We are almost at the halfway point of 2023, and a lot of things have happened both personally and globally that have caught me off-guard. I would say that our year is going as predicted, so far, but I am amazed that it is already almost May! This month has seemed extra quick to me, and I hope I am not alone in that. Everything seems to have flown right by me and even Bealtaine has snuck up on me. I am hopeful that our April showers will bring May flowers, but we shall see – I have yet to pull the cards as I write this!
If you need a refresher for our collective reading, you can find that here → Peering into 2023 
Collective Tarot Reading. If you are new here, this is a periodic divinatory reading I do to shine a light on the collective reading that I do at the beginning of the year. The cards pulled here for the next month are a reflection and check-in with the relevant card from the yearly reading.
Was April Relevant?
Let’s take a minute to look at April’s collective reading card and update to see what was relevant. Then we can move on to this month’s check-in and the cards I will pull.
April 2023: The Ten of Cups Reversed
You may have wanted and hoped for a harmonious and engaging relationship with your family – spouse, parents, or other – but that’s not what you’re feeling this month. There is an air of disconnect in April. Something isn’t there and everyone involved is struggling to keep the faith in the relationship alive. You will need to find common ground this month, a common goal to work toward so that harmony can be maintained. Be sure that everyone’s expectations are realistic and not rooted in fantasy.
Read more: The 10 of Cups - Spells8 Tarot Lesson
The three cards I pulled as the update for April were the Two of Pentacles Reversed, The Tower, and the Six of Swords Reversed. As it stands right now, I am fully on board with what that reading entailed. I have felt overworked, underappreciated, and pulled in many different directions in more ways than one. I have changed medications. I have started journaling again. I have also been trying my hardest to plan my weeks, months, and quarterly projects – and stick to them!
On a global scale, I mean… there are so many things going on in the world right now that it is hard to pick just one thing that sticks out as pertinent for this reading. I guess, let’s just say take your pick of all of the things going on and apply it to this reading. Chances are, something will fit because things are very chaotic in many places of the world right now!
Let me know how the reading for April played out for you!
This month, we are looking at the month of May!
As a reminder, the collective reading for the month of May has us looking at The Hermit Reversed.
May 2023: The Hermit Reversed
The chaos of life will have you wanting to withdraw yourself this month. Remember, the theme of the year is about defending ourselves and what we’ve achieved. Last month saw us potentially disconnected from our important relationships. This month, rather than deepening a connection with those outside of us, we are going to be tempted to retreat within ourselves. A bit of introspection and self-reflection is a good thing. However, taking that too far is never a good thing. Don’t get lost in yourself, okay? Lean into your relationships and work through the troubles rather than away from them to avoid the conflict.
Read more: 9. The Hermit – Spells8
With this card in mind, I pulled three more cards to give us some more guidance on where May is headed.
The above image shows three tarot cards face up on a gray table. The cards are, from left to right: The Eight of Swords, The Three of Wands, and The Sun.
The Eight of Swords
Not surprisingly, we have the Eight of Swords. This card fits in well with The Hermit Reversed. The Eight of Swords is a prison of our own making. We may get trapped in our thoughts, usually brought on by other thoughts or decisions that we have made. When we get like this, it can become difficult for us to see things as they are. We become trapped in our own minds and have a negative outlook on the world. In essence, we become the victim on our own. It only takes a shift in our perspective to see that our blindfold can be removed and we can easily pull the swords out from around us.
The Three of Wands
The Three of Wands brings us optimism. We leave the swords and The Hermit behind for a brighter future. Whatever plans we have made or ideas we had are now underway. This is a good thing because it provides us with that forward movement we need to get out of our inner prison. It is also a reminder to use that while things may be easy now, we still have challenges ahead of us. We should not give up, nor should we get complacent in our endeavors. We still have goals. We still have things that need to be done. It is a liminal time, especially when you consider that the person in the card is standing between land, sea, and sky.
The Sun
I don’t think I have ever pulled this card from this deck and I have to say, just looking at it makes me smile. The Sun is hope for a brighter future. The Sun is the Universe telling us that everything is going exactly as it needs to, and everything will work out the way it’s supposed to. We need to remember our positivity, and when we have trouble finding it, lean on those around us to bring us back into the light. The Sun gives us strength, abundance, and everything we need to be happy and healthy. We just have to remember to revel in the warmth every once in a while!
Just as a reminder…
The Card of the Year: The Seven of Rods
- conflict, protecting what you’ve worked for, passionate disagreements
Goals of 2023: Justice Reversed
- lack of balance, unfair treatment, honesty with others
Obstacles of 2023: The Sun
- keeping the peace, complacency, people pleasing, avoiding confrontation
Putting it together…
I am not nearly as worried about May as I was about April. While I personally have a tendency to get stuck in my head (just like The Hermit Reversed points to), having the Three of Wands and The Sun show up in the updated reading gives me a lot of hope. What we need to make sure of this month is that we do not allow ourselves to get stuck in the cycles and patterns of negative thinking.
When we become The Hermit Reversed, all introspection and isolation as an escape, we do embody the message of the Eight of Swords. We start to wonder why no one enjoys being around us, why things don’t go the way we want, or why we can’t seem to pull ourselves out of the darkness. We must remember the messages of the Three of Wands and The Sun. No isolation. No victim mentality. Lean into your support system and give yourself the encouragement you need to keep moving forward.
I am personally going through a few different changes in my life, as it seems to happen all the time, so I feel like this message particularly hits home for me. As I adjust to new medications and new ways of doing things, it is hard for me to remember my plans and stick to them. I want to do all of the projects all at once, and sometimes when I have a busy week I feel discouraged because I wasn’t able to work on projects. But having the plan, having the goals shown by the Three of Wands, having the strength and joy given to me by The Sun – I am hopeful that I can avoid becoming The Hermit Reversed and so can you!
What do you think?
Do you have any insight to share from the collective reading? And how do you think May 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 .
I also have a video that details how I use this spread!
→ Tarot for the New Month || A Simple Four Card Tarot Spread! [CC] - YouTube
I’m hoping The Sun shines brighter than the rest of the cards this month lol
I had this song stuck in my head earlier. I’m calling in this energy for May for sure! 
Here’s to hoping May has a lot more happiness in store for us all 
