It's been quite the year so far, full of unpredictable shifts that are quite difficult to navigate. During times like these, it takes a great amount of courage and persistence to make it through while inviting forward the change that needs to occur. As I sat with my cards and asked to be shown what our community needed to know, I thought about all of the unique and powerful voices that have really come together and worked to create change, and have had the bravery to speak up on how we need to do better. These aren’t simple tasks, and the cards have felt it.

This month, the deck brought us a couple of major arcana cards for our message. The major arcana cards in a tarot deck are bigger messages, the fact that they both came from this section of the deck tells us that this is a key moment in our lives and that it is not to be taken lightly. The cards that have come forward are Strength and Awakening (also known as Judgement). These two cards together paint a powerful picture of resistance and significance.

Community Reading:

The Strength card does not speak of physical strength. This card is about the power behind someone who truly knows themselves, their values, and what they are called to do. There is something groundbreaking about people who can look deep into their own souls and truly see inward, and keep striving to do better for themselves and those around them. The uncomfortable part of this card is the call to really look at everything. There are parts of our community in the Tri-Cities that we should not be proud of. What systems have we helped uphold that do not serve everyone equally? Where have we let down our fellow community members?

Many cannot handle the discomfort that comes with seeing oneself so honestly. The truly courageous among us can look within, see the parts of ourselves that haven't been honored properly, and be willing to do the work to live more authentically. Sometimes we see something that makes us extremely uncomfortable. Those of us that have lived with a certain level of privilege may be tempted to ignore some of the things that come up, the times we have benefited from a system that works against someone else that should have been equally supported. When faced with this, we can take a moment to look deep within and be vulnerable and honest about where we can start stepping up.

The next card that comes forward to speak to us is Awakening. This card seconds the message of the first, that it is time for massive self-reflection and change from us as a whole. However, it also reminds us that this is part of a larger calling. At this time, the call to self-reflect is bigger than just us, as individuals. There is a large shift at play, and staying out of it is not optional for the brave. Acknowledging where we can do better is the bare minimum because there is so much at stake.

By the time this is published, I hope the news cycle hasn’t pushed the important issues facing marginalized groups aside. I hope this doesn't feel like "old news." These cards point out that we cannot afford to stop looking out for each other and fighting for a better world. Black lives are at risk, trans lives are at risk (and losing more rights). We have to do better to look out for each other, and we are more than capable of doing so.

Community Exercise:

This is a time for both reflecting on the self and supporting others. What gifts do you have that you could bring forward? Is it your voice? Your art? Your compassion? For those of us who live in the world with more privilege than others, how can we use it to strengthen those around us that have struggled to be heard? If you journal, these would be excellent topics to explore. Remember that the Strength card asks us to be open and completely honest about who we are.

And don't forget that we have some beautiful voices in our community. Take some time to search for them and listen; they've given so much of their hearts and souls to us and continue to do so.

Jae Melland is a tarot and rune reader at Lotus of the Moon in Richland. You can schedule readings with Jae by emailing her at jae.melland@gmail.com.

Photo by Soulful Stock on Unsplash