Happy December, and I hope you are all doing well. This month’s tarot column is going to be a little bit different. I talk a lot about community in spirituality (both in this column and in my sessions), so it feels strange and wrong to continue to do the usual pick-a-cards without talking about how we can use our spirituality to help engage and motivate necessary change. At the time this is being written, in the middle of November, there are over 11,000 dead in Gaza. Many of these deaths are children. It is becoming quite clear that we are witnessing a genocide occuring in real-time, funded by us.

We cannot manifest, pray, or ‘positive vibes’ this away. While I understand that a lot of us come to spirituality for personal healing, we cannot heal in a sick community. The healing must be collective, and nobody deserves to be left behind. So, I have pulled three cards in this community reading that focus on some things we can keep in mind as we pivot towards justice and healing. I realize that for some, this is far too political, and they only came here for a spiritual boost. In my experience, however, true spirituality cannot be fully separated from politics, especially when lives are on the line. With that said, here is our reading:

The cards we pulled for this reading are Justice (in reverse), The Fool (in reverse), and the Eight of Pentacles. 

Starting with Justice in reverse, this is a card of a massive imbalance. Many of us have been aware of the unjust imbalances of life here for a while, especially when it comes to accessibility, the hoarding of wealth, and our medical system. Now, we are challenged to look even deeper into the imbalances and injustices we as a society contribute to (directly and indirectly). There is a clear unfairness at play, and it runs deep. The Justice card asks us to see it and do something about it.

The Fool in reverse needs to deconstruct and see things as they are, without illusion. They need a clear sense of direction and a commitment to moving forward into the unknown. When the Fool is in reverse, they are holding back out of fear — perhaps a fear of judgment, loss, or discomfort. Examining how willing we are to latch onto our comforts, even if those comforts exist at the expense of others, is going to be key here, too. This is an uncomfortable process that you may avoid looking into, especially if you go into depth looking at our involvement in many terrible events presently (and throughout history). This message cautions us against falling into the comfort of illusions, as we have many times before.

The Eight of Pentacles tells us that we are all learning as we go. Perhaps you are not an expert in government policy, but you are excellent at community organizing. Maybe you aren’t great at community organizing, but you have no problem calling/emailing representatives over and over and over again. You do not need to be an expert to contribute; you just need to be willing to deconstruct what you thought you knew and build again. Start from scratch and learn quickly while you move. This is a hands-on learning process, and you will not get it right every time, but try not to let that discourage you from trying at all.

To be human is to hurt, to be in a community means that someone else’s pain is your pain, and to be spiritual means to be connected to the full human experience. Be a witness to it, and share the pain and the joy. While many of us have no choice but to continue living life as normal in many ways, we must disrupt that norm when we can and think beyond ourselves. Taking breaks for ourselves is important, too; it is one of the beauties of human nature to find joyful moments even in tragedy. We must also try not to lose our connection to humanity, and avoid centering our comfort and healing over everything else. True healing is a community effort, and we must heal, or harmful cycles will repeat themselves.

Jae Melland is a tarot, palm, and rune reader serving the Tri-Cities. You can schedule a reading with Jae by visiting seidrwhispers.com or go to her walk-in readings at Luna Apothecary in Pasco. Instagram: @seidr_whispers

Illustrations from the Light Seer’s Tarot.