The artist this week is Katherine Bradford @kathebradford.  Bradford is a contemporary painter that combines story with abstraction.  Her color palate is, well, very color-full.   Her figures usually have no facial features but convey a story with “simple” gestures, a hand on the back, or arms crossed. There is a whimsy and a vulnerability to her work. Her painting style though seemingly childlike creates the contextual dichotomy of the human experience.  With her loose style she allows our own story to the interpretation.   Is the wave crashing over the people or are they enjoying the ocean?    She nudges the viewer to not focus on the hyper-realism of life but the feeling of a moment.

Bradford’s work reminds me of summer.  Summer has associated with it the characteristic of fun and enjoyment: pool- side antics, the beach, fireflies, warm nights…  Along with these joyful details, there are sunburns, indigestion, vacation travel, mosquitos, etc…  But the amazing thing about this season when we reminisce about it, we do so through an abstracted lens of pleasure that comes from the interactions of friends, family, food, and fauna.  So, though the details of life are important, it’s abstraction which often allows more context and pleasure.

Your pondering for the week:  What would happen if we focused on the feeling we want out of life more than the exacting details? Generalize instead of Specify.

Solar System Highlights

The Moon starts in Virgo helping us to get organized.  On Tuesday it moves into Libra, so balance and relationships get highlighted.  And for the weekend the Moon is in Scorpio great for enjoying your passions.  Mercury moves into Cancerian waters on Wednesday.  Reconnect with whomever is your mother figure and verbal support the woman in your life.  Venus (beauty and harmony) is in Gemini (communication and knowledge).  Interesting that the divine feminine is in the headlines.  Ladies tell your stories.  Mars (action) moves into Taurus on Wednesday.  So, fiery action goes from confrontation and speed to a saner, slower, and steadier pace.  Jupiter is in Aries until October 28^th.  It influences action and expansion over the summer months.  And lastly, Saturn remains in Aquarius for all of 2022 – so innovating and upping your game is its focus.

P.S. Signs with an * it is a big week for you.  Cancer this is a perfect time to get an Astrological Tarot Reading for your coming year.  And Capricorn it is your halfway mark for your birth year, so if you need a Planetary Reading for a check-in, now is the time.

May light be on you, around you, and within you,

Nina

Aries

*High Priestess – The Muse of Purpose comes when it is time to solidify your reason for being. This week you will receive messages from the Universe to help guide you.  They come in the form of synchronicities and out of the blue gifts.  This Muse is asking you to step into your talents/superpowers and show the world how amazing you are.

Taurus

*Hermit – The Muse of Hermitage is asking you to step back from your daily life and look at your placement within your timeline and the World’s.    This is a week to gain perspective into why you are doing things.  And then tweaking how you are doing them so that you can shine your light with more ease and focus.  The challenge is figuring out how you will show up when you re-enter society.

Gemini

Page of Coins – This week learning a new skill or understanding is vital for creating ease.  The Muse of the Student is advising keeping your ears and mind open for insights.   You may find that a plethora of teachers and mentors show up for you this week.  The challenge is more listening and learning, less talking.

Cancerian

Ten of Coins – Holy Moly, the Muse of Abundance has returned for a double dip into this energy for your coming year. Another aspect of this energy is that this year is the last chapter in this cycle.  This is a year to savor in all it’s delights and heal from all it’s hardships.  This is the chapter where you tie up lose ends and yes you can create a twist to this ending.  But remember like a good book you want to be satisfied with the conclusion as well as be excited about the sequel.

 

Leo

Eight of Swords – The Muse of Bondage is here just weeks before your new birth year.  So Leonian now is the time to let go of what is holding you back.   Is it time to simplify your life?  Are you not doing something that your soul needs to do?  Are you holding onto thought patterns that were put there in your youth?   Find the key to your release and use it.

Virgo

Six of Coins – The Muse of Mini Karma comes when you need to watch your p’s and q’s.  Yes, people will piss you off this week, but it is up to you to stop the cycle of bias, anger and possible hate.  Small kindnesses are needed from you right now.  The challenge is that love does win but the road to recovery is not linear or direct.

 

Libra

*Moon – The Muse of the Subconscious is trying to tell you something to create more ease.  So, this week have paper and pencil by your bed for any information from dreamland.  Also, right before bed, you can ask for guidance from this Muse, and she will provide insight.  The challenge is that many of these downloads can take some time to decipher, so keep asking if you need clarification.

Scorpio

Ten of Wands – The Muse of Obligation is here to help you take off some of your priorities, so the more important ones get proper attention.  She requires that you prioritize what you need to do first.  Her advice how is to put it in order of your obligations and take off the ones that others are asking you to do but are not caring their own weight.  Motto: Oxygen mask on you first.

Sagittarius

Six of Wands – The Muse of Good Times is here to help you celebrate.  You have accomplished a new milestone whether you see it or not. Heck, in these times being alive is one.  But seriously take time this week to have some fun.  You need to take the respite when you can get them.

Capricorn

King of Coins – The Muse of Physical World has come to plant you firmly in it.  She advises to assess your physical plane.  What needs fixing?  Optimizing?  What needs to be done that will create a cleaner, easier, or possible lesser carbon footprint?  This is the week to make your corner of the world a better place to live.

 

Aquarius

Queen of Cups – The Muse of Fun has come to liven up your life.  She shows up when your spark for life is sputtering.  This energy is wanting you to re-ignite that life is not just work and troubles, but it also sunsets, beverages, games, and physical intimacy.  Find your Joy and partake.

Pisces

*Hanged One – The Muse of Inertia comes when timing becomes extremely important in creating ease.  You might have a lot of roadblocks or things just missing their marks.  That is actually okay.   This Muse advises you to slow down, meditate and reflect more than do.  Take your moments of stillness and use them to hone your awareness.  To be in your body when it is not in motion, so you can also be in it when you start moving again.

This week’s artist is Amrita Sher-Gil.  She is considered one of the pioneers of modern Indian art.  She cut her teeth on doing portraits from the age of 16 to 21 in Paris.  But Sher-Gil “began to be haunted by an intense longing to return to India feeling in some strange way that there lay her destiny as a painter.”  On her return to India she flourishes, and her new style begins to emerge.  She spent time experimenting with the painting style of Indian miniature painters and cave paintings, while mashing that with the Primitivism of Gauguin’s work and the chiaroscuro technique favored by renaissance painters she studied in Paris.   Though being voted as an Associate of the Grand Salon in Paris, the youngest and only Asian to receive this recognition, she was passed over for her male counterparts most of her working career.

During her short life of 28 years, she created 172 paintings which many modern Indian painters point to her as their inspiration.  And today Sher-Gil’s legacy is so distinguished that the Indian museums and institutions let few of her work outside of India.  Though it is understandable to retain cultural artifacts and works of art, we need more museums exchanges, more art on loan to expand our understanding and awe of the human experience.

Your pondering: How many cultures outside of your own do you know anything about?  What if this week you researched a unknown culture, past or present, and unearth it gifts?  How would that knowledge expand your own style?

Solar System Highlights

The Moon starts in chatty Gemini, perfect for finding common ground and talking through any conflict in your relationships.  Then June 1^st it switches to Cancer where self-care is the focus.  Until the moon turns to Leo on Friday – a weekend vibe for sun and fun.    Mercury is in Taurus and retrograde until the 3^rd so reviewing, reflecting, and revising are advised.  After that it is time to start moving forward with or starting new projects.

Venus (beauty and harmony) is in Taurus one of its favorite places. And Mars (action) is in Aries where it loves to hang to provide momentum.  However, when it comes to relationships these two put out a stubborn vibe.  Hence, we are back to challenges in our relationships, though this helps us learn the skill of compromise.  Jupiter is in Aries until October 28^th.  It influences action and expansion over the summer months.  And lastly, Saturn remains in Aquarius for all of 2022 – so innovating and upping your game is its focus.

 

P.S. Signs with an * it is a big week for you.  Gemini this is a perfect time to get an Astrological Tarot Reading for your coming year.  And Sagittarius it is your halfway mark for your birth year, so if you need a Planetary Reading for a check-in, now is the time.

May light be on you, around you, and within you,

Nina

 

 

Aries

Ace of Swords – New ways of thinking are need this week.  The Muse of Intellect comes to challenge you to think in a new way.  This can be as simple as looking at a problem from a different perspective or as hard as re-wiring your mind.  Starting with the facts is always a good foundation for this task.

 

Taurus

Queen of Coins – The Muse of Sensuality has come to have you re-engage with all your senses.  She would like you to work on consciously partaking in all five of your sense each day.  Deeply listen to a song, linger when you kiss your partner or be completely present when eating one raisin.   This muse challenges you to deep dive into each sense so you can ground yourself in the abundance of your daily life.

 

Gemini

Six of Coins – Your second Muse of the year is the Muse of Karmic Kindness.  This is a year where each good deed you do comes back to you in three-fold.  However, the interesting aspect is the reciprocation is never linear.  So, for example, you open the door for a person on Tuesday and three weeks later someone else takes you out for lunch. But you need to be aware that negative actions also have that effect.  Your song for this year:  Be Nice.

 

Cancerian

*Emperor – The Muse of Formation is here to help you build a better kingdom for yourself and the ones you love.  Look around.  What needs fixing?  Investing in?  Do you need to build your business or a project?  Plan this week how to manifest this expansion while Mercury is still retrograde, then you can start building it as early as this weekend.

 

Leo

King of Swords – Last week you were meant to pause and rework how you are doing things.  This energy continues with the Muse of Plans.  This Muse would like you to do some longer-term planning, balance your checkbooks, re-prioritize your to-do list, strategize so you are working smarter not harder, etc…  This Muse works perfectly with this last week of Mercury’s retrograde.  Use it wisely, for work will start to pick up during the summer months, and if you aren’t ready the beginning can be bumpy.

 

Virgo

King of Wands – The Muse of Opportunities of last week has passed the baton to the Muse of Vibrancy.  This week presents opportunities where you can shine.  She asks what do you want to represent or express?  In your humanning what do you want to be known for?  This week make your stamp on the world.

 

Libra

Two of Swords – The Muse of Choices is nudging you to choose.  Not that every decision you make this week will determine your future, but you need to see the importance of your daily choices.   That they in summation lead you to bigger choices.  So, make sure your little decisions stand for what you believe in as much as the big ones.

 

Scorpio

Hanged One – The Muse of Suspension comes to slow you down.  It puts blockades up in places where you need to take more thought before you move forward.  This aligns with Mercury in retrograde and its spotlight on reflect, review, revise.  Use your downtime wisely this week.  When in a holding pattern stay with the silence and try not to grab your phone to fill the time.

 

Sagittarius

*High Priestess – The Muse of Higher Calling is parting the veil to your spiritual purpose this week.  Look for synchronies and things that inspire you for hidden messages and inspirational pathways.  You are being asked to level-up and this week holds ways for you to do it.

 

Capricorn

*Devil – This week the Muse of the Untamed is visiting.   She challenges you with distractions and misdirection.  Her motive is to test you to stand up for yourself and your principles in a whirlwind of the wild.  Luckily, she only shows up after you have done all your learning and you now have the skills to do what needs to be done. So, your only challenge is to yes to what is true for you and no to what isn’t.

 

Aquarius

Four of Coins – The Muse of Conservation is here to help you be more conscious on where and what you are spend your time, space, energy, and money on.  It is not so much that resources are super tight, but you do need to bank your energy this week for you will need it soon.  So, save when you can and if you must spend your resources do so wisely.

 

Pisces

Nine of Pentacles – The Muse of Place comes to help you bask in your choices.  You have worked hard to get to this spot and have done well.  Take a moment this week and enjoy what you have created for yourself.   Be in this moment of self-created worth.

 

 

Happy Birthday Gemini!

This week’s artist is Fidelia Bridges.  From the 1860’s to the early 1920’s, Bridges did what few female artists could do, she made a living with her artwork.  Though Bridges started with oil painting she became famous for her detailed watercolors of flowers, plants, and birds in their natural settings.  She was the first woman invited to join the American Watercolor Society.  To make ends meet she nannied, illustrated many books and designed Christmas cards.  The viewer can see the pre-Raphaelite and Japanese woodblock influences of Hiroshige in the overall aesthetic of her paintings.  The subject and landscape are often romanticized and the colors delicately balanced.  But what made her outstanding is her attention to detail.  For example, the fluffy down-feathers in a bird’s nest, the complexity and color of the golden rod plant, or the wind-swept grass of a field.  Bridges perspective of noticing the nuances in nature and then duplicating it, begs us to join her “en plier air”.  To take a day and picnic in a field, to watch butterflies dance from one flower to the next, to lie in the grass and feel the last of spring’s breezes.

Your pondering for the week: How do you celebrate spring?

Solar System Highlights

The Moon starts in dreamy Pisces, so it may be hard to get things going until Tuesday when it moves into Aries (action).  By the weekend, the moon goes into Taurus – great for family and friend fun.   Mercury is retrograded back into Taurus, so where Gemini was about thought and ideas Taurus is about reviewing, reflecting, and revising action steps until June 3^rd.  If you must start a project or have a deep conversation, remember patience is key during this time.

Venus (beauty and harmony) is in Aries (action and chaos).   Mars (action) is also moving into Aries where it loves to hang and get things going, but I would wait until Mercury is out of retrograde to hit the gas.  However, we do have this lovely week where Venus and Mars celebrate and nurture the beauty in our relationships.  Use it wisely for next week we are back to challenges in our relationships.  Jupiter is in Aries until October 28^th.  So, it is all action and expansion over the summer months.  And lastly, Saturn remains in Aquarius for all of 2022 – so innovating and upping your game is the focus for this year.

P.S. Signs with an * it is a big week for you.  Gemini this is a perfect time to get an Astrological Tarot Reading for your coming year.  And Sagittarius it is your halfway mark for your birth year, so if you need a Planetary Reading for a check-in, now is the time.

 

May light be on you, around you, and within you,

Nina

 

 

Aries

*Tower – Chaos ensues from outside sources this week.  This energy shows up to reveal the fault lines in any situation.  The challenge, she is one of the few Muses you shouldn’t walk away from.  She requires that you take note where your foundation is cracked and then fix it.   If you don’t take action she will return and blow the house down.  This week’s story line narrates much like the Three Little Pigs.

 

Taurus

*Chariot – The Muse of Momentum rolls up with a vehicle and a full tank of gas, but it is up to you to provide the road map.  Yes, it is all on your shoulders to get anything moving forward this week.  Make sure you have a destination and the steps to get there mapped out, or this exuberant energy will have you driving in circles.

 

Gemini

Three of Coins – The first Muse to arrive this birth year is the Muse of Collaboration.  She advises to not do this year in solitude.  People are vital to broadening your perspective and adding skill sets that you will need to create ease in your life. The more you work in partnership the more you grow.  Your motto:  Two minds are better than one, but three minds break a tie.

 

Cancerian

*Strength – The Muse of Inner Strength calls on you to work on your core muscles as well as your core values.  Reflect and revise what you stand for.  Prioritize your principles.  You maybe called on to stand up for or protect someone or yourself.  Can you do it with integrity?

 

Leo

*Hanged One – The Muse of Pause challenges you this week by slow down or stopping aspects around you.  This Muse comes when you are not in sync with yourself and/or the universal flow.  We are in a Mercury retrograde a natural time to slow down and look inward, rework our plans, and listen more than talk.  Are you pushing ahead against a current?  Is something looping repeatedly.  Stop and take a moment and see what needs to be revised before barreling forward again.  Take note: Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expected different results – Albert Einstein

 

Virgo

*World – The Muse of Opportunities is knocking.  This week holds a plethora of new experiences as well as ways to tie up lose ends.  The challenge is you will need to leave the comforts of your inner space to collect on them.  If you are an introvert this can be a challenging week because you are asked to be “on” for it most of it.  If you are an extrovert this week is made for you. Either way, open the door and go outside to play.

 

Libra

Queen of Coins – The Muse of Sensuality is enticing you to partake in your five senses this week. She advises to eat comfort food, wear satins, silks, or cashmere, listening to good music, go to a bakery or flower shop and take in the scents, and lastly sit through some sunsets or sunrises.  Life is here to enjoy, so please partake.

 

Scorpio

Seven of Coins – The Muse of Labor has come to get you into your flow.   When you are in the moment time flies by, your efficiency goes up, and your work-pile decreases.  You feel a sense of satisfaction.  This Muse asks you to fine tune the aspects that allow you to get into this state of being.  Do you put earbuds in?  Is quiet what you need?  Or working with partner easier?  Find what works and protect your requirements so you can have a productive week with ease.

 

Sagittarius

Ten of Coins – The Muse of Material Completion has come to help you tie up lose ends.  This is not a week to start something new, but a week to clear off your desk and mark off old items on your to-do list. The more you finish up the more space you will have to not only relax in but when Mercury turns direct also allow new things in.

 

Capricorn

*Emperor – Last week the Muse of Momentum arrived to get a project started.  This week the Muse of Building lends a helping hand to continue in your quest of expanding your empire.  Where most signs heed this Mercury retrograde break, you all are plowing ahead.  The only challenge with thwarting the cosmos is burn-out.  So, if you must keep going, remember every employer is required to give their workers 2 rest breaks and a lunch break in every 8-hour day.  And if you are forward thinking – how about implementing a four-day work week?

 

Aquarius

Five of Swords – The energy this week has a chaotic component to it.  Your challenge is not to blow by it and think it has nothing to do with you, or when engaging with it damage the situation even more.   Sensitivity and sympathy are needed to traverse this tumultuous week. By being present you will gain recognition for your actions as well as grease the squeaky wheels.

 

Pisces

*Lovers – The Muse of Relationships is testing yours.   There is this tiny window between Monday and Friday that you can take advantage of healing aspects of your relationships.  The challenge is that you will need to be vulnerable to create intimacy, and it will take work that might take more time than you are given.  But by taking the first step this week you will create more ease in the long run.