Dear Oracle,
I have this feeling from the universe telling me to stop binge drinking. It felt like dread. Something telling me to knock it off. Am I hallucinating, or is the universe really trying to get me to stop?—Signing Off?
Cards: King of Cups, Ten of Wands (reversed), Last Quarter, The Devil (reversed)
Dear Sign,
I’m sure I won’t surprise anyone when I say that I believe in signs from the universe. In my experience, the most effective ones, the loudest ones, come when the universe tells us something we don’t want to hear but we know to be true: this relationship is terrible for you, you need to stop this self-destructive behavior, etc. It’s in these moments where we can see things clearly and know, deep down, we must act.
However, a sign to do something difficult can be easy to dismiss. I don’t think whatever signs you are seeing are hallucinations. I think the universe wants you to stop binge drinking.
Send your questions to oracle@cltampa.com or DM @theyboracle on Instagram. See more of Caroline via carolinedebruhl.com
I’m going to go out of order and start with The Devil reversed. The Devil, as I’ve said before, can be all-consuming, and if it’s appearing where substances are concerned, it usually means we don’t have control over them; rather, they have control over us. The Devil, it should be known, can be a deceiver. When we’re in the throes of Devil energy, we may not see a way out, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t one.
Across from The Devil is the Ten of Wands reversed, the great burden carried. With both of these cards reversed, I think you know that the effects of your drinking are a burden to you and you’ve known that for a long time. But the Ten of Wands can work both as past and future in this placement. While the Ten of Wands is a burden, it is one that you will survive. While you’ve been managing to handle the burden of your binge drinking, you can also handle the burden of stopping.
While some people can quit drinking by themselves (“white-knuckling it”), others find group support such as AA to be helpful. The Last Quarter card in my deck (Uusi’s “Pagan Otherworlds”) is a card of connecting to others and to forces greater than yourself and allowing those forces to move through you. Which sounds very similar to both the second and third step of AA. If you’re open to it, I think checking out a meeting might be helpful.
Finally, we get to the first card, The King of Cups with his big heart and deep feelings. I do wonder if the drinking is a way to cope with profound emotional distress, or longing, or feelings of loneliness. This king needs to have connection; without it, he feels lost. I would recommend both searching for a therapist if you don’t already have one and getting involved in some community-based activities. Maybe this is volunteering, or joining a writing circle, or going to a special-interest meet-up—anything that involves connecting with people and isn’t located in a bar.
I hope with a support system, you can shake that devil off.
Best of luck, my dear
Dear Oracle,
As an empty-nester, I’m planning on some big changes in my life. While nothing is set in stone yet, my partner and I are looking for a fresh start for the next chapter of our lives. The unknown is exciting and terrifying. Do the cards have any insight on what we should consider as we make our plans?—Ready to Leap
Cards: Ten of Wands, Full Moon, Judgment, Seven of Cups
Dear Ready,
Congratulations on your decision to strike out on an adventure. With the Ten of Wands, I think this has been a long time coming, and you and your partner have carried the joyful/rewarding/tiring “burden” of raising a baby bird who has finally flown the nest.
Congratulations on that as well.
It absolutely makes sense that you are looking to the next chapter of your lives and might feel a bit of trepidation. Parenthood (if you’re doing it right) is not really a selfish man’s game. You have to balance your wants and actions with what’s best for the family. But, now under the Full Moon, you get to take real stock of what you exactly want and then have the energy to go out there and get it.
However, transitions—even ones you initiate—can be uncomfortable. The Judgment card is a card of rebirth and starting that new chapter, but it does come with the decision to leave behind parts of your old life. Even though you’re excited for this change, that excitement might be mixed with a sense of mourning. This is absolutely normal in the process of a great life change. But that mourning can cause some internal whirlwind, which might put us off balance.
And you need to be balanced because with the Seven of Cups, you are going to need all your wits about you. The Seven of Cups is all about options, including ones that are deceitful and too-good-to-be-true. In the uncomfortable world of big transitions, you might find yourself drawn to a path that offers a lot of personal comfort but isn’t actually what you want. You might talk yourself out of what that Full Moon showed you, which benefits no one.
If you and your partner are serious about a fresh start, I encourage you both to talk to each other about what you really, really want in this new start and what you want to leave behind. (I should note that many couples also have difficulty patches when kids leave home, so if couples’ therapy seems like it might benefit, why not go?)
I think if you are both conscious and have clear goals of what you want (and a game plan of how to support each other during the transition), then you and your partner can move on to this new chapter with great success.
I hope this new adventure will be everything you both want.
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This article appears in Jul 30 – Aug 05, 2026.
