(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . A Tarot for Our Time [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-08-17 The term "Tower Time" has been used to describe the turbulent days we've been living through. It's a reference to The Tower card in Tarot. A card that depicts a tower as a symbol of power and the status quo, crumbling beneath the wrath of a raging storm. It represents the coming of a storm that brings painful but needed change, breaking down the old conventions. It's an interesting idea, but I don't quite agree that's what we are going through. And if it is, it has already failed. Yes, the growing pains born of social diversity and the rise of digital technology have seen conservatives go into panic mode while embracing fascist ideas in order to bring their "storm" to democracies the world over. But that's not necessary or meaningful change. It's just the fallout from a symbiotic relationship between the cash hungry right, and an unwitting mob getting played by power. And if the storm were the result of progress, well, it certainly wouldn't be necessary to tear down democracy and deny equal rights. Yes, there are all sorts of bad actors poisoning the system but the left isn't tearing much of anything down. It's trying to grow equality and opportunity for those of us to whom it has been denied. There's no need to burn it all down. Even the impending eco-disaster of climate change wasn't necessary; it's an epic and deadly failure on our part to commit to change when we were first warned. It may well be that I just don't want it to be "Tower Time" so I'm in denial. Or it just may be that I still have a little Hope left in the tank. Thanks Obama! A few months back when I heard this idea of "Tower Time" I was intrigued, and I decided to give Tarot cards a deeper look. I found many variations and styles of decks available beyond the traditional ones. I tried a half dozen or so. I tried the old standby's like the Rider-Waite-Smith deck and I tried some that spoke to me by reflecting my interests and others that just looked cool. I took an excellent online course and made some real progress in using the cards for divination. Throughout my exploration there was one deck that held my attention. The one known as "The Witches Wisdom Tarot." Author, attorney and Priestess, Phyllis Curott collaborated with artist and Hedgewitch Danielle Barlow to put together this modern reworking of the Tarot. Within it I found the sometimes dreary images of the old decks replaced by those of relatable characters on their personal journey to know the Divine. Images that make clear our deep connection and reliance on nature, our ancient ancestors, and our contemporary spiritual practices. Now, if your name is Ronald Dion DeSantis (I don’t have permission to call him Ron) , your not gonna like this deck and that's a good thing. Diversity is one of it's strengths. One of the traditional ideas that came out of the Rider-Waite-Smith deck and others that most people are familiar with is the idea of The Fool's Journey. The cards use archetypal imagery to depict the stages and challenges of life. But here in this deck, we find the Pilgrim who undertakes her journey in the World is no Fool. And her walk is one set free of patriarchal images of the Devil and Judgement (and when's the last time you rode a Chariot anyway?) “Rider-Waite-Smith” cards and their “Witches Wisdom Tarot” counterparts. The Devil replaced with Love, and Judgement replaced with Council of All Beings. Earth, Air, Fire and Water, the four alchemy elements, are the suits in this Tarot. No swords here, and the Pentacle is mercifully unburdened from it's heavy metal caricature and shows up now and again depicted as the star you find when you slice an apple. Earth, Air, Fire, and Water Included with the cards is an inspiring guidebook that is as poetic as it is informative. Along with basic instructions on how to read Tarot, each card is given it's description in the form of Wisdom, Essence, and Counsel. There is also a bit of magic suggested for each card that anyone can do. If you know Phyllis Curott's recent book "Spells for Living Well" you'll be happy to see her elegantly simple and direct approach to magic, shines through here as well. If you're unfamiliar with her work, where have you been hiding? She has been active in the Parliament of the World's Religions since 1993 and is the founding Priestess of the Temple of Ara. She also holds circle online every month via her engaging and supportive Patreon community. Whatever is headed your way in the future, it is a story not etched in stone but written in sand and you can change it. The winds will blow and the tides will flow, but your tale is yours to tell. And if you need a little guidance and wisdom on your journey to know the Divine, you can find a friendly companion in "The Witches Wisdom Tarot" by Phyllis Curott and Danielle Barlow, published by Hay House. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/8/17/2187912/-A-Tarot-for-Our-Time Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/