to feel the imprint that you yourself are making on the world.  Perhaps years from now someone will interact with an object of yours and strongly feel the magic that you’ve imbued it with.    
(I Magician/ Can’t Explain- Spells)

LIBRA
One question people ask me a lot when I’m working at the antique architectural salvage warehouse is, “what was this used for?”  The answers very, but for some reason the response is the same, “it would make a great coffee table.”  Everything from a factory cart to coffin dolly could be converted into a table.   I often find myself thinking about the people who held the object in its infancy, and the feelings it may have sparked at that time.  A coffin dolly that once held someone’s deceased relative, could now hold a few copies of Home and Garden and some coasters.  Libra, you may be embarking on a process of moving in the opposite direction.  You might find yourself moving towards creating more meaningful connections in certain aspects of your life.  Instead of converting everything into a table, you may be converting all your tables into everything. 
(XIII Death L/ Thurston Hearts A Who- Bikini Kill)

SCORPIO
Growing up my mother’s favorite genre of everything (books, TV, movies) was the who-done-it murder mystery.  My mother was an expert, I sort of saw her as the female counterpart to Columbo, although her favorite was “Murder She Wrote”.  The most perplexing and convoluted plots were untied within the first five minutes under my mother’s scrutiny.  Even though I knew she would always be right, I would ignore her cliff notes of the movie or TV show she hadn’t seen yet and try and map my own path to the killer.  Scorpio, whether or not you are certain of the answer or of how to get where you are trying to go, the most important thing may not to be right, but to generate possibilities and potential.  So it was Mrs. Peacock in the conservatory with the led pipe, it could be just as interesting or more so if it was Colonel Mustard by the dog house with the badminton racket.
(4 of Swords Rev./ Definition- The Third Sex)

SAGITTARIUS
The practice of birdwatching began down the barrel of a gun, not through binoculars.  During the Victorian Era the study of birds increased in popularity, mostly out of a desire to decorate homes and hats with eggs, feathers and stuffed carcasses.  Through the insistence of the Audubon Society and the development of binoculars and opera glasses people no longer felt they had to kill a bird in order to make observations of it.  Finally, a bird could be more easily understood while it was alive.  It also seemed that the process of watching, observing, listening to and interacting with a breathing animal strengthened peoples bond with it.  A more emotional connection had been forged.  Are there ways that you have been looking at some aspect of life defensively, or through the cross hairs, Sag?  Now would be a good time to lay down your weapons and pick up your binoculars.  Listen to your own heartbeat and the birds tweet.       
(IV Emperor/ Disco- The Butchies)

CAPRICORN
Dowsing or divining was used historically to find anything hidden (water, gemstones, graves, etc.).  The tool is relatively simple, it is either a Y-shaped stick or two metal L-shaped rods.  Using a Y the dowser/diviner follows the pull or vibration of the instrument.  If using the metal rods the Ls will cross when they meet with the object the dowser/diviner is seeking.  Of course this method of uncovering things has met with much skepticism over the years.  Many have felt it is impossible to tell whether the instruments are moving by some external force or if they are actually directed by the dowser/diviner themselves.  This week, Cap, whether you move the dowsing rods through your internal compass or they move of their own accord you will very likely find yourself pointed towards the treasure you’ve set out to find.   
(Daughter of Discs/ Chocolate Cobwebs- Bangs)

AQUARIUS
Not long ago a friend and I were sitting at the balcony in a coffee shop, when my friend dropped her cellphone over the edge.  I didn’t see it happen, but I heard a weird sort of martian-landing “bloop” sound.  “Where did it go?” I asked dumbly.  “Into the dish water!”  My friend wailed.  The barista below rescued the device from a potentially deadly (for a cellphone) situation.  A huge facebook discussion ensued.  Even my cousins got involved.  All sorts of recommendations were made.  The most consistent and finally settled upon solution was to turn the phone off and place it in a bowl of rice.  But every so often the rice would glow as the phone somehow managed to turn itself back on.  My friend would then turn it back off again.  This went on for several hours.  The next day her phone behaved as though it had never made the trip off the balcony.  Aquarius, you might be experiencing feelings of anxiety in some area of your life.  Consider putting the problem in a bowl of rice.  Not because it is a solution to that problem, but because it is the solution to your more pressing problem, keeping your worries occupied.  
(5 of Discs/ Time Expired- Slant 6)

PISCES
Growing up my family took a lot of walks after dinner.  We’d walk downtown or walk to the university.  Sometimes I’d bring my jump rope and most of the time my dad would bring his garbage grabber and a garbage bag.  As we were walking he’d pick up trash along the sidewalk.  As I got older I became more self-conscious about being with him when he was doing this.  “Can’t we just go for a walk without you picking up garbage for once?” I’d whine.  “Sorry, but somebody’s got to take care of this problem,” My dad would reply.  Now of course I admire him for being so determined in doing what he thought was right.  This week, Pisces, you may face opposition or dissent when expressing your opinion or doing something you feel will make your world a better place.  And you can tell them, “Somebody’s got to take care of this problem.”
(7 of Wands/ Would-Be Saboteurs Take Heed- Emily’s Sassy Lime)