Typewriter Tarot-Scopes: April 2024
By Robin Gow
The spring we searched for in the first crocus blossoms and early-season snowdrops is finally here. Some people love spring, but to me, this season always reminds me of middle school because it’s equal parts uncomfortable and exciting. The year is young but starting to blossom. I typically don’t relate to the overly romantic view of spring as all flowers and sunshine, but I do think there is a lot that this shift in the seasons can offer us.
April is a month that teaches me about the less picturesque parts of rebirth and new life, like days of endless rain and stepping into muddy puddles. I feel clumsy but excited about the way this year is growing, like a fawn traipsing through the fresh brush. I’ve been trying to embrace this era of green-ness where the year starts to unfurl.
Maybe you’re like me and you don’t always feel at home in the sticky-sweet April afternoon, or maybe you’re a daffodil-hearted person, embracing the energy of these weeks. Regardless, this is a time to explore the parts of you that feel fresh and budding.
And to be gentle with yourself. Sometimes, as we explore a new hobby or a new emotion we’re processing, we get bombarded by “shoulds.” Instead, try to ignore external pressures as you witness yourself unfurling, and cherish this time of renewal.
With all this freshness and liminality present in the natural world and within ourselves, it feels fitting to me that April is National Poetry Month. Poetry has always been the altar where I bring my contradictions and unruly pieces of myself. To delve deeper into this April’s poetic energy, I’ve drawn three cards from Typewriter Tarot’s Mystic Message Deck to represent past, present, and future. This deck uses poetry instead of imagery to express each archetype, so for each card in the spread, I offer a poetic form and prompt you can play with to explore further.
9 of Swords from Typewriter Tarot’s Mystic Messages Deck.
2 of Cups from Typewriter Tarot’s Mystic Messages Deck.
The Star from Typewriter Tarot’s Mystic Messages Deck.
The first card I drew is the Nine of Swords. As we bloom, we are also often reminded of what this Mystic Message refers to as the “blades” of our minds, “horrors / of the past and fears / of the unmade future.” In the spirit of duality, newness always conjures memories and emotions from our most difficult and often traumatic histories, especially memories of things that have gone wrong. The key word of this card is in the last stanza: transmutation. We can transmute our pain into power. I read this as a reminder that the arts can help us process the past and dream the future. Haikus are generally used for capturing brief moments, especially about nature. I think this grounding and meditative tradition could be a good one to counter and alchemize the anxious energy of the Nine of Swords. Poetry Prompt: What does release / relief feel like in your body or the world?
The second card, representing the present, is the Two of Cups. I always read the Two of Cups as a softer version of the The Lovers card. The card reads, “You come alive with mystery,” and I feel this is calling us to embrace moments of communion with loved ones and with nature this season, to return to the creeks and trails we love. I think the pantoum is a wonderful poetic form to explore pairings and relationships because of the form's rhythmic and wonderfully haunting repetitions. Poetry Prompt: Where should we meet?
The final card, representing the future, promises that you are “making your way home.” The Star is a card I often hope for as I draw from my deck, and it’s a beautiful promise to end this spread. The Star is a symbol of hope. The seeds planted this month will swell into verdant blossoms and fruitful fields. For many of us, it’s hard to believe the hope presented in The Star is real, especially if we’ve experienced the traumas suggested in the Nine of Swords. This card is calling us to sink into the positivity and hope we feel when we connect with the Earth, our communities, and our deepest selves. For The Star, I recommend a more open-ended form — the ode — a poetic moment of celebration to an object, person, place, or anything you want to revel in. Poetry Prompt: Celebrate something that makes you feel safe and held.
Want to know more about your personal brand of magic? For a more personalized reading, check out your April Tarot-Scope below!
April Tarot-Scopes
For each zodiac sign, I’ve pulled a card from Typewriter Tarot’s Mystic Messages Deck to lend you a message of support, inspiration, and intention for the month of April. Feel free to read the Tarot-Scope for your sun, moon, and rising signs, or go with the one that resonates most for you. Each Tarot-Scope includes an additional poetry prompt to help you further connect with your monthly message.
Four of Pentacles from Typewriter Tarot’s Mystic Messages Deck.
The Magician from Typewriter Tarot’s Mystic Messages Deck.
Strength from Typewriter Tarot’s Mystic Messages Deck.
Aries — Four of Pentacles: Aries, you feel at home in April’s blossoming unknown. Spring is your season, and you feel the urge to seize this time to plunge into new opportunities and projects. Drawing the Four of Pentacles, I sense a calling for you to reel yourself in a little. Pentacles are the suit of the material world. To me, this suggests that you might have overspent yourself energetically, or overbooked your time, or you might be in danger of doing so. The final lines of this Mystic Message read, “From steady ground, you’ll rise ever higher.” Quell your burning flames to keep the hearth going. This is a time for saving your energy and your resources for the future. For an additional poetry prompt: Write a poem that’s a conversation between you and a flower you meet about something you’re passionate about.
Taurus — The Magician: In the writing world, we often talk about whether a writer is a “pantser” or a “plotter.” Pantsers are people who draft quickly and maybe a little messily (I can say that I’m a pantser), while plotters are more strategic and deliberate. I once heard someone describe the “plotter” as moving like an ox. Whether it’s how you write or not, Taurus, you often find yourself being the “plotter” in your own life. You move slowly and deliberately, which is a good thing! This card is a signal that you’ve developed your skills — and that opportunities are coming your way that will allow you to explore the electric thrill of creation and discovery, both within yourself and the world. “You are a conduit,” the poem on The Magician card reads. It’s a time to revel in and make use of your talents. For an additional poetry prompt: Write a poem from the perspective of a plant as it chooses to push up from beneath the soil after a long winter’s rest. Why and how do you choose to reach towards the sun?
Gemini — Strength: You have been going through it, riding the proverbial struggle bus. Whether it’s emotional or physical, this start to the year has been a little rough for you. This card is a sign that, despite the trials and struggles, you’re adaptable. Your Gemini nature helps you flow and move with these barriers. When the Strength card shows up, it’s here to say that you’re coming out the other side — not because of good luck, but because you are a strong person. The last stanza reads, “At peace with every part / of your Self, you can tame / all wild things.” This month will bring you that sense of stability and groundedness you’ve been working towards. For an additional poetry prompt: Write a poem that’s a conversation between two birds who are returning after migrating for the winter. What were their struggles? What did they see?
The Tower from Typewriter Tarot’s Mystic Messages Deck.
The Hanged Man from Typewriter Tarot’s Mystic Messages Deck.
Ten of Pentacles from Typewriter Tarot’s Mystic Messages Deck.
Cancer — The Tower: Whenever I pull this card I think, “Of course.” The Tower is notorious for being a life-turned-up-side-down kind of card. At its core, The Tower signals sudden and complete change. Cancer is my sun sign, so it’s only fitting that I would pull The Tower for this month, right? Now, let me backpedal a little. Just because I’m not a fan of The Tower doesn’t mean it’s a “bad” card or that it doesn’t have helpful guidance to offer. I’ve found my experiences with The Tower to be healing. The first time I pulled the card was the week before I decided to start telling people my name is Robin and that I use he / him pronouns. Sharing that part of myself caused just about every part of my life to change, but it was necessary and ultimately healing. “This is the falling season,” the poem tells us, and what I find is best in this season is to let the fall and collapse wash over you. When you fight change, it only causes more grief. Be gentle towards yourself. You’re going to emerge and, as the poem says, “find / your truth / in the rubble.” For an additional poetry prompt: Write a poem that’s from a mother bird to her baby bird as it’s pushed from the nest for the first time.
Leo — The Hanged Man: The Hanged Man isn’t always a position that comes easily to us. For you, Leo, that’s especially true. Your bold and steadfast nature doesn’t often leave room in your life for tying yourself upside down to achieve dedicated contemplation. This card is calling on you to make that space in your life now. It might be a bit of a personal struggle to pull yourself out of the spotlight and turn your energy inward, but insights about yourself and your place in the world are waiting for you on the other side. “This is no martyr,” the poem reminds us, “this is / a mystic opening of the Spirit.” Give yourself time to open and you’ll find “your heart is full / of blood & eternity.” For an additional poetry prompt: Write a poem that is directed towards yourself at this same time next year. What do you want this version of you to know?
Virgo — Ten of Pentacles: Virgo, sometimes it can feel like the fruits of your hard work and labor never pay off. The Ten of Pentacles is here to remind you that the seeds you planted with deliberation and care sometimes bloom in the exact way you want them to. Sometimes they flourish. The Ten of Pentacles is a card that reminds me of a moment right before harvest, when we relish in a bush full of raspberries. “You once longed for this / peaceful abundance” and it is here. Virgo, your hardworking (sometimes slightly workaholic) inclinations can cause you to always be thinking ahead to the next task. I think this card is saying: take a second to enjoy where you are. You have earned this. For an additional poetry prompt: Write a poem as a collective or a colony of animals coming together in a time of celebration. Maybe an ant colony or a field of grass?
Seven of Swords from Typewriter Tarot’s Mystic Messages Deck.
The Fool from Typewriter Tarot’s Mystic Messages Deck.
The Lovers from Typewriter Tarot’s Mystic Messages Deck.
Libra — Seven of Swords: Libra, you can feel something is off. You are always seeking balance, but when something is wonky, you feel pretty out of order. Actually, that’s an understatement: You feel like you’re spiraling into the sun. What you’re having trouble sorting out is the source of this disharmony. You are great at seeing things from multiple perspectives, which sometimes boggles your mind. This will be a time of sorting things out within yourself or your circles. At the core of this card is a feeling of “sneak mode.” You might feel like you have something you want to keep under wraps. I appreciate the lines of poetry in this card reminding us that what we bear, we “need not hide / and bury, like / a body becoming / a messy chore.” There might be some mess lying around, but you can find your way back to the equilibrium you crave. For an additional poetry prompt: What is something you’re afraid to admit aloud? It can be something small or something bigger. Make this the title of your poem and see where the lines unfurl from there.
Scorpio — The Fool: I’ve always found The Fool to be an energetically delightful place to be. There are, of course, some risks to the youthful fearlessness The Fool invokes, but also a lot of joy. This Mystic Message draws attention to the imagery of The Fool’s journey, or “hike.” I appreciate this, because sometimes we get stuck on The Fool’s nature and forget about their travels. After all, The Fool is the first card in the Tarot, and they have a long road to travel. Scorpio, you’re charismatic like The Fool, but generally a little more intense by nature. I see The Fool as a call for you to lean into your whimsy and curiosity at this time in your life. The journey doesn’t have to be serious. It can be “like a dance.” For an additional poetry prompt: Write a poem about a dance you see in the world around you. You can take the term “dance” literally, or you can think about everything that feels a dance. For example: bugs and birds and kids and even people carrying out daily tasks like shopping could be seen as dancing.
Sagittarius — The Lovers: Sagittarius, the big questions of the Universe are always swimming in your mind. I don’t sense that this card is about any kind of external romance or union for you right now. Rather, I feel this card is signaling a coming state of balance and equilibrium within you. The poem in this card reminds you, “Everything you / need, you have. You are / the peach tree in bloom.” Let yourself feel at home in spring’s unfettered growth, as The Lovers call you into the sense of abandon you cherish, inviting you to acknowledge the harmonies that dualities can create within yourself. For an additional poetry prompt: Write about a moment of harmony you see in the world around you. This might be two creatures working together, like two plants, or even the weather and the land.
Six of Wands from Typewriter Tarot’s Mystic Messages Deck.
Ace of Swords from Typewriter Tarot’s Mystic Messages Deck.
King of Cups from Typewriter Tarot’s Mystic Messages Deck.
Capricorn — Six of Wands: You deserve this recognition. Wands are probably my favorite suit because they deal with the creative passion and spark that drives us. Capricorn, you are tireless in your push toward your goals and dreams. Here you stand: your projects have taken root, and now comes the patient and joyful task of tending to them. “And now you have arrived, / many miles behind you,” the card says, reminding you to appreciate the path that took you this far. The work that might have been a struggle in the past will soon come naturally to you. This is a time of creative celebration and continued growth. For an additional poetry prompt: Write a poem that explores the question “Where have you arrived?” You might trace the path of how you arrived here or you might revel in the place you are now.
Aquarius — Ace of Swords: This season, you’re going to slice to the core of an issue you’ve been grappling with. Swords are the suit that, to me, symbolizes going out into the world. This is a space you thrive in. You’re fearless and tend to strike out on your own. The Ace of Swords is encouraging you to turn your attention to the signs around you. Don’t just trust your gut and brandish your sword when your intuition tells you it’s time. “Be ready, be / wise, practice / great attention,” the card instructs. You don’t need to hunt for the truth, it’s coming to you. For an additional poetry prompt: You have permission to break something… okay, nothing valuable or important, just something that won’t cause harm, something that comes apart easily. Maybe it’s a fruit you want to dissect or an out-of-use piece of technology. Write a poem about the object’s insides. What do you see there?
Pisces — King of Cups: Pisces, I don’t have to tell you that your empathy for others can sometimes leave your cup a little less than full. As a water sign, your emotions are always ebbing and flowing. It’s a beautiful thing and a gift to feel as deeply as you do, though a little exhausting. The King of Cups is a sign that, this month, you’re going to feel the waters calm a little. In those even waves, you might help others find balance as well. Maybe there’s a group tension you will help resolve, or maybe this card is signaling that you can channel the King of Cup’s energy toward calming the waters within yourself. This card describes your heart as a “beacon / for the lost.” Perhaps your gentle waters will bring some wonderful new people to your shore. For an additional poetry prompt: Find a body of water or take a bath. Observe how the water flows when you touch the surface. Where and how do the ripples form? Write a poem about this.
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ABOUT ROBIN GOW
Robin Gow (it / fae / he) is a trans witch from rural Pennsylvania. It is the author of YA and middle-grade books, several poetry collections, and an essay collection. Fae works as a community educator on topics of queer and disability justice. Gow also teaches a class on poetry and witchcraft with The Magickal Path School of Witchcraft called Enchanted Incantations. Learn more at RobinGow.com or on Instagram at @robin_gow_poet and on TikTok at @transdemontologist.