Your Week Ahead: January 8 to 14, 2023 – In The Balance Of Change

There are powerful energies afoot this week, it is very clear. There will definitely be movement and dynamic insights. Mars is slowing down and turning direct on Thursday which will give a sensation of release and of action. With many people returning to work after the holidays, we are back in the day to day interactions with both others and our intentions. Let’s look at things more closely so that we have more information to work with.

For those new to my weekly readings, the three cards selected represent the week ahead divided into equal thirds more or less. They most often show a path or story that we can follow. However, they can also be interpreted as one block of thought. If we move in a linear fashion, the first approach is most logical and accessible. Seeing things from a higher perspective, the latter view can help us take a more metaphysical look.

With the Death card opening up the reading, we are in a state of emergence. Within this process is the acute awareness that we are in between two things: what we are leaving behind and what is coming to life. This transition evokes a response that is usually emotional because of our attachment to that element that is no longer providing us with what we need.

As with all things in nature that are no longer life giving, energy leaves it and our relationship to it, leaving it to decay and to be shed from us like an old skin. We are then left with a space, a gulf or chasm, that is filled with this emerging (and sometimes unknown) quality. We have not yet become the butterfly; we are slowly identifying the form we are taking. That is the gift of Death: that we are eternally changing and evolving, rising and reemerging in new energetic, even epigenetic forms.

The quickest way to receive these gifts is through non-attachment to the past. We may enter this week feeling as if we’ve outgrown something or someone. It can be a realization that our environment has changed and that we aren’t quite sure of our future or our footing. This is fine because the “death” process cannot be rushed. We can’t tell the snake, “oh c’mon, hurry up already and shed that skin, I can’t stand here all day!”

This might be how we feel as the quality of the Knight of Swords enters the stage. There are two aspects with this card that are evident here. Firstly, we may feel a wonderful surge of clarity and vitality as we emerge from our chrysalis. With the knight flying so freely on his horse, we will be physically energized and our awareness heightened.

Secondly, we may need to watch out for reckless behaviour that is not thoughtful or kind. This kind of reaction only highlights the insecurities of the knight, particularly in this reading by feeling dragged back to the past, pulled back to what has died, and to what he saught to liberate himself from. To overcompensate for his impatience, he will overstate his case as if threatened by the illusion that the status quo remains, and usher in The Tower. This is the shadow of Mars.

This knight infuses us with clarity and action. There is no need to filter ourselves and the movement we feel. However, we must harness it. If we do not take hold of the reins, those lightning bolts will cascade into a highly reactive and destructive situation.

With Mars stationing direct, we might be very much in contact with aggressive energy. Mars fights on long past the point he’s already won. With the Knight of Swords next to The Tower, we see the potential for overkill. Be very aware of this and know that something done once is sufficient. Understanding this energy means to understand the consequences of action and to see things long past this current moment.

If Death is saying, “you are already changing”, while the knight is saying “it’s not enough”, we get an acceleration. If something needs extra force, it could come through now. We are definitely being prepared for it. The key to finding balance will be in the manner with which the Knight of Swords handles himself, channels his newfound energy, and decides what his focus will be.

It may also be helpful in knowing that many others may be going through their own private experiences and their own tensions. Staying productive means to keep the energy flowing in a nurturing way. This promotes solutions and connection, and reintegration.

While The Tower can be a concerning time, its basic message is that new energy is shifting our landscape and that this change is serving us tremendously. Many things in our lives become so structured and set in patterns that we often get stuck in situations that need to progress. Energy that is directly linked to our deep unconscious is seeking to be released. If we ignore it or become oblivious to signs and tremors, the eruption will be more disruptive.

So, the Knight of Swords will introduce a new awakening, some new initiatory impulses, and ideas about how to move forward. Go gently and work with others; you are only responsible for yourself. Stay productive and creative. If you watch your actions, you inspire change and growth. If you come on too strong, you could overwhelm others and cause a breakdown.

Staying on the positively powerful and enlightening aspects of The Tower, you have the potential to move past a quantum, even physical barrier that will allow a totally new experience to manifest and blossom. On the path of The Fool, the journey doesn’t end at card #16. The Sun rising in the background lets us know that that radiance and warmth is just around the corner. This week could be very dynamic and a little will go a long way. Be helpful and communicate in a way that invites others to be themselves. That’s the world we need right now, and the leader that we need you to be.

Affirmation: I pause to take in this moment where I feel myself transforming into my beautiful new Self. I know that a process of change takes time. As a new space is slowly created, I take my first steps gradually and with care. The new air brings freshness and vitality, and I feel powerfully connected to a shifting landscape that is bringing to me all that I desire and more. I am centred within change. All is well.

Thanks for reading, and I wish you a wonderful week!

Daniel Palmo

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