Tag Archives: women artists

Tarot and Art Forecast for Week of April 25, 2021

Pan YuLiang
Pan YuLiang

Planets:  There is a Full Moon in Scorpio tomorrow which lights up our shadow side and since it squares off with Saturn and Uranus things can get harsh.  So, the next couple of days pull back, stay calm and work on yourself.  Also, Mars just went into Cancer.  That is not its favorite position, fire versus water, so things can get sensitive, but it is great configuration for anything that has to do with sprucing up your home, hanging out with family, or self-care.

This week’s artist is Pan YuLiang (Pan YuLin).  Pan was one of the first woman artists in China to paint in Western style.  However, until recently, her work was controversial for she painted or drew nudes instead of the traditional subjects for women at the time, florals, and still-life.  Often having to pose as her own model.  Even though she was appointed Dean of Western Art at the Shanghai Art Academy her nudes were often taken down at her shows in China. She permanently moved to Paris in late 1930’s and stayed until her death.   Posthumously, she is getting the notoriety due to her, not only in China but worldwide.

Pan’s paintings combine the traditional lines of Chinese ink drawings and the bold colors of Fauvism.  Her images much like Frida Kahlo’s show the strength and poetic gestures of women being woman.  Through art expressing the concepts of feminism, celebrating the strong female image without extinguishing our beauty.  She also worked in the disciplines of sculpture, watercolor and print making.  In each she pursued the adage Finding oneself through our forefathers, yet not forgetting oneself in the past.  So, I pose this pondering to you:  how do you use your past without getting tethered to it?

 

P.S. Signs with an * it is a big week for you.  Taurus this is a perfect time to get an Astrological Tarot Reading for your coming year.  And Scorpio 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
Pan YuLiang
Pan YuLiang

Three of Wands- This week planning and preparation are the forces to work with.  Spend Sunday looking at the steps that need to be done for a project in the future.  The rest of the week set about working setting up and gather the materials so those steps can begin.

 

Taurus
Pan YuLiang
Pan YuLiang

Two of Cups – The Muse of Relationships is here to help you work on intimacy in yours.  Take time this week to put energy into your close relationships.  The challenge is you must also ask for equity from your partners.  As you fill their cup so should they fill yours.

 

Gemini
Pan YuLiang
Pan YuLiang

Three of Cups – The Muse of Friendship is here to remind you that you need a solid hang with your friends.  Your emotional cup needs spilling and filling.  So, crying with grief or laughter is the prescription your heart requires, and only do it around those you can be vulnerable with.

 

Cancer
Pan YuLiang
Pan YuLiang

*Moon – Use this week’s full moon energy to its fullest.  Dive deep into your shadow self and lovingly cajole some of your monsters/protectors to vacate your subconscious or begin metamorphosing into champions of the light.  Remember, be kind to both yourself and them for neither of you like to be sternly confronted or pushed.

 

Leo
Pan YuLiang

Queen of Swords – The Muse of Details is here to help you.  By drilling down and focus on the details you can create enough energy to push through any inertia or apathy.  One metaphorical or literal exercise is to clean your sink, groat in your shower, or the edge of baseboards with a toothbrush.  Before you know it, you will bring out the bigger tools and clean the whole bathroom.   By attacking one small to-do, it will start the domino effect needed to help you gain momentum to do more.

 

Virgo
Pan YuLiang
Pan YuLiang

King of Swords – The Muse of Long-term planning is here. This week is best to deal wit looking at the big picture of the whys.  Take time to make sure what you are planning is still consistent with what you are wanting.  Then spend time planning the how and when before working on the who and what.

 

Libra
Pan YuLiang
Pan YuLiang

*Chariot – The Muse of Momentum has come to help.  The only problem she has the metaphorical gas but no car or plan.  That is up to you to find.  The best way to use this energy wisely is plot your course before you move, or you will be driving in circles all week.

 

Scorpio
Pan YuLiang

*Sun– The Muse of Optimism and Success is here to shine on all the wonderful things and opportunities that are awaiting you, if you are wanting them.  Life is on the path of getting a whole lot better, your work is to allow yourself to glow and grow.

 

Sagittarius
Pan YuLiang
Pan YuLiang

Three of Swords – The Muse this week reminds us with ever failure or loss comes a lesson, enhancing your resilience and sharpening your skills.  There are messages in your mistakes, sadness, or pain.  Do not turn away from these for there is a gem of truth and healing in each.

 

Capricorn
Pan YuLiang

Page of Wands– The Muse of Artistic Experimentation has come to break you out of some restraint or inertia.   Innovation is born out of trial and error.  Try new recipes, combine new mediums, color outside the lines.  The more you allow yourself the freedom to dabble with your mistakes the more you will revolutionize your paradigms.

 

Aquarius
Pan YuLiang

*Empress and Emperor– The Muse of Creation is here with her companion the Muse of Building.  So you can choose create things out of what seemingly is nothing or build on what is already there.  It is a great week to start projects or drill down or getting a project to the next level.  Either way this week is about using these energies for formation, moving forward and growing outward.

 

Pisces
Pan YuLiang

Death – This Muse is here to aid you in letting go of something to enable growth this week.  Something on your lists of to-dos or wants is no longer serving what the new you needs. So, reexamine your desires something is not working and needs to be chucked.  This release allows new things you cannot even fathom the space to flourish.

Tarot and Art Forecast for Week of March 14, 2021

Cecil Kemperink
Blue Rising Cecil Kemperink 50x40x40cm.

Happy Spring Equinox. The zodiac wheel completes another turn on Saturday March 20th.  The sun moves into Aries and all the planets are in direct motion until end of April so great time to get things done and started.  But remember relaxation should be part of your equation. The new norm is innovation that has us working smarter not harder.

This week’s artist is Cecil Kemperink @cecilkemperink.  One first comes to her work above as a minimalistic piece.  She uses one material clay and one shape a circle.  However, Kemperink then interlinks these clay circles and we begin to see how something as simple can become a complex “organism.”  That through connection these pieces can be reformed into a variety of shapes while emitting a soul-chorded sound.  We now see that this simple circle when linked to each other becomes more versatile, strong because of the connection.  Kemperink explains Motion is a key part of the expressiveness of my sculptures.  The movements show the importance of each circle of the object.  Every ring is essential and influences the other: because they are all connected.

Note:  this article will not do her pieces justice.  Please go to her Instagram page and watch not only her process but also the motion and sound of her pieces.

Your ponderings for the week:  As we move into a new season, see, and appreciate your connections, for they confirm your existence, purpose, and make you stronger.

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

Nina

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

Aries
Cecil Kemperink
‘Big Hugs’ Cecil Kemperink

10 of Cups – The Muse of Bliss is here to help you step into your birth month with a gleeful stride.  This week enjoy by inserting some merriment into each day.  Swap stories that create chuckles, watch comedies that make you laugh, tell Dad jokes that get you giggling.  Don’t you think this is the perfect time to laugh out loud, big belly laughs or snort even?   Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face. – Victor Hugo

 

 

Taurus
Cecil Kemperink
Cecil Kemperink

Seven of Cups – The Muse of Dreams would like you to dream bigger.  She nods with all your counterarguments about being grounded, vigilant and staying in the here and now.  But she reminds you that taking a dream break feeds the soul, expands the heart, and is a place where innovation is born.

 

 

 

 

Gemini
Cecil Kemperink
Cecil Kemperink

Page of Cups – The Muse of Play is here to loosen you up.  Yep, your juices need a refresh and no better way to do this then to play.  Crayons/fingerpaints out, doodle during boring meetings, take pictures from a 5-year-olds perspective, or reinvent the PBJ.  This muse reminds you play is a gateway to imagination and creativity.

 

 

 

Cancer
Cecil Kemperink

Nine of Coins – The Muse of Alone Time has left you a note.  Your solitude will be support and a home for you, even in the midst of unfamiliar circumstances and from it you will find all your paths – Rainer Maria Rilke. Find time this week for alone-time you will get more done then in the company of others.

 

 

Leo
Cecil Kemperink
Cecil Kemperink

Five of Wands – The Muse of Chaos is here, and it is your choice whether to open the door and let her in or ignore her insistence this week.  This energy comes to remind you chaos is an aspect of creation though uncontrollable and transient.  So, you can do little about it, except sidestep its path or join in it’s dervish dance.

 

 

 

 

Virgo
Cecil Kemperink.
threesome Cecil Kemperink.

Three of Cups – Connection is what you need.  Find ways to link up with your friends this week.  If you can mask up and social distance yourself a hang.  If not, then get on a phone and have a virtual beverage together.  You need a good chinwag with people who care about you.  One reason is to vent; the other to refill your emotional cups.

 

 

Libra
Cecil Kemperink
Souls Cecil Kemperink

Eight of Cups – The Muse of Closet Cleaning has come for a visit this week.  She comes when you have outgrown an emotion, purpose, copping mechanism, or your style.  There is something or someone that no longer is helpful in your life and it is time to shed it.  This muse recommends get you in the mood and thought pattern go through your closet or junk drawer.  Throw away all the items that are no longer useful or the style you are trying to convey. Motto: cleanse the trivia to get to the substance.

 

 

Scorpio
perpetuum orange

Knight of Swords – The energy is fast paced this week or at the very least feels as if you should be trying to keep up with something.  The Muse of Slowing Down has come to remind you to look both ways before you step out into the metaphorical and literal street. This week it is important to be mindful of your thoughts, words, and steps.  No rushing.

 

 

Sagittarius
Cecil Kemperink
Cecil Kemperink

King of Wands – Another good week for you all.  This is a week where that Sagittarian good luck is working in your favor.  Whether that is getting a parking space, a vaccine appointment, or following synchronicities like homemade sour dough breadcrumbs, it is all gold.  Also, by following your intuition, you can bring together many moving parts into a cohesive apparatus.  You are like Elizabeth in Queen’s Gambit. A step or two ahead of all that you do, once you are in the zone (If you haven’t seen it on Netflix – please do).

 

 

Capricorn
Cecil Kemperink

Knight of Coins – Last week the Muse of Leaps came to help you out of a rut you may not have realize you were in, by having you play around with your routines.  This week you get to implement some of the things you discovered back into your regular schedule.  The one key is making your pace appropriate to your path.  If the way is rocky slow down, but if it is open road you can put the pedal to the metal.

 

 

Aquarius
Cecil Kemperink

Four of Coins – This week your resources – energy, time, money and space – are limited.  The key to this week is quality over quantity.  Make sure ever minute is used wisely that includes getting enough sleep, putting good food in your belly, and taking some “me time” to relieve some of the push you-pull me stress.  Make sure your needs are dealt with first before your wants.

 

 

Pisces
Cecil Kemperink
Cecil Kemperink

Page of Wands – The last card for your birth month is innovation.  You already know that organic change is a big theme this coming year. Advising you to have something in the works to change every season.   But another essential is this cannot be the same old rodeo with new costumes.  You have this year to play around with trying new things/ways to innovate the who, what, how and where and possible why in your life.   Nothing must be written in stone this year, so have fun experimentLeave the beaten track behind occasionally and dive into the woods. Every time you do you will be certain to find something you have never seen before.  – Alexander Graham Bell.

Tarot and Art Forecast for Week of March 7, 2021

Bisa Butler
I know why the Caged Bird sings Bisa Butler

If you all have been with me for a while skip down to the 4th paragraph, I have ranted on this before.  But if you are new…… I was an elementary coach for teachers and I am not fond of the emphasis and exaltation of a “minority” history months in American public schools and on Google.  Before you get mad please read on.  Though I understand its necessity when this movement started, back in 1926 as Black History Week by historian Carter G. Woodson.    Where he saw little to none African American representation in the “white halls of history” and probably was seeing the whitewashing of the Red Summer.  History week has now grown to a month, added new months for other minorities and spreading outside of America.  But have we now fallen into Hallmarking ™ history? In our political correctness, lost the thread?

Textbooks and curriculum of American schools still teach basically the same history– white-male-centric – but now in February you teach about MLK, in March about Susan B. Anthony, and Native American Heritage Month in November, so you can get it close to Thanksgiving – UGH.   This does the “minority’s history” an injustice.  First it loses its context in history as a whole.  The “minority” becomes not part of our shared history but as a parallel thing happening alongside predominately white male history or is only seen for a month in bubble in and of itself.  We lose the why it came about and the reverberation of that action now.

Secondly, it supports instead of works against our biological perspective of tribalism.  And we lose the perspective of the history of the individual within the collective.  The acts of an individual echoing through time and space. Lastly, this undermines teaching the student not only Socratic thinking which hinges on contextual information, but also disempowers the student to see that they can change the course of the future in ways they would never imagine.

The artist this week is Bisa Butlers @bisabutler should be used as a history teaching tool. She takes everyday photos of African Americans throughout history and contextualizes them by using exquisite fabrics and an skilled illustrative thread.  Take for instance the art above I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, she uses a Vlisco fabric called “Michelle’s shoes” for the woman’s skirt on the far right.  The fabric is inspired by West African textiles, done with and Indonesian batik and made in the Netherlands.

She vividly leads us to see the complex connected thread of these woman’s history, African roots to Maya Angelo and Michelle Obama to our multi-cultural world.  She brings these “everyday” people into a contextual history.   In her words: …I am telling the story— this African American side— of the American life. History is the story of men and women, but the narrative is controlled by those who hold the pen. ……..My community has been marginalized for hundreds of years. While we have been right beside our white counterparts experiencing and creating history, our contributions and perspectives have been ignored, unrecorded, and lost. It is only a few years ago that it was acknowledged that the White House was built by slaves. Right there in the seat of power of our country African Americans were creating and contributing while their names were lost to history. ………My subjects are African Americans from ordinary walks of life who may have sat for a formal family portrait or may have been documented by a passing photographer. Like the builders of the White House, they have no names or captions to tell us who they were.

Your ponderings for the week:  Learn the why behind something in your own history, and see how it affects you now and would you tweak it to change the future?  And the Planets:  New Moon in Pisces on March 13th great day for daydreaming.

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

Nina

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

 

Aries
Bisa Butler
Bisa Butler

*Chariot – This is the week to make change happen.  The Muse of Movement is here to help grease the wheels.  Momentum is not problem.  The only challenge with this energy is you must drive it and have a destination to drive it to.  If you do not have a focus you may run around in circles this week.

 

Taurus
Bisa Butler
Bisa Butler

Knight of Wands – This Muse comes to say you are in the right place at the right time doing the right thing.  You may not see it, but your timing is perfect. Whether you are standing still, trotting along or in full gallop allow your spirit to guide you.

 

 

Gemini
Bisa Butler
Bisa Butler

King of Cups – The Muse of Emotional Acceptance has come to help you heal old wounds of the heart.   This muse celebrates the hardest emotion that we deal with as humans: grief.  There is something you need to grieve.  This energy wants you to dive deeply into this emotion of loss. When we grieve, we empty the cup fully and by doing so allow the cup to be refilled.

 

 

Cancer
Bisa Butler
Bisa Butler The Princess

Ace of Coins – The Muse of Material Beginnings is here.  This is a perfect week to start a new project, re-plan your garden, buy something to fix up your house or start a savings account.  The key to this energy of sustainability is to create with the concept of quality over quantity.

 

Leo
Bisa Butler
Bisa Butler Asantewa

Queen of Swords – The Muse of Details has come to help guide you through this week.  This energy comes when it is important to read the fine print, plan out a project in detail, and sweat the small stuff.  You can find pleasure if you pay attention to the details of your life.  Time to get out that metaphorical (or literally if you must) fine-toothed comb or cleaning toothbrush and tease out the specifics.

 

Virgo
Bisa Butler
Bisa Butler

King of Swords – The Muse of Long-term Planning is here to set up your itinerary for the rest of the year and three- and five-year goals.  This week do not get caught in the morass of minutia.  Turn your gaze to the horizon and the dreams of tomorrow.  Vision boards out, daydreaming on, and no boundaries in vastness of your future.

 

Libra
Bisa Butler
Bisa Butler

Four of Cups – Last week the Muse of Divine energy was here to grow whatever you wanted to focus on.  You get another week to do just that.  But this week’s Muse ask you to go back and relook over what you are working on.  There is something that does not feel quite right.  That thing or idea needs some more introspection.  The challenge with this is after you have done a pass with your internal eye, turn outward to get another person’s opinion.  Though make sure it is with someone you trust with your dreaming.

 

Scorpio
Bisa Butler To God and Truth

Ten of Coins – The Muse of Finishing is here to help you complete a project.  Either find the oldest thing on your to-do list or finish up something that has been nagging at your subconscious.  This is a great week to move a project forward to completion or at least a big leap towards it.

 

Sagittarius
Bisa Butler
Bisa Butler Broom Jumpers

Ten of Cups – The Muse of Bliss is here to point out all the good things in your life. This week sit back and enjoy all that you have worked hard to get.  If you have a roof over your head start there, food on the table you are doing great; and a job that is getting your needs meet, Whoot.  And if you do not have these things, help is on the way.  You just need to ask and then open your door; you have friends that are wanting to pay you back some of the kindness you have given in the past.

 

Capricorn
Bisa Butler The Equestrian

*Fool – The Muse of Leaps is here to help you out of a rut you may not realize you are in.  The key to this is to do the non-routine.  Sleep late or get up with the sunrise, turn off all electronics after sunset for a night, eat for one day without cooking unless over an open fire, do not look at your emails for a 24-hour period.  I know you all love your routines, but this week shake it up and see what new ideas sprout from the cracks.

 

Aquarius
Bisa Butler Daughter of the Dust

Queen of Coins – The Muse of Physical Pleasures is here to help you through this week.  This muse comes when you need to ground yourself.  She reminds you to connect with your five senses if you can daily.  Eat good food, see beautiful things, feel something textural, smell some aromatherapy, and listen to your favorite music.   Enjoy the simple things in life.

 

Pisces
Bisa Butler Africa The Land Of Hope

*Death – Ok so this rarely happens but the Muse of Organic Change arrives again during your birth month to remind you how important this year is to make big changes happen.  And to do so you need to release, release, and release some more.   And while you are doing all this releasing you are using this “stuff” to compost new soil to grow from.  The challenge with this energy is having the patience and attunement with your surroundings like a gardener.  You need to pay attention to the cycles of growth and harvesting.  This can be a year where you are planting and harvesting each season.

Tarot and Art Forecast for Week of Feb 14, 2021

Brooke Didonato
Brooke Didonato

Happy Love day!  Single or Partnered this day is meant to celebrate Love.  Love is desperately need in this world right now.  Self – Love as well as Love for Gaia and all her inhabitants.  When you step back, it’s pretty magical and amazing.

Onto the planets – Almost all of 2021 (except for mid-August to September) Saturn and Uranus are challenging each other.  However, on February 17th, the first of three, Saturn is exactly square with Uranus.  This is boundary loving Saturn challenging freedom loving Uranus.  But the intriguing thing is Saturn is in progressive Aquarius and Uranus is in conservative Taurus.

What this means is all of 2021 society as a whole and personally if it effects your natal chart will be dealing with testing our need to be free and innovative versus our habits, structures, and stability.  Ideally the best way to work with this energy is striking a balance between the old structures and the new innovations.  Setbacks are usually temporary and lead to new creative paths if you do not fall prey to frustration.   This year is not about revolution but reinvention.  Also, Mercury is still in retrograde until February 18th, so continued to Review, Reflect and Revise until then.

Now to this week’s artist, Brooke Didonato (@brookedidonato).  Didonato portraits feel incredible relevant as we deal with being homebound as a collective, and the push and pull of freedom and stability.  Her art is whimsical vignettes of self-exploration in the spaces we live and in our intimate relationships.  She has her viewers pondering about the trappings of societal self in our personal spaces as well as the entangling though life giving elements of our intimate relationships.

We spent 2020 facing who we are in a more intimate world.  We cannot travel, party, or socialize to escape ourselves.  In fact, many of us brought our outer world to our intimate space.  These interactions hopefully made you more aware of what makes you tick or have ticks.  Whether you have mastered baking or woodcraft, or now cannot eat another loaf of bread and have a partial constructed table.  This year has been a lesson on learning what our inner boundaries, needs and wants.   Where either we have run up against or finally feel comfortable in our nests.

Light and Love

Nina

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

Aries
Brooke Didonato
Brooke Didonato

Four of Swords – Your well is near empty and you are not realizing it.  This week you need rest and relaxation.  Your muse advises you to pour a bath or a beer and listen to some soothing music.  Take time this week to tune out, so you can tune in with more ease.

*Taurus
Brooke Didonato
Brooke Didonato

Judgment – The Muse of Metamorphosis has come to help you with your itch for planting/harvesting off season.  She advises there is no time like the present to start this change.  However, this transformation takes time, for there is an internal transformation that needs to happen first.  Find moments where you can spend time with your “pupa.”  Ask it what new innovated form it wants to transform into.  How can you create a “you” or project that tells a new story, modernizes the world, lives a new life?  Patience is key this week.  Motto: Change happens from the inside out.

Gemini
Brooke Didonato
Brooke Didonato

Ace of Wands – The Muse of Inspiration is here.  You can start any project this week especially creative ones.  Inspiration will gush if you can get yourself to sit down and let it flow.  Think, color and/or dance outside the box this week to connect with this muse.

Cancer
Brooke Didonato

Ten of Wands – How much responsibility are you carrying?  The Muse of Burdens is here to help you with that load.  She advises to put down at least three items on your list and leave them for next week.  Prioritize the rest, and lastly do one thing to completion.  Unless you hit a roadblock, then put that item last on your to-do list.  You will find that the tasks you let go might be picked up by someone else or lose their urgency.

Leo
Brooke Didonato
Brooke Didonato

Three of Coins – Last week the Muse of Healing and Hope proved you some easter eggs of positivity.  They showed you the world is not totally lost, and you are not broken, a misfit or “an ugly duckling.”  This healing vibe continues this week with the Muse of Foundations.  Take this week to still re-coup but this energy also nudges you to feather your nest and set of some foundational work to maintain your health and heart.  Physically this means tend to your body like sorting out your diet/exercise, emotionally this could look like re-establish connections with friends and mentally creating space and time to rejuvenate.

Virgo
Brooke Didonato

King of Swords – The Muse of Long-term planning is here with calendar in hand.  Take this week to do a check in with your plan for a year, 3 years, and 5 years from now.  Is what you doing today setting you up for where and who you want to be in 2026?

 

Libra
Brooke Didonato
Brooke Didonato

Queen of Coins – The Muse of Lavishness is here.  Lavish is defined as to bestow in great amounts.  This Muse reminds you that life is meant to be lived with zest.  This week make sure you indulge all your senses.  Your motto:  Life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death! So c’mon live! Rosalind Russell in Auntie Mame

 

Scorpio
Brooke Didonato
Brooke Didonato

Page of Wands – This week the muse of innovation is peeking over your shoulder egging you on to be more you.  To let your freak flag fly without censorship or guilty.    She reminds you that you are unique, and that uniqueness is need on Earth at present.  The World is creating new structures this year, this week it is vital you are part of that change.

Sagittarius
Brooke Didonato

Ten of Swords – This week can be filled with nastiness, roadblocks, and failings.   The key to navigate this energy is to listen to your intuition.  If it is hard to get out the door, wait 15 minutes before leaving.  You feel the back of your neck hair’s raise up, don’t’ go down that street.   Or people are being rude, walk away. Think of these incursions as a boot camp for intuitive thought.

Capricorn
Brooke Didonato
Brooke Didonato

Five of Coins – This week’s energy could have you at a loss.  This can be a literal loss – like you cannot find your keys or you lose money, or it can be a metaphysical loss.   Either way the challenge is not to make it any loss an existential crisis.   Think of this more as a short lived pause and an exercise on asking for help.  Whether that help comes from outside or inside it will decrease the struggle if you ask for it.

*Aquarius
Brooke Didonato
Brooke Didonato

Emperor–  Your second higher Arcane card for your birth year. The first was the Muse of Temptation testing your integrity and how you define yourself.   This correlates with Jupiter- planet of expansion and Saturn planet of structures interacting with your sun pretty much all year.  Think of it like your final exams for old structures and constructs – things you have already experienced but now are being tested on what you have learned.  Once you finish you can innovate into your next reincarnation with the Muse of Building and Expanding.  This second energy supports construction in the coming year.  The key to this energy is to have a good blueprint and budget for what you want to build.  Innovation grounded in reality.

*Pisces
Brooke Didonato

Death – Last week the Muse of Awakenings  wanted to image your goals and self going forward.  The challenge was not focusing solely  on the material plane wants, but what you want to metamorphize into.  She advised getting in touch with your spirit guide/animal and having a conversation on transformation.  Or creating a vison board composed of only colors and feelings.  Luckily, you can continue that exercise to support your first energy for this birth year – the Muse of Organic Change.  This year your Muses want you to start creating elements for goals/life/persona that you are metaphorizing in.  The keys to working with this energy are letting go of what is not working, planting seeds to what you want to happen, and then having the patience and tenacity of gardener.  This year is about being in tune with and working with natural cycles and seasons to make

Tarot and Art Forecast for Week of Jan 31, 2021

Shelley Muzylowski
See Swan Shelley Muzylowski

The planets:  Just a heads-up Mercury is retrograde until February 18th.  People are often fearful of this planet’s retrograde period.  Though it is not the best time to sign contracts, buy things that have electronic components or start something new.  And we need to be careful how we communicate and timing in general.  This is a great time to Review, Reflect and Revise.

Now to this week’s artist, Shelley Muzylowski.   Muzylowski is a glass artist. You would not know it from her pieces for they look like they are sculpted in clay instead of molten glass and fire.  The movement of her work, the emotions they convey, and the depth of color is extraordinary.  Muzylowski subjects are animals.  The viewer can see she pulls inspiration from a wide variety of cultures, history, and art mediums.   Though realistic in form her work seems to connect to the spiritual realm.  They are creations of myth, magic, and storytelling.

To genuinely appreciate this art form.  There is a show on Netflix called Blown Away.  It will show you how much physical work in combination with artistry that this art form requires.  Most glassblowers have to do their work with assistants.  To obtain this level of art the artists and assistants must be in sync.  Dependent on precise communication while also aware of each other’s nuances, it is like a dance.  This art form reminds us that we do not do our work alone.  We rely on others to help us create, live, and express our stories.

Light and Love

Nina

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

 

*Aries
Shelley Muzylowski
Brio Shelley Muzylowski

Justice – Justice is defined as just behavior or treatment. Someone is not aligned with their integrity.  The challenge is this could also include you.  Use Mercury’s retro-energy to review how you are treating people as well as how you are being treated.  Take this week to make sure you are aligned with your truth and is it holistically fair before you sentence or censor others… or yourself.

 

Taurus
Shelley Muzylowski
After Europa Shelley Muzylowski

Two of Coins – Last week, The Muse of Integrity asked you to look for imbalance picking only two issues to rebalance.  You get another week to work on this.  However, if you now can confidently balance those two issues, you can add more.  This energy advises to add one at a time.  And if something feels off or you drop the ball, you have taken on one too many.  Subtract and try again.

 

Gemini
Looking Glass Shelley Muzylowski

Ace of Swords – Of course you Gemini’s can navigate this Mercury retrograde and start something new.  The challenge is to make sure this new idea is an innovation and not a repeat of old thought patterns dressed in new clothes.  The key is this aligns with a new emerging truth. So supple thinking is required.

 

 

Cancer
Shelley Muzylowski
Run Rabbit Shelley Muzylowski

Queen of Wands – Last week the muses had you tying up loose ends.  Now, The Muse of Inspiration is here to help you imagine and innovate what is next.  This week commune with the ethers and nature to clear your mind and connect with the conduit of the divine.  Look for synchronicities and serendipitous to help you find the “easter eggs.”

 

Leo
Shelley Muzylowski
Scent Stag Shelley Muzylowski

Knight of Swords – This week you will need to slow your roll.  The energy around you is ginchy.  This is that feeling when you are tired but also feel as if you should run or you are easily agitated.  So, the best course is to slow down, take deep breathes and be aware of your surroundings before leaping.  And as always with this energy on a practical level, watch your appendages and wear comfortable shoes.  This energy tends to have you absent mindedly cut your fingers, twist your ankles, and stub your toes.

 

Virgo
Cloud Bear Shelley Muzylowski

Seven of Coins– This week is all about getting things done.  It is a great week to check things off your to-do list, tackle that pile of paperwork, get your taxes done early, clean your inbox, etc.…  Yes, this is the week to get up early and work.  If you do this, the fruits of your labor will be bountiful.  Not to mention raise your energy level and mental state.

 

Libra
Shelley Muzylowski
Muse Shelley Muzylowski

Knight of Coins – The Muse of Pace is here.  She comes when you are not in sync with how you like to work.  There is something off kilter that is interfering with your flow.  Are you getting enough sleep?  Eating well?  Moving enough or too much?  Is your desk unorganized?  Is your chair making your back hurt?  This is the week to fix your material plane to help you mental and emotional one.

 

Scorpio
Shelley Muzylowski
Between Darkness Shelley Muzylowski

Six of Swords – The Muse of Transitions is knocking.  She is inviting you on a cerebral trip, a step up and out in thinking.  Certain thought patterns need to transmute, and in doing so you will find that some thought patterns are now obsolete.  This is a time to simplify and begin again.

 

Sagittarius
Otter Shelley Muzylowski

Six of Wands – This is a good week.  Small jewels of luck and synchronicities line up for you.  Pay attention to these gems of inspiration, they are pats on the backs from the universe.  Telling you that you are doing good in the areas where you find these small treasures.

 

Capricorn
In the Morning Light Shelley Muzylowski

Two of Swords – The energy this week is about making decisions; however, there is a twist.  The decision is not as important as the path this decision has you taking.  This muse asks you to tune into your heart and your truths.  Making sure the route you take to your goals aligns with how you want to feel and your integrity.

 

Aquarius
Outfox Shelley Muzylowski

King of Coins – I hope you rested last week because its back to work.  Time to put energy into your material plane ie: work, home, garden.  This muse is here to help you build whatever you want short or long term, and aids those projects to increase your future abundance.    However, if you find a block, then it is not the time to force a project forward.  This energy paves paths of ease for some work and puts up walls for things that are not timed correctly.

 

 

Pisces
Chariot Shelley Muzylowski

Four of Wands – The Muse of the Hearth and Home has come to hang.  This is a great week to put time into your home and family (adopted or born with).  Make your abode more comfortable and then bring out the board games and hot chocolate.  Connect anyway you can to your inner community and solidify the foundation of your relationships with care and comfort.

Tarot and Art Forecast for Week of Nov. 29 2020

women artists
@sam_paperart

This week is commonly the height of the buying season for the holidays.  The goal with this post is to hopefully gently steer you to supporting the arts and therefore artists this holiday season.   Normally artists have galleries, coffee shops and art fairs to show off their art to you all; however, because of Covid that is not possible.  I know that many of you including myself do not have tons of cash floating out there right now.   But not only are you helping keep afloat a small business,  you also gain the added benefit that art brings light to your mind, body, and soul.

I put aside at least 5% of my profits and donate to organizations like Doctors without Borders, my local public television station, BTAC, and I started in 2020 (and will continue) Patreon-ing two artists each year.  This year it was Tyler Thrasher and Beth Cavener.  And on a more self-centered note, I also buy artwork from artists for myself and for gifts.  So, this week’s blog is focused on 12 women artists from the many out there on Instagram that are trying to make art for a living in these hard times.  At the very least I ask, can you search #art on your social media platforms then like, follow, comment with some love on the plethora of amazing stuff out there.  And if you can fiscally provide support to a few artists all the better.  #supportthearts

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

Nina

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

Aries

womenartistsTwo of Swords – The energy this week advises now is the time to make some decisions.  The challenge is that it feels like you are surrounded by mists of uncertainty.  Sadly, it is not going to get any better this week and stagnation might become an overlying issue.  So, this muse advises just make a choice left or right, move.  You can always retrace your steps or continue.  Have faith in yourself.   @diana.kirsten.szlaski

Taurus

women artists*Tower – The Muse of the Tower is knocking, and you need to listen to her.  Something(s) is not working in your life.  This Muse of Kali is here to help you identify it.  What have you been trying that is not working because it is too dogmatic, strict, or rigid?  The challenge is you cannot blame this on others or your environment.   This is about how you are coming at something, and if you continue to go on this path, the Tower will shake your world to make the change for you.  Get ahead of this potential seismic downfall, be flexible, open and change things up.     @lordcowboy

Gemini

women artistsTwo of Swords – Last week the Muse of Seclusion had you contemplating what needs to shift for the eclipsed full moon in your sign on November 30th.  I hope you did your homework because this week is primed for making decisions to start on the path of 2021 before the rest of the signs.  If you did your work, then then the challenge of choosing will come easily.  If you didn’t, you’ll have to make a leap of faith.  For the lesson either way is realizing the movement is more important than which direction you are heading.  @themodernisis

Cancer

women artistsKnight of Cups – The energy this week is calling on your superpower of being in touch with your emotions.  If you can channel them into your creative work, you will gallop into this week.  The challenge is you will be wearing your heart on your sleeve, but no worries your emotions are like the rain – play in their puddles.   @jodibilske_photographics

Leo

women artistsFour of Wands – The energy this week centers in your home.  This is a great week to make your abode comfier, inviting, and/or flexible. This can look as simple as getting some good smelling candles, fresh flowers, a plant, getting that big TV you have been wanting or making an area a tech free zone. Make your lair a place that makes you purr when you come home.    @akiraamani

Virgo

women artistsFour of Swords – This is a great week to find moments to relax.  Your “well” as been drained and this is the week to find space and time to unwind and pay a bit more attention to your health.  Take walks in nature, turn off the tech for half a day, or mediate.  The challenge is putting your thoughts down for a bit.   Your video/song this week:  Enjoy the Silence  @megan.george.art

Libra

women artistsSeven of Swords – Pay attention to your gut instincts and not your head this week.  Everything is not exactly as it seems.  There are some hidden objectives, but it is not for you to ferret it out.  A better course of action is to avoid it.  Or if you must interact follow your instincts instead of trying to follow or find logic in it.     @yeachintsai

Scorpio

women artistsTwo of Cups – Relationships are the focus this week.  Make time to spend with your people. You need to sort your emotions out and have a good laugh.  The only challenge is making sure you pick your companies that fill your cups as equally as you do theirs.     @juliette_illustration

Sagittarius

*Magician – Your first big card for your birth year.  This is the energy of bring the divine down into the World, a card of manifestation.  You have lying before you the tools you will need to do so, but you need a focus.  Take this week to commune with your destiny, your purpose and then start to set your intentions.  You have all year to manifest so no rush but use the energy this week to start setting up your goals.     @kupper11

Capricorn

Nine of Cups – The energy to work with this week is contentment.  As a sign goes you do best if you have something to do.  You rest in the flow of work.  The challenge is you also need to find places of contentment in space, time, and the stillness within the doing and not doing.  For it is one in the same.      @midgenaylor

Aquarius

*Wheel – The Muse this week has left breadcrumbs of fate for you to follow.  Life has its ups and downs, as signs goes you all can see this very well.  The challenge is not being too grounded nor too head in the clouds to see these signs.  So, this muse suggests that you spend this time getting in touch with how you want to feel.  Your feelings will guide you like a fairy dust trail.  Do not worry the Willow Wisps will not lead you into the bog, this time.  @erinlouiseclancy

Pisces

Knight of Wands – The energy to seek out this week is inspiration and awe.  You are needing a recharge.  Your spark of passion needs some fuel to keep the fire lit.  Listen to music, dance, experience art, and/or be in nature.  Do activities that make you zing.    @kimlayn.art

Tarot and Art Forecast for Week of Nov. 8 2020

Tara Shakti Procession
Tara Shakti Procession

This week’s artist is Tara Shakti (@tarashakti_art). Shakti’s art conveys the resilience and power of women.  This is a time to take note and celebrate, that the first women of color will be in the second highest government position in the U.S.  Kamala Harris is also a first generation American.  Her mother, British-Indian, and her father, Jamaican, immigrated to the US 40 years ago.  Harris is also in an inter-racial marriage to a white Jewish man.  Let us just sit with all those “firsts” for a minute…

American women still have not broken the glass ceiling in government, as the press has been trying to say, but we are in kicking distance.  There is still work to be done.  America will need to catch up with other parts of the world with gender equality in high ranking positions. And then there is systematic racism to ferret out. BUT before we focus on what still needs to be done – let us rejoice in the “the firsts.”

Shakti’s art is usually portraits of women or herself.  Even though she centers around the struggle of empowerment and identity of women in a patriarchal society, most of her work has her subject staring straight at the viewer conveying an internal resilience and power.  Her choice of vibrant color has the viewer seeing the duality of struggle and strength in their stillness.  Shakrti’s provokes us to no longer sit in silence, but to stand up and continue the fight for equality and against injustice.

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

Nina

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

 

Aries
Tara Shakti
Tara Shakti

Seven of Swords – This week pay attention to anything that feels slightly off.  Hopefully, it is just a little tweak like balancing out your tire pressure or getting enough sleep. But for some of you it might be somebody pulling the wool over your eyes.   It may not be malicious. Maybe someone is not telling you the whole truth because they think they will hurt your feelings.  Follow your instincts, ask questions, look deeper into situations and pay attention to little misbalances.

 

Taurus
Tara Shakti
Tara Shakti

Three of Coins – The energy this week is collaboration.  You are in synch weaving in and out of others’ work and needs.  Work in unison with those around you, picking out left-out strings, re-weaving, handing it off, filling in gaps.  Flowing from partner, teacher to student.  Attune yourself to the ebbs and flow of others. This week you are playing in the universes’ double-dutch game.  Have fun.  Be creative.

 

Gemini
Tara Shakti
Tara Shakti

*Death – The muse of change is at your door.  It is time to let go of the old to make room for the new.  This could look as simple of letting go of the clothes you will never wear again or as complex as letting go of a job or relationships that no longer works for you.  Yes, Trump is a Gemini, so your struggle does not have to be as dramatic as his, but it is a time to be real with what needs to change. And except the possibilities of the new.  There are  opportunities waiting for you if you just let go of the past and accept the change that is knocking at the door.

 

Cancer
Tara Shakti
Tara Shakti

*Judgement– Another big energy week for you, though you might need to cocoon to truly grok this vibe.  Last week, the muses asked you to tap into your inner strength and  heart to create ease both within and without.  This week with that understanding of heart you can see your history of beautiful and broken things has gotten you to this moment.  To see that your history refined your soul and heart to a lustrous beauty.  Your challenge is to accept and forgive the person in the mirror so she/he/they can evolve to the next level.

 

Leo
Tara Shakti
Tara Shakti

Queen of Wands – Intuitive creation is the muse this week to walk with.  People often see Leos as extroverts or extremely self-confident (psst- this is not true).  You all are constantly questioning and judging what you do, and this hinders your self-expression.  The task this muse beckons you to accomplish is – do you and then let the world see it.  This week’s energy is best used in expanding your boundaries of courage and confidence especially in place of creativity and/or spirituality.

 

Virgo
Tara Shakti
Tara Shakti

King of Swords – Last week the energies asked you to let go of the fear of feeling.  So that your open heart can make some dazzling creation with dashes of passion and a variety of emotions.  Hopefully, you cracked open your heart for your mind will need to draw on it’s wisdom this week.  Right now, you are amid (possibly opposing) dualities, your perceptions and those of the collective truth or agreed-upon reality.  Navigating both can be hard, but if you did your heart work you will come to place a place of honesty and integrity that will ring true with others.  The challenge is that Mars is still in retrograde so do not instigate in any fights or confrontations.  Listen and empathize before you speak.

 

Libra
Tara Shakti
Tara Shakti

Eight of Wands – Your second eight so a quick dive into that number.  Eights represent energy and action.  Last week was great for working on anything on the material plane.  This week is about external information.  There s a variety of messages coming to you that are informative for the coming months.  The key to navigating them is just write them down.  You do not need to act on all of them right now. Categorize and prioritize are the actions needed.

 

Scorpio
Tara Shakti
Tara Shakti

*Hanged Man– Your second big energy card for the coming year.  Last week the muse gave you dreams and synchronicities to help you intuit how 2021 and your purpose will unfold.   Your purpose on earth will come in play in a big way in the coming year and the Universe is here to help, but you will need to suss-out an updated map and ship to sail in.  Spend the rest of your birth month making sure you are on the right ship to sail into 2021.  (I’m just going over this again, because Biden is also a Scorpio. Not that you have to become president but 2021 is a big year for you all.)   Ok and now the second card.  This muse wants you to let go of old expectations and take this month to get a bird’s eye view of your life timeline.  From this perspective you will see that your perceptions are malleable and therefore so is your narrative.  This coming birth year is the time to write a new story.

 

Sagittarius
Tara Shakti
Tara Shakti

Knight of Swords – Logic and reason are key in navigating the energies this week.  You need to be careful that you think before you leap.  As always with this card, watch hurting your extremities: legs, arms, fingers, ankles, and toes. Be sure of your footing, look both ways and don’t jump into a situation without sussing-out what’s going on first.

 

Capricorn

Nine of Wands – Boundary setting is the issue this week.  To get things done and to find time to rest you are going to have to adhere to well set rules and regulations.  Planning is also key.  This is not a week to go with the flow.  Orderliness is imperative.

 

Aquarius
Tara Shakti

Two of Swords – Procrastination is your demon to fight this week.  The key is just to make a decision, right or left. It does not matter.  The main focus is moving forward.  You will reach your destination no matter the path you chose.

 

Pisces
Tara Shakti

*Hierophant – Another big energy week for you.  So, the energy this week is about your structures, morals, rules, and regulations.  Time to look at outdated systems that are no longer working.  In essence last week was about looking at your map for 2021 and this week is about assessing and adjusting your ship, crew and the structures that need to happen to get “your boat” to the next harbor.