Do you ever feel like you’re caught in a hamster wheel? I’m not talking about the ‘rat race’ of mundane life but about how us metaphysically minded folk often just copy what people with more followers on their social media accounts do. Right now, I feel in total overwhelm (and I intend to write myself out of it). Should I blog about the upcoming Lion’s Gate (even though it’s in Cancer Season according to True Sidereal Astrology), or about the upcoming New Moon (definitely NOT in Leo, in spite of popular opinion).
Jump to the Retrograde Season Tarot Spread
Perhaps I should be talking about Lammas/Lughnasa instead? You are welcome to click on any of those links from previous years if that’s why you are here.
As for me, I’m feeling none of the above. So I’m listening to my heart. What I am feeling is an acute need to slow down. And yes, there is a celestial reason for that too. We are entering Mercury retrograde on Monday 5 August. This means we are already in pre-shadow and will soon be joining Saturn, Neptune, Pluto, the North Node and Chiron in retrograde motion.
Stop The Hamster Wheel!
But in general, I also feel a need to slow down because of what is happening in the world as well as internally. The political circus is ramping up across the pond and all I see when I look at that is crazed monkeys hanging off the swings and roundabouts. How can Joe Public not see that both parties are different-coloured wings on the same beast? The same is true here in the UK, of course but at least our circus is over for now.
And how can people keep posting pictures of ‘pretty’ rainbows in the clouds without questioning where they come from? But then, why would they when they believe the criss-cross clouds that gave birth to those rainbows are natural? Perhaps it’s the chemicals that are raining down on us that are dumbing everyone down, blinding us to the real agenda. Or maybe it’s that many are full of experimental medication that the big pharma-sponsored ‘experts’ were pushing four years ago. Who knows?
After the Hamster Wheel
It’s all well and good stepping on the brakes and getting off the hamster wheel… but then what? Hopefully, something deeper and more meaningful. What is the New Age hamster wheel but a long string of distractions that keep us cycling and surfing the shallows of spirituality? We get off when realise that buying another Tarot deck or crystal isn’t going to complete us. Perhaps we’ve had enough after the umpteenth ‘cosmic portal’ or Super Full Moon doesn’t deliver what the YouTube psychic promised.
Then we face another awakening, another reconnection… but first we face another death. The word religion comes from the Latin religiare which means ‘to bind/connect.’ Many who leave the shallows of New Age spirituality do so in favour of religion. I should know because I tried that too. Sadly, in most cases religion fails to reconnect us to the depth within which is where our thirsty soul is hoping we will go next. It is only in our own hearts that the soul can reconnect with Spirit.
But, because we have been so condition to look outside ourselves for solutions, no matter what path we are on, it usually takes some kind of existential crisis or Dark Night of the Soul for us to look in the right direction. Often it means being stripped completely naked, losing even our sense of identity (ego death), along with all the stuff we used to prop that identity up. Very few strip voluntarily. It took Spirit two religious trauma episodes to clear enough layers off for me to voluntarily jettison the final veil. By then, I realised that resistance was futile. I had nothing more to lose.
Not Immune to the Pull of the Spiritual Hamster Wheel
But even after all the trauma, deconstruction, reconstruction and finding my true soul path, I’m still not immune to the pull of the spiritual hamster wheel. Everybody else is on it. If I share from the heart and it has nothing to do with the next lunar phase or Mercury Rx, will anybody listen? My heart informs me, that’s the wrong question. If I don’t share what’s on my heart, nobody else will either. And it doesn’t matter if what I have to say is less popular than what X with 200,000 Insta followers is saying. It only matters that I speak my truth. Because in the end, it’s between me and God/Spirit.
Go Deeper or Die
How I feel right now can be summarised with, ‘Go deeper or die.’ I don’t wish to keep a public persona or even my livelihood ticking along just for the sake of it. Not if the cost is going to be the immortal part of me. And it is. My soul is thirsting unto death. I know I’m not the only one who is feeling this so acutely. Many are waking up and craving greater authenticity as well as greater levels of true connection.
In that sense, AI truly is doing us a favour. Because at this stage, we can all clearly see the same rehashed AI pap floating around everywhere, disconnecting us from each other and our own souls. AI and the algorithm are in their honeymoon phase, directing everyone to one centralised hamster wheel. The more my soul discerns this, the more I want to scream and run in the other direction. I came here to be a rebel, not to be sucked in. It’s time for me to put my big girl boots on and raise my fist in the air. I think I just did by putting these thoughts into words.
My create freedom is everything to me because it’s the only thing that Spirit can use. Paraphrasing lightly:
“You cannot serve both Spirit and AI.”
~Yeshua (Matthew 6:24)
The Retrograde Season Tarot Spread
This spread can help you slow down, reflect, and reconnect with your soul and Spirit. Use it during the Rx Season or whenever you feel the need to slow down.
- The Hamster Wheel: What is currently keeping me in a state of constant motion?
- This card represents the energy or activity that is causing you to feel like you’re on a hamster wheel.
- The Overwhelm: What is adding to my sense of overwhelm?
- This card illustrates what is contributing to your feelings of being overwhelmed and how it’s affecting your life.
- The Heart’s Whisper: What is my heart trying to tell me right now?
- This card reflects the message from your heart that you need to hear to start the process of slowing down and reconnecting within.
- Retrograde Season Message: How is the current celestial energy affecting me?
- This card sheds light on the area of your life most affected by the current retrograde season.
- The Internal Block: What is preventing me from connecting deeply with Spirit?
- This card highlights the internal blockages or resistance that you need to address to deepen your spiritual connection.
- The First Step: What should I focus on to begin my journey inward?
- This card offers guidance on the first action or mindset shift you should embrace to start reconnecting with your true self.
- The Deep Connection: What awaits me after I step off the hamster wheel?
- This card shows the deeper, more meaningful connection or realisation that you will achieve once you’ve successfully slowed down and listened to your inner guidance.
Take your time to meditate on each card’s message, allowing the insights to sink in deeply.
A Retrograde Season Sample Tarot Reading
The Retrograde Season Tarot Spread Sample Reading
1. The Hamster Wheel – 5 of Swords/Feathers
The 5 of Swords signifies conflict, tension, and discord. This card represents the energy or activity that’s causing you to feel like you’re on a hamster wheel. It indicates that you might be caught in a cycle of conflict or competition, perhaps trying to win or prove yourself at any cost. This tension keeps you in constant motion without progress.
2. The Overwhelm – Page of Pentacles/Grains
The Page of Pentacles is a card of new beginnings, opportunities, and earthly responsibilities. Here, it illustrates what is contributing to your feelings of being overwhelmed. You could be starting things that you are not able to complete. Are you trying to manage too many responsibilities at once? It’s time to focus on what truly matters and let the rest fall by the wayside.
3. The Heart’s Whisper – The Devil
The Devil card reflects the message from your heart that you need to hear to start the process of slowing down and reconnecting within. It may indicate that you are currently feeling trapped or bound by unhealthy attachments or behaviors. Your heart yearns for liberation.
4. Retrograde Season Message – The Emperor
The Emperor sheds light on the area of your life most affected by the current retrograde season. This card represents authority, structure, and control. During this period, you are likely to notice a need to reassess how you establish order and authority in your life. It’s all about what you prioritise and the daily habits you establish on the basis of those priorities.
5. The Internal Block – Page of Swords/Feathers
The Page of Swords highlights the internal blockages or resistance you need to address to deepen your spiritual connection. This card suggests that your own monkey mind and its constant doubts/cynicism are preventing you from connecting deeply with Spirit. You need to find a way of quietening the ego-mind.
6. The First Step – Queen of Pentacles/Grains
The Queen of Pentacles offers guidance on the first action or mindset shift you should embrace to start reconnecting with your true self. This card encourages you to cultivate a nurturing, practical approach towards yourself and your surroundings. Focus on self-care and creating a stable environment.
7. The Deep Connection – 2 of Pentacles/Grains
The 2 of Pentacles shows the deeper, more meaningful connection or realisation that you will achieve once you’ve successfully slowed down and listened to your inner guidance. This card represents balance, adaptability, and prioritising what truly matters. It suggests that you will find a harmonious rhythm that allows you to flow with Spirit in a more embodied and authentic way.
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