Card of the Day: Five of Cups
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The Wild Unknown Tarot [/caption]
I hand-picked this card today, instead of choosing a card at random. I am grieving many things today, and these past few days (and years). And I’m okay with that. Because the scariest thing I can imagine is growing cynical and hard in the face of fear, loss and injustice.
In Chinese medicine, grief is the emotion associated with the Metal element. This element rules the lungs and large intestines, manifests in the skin, and is associated with dryness and the putrid smell of rotting plant matter. When I think about COVID-19, the rainforests burning, Australia on fire, world-wide drought and floods creating climate refugees, Warren getting more respect and attention after withdrawing from the race than she ever got while she was in it, no Black people or people of color in the race for months now, and the ever-present rot of our social, political and economic institutions—well, my grief doesn’t feel so strange or surprising or personal.
I can see how the current mood is pushing me to isolate. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that I’m not alone in that. Yesterday I practiced reaching out to a couple friends and said: “I’m hurting. Can we connect?” The trust, vulnerability, and abundance present in my ability to do that and in my being met by others is something I need to name and remember and keep close. It can feel so good to be the person who inspires others, or whose life is moving along a positive track. That tender, young part of me that gets scared, lonely, hopeless, needy—yes, it is my job to take care of her AND taking care of her can mean asking for care. If we aren’t vulnerable, we can’t receive care.
If you are in need of care today—a kind word, a shoulder to cry on—please reach out. The myth of individualism is dangerous. Deadly. We deeply need each other. Also: Please consider following adrienne maree brown if you don’t already. She is helping me keep my head on straight these days.
