Astrology of the Week
Sun conjunct Mercury retrograde in Aries
Venus retrograde conjunct Neptune in Pisces
New Moon in Aries - Partial Solar Eclipse
Mercury retrograde conjunct Neptune in Pisces
Neptune in Aries
Weekly Tarot
5 - The Hierophant
7 - The Chariot
King of Pentacles
Deck: The Lord of the Rings Tarot Deck & Card Game
Happy midweek!
This time, still inspired by Tolkien Reading Day (yesterday), that I celebrated by starting reading The Silmarillion, I chose the deck The Lord of the Rings Tarot Deck & Card Game. I know, it's not the prettiest deck I know. No, no. But it's a deck from the 90s, and it shows, which gives it a certain charm. Furthermore, and most importantly, it predates the films, which makes the object even more interesting because its aesthetics and representation of the characters are free from the imagery that Peter Jackson's movies have forever imprinted on our imagination. The other day, in a conversation at a book club, I asked myself how I would imagine the characters and spaces in Tolkien's books if I had never seen the films? Well, that's not what I want to talk about today (another day, because in my reading of Tolkien, I have noted many relationships between aesthetic constructions in the books and tarot iconography).
Well, this week, two major Arcana came out (5 - The Hierophant and 7 - The Chariot), which marks a significant absence in the card that mediates these two: Major Arcana 6 - The Lovers. We can read this absence as a removal of relationships from the equation. It's not that this reading tells us to isolate ourselves and lead a monastic life (mainly because 9 - The Hermit, who, curiously, I associate a lot with Gandalf, didn't appear). It is, instead, a proposal to shift the focus to ourselves and what makes us feel prepared and confident to be the authority of our lives.
5 - The Hierophant
"Saruman cuts through dark and secret forces. The Palantír gave him a vision of his future glory."
The Hierophant corresponds to the Earth sign ruled by Venus, Taurus, and tells us about knowledge, tradition, dogmas, and institutions for transmitting knowledge and ritualizing this same knowledge, faiths, and beliefs... It is the fixation (Taurus is a fixed sign) and manifestation/performatization (Earth) of what we value. But what we value without being aware of the fact that we adhere to systems of thought, values , and beliefs: cultural, dogmatic, religious contexts; or, on the contrary, because we actively adhere to them when we look for a figure, institution and/or practice that transmits the teachings we seek. But The Hierophant can also be us; it can be us who perpetuates more or less rigid systems or the one who transmits knowledge, support, and structures validated by the sieve of time. In this sense, The Hierophant is a relational card (Venus), but it is a relationship more oriented towards verticality than horizontality. There is nothing wrong with people representing lasting experiences that translate into wisdom; the important thing is that we can find ourselves in this relationship as well and that the balance between receptivity and activity, i.e., critical thinking, does not remain isolated in an ivory tower.
Since this week Venus and Mercury (both still in retrograde) meet Neptune in the final degrees of Pisces (receptivity, dilution of emotional, sensitive and spiritual boundaries) and that the week ends with Neptune giving the first step in your foray into the sign of Aries (dynamism, assertiveness, the individual will), it is important to establish what we want to do with the knowledge that the "palantír" offer us. Do they serve us to be more ourselves or to distort us? Do they serve to provide us with security and stability or to open up worlds of illusion and disconnection?
Gandalf explains the Palantír to Pippin:
The palantiri came from beyond Westernesse from Eldamar. The Noldor made them. Feanor himself, maybe, wrought them, in days so long ago that the time cannot be measured in years. But there is nothing that Sauron cannot turn to evil uses. Alas for Saruman! It was his downfall, as I now perceive. Perilous to us all are the devices of an art deeper than we possess ourselves. (…) ’Each palantir replied to each, but all those in Gondor were ever open to the view of Osgiliath. Now it appears that, as the rock of Orthanc has withstood the storms of time, so there the palantír of that tower has remained. But alone it could do nothing but see small images of things far off and days remote. Very useful, no doubt, that was to Saruman; yet it seems that he was not content. Further and further abroad he gazed, until he cast his gaze upon Barad-dûr.
And of the power of the Palantír, Gandalf says of Denethor:
He was too great to be subdued to the will of the Dark Power, he saw nonetheless only those things which that Power had permitted him to see. The knowledge which he obtained was doubtless, often of service to him; yet the vision of the great might of Mordor that was shown to him fed the despair of his heart until it overthrew his mind.
The Hierophant is like an anchor: it can bind us to internalized notions of knowledge and power or give us the possibility of navigating towards our own judgment, as informed by the map outlined by traditions before the present moment. In any case, the Hierophant gives us this experience of rootedness, a stability that only reinforces the responsibility of our choices.
7 - The Chariot
"Théoden Concentrates All His Power and Charges the Orc Army"
The Chariot corresponds to the sign of Cancer, and, for me, it is about protection and creating armor that allows us to move forward (not always in the straightest or most direct ways) with the security that our vulnerability is safe. If The Hierophant gives us the coordinates, The Chariot demands that we check that the airbag works, that the seat belts are operational, and that we have enough gas to drive toward victory, whatever that may be. It's not time for the trip, but we know we're going alone (The Lovers are left behind). Why will the journey be done alone? To have the opportunity to reflect on the meaning of the Palantír? So that we can test the limits of our ambition and security (Aries) without putting anyone at risk? To close the cycle of eclipses on the Libra-Aries axis with prudence and caution (March 29th is New Moon day in Aries - Partial Solar Eclipse, the last of this cycle)? The Moon rules Cancer and protects and nurtures inner emotions, comfort, and security. Since we are experiencing a solar eclipse, this will be a bumpy ride, so: "fasten your seat belts."
King of Pentacles
"Treebeard, the ancient spirit of the land."
Despite the bumpy journey, we can reach a safe destination where we will feel more stable, mature, and confident. This week is marked by several transitions, endings, and beginnings: we have an eclipse, conjunctions, and an ingress of Neptune, a transpersonal planet in Aries (Neptune was 14 years in Pisces, and the last time it was in Aries was in 1861). Between the receptive emotionality of water and the impulsive dynamism of fire, the Earth element of Pentacles, even more so of the King (a mature, experienced, and self-assured figure), is very welcome to give some balance to the volatility that is felt this week. The King of Pentacles also represents ends and beginnings, fittingly for a card that represents the wisdom of the natural element, of the Earth, and its cycles: it is the last card of the Minor Arcana (in the elementary order that I follow: Fire, Water, Air, Earth), therefore, the last of the Tarot itself. From here, with the experience we acquired on the tarot journey, we will be in a position of greater security, maturity, and humility to begin learning and experiencing new things.
Treebeard is the oldest living creature in Middle Earth, a guardian of Fangorn Forest who welcomes and protects the hobbits, even gathering the trees to stop Saruman's power. In this way, it may represent an alternative view of what the Palantír shows Saruman; instead of a power based on ambition and selfishness, a security in himself that the depths of his roots provide him. This King of Pentacles thus closes the cycle that started with The Hierophant: it shows the importance of ancestry, which does not need to be conservative; wisdom as an experience rather than dogma; and community relationships rather than hierarchical ones.
This week's journey shows us that focusing on ourselves is sometimes important and necessary. What we know by experience, and what is transmitted and inherited to us, as well as our critical thinking, are guidelines that prepare and protect us for the adventures and unknown paths that begin to take shape ahead. This reading made me think about driving classes, and how they are part of an educational institution and a social code that teaches us how to drive. The way we do it afterward will answer to our discernment. However, there are guidelines that we cannot ignore if we want to keep ourselves and other people safe. Driving lessons are something we do individually (Aries) so that we can act harmoniously in society (Libra and the last eclipse in this axis).
Have a good week, and don't forget to adjust your rear-view mirrors; after all, we still have 2 personal planets in retrograde!
Have a great week!
Sandra (SØPHIA)
If you’d like to support my work
This newsletter is a labor of love that I pour my heart and dedication into. If you'd like to support what I do, there are several ways to do so—I’d be truly grateful!
🔮 Book a:
Tarot/Astarot reading;
Monthly horoscope;
Monthly taroscope;
Monthly astaroscope.
with me! Send me an email: sophia.astarot@gmail.com.
☕ Buy me a coffee (or as many as you’d like).
If you know someone who might be interested in my work or my insights, feel free to share my links. Thank you!
Sandra (SØPHIA)