Deck is Next World Tarot by Cristy C. Road @croadcore
What insight does the (so-called American) collective need right now?
King of Swords
The Empress
Queen of Swords
It has been a month since Roe v. Wade was overturned. The ramifications of the injustice saturate the news and social media. We have seen individual cases like Elizabeth Weller whose pregnancy became unviable, but due to Texas’s law was unable to end her pregnancy with dignity instead had to wait for a board to determine it was ok to end the pregnancy while being violently ill and traumatized. We have seen statewide legislation pushed in many anti-abortion states including South Carolina to make it illegal to “aid, abet and conspire with someone” to get an abortion. This includes gross violation of our First Amendment right by outlawing using the internet or phone to obtain info on abortion. For some of us Roe v. Wade overturned may have been the first realization that some people in the country have already been living without the protections of Roe v. Wade. In September 2021 Texas passed the fetal cardiac activity which bans all abortion after fetal cardiac activity is observed which is about 6 weeks of pregnancy. Thousands of Texas people with uteruses have been going to other states to receive abortion care as a result.
Unfortunately, I anticipate more anti-abortion legislature being pushed and passed. In the United States Sibley Chart the Mars, Uranus, North Node conjunction are in the 6th house of Taurus (exact July 31). The ruler of the 6th house Venus is in the 8th House of Cancer. Venus rules femme people, people with uteruses and other gender people. Venus is being brutalized by fiery Mars and overwhelmed by the de-stabilizing, catastrophic news of Uranus.
Personally, we might feel called to externalize our impulsivity like taking risks we typically wouldn’t. During early August it is a good time to take calculated risks if you can accept that this erratic energy will not conform to your will. August 7th Mars, Uranus, North Node will square Saturn in Aquarius. We are well acquainted with this transit, Saturn square Uranus, that began in 2020. In the past Saturn square Uranus has ushered in worldwide crises like the Great Depression 1929-1931 and in 1988 the Burmese state violence against the people’s liberation movement.
Saturn square Uranus energy can manifest as economic crisis, revolutions, technological break throughs and disruption, advancement of and loss of rights (like Roe v. Wade) according to Robert Tarnas in his book Cosmos and Psyche. This planetary energy is embodied in the Sri Lankan uprising of where protestors have liberated the president’s house, swim in the pool and have burned down 38 houses of politicians. It is important to note that Sri Lankan uprising against the government was initiated by the dominant ethnic group that for years supported the government in their genocidal violence against minor ethnic groups because it aligned with their economic interests. When the dominant ethnic group decided the government was no longer working in their interest they revolted (although I am by no means an expert in the subject). How do we collectively navigate this tsunami of energy?
King of Wands asks us to yield power without hierarchy. We are used to seeing power as a dominant class subjugating and exploiting a marginalized group. Power without hierarchy is empowerment through love and humanist collaboration and connection. Real power lifts us all up, no one is left abandoned in the cold. Real power operates without the tools of the state and does not purport reform or reinforcement of the American imperialist machine. King of Wands asks us to put forth our passion, charisma and intuition to doing work that uplifts all of us. This energy is about moving together collectively to manifest anti-capitalist, anti-racist, and anti-misogynist visions. What visions do we want to manifest at this time? Maybe it is giving money to abortion funds, offering transport to abortion clinics, doing clinic defense or giving care items to those seeking abortions. Whatever it is it’s important we share this vision with others because through collaboration mutual aid work blossoms.
The Empress in this deck has “Taurus and Venus” transcribed on it this reminds me of Venus in Cancer ruling the Taurus 6th house of the US Sibley chart. The Empress invokes reciprocity, being able to receive just as much as give. The Empress and Venus in Taurus are all about the enjoyment of sensory pleasures and indulging without guilt. Many of us feel indebted to capitalism, that we must always be going and giving up. The Empress asks you to hit pause and instead take joy in what you have and what you deserve. Maybe you deserve a massage, an hour to do nothing, a practice of gratitude, maybe you need to clapback at patriarchal norms that treat you like an endless fountain to drink from.
Queen of Cups, depicted by a gender nonconforming individual, reminds us that not only women seek abortion, people of all different kinds of gender identities seek abortion and it is important to reflect that in our language. Queen of Cups encourages us to lead with our hearts, to allow space to be vulnerable and to connect to others through kindness and generosity. The Queen is a pro at the balancing act of showing your heart vs. giving up your heart. You can be compassionate without being too emotionally porous or being boundaryless. There is a wisdom in limitations, you must put the emergency mask on yourself first before you can help anyone else. How do we embark on emotional journeys with others while staying in our integrity and avoiding burnout? How do we embody kindness WITH wisdom? How have we in the past run ourselves dry by overgiving to others? These are all questions to ponder and there is always room to grow. No one is in the wrong for sometimes giving too much to others, it is often when we go over our limits we learn our limits.
