The Coffin feels like the perfect card for this month. We're all ready to say goodbye to winter and welcome in the spring, and with the cold nights and the relentless rain, you might be ready to bid farewell to a few other things too. I'm certainly ready to pack my winter thermals away.

The card for this month is a reminder that every ending makes way for a new beginning. What can you lay to rest this dark moon to fertilise the soil for new growth?

Pisces - The Dagger

Reading: The Dagger asks you to examine how, and who, you trust. But it does not carry a blanket warning to distrust people - it also asks you if you could perhaps place more trust than you currently do... Are you withholding trust out of wisdom or out of fear? Paired with The Coffin, these two cards are asking you to let go of a fear of trusting others, or of trusting yourself. This Dark Moon, Pisces, lay to rest the belief that vulnerability is weakness. Trust is a risk, yes, but so is isolation. The dagger cuts both ways - it can protect you or it can keep everyone at arm's length. Which wound runs deeper?

Aries - The Fallen Teeth 

Reading: Dreams of our teeth falling out often indicate fear of losing control or of feeling vulnerable, and sometimes can relate to financial worries. If you have anxieties that are making you feel unstable, it might be time to do something to make you feel more secure. The Coffin asks you to lay these worries to rest, Aries. Not by ignoring them, but by taking action. Put plans in place to ease your mind and help you to feel more secure. Stop catastrophising and start problem-solving. What practical steps can you take to shore up your foundations? Your teeth are not falling out. But your anxiety is real. Address the root cause, not just the fear.

Taurus - The Lightning Bolt

Reading: The lightning bolt brings a flash of inspiration, creativity or energy and urges you to use this spark for something great. If you've been biding your time, waiting for 'the right moment', the lightning bolt indicates the time is coming. The coffin asks you to lay to rest your procrastination and get ready to harness the energy coming your way. This is your warning to prepare, to clear the decks, to make space for the bolt when it lands. The moment is almost here. Will you be ready to catch it?

Gemini - The Crow

Reading: The Crow teaches reciprocity - you get what you give, you will be treated as you treat others. This card asks you to examine what you're putting out into the world and whether you're investing your energy where it matters. Paired with The Coffin, these two cards urge you to stop complaining about what you're not receiving and start giving what you want to get back. This Dark Moon, lay to rest your half-hearted efforts and your resentment about unreciprocated energy. If there is something you want, put the energy into it. The crows are watching, Gemini. Show them you're worth befriending.

Cancer - The Toad

Reading: With one foot in water and one on land, the toad lives in two worlds. He is a magical creature, but perhaps, to some, not the prettiest. When The Toad card comes up, it is a reminder that things don't always need to look aesthetically beautiful to be worthy. Sometimes things need to look a little messy, warty and rough around the edges, it's just part of their magic. Paired with The Coffin, these two cards ask you to let go of perfectionism and stop waiting for everything to be 'right'.

Leo - The Planchette

Reading: The Planchette wants you to connect with a realm outside of yourself, dear Leo. Is there a voice in your mind, or a tug in your heart, that you are ignoring? Paired with The Coffin, a card that urges you to let go of something and lay it to rest, these two cards ask you to stop dismissing your intuition as irrational or impractical. The Planchette doesn't demand you believe in spirits or the supernatural - it simply asks you to listen to the messages that come from beyond your conscious mind. Your gut feelings, your dreams, the synchronicities you've been brushing off. This Dark Moon, lay to rest your need for everything to make logical sense. Some truths arrive through channels that can't be explained, only felt.

Virgo - The Bad Penny

Reading: The Bad Penny speaks of a problem that won't go away, a pattern that keeps repeating, a person who reappears no matter how many times you try to move on. This card asks you to examine what keeps coming back into your life and why. Paired with The Coffin, these two cards offer you a choice: you can finally lay this cycle to rest, or you can accept that it's here to teach you something you haven't yet learned. Either way, Virgo, it's time to stop being surprised when the bad penny turns up. Deal with it, learn from it, or bury it for good.

Libra - The Gargoyle

Reading: The Gargoyle spews poison from its mouth, bitter words born from a bitter heart. This card warns that negativity breeds negativity - when you speak from a place of resentment or cynicism, you poison your own world as much as anyone else's. Paired with The Coffin, these two cards ask you to lay your bitterness to rest, Libra. What grudge are you holding? What harsh words are you rehearsing in your mind? This Dark Moon asks you to stop spewing venom, even if you think it's justified. The gargoyle's poison flows back into its own mouth. Let it go before it corrodes you from the inside out.

Scorpio - The Crescent Moon

Reading: The Crescent Moon is energy building, momentum gathering, the waxing phase between darkness and fullness. You're not at the beginning anymore, Scorpio, and you're not at the peak - you're in the climb. This card asks you to recognize how far you've come and to keep pushing forward. Paired with The Coffin, these two cards suggest that something needs to be released to maintain your momentum. What's weighing you down as you climb toward the full moon? What old pattern, belief or burden is slowing your progress? This Dark Moon asks you to lay it to rest so you can continue building toward your peak with lighter steps.

Sagittarius - The Dark Moon

Reading: The Dark Moon is the moon you cannot see, the three nights of total darkness before the cycle begins again. It is a time of rest, reflection and retreat. The gap between the last paragraph and the next. A pause, a breath. This card asks you to embrace the void, to sit with the unknown, to trust that darkness is not emptiness but fertile ground. Paired with The Coffin, these two cards together urge you stop moving and rest. Don't just rally on into the next paragraph, the next thing on the list. This Dark Moon, simply be in the darkness - rest, release and trust this phase is just as important as the 'doing' phases.

Capricorn - The Three of Swords

Reading: The Three of Swords speaks of growth through pain. If you're going through hell, keep going - you will come out the other side stronger and fortified. This card doesn't promise that the pain will disappear, but it does promise that you will survive it and be transformed by it. Paired with The Coffin, these two cards acknowledge that something painful is ending or needs to end. This Dark Moon asks you to honor the hurt, Capricorn, but also to recognize that the worst is behind you. Lay the suffering to rest. You've been through the fire. You're still standing. Now it's time to step forward, scarred but stronger, into what comes next.

Aquarius - The Winged Heart

Reading: The Winged Heart asks you to follow your heart, to let your heart lead the way, to follow your joy. This card is a reminder that not every decision needs to be logical, strategic or sensible. Sometimes the heart knows things the head cannot understand. Paired with The Coffin, these two cards ask you to lay to rest the voice that tells you joy is frivolous or that following your heart is irresponsible. This Dark Moon, Aquarius, give yourself permission to choose what makes you happy, even if it doesn't make sense to anyone else. Your heart has wings for a reason. Let it fly.

The first edition of The Storm Cloud Oracle deck is now sold out, but will be back in September with a revised edition available in major bookshops.