Above is an image from the series Tema e Variazioni by Piero Fornasetti (10 November 1913 – 9 October 1988). He created over 500 items using just the face of Lina Cavalieri.  She was an operatic soprano in the late 1800s. Piero found her image in a magazine to use in his art. When he was asked why he made so many art pieces of her, he replied, “I don’t know. I began to make them and never stopped.”

I think that I have a similar study of my cat. After cleaning up my hard drive last week – cleaning out duplicate and blurry photos – I found I have 98 distinct pictures of my cat. They vary only in my cat lying down, sitting by the window, or curled up in a chair to the left or to the right. So why keep them? Well, each picture was slightly different in the way his head was turned or how his paw was just so over his face. I love my cat and each picture represented a bit of what he is as a whole being.

I believe that this is a lesson in the many faces of existence. Maybe we all need to turn a more discerning and inquisitive eye when someone whips out 20 photos of their pet or child. Instead of seeing these photos as boring or obsessive, to see these images as an expression of the many facets of life and love that one person sees in another being.

P.S. For all you email subscribers who click to my site, there will be a little something extra in your email box in a couple of weeks. Remember, when signs have * it’s a big week for you.

Aries – Eight of Cups – This week the Eight of Cups’ lesson is about lightening your load. This is a great week to clean your closet, do paperwork, clean off that desk, and clean out your email boxes. Or, if you want to do some heavy lifting, re-evaluate the emotional baggage you are carrying. The Eight of Cups asks: Do you really want to carry around and keep opening the “junk or hate mail”?

Taurus – Eight of Pentacles – The Eight of Pentacles continues the message of work and contemplation for this week. So you can still ponder where or what do you want to be/do by 2018. But here is the twist – to this reflection in the most beneficial way – you need to get some alone time and keep your hands busy. It’s that “getting into the zone” that really is the birth place of your epiphanies.

*Gemini – The Moon – Another big card for you this week. Last week, The Star was asking – what do you need to heal your heart, body or soul? This played out as simply restocking your first-aid supplies or as complex as cuddling with your lover/child/pet and trying to figure out how can you do more of this. The Moon is advising you to continue this contemplation. However, The Moon’s new twist to this challenge is for you to heal your relationship with your shadowy self. As a Gemini, you understand your dual nature, but many times you see one as good and the other as bad. If you are honest, I think you will find that your shadowy side is where your creative process starts to grow. As in nature, germination starts in the dark.

Cancer – Ace of Wands – This week you got the Ace of Wands. That is two Aces in a row. Let’s just step back and remember what aces represent. Aces are new beginnings, ideas, and perspectives. Last week you had Ace of Swords so that is planning what you want to happen in the next two years. This happened because of a planetary shift that started last Friday, which will last about two years. Now the Ace of Wands lessons are around passion, drive, and spirituality. So this week you will be adding to that plan of yours and testing its components in your soul. Spend time feeling out if your strategy strengthens your integrity and soul’s path. Remember, this is a three-month process so no need to rush.

Leo – Page of Wands – Last week, the Hermit advised you to step back and gain some perspective on a project or even more complex your life’s path for the next two years. The Page advises you to do another week of gaining perspective, but where last week you needed solo time, this week the information is outside. The Page of Wands wants you to get out there, be social, make connections, show off a bit, and if you can, get some play in there – all the better. It is important that you get some whimsy back into your life or your work can become too rigid and mundane. If you can’t figure out how to do this, go hang out with someone under the age of 10. They will loosen up your imagination.

Virgo – Ace of Pentacles – Ah, “new beginnings” is your motto this week. The Ace is telling you if anything feels as if you have done, thought, or felt this way before, make a 90 degree turn. Now this can be as simple as taking a new path going to work, or as complex as finding new ways to do things on your soul’s path. Here is the trick. If you do a 180- degree turn, you are walking away from the problem and are not taking the quickest path to your work. But if you do just a couple of 90-degree turns, you are consciously avoiding the “potholes” while still being aware of their parameters. This is a skill you need to learn, for your life is now ahead of you – not behind.

Libra – Seven of Cups – The Seven of Cups’ lessons are around imagination and dreams. Remember that vision board I told you to do last month. It is time to bring that out and add to it. Usually when this card shows up, your practicality is standing in the way of your possibilities. You need to ask yourself, “Am I thinking big enough?” Try this exercise just for fun and perspective. Imagine you just won three million dollars. Now look at your vision board and add to it. I bet after you have paid all the bills and put your kids through college – you might realize you wanted something you never thought of before.

*Scorpio – Strength – Last week you got The Moon card challenging you to look in the shadowy realms and find treasure. Whether that treasure hunt was done in the dark recesses of your couch or mind, I hope you found something beneficial. This week you will continue the hunt with the Strength card. Your search should focus on things, ideas, and people who give you gifts of energy and strength. I recommend that you write them down as you find them. So, during your new birth year, you can focus your time and energy on who and what supports you and start to put up boundaries to what and who drains you.

Sagittarius – Ace of Pentacles – Last week with the Eight of Swords I bet you felt like you were going backwards rather than forwards. This week the Ace is pushing you forward. This week is a great week to start new projects, get your hands dirty, and you’ll even have energy to clean the house. The challenge in how to tap into this energy gift is “do more than think.”

Capricorn – Ace of Wands – So last week the King asked you to ponder: What do you want to create in the next two years, and are you taking the right steps to get there? Guess what, you get another week to do just that. The Ace of Wands is challenging you to spend more time thinking about the energy, inspiration, and passion you will need to start these projects. So, you will not only need to ask yourself: What lights your fire but also what sustains it?

Aquarius – Nine of Wands – This week the Nine of Wands advises you that a bit of preparation will take you a long way. So, before you go running out the door ready to fight the day, take a breath and make sure you have your keys, your phone, and your lunch. Most importantly make sure you are armed with energy. This can look like a kiss or hug from someone you love, a big lick or purr from a pet, or just a quick smile in the mirror.

Pisces – Three of Pentacles – Last week you hopefully tied up loose ends and began looking towards the future. Now that you have a good idea where you are going and nothing to hold you back, the Three of Pentacles challenges you to start doing. However, to stay on the right path, focused and inspired, you will need to keep checking your work to see if it matches up with your integrity.

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

Nina