I can’t claim to be someone who knows which mansion the moon takes up residence in at any given moment. There are timekeepers and accountants of the stars who know the motions of these Divine mechanics like the back of their palms; observant devotees who listen carefully to what the heavens have to say. They mull over every drifting constellation, every fleeting comet and eclipse as a wonder to behold. And a wonder to behold it is.
My inboxes have been full with all kinds of questions surrounding the eclipse. It is, to me, a time to sit on our hands. To bite our tongues when vitriol tempts it and have faith that virtue will prevail. That is not to say we should be silent in the face of horror but instead resist the confused chaos that happens when it is just two minutes to midnight on the Doomsday clock. Centrist and apologist, no. Wise in the midst of tumult, yes. If there is a distinction between feigning self-righteousness and living in a way that allows our moral authority to remain intact, the time to make it is at hand.
In the world of Ceremonial Magick, we pass through what is often called the “Four Ordeals.” These ordeals are personal crises. They are events we must endure which burn away at our ego. They can be loss of love, reputation, health, home or any other thing dear to us. Our response to this suffering, regardless of whether it is unjust or just, is an opportunity to accept an initiation. This initiation allows us to proceed towards a greater goal of transcending our ego. No matter how wise or spiritual or adept, though, we are simple humans. We feel love and loss acutely. It is our greatest strength and weakness. It is also essential to initiation. It seems to me the eclipse is ushering in a season of ordeals.
As I sorted through the themes of my tarot readings, the tropes at play in my own life and the lives of others, I began to see a pattern emerge. This is more often how I sense the weather of the heavens moving throughout our personal and collective lives. In the passionate sign of Aries, heated words are exchanged. They are not all words of hate, contrary to the prevailing narrative about Aries. But they are all words of honesty. Confessions of love are everywhere in the ether, too. This eclipse uncorks the seal of silence which maintains order yet not necessarily peace.
As my dear friend Michael pointed out it’s also the Feast of the Annunciation. Additionally, it's noteworthy that it is also Ramadan. In spite of the deep wound penetrating the Muslim world through the relentless violence against Palestine, many continue to fast and give alms. Both Christians and Muslims celebrate the messages delivered by Gabriel, the archangel I have been (maybe profanely) in devotion to for a decade now. Gabriel delivered the Quran to the prophet Muhammad and the holy message of an immaculate conception to Mary–both radical revelations which upended the lives of their recipients.
These revelations were, in my view, the ordeals which determined whether their receivers would rise to meet their fate. Their destinies, and the road of unimaginable commitment and suffering it took them down, were bestowals of love. With true and genuine love comes duty. Love and Destiny are inextricably bound up together. With it comes the burden (and honor) of duty. Our tarot reading this week allows us to find meaning in the eclipse which sits so close by the equinox it amplifies the intensity of the revelations we encounter both inwardly and outwardly.
The Ten of Cups, The Five of Cups, the Three of Swords
Pictured in the Ten of Cups are two parents. They hold their offspring beneath an arc of chalices alongside a rainbow, signaling a time of joyful communion between loved ones. The skies are blue and rolling hills of green stretch out in the background. Following this card is the Five of Cups. In the Rider Waite-Smith version of this card a figure in a long cloak hangs their head, solitary as they mourn. Five chalices surround them, two of them upright, the other three spilled. In this version, though, a bishop mourns while a priest lays a hand on his arm sympathetically. The bishop is grief stricken and inconsolable. A shadowy angel lingers in the air above him, maybe delivering sorrowful news. Following is the Three of Swords. This card shows a heart pierced by three swords, indicating the inevitable heartache that love invites. The message of this reading is short and clear. Love is binding. In the euphoria of connectedness is the risk, and reality, of separation. This separation occurs in many ways–sometimes through death, through trauma, through a duty to our destiny or conflicting wills. Whatever the case, the transcendence of initiation only occurs when our humanity is expressed the most loudly. It comes not from detachment, but through the duty we have to suffer through in the flux of communion and separation from those we love. There is something we should bear in mind to endure this great, painful blessing. Separation is not forever. At the Twilight of Time Gabriel is prophesied to circle overhead, annunciating the apocalypse. He does so not with a warcry or elegy but a rapturous song.
Thank you for reading my newsletter. Your support is deeply felt and appreciated. You can always find me for a private divination appointment at www.gemineyetarot.com or give me a follow on social media @Gemineyetarot on IG and TikTok. On Wednesday, April 3rd I’ll be hosting a virtual lecture and meditation focusing on exorcisms and demonology. We’ll be exploring the impact of theology, lore, psychoanalytics and colonialism in shaping the creatures which haunt our nightmares. You can snag tickets here: Exorcisms and Demonology . Please credit me when quoting or citing my research and reflections. Xo, Alejandra Amalia Villegas.