Hyperallergic’s Art Tarotscope for the Spring Equinox
The earth’s orbit around the sun continues unabated, reminding us that nothing is permanent, neither darkness nor light.
Hyperallergic’s tarotscope series is a combination of tarot with astrology, a reading for the collective readership combined with cards for the major astrological signs, grouped by their elemental associations. These are developed by AX Mina, a Hyperallergic contributor and producer for Five and Nine, a podcast about magic, work, and economic justice. These tarotscopes have a special focus on the arts and creative practice, for each solstice and equinox, to mark the turning of the seasons.
Spring arrives as the Northeastern United States, where Hyperallergic is headquartered, experiences unusually erratic weather, swinging back and forth from sun to rain to snow and everything in between. It’s felt like all seasons at once, a metaphor, perhaps, for what it feels like to be alive in these times of rapid swings and changes. Today marks Eid al-Fitr, with Qingming Festival, Easter, and other celebrations around the corner, but for now, the equinox carries tumult and uncertainty as the day steadily grows longer.
This season’s tarotscope, as with most of our taroscopes, is read using the Mixed Signals Tarot, designed by artist M Eilo, on the tarot platform Moonlight. The cards were drawn in the witching hour days ahead of the Spring Equinox, in this third month of the Wheel of Fortune Year (in the tarot system) and the beginning months of the Horse Year (in East and Southeast Asian lunar systems).
For this equinox, we read with the “Born To” / “Forced To” spread. The first card represents both what we, as a collective Hyperallergic readership, have been born to do and what we may be forced to do under current circumstances. As with any collective reading, this should be understood metaphorically, taking what works and leaving the rest behind. A good collective tarot reading is more about “reading the room” than speaking to any individual person specifically.
And we start with an inquiry: What must we hold in our hearts as the new year begins? As so much of the world closes down, the earth’s orbit around the sun continues unabated, reminding us that nothing is permanent, neither darkness nor light. Our planet simply turns and turns, giving us the seasons and its long days and long nights.
Collective Tarot Reading
Born To: Five of Stones (aka Five of Pentacles)
Forced To: Six of Swords
Both these cards arrive reversed or upside down, suggesting a blocked or reversed energy fitting for the weather in Brooklyn as of late. While I don’t often read individual cards differently when they’re reversed, I do like to notice when there’s a trend. Spring emerges in fits and starts, as is its wont, and so does our reading. Both cards show their elements in alignment, like a gentle path forward.
The first card, the Five of Stones, is our “Born To” card. The suit of stones represents the element of earth, or material things, and the number five represents a space of conflict or turning. This card often suggests struggle and exclusion, but it can also stand for how we come together when faced with these conditions. In the “Born To” position, this card reminds me of the Buddha’s First Noble Truth: that life is dukkha, a space of suffering and dissatisfaction. Importantly, it is only the first truth and not the entire story. In fact, clearly seeing the world and its inequalities is an important stage of creative awakening.
The second card, the Six of Swords, is our “Forced To” card. The suit of swords is a symbol of air or the mind. I appreciate that M Eilo represented these through writing or drawing implements, familiar tools for artists. And here I was reminded of the Buddha’s Fourth Noble Truth, or marga, the path to liberation. The Six of Swords tells us that the path forward requires organizing traumas and anxieties, structuring creative work, and charting a journey in community. We cross the desert not alone but with each other, with our art to guide the way.
Below, you’ll find further guidance in the form of a single card for each group of zodiac signs. This third card represents a “Choose To” card, an invitation to reconsider how you navigate what you feel born to do versus what the situation currently calls for. If they resonate with you, consider speaking an intention into a handful of petals or your favorite foliage and releasing them into the earth.
Fire (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius)
Choose To: Eight of Swords (reversed)
The Eight of Swords often represents the binds that hold us tightly and trap us, until we realize we can simply loosen them. Here, we see a hand at rest amid its creative tools. You may have been experiencing a period of creative blockages or resistance, and this card is an invitation to revisit your craft. You can choose to navigate these difficult times with your creative practice, but it might look different than before. Listen carefully to the voice in your heart that’s led you to blockage — it’s often the same voice that will carry you into openness.
Earth (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn)
Choose To: Eight of Wands (reversed)
The Wands represent the element of fire, or qi, the spark of life, and a fire that may be erupting in your nervous system. The task of the artist is to learn how to transform this fire into productive rather than destructive energy. The Eight of Wands emerges when all the wands come together, and you may be looking for that one last bit of kindling to bring your spark back. Pay close attention to the world around you — wisdom arrives in unexpected corners.
Air (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius)
Choose To: Hanged
Also known as the Hanged Man, this card is an invitation into the upside-down. The hanging here is by the feet, and the figure is a close-up of a face in reverse, looking up in order to look down. If you’ve ever done yoga, you may be familiar with the idea of an inversion, where the heart is higher than the head. It can be a full headstand or a simple bridge pose, an invitation to reverse the usual energy of the body. Consider opportunities to reverse your perspective, whether literally or figuratively. Like drawing upside down, sometimes doing things in reverse opens up the greatest clarity.
Water (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces)
Choose To: Seven of Stones (reversed)
A dragonfly lands gently amid the seven stones, or pentacles, of this card. Water signs, often known for their strong emotional energy, are also a source of life, and this card is an invitation to look back and admire what you’ve grown so far. Your journey is incomplete, but it is not empty. Rather, by setting aside time to take stock, you can strategically reevaluate your way forward in your creative practice. The invitation here is a choice to celebrate, even amid the uncertainty.
