In honor of the month of love, I'll be reading with "The Golden Tarot of Klimt" deck. Each card is based on his art, but I've chosen this deck especially for his most famous piece, "The Kiss."  Interestingly in 1908 the art piece was exhibited under the title "Liebespaer," which translates to the lovers. This of course is the tarot card that the art piece represents in this deck. It is perhaps one of the most quintessential representations of complete surrender and acceptance of romantic love's embrace (and symbolically, divine love). 

 

The secondary energy of February is no longer practiced but perhaps can still be felt on an intuitive level. February was the last month of the Roman year. It is named after Februalia, an ancient Roman purification festival that lasted for ten days, to atone for and be purified from the sins of the whole year. It also parallels the Celtic celebration Imbolc, another celebration of purification which marks the beginning of spring. Whether we choose to integrate February as a new end or a beginning, it may be helpful to take inspiration from this practice and "clean house" spiritually. 

 

Energy of the Month: Ace of Cups ~I Promise - Peter Peter~

 

All our aspirations of love manifest as St. Valentine's Day draws near, a holiday said to originate in an ancient Roman festival called Lupercalia. On February 15th, fertility rites were performed partly in honor of the god Faunus (likened to Pan) who is typically depicted as half-goat and half-man. Youth would run about in goatskin, and any woman who was hit by the thong of a sacrificial goat (or dog) was said to become fertile. Though fertility is typically associated with love making, this word also brings to mind the creative fertility of ideas, which are bound to flourish in this month. This is a good month to follow through on any desires to join a creative class, start a new art project, or build up a loving and consistent practice with our craft.

 

The art portrays a couple in a very classical romantic embrace, reminding us that love at its beginning is exhilarating and full of promise. Everything is new and seen in an optimistic and beautiful light. We are asked to approach love with a youthful lens, towards others, and most importantly ourselves. This may look like taking a rich cacao bath and performing a little ceremony with rose scented incense, or wearing something that makes us feel excited about ourselves. This may look like going on the kind of first date that a younger version of ourselves would have always wanted to go on, or breaking routine completely to go on an adventure within a current partnership.

 

Love: 2 of Wands ~Für Hildegard Von Bingen - Devendra Banhart~ (Alt: Soul Love, by David Bowie)

 

Hildegard Von Bingen came forward for me in the form of music, when I had not thought of her in quite some time. I believe it is no coincidence that she is offering herself as an inspiration for this reading. She was a German Benedictine Abbess of many talents born in 1098, as a writer, composer, mystic, medical and botanical writer and practitioner. She received divine visions since she was a small child and can be considered an early feminist icon.

 

This month we are asked to approach love from a divine perspective, rather than limit ourselves to a mere romantic lens. We are asked to partner ourselves with the divine through visions, dreams, writing, and song. We should keep a dream diary and keep note of any messages that we receive. Moreover, we are asked to engage with what we receive and share it with others–through the creation of art, mandalas, song writing, blogging, singing, and writing. We find hope and healing when we practice and share divinely inspired art and projects.

 

Money: Reverse 7 of Wands ~(Feels Like) Heaven - Fiction Factory~

 

On the surface, it feels like a perfect monetary situation is within reach. However, there is still a lot that we are grappling with internally. It seems we are in great conflict with our inner critic, who questions whether we are capable of stepping up to fulfill the opportunities that present themselves. We may feel a lot of anxiety in this regard, and feel like giving up when the circumstances get too overwhelming. Resist the temptation to spiritually bypass this struggle, as this will only cause bigger issues further down the line. We would benefit greatly this month by embracing Februalia energy, and cleansing and absolving ourselves from any regrets or mistakes we feel we’ve made in regards to finances in the last year. Shadow work is needed, and it is important we spend time working through it and acknowledge it so that we may move forward.

 

Work: Reverse Knave of Swords ~Knights of Cydonia - Muse~

 

A knight without a vision is an aimless wanderer. Take care not to fall into old patterns, such as applying for a job for the sake of it. Take a step back and determine whether our work choices are serving a greater cause to further our sense of mastery; or the double-edged sword may cut us. We want our intellect to serve us, not the other way around. Contrary to what the modern work ideology would have us think, we do not have to sacrifice all our needs and wellbeing in order to progress in work. We are worth more than martyrdom and how much we can produce. This is yet another area in life in which we could greatly benefit from tuning into the Februalia energy. Those of us who practice new moon rituals are advised to focus on inner cleansing around money and work during this time especially. 

 

Health: Reverse Emperor ~The Man Who Sold the World - Nirvana (cover)~

 

There is a “New Year, New Me” mentality that tempts us to be very controlling with our health, nutrition, and exercise. Ironically, this causes us to be very stressed around our health which raises our cortisol and interferes with the goals we are trying to achieve. There is of course an opposite issue which can arise. When we stumble or we hit a wall, we can just as equally be tempted by letting go completely and losing all sense of discipline. We are at a big crossroads in terms of how we approach our health. Health is another area that is in need of inner cleansing. We want to get very introspective here, be it through journaling, therapy, or other methods. Where have we been too ruthless towards our health and body image, and where do we need to forgive ourselves? Where can we introduce compassion and honor our health in gentler ways? We must clean the slate and foster a healthy mindset, so that we can find stable and sustainable practices that honor our inner selves.

 

Spirit: Reverse 5 of Chalices ~Just for Now - Imogen Heap~

 

Our spirit naturally wants to resist difficult setbacks and challenges that seem to obscure our growth. We want to hold our face of grief, horror and shock apart from us. But that which is compartmentalized for our own survival can come as a shock when it inevitably resurfaces. Of course we should be grateful to our coping mechanisms for getting us this far. But February presents a unique universal moment of stillness and inner cleansing so that we can tend to our spirit above all. We seek our own forgiveness in the process of atonement. If we can do that, we can more readily move out of difficult patterns and move forward. We acknowledge our difficult trials and emotions as a part of our history, and rather than fearing that it defines us, we can use it as a helpful tool for growth. 

 

Happy Cleansing!

 Angel Intentions