Iris X Reading of the Week/Week beginning on 7/21/26:

Happy Monday to the friends of Iris X Readings! This week, I am working with the Minchiate al Cigno. It is a deck that I am still learning to work with, but I love it. It was created in Bologna in 1775 and has 97 cards instead of the traditional 78. I love the imagery. I shuffled the cards and asked for a reading for someone who will see this post. I don't know if it's for one person or several. It is a person who has been feeling held back and stuck. Read on, see if it's for you or someone that you know!

The reading begins with the V of Pentacles. This is a card about the challenges of the world and if this is your reading, you are carrying a lot of weight. You are doing all you can to keep moving forward, but you are starting to feel depressed and stuck. You may be worrying about finances with the pentacles suit, or it could just be a feeling that everything is heavy and negative- and it's really starting to take a toll on you. You are making it through, putting one foot in front of the other. But you haven't been feeling well or happy. Everything has felt hard and like it is a constant uphill battle.

With the IV of Pentacles next, you have been holding back and staying off to yourself. You have been trying to hold onto the grounding that you still have, and you are not wanting to destabilize yourself. You haven't really felt like socializing or seeing people; you feel like you just want to rest and recover when you get a break. You are feeling blocked from your heart, and doing your best to stay rooted to the ground. You have been saying 'no' to many things that you had previously agreed to, and drawing some boundaries in your life. If this is your reading, you feel more quiet than usual.

The reading shifts from this place. The IX of cups shows that there are other ways that you feel good. You are really proud of the people in your life, and you feel really good about the accomplishments that they have made. You are seeking a feeling of satisfaction with your own life, and feeling like something is missing. The IX of Cups suggests figuring out what is missing so that you can make a wish/set an intention for what you seek to find you.

The key to this reading is Temperance. This is a card about staying in balance and calm. Don't let anything pull you to a place of extremes. As much as you can, bring your energy into a place of peace. Stand firmly where you are, but be flexible. Refuse to be dragged into an extreme, and if you feel yourself going in that direction, come back to yourself and your center. There is an inner peace to Temperance that protects itself. Keep your energy safe and stable.

Here's what I see. If this is your reading, you have really been feeling stuck. While you are proud of the people in your life and their accomplishments, you are having a hard time moving forward in your life. You feel like you are doing all you can just to stay standing. You have been feeling lost and depressed. And so, you have been staying quiet and off to yourself. You are protecting your energy in many ways; but also making it hard for you to grow, expand and experience new things. You are staying safe and still. It feels like there is something that has been missing in your life, and the cards suggest making a 'wish' or setting an intention so that you can start moving towards a place where you feel really good. You are not currently there, but it is possible to start heading in that direction. What you have to do to get there is to stay calm and protect your peace at all costs. No matter what is happening, keep your energy stable and in balance. Refuse to get pulled into any kind of extreme stance, and look for ways to be in a state of peace, grounding and harmony. I am reminded of a quote by Leonard Cohen; 'If you don't become the ocean, you will be seasick all the time.' With Temperance, this is done by staying in a light state of motion and awareness, and protecting your energy and heart at all times. Don't let the world get you down too much. Hang in there- and make that wish. Your solutions may be closer than you think.

If you need a reading this week, send a message to irisxtarot@gmail.com. Have a great week!