Sky Light: Leo III
Decan Walk Interview with Alison of Forest Light Astrology
Prior to the official start of the Decan walk, I sent out a request to my astrological & tarot community to see who wanted to offer their voice on a Decan.
I am lucky to be able collaborate with these practitioners in this Decan Walk series. For this portion, I will have a new astrologer or tarot reader speak on the Decan from their perspective. This is to introduce you to new astrology & tarot voices so that you’re not just listening to mine. A Decan Walk can be a community conversation.
Leo III/Seven of Wands
with Alison/Forest Light Astrology
Practical Astros: How would you briefly describe this decan/tarot card? Do you have keywords or a nickname that you assign to it?
Alison: ““You’ve got this!” is the mantra that has developed for me, but it’s not exactly what the card or decan is depicting; it's more of a mantra I use to participate in the energies at hand.”Alison is a practicing astrologer, tarot reader, and language teacher in the Pacific Northwest. She has an educational background and degrees in education, language, and music. You can find her at Forestlightastrology.com.
Practical Astros: What strikes you about this decan/tarot? What do you see its strongest characteristics or powers to be? or What is it that attracts you to it?
Alison: “I think of Leo III and the 7 of Wands as solar energies paired up with the drive of Mars that has you stepping up and taking action before you can stop to think about whether you can or want to. No convincing is necessary, it’s just what needs to happen or what’s required at the time to restore the balance for the situation you’ve found yourself in. You may find yourself rolling up your sleeves, going deep into your inner resources, drawing your sword (or wand), or doing all three. Nothing is going to stop you from going down this path, fighting for what’s right, or defending what is yours to defend at this time. In this decan of the 7 of Wands, you're already in the thick of it, and you must find inner resources and muster strength. If you aren’t well equipped at first, you will be because you have to prove yourself, even if it’s only to yourself. You will often be pushed beyond your limits, stretched thin, and find the beast within in this decan. It is certainly not comfortable, and you may lose heart at times, but with all of the courage, strength, and your inner warriors' belief, it eventually puts you in a winning position, for better or worse.
This card really speaks to me because fighting for ourselves, defending our honor, and fighting for the things we desire and care about, fun or not, is what makes us human. This is the experience of being full of life, purpose, and belief. The 7 of Wands energy is what we love watching in our favorite books and movies, and the 7 of Wands person is who we root for in those stories that captivate us. The struggle in this decan is a big part of what makes our own personal stories down the road so interesting and worth telling.”
Practical Astros: Does this decan/tarot speak to your natal chart in a particular way?
Alison: “Oh yes. Definitely. This Leo III decan is in my 6th house and the home of my natal Saturn and Lot of Fortune. Saturn trines my Midheaven there. The 7 of Wands energies paired up with Saturn has asked me many times to dig in and do the hard work without asking my permission or giving much, if any, recognition for my efforts. I believe Saturn is there to make sure that I’m learning hard lessons, ones I can’t forget, to make sure I’m leveling up throughout my life, particularly regarding service and servitude to others in work and career. I’ve really learned to honor and appreciate this part of my chart and lived experience.”
Practical Astros: Can you give a specific story where this decan/card played out in your own life? Can you share an example of how this card has come alive for you in an expressive or literal way?
Alison: “This 7 of Wands energy is so familiar that I can often feel it coming and do my best to mentally prepare myself for the next thing I will be fighting for. When I get the 7 of Wands in my daily draws, it’s a familiar friend, and I know what to expect in my day. With Venus and sometimes Mercury transits in this decan, it’s usually requiring some grit and endurance on behalf of something I love or desire like when I was working very hard in music school as a student at the same time I was rebuilding a new teaching career. With Jupiter transits I’ve begun major new endeavors that require a lot of learning, hard work, and dealing with adversity with others, like when I started mountaineering and rock climbing. With Saturn and Mars transits, they tend to require grit that isn’t as much fun and comes with a good dose of life lessons such as when I’ve had to completely rebuild or start a career new path after I had put years of hard work into a program or position which was cut or dissolved.”
Practical Astros: If you use the tarot card correspondence to this decan, what tarot deck do you typically use to visualize this decan?
Alison: “I usually visualize three different decks, the Raider Waite, The Light Seer’s Tarot, and Telos Tarot of 777 because each of them captures something special. I don’t typically visualize three cards at once, but this decan and card speaks loudly in my life, so I find holding all three images in my mind is helpful, particularly when I’m doing readings for others. If you look at all three of these cards, you will probably see what I mean. The expressions and engagement of each of the three people in their respective images offer a slightly different attitude and situation. Each card offers something unique to work with, and each card may offer different advice if you are asking for it. For example, The Light Seer's 7 of Wands wonderfully visualizes going within, or into the spiritual world for strength, calm and grounding, which I don't see in the other cards. I love what M.M Meleen has to say about her 7 of Wands in Telos Tarot and her other decks if you get the chance to delve into her work, including her collaboration with T. Susan Chang on their Fortunes Wheelhouse podcast and in their book Tarot Deciphered. They are fantastic sources of information for this decan and card.”
RWS | Telos Tarot of 777 | Light Seer
Practical Astros: What is your theory or belief of what the decans are, beyond their measurement of 10° movement through the Zodiac?
Alison: “I think of the decans as a story thread woven around the zodiac wheel. They feel ancient, like myths or tales of old that are now playing out in our modern lives. I wonder if they may tell a story of our past lives as well. The correspondences and images in the cards fit my lived experience so well that I imagine the decans like a picture flip book of my life. Although I feel there is a sacredness to the decans, there is also something entertaining about visualizing the decans/cards as a flip book; it offers some levity to the stories it tells.”
Alison is a practicing astrologer, tarot reader, and language teacher in the Pacific Northwest.
She has an educational background and degrees in education, language, and music.
You can find her at Forestlightastrology.com
Thank you, Alison, for sharing your voice on Leo III!