Hello, Unplugged Pagans.
How are you all today?
We bring to you another tarot reading, another astrology reading for my fellow Cancerians, my fellow Moonchildren, my children of the moon.
But before we begin today’s session, I want to offer a thought on tarot.
For those of you who read the cards, here is something I have never fully understood:
When a card comes up reversed, do you include the reversal?
Or do you turn it upright and read it as though the reversal never happened?
And if you do that, why?
Because to me, it came up reversed for a reason.
Not all reversals are bad. Not all reversed cards are warnings, disasters, or doom. Sometimes a reversal softens a harsh card. Sometimes it delays something rather than destroys it. Sometimes it points inward instead of outward. Sometimes it says, “This energy is blocked,” or “This lesson has not fully landed yet.”
Sometimes, the reversal is the whole point.
Let’s face it: not everything in the world is right side up.
Sometimes life is topsy-turvy. Sometimes the table has been flipped. Sometimes the meaning is not in the card alone, but in the way it lands.
So I wonder: do some readers avoid reversals because they do not want to learn the reversed meanings? Or because they are harder to weave into the reading? Or because upright readings feel cleaner, neater, easier to explain?
I do not ask that as an accusation. I ask it as part of the craft.
Because for me, the reversal belongs in the room.
If the card arrives upside down, I listen to it upside down.
The candles are lit. The incense is moving through the air.
And speaking of incense, I have to ask: do you have a favourite?
Does it matter to you what you burn when you sit down to read?
Sage? Cedarwood? Pine? Sandalwood? Frankincense? Something floral? Something smoky? Something sharp enough to wake the spirit up?
Does incense change the way you enter the day?
Does it alter your mood, settle your thoughts, open the room, or mark the space as something different from ordinary time?
Inquiring minds want to know.
For me, the incense is part of the threshold. It says: we are leaving the regular noise for a moment. We are entering the reading. We are making the morning into ritual.
So we invite Brigid, keeper of flame and craft.
We invite Skadi, cold-eyed and steady, the one who knows how to survive the bitter places.
We invite Ratatoskr, messenger between the worlds, running the branches with words and warnings.
And we invite the fir tree, evergreen and enduring, rooted through storm and season.
Today’s ritual begins with smoke, flame, shuffled cards, and one stubborn rock at the edge of the driveway.
I was out straightening up the driveway earlier, and there is this one rock sitting at the edge that I would love to move. If I could get that stone shifted, the whole driveway would feel better. Cleaner. Easier. More open.
But it is a huge rock.
And I do not think my tractor is capable of moving it.
One of these days, maybe I will get someone out here to give me an estimate on what it would cost to move it.
And maybe that is part of today’s reading too.
Some things we can shift ourselves.
Some things require the right tool, the right timing, or the right help.
Today’s Astrology Reading for Cancer
Cancer horoscope for Saturday, April 25
You have a kind, gracious way about you, dear Moonchild. You’re empathic and thoughtful, not to mention sentimental. Yet someone you encountered recently may not have that impression of you. They may see you as tough, distant, and maybe even cold. If so, that probably bothers you to no end. Maybe they’ve only seen your tougher, self-protective side when under duress. This isn’t about anyone else – you have to be you! That means you’re a multifaceted individual. If someone misjudges you without giving you a fair chance, don’t let it get to you. You still possess all of those beautiful traits! Remember that, and be less self-conscious.
Copyright © Daily Horoscope.
Now that is an interesting reading to place beside today’s tarot question about reversals.
Because maybe that is one of the lessons of the day:
People are not always read correctly when they appear upside down.
A kind person under pressure may look cold.
An empathic person protecting themselves may look distant.
A sentimental person who has had to survive hard seasons may look tougher than they really are.
But that does not mean the softness is gone.
It means there is more than one side to the card.
It means there is more than one face to the person.
It means the reversed position may not reveal a flaw. It may reveal pressure. Protection. Survival. A side of the self that only appears when the world has pushed too hard.
And maybe that is why reversals matter.
They remind us that what appears on the surface is not always the whole reading.
Sometimes the world only sees the armour.
The heart is still there underneath.
Today’s Tarot Reading
For today’s spread, we have:
- Past: Ace of Pentacles reversed
- Present: The World
- Future: Knight of Wands
- Representing me, the querent: Eight of Wands reversed
And since reversals are the thought of the day, let’s do this two ways.
First, we will read the cards as they actually appeared, reversals included.
Then, just for comparison, we will pretend there are no reversals and read the same cards upright.
Let’s see how the story changes.
Reading One: Including the Reversals
Past — Ace of Pentacles Reversed
The Ace of Pentacles upright often speaks of opportunity, material beginnings, work, money, health, stability, and the planting of a seed that may grow into something real.
But reversed, this card suggests that the seed did not land properly.
There may have been an opportunity in the past that stalled, slipped away, failed to root, or came with conditions that were not as solid as they first appeared.
This is the false start card.
The “almost, but not quite” card.
The “there was potential here, but something in the foundation was off” card.
In the past position, the Ace of Pentacles reversed says that the ground behind me was not as stable as it looked. There may have been work, money, planning, or practical effort involved, but something did not hold.
The promise was there.
The footing was not.
Present — The World
And then we arrive at The World.
This is a powerful present card.
The World is completion, integration, endings that become beginnings, lessons gathered, cycles closing, and a wider view finally forming.
It does not always mean everything is perfect.
It means something has come full circle.
There is a sense here of standing at the edge of one chapter and looking back across the whole terrain. Not just the easy parts. Not just the victories. The losses, the reversals, the missteps, the blocked roads, the delayed starts, all of it.
The World says: you have lived through enough of the cycle now to understand it differently.
You are not at the same place you were when the Ace of Pentacles reversed first appeared in your life.
You are not just surviving the lesson anymore.
You are beginning to see the shape of it.
Future — Knight of Wands
The Knight of Wands brings movement, fire, confidence, momentum, and a willingness to charge forward.
This is not a sitting-still card.
It is action.
It is heat.
It is the horse kicking up dust and saying, “Enough waiting. Let’s go.”
In the future position, this suggests renewed energy. Something starts moving again. Passion returns. Drive returns. A project, idea, journey, or decision may pick up speed.
But the Knight of Wands also needs discipline.
Fire is useful when it is held in the hearth.
It is dangerous when it burns down the house.
So the message here is not simply “charge ahead.”
It is: when the energy returns, guide it.
Do not waste the fire.
Querent — Eight of Wands Reversed
Now here is where the reading gets interesting.
The Eight of Wands upright is speed, messages, momentum, sudden movement, things flying through the air and landing quickly.
But reversed, it suggests delays, blocked communication, scattered energy, slowdowns, or the feeling that things should be moving faster than they are.
As the card representing me, the querent, this says I may be sitting in a strange tension.
The World says a cycle is completing.
The Knight of Wands says future movement is coming.
But the Eight of Wands reversed says I may not feel that movement yet.
Or I may feel the pressure of wanting to move before everything is lined up.
There may be messages not yet received, plans not yet confirmed, energy not yet focused, or action that needs to wait for the right opening.
This is the rock at the edge of the driveway.
I can see what needs to move.
I know the space would feel better if it were shifted.
But brute force may not be the answer.
The right tool matters.
The right help matters.
The right timing matters.
The Reversal Reading: Overall Message
When we include the reversals, the reading becomes more grounded and more honest.
It says:
A past opportunity did not fully take root. Something that looked practical or promising may have been blocked, unstable, delayed, or incomplete.
But the present is not failure.
The present is integration.
The World says the cycle is closing, the lesson is being gathered, and the larger picture is finally visible.
The future brings fire and movement through the Knight of Wands, but the querent is still sitting with delayed momentum through the Eight of Wands reversed.
So the message is not “nothing is happening.”
The message is: something is preparing to move, but it has not fully released yet.
Do not mistake delay for defeat.
Do not mistake blocked speed for blocked destiny.
And do not force the rock with a machine that cannot move it.
Find the right tool.
Reading Two: If We Ignore the Reversals
Now let’s pretend, just for comparison, that there are no reversals.
The spread would become:
- Past: Ace of Pentacles upright
- Present: The World
- Future: Knight of Wands
- Querent: Eight of Wands upright
Past — Ace of Pentacles Upright
Read upright, the Ace of Pentacles says the past held a solid opportunity.
A seed was planted. Something practical began. There may have been money, work, health, a plan, or a material chance to build something real.
This version of the reading says the foundation was good.
It says something began with promise.
Present — The World
The World remains the same.
A cycle is complete. A lesson is gathered. A chapter is closing. The querent stands at the edge of one stage and prepares for the next.
Future — Knight of Wands
The Knight of Wands still brings motion, confidence, passion, and drive.
The future still holds fire.
There is still movement coming.
Querent — Eight of Wands Upright
But here, the querent becomes much different.
With the Eight of Wands upright, the querent is not delayed or blocked. The querent is moving quickly. Messages are flying. Momentum is already in motion. Things are lining up fast.
This version of the reading says: the seed was planted, the cycle is complete, the future is fiery, and the querent is already moving with speed.
That is a much cleaner reading.
But is it the truer one?
The Difference Reversals Make
Without reversals, the reading becomes almost too smooth.
It says:
A good opportunity began in the past. A cycle is complete now. Passionate movement is coming. The querent is already moving forward quickly.
That is not a bad reading.
But it loses the friction.
It loses the blocked seed.
It loses the delayed message.
It loses the sense of waiting for the right tool, the right help, the right opening.
It also loses the deeper connection to today’s astrology reading.
Because the horoscope reminds us that people can misread us when they only see one side.
Someone may see toughness and think coldness.
Someone may see distance and miss self-protection.
Someone may see a guarded face and never realize there is kindness underneath it.
That is the human version of ignoring reversals.
It takes the first visible meaning and stops there.
It refuses to turn the card around in the hand and ask, “What else is being shown here?”
Sometimes we are tempted to make the cards sound cleaner than life actually is.
But life is not always upright.
Sometimes the beginning was blocked.
Sometimes the message is delayed.
Sometimes the fire is coming, but the gate has not opened yet.
Sometimes the heart is kind, but the face looks hard because the person has been carrying too much.
Sometimes the rock is still sitting at the edge of the driveway, and no amount of pretending makes it lighter.
Today’s Reflection
For me, today’s reading says this:
There was a beginning that did not fully become what it could have become.
There was a seed that struggled to root.
There was a practical path that may have looked promising but did not quite hold.
But now, The World sits in the present.
That means the story did not end in the failed seed.
The lesson kept unfolding.
The cycle kept turning.
The understanding deepened.
And ahead, the Knight of Wands waits with fire in his hands.
Movement is coming.
Energy is coming.
But the Eight of Wands reversed reminds me not to confuse impatience with readiness.
The delay may be protection.
The slowdown may be instruction.
The blocked movement may be telling me to gather the right support before I try to move something too heavy by myself.
And the horoscope adds another layer:
Do not become too self-conscious because someone misread the armour.
Do not forget your own kindness because someone only met you under stress.
Do not mistake another person’s limited view for the full truth of who you are.
You can be kind and guarded.
You can be empathic and exhausted.
You can be sentimental and self-protective.
You can be soft-hearted and still have edges.
That is not contradiction.
That is being whole.
That is being human.
That is being a Moonchild who has lived through weather.
So, my Unplugged Pagans, my Moonchildren, my candle-lighters and card-shufflers:
Do you read reversals?
Do you turn the card upright?
Do you let the card speak as it lands?
And what incense carries you into the ritual space?
Today, the smoke rises.
The cards turn.
The World stands open.
The fire waits ahead.
The rock remains until the right tool arrives.
And the reversed wands remind us:
Not all delays are defeats.
Sometimes they are the pause before the right movement.
Not all guarded faces are cold.
Sometimes they are protecting a kind heart.
Godspeed.
Unplugged Pagan 