The height of this moonth’s cycle comes with the full moon arriving on Wednesday, the 20th (exact at 10:57am ET), and offers a revelation about how the lunar energies initiated on the October 6th new moon are developing. The new moon, guided by its association with Justice, the 3 of Swords, and Queen of Swords, invited us to truth telling and the healing potential of flowing grief. Out of the full moon revelation about this developing energy, we are issued an invitation to return a gift to the world in the final weeks of the lunar cycle.
The moon moves toward fullness through the sign of Aries associated with the Tarot’s 4th Major Arcana, the Emperor, and arrives on a day associated with the 4 of Wands/Fire. The truth telling and grief releasing that spilled out of the new moon now encounters the organizing and structuring energy of the Tarot’s fours.

The Gaian Tarot’s Four of Fire shows us ritual as an organizing structure to hold the power of truth and grief. The structure suggested is …
- circular (the candle circle creates sacred space),
- natural (the figures feet have become part of the earth);
- and cultivates lunar vision—the kind of vision that sees the brush of light over the darkened world to illuminate the mystery, magic, fantastic under the surface. There is potential there even if it is hard to see with solar eyes.
Supported by such a structure and the sight it encourages, our truth telling becomes more grounded and perhaps complex. Paradox is allowed and also compassion. Still the heart remains a dragon protective of the shining humanity of each and everyone. All while standing within our own power.
And our grief becomes compost. We empty the pain out into the earth which accepts all and shapeshifts it into the new. Our grief becomes moonlight, the light that lives alongside the dark, that respects the dark, that becomes love in the dark.
Stepping into the organizing structure of the Four of Fire on a full moon night, we inhabit the archetype of the Emperor, who in their most positive potential, is one who leads through serving. In the Tarot of the Crone, deck creator Ellen Lorenzi-Prince speaks these words to those who would be Emperors:
If you think
Your life matters
You’re wrong
What matters
Is the Great Plan
What matters
Is how you may serve
With our solar eyes we might see the image’s towering obelisk as The Emperor, but with our eyes adjusted to lunar looking we recognize the obelisk’s foundation is the people below. Without a foundation the obelisk would collapse.
Perhaps on this full moon night, Emperors will hear the call: Act in service to your people or see your power collapse.
Perhaps on this full moon night the people will hear the call: Recognize the power in your hands held out to others. Join hands and make power bow to justice.
To encourage a revelation on truth telling, justice, and power as we continue through this moonthly cycle, you are invited to one, some, or all of these practices:
- Moon bathe by sitting or lying under a window or outside on the ground. Let go of your thoughts and soak in the light.
- Take out any reading or your reflections from the new moon and look at them in a new light. How does your understanding of the cards shift now that time has passed and light has shifted? (If you haven’t done a reading yet, no problem, just do it now under the light of the full moon. You can try the one from the new moon.)
- Make a healing tea with herbs associated with this lunar cycle for The Herbcrafter Tarot: Echinacea for Three of Swords/Air (decand of the new moon) and Elder for Four of Wands/Fire (decand of the full moon). As always, appreciation to Yesbelt of Yes Spiral for being my tea mentor. Oh and who would remind me that this brew is technically a tisane because it is herbal rather than made from black tea leaves.)
- Bring out your Justice and Emperor cards from your Tarot deck and connect them to your new moon reading / reflections. You could place/imagine these cards on either side of your reading or above and below, and then look at how they add meaning into the story your original cards offered you.
- Reflect on questions such as: What structures (i.e. habits, rituals, mindsets) can support me to … be a truth teller… move through grief …. and/or cultivate my power? What challenge in my life do I need to take into the dark to see anew? What is the source of my power? How can I be of service? You could, of course, pull cards as responses to any of these questions. You may want to engage in Visio Divina to find the layers of wisdom within the cards.
When you are done, remember to offer gratitude for what you have received. Consider what gift you now want to return to the world. Pulling a card for guidance on the gift is always a fine thing to do. In the coming weeks and before the moon returns to dark around November 2 offer your gift to the world.