I’ve been in the habit of getting up early to write to you all, squinting at my first 5am alarm when it goes off and debating whether it’s worth it to crawl out from under my nest of comforters. Usually the answer is simple - the early morning is my favorite time of day and this newsletter is a joy - but now that it’s colder here (hallelujah!) the decision feels harder, and this morning I wasn’t sure what I’d write about once I got up, either.
Not to mention that, as we explored in last week’s newsletter, the world is still a hot mess.
Like many of the people I’ve been talking to lately, these days feel like an unending cavalcade of destabilizing news. Given that we’ve been plunged into a year of epic uncertainty (at best) it makes sense that we’re feeling exhausted and overwhelmed. Why is it so hard to remember this?
This morning I caught myself being harsh and judgmental towards my reluctance to get up, quickly noting how I’d been reducing my meditation time, eating hilarious “snack meals” in lieu of nutritionally-balanced culinary masterpieces, and sneakily easing back into some distracting coping mechanisms like compulsively checking the news.
It all made me think of The Wheel of Fortune. With its decidedly trippy imagery divorced from any semblance of normal human life - esoteric symbols! a giant wheel floating in the clouds! a man’s head floating in a corner, joined by an eagle, bull, and lion??? - I can’t think of a better card to illustrate the destabilizing nature of this time.
Sometimes, as I discovered this morning, it’s easy to forget how much change can sweep us off our axis, shake up our lives, and leave us reeling in the clouds. No wonder I was back to my news-refreshing habits - nothing stays the same, even (sadly) our most well-honed self-care routines, and right now The Wheel of Fortune is spinning extra fast. Let’s not blame ourselves if we’re feeling a little dizzy.
I like to think of The Wheel of Fortune as a “cosmic weather” card. When it appears, it’s important to ask ourselves just what conditions our world and lives are unfolding in. Simply acknowledging whether we’re sailing through a storm or a sunny day has a huge impact on how we judge both our course and our efforts.
But The Wheel of Fortune also gives us a helpful piece of advice. If the compass guiding us is looking more like the one on the card, full of confusing and mystical symbols, it may be time to replace it with a compass of our own making. Maybe we have one already (I think we all do) and we just need to find it again, plunk it down in the middle of the map and reorient ourselves.
For me, that compass is not made of popcorn-for-dinner and chronic outrage, but rather an appreciation for everyday beauty, the value of human life and justice, caring for myself and others, and channeling my energy towards creativity. How about yours?
And, because sometimes the quickest way down from the clouds is to look at examples of this beauty and joy in action, here are some things that have been helping me reorient and re-inspire during this wild Wheel of Fortune weather:
This beautiful new deck by Mariza Ryce Aparicio-Tovar who I had the pleasure of interviewing for the blog this past week.
The MacArthur Genius Grant winners (N.K. Jemisin! Cécile McLorin Salvant!)
Making and feasting on delicious dutch baby pancakes whenever the mood strikes.
Tarot readings and one-on-one sessions are still available at a discounted rate for anyone looking to rediscover their compass and banish some of this Wheel of Fortune wildness. Click here to book & get more information.