Well, dear readers, here we are: One day away from the US elections. Because this is a singularly stressful time, I’ve decided to do an unconventional tarot reading. Did you know you can decide what to ask the cards? And, most excitingly, you can decide what you don’t want to hear? It’s like asking a friend in crisis, “Do you want advice or someone to listen?” And I’m going to make a call for us all and say we want some reassurance, gentleness, and solitions for managing ~*destabilizing political-related stress*~.
Let’s dive in!
I’ve created a little spread as follows:
Card One: What to release aka “don’t worry about this for now!” (as much as you can).
Card Two: What to focus on aka a place of peace and healing, a comforting thought, etc.
Card Three: What to do aka a course of action to soothe and feel engaged.
I’ve just turned over the cards and oh my! I love this.
Letting go of perfect equanimity with the Queen of Cups
The first thing I thought when I looked at this card was, “Oh, thank goodness!” I’ll be real: I’m a little (a lot) exhausted from keeping an even keel recently, and while cultivating a flexible and optimistic stance is valuable in many situations, it’s also not the only solution. This is one of the things I love most about tarot: It’s a system that shows the whole range of human experience. Not only are challenges, suffering, and messes included, they’re shown as a necessary and important part of the process. Sacred, even! So this week we’re being urged to remember that the only way forward does not involve smiling beatifically at a cup and thinking we can move through all upheavals with unimpeachable calmness.
Instead, we’re being invited to focus on the power (rage included) of awareness and abundance…
Fiercely embracing potential with The Empress
While the Queen of Cups sits on the shore - a place of transition or, to use a phrase that’s definitely on the bingo sheet of “spiritual/woo-woo catchphrases,” a liminal space - The Empress is decidedly and specifically in her place: a lush field. Similarly, we’re being urged to get specific and make ourselves comfortable. What do you need to feel grouned and powerful entering into this challenging time?
The Empress is not about austerity, shrinking down, or pretending to be fine. (Sure, the Queen of Cups has many positive traits, but as something to let go of, she’s evoking issues like equivocating, spiritual bypassing, and emotional dullness.) This card asks us to take our personal power seriously by respecting our needs.
Some ways to channel this card more speficially:
Creating or zhuzhing up a space for yourself in your home to feel decadently supported and comfortable
Sharing said space with those you love (The Empress is fierce in her commitment to caring for others).
Spending time in nature - find an actual lush field! - to reconnect with the larger cycles of life and find peace and inspiration.
Enjoying creature comforts as a way of uplifting the human spirit. Enjoy a fine meal, dress in a way that feels bold and joyful, look to the sweetness of life that’s all around.
Let yourself be loud and uncensored (without straying from your throne). The contrast between the Queen of Cups and Empress is powerful here. Don’t shrink away from your gravitas and zest! Be complicated and bold; embrace it all as a source of your power.
I’m noticing that this card has blended into the role of card three, but I’m not entirely surprised. The Empress has a huge sphere of influence as a Major Arcana card and I’m so grateful she’s here.
Yet last but not least, we have our action card…
Getting small and specific with the Ace of Swords
Okay, so I’d be remiss if I didn’t think of “vote!” when I turned this card over. I think we’ve all got that one in the bag - do it still! - but/and when it comes to daily actions to both soothe and feel engaged, the Ace of Swords points to two things in my mind.
Firstly, it’s to do the small things. Aces are the first in the sequence of each suit in the pip cards, number one. As such, they represent new beginnings and unrealized potential. The task with aces is to see and accept them and then take the first step towards realizing that potential.
Ways this could work out this week:
Following the path from thought —> action. Have an idea? Do one thing to enact it! That’s it. A nice, grounding practice for the week.
Share ideas and information as they come to you. Tune into and listen to new ideas and information from other sources.
Maintain an attitude of open curiosity. These aces could come from anywhere! And curiosity opens us up to the world, making it seem more expansive and less stifling.
Secondly, this card urges us to see this moment as a new beginning. What truth is emerging? Seeing this phase as a start to something new, generative, and powerful helps us remain centered in our agency and in touch with the world. Yes, it’s lofty and conceptual, but some of this high-soaring perspective can help us see just how small our world is and how precious we all are, held within this strange arc of time.
Wishing everyone a gentle passage through this rocky week and please share any thoughts and insights in the comments below!
This week embrace:
Creature comforts in the service of rest and recuperation
Sharing space with loved ones and your communities
Emotional complexity
Nature, new ideas, and small actions as ways to move forward and gain peace
This week avoid:
False equanimity: trying to keep it 100% cool will only frustrate us!
Fatalism
Running ourselves ragged
Turning away from or ignoring our personal and collective power