Why Things Didn’t Work Out The Way You Hoped (Astrology + Tarot)
Aries
Your Cards: King of Cups & Eight of Swords
You’re overthinking everything, Aries. The King of Cups might suggest that you are in the right mindset, yet there’s this part of you that steps in at the last second and sabotages everything. You know what’s right, yet this little voice is so skilled at convincing you that you’re wrong. No wonder why you can’t seem to move from this place. You haven’t learned how to ignore that voice yet. You’ve done the work, you’ve made the changes, but there’s a piece of you that you’re not able to let go of. This voice sounds reasonable and it disguises itself as “intuition” when really it’s just your anxiety in sheep’s clothing. And when shit hits the fan, this voice is able to say “See, I was right, it wasn’t meant to work out.” This is a lie, really it’s just a self-fulfilling prophecy. You’d rather be right about the idea of not being able to achieve anything than prove yourself wrong. That is why things aren’t working out for you. You need to find a way to silence this voice. Don’t let it trick you into thinking it’s your voice of reason coming to bring you back down to earth. It’s not.
Taurus
Your Cards: Eight of Pentacles & Ten of Swords
You have the skills, you’ve mastered your trade, you’ve built your expertise, and yet you can’t seem to get ahead. You know you have what it takes, but the world continues to ignore you. Why is this? Things didn’t work out for you Taurus because you trust the wrong people. That’s not to say that those you hold close to you are intentionally sabotaging your goals, it’s rather their energy that holds you back. Misery loves company after all. Who we choose to keep around directly impacts the person that we are, Taurus. This is a fact. And many of us want to believe that we have more control over our actions than our environment does, but this is a lie. Humans are adaptive and sometimes we adapt by taking on negative qualities. So the point I’m trying to make here is you have absorbed insecurities and neuroses and made them your own. It seems as if there is a touch of toxicity to the environment you’re in and this will only continue to impede your progress, Taurus. You have so much to offer this world. You’re a gifted poet, and natural orator, and a budding leader. You’re meant for so much more than this. But you love to feel a sense of community as well, Taurus. And because you need to feel as if you’re a part of something bigger than you, it makes it harder for you to want to break free and go solo.
Gemini
Your Cards: Five of Cups & The High Priestess
The answer is simple, Gemini. The reason why things didn’t work out the way that you hoped is because there’s something better waiting for you. I get the sense that this is most likely in regard to a potential romantic connection. With the Five of Cups present, you probably feel as if you’ve invested a lot of emotional energy getting to know this person while simultaneously shutting out any other potential connections. And because you put your eggs all in one basket, the disappointment of it not working out only hit you harder and left you feeling more empty and alone. Five of Cups has to do with the feeling of disappointment we experience when we realize the future we thought we were working towards doesn’t exist. But what you aren’t seeing is that there is much better waiting for you. It might not feel like that now, but one day you’ll look back and say to yourself “What the actual fuck was I thinking?” You’re feeling melodramatic and sad and that’s fine, you’re only human. Sometimes we go through it. Keep playing your sad songs, keep watching your silly rom-com, whatever you need to do to make it through this. You’ll make it out on the other side and realize what it is you truly need from not just romantic partners, but your platonic relationships as well.
Cancer
Your Cards: Five of Sword & Ace of Wands
Things didn’t work out the way that you hoped Cancer because your heart just wasn’t in it this time. For whatever reason, that romantic, artistic, passionate, and emotional side of you was just absent. Perhaps at that moment, you feared the idea of being let down all over again and so to protect yourself you held back emotionally. You didn’t allow yourself to get excited. You refused to swoon over hypotheticals. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it’s good to keep your head on straight and focus on yourself, however, you might have taken this self-preservation too far. You need to ask yourself, were you protecting your emotions or were you just protecting your ego from feeling bruised yet again? Because in the end, you’re no further along than you were before. Maybe you’re feelings aren’t hurt this time around but you’re still not where you hoped you’d be.
Leo
Your Cards: Queen of Wands & Four of Pentacles
Your ruling planet is The Sun, symbolizing your ambitiousness and fiery energy. Many Leos accomplish great things within their lifetime. They know how to shoot for the stars and never give up. However, your greatest strength is also your greatest downfall. Once a Leo gets a taste of power, it’s hard for them to ever give it up to anyone or anything. With that said, your ruling planet is also a warning not to fly too close to the sun. Unfortunately in this case, Leo, that’s exactly what you did and is why things didn’t work out the way that you hoped. You wanted to hold all the cards and have the final say no matter what. But this is an unreasonable request. You can’t expect everyone else to always be complexly on board with the things that you want. We all have our motivations and sometimes those motivations conflict with one another. You need to learn when it is time to compromise on your vision of the future. You certainly love to raise hell when things don’t go your way which in the right context is a powerful trait, but in the wrong context will only rub other people the wrong way. You need to learn when it is time to simmer this fiery energy. Not everything is worth fighting for.
Virgo
Your Cards: The Devil & Queen of Swords
Don’t let her cold exterior fool you, deep down the Queen of Swords is a hopeless romantic whom many have come to know as the Queen of Sorrows. In her eyes, it’s easier to expect disappointment than it is to believe that there’s someone worth changing for. In a way, you are similar to the Queen of Swords, Virgo. You’d never admit to anyone or yourself, but you’re a hopeless romantic and you crave connection just as much as the next person does. You try not to get your hopes up but this time around you did and now you’re kicking yourself for it. You feel like it’s your fault for not being smarter about this and letting your emotions get the better of you in the end. You feel as if you should’ve been more practical about everything and that getting your hopes up was a waste. The truth is though, things didn’t work out not because your expectations weren’t met, things didn’t work out because you refused to change for it to work. The Devil might suggest your unwillingness to let go of certain toxic patterns. Perhaps you’ve grown comfortable with these vices, and because this perpetual state of melancholy is all you’ve known, anything else feels foreign and uncomfortable. It doesn’t always have to be like this though, Virgo. You don’t have to be a slave to your shadow.
Libra
Your Cards: Eight of Wands & Strength
You’re expecting life to take your breath away when you should be taking your own breath away, Libra. You have been incredibly passive in your life. Expecting what you hope for to just magically fall into place exactly how you picture it too. The thing is though, the universe has been sending you plenty of opportunities to make it happen. You’re just ignoring all of it because you lack the confidence to take initiative and play an active role in your own life. Of course, this didn’t work out the way you hoped it would because all you’re doing is sitting around and hoping it’ll work out. Understand that there are many opportunities for you to seize, it’ll just require confidence and a willingness to put yourself out there even if it means potentially failing. But I promise you, you’ll be more glad you tried and failed instead of never trying at all.
Scorpio
Your Cards: The Emperor & Knight of Wands
Right now you lack clear focus, Scorpio. You’re not taking life seriously enough. You spend more time philosophizing the intangible that you forget to live practically. You love to question life and find topics of spirituality more stimulating than looking at your friend’s cat photos, but the thing is, you’re alive right now and you sometimes forget that. You need to be present in the life that you are living right in this moment and actively structure yourself so that things actually work out the way you want them to. Okay, we get it, money is made up, it’s not real, we give paper its meaning and value. But the thing is, we can sit here and talk about the metaphorical meaning of money but that doesn’t change the fact that rent still has to be paid and you still have to do your job. You can’t call your landlord and tell him you don’t have to pay because money isn’t real and laws are made up. What is so special about your sign is also what holds you back. You’re incredibly smart but not always the most practical thinker and it’s only going to make your life harder, Scorpio. So stop debating the validity of outdated institutions and start focusing your time and energy on the things that you can control and change. And if you want to have the power and influence to call into question archaic societal hierarchies, the first thing you gotta do is lift yourself up and pay your rent.
Sagittarius
Your Cards: Seven of Wands & Nine of Swords
You need to tell the world what you want. Don’t whisper it. Say it with your chest. How will you ever find what you’re looking for if you just expect the world to read your mind? Nobody is going to advocate for you more than you, Sagittarius. Things didn’t work out the way you hoped because you assumed that what you deserve goes without saying. But you have to fight harder than that. You gave up too easily. You were afraid that other people would think you’re being too demanding, or too dramatic, too this, and too that when really those people just want everything for themselves to take. You’ve been a pushover because you feel like someone’s going to pat you on the back for being “nice”.
Capricorn
Your Cards: The Hanged Man & Ten of Pentacles
What’s funny Capricorn, is that in a way, things worked out exactly how you hoped they would. The thing is, the second you got here you realized that even though this is what you hoped for, it’s not actually what you wanted. Now part of you yearns for how things used to be. Maybe they weren’t so bad to begin with. Maybe you didn’t appreciate what you had before it was all gone. Now life is completely different and even though you’ve accomplished many of your goals, you feel like you’re not living your dreams. Why is that? The Hanged Man might suggest that perhaps it’s time to reassess what it is you really want in life. You’re quite a traditionalist compared to many of the other signs Capricorn and as a result, your ambitions might be more motivated by what society says success looks like. Maybe instead of thinking so far ahead in the future, you should start thinking about what’s going to make you happy right now. You’re allowed to be undecided on certain things and sometimes we don’t know what we want until we find it. Give yourself the chance to continue exploring, maybe you’re meant to walk a different path.
Aquarius
Your Cards: Six of Wands & The Magician
The timing just wasn’t right, Aquarius. It’s not that you weren’t ready, or that you didn’t deserve what you wanted, it’s simply because of timing. That might be difficult for you to hear because time is a force we have no control over. There is nothing that we can do to alter its passage and as a result, we feel powerless. But at the very least find comfort in knowing that you aren’t to blame. It’s not that you’re not good enough, it’s simply because the timing wasn’t in your favor. That’s fine because eventually, your time will come. Until then, you can continue enjoying the journey of getting there because this part is just as rewarding.
Pisces
Your Cards: Six of Cups & Queen of Pentacles
You have to let go of the past, Pisces. You’re clinging onto the past while reaching towards the future and it’s only keeping you stuck in the present. Partly I think it’s because you’re afraid of growing up. You’re that growing older means letting go of your youth. You’re convinced that life will get more serious and therefore less enjoyable. You’ve conflated maturing with a loss of playfulness. But this isn’t true, Pisces. Life was never meant to stay the same, but that doesn’t mean we won’t find happiness. You don’t have to take everything so seriously all the time.