April enters in a sombre tone and soulful mood. There’s also a great deal of activity and excitement throughout the month, culminating in rather unexpected ways of intense grandeur. Personal realisation will come the hard way but it will have staying power. A youthful unbounded energy will help generate progress. We have a spread of the 3 of Swords, followed by the Page of Swords, and finally the King of Pentacles. The cards offer an unusual picture of incongruous and self negating, changeable content, however, at the same time dynamic and vibrant.

The 3 of Swords speaks of suffering. Many people around the globe will be celebrating Easter and Passover at the beginning of April, and will be observing religious traditions and folk customs of personal sacrifice, loss and mourning that lead to redemption and glory. Many more are affected by the current pandemic. The lesson of spirituality, ideals of death and resurrection, defeat that turns into victory, selflessness that leads to gains larger than life are all around us. Celebrating the coming out of austerity and into abundance, just at the beginning of Spring, when the sun rises to dispel sadness permeates those early April days.

The sense of initiation, of planting seeds is paramount. But it comes out of grief and personal retreat. This can be due to external circumstances outside our control or it can be self inflicted. In any case we will feel a sense of isolation and pain. The 3 of Swords tells us that virtue and innocence cant save us from pain. Furthermore through pain there is the ability of healing that comes from within, as the picture of the young girl in the harsh interior, of what looks like a church, a castle or a religious establishment shows. Swords indicate air, and therefore a mental abstract energy is implied. It might be difficult to pin point what actually is going on in our lives. We are coming out of a very watery sensual energy to a more cerebral atmosphere. The dominant element of air creates further confusion and an illusory setting. The state of our reality hasn’t exactly manifested in clear terms yet.

With the Page of Swords we enter a time characterised by experimentation and play acting, creativity and curiosity, trial and error. Words will be flying. Objects will transmute an alchemical order. We are going to be driven with an intellectual yearning. And although curiosity is one of the strongest human drives, not every idea we delve on is worth pursuing. Even ideas can bring harm and misfortune. A balance needs to be reached. Instead we could get carried away reaching a burn out and ultimately abandon our plans. With the Page of Swords we can’t help but think this is about new energy, new inspiration and new people coming forward into our lives. He is the grand significator of positive change. He brings a sense of enthusiasm that becomes infectuous. The card is colourful and uplifting. But what does it all mean?

The spread suggests we are on to something significant. And it is absolutely material. The King of Pentacles is the personification of confidence and success. He is overpowering in his dominance. He has achieved what he wants, and now we are talking real physical opulence and material maturity. This can be interpreted in so many ways. It can signify a real person entering our lives and taking centre stage. A person who bears all these characteristics of the King of Pentacles, becomes a driving force for us. A leader, a provider, a wise and generous abundant person. The author of the deck describes the King of Pentacles archetype as such: ‘Like a Shepard in the middle of a flock, like an ancient tree in the middle of a garden, like a gem in the middle of a treasure: wealth is about life.’

Equally, this time the King of Pentacles may refer to our new more prosperous setting. And finally, we are ourselves the embodiment of those qualities. We are the King of Pentacles. The same. There is ambition and worldly success within reach. Uncertainty is replaced by stability. It is reflected in the environment but it comes from within our own power, commitment and hard work. A tinge of possessiveness may derail us. So everything comes at a price, or with its dark side. For this it’s worth keeping in mind a more flexible attitude as we merge with greater wealth and a rise in status to avoid anxiety or delusional self aggrandised thinking that will only spell trouble ahead.

Once again this is a contradictory month. It starts off with passive contemplation and deep spiritual leanings that through fierce activity – often driven by sudden bursts of inspiration – manifests in substantial and real change. Our circumstances are changing. Goals are achieved. We are moving forward through communicative energy, through action and curiosity after months of reflection and indecision. Our everyday life takes on a new meaning. The colour around us shine new light. Flowers are starting to bloom. Things look different, feel and taste different. We are creating our own golden opportunities. We are changing, and that’s the real evidence of life to enjoy. Personal growth is on going.

Flavia