When Berlin was in full lockdown mode at the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021, I started feeding the crows. Several murders live in my neighborhood (yes, a “murder of crows” is what you call their family flocks), but I chose to feed the one that hangs out on Tempelhofer Feld.

I rode my bike there a couple times a week and tossed them handfuls of peanuts or dried cat food. After a few visits, they started recognizing me and would fly over right away to get their treats.

Sometimes the whole murder followed me when I rode away after the feeding, hoping I might still have some stray nuts in my bag. There’s nothing quite like having a cloud of twenty of these magnificent, albeit creepy, birds trailing in the sky behind your bicycle. It must have been quite a sight.

I plan to go feed my feathered friends again this winter.

In their honor, I decided to do a tarot reading for December 2021 using the Crow Tarot deck I bought with a good friend on my recent trip back “home” to California. I did a three card spread about what the month will bring, with one card above for advice on what to do and one card below about what we should avoid.

Here’s what I drew:

We wander into the month (the Fool) and are faced with choices in relationships (the Lovers) which have an either/or feeling, a damned if you do, damned if you don’t (the Two of Swords).

This echoes beautifully one of the biggest astrological events in December: Venus’s retrograde in Capricorn, which takes place on December 19.

When Venus goes retrograde, we are asked to reexamine our relationships. This includes personal relationships, be they romantic, business-based or friendships, but also how we relate to each other in general in our community, as a society, as a planet.

With Venus in Saturn-ruled Capricorn, I think examining respect, or lack thereof, will be a big part of the question.

However, this particular retrograde period is greatly intensified because Venus will also be conjunct Pluto.

Pluto calls us to dig deep and face the darker, unpleasant sides within us, both personally and as a collective. The lord of the underworld, he offers treasure and transformation, but first you have to dig down in the muck and face the ugliness head on.

Since this is a longer event (Venus won’t go direct again until January 29), I’ll be exploring the meaning of Venus/Pluto and Venus retrograde in the weeks to come.

But first, let’s go back to the reading.

What shouldn’t we do in December?

For this, I drew the Three of Swords.

As we examine our relationships and the ways we relate to others, some distressing things might come up. If so, this will be upsetting, but we should try not to wallow in our loss. If a friendship breaks off or a marriage ends, or we are called to face our inner prejudices, maybe it’s because this needs to happen right now, even if it’s painful.

What advice do we have for the month?

For this, I drew the Magician.

On the Three of the Swords card, one crow remains in the ravine, fixated on a broke heart, but the other crow flies away. In this reading, that crow reappears in the Magician card. While grounded in the elements (Cups, Swords, Pentacles and Rods), it spreads its wings and rises up towards the light above the clouds.

I interpret this thus:

Whatever pain or reflection this Venus retrograde dredges up will ultimately lead to greater freedom, even if it doesn’t feel like it at first. Keep this in mind if times get tough.

Astro WMM

Tarot Reading for December 2021