Since it is still Leo’s birth month, I would like to talk about the domestic cat. The cat family, Felidae started to diverge 10-15 billion years ago into two sub families, Pantherinae and Felinae. The domestic cat belongs to the latter and the genus Felis. Thus, the domestic cat’s full taxonomy name is Felidae Felis catus, which basically translates to “cat cat cat” or cat to the third. Historians estimate that cats were domesticated about 9,500 years ago in the Fertile Crescent coinciding with the development of agriculture.

We all have heard that “cats hate water”; however, their history has an interesting twist. The spread of the domestic cat around the world is largely due to ships carrying them aboard. There is evidence that the tradition started with Ancient Egyptians taking cats on board to catch birds along the shore line. Then Phoenician trade ships began keeping cats aboard to keep the rodent population down. As trade ships from other nations took on this practice, cats became known as good luck symbols for ships, sailors and fishermen. And the “ship’s cat” became a common sight on naval, trade and private ships.

There are many stories around ship’s cats during WWII in the Royal and American Navy.   The most famous story is about “Unsinkable Sam” who survived the torpedoing of two ships, the Bismarck and HMS Cossack. So it seems cats and water have a more complex and paradoxical history. Hmm, much like their leonine human counterparts.

P.S. For grossness I added some pictures of different breeds of kittens to each sign.   Remember, when signs have * it’s a big week for you.

Aries – Nine of Wands – It’s back to work this week. The Nine of Wands’ lesson is preparation. This week take the time to stand back and assess what you need before going into any situation. The more prepared you are the more smoothly this week will go.

 

Taurus – Page of Pentacles – The Page of Pentacles’ lesson is around being a student. Will all that has gone on the past 3 months since your birthday, you need to ask yourself – What do you still want or need to learn this year?   This is the week to start going to “the life you want” school.

 

*Gemini – The Fool – Ok you got through last week with flying colors. Now The Fool has arrived to challenge you to take a Zen like approach to this week. Geminis actually do this well if you remember to take the position of the traveler and not the doer. I find a great exercise in creating the right head space for The Fool is to put on headphones with music playing and walk, bike or bus around and just observe.   The challenge is to keep the monkey mind busy so your soul can do the real work this week.

 

Cancer – Eight of Cups – The Eight of Cups is heralding in change. It’s a small change but it is the beginning of you sloughing off your old shell to grow your new one. The challenge for crabs is when they are in the this soft shell state they are vulnerable. Therefore, be aware you are in a more sensitive state while you are growing a bigger better you. Don’t be surprised that even though you feel this growth  you want to stay close to home because it feels safer. Soon your new shell will harden up and you can get back out into the world.

 

*Leo – The Empress – What a great card for your birthday month! The Empress is all about creation and growth. The lesson with The Empress is realizing the process of creation should be the fun part not just the creation itself. The challenge being if you encounter roadblocks or are hating the process then this season may not be the right time for a project to grow. So though the process of creation is important to The Empress, her other lessons are patience and timing. She is asking you this week: What kind of life do you want to create? What process would be the most rewarding? What are the seeds you need to plant now that can grow into the projects and relationships for this coming year?

 

Virgo – Knight of Cups – Did you do the challenge from last week- to strip away all that hinders you from dreaming your heart’s desire? I hope so because this week the Knight of Cups says if you get on your horse you can get some headway with those desires. However, the challenge is to you get your heart out in the world and feel some feelings. Only then will your environment provide you with opportunities to get you closer to where you want to be.

 

Libra – King of Swords – Okay, this is your second court card in a row. That means people are big in your life right now. Last week it was your favorite person, this week it’s your not so favorite person, or maybe someone just acting overbearing and opinionated. The lesson around the King of Swords is there is something for you in what they are saying if you can just get around their negativity and self-centerness. My best advice is to keep asking them questions until you can get to the heart of the matter.

 

Scorpio – Queen of Cups – So your good luck continues this week with the Queen of Cups. She is still challenging you to follow our gut to find your luck; however you have to be a little more cautious with the Queen of Cups. She has a tendency to say yes to everything without checking in with her gut or calendar first. So beware, this means you and/or the people around you might be a bit flakey this week.

 

Sagittarius – Nine of Cups – This week the Nine of Cups suggests you to partake in some of those good times you have been wanting. There isn’t big chunks of time this week but there are some smaller down times – please use them. Your challenge with the Nine of Cups is seeing those breaks in your work week as blessing instead of lulls.

 

Capricorn – Page of Wands – Okay, that is two Pages in a row so let’s look at Pages a bit deeper. Pages symbolize a new phase in one’s life. Last week you had Swords – new information  about the idea of value and manifestation of what you create. Now with the Page of Wands you are looking at what sparks your creative energy. It seems with these two Pages you all are starting to gather information on a new phase in your life that has not fully formed yet. So your challenge is to allow these new ideas and creative urges to mature without judgment. Like you would a child – nurture this new fledgling self with encouragement and self-reflection until you can walk on your own.

 

*Aquarius – Sun – This is a week where you all have the ability to shine at work and at play. The Sun card’s lesson is around growth and motivation in your professional and personal life. This can be as simple as telling your life partner or co-workers what a good team you all are, or as complex as realizing how amazing your life is right now. The challenge with the Sun card is remembering to identify the joy in your life and spread it around.

 

Pisces – Nine of Cups – This week you and Cancer, a fellow water sign, are going through the same feelings of change. This small shift in thinking about what you need emotionally will ripple out till the end of the year. So, your challenge this week is to continue to let go of old emotions that you no longer need. So this new concept of Love you have been working on for the past month can start to grow.

 

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

Nina