It's all in the cards

I did a tarot reading for myself last night. It's been awhile and I didn't have a specific question...just tell me what it's important for me to know right now about my life. Here's what I got:

4 of Wands in the querent position - this is me and it shows a scene of contentment and celebration after hard work.

Hermit in the cross position - This major arcana card most often comes up as symbolic of me and what I'm needing to learn this lifetime. It shows that my strengths are my strength at this time.

Temperance in the question position - Seems to show that I am in a balanced place right now.

The Empress for the past - She is the mother archtype and represents fertility and warmth and kindness.

The Knight of Cups for the present - signals the beginning of a romance or a strong emotional attachment.

The Emperor for the future - He is the father archtype and represents taking of authority or accepting your own authority.

The Magician reversed representing my hopes and fears - This card in the deck that I have features a man that looks a lot like S, but I don't think it's about him. I think this is about my fear of not being competent.

The 5 of Cups to represent outside influences - This is something that is external from the situation which is mourning a loss and not being cognizant of the 2 cups it has that have not spilled on the ground.

The 8 of Wands to represent what I need to move through in order to get to the outcome - Success and swiftness.

Strength to represent the outcome - well that pretty much speaks for itself.

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First of all there are 6 major arcana cards in this, which indicates that this is strongly where I should be right now. There may even be an element of fate in it. The two minor arcanas that come up are wands, having to do with competency and work, and cups, having to do with matters of the heart.

Right now, this all makes sense with what I am doing with my practice and it seems really exciting. The focus I have is on singles and finding joy in your life, even when you are being told that the only way you will really be happy is by getting married.

And it looks all good. I was really confused last night about the 5 of Cups, but writing it out today and thinking of it in context of my work, it seems pretty clear that the outside influence is how society is changing. There seems to be a grief and resistance about the idea that marriage may no longer have quite the sway that it used to...the more things change, the more steadfastly people "defending" marriage cling to their ideas of it.

It's a very exciting reading.