A close-up illustration of the Ace of Pentacles tarot card, showing a pale hand reaching out from a white, spiraling cloud in the top left. The hand is holding a large, bright yellow coin or disc inscribed with a black pentagram (five-pointed star). The background is a bright blue with subtle white rays of light emanating from the coin. — Ace of Pentacles Credit: JOSEMANUEL246 / Shutterstock

Dear Oracle,

My husband and I are trying to buy a house for our family. It’s a really stressful process! I feel like I keep getting my heart broken, and it’s so hard to keep getting our hopes up only to be outbid by developers. Do the cards have any advice on how to navigate this process? (And will we get a house?)—Home in our range?

Cards: Six of Wands (reversed), Four of Swords (reversed), Ace of Pentacles, The Lovers (reversed)

Dear Home,

I’m going to go a bit out of order and start with the only non-reserved card, the Ace of Pentacles. The process of finding a house, making an offer, actually buying the house, and moving into it is going to be a lot of work. It’s going to take a lot of time (to view the place, to crunch numbers, to wait and see) and cost you money (inspection fees, taking time off work) for something that is not guaranteed. You might get outbid or discover that your dream home is also the dream home to a million termites or something else that is out of your control. It will be daunting.

But I do think it’s going to happen. Eventually. The Six of Wands is a card of celebration and victory. It’s breaking away from the struggle and strife and rejoicing. One day, you will rejoice in your new house! It just might take a while. (Like, maybe more than three months.)

Send your questions to oracle@cltampa.com or DM @theyboracle on Instagram. See more of Caroline and learn about her services via carolinedebruhl.com.

In the meantime, you have to be a bit breezier about the process. As the Four of Swords, you need to take your ego (and your heart) out of the process. Less “this could be our forever home,” more “if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.” Buying a house, for those of us not in the 1%, is probably the biggest financial purchase we will make in our lives. It’s a lot of money for something that is so linked with emotion. This is the place your children will grow up in, where you will make memories. It’s hard to be cold-hearted and logical when that future is on the line, but some cool-headedness will do you good. It will help you avoid buying a place you can’t afford or overlooking a cracked foundation because it’s in the perfect neighborhood.

Because you are looking for a house that you can grow with. It’s interesting to see The Lovers in the final position because, in a way, we are in a relationship with our homes. We talk about our “forever” home and buying a house is tying a legal knot, much like marriage. It’s also, of course, a place that we can feel great love towards. Consider what you are willing to compromise on, and what you are not. Like a relationship, superficial things aren’t important (in a house, they’re easy to change), but the foundational things are.

If you can, take your time, because I do think you’ll be able to find a house that feels like a lasting love.

Dear Oracle,

Once again, I think I let a potential relationship slip away. I didn’t tell her how I felt and she’s now getting back together with her ex. I feel so lonely and disappointed with myself for getting my hopes up. Do the cards offer any advice on how to overcome this loneliness?—Alone again

Cards: Waxing Crescent, Queen of Cups, Ten of Cups, Nine of Pentacles, all reversed.

Dear Alone,

I know that it’s terrifying to be emotionally honest and vulnerable with people, that to come out and say “I want to be with you” feels like a big swing. But, still, you gotta swing away. The Waxing Crescent is a card of action and intention. It is a time of moving towards your goals and working hard at them.

And the Queen of Cups and Ten of Cups suggest that your goal is a happy marriage with someone who is kind and emotionally available and inspires great love in you. That might seem a little too Hallmark-y to admit out loud, but a loving, long-lasting partnership is something that can make life grand and plenty of other people want that. But it’s something we can’t do on our own. We cannot bootstrap our way into a relationship. It depends on someone saying “yes” if we ask them out.

But, crucially, somebody has to do the asking.

The Nine of Pentacles is about plucking the fruits of your labor, enjoying the rewards of the hard work you put in. However, to give your future self that gift, you must “put in the work,” which means meeting people, talking to them, and eventually being emotionally vulnerable with them.

Striking up conversations with strangers does require some boldness—and if you’re naturally shy, it can be a hurdle. I honestly think improv classes are a great way to learn how to talk to anyone, so if that sounds fun, give it a go. At the very least, it’ll expand your friend circle, so you might meet other women that aren’t complete strangers. (I get that it feels fraught for a dude to approach a woman in a bar.)

But you do have to start being a little bold. You do have to tell people how you feel and risk the embarrassment of the “no” to make room for the “yes.” There really is no other way about it. I know that can be hard or terrifying or feel impossible, but it’s the only way to possibly bring in the joy.

I hope you find your Queen of Cups.

(P.S. I don’t know why the girl in question went back to her ex. But, as someone who got back together with her shitty ex three weeks after Trump got elected the first time, maybe it’s just the fear of fascism that drove them back together. If so, they’ll probably break back up before Valentine’s day, so shoot your shot then.)

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This article appears in Oct. 2 – 8, 2025.