This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Chapel Hill chapter.

As the month of August comes to an end, it’s always fun to reflect back on things. Why not our tarotscopes?

Tarot cards have fascinated and intrigued people since before they began to be used for divination in the 18th century, appearing in modern pop culture like books and movies. Tarot dates all the way back to 14th century Italy, if not before. Tarot decks consist of 78 cards: 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana. Hundreds of books have been written about the tarot, but in a quick summary, the Major Arcana represents a journey of self-knowledge and experience from the beginning (the Fool) to the end (the World) and the Minor Arcana are more detail oriented and specific. The four suits of the Minor Arcana represent different aspects of your life: cups represent your emotions, pentacles represent the material like your physical body and career, wands represent your passion and energy, and swords represent your mind and intellectual life. With that brief summary, here are tarotscopes for the star signs for the month of August.

Aries – March 21 to April 19

Cards: Three of Swords, the Hanged Man, the Chariot

You may be feeling some pain or discomfort at the close of a chapter or the beginning of a new one. The Three of Hearts, with its triple-impaled heart, is one of the most iconic and foreboding cards of the tarot. It speaks to the pain of letting go; it occurs early in the sword suit and so is a necessary, if painful, step to continue in the journey you are on. The heart is cut by swords, which represent thoughts, so some of the discomforts you are feeling may come from your own thoughts and perceptions rather than the actual situation at hand. The Hanged Man is a card that also speaks to discomfort, but an empowered kind of discomfort, like being sore after a hard workout. The Hanged Man dangles by one ankle in surrender because he knows that there is something to be gained from the experience. This card advises you to accept whatever suboptimal situation you find yourself in and look for opportunities that will arise from it. Finally, the Chariot is a wildly dynamic card; it says that things are moving fast and change is coming. Whatever you have going on right now is temporary and you will be onto new things soon enough. The presence of two Major Arcana indicates that this is an important time for you. These cards say that you are in transition right now, which may be uncomfortable, but holds opportunities for growth as you move into your next step.

Taurus – April 20 to May 20

Cards: Ace of Swords, the Devil, Seven of Wands

You may be contemplating a new endeavor or feeling inspired. The Ace of Swords represents a new intellectual opportunity or spark and encourages you to follow through with your newest and brightest ideas. The Devil represents problematic behavior patterns that trap you and keep you making the same mistakes. Consider if you are repeating previous decisions that are more familiar than right to you. These may be holding you back from developing exploring new paths that could be really great for you; remember that the devil you know is not better than the possible devil you don’t know. Things that seem comfortable and familiar may not actually be good for you at this moment. The Seven of Swords speaks to holding true to yourself in the face of discouragement and opposition or distraction. Stay grounded and focused on your goals and you will be able to persevere through whatever comes at you. These cards say that you have an opportunity or idea becoming available to you that you be true to, and not let yourself or others get in your way.

Gemini – May 21 to June 20

Cards: Ace of Cups, the Empress, the Fool

This is a good time for you to examine and focus on building your relationship with yourself. The Ace of Cups usually represents the beginning or the renewal of a very beneficial relationship. The full cup on the card is like the fulfillment and abundance that can be found in this relationship. The Empress is a card that represents self-love, acceptance, and self-care. She encourages you to find grounding inside of yourself, pamper yourself a little bit, and show yourself a maternal kind of gentleness and understanding. The Fool is the first card of the Major Arcana and represents both the beginning of a journey of self-understanding and a leap of faith into the unknown. Here, that can look like spending time with yourself and taking a chance on working deeper into yourself. With these cards, it looks like now is a good time for you to take space to work on your relationship with yourself. All other relationships you may have are influenced by how you treat yourself, so working on this will pay off in other areas of your life. Be bold like the Fool, be kind like the Empress, and see that you are enough to fill your own cup.

Cancer – June 21 to July 22

Cards: Two of Swords, Knight of Pentacles, Nine of Cups

You may be at a point where you are caught between choices. The Two of Swords shows two swords crossing each other, representing a crossroad or path of similar outcome or value. The card indicates being at a point where you have choices and none are better than others, but the indecision in holding you back. The Knight of Pentacles is a grounded and focused energy, like the mindset of having your goals in mind, knowing the steps required to achieve them, and not being distracted. In excess, Knight of Pentacles energy can feel like drudgery but at the right moment, like this, it can be deeply productive and fulfilling. The Nine of Cups is late in the Cups cycle and is affectionately called the “wish” card. It’s just shy of the deep fulfillment of the Ten of Cups but represents comfort, pleasure, and enjoyment, that emotional life is healthy and feels good. With these cards, you are called to make a decision, focus on developing it and working hard, with the fun and harmony of the Nine of Cups as a reward for taking action.

Leo – July 23 to August 22

Cards: The Tower, Six of Pentacles, Nine of Wands

The Tower is another of the tarot’s most iconic cards and can inspire more negative reactions than it deserves. Depicting a tower being struck by lightning with inhabitants falling through the sky, it can look like an ominous card. The tower in the card represents the structure, ideas, and concepts that we build up for ourselves that may not work for us. The storm decimating the Tower is a cosmic force that strips away illusions, self-deception, and conventions to prompt a new, clean start. The Six of Pentacles represents a fulfilling material or professional calling, with the ability to do good for yourself and others in that role. It’s a card that indicates your own stability and prosperity and urges you to see how you can share that with others. The Nine of Wands shows a single stave separated from eight others; it represents a pause to think, to consider what you have already accomplished, and to have the space to be unique. Be prepared to question your values and let go of what doesn’t help you, consider how you may share your bounty with others, and take space to appreciate your work and all the ways you are unique.

Virgo – August 23 to September 22

Cards: The Emperor, Ace of Pentacles, Five of Pentacles

The Emperor is one of the early archetypes of the Major Arcana. A paternal counterpart to the Empress’ self-love and acceptance, he urges you to be the best you can. He often represents mainstream culture, social systems, and bureaucracy, but he is really more like an external reflection of the Empress’ internal self-fulfillment. His link to structure and convention is really just because of the external and interpersonal expression of his influence that sees it manifest in fields like work, interpersonal relationships, and advocacy. It’s an outer kind of strength that enables advocacy and social justice. The Ace of Pentacles represents a new opportunity or beginning in a professional or other material aspects. It’s followed by the Five of Pentacles, which is one of the more difficult cards of the tarot. The Five of Pentacles is often showed with winter imagery of ice, snow, and barren plants. Be careful in entering something that seems like a new economic or professional opportunity because it may not be as promising or enjoyable as it seems. These cards encourage you to act and find a place in the world around you and be cautious in entering new material endeavors.

Libra – September 23 to October 22

Cards: Page of Cups, Two of Pentacles, Six of Wands

The Page of Cups is the youngest and freshest energy of the Cups court cards. Pages are steeped in learning and in new experiences, so the Page of Cups may indicate that you are experiencing unfamiliar or unexplored emotions and relationships. As a page, the Page of Cups is beginning a journey of understanding emotions, and may be immature or misguided in some situations, but is ultimately in search of knowledge and comprehension. The Two of Pentacles represents a busy time; the kind of constantly bubbling occupation that making pancakes in several different pans is like. You are in a good place to handle the work and tasks you are facing, and find the activity fulfilling and enjoyable. The Six of Wands bears a laurel wreath and banners; a midpoint in the Wands cycle, this is a time when you haven’t completed your tasks but you’ve put work in and are seeing it be appreciated and praised. These cards suggest a new experience or new emotional impact of work you’re doing well, and others see that.

Scorpio – October 23 to November 21

Cards: Seven of Swords, Eight of Cups, Four of Pentacles

The Seven of Swords is often a difficult card to interpret due to its meaning; it often represents deception or opaqueness that you are unaware of. You are likely unaware of something that you need to know and are possibly intentionally unaware of it. This is a time to be conscious and alert to what is going on around you; you need to hear it. The Eight of Cups can represent disappointment, but more often is about acknowledging when something you thought was good or you wanted isn’t working out. It indicates that this is the time to move on and follow another path that fits you better. The Four of Pentacles is a very “play it safe” card when it comes to your finances, career, or resources. This instinct to stockpile, to prepare, to hold things close is usually from a place of anxiety or fear. These cards encourage you to examine where you are now, how that fits with your ultimate desires, and to pursue that without fear. You may have had some rough knocks but it is time to pick yourself up and look around.

Sagittarius – November 22 to December 21

Cards: Three of Wands, Knight of Wands, Wheel of Fortune

You may be at a place where you are beginning to see a new endeavor through. The Three of Wands represents the first steps taken to act on a decision made. It’s a card of setting about seeing your path through with clarity and productivity. This is a good time for your endeavors to blossom. The Knight of Wands is one of the Wands court cards and is an archetype of passion and intuition. In this energy, you have the passion and innate guidance to see your dreams through. The Wheel of Fortune, in the middle of the Major Arcana, is a conceptually vast card. It represents the machinations of fate or destiny or the Universe, as you choose to call it, and its appearance relates to your progress along a significant path. This card is well described with the phrase “Everything has a place, and everything in its place”. On a whole, these cards suggest that your current pursuits are meaningful and fulfilling for you, and continuing on your current path will lead you closer to your goals with spark and order. This feels like a green light to continue working toward your calling.

Capricorn – December 22 to January 19

Cards: Three of Pentacles, Four of Cups, Eight of Wands

You may be embarking on a new stage of professional or educational development. The Three of Pentacles represents a stage after a strong start in a new professional endeavor where you are finding a comfortable place in your new surroundings and building relationships with your classmates or colleagues. It’s a place of being confirmed in your ambitions and strengthening ties, relationships, and skills connected to your professional pursuits. The Four of Cups represents a need to take some space from all of the change (even positive) around you, to look into yourself and examine how you feel about the changes around you. Even surrounded by a fulfilling career, it is okay for you to want to spend some time by yourself and restore all of the energy you are putting out. The Eight of Wands represents a time of great new activity; it can be hectic or unpredictable but it feels right and sometimes it is the right time to barrel toward your goals. These cards see you in a new but pleasant professional or educational situation and moving rapidly toward your goals after taking time to reflect and recharge.

Aquarius – January 20 to February 18

Cards: Two of Cups, Knight of Swords, Queen of Cups

You may feel that you have been more in touch with your emotions and inner life lately. The Two of Cups is a card that opens the Cups cycle and represents a new relationship, in no way necessarily romantic. It is symbolic of emotions pertaining to interpersonal relationships and speaks to a strong feeling of connection with someone close to you. The Knight of Swords is a rational, cool energy that values mind over matter, and encourages logical detached thought. Too much Knight of Swords energy is unfeeling and alienating, but you are in a place to benefit from analysis of your recent emotions. Emotion and reason are two ends of a spectrum, and like many spectrums, the middle is a good place to be. The Queen of Cups is a deep and knowing kind of energy, that entails being aware of and understanding your emotions and their origin. She is often pictured with ocean imagery, and promotes understanding and accepting your emotions like a diver explores and respects the sea. These cards prompt you to take a step back from your emotions and consider what they mean and where they come from to arrive at the balance and self-knowledge that the Queen of Cups embodies.

Pisces – February 19 to March 20

Cards: Knight of Cups, Strength, King of Pentacles

This is a time when you are seeing your emotions lead you to understand what concrete steps you need to take. The Knight of Cups is a deeply moving emotional energy, sometimes interpreted as a messenger, and his message is what you have to learn from the emotions you have been experiencing. The Strength card often shows a woman who is able to caress a lion; it reminds is that strength and force are not the same and that true strength can be gentle and kind. It is an ability fueled from the inside that has the possibility to effect change in a balanced, soft way. The King of Pentacles is the last of the Pentacle court cards and is the kind of energy that sees you making checklists, phone calls, and flight reservations to see your goals through. The message from these cards is that you feel what you need to be doing, and you have the internal well to fuel you through making the concrete or detailed arrangements to continue working toward your path.

August Tarotscopes