Dear Iris,

Thank you for choosing me to read your cards. I hope this reading will be both insightful and empowering for you.

I would like to begin with the archetype card, called The Bridge.

Bridges are built to connect two different points. Therefore, this card asks you to study the connections between the seemingly unrelated parts of your life. In spite of looking at 12 different life areas, you need to be able to see the golden thread that runs through all of them. You need to look at this reading as a whole.

Out of twelve cards drawn, ten are evenly split between two suits: Cups and Swords. Additionally, five of these cards are court cards, with knights comprising the majority.

Let’s take a closer look.

In simple terms, Cups are the suit of the heart; therefore, they correlate with feelings, emotions, relationships, and spirituality. Swords, on the other hand, correspond to the realm of the mind. It is the suit of ideas and thoughts, decisions, and communication. But Swords are, after all, weapons; therefore, this suit is also associated with conflicts.

Court cards, more often than not, represent people. Knights, in particular, are action-oriented. Their role is to charge ahead. 

What does it all mean? I believe that you are currently preoccupied with relationship issues. There may be several conflicts with different people. Also, there are some matters that you need to attend to as quickly as possible. This is a time for action, Iris.

Now, let’s look at each card one by one and expand upon the meaning of each astrological house.

The first house, also known as the House of Personality, symbolises your personal and most optimal mask at the moment. The card here will show us how you appear to others, what impressions you give them, but first and foremost, it will point at how you yourself want to be viewed.

With the 8 of Pentacles here, you give an aura of a person who has shut herself away from the rest of the world and minds her own business. There may be tasks you need to complete, so you are working hard at them. You may also be furthering your knowledge or skills. All in all, what you are shining out there is this: ‘I am busy. All my time, money, and effort go to the completion of the tasks at hand.’

The second house is known as the House of Money and Possessions. We also refer to this house as the house of self-worth. A successful navigation of second-house terrain always involves proving oneself to oneself. One sure way to go about this is to effectively manage your material resources.

With the 3 of Cups, I can see that your livelihood is closely connected to other people. You may live in a shared accommodation, or you may be renting out your place to others. In short, you need other people’s involvement, contributions, and support when it comes to material resources. The word that comes to mind is “shared.” Because the 3 of Cups is such a joyful card, I feel that this setting is right for you. It fosters deeper connections among the people involved.

The third house is responsible for communication. Clear, accurate and unbiased information gathering and sharing. 

The 2 of Cups shows a couple. Notice how the woman on the card wears a traditionally male costume, while the man has what appears to be a female dress. What the artist is trying to say is that this is a union of equal individuals, where there is no traditional distribution of roles. In any case, I see a committed couple, despite the card being an early one in the suit. If you are in a partnership, Iris, then the theme of communication is the most relevant here at the moment. It is time to ask yourself the following questions: “Am I expressing myself clearly? Am I genuinely absorbing what others are saying to me? Is my perception clear and unbiased? Is my communication effective? Can I find common ground with my partner?” If the answer is yes, well done! Otherwise there is some work to be done.

The fourth house is the place where one’s domestic affairs are centered. Here we can find out what is currently going on in your home and family life.

In the Seven of Swords, we see a man stealthily departing from society. He’s stolen some swords and seems rather pleased with his successful ‘heist’. He gives the impression of secret and solitary plans.

I feel that you have a desire to separate from your family pack, Iris, and to run alone and free. Perhaps past deceptions left you weary. Perhaps you figured out that you are better off relying on yourself, your own wits and resources, and distancing yourself from family obligations.

But you also may be running away from some commitments and responsibilities at home. Something that you don’t want to deal with. In that case, know that your current actions may serve as a short-term tactic, however exciting. For genuine resolution, a long-term strategy is required.

The fifth house encompasses a range of themes. from pleasure and playfulness to creative self-expression and falling in love. Traditionally, it is also known as The House of Children, so we might also acknowledge a relationship with your children, if you have any.

Interpreting court cards can be challenging, because there are so many different ways to look at them – as people, as personalities, as situations. We will have to examine the Knight of Cups from various perspectives.

Given that the 5th house covers the topic of children, this Knight may symbolize your child, particularly if he or she is a water sign—Cancer, Scorpio, or Pisces in Astrology. With the Knight appearing reversed and considering the earlier presence of the Seven of Swords in the family position, you may feel as if this individual has taken advantage of you. This may be due to their general emotional immaturity. I would suspect some moodiness, pretense, jealousy, and perhaps even some emotional manipulation. My advice at this point would be to stay away, because I feel that you have some other, more pressing issues to deal with. Above all, however, keep a realistic perspective when dealing with this knight, built on previous experience.

In terms of romance in general, The Knight of Cups Reversed is not a positive sign. There may be a bit of drama and moodiness on the emotional front.

In creative aspects, we could speak about a creative block of some sort. It may be due to the overly emotional atmosphere in the relationships.

Given the current circumstances, I suggest you shift your attention to yourself. Fill your cup first, Iris and allow the rest of the world to benefit from your renewed energy. 

Turning to the sixth house, traditionally associated with health, service, and routines. We can also add the urge to be competent and useful. 

When the Page of Cups appears reversed, it suggests a disconnection from intuition. Again, this is not surprising; we already mentioned a creative block previously. I think this has to do with the emotional state you currently find yourself in, together with relationships that are draining your creative and intuitive juices.

The Page of Cups in reverse may also indicate yet another water sign person in your life—someone young, vulnerable, and inexperienced. The turban on the person’s head looks to me like a bandage, so it may be someone who is wounded. This may be an injury or an illness. And you may feel a strong urge to help this person. To look after him or her. If that is the case, I would like to reinstate what I suggested earlier. Fill your cup first, because you can’t pour love from an empty one. Especially if this ‘bandage’ applies to you as well and you have some health issues to address, too.

The Page of Cups in Reverse may also point at a certain sloppiness in practical matters. If that is the case, then fill your cup, Iris, and look into practical issues that are hanging in the air.

In financial matters, Page of Cups may bring unwelcome news. Be sure that you are not avoiding or hiding from financial responsibility. I think this theme resonates with what I mentioned right at the beginning of the reading: that there are issues that you need to address as soon as possible.

The seventh house is the realm of committed relationships. Above all, think of partnerships (including partnerships in business) and marriage. Here we also explore the question of trust, who to trust, and how to trust.

10 of Cups represents a harmonious family in Tarot. In your case, the card came up reversed. It implies that while there may be family members you can trust, others may require caution. I advise against conducting business with family members, or if you must, proceed with careful consideration and prioritize self-reliance.

In a personal relationship with your spouse, tensions may arise, possibly stemming from financial or business-related affairs. There may be a feeling of disharmony, issues related to different values, and conflicts. 10 of Cups in Reverse could also point to an unstable home situation or a general dissatisfaction with what you have.

While it is not a very uplifting message, Iris, I would like to remind you that this card belongs to Minor Arcana after all, indicating a temporary state of affairs.

The eighth house represents everything psychologically charged or taboo. Here, we ask ourselves the following questions: Where are my most fundamental wounds and blockages? What kind of intimate relationships best reveal them? How can I most effectively empower myself?

The Knight of Wands is a creature of desires and impulses. With a strong need to advance, he may fall short due to his restlessness, lack of preparation, and inability to define long-term goals. There may also be issues with anger or impatience. 

Does this resonate with you, Iris? If so, is there a way to do something about it? Before it all results in some delays, interruptions and more frustrations?

You are probably going through some heated period with your intimate partner at the moment. I have already talked about this at length in the seventh house above. Heat is not an issue—quite the opposite with this placement—but angry outbursts are, so watch out for those! 

House 9 encompasses a broad terrain of travel, education, philosophy, and religion. One overarching theme is stretching one’s horizons.

Six of Swords depicts an actual voyage. A traditional image shows a journey over water. Here, artist Julien Pacaud is showing a journey over land. Thus, there may be an upcoming short-term or long-term journey for you, Iris.

However, there is a deeper significance to this card, which is especially clear in the traditional Rider-Waite-Smith deck. The people depicted on the card are moving away from hardship. You may be taking the aforementioned journey for the same reasons as well—as an escape from life’s difficulties.

Given the indications of turbulent times in personal relationships, this card may be a gentle nudge towards broadening your horizons in terms of conflict resolution. In any case, although the situation is not ideal at the moment, you are moving towards a better place.

The tenth house of career and mission in life.

I have come to associate The Knight of Swords with Gemini over the years. This sign has been known for its curiosity, vitality, intelligence, and gift of the gab. Now, hardly anyone who meets an average representative of this sign can doubt their ability to speak! But communication is a two-way street! And that is something that Gemini can sometimes forget –  to listen. Because it is through listening that we find out what we don’t know. And ultimately, that is what the sign of Gemini is all about: to see everything, to gather all the clues, to unravel the mysteries of the world.

Gemini’s mind is usually like a mirror, pure and unbiased. But every now and then, it meets with some uncomfortable truths that it may have difficulty processing. Then, an otherwise adaptable and flexible mind can reconstruct the information. Often, this new ‘montage’ makes sense. It is so convincing that it can easily sway others off-course—and even the Gemini themselves! Worse still, Twins rarely lose an argument once they are put on the defensive, regardless of being right or wrong. 

Another downside is the constant mental buzz that this sign is prone to, as well as nervous chatter, jumpiness, and insomnia. It is the consequence of their frequent overextension.

And then, of course, there is the famous epitaph often associated with Geminis: ‘All tactics and no strategy.’

Iris, because you are a solar Gemini and we are looking at Knight of Swords reversed, consider the shadow points that I wrote above. Especially the point about being all tactics and no strategy, as it is something that repeats in your reading, together with mastering the art of successful communication.

In terms of a career or mission in life, consider anything where you get to express yourself. There is a word on my mind: ‘The Storyteller.’ For example, to be a good Tarot or Lenormand reader, one has to have the ability to weave stories. And I feel that you do! At least consider offering your community your story. Things you have seen, things you have figured out. Choose a medium that is closer to your heart. It may be a simple diary, or a blog. If you are more daring than you can self-publish a book or do audio or video recordings.

Also, keep developing your mind. Study, read, and take a course. Anything to further your storytelling mission.

While I hesitate to advise a Gemini to cut down on activities entirely, scaling back to focus energy on meaningful work is advisable.

House 11, where we define our future goals and then forge helpful alliances to help achieve them. That is why this house is known as the House of Friends.

Your most useful alliance happens to be with fellow air signs. Think Libra, Gemini, and Aquarius. 

Air signs are the mental dazzlers of the zodiac. They are people-oriented signs, ever curious, ever intelligent, who like to converse and exchange ‘data’. It is no surprise, then, that you could have such an instant rapport with them.

With the Queen of Swords, your goal, Iris, is to nurture your mind, which echoes the theme from your 10th house. The mind, of course, is nurtured in and out of the classroom. Every time you step outside of social and cultural training, you are nurturing an open mind. Look out for ‘allies’ who are supporting you in broadening your horizons.

Another side of you that needs to be nurtured is your independence. Friends and companions that are encouraging you to do things for yourself are very much on your side!

Because verbal expression is of utmost importance to the queen, you too must be committed to mastering effective communication skills such as asking, listening, speaking, observing non-verbal cues and messages, and exercising emotional control.

In the 12th house, we turn our attention within. We stop counting our losses and start noticing the wisdom they brought about. We let go of our egoic selves.

In The Five of Swords, we can see a man triumphantly holding three swords that he seized from the other two, defeated men. One of the two men is reacting more calmly to this loss. He dropped the sword, understanding that there is no point in fighting, but his head remains straight. Another man, further away, perceives this loss as a much bigger tragedy. He dropped his head, and for all we know he may be weeping.

Iris, you may be going through a situation that looks like a defeat to you and an unprincipled victory for another party. I can safely assume that there is another person, perhaps your partner, who is fighting this situation alongside you. And together, you are opposing somebody else who appears to be stronger. If that is the case, then there is something to learn from your partner. His attitude. Some things are not worth stressing about or taking personally. Mainly, they are not worthy of alienating yourself from your partner!

Remember that what goes around, comes around. That third party person will eventually have to deal with the consequences of his actions.

As for you, try to reframe this experience as lessons learned. How are you wiser than before? How are you going to do better in the future?

At the beginning of your reading, I wrote these couple of sentences: ‘I believe that you are currently preoccupied with relationship issues. There may be several conflicts with different people. Also, there are some matters that you need to attend to as quickly as possible. This is time for action, Iris.’ 

In conclusion, your reading is deeply woven with themes of relationships and the challenges that they inadvertently entail. But there is another strong thread, and that has to do with your mind. The importance of expanding your horizons, mastering communication skills, and embracing the art of storytelling.

Billy Graham, an American evangelist, once aptly said, “Out of pain and problems have come the sweetest songs, the most poignant poems, the most gripping stories.”

Blessed be, my friend!