Yesterday’s strong, active masculine energies, coupled with this full moon, may have caused a bit of mental distress despite pushing us toward the accomplishment of our goals. When we get real with the breadth of our dreams and all the work to be done, overwhelm may set in. The challenges inherent to any venture feel augmented and exaggerated. We are seeing that in today’s reading.

The Nine of Swords on The Fountain Tarot shows a man wide awake in the middle of the night, scared by the shadows and by the menace of his thoughts, which are represented by the nine swords menacingly approaching him. You may have had a bit of trouble sleeping last night. Rest assured, the mental threats seen by this man are mostly imaginary or, if based on real scenarios, are exaggerated. Some anxiety and fear can be normal as we march on forward with the project of our lives, and as our dreams take shape and require our action. This card showed up Reversed today. To me, that is a reminder for us to completely release that anxiety, those imaginary or overestimated fears, and to ground ourselves in the perfection of the present moment and of the love already within us.

How do we release that fear? One thing that always helps me is to remember something from the 1st Epistle of John: “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear.” Grounding ourselves in our love for ourselves, for the world, and for our endeavors is a great antidote to fear. And the Two of Cups is here to deliver us that message. The Suit of Cups ruling emotions, and the number two calling for balance; its meaning today is to regain emotional balance. Whereas our troubles from the previous card arises from a disconnected mind (Sword); love and its emotional state of balance is the counterweight to that. This card shows two loving people in an embrace that opens up the beauty of the Cosmos to them. So here, we are reminded to return to the support of our loved ones as we brave through the journey of our lives.

The swords on the first card are the color red, the color of the root chakra and a good reminder to also stabilize ourselves in the ground of our Being as we release any fear and anxiety with love, companionship, and emotional stability. Let’s be thankful for our path thus far and for the universal support that is always at hand.