Tea-break Tarot School

In today’s class you’re all seated in groups with a different card, blown up onto an A4 sheet, to consider.  What happens, when we all get to sharing what we have, is interesting as there are some stark contrasts.

My RWS card shows a man holding scales giving what could be coins and could be magic beans to two beggars.  He is richly dressed in a sumptuous red cloak and sturdy green boots.  This card might draw the keyword, generosity.

In the Wayfarer Card a man is helping a child plant seeds (or magic beans!) while bean plants grow tall in the background.  This might summon up  a pharse like “you reap what you sow”, or remind us about good stewardship of our resources.

In the Gaian Tarot a woman is buying some sunflowers from a richly laden market stall, which makes me think of energy exchange and trading, the flow of wealth in many forms.

In the Green Witch we again have two poorly dressed people being given coins by a richly dressed woman outside a comfortable house. The male figure holds dice behind his back, hinting at the part of fate or karma.

In The Hobbit Tarot Bilbo and the dwarves are in Smaug’s treasure cave surrounded by wealth and riches!

The Crow Tarot shows a crow holding a pair of scales.  Fish are falling from these and two crows underneath are feeding on the fallen fish.  This suggests a similar image to those in the Green Witch and RWS, wealth or bounty shared, but also an unequal power balance.

In the Wildwood two people stand with begging bowls.  There is a broken rake, damaged beehives and a bush fire raging behind them. It seems that once they would have been able to feed themselves, but this is no longer an option…

I’ll post the cards in the group, feel free to drop in (or join!) and have a look.

In the past I would have said this card was about generosity, but now I am noticing an undercurrent and for me there is work to be done exploring the social justice element which appears here.

The wealthy are being generous, but how generous?  Does it cost them to give?  And the fact that they have plenty, means that others have less…this is an uncomfortable challenge in our own lives.  For most of us we have a roof over our heads, adequate clothing, and know where our next meal is coming from…not everyone is in this position and our own wealth is often the result of past injustices (read; widespread land-theft, forced mass migration of whole populations in slavery, destruction of traditional life-styles…the list goes on).

Exercise 39

This is an interesting card, and not as straightforward as I had thought.  I have work to do here so I am not going to suggest a “you should do this” kind of exercise.  However this will be my practice with this card…

• Journal: Where can I make changes in my life-style to create greater equality?
• Choose one area from this list to begin educating yourself and taking positive action in: gender and sexuality, different-ability, social justice, global poverty, animal welfare, environmental action?
• Finish reading The Life You Can Save (I am about a third of the way through and then I stopped, because it’s challenging!)
• Practice giving – through volunteering or donations of goods or money.