Solstice Tarot Reading for Empowerment
The Wheel of the year has turned again, and we’ve reached that point in the northern hemisphere where the light shines at its fullest. Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year when the strength of the Sun is at peak capacity. The Sun reaching its zenith initiates us into summer, a time of connection, fertility and celebration, when we, like nature, begin to flower and to bloom. As such, the Sun is a symbol of the self, of creativity and of expression. The Sun represents our solar nature, the part of each of us that desires to create and connect, to see and be seen. As a life-giving archetype, the Sun represents our personal becoming and the processes that lead toward fulfillment.
Archetypally, the Sun represents a renewal of life. The parts of us that have grown stagnant or cold are warmed by the solar light and coaxed into awakening. Darkness is illuminated and that which has remained in shadow now has an opportunity to come into the light. Unconscious can become conscious. That which has felt impossible becomes possible. Clarity, vitality and resilience are gifts of the Sun and of Summer Solstice.
What parts of yourself have become frozen or stuck? Where has growth felt restricted?
The solar light now ignites new possibility, and a way forward can be found. Are you ready to step into your creative truth and be empowered by the light of awareness?
This Solstice Spread for Empowerment, created by Liz Jezorski, co-creator of the Grateful Dead Tarot, provides an arrow of awareness targeting your highest potential and illuminating the path to success. Card 1 is the deep source of power within yourself. This unconscious power sustains, feeds and nourishes all the other aspects of this journey to empowered awareness. It is like the stem of the arrow. Cards 2 and 3 form a second layer, still contained within the inner self, representing that which we avoid and that which supports us. Cards 4 and 5 represent a third layer and a shift from inner consciousness to outer manifestation. These cards reveal what will encounter externally and what actions we can take to persevere. The final card, Card 6, is the tip of the arrow. This is the fulfillment of the intention and points to the target which is meant to be achieved. This unique spread offers insight into the process of alignment and can help you prepare and identify for the journey to fulfill your personal hero’s quest.
Want to try out this reading? Start by thoroughly shuffling your cards and tuning into your feelings and sensations of empowerment as well as any inner tension you may be experiencing. When you are ready, place each of the six cards according to the image below. Be sure to place them intentionally, building from the center bottom to the tip of you arrow, as numbered.
Turn each card over mindfully, asking the associated question as you tune into the card’s symbolism. Listen to your own intuition as well as the guidance offered in the book to understand each card’s significance. Be sure to note any themes that emerge throughout the overall spread as part of your total understanding of the spread.
Card 1: located at the bottom center of the spread reveals the deep inner source of your personal power. Your personal power is an unconscious well of accumulated wisdom that serves as the foundation for your journey.
Card 2: at the bottom left shows that which is hidden from you, something that you are unable or unwilling to see. This is your personal shadow and shows an area of vulnerability. Notice any internal resistance to this card when it is revealed.
Card 3: at the bottom right, reveals the tools that will be necessary for you on your quest. These tools offer both support and protection and will serve you in your time of need.
Card 4: in the middle tier on the right reveals the obstacles you will encounter as your journey shifts from inner to outer. Remember, external conflicts are mirrors of internal tensions.
Card 5: in the middle on the left, offers a path of action, a step to take in the world to move you closer to your goal.
Card 6: is the pinnacle, the tip of your arrow of intention. This card reveals the fulfillment of your journey, and its outward manifestations. Pay close attention to how this card relates to Card 1 as they are closely related.
Following is a sample reading using this Solstice Spread for Empowerment. This reading shows the direction we are moving in as a human collective.
Card 1: The Mirror.
“Dark star, crashes
Pouring its light into ashes
Reason tatters, the forces tear loose from the axis”
The Mirror is a destabilizing force that shatters the comfortable illusions that we may have about ourselves and the world. Its energy is formidable and requires great surrender to withstand its force. Collectively, we feel as though we are tearing apart from the axis. We may feel terror at the lack of stability and the force of the breakdown. The Mirror’s appearance suggests that humanity is in a process of deep change and transformation within the very core of its own self-understanding. How we relate to ourselves as human, to the world within which we live, and to our own divinity is shifting dramatically. Our power is in the ability to harness this transformational process, to not fear it, but rather to flow with it. Our power is in the adaptability to change with the Mirror, to not cling to an old dying world but rather to embody the force of change that is being demanded at this time. Rest assured, there is great power in this card and it represents the ability to transcend any challenge.
Card 2: The Blues
Judge said "Son, it's gonna cost you some time"
Dupree said "Judge, you know that crossed my mind”
The Blues is a card of indecision, willful ignorance and personal accountability. As a collective humanity we are refusing to take full responsibility for our choices. We prefer the bondage of avoidance to the freedom of truth. This card suggests that we must face the realities of the situations that we have collectively created. Like a pendulum swinging on an old grandfather clock, time is ticking by without clear decisions being made. As a collective we have become stuck, bound to what we refuse to acknowledge – that we have the power to set ourselves free. We are choosing ignorance instead of accountability.
Card 3: The Empress
“Delilah Jones was the mother of twins
Two times over and the rest were sins”
The Mother reveals nature and the divine feminine. The tool most needed at this time is a conscious reconnection to our planet, to our own emotional sovereignty and to our inner roots of abundance. The feminine yin asks that we remember ourselves as one with the earth, not as separate from her. Collectively, we must remember that we are not meant to be slaves to survival (or to capitalism) but rather that we are meant to create in communion with our planetary consciousness. The consciousness of the Mother is rooted in emotional and intuitive intelligence. She listens to her body, which is nature’s body, and trusts her instincts. This connection is essential for the journey to empowerment.
Card 4: The Cosmic Wheel
“The wheel is turning, and it won’t slow down
Can’t let go, and you can’t hold on”
The Cosmic Wheel represents a shift, a change in the tides. Progress cannot be stopped; time cannot be rewound. We must move forward. Collectively, we are moving into a period of intense change. It may seem that the Wheel is turning ever faster and that we are struggling to catch up. To navigate these changes, we must become adaptable. Adaptability requires presence in the process. Nonattachment to both future and past is the key that unlocks the Cosmic Wheel.
This placement of this card is significant in relationship to the other cards revealed. Whereas the Blues reveals the current tendency to avoid accountability; the Wheel reveals that change will come whether we are ready or not. The Mirror reveals that we are ready for this change even if we do not consciously choose it. We may fear the chaos that harnessing our power creates. The Mother, as the divine yin, reveals that when we consciously embrace this power, we can use it to create rather than destroy.
Card 5: The Five of Skulls
“These are the horns of the dilemma
What truth is proof against all lies”?
This is the only Minor Arcana card in this reading, which in and of itself reveals a powerful presence. Skulls are the mind. Fives represent the tension of change and growth. We have reached a collective breaking point where we are no longer willing to buy into the thought systems of old. The costs of our choices have become too obvious to deny. This is a challenging and difficult card that reflects on the need to take full stock of the situation at hand. There is a need for honesty and to consider if the ends justify the means. The way out of this collective mess is radical accountability. This card speaks directly to Card 2 and the Blues; the pattern of avoidance must stop.
Card 6: The River
“Fare you well my honey
Fare you well my only true one”
The arrow of alignment culminates with the River, a card that symbolizes acceptance of what has been lost and what must be released. This is the Death card and reveals a powerful conclusion to this collective journey. When we enter the River, we are finally letting go of that which we have been afraid to be without. We are giving up the struggles of avoidance and finally facing the transformational process of the Mirror that we have feared for so long. Interestingly, the River follows the Blues in the story of the major arcana revealing that when we finally face the consequences of our actions, we will be released from the experience of collective bondage. The River represents a necessary ending, suggesting that the way things have been is concluding. Yet, it also represents a new beginning. In relationship with the Mirror, it is essential that we not fear the River but understand that we are powerful enough to endure the changes of the Cosmic Wheel, if we are willing to be responsible.
To summarize this potent Solstice Reading, humanity is ready to undergo a powerful shift in its collective consciousness. The predominance of major arcana cards is significant and reveals a deep soul process.
Our shadow currents, as signified by the Mirror, have become incredibly strong. This is both a gift and a challenge. On one hand, we the people are more powerful than we thus far recognize. On the other, there is much fear and tumult within our collective unconscious. There is a need to take ownership of this power and do our shadow work. Whether we are ready or not, the force of change is upon us. If we can be that change, adapt to it and not resist the transformational process that must occur, we will be reborn as signified by the Mother card. Consciously, we will experience this as the Cosmic Wheel, the turning of the tides. The world as we have known it is changing and we are ready to break open that which has been hidden in darkness. Together, we must overcome the indecision and avoidance that limits our growth. This is like sticking our heads in the sand. This avoidance creates inaction and disconnection. It also leads to a kind of collective anxiety as suggested by the Five of Skulls. The culmination of this reading, the tip of the arrow shows that our greatest potential is in the release of the old paradigms of fear, as shown by the River, and reconnection to our roots and to nature. The Mother reminds us that we belong, that we are infinitely abundant and creative. It is time now to reclaim this truth as the antidote to indecision and allow the transformation of human conscious to unfold.