Consciously or unconsciously, we make projections and assumptions about the future constantly on a day to day basis. Several of these projections are so implicit that we hardly realize that we are choosing them out of myriad options.
Perhaps many of us have become more aware of some of these assumptions in the aftermath of the Covid breakout. For instance, we had made a number of decisions at the start of the year riding on the ‘given’ fact that my husband would travel through our home town in March…right from not bringing back some books I wanted to study, to postponing meeting someone who sadly now is no more. This ‘given’ was eliminated with the lock-downs early in March.
Our current inability to project or rely on future ‘givens’ is reflected in the starting point for this month’s reading (3 of Wands, reversed).
Our expectations of the future are anchors which guide our actions profoundly, and when we cannot rely on that anymore, there is the question of what does one work towards?
The cards indicate that this month we move towards celebrating what is, what we have built so far, the people who are with us, our accomplishments so far, our families and communities (4 of Wands). This is a card, simultaneously, of stability and freedom. Freedom to be here. Freedom to be as you are, now. Freedom to be with what is here, while not yet running to the next thing. Freedom to stay where you are. Freedom because there are things in our lives that hold us.. today, this moment. What are those things in your life? How are you honouring them and reveling in them, now?
I read somewhere recently that when it is not clear ‘what’ destination you need to get to, a good place to start is to focus on ‘how’ you want to walk your path. Some call it values. A value the cards this month are strongly encouraging us to adopt, is to think collectively rather than individually. The 4 of wands card has a distinct energy of community, especially in comparison to the other cards (3 of wands, 7 of swords, 9 of cups) in this reading which are strongly individualistic. This same card had shown up as the theme card March in the 2020 energy reading, and as we know it was in March that it became very clear that we are all in this pandemic situation together. It is still a lesson to fall back on. (The 2020 reading also had a theme of social responsibility with the King of Cups for July.)
This card’s encouragement to stay put, is also meaningful in light of the challenge highlighted this month: The Ace of Swords clarified by Tower reversed, indicates that there is something which is not yet known- some foundational shift which is still not apparent, hence we don’t have some critical information to move forward. Notice the similarity in the Ace of Swords and Tower cards (adjoining picture)- the tapering central shapes, and the crowns at top- it appears like the shift and truth about it, has to do with worldly structures, political and economic shifts.
The tool card show that we meet this challenge by reigning in our restlessness to do something, or anything, just for the sake of doing something (7 of Swords, reversed). Hold off, stay put. Especially if the action you are tempted to take involves restlessness, sneaking off, and what clearly feels like a half-cooked move. What good is stealing swords only to discover the battleground uses whole other weapons? Ground yourself in the moment (9 of Cups) and savour all it has to offer.
And then if you know that you must make a move, ask the question-how will your action be in the interest of ‘all’? If you find a reasonable answer to that in honesty, move ahead on the back of that which you have built and which is strong. Be willing to be surprised at what it turns out the destinations need to be, and what the paths need to look like.
“There’s no need to fear or hope, but only to look for new weapons.”
– Deleuze, Postscript on the Societies of Control
