Blessed Lughnasadh, Happy Lammas, and welcome to August, my friends! 
The year of 2022 is now officially more than halfway over! I spent most of July in deep introspection, facing shadows, and dealing with my own mental health. I know several of you have also been going through something similar. To this I say → Let July be put behind us!
So much has happened since the beginning of the year, good things and bad things. Of course, I am limited to The United States and my personal life in my perspective of things so that definitely has a lot to do with my current cynicism. Anyway, today we are looking back at our collective reading → Peering into 2022 
Collective Tarot Reading to see if anything new has come up for August! If you are new here, this is a periodic tarot reading I do to shine light on the collective reading I do at the beginning of the year.
Was July Relevant?
Let’s look back at the card I pulled for July to see if it made sense with everything that happened.
July 2022: The Ace of Pentacles Reversed
Usually a bright and happy card, when the Ace of Pentacles is reversed it can signify a loss on the horizon. We may have been happy before, but this month will see us delve into instability. Things that were put in place before may have been placed on shaky foundation. Think back to previous months where we saw the Knights. Were decisions made hastily? Or we had to make difficult decisions quickly that maybe weren’t the most sustainable? On a grander scale, this could be a backslide in political, social, or economic situations. Opportunities may have been missed and we will pay the price.
I mean…do I even need to say any more? I know the US isn’t the only place that has experienced socio-politico-economic upheaval in the last month. The rulings coming out of the US is currently having a domino effect in many other countries around the world. Even in my personal life a lot of things shifted for me. Then looking at the July check-in for this year had us looking at Greed, The Magician, and Otherworldly.
If you want to refresh your memory on the July check-in, click here
In my Putting it Together section of last month I mentioned that we could be coming together as a collective to fight against the injustices of the world. I will admit that I spent most of last month dissociated and just sort of walking through life with my eyes half-open. However, I also mentioned that the readings for the next few months would most likely see us with a fight on our hands for ourselves, our communities, and even our countries. We may walk with spirit beside us but spirit isn’t going to do all the work for us.
This month, we are looking at the month of August!
As a reminder, the collective reading for the month of August has us looking at The Ten of Pentacles Reversed.
August 2022: The Ten of Pentacles Reversed
The foreshadowing of the Ace of Pentacles reversed comes into play this month. This card is also one that is usually happy. Upright, the family is dancing around and the pentacles hang in the air. When you flip the card over, smiles become frowns and what was easily suspended now appear to be falling. The reversed card points to a deeper and darker meaning. The Ten of Pentacles brings financial conflict and instability. It usually points to the future, but I feel that it is more immediate given the cards from the previous months. We will need to keep a close eye on our personal finances and stability to ensure we don’t lose things that are important to us.
With this card in mind, I pulled three more cards to give us some more guidance on where August is headed.
In this image sits three cards from my Traditional Manga tarot deck. From left to right is the Eight of Wands, the Eight of Swords Reversed, and The Fool.
The Eight of Wands is a card about energy and movement. Where the Seven of Wands drug their feet, the Eight of Wands is shooting through the air with lightning speed. This brings about an energy of excitmenet, progress, and growth. In the image, the person is directing the wands with a pointed finger toward the right. This is a sign of movement toward the future. We may see immense progress made this month on many fronts as the Eight of Wands typically brings about quick change.
The Eight of Swords Reversed sees us upside down, giving us the perfect space to remove the swords from the stone and the blindfolds from our eyes. The Eight of Swords Reversed brings us freedom from our fears, freedom from those around us that would do us harm, and the knowledge to move forward. The past is worth remembering, but if we dwell on it too much it will only make matters worse.
Ohh, how lovely it is to be The Fool. Carefree, naïve, full of life, and ready for a new adventure. This card comes as a reminder to us that new adventures are waiting for us but we have to have the courage to step out of our comfort zone to get their. Embrace your inner child, give them a great big hug, and step off the edge into the wildness of life!
Just as a reminder…
The Card of the Year: The Nine of Pentacles
- success, abundance, and reaping the benefits of our hard work
Goals of 2022: The Knight of Swords Reversed
- impatience, rudeness, and an overall aggressive manner in endeavors
- fighting for what we believe in
Obstacles of 2022: The Nine of Swords
- collective trauma, guilt, and shame
- hiding away and regretting our decisions
Putting it together…
I am immediately drawn in by the fact that there are a lot of loops in this reading. We have four circles, two in each number eight, and then we have the circle from the number zero for The Fool. I feel like cycles are going to be a heavy theme for us this month, whether that is something beginning, something ending, or something needing to continue. Circles and spirals are sacred in many traditions and this fact stuck out to me as soon as I looked at all the cards together.
Having the Eight of Wands and the Eight of Swords Reversed together is a good omen for me. These two cards coupled together show that we’ve got the energy to make the changes we need while also having had our fears and hesitations removed to give us a clear path. And then we have The Fool?! I mean, I think this entire reading is one big beacon of hope. It really helps to balance out the dread I felt initially from The Ten of Pentacles Reversed. I am almost thinking that the instability that is coming from The Ten of Swords comes from uprooting old patterns of thinking and dealing with our family and friends as we shift into a new level of thinking and being.
This is, of course, not going to be an easy thing to do. If we fall back into old patterns of behavior that involve people pleasing, passivity, and looking the other way then no progress is going to be made at all.
What do you think? Do you have any insight to share from the collective reading? And how do you think August is going to go?
If you want to do your own reading for the new month, you can find the current infographic below. I also have a blog post that goes into more detail about each card in the layout. You can find that post by clicking here.
