Happy New Year! At least, for the lot of us who have not been spending the past couple of months numb at the sight of an ongoing genocide.
It's difficult, having to go with our lives by distancing ourselves from a reality that continues to haunt us. Attempting to articulate grief, pain has now become a daunting topic of conversation. We are surviving, too. Surviving conditions that implore us to pretend that there is still something to hold onto in a crumbling world. Hope requires privilege, and is no longer a question of resilience. Frustration as an emotion prevails and frankly, boredom too. A mundane passing of time that has no end, as if paused since October 7th, and only will resume after liberation. 90 days, and 76 years. An approximate thirty thousand days in total. Over ten times that amount in dead bodies.
13 cards pulled out to answer endless questions. Most importantly: where do we go from here?
By setting Palestine as the moral compass, I dare to declare it the grand finale that will pave way for collective global liberation. A Free Palestine for a free world.
What is Tarot?
Contrary to popular belief, Tarot Cards do not predict the future. They function as a map of consciousness that provide guidance on specific situations in life. They tell us what we already know. They are made up of 22 Major Arcanas, and 56 Minor Arcanas (Pentacles, Swords, Wands, Cups). Pentacles are ruled by Earth, representing material possessions. Swords are ruled by Air, representing intellect, conflict, and power. Wands are ruled by Fire, representing ambition and creativity. Cups are ruled by Water, representing relationships and emotions.
Spreads vary according to needs. They can be as little as three or as much as twenty. They can provide insight for an overall situation, or give answers to targeted questions. Tarot readings cannot answer with certainty, but, as mentioned before, provide with new needed perspectives in order to go about struggles.
The Spread:
Evolution of the spread
I pull out the first card from the deck. I think of a dark image of rotting corpses and bombs emulating flashing lights. I ask the card to describe the situation. I am accompanied by my comrade and friend, Ivanka, who helps analyze the reading with me. Second card, third card, what are they trying to say? We ask for a solution. Unsatisfied, we ask for another one. We are five cards in with no end in sight. Finally, some good news; the Wheel of Fortune emerges, and is placed inbetween the two. The options to achieve luck, change, and destiny are: Forget history, move on from the past, or to be patient, to endure, and to face steady progress.
Since the common theme of the situation (Cards 1,2,3) was indulgence and monetary growth, the next card we pulled, card 7, was naturally about how capitalism plays a role in all of it, and where it's heading. Card 7 describes capitalism as "cold-hearted and bitchy", and advises that in order to see a better world, taking into consideration the needs of others is a must. How does this look like? Card 8 indicates self-empowerment, reversed, however, it warns against too much self-involvement and personal gains.
For the sake of playing devil's advocate, we ask the cards to predict a worst-case scenario. This was a big WTF moment, as the Ten of Swords is juxtaposed with the Wheel of Fortune. If we do not work towards building a world that centers spiritual growth and being in community, well... we will hit rock bottom. Like, with literally nothing left to lose.
Does hope still lie beyond rock bottom? Yes (10) - Evolving into something new. This will be difficult, as there is a hesitancy to move forward. Perhaps, evolution should not be the goal in the face of ultimate destruction.
Finally, the extra big THREE: What about imperialism (11), the patriarchy (12), and organized religion? (13). The first appears in reverse, while the two latter upright. Oftentimes, when cards appear reversed, it is an indication of a broken system, losing sight of the bigger goal, and the presence of an issue at hand that needs to be 'fixed' in order to achieve the card's manifestations in their upright position. Card 13 appears again, like card 4, only this time upright, and asks us to go back to our roots.
In a nutshell
Cards 1, 2, and 3 (King of Pentacles, Two of Pentacles, and Temperance), predict a compromise in the near future. The theme of the pentacles, paired with the characteristic of temperance, imply the need for a reflection process from both sides involved. The cards advise against stubborness, and the imbalance of perspectives. While one side is obsessed with monetary growth and status, the other is directly affected by these obsessions. In order to achieve peace, card 4 (Six of Cups) advices taking the path of forgetting history, viewing rememberance as a tool that can be destructive, and not holding onto grudges. In short: let bygones be bygones. However, card 4 placed next to card 6 (Wheel of Fortune), warns that while forgiveness might be a solution for coexistence, it is a temporary one. This is further reflected in card 8 (The Magician), reversed, it signifies uncertainty, manipulation, and poor planning. A two-sided compromise might come around to bite us, and card 6 (Wheel of Fortune) reminds of the cycle of life, and of karma; what goes around comes back around. Card 5 (Seven of Pentacles) provides with a different solution: that of endurance, and of slow progression. In order to reap the fruits of the Wheel of Fortune, we must accept growth in order to achieve prosperity.
Cards 7, 11, 12, and 13, indicating the structures or current world orders, all guide towards higher consciousness, being in community, and an embracing of origin.
The Cards:
Current Situation
1. King of Pentacles (Reversed): Stubborness and obsession with wealth and status.
2. Two of Pentacles: Juggling more than one thing at a time, and struggling to prioritize.
3. Temperance (Reversed): Self-indulgence, lack of perspective, imbalance.
Scenarios for the Situation
4. Six of Cups (Reversed): Forgetting the past. Forgiveness, Grudges. Moving on.
OR
5. Seven of Pentacles: Slow progression, endurance, hard work paying off.
Outcomes
Best case scenario: 6.Wheel of Fortune: Life cycle, luck, karm, turning points.
Worst case scenatio: 9.Ten of Swords: Crisis, loss, rock bottom.
World Orders
Imperialism: 11.Two of Wands (Reversed): Fear of the uknown, inner goals.
Patriarchy: 12.Seven of Swords: Imposter syndrome, deception, betrayal
Capitalism: 7.Queen of Swords (Reversed): Cold-heartedness, easily influenced
Religion: 13.Six of Cups: Joy, innocence, good memories, revisiting the past
Alternatives
8.The Magician (Reversed): Manipulation, untapped potential, poor planning
10.Ace of Pentacles (Reversed): Lack of foresight and planning, lost opportunities
Political Interpretation: Towards A Liberatory World
This is not an unbiased reading, I am not an expert on Tarot and frankly, I don't think anyone can claim to be. Tarot cards provide us with the opportunity to search deep within things we already know to be true, and according to my interpretation of the spread, abolition is underway. What lies ahead for Palestine is either a compromise that will not end well, one that proposes forgetfullness as the catalyst for peace. If we insist on rememberance, we will have to do so with endurance. Fate is near, but slow. The common trope of 'change takes time', but there is light at the end of a very long tunnel. To accept a two-state solution requires that both sides, the oppressed and the oppressor, make sacrifices. The oppressor must be willing to let go of power, and the oppressed must actively work on erasing their history to pave way for a future that sees the coexistence of both. Those of us who inherently understand liberation will think: What BS! Forgetting means to allow the opportunity for oppression to repeat itself, reproducing the same cycles of violence all over again, hence the Wheel of Fortune. A card which, although promises luck and change, also reminds us that with life comes also death. In order to not fall back into the same mistakes, we must plan properly for the future, tap into our highest potentials, and go about freedom with a lot of imagination. The Six of Cups card appears twice, indicating that only by going back to our roots, will we find joy. Our roots, the knowledges, memories, and wisdoms of our ancestors, are the vehicle that will guide us, and ease our pains. If we do not act quickly, the only other alternative is literal rock bottom, we will have nothing left to lose. Capitalism, imperialism, and the patriarchy need to undergo a process of major reflections, they have lost sight of what it means to prosper on earth. You might be thinking: we already know all of this! What do we do? - The cards have already answered, and the truth already lies within each of us who seek it.
I draw another card for hope, and an added layer of advice: the Two of Pentacles again! Only this time reversed. This card asks you to get organised! To set your priorities straight, and to let go of the commitments that no longer serve you.
This reading of our pathways toward liberation is not only unbiased, it is also a stubborn one. We kept asking our questions and drawing cards with a refusal to accept the easier, more pragmatic solution until we caught a glimpse of hope. But then again, what kind of liberatory project, what imaginings of futures against the despair and seeming hopelessness of the present does not require (a whole lot of) stubbornness?
Free Sudan. Free Congo. Free West Papua. Free Kashmir. Free White Supremacy from itself, and Free Us All from it. Free Palestine.
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