Tarotscope 7.3.25: Jupiter and The Moon
Temperance and Sagittarius have a message from Old Redeye; he wants us to pay more attention to our pale and lovely moon.
July has finally crept inside our clothes and down our collective ass crack like the slow descent of a ponderous sweat bead, and my tarot decks are reflecting the stasis of America’s swampy air. Joy.
In better news, we’re still juiced on a lovely new moon in Cancer (conjunct with Jupiter, himself something of a ponderous sweat bead) who ginned us up with excitement for a possible change in fortune. That lunation has another six months to play out, because even good change tends to happen in underwhelming fits and starts. In the meantime, the landscape swill continue to shift, and so must we.
Like Sagittarius, the zodiac sign with which this card corresponds, Temperance is a go-with-the-flow sort of major arcana. It reflects an adeptness to changing circumstance, the way surfers shift weight with each swell and suck of the ocean. The Temperance angel of balance and moderation pops up twice this week, and any tarot reader will tell you that when a major arcana keeps repeating itself, the message is probably important.
Sagittarius is the domicile of Jupiter, and through the sign of The Archer our planet of fortune is giving us a hint about our week; namely, that the more nimble we are at staying balanced during inconsistent times, the better we’ll fare as we head into the rest of July and into 2026. It may be that Jupiter is taking on some of the waxing and waning of his host for the next year, madam moon. The purple giant exacerbates the outcome of any situation because of his nature and size, so when he’s relaxing in the moon’s domicile, as he will be for the next twelve months or so, the phases and transits of the moon are transmitting back at us from an amp cranked to ten.
Thanks to Jupiter, the moon’s normally gentle influence will feel more intense, the archetypal manifestations of each transit more overt. This means that as our craggy satellite zooms from Virgo all the way to Sagittarius this week, our internal and collective selves will also need to shift approach from day to day, sometimes drastically, waxing and waning in order to navigate the insanity of 2025.
The other thematic repeat over the next two weeks is one of mixed results in the form of knights in reverse, suggesting a sloppy approach to change that could result in setbacks or stagnation. This makes even more sense when we ponder the mercurial nature of recent global events; countries are at war until they are suddenly not, ceasefires are declared for about three seconds before someone breaks them, the stock market is crashing until it recovers and climbs to the highest level it’s ever been, etc.
Nimble may be too gentle a word for the kind of mental fortitude a normal person needs in order to get up, eat cereal, and go to work in 2025 without bleeding profusely from the ears. Crazy is more accurate; we need to be crazy, hyperaware, and committed to absolutely no particular outcome from day to day, otherwise we’ll crack the way sidewalks in Phoenix, AZ crack under the merciless sun.
Sagittarius does late-stage nimble almost as well as Gemini, so if we can channel the Jupiterian open mind and casual attitude this week, we might hang on to our lone shred of sanity for a bit longer. Nothing is permanent to Sagittarius, and through Temperance he reminds us that unfortunate developments, no matter how gnarly, rarely last forever.
The next best clue as to the nature of our days ahead is the sign and phase of the moon, which represents our daily, physical reality within the Hellenistic discipline. The decks themselves are allocated based on lunar characteristics - I use more cerebral, detailed decks when Luna is in an air sign, dynamic decks with vibrant tones when she is in a fire sign, tranquil, emotive decks for water, etc.
Deck choice, moon transits, companion crystals; these elements add context to a divination system that is already rich with meaning. The same card drawn on Thursday can indicate something entirely different than it did on Tuesday, so let’s see how Luna’s shifting archetype affects this week’s oracle.
Monday, 6.30.25…Moon in Virgo
A Virgo moon lends prissiness to this Knight of Staffs reversed, who already looks like a cockatrice preparing for battle with his voluminous armor and rooster comb. The fire element of wands always brings ego into the picture, represented here by his puffy chest and flaming staff. This guy is feeling himself for sure.
Unfortunately for him, his plans are unlikely to progress smoothly, because reversed knights often indicate delays, stagnation, and possible chaos as we either try to make things happen too quickly, or we get mired in the weeds and halt the process altogether. The Maiden moon likely tipped us over from reasonable discernment into endless nitpicking - perhaps explaining some of the resistance and infighting in the U.S. Congress regarding an atrocious spending bill. Virgoan attention to detail also applies to various court cases and high profile trials, during which jurors need to examine testimony and evidence with a fine toothed comb.
The fostering of clear communication is one of the aspects turquoise brings to the proceedings; which suggests argumentative chatter which delays the knights momentum. Whatever progress we made on this day was dependent on communication, both spoken and written, and the influence of Virgo tells us that the devil was in the details.
Tuesday, 7.1.25…Moon in Libra
An effortlessly cool hipster gal was this week’s first iteration of Temperance, suggesting that we achieve balance through experimentation the way a bartender in the East Village mixes drinks; calmly and covered in tattoos. She’s hip-deep in water, tarot’s shorthand for big feelings and intuition, so we know she’s dealing with a lot despite her exterior demeanor of, “Meh.”
There is bounty surrounding our indie rock mermaid in the form of creepy, vintage dolls, but she is weighing her options with a couple glasses of wine (like you do.) Some dolls are in the air, being weighed, but two more have sunk in the water, indicating her choice of moderation instead of extremism. This Temperance angel will keep some haunted toys behind the bar, but not all. She wants to scare patrons a little, but not so much that they leave without tipping.
The dual wineglasses echo the scales of Libra, constantly striving for balance, and the accompanying rhodonite further emphasizes duality. Rhodonite is a neat little manganese crystal that has been used for emotional balance, grounding, and forgiveness since its discovery in Russia circa 1790 or so, due to a striking combination of pink (heart chakra) and black (root chakra). This Temperance card feels like a response to the previous day’s reversed knight, perhaps reflecting the Libra tendency toward compromise as the best solution to disagreement.
Wednesday, 7.2.25…Moon in Libra
Page of Coins is an adorable baby skeleton, sitting patiently for a post mortem portrait. His commitment proves fruitful, sprouting leafy, indigo flowers that are the result of youthful drive and focus. He looks like he knows it, too, given the sly grin that’s settled on his giant cranium.
The airy diplomacy of Libra continues to dominate our approach, but we apply it to matters involving material security in a fresh way, perhaps receiving communication about finances or health that reinvigorates us. This breath of new life could show up in the form of a person, but it could also be a newly excited aspect of ourselves, one that is ready to attack the earthy, practical matters of living with the zest, focus and drive of youth.
Moss agate is an earthy heart chakra stone that encourages us to connect with nature and our messy, embodied selves. The muted green of the moss agate is associated with both love and prosperity, underscoring the message of the leaves and flowers that sprout from the page’s dedicated enthusiastic. All is not lost, they both seem to say. Good things are on their way.
Thursday, 7.3.25…Moon in Libra
The second Temperance pull of the week differs from the first in mood and character. Instead of a chill bartender this deck depicts a crow expending maximum effort, pouring glittery water between chalices, one leg on land and the other submerged in an expanding puddle. A bounty of sunny daffodils grows behind him, but the intrepid corvid cannot turn around until he finds the balance he seeks in his self-made bird bath.
The intellectual diplomacy of Libra still colors our approach on this day, but the stance of this Temperance crow indicates it will be laborious and lengthy. He’s holding that chalice in his beak - what must it be doing to his little crow neck?! Discomfort seems necessary, then, as we work through the impact of several options; the intuition of water, the practicality of land, the intellect of air, and the action of fire.
The color blue is often representative of communication, symbolized here in the water as well as a complimentary lapis lazuli pull. This ancient metamorphic rock is often associated with truth, and we can observe hints of its unique color in both the water and the feathers of the crow. There may be truth in what is spoken today, but some of it is jumbled in lies, and some of it could be nestled beneath black, feathery deception. This consensus built on half-truth is precarious - it has been achieved, but can it be maintained?
Friday, 7.4.25…Moon in Scorpio
Two of Cups is always an emotional exchange, as depicted by these ginger vixens brushing each other’s hair and vibing in a garden, but well-intentioned friends in an upright position quickly morph into frenemies when reversed.
The goblets above and below have trapped these gals in their own tableau and may be creating an echo chamber, one in which emotions reverberate far longer than they need to. When this card is reversed, disappointment, despair, and an inability to fully comprehend the feelings or motives of people with whom we are entangled can lead to disengagement and eventually, betrayal. Notice the woman turned away and considering an exit, even as her friend is personally invested in her hair, alternately braiding and admiring it.
The subtle vibrations of peach agate echo the warm tones in this illustration, often associated with the sacral chakra, which affects our emotional resilience and creativity, among other things. Gentle and forgiving, this crystal might combat the paranoia and grudge-holding that a Scorpio moon can encourage, but the best course of action is to cool off and delay any conversations or attempts at reconciliation, should a rift between friends or lovers occur. A Scorpio moon is not a forgiving one; it is the place of exile for gentle Luna, and even a pumped up Jupiter will have difficulty navigating Scorpio extremism with grace.
Saturday, 7.5.25…Moon in Scorpio
This iteration of Ten of Pentacles revels quietly and tastefully in material success, illustrated by women relaxing in a luxurious parlor, filled with objet de art accumulated over a lengthy timeframe. We deserve this abundance, their postures seem to say - after all, we have worked for it. They are sitting pretty, content in the knowledge that anxiety and the labor of accumulation are behind them.
The control and judgement of Virgo is evident in the fussy details of this room; the pentacles spread about and nestled carefully between vases, the books perfectly shelved, and the mirror above the fireplace, so clean that it could pass for a window into another room, are all hallmarks of the earthy, mutable sign that corresponds to the Ten of Pentacles. Scorpio shares Virgo’s need for control, a quality that morphs easily into greed and obsession when left unchecked. Do these women need everything in their parlor, or do they simply wish to hoard wealth?
A complimentary pull of smoky quartz, known broadly as a detoxifier, shares the color theme of browns and coppers that dominate this Ten of Pentacles depiction; earth tones that symbolize grounding, prosperity, and practicality. This is minor arcana that invites us to examine our relationship to wealth - when do we have enough, and when is it time to share?
Sunday, 7.6.25…Moon in Sagittarius
The moon moves into mutual reception with Jupiter on Sunday by virtue of entering his domicile, causing us to experience the waxing enthusiasm of Sagittarius in a visceral way. The Fool is often associated with Uranus, an outer planet of disruption, rebellion, electricity, and technology, but he shares the trait of guileless optimism with Jupiter as well. His joie de vivre is expressed here in the form of another crow, one who speeds toward the sun despite indications of upheaval (or perhaps because of them).
This Fool maintains forward trajectory even as he flies through dismembered flower petals, likely originating from the rook skulls blossoming beneath him. What lies ahead is far more interesting to him than decaying old ideas, and if he has to fly through dismembered pieces of the past to get to something better, so be it.
Uranus is probably excitable because of his imminent Gemini ingress, a complete vibe shift from the mayhem he’s been causing in Taurus for the last seven years. The patron planet of shit disturbers is more powerful in air signs, and Gemini in particular loves to break things apart in the name of scientific inquiry. Like The Fool, Uranus doesn’t care about the things that are falling apart, because he is laser focused on possible replacements of the status quo, even if they are still vague and unformed. Anything has to be better than this, right?
Emerald has gained popularity in the west as a symbol of devotion and love, but older myths associate this crystal with shrewdness, keen eyesight, and the ability to glean emotional truths from deceptive communication. Emerald suggests that The Fool must sharpen his perception for the journey ahead, because the aftermath of disruption can be chaotic and deceptive at the same time it is refreshing and stimulating. Stay sharp and observant, pleads this green crystal - just because something is new and weird does not automatically guarantee that it will be an improvement.
Thankyou. Sunday’s vibe appears to be 100% tech bro Tiel. Weirdness incoming. Makes me want to go completely analogue with the exception of this platform, of course.
The collective bead of sweat made me think of this: https://youtu.be/n5lfjyiCAFQ?si=2cZMxHRbOgkwzM9J