January 24 – 30, 2019: Judgement

It should be smooth sailing right about now. All of the planets have been spinning in direct motion since January 6th, which means you can’t blame anything on a retrograde until March. I pulled the Judgement card this week. When I pull cards for this blog, I simply ask for my guides to give me something to be mindful of as I write this week, then I pull a card at random. If I’ve already covered the card recently, I might pull another. And so often the cards that come up are so perfectly aligned not only with my life, and hopefully with yours, but also the energy of the planets.

The Judgement card features the Archangel Gabriel in glorious colors, blowing his trumpet. Gabriel is the angel that delivered to Mary, the message that she would bear God’s son, Jesus. In the card, Gabriel is coming to call humanity to judgement before God. The men, women and children below give themselves over to God’s will. The mountains in the background represent the fact that you cannot escape judgement, and times may be challenging ahead.

When this card comes up in a reading, it means that you are being called to take a giant step forward on the path to your higher self. You are destined for more. It’s time to man up and learn from your past, but to let the old you go. Sometimes the hardest thing about growth is saying goodbye to the old you. This card often appears at a time of a significant change or growth in life. 

Today, January 24th, Mercury enters Aquarius. This usually means that same old boring way of doing things no longer suits you. You want to mix things up, take a more scattered approach than usual. It’s also the festival of Sementivae, a grain festival that celebrates the sowing of the fields for spring planting. As the old saying goes, you will reap what you sow.

Next week carries us into Februalia, a Roman festival to honor the God Februus from January 30th – February 2nd. Februs was associated with death and purification. The original tradition was a month long period of atonement and sacrifices.

In a more modern fashion, you can recognize the season by getting rid of the things in your life, heart and mind that are no longer serving you. Consider meditating or practice removing negative thoughts from your day. You could simply declutter your home, have an early spring cleaning. Yes it’s still Winter, but it’s over fifty degrees and raining in Rhode Island, so I’m going to call it spring cleaning. I have to say, I really enjoyed Marie Kondo’s show on Netflix, Tidying Up! If you need some motivation to declutter, she’s your girl.

I digress! There was a clear theme to me here from the symbolism in the Judgement tarot card, the movement of Mercury, and the mythological festivals of the season. I asked for something to be mindful of, and the answer is release. Ugh, that’s NOT easy sometimes. Time to let it go! It’s all part of your evolution.

 

Here are the articles that I consulted for this blog, check them out!

Astrology of 2019 (Cafe Astrology)

Pagan Wiccan Calendar (Thoughtco.com)

Feriae Sementivae (romeacrosseurope.com)

The Roman Februalia Festival (Thoughtco.com)