A Collective Tarot Reading for the April Full Moon

This Friday, April 19th, we have our only April Full Moon. Occurring on Good Friday, and a day before Passover, this Moon reminds us of our ancient ways. We would honor the full moons by gathering, by celebrating, by coming together to honor the celestial. Of course, many of us still do—we come together with our covens, or with a dear friend or two to witness one another’s growth, and to share our connectivity.

I’ve pulled some tarot cards for us to reflect on at this time. Take what you need and leave the rest.

Where we are now: Queen of Wands
Where we must go: Queen of Pentacles
A way through: 4 of Swords
What will help us: 6 of Swords
A message from spirit: 8 of Swords
Our evolution/ message from the Moon: The High Priestess

Deck used is the Small Spells Tarot by Rachel Howe.

It can be hard to stand in-between the gates of longing and embodiment. It can be tricky to go from the promise of an expectation to the minutes and hours of sitting with the actual reality of what it might take to fulfill our actual needs. It isn’t a lie when folks say that the hardest part is getting out of your own way. But it is what we must do to turn important corners resolutely in our own travels.

We start off in a Queen of Wands zone. This pertains to our passions, our joys, our partnerships. The fire Queen, the last vestiges of Aries season are where we begin. She shows us that we are learning lessons about action, and about how we must instigate inspirations externally. Maybe she's whispering to you about where you've been working too hard, and where there can be more ease. Where we must go is into the realm of the Queen of Pentacles—and of course, we are about to enter Taurus season— that of the earth, of nature. She is the earth Queen: we are traversing into form, space, time, tangibility. When we take the passionate impulses of the Queen of Wands and merge them with the solid wisdom of the Queen of Pentacles, we can get what we need without sacrificing our well-being.

How can you make yourself the bridge between desire and behavior? Between your inspirations, and the tangible forms that those sparks need to move into, in order to take yourself far? How will you continue to take care of yourself? In what ways must your growth be a sustainable expression of the fire inside you?

Our culture tells us that growth must only look a certain type of way. That it is quantity over quality. That we are to go viral, immediately. We are to become a hologram for others to project their pain and their dreams onto. There is the pressure to perform, to be what we think others want us to be. These two Queens showing up, with the 4 of Swords between them, form an interesting path to abundance. This is an ask to rest. Slow down. Receive as much as you give. Give as much as you are receiving. 

When in doubt, pray. Nap. Ask for help. When in conflict, pick neutrality over pain. And then, pick peace over neutrality.

This full moon might be asking you what mindsets you are needing to leave behind. All of the minors in this spread are swords—the suit of air. This is the realm of communication, our beliefs, our mindsets, our nervous system. This is the realm of truth, of clarity, of logic and of knowing. The answers may come through on the wind, via songs, by reading, by writing. Your process may be helped by communicating, with dialogue. This could be with others, or with the different parts of yourself that are attempting to integrate at this time.

A lot of us have been sitting on the fence for far too long, afraid to commit to the future, worried to drop the anvil of self-doubt. We could be grappling with knowing that we must no longer listen to the familiar lies we’ve come to believe about our lack of ability. If this is where you are right now, know that is ok. If you have to make a decision about changing how you’ve been talking to yourself, about how you view yourself, make that decision be all about the truth of how beautiful you are. If you have to make a decision about leaving a part of yourself, or your past dreams behind, make that decision in service of your future self, your upcoming dreams. It could be time to try to trust. In self. In others.

There are endless versions of ourselves awaiting us.
This is absolutely something to be inspired by. 

Another part of a hesitation around moving forward could be, in part, what your intuition is telling you at this time. Intuition doesn’t always tell us truths that are soothing. There could be some real intuitive messages at this full moon around what must be left behind, or creating boundaries around who or what is no longer serving you at this time.

Listen to your intuition.

There is the aspect of grief that any big shift inevitably coaxes out of us. When we decide to move on, to move forward, a well of sorrow may bubble up. Know that this may be part of your process. It might help you to actually schedule time for grieving into your life, consciously knowing it may have to be dealt with after you start making healthier decisions.

Grief is both an inevitability and a gateway. This marks different thresholds as we encounter them. As we climb, as we attain, we can be reminded sharply of certain losses. Our success can bring on a nostalgic sadness. If it is not used as a talisman of our fierce love it can become a hungry phantom limb that threatens to keep us trapped. Deal with whatever pain is coming up now. There is an opportunity of overcoming some old stories now. Decide which ones are to be placed in the recycle bin, or burned as an offering.

Trust yourself to make the right decision. We go back to the Queens, and we start to look towards the High Priestess. These archetypes altogether create a triad of embodied intuition. Let the quiet knowing of the High Priestess travel through your body. Let the quietude give your more messages about your healing. This could be one part how you communicate with yourself. It could be one part allowing the language of your body, of your ancient wordless wisdom take over and guide your mind into more constructive thought forms.

In many ways, this is a reading about growth that might not look like growth because it is different. It could be more internal, first. 8 of Swords—the card that is the placement of a message from spirit—wants us to write our new truths and stick to them. There might have to be some cord cutting at this full moon, and in the next month. Many of us have learned to base our worth by plugging into others, by relying on the external. The 8 of Swords wants us to plug back into ourselves. Where do you get your energy from? Spirit wants you to be the source above all else. What are the practices and tools that help you recharge, replenish, and transform? The biggest gift you can give yourself at this time is a healthy mindset shift and a practice of coming home.

And so, we come to the final message of this reading, the message of the highest evolution for us all. That of course, is that of the High Priestess. What’s up for healing is our power. Our intuition. Our sovereignty.

True evolution at this time isn’t toggling back and forth in-between the darkness and the light, our subconscious and our consciousness. It is being able to stand in both. It is about being able to swim into the great beyond of where we’ve been while also knowing that we are own lantern into the future. It is being able to see how our darkness is our light, and how our light is our magic. It is being able to embody both practicality and passion. It is about being able to name and claim, for ourselves and ourselves only, what part of our process we are in, and why it is important for our growth.  It is being able to act out of a place of pleasurable confidence, knowing our worth completely.

It isn’t enough to grow in the same, safe ways. We must be brave enough to grow out. We must be strong enough to root down into the commitment and devotion of self. We must be vulnerable enough to intertwine our roots with others. To entangle our personal desires for greater humanity, for the future, for the earth. Growing our roots all the way down, into the rich brown earth, into the center of ourselves. So that one day, eventually, these deep roots might touch base with the molten core that is the source of all. Rising up through the ancient wisdom that we know, we have, and we have been holding onto all along.

Happy Full Moon!

Sending you love and blessings,

Sarah