How are you? I hope you’re happy and well. Just wanted to pop on to share a couple of things like…

• Open reading slots for Sept and Oct

• E-mail readings

• My textile / wool spinning IG account, The Beautiful Twist

• Deck news

• Why I don’t want to “just do” a podcast

• And TEEFS

Hugs, love, and cheers y’all!

XO,
Rashunda

It’s 34C (93F). Europe is in the middle of a heat wave. We don’t have US-style air conditioning. Only fans. Insert joke here.

I’m sitting downstairs on the sofa. It’s the coolest place in the house.

Summer solstice is here. This is normally the time I “take stock” of everything I’ve achieved this year, what’s still on the to do list, and how many items I can get done before the end of the year. In the past, I’d take look at my Quarter-by-Quarter spread and regroup.

But I haven’t done that yet. And to be honest, I’m not sure if I will. It’s too hot. I’m too hot. And I’m over it.

This isn’t necessarily bad.

This is a preview of my Summer Solstice message. Click the button below to read the full post.

XO
Rashunda

☀️READ THE POST☀️

TL;DR (or watch)

1. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your support.

2. If you signed up for my new newsletter and didn’t receive an email asking you to confirm the sign up, check your spam folder for an email with the subject line “Your confirmation is needed to join the tramblings.newsletter…”. Pull that out of spam and reply to confirm.

3. And some Substack thoughts I won’t put in writing. You’ll have to watch until the end but…

https://techcrunch.com/2022/10/04/bulletin-newsletter-shut-down-meta-facebook/

https://www.newsweek.com/elon-musk-twitter-substack-x-1987589

XO,
Rashunda

P.S. Here’s the article

You probably know that the Kickstarter for my podcast wasn’t successful. What you don’t know is that I was also using the Kickstarter as a litmus test to see if there was still interest in the way I “tarot”.

Before I go on, I’d like to thank the 87 kind souls who pledged to the Kickstarter, including the beautiful person - you know who you are - who donated their pledge even after the Kickstarter failed. I’m still in awe.

Back to the Kickstarter: Some dear folks suggested its failure was due to the economy and these times™. But that doesn’t explain why quite a few creators I follow launched Kickstarters for tarot decks around the same time I did. Some had financial goals almost 5x what I was going for. A couple even reached their goals in 3 days or less. I shouldn’t compare raising funds for a podcast with raising funds for a deck, but I must acknowledge and honor what folks in Tarotland are willing to break their budgets for in these times.

Getting out of the stream

I need to be realistic. My way of doing tarot doesn’t fit the mainstream spiritual business world. Who I am doesn’t fit the mainstream spiritual business world. I’m fine with both of these points. But it makes absolutely no sense that I keep doing mainstream things to try to be seen, recognized, and get the same type of support that mainstream tarot readers and creators receive. It’s exhausting.

The Kickstarter flop was just the latest in a long list of expensive and / or time-consuming failures:

• I spent six months writing a book proposal, which meant I said “no” to a couple of paying gigs IRL. The proposal went nowhere. And the agent who was shopping the proposal has disappeared.

• I traveled back and forth across Europe multiple times on my own dime trying to convince an artist’s relatives to collaborate with me on a deck. After getting close to a yes, I got a very expensive no.

• I went all in on this Substack. I’ve earned about US$1000 in total. Yes, I turned off payments because I’m working on a project and can’t post as much. But again, I wasn’t making that much from Substack when I was accepting payments; about 8% of my subscribers were paying supporters. I also started my Substack to show publishers what I could do and give my book proposal an extra push. It didn’t work. And remember, neither did Patreon.

The only thing happening right now is that I’m dipping into my personal funds to keep the business running - and yes, I’m an official tax-and-pension paying business. This was fine when I was 46. At 56, it’s a different story. Also, I get paid in US dollars for almost all of my tarot-related work because my audience and clients are mostly in the US. I live in Switzerland. The exchange rate is brutal, not to mention fees taken out by Substack, PayPal, Stripe, etc.

Again, I’m not angry. Just realistic.

I can neither spiritually nor financially afford to participate, promote, and / or push myself in Tarotland the way I’m doing now. No matter what I try The. Needle. Will. Not. Move.

I can’t do like other tarot readers do because I’m not like other tarot readers. And it feels damned good to finally say it.

And no, I’m not writing all of this just to introduce a new “offering”. I’ve seen a lot of tarot readers and creators make dramatic announcements about how bad things are for them only to unveil a new course or something as part of the announcement. Then post a soft-filtered selfie of themselves crying tears of joy because folks reacted to the dramatic announcement by purchasing (insert new “offering” announced here). If it works for them, great. But that’s not how I operate.

How I’m moving forward

I still love tarot. I will still read tarot cards. I’m just going back what I was doing before I went “mainstream” in 2016:

Substack: Because I live in Switzerland, I’d have to charge a hell of a lot more than my current subscription fee to turn even a minuscule profit. It makes no sense to even try. So I’m deactivating payments and making it free. I won’t post as much on the platform though because of the next point. Also, Substack feels Linked In-ish to me, and that’s not a good thing.

My blog: I’m taking a “blog first“ approach for my articles from now on. No more external platforms that wind up costing me more than I make. I’ll share the articles in my new newsletter (more on that below). You can also use an RSS reader to follow my blog. Just copy this link and add it to your feed reader. I highly recommend NetNewsWire. And if you have a blog, please post your RSS feed in the comments so I can follow you as well. Oh by the way…

CLICK HERE FOR MAY'S COTM

Readings: I will open slots for readings 4x a year, meaning for equinoxes / solstices. This the next time I accept appointments will be on or around 21 June (summer solstice).

Newsletter: I’m cancelling Mailchimp in June. It’s too expensive for the abysmal open rates I have. I’ve set up another email list on my host’s server using the free and open source software (FOSS), GNU Mailman. I’m embracing my inner nerd and running it myself. It’s barebones, but there are no trackers or corporate snooping. EDIT: Emails sent with GNU Mailman get frequently get flagged as spam so I’m dropping it. I’m keeping Substack open and using it for newsletters.

I’m also slowly returning to the FOSS movement so I can claw back some semblance of digital sovereignty. I will not be transferring Mailchimp subscriber emails to my GNU newsletter so if you want to keep up with what I’m doing and when I open reading slots sign up for my new newsletter at the link above. If not, no worries. I wish you well.

BTW: It won’t be a monthly newsletter. I’ll only send it when I have something to say or to announce open reading slots.

Edited to add: If you sign up for my new newsletter and don’t receive an email asking you to confirm the sign up, check your spam folder for an email with the subject line “Your confirmation is needed to join the tramblings.newsletter…”. Pull that out of spam and reply to confirm.

Social media:

• YouTube: I’m stepping back from it. I’m worn out. I have neither the time nor the energy to record and do the set-up, editing, graphics, and so on that popular tarot readers do. And I don’t like the fake-surprise-face-point-at-something thumbnails one has to make to get views. I look like a gat damned fool when I do those.

• Instagram: I’ll still post tarot related topics but I’ll also share more of art / quilting / wool spinning / live in Switzerland stuff as well. It won’t be “curated” though.

• Threads: The White Castle / Krystal’s of social media. It tastes fabulous when it’s 2am and you’re wasted, but six hours later you question your life choices. Threads is a cesspool of clickbait and bots. I’m not posting there anymore. There’s also this weird thing where folks will post videos of themselves superimposed in the corner over someone else’s video playing in the background and just nod. That’s all they do, nod. They could just reshare the video. But they don’t. They have to literally put themselves in it even though they have nothing to say. It’s weird and it irks the hell out of me.

• Mastodon: I post mostly tech and FOSS stuff there. Feel free to follow if you’re interested. I also have another thing I’m working on related to those topics. I’ll share more in my new newsletter when I’m ready.

I’m tired

It’s just not in me anymore to do the tarot business hustle like so many others are doing, and doing well I must say. The only thing that happens when I try is that I move further away from what I love: tarot.

And with all of the above said, I’ll leave you with a quote by Toni Morrison from a 1993 interview in the Paris Review:

XO,
Rashunda

Well, we got soooo close to the finish line, but alas, “Tramble, Tarot, and...” wasn’t meant to be. I knew I was taking a huge chance by kickstarting something out of the norm, but did it anyway.:-)

Sending a big “thank you” to the 82 folks who supported this wacky idea. I really appreciate it.

There are no “next steps” to share because the podcast was all or nothing: I could only do it if it was fully funded. So, in the recycling bin it goes...unless iHeart radio comes calling.:-)

I’m taking some time to collect my thoughts because there are a few things I’d like to say about this entire experience. More soon.

Again, thanks so much to the folks who supported “Tramble, Tarot, and..”. It really meant a lot.

What’s in it for you? Check out the vid to find out. And if you’ve already made your pledge, thank you so much!

XO,
R

P.S. Here’s the pilot episode I mentioned!

Quick note: Thanks to everyone who has made a pledge to bring the “Tramble, Tarot, and...” podcast to life! We’re 48% percent funded with 18 days to go. If you haven’t made your pledge yet, head on over to my Kickstarter page and check out the campaign. Rewards include postcards, stickers, t-shirts, signed copies of The Numinous Tarot Guide, and more. I have tiers for every budget, and you can even pledge an amount of your choosing. Thanks!

Since the Wheel of Fortune is one of our cards for 2026 (the other is the Magician) I dug deep into my collection for some of wackiest, most fcknuttiest depictions of the Wheel I could find. My friend, I was extremely successful.

Let me know what you think about the Wheel versions. Do they resonate, or do they playa hate? (HA! I just made that up!)

Abstract Futures
Hilma’s Ghost

This version of the Wheel of Fortune from the Abstract Futures deck reminds me a little bit of a dreamcatcher, although I’m not sure if that’s what the artists meant with their take on the card. I *think* I read somewhere that they drew the cards first and then had a tarot reader - can’t remember the name at the moment - work with the cards and designate the names according to intuition. The card itself is beautiful, but I miss the corner symbols.

Austin Osman Spare
Strange Attractor

It’s difficult to make out, but here’s what’s written under LUCK CARD: “With ace ♠️ as large wielding as STOCK EXCHANGE”. I have no clue how that pairing would work with the stock exchange. In any case, Spare’s version of the Wheel is more Marseilles style than RWS, meaning, the goddess Fortuna in control of the device. Maybe she controls the stock market too.

Dada Tarot
Duck Soup

The Dada Tarot out-dadas the Dada Movement. The deck’s Wheel of Fortune card is delightfully absurd, with what looks like toy soldiers attached to ferris wheel seats? Cheese graters? Fancy tongue scrapers? Who knows?

Surrealist Tarot
US Games, Luigi Di Giammarino

As Dada makes no sense on purpose, Surrealism makes sense of everything...dreams, the unconscious, etc. This version of the Wheel reminds me of someone spinning deep into their subconscious as they learn to accept whatever happens in life.

Hexen 5.0
Suzanne Treister

I love how Treister connects her Wheel to the “world of spin” and dangerous feedback loops. The corners are really interesting: Post-Truth Politics, Post-Truth Society, Critical Thinking and Media Literacy Education, and Long Term Solutions. I’m not sure if she linked them to the corners’ respective signs - Aquarius, Scorpio, Leo, and Taurus.

Do any of these stand out for you? Let me know what you think.

Subscribe now

Introducing Tramble, Tarot, and…, a tarot podcast where I show in real time how tarot connects to daily life by putting myself on the spot. In each episode I’ll interview a guest with the help of my tarot deck, asking questions based on the cards I spontaneously pull during the show.

Nothing is planned. Nothing is rehearsed. You, me, and the guests will find out what questions I’ll ask when I pull the cards. Not only will I introduce you to some bright progressive minds with my podcast, I’ll connect their work to this much-loved, and sometimes controversial, method.

I’m kickstarting this podcast with the goal of raising enough money for 6 episodes. I’d love your support. Head over to my Kickstarter page to learn more and make your pledge.

Also….I’ve already done a pilot! Check out the first installment of Tramble, Tarot, and… with my guest, artist and activist Sasha Huber. In the episode we discuss how she highlights the global effect of racism and colonialism through her art, her work to commemorate James Baldwin’s time in Switzerland, and how she took matters into her own hands to “demount” the Swiss-American eugenicist Louis Agassiz from the mountain bearing his name.

Over the years I’ve had quite a few folks reach out and ask why I’d never done a tarot podcast. I’ve always replied that if I did one, I wanted it to be something different than what’s out there now. Tramble, Tarot, and… is different. And I hope after watching and listening, you’ll feel the same.

Credits

Editing: Eliza Struthers-Jobin

Music: “Blue Sweetness” by Moby

P.S. Please share! 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

Me on IG: @rashunda_tr

Here’s the quilt I mentioned:

Here’s the quilt in situ. I used an old linen tablecloth for the foundation and old shirts for the applique pieces. We’re using it to cover an opening under the stairs that’s missing its door. We found a door in the basement but it wasn’t the door. No one knows what happened to the door.

When I was in film school I wrote and directed a short film called “Biff and the 8-Foot Beef Stick”. Thankfully it has been lost to time. I think it was for an exercise to practice shooting in florescent light. Since it was a technical assignment my classmates and I decided to have fun with our scripts.

I need to add something here: I was the only Black person in the film program at the time. Remember that.

The gist was that the main character, Biff, has just received his allowance. He rushes to the grocery store, hence the florescent light I had to tackle. He buys an 8-foot-long beef jerky stick. Then Biff spends the entire day, in different locations - meaning different light situations - dragging the jerky stick around and snacking on it. I was proud of myself for coming up with something so absurd.

When we screened the exercises, everyone laughed at the unabashed stupidity of our work, including the instructor. Then it came time for my piece to be screened. My instructor noticed that Biff was wearing a black t-shirt, which was merely what my classmate who played the character had worn the day of the shoot.

And in a very serious, deep, intentional way, my instructor found “meaning” in the black shirt. This memory is over 35 years old so I’m paraphrasing, but in front of the entire class the instructor thoughtfully said something to the nature of:

“Rashunda, Biff is wearing a black t-shirt. Does this represent how Black people move through the dayandsustainthemselvesinthestruggleforliberationbecausethisisareallyimportanttopicandimsogladyoupresentedthisinsucha....”

I answered, “No. It’s just a t-shirt.”

From what I remember, I could tell instructor was disappointed. The feeling was mutual. My instructor was so determined to find meaning in a black t-shirt worn in a film made by a Black woman, they missed that I just wanted to complete the exercise and have fun.

*

Here’s our Sabian Symbol for the January new moon in Capricorn (28°43’):

A woman reading tea leaves. Capricorn 29°

Keynote: The ability to see the signature of hidden meaning in every occurrence drawing one’s attention

Rudhyar says that “[m]an has always sought to interpret the meaning of events or situations which baffle him in terms of specific omens or signatures”. Forget about the “omens” and “signatures” part for this post. Also, I’m doing my own interpretation.

Finding meaning makes us human. It helps us make connections. But sometimes we try way too hard to find meaning in something that either has nothing to do with us or negates what the originator of the thing we found meaning in intended.

Capricorn has ambition, integrity, and discipline. What Capricorn doesn’t have is the ability to just. let. go. They MUST keep striving for whatever their goal is no matter what. And if that goal is to find meaning, God be with you if you try to slow their roll.

“Capricorn’s actual behavior always reflects his intentions, not his emotions” - Steven Forrest, The Inner Sky.

We have a Capricorn new moon on 18 January. On the surface, this means that we can set intentions to strive for whatever it is we want to achieve. And because right now we’re in the middle of everything, everywhere, all at once, striving to find a sliver of meaning in something - anything - is understandable. But *precisely* because we’re in the middle of everything, finding meaning in every word, comment, post, and / or black t-shirt is next to impossible.

And if we do try to find meaning, we run the risk of not being present or acknowledging whatever sparked that search for meaning. We miss seeing it for what it is.

So with all the above said, the Capricorn new moon can help set the intention to ask these questions when something has our undivided attention and we are DETERMINED find meaning in it:

What am I focusing on?

Why am I focusing on it?

What does it mean to me?

Could it mean something different to someone else?

Do I have an invite to express my meaning to someone else?

What would happen if I silently acknowledged my meaning and kept it to myself?

Because sometimes a black t-shirt is just a black t-shirt.

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Last month I shared a how you could use the Wheel of Fortune as your card of the year for 2026. (When you add 2+0+2+6 you get 10, which is the Wheel’s number in the Major Arcana). I also explained why I didn’t reduce 1+0 down to 1, which is the Magician. Check out the video for details.

Since that time I’ve had a few folks reach out to ask about using the Magician as the card of the year since it feels right to them.

I got you.

*

In the Wheel of Fortune video, I focused on the corners of the card and linked them to a story from a Buddhist text in which the Buddha talks about the path of “liberation, freedom, peace, and joy.”

I linked those keywords to the corner correspondences:

- The angel (Aquarius): Liberation = air / focus on liberation of thought

- The bull (Taurus): Freedom = earth / focus on freedom to roam

- The eagle (Scorpio): Peace = water / focus on deep, profound peace

- The lion (Leo): Joy = fire / focus on hot, creative, thrilling joy

As I said in the video, you are at the center of all of these gifts. They are accessible to you at all times, no matter what. That’s my interpretation of the Wheel for 2026.

Let’s bring in the Magician.

*

From my book, The Numinous Tarot Guide: A New Way to Read the Cards:

“The Magician’s tools, which, like the tarot suits, reflect the elements of creation (Fire, Water, and Air) are laid out on the table ready for you to use.”

So let’s add the tools to the correspondences:

- The angel (Aquarius): Liberation = air / focus on liberation of thought / sword

- The bull (Taurus): Freedom = earth / focus on freedom to roam / pentacle

- The eagle (Scorpio): Peace = water / focus on deep, profound peace / cup

- The lion (Leo): Joy = fire / focus on hot, creative, thrilling joy / wand

Also from my book:

“The Magician represents focus, skill, ability, action and, yes, magic. They’ve studied and practiced. Now they’re ready to perform. When the Magician appears, the card is asking you to believe that you can do anything you set your mind to. It’s asking you to reach down deep into your lived experiences and retrieve your confidence.”

The Magician is ready by default. They’re also the focal point, the hub. For 2026, place yourself as the Magician in the center of the wheel and embody the archetype as you work with the correspondences.

*

Ask your inner Magician:

Sword: Who or what do I need to cut from my life in 2026 to liberate my thoughts? People? Situations? Old patterns?

Pentacle: What special place can I go to in 2026 so I can be grounded and free? Maybe a wooded area? The gym? The kitchen?

Cup: What do I need in 2026 to feel at peace, have my desires met, and be emotionally fulfilled? Weekly spiritual baths? Perhaps time near a body of water? A funny movie or a good cry?

Wand: How can I keep my creativity and passion burning in 2026? Make time for my art practice? Get started on that new exciting project at work? Sexy time somewhere other than the bedroom?

Take on the mindset of the Magician and place your answers - either in your head or in your journal - in their respective corners. This can help you prepare for what 2026 may bring and keep your focus in the midst of it all.

Happy Gregorian New Year! And let me know how you get on.

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Here’s our Sabian Symbol for the new moon in Sagittarius (28°25’) on 19/20 December:

“A fat boy mowing the lawn of his house on an elegant suburban street.” (Sagittarius 29°)

Keynote: The need to attend to everyday tasks which both ensure social worth or respectability, and benefit one’s constitution.

I have issues with the wording, but I’m keeping it to prove a point.

Rudhyar posits that the manicured lawn is a symbol of social position, while the working habits of the young boy - mowing the aforementioned lawn - signals a need to compensate for “self indulgence” (Rudhyar’s words, not mine). The boy is telegraphing, “See how hard I’m working to be better? To lose weight? To align with this beautiful lawn and what it reflects? To be worthy of breathing the rarified air of the social elite?”.

Ah, the urge to be “better”. It usually rears its head around this time of the year and morphs into a self-flagellatory plan to be enacted on or around New Year’s Day. Or New Year’s Month. Or the Month After New Year’s Month. We sentence our selves and souls to a never-ending cycle of self improvement.

But for the December new moon in Sagittarius, what if we flipped the Sabian Symbol on its head and considered the theory that self improvement is a hoax?

*

The Sagittarian standard operating procedure is to constantly seek. The energy of this new moon, plus the upcoming new year, tempts us to set intentions to go further, fly higher, dive deeper, and run faster without end because there’s always something more.

There’s always room to be better.

”The reason you want to be better is the reason why you are not.”
- Alan Watts

In his talk Mind over Mind, the writer and speaker Alan Watts states that our desire to be better is illogical, because self improvement means that the person doing the “improving” is the one who needs to be “improved”. If you’re not better now, then how do you know what’s better? If you’re seeking to be “better”, and you’re not “better” already, do you really know what you’re seeking? How do you know you’re not better or even the best you can be already if you’re not better from the start?

Take the “fat boy” in our Sabian Symbol and his dual effort to keep up with polite society by mowing the lawn, which would also help him get in shape. He’s “improving” his surroundings and himself. He wants to be “better”, but why? His personal starting point is that he’s not “better” and needs to improve, but in terms of self improvement he is the person who has to make himself better. So is his starting point truly valid?

*

By actively seeking to be better, by putting in a concerted, conscious effort to be better, you’re actually neutering your natural ability to become better.

What if the “fat boy” decided to just chill. Maybe mow the lawn only when it was really needed, and not use it as a form of physical exertion in an effort to adjust his weight. Maybe he’d start doing things he really enjoyed: perhaps take a dance class after school or play tennis. Maybe he’d see or feel a difference in his body.

Or maybe he’d sign up for a poetry class and get so wrapped up in his newly discovered talent that he wouldn’t have time to worry about his weight. Then he’d gradually realize that he’s the size he’s supposed to be. He didn’t seek to get to this point. He just lived his life and allow his “better” self to evolve naturally.

Watts says acknowledging that there’s nothing we can actively do to be better brings relief. We don’t have to wear ourselves out on the self improvement treadmill. We give ourselves a breather.

And when we’re free from the pressure of self improvement-with-intention, we create space for self observance-without-judgement.

*

I’m not saying to give up and declare, “I’m hopeless. I can’t do any better. I can’t be any better”. What I’m suggesting is that you stop trying so hard to be better. You don’t have to try. Your “better” will unfold and bloom on its own. And it’s not even about you being or becoming better. It’s you ascending to a higher level of existence, then another, then another - naturally.

For the December new moon, if you must give your inner Sagittarian energy something to seek, ask it to seek stillness. Ask it to seek the idea of not trying.

Everything you need to be “better” is already inside of you. The only thing missing is patience.

I wish you a soft, peaceful slide into 2026.

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- How I calculate COTYs

- Why I don’t reduce two-digit results

- How I plan on using the Wheel of Fortune in 2026

- The meaning the card’s corners

- How I link the card to a Buddhist text

You also get to see me sans fard.

Please remember that everything I share is my opinion and just one way to work with the Wheel of Fortune in 2026. As always, your mileage may vary.

Things I mention

Old Path, White Clouds: Walking in the Footsteps of the Buddha by Thich Nhat Hanh (Bookshop affiliate link)

Corner correspondences

• Aquarius = liberation = air: focus on liberation of thought

• Taurus = freedom = earth: focus on freedom to roam

• Scorpio = peace = water: focus on deep, profound peace

• Leo = joy = fire: focus on hot, creative, thrilling joy

Ok. That’s it. Let me know if you have questions, especially since this video was an idea dump.

Our Sabian Symbol for the November new moon in Scorpio (28°12’) is

“An Indigenous parent pleads to the community leader for the lives of their children.” (Scorpio 29°)

Keynote: Love as a principle of redemption.

Note: I rewrote the Sabian Symbol for Scorpio 29°​​​​​​​ because of the original’s racist language. I understand it was considered normal during Rudyhar’s time, but that was then and this is now. BTW: If you are an agent or publisher interested in doing an updated version of the Sabian Symbols, I’m here.

According to Rudhyar, the symbol at Scorpio 29° highlights the power of prayer, the “principle of wholeness in man - the soul - acts to offest or attenuate the dictates of karma. In a religious sense, Mary, the Mother, is seen as the Mediatrix, in constant acts of intercession for the sake of waylaid individuals”.

Rudhyar’s explanation left me confused. Then an idea popped in my head; pull out the Bible:

Psalm 29: The voice of God in a great storm

Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name;
worship the Lord in holy splendor.

New Revised Standard Version

The first two verses of Psalm 29 align with the Sabian Symbol at Scorpio 29° and Rudyhar’s comment about the power of prayer. This is probably a coincidence, but I’ll take it. Both are an appeal, one that points to God’s strength, omnipotence, and ability to help in any situation. Rudhyar’s use of the word “plead” signals not just the parent’s fierce love for their children, but the intensity of the situation.

***

The moon in Scorpio gives me the willies. The sign is intense. Add emotions to that intensity and the result is too much for a triple air sign like me to endure. But behind my fear is a twinge of jealousy. Yes, Scorpio can be too serious and extreme at times, if you’re to believe today’s popular astrologers, but there’s a special type freedom located at the deep end of those two qualities. If a situation is serious, Scorpio’s intensity allows us freedom to match that seriousness with the strength we need to make it to the shore. I need that intensity and strength right now. Maybe you too.

Each time I sit down to write for this space, I make a promise to not mention these times. And each time I fail. These times are serious on the macro and microlevel. I don’t know anyone who is not going through it, myself included. But the Scorpio new moon extends an invitation to drop the pretenses and feel. And when we give ourselves space to feel, to mourn, to plead, to - yes - even get down on our knees, we also give space for Whatever or Whoever we believe in to enter.

The Sabian Symbol at Scorpio 29° and Psalms 29 both highlight desperate situations and pleas that match those desperate situations. That’s our invitation for the Novmeber new moon: go deep. Feel. Accept. Then return to the surface and offer those feelings as an intense prayer. However desperate your situation, match it with Scorpio energy.

You don’t have to tell anyone. You don’t have to make a spectacle. You don’t have to post it on social media.

The Scorpio new moon invites you to bring everything to the altar. Lay those troubles you’ve been carrying all year down. Then utter your cry. Pray, chant, do whatever it is you do to communicate with the Source. Do it with meaning, intensity, and in earnest.

You are you own child. Plead for your child’s life knowing you’ll be heard.

And that your prayers will be answered.

You apply for a promotion, one that you and everyone else knows you’re qualified for.

But you don’t get it.

And it hurts when you realize who did: an external consultant advising your team. They’re 10 years younger with much less experience, but the right connections to upper management. Rumor has it that the CEO went to school with their dad.

You’d paid your dues to the company. You went back to school for your masters, which should have paved the way for you to land a higher position, specifically the one the consultant now has; the one that was supposed to be yours. And you tell anyone who will listen: your co-workers, your partner, your dog.

It’s been two years and you’re still telling it, over and over and over again. Yes, what happened was extremely unfair. But to give yourself and the people around you some relief, to be able to go to the office and get past being passed over, you’ve got to let that version of that story go. You’ve got to put it out of its misery. You’ve got to kill it.

The person you’re reading about above is me. I left a job after experiencing similar circumstances, but I wouldn’t let the job leave me. I moved on to a new gig, but risked alienating my new colleagues by retelling what had happened at my previous company at least once a month.

***

As we come to the end of Gregorian year and thoughts of what to leave behind, it’s apt that our card for this month is the Queen of Swords. The queen knows disappointment, but doesn’t wallow in it. And doesn’t tolerate others doing the same.

They sit on their throne, sword in hand. On their left wrist (in the traditional RWS version) is what some speculate is a Victorian mourning bracelet: a piece of jewelry worn during that era in remembrance of a loved one.

When the Queen of Swords appeared in my personal readings during this time, I took it as a signal to look at my situation and the repetition of my story. I needed to realize what that repetition was doing to me and the people around me. By cutting my emotions out of the situation for just a second, I realized that by retelling that story, subliminally I was expecting it to happen again. Killing that story and doing away with my tendency to be a victim was the only way I could move on.

Our personal sagas serve us. They’re useful, but they also hold the danger of psychologically pulling us back into our stories, breathing life into a past that blunts our future. This month the Queen of Swords asks us to kill - or at least edit - our stories so we don’t retraumatize ourselves and people who love us.

***

What’s a painful story from work or life overall that you tell repeatedly in the same way all the dang time? One that, when you tell it to someone, you have to ask yourself if they’ve heard it before - and chances are they have. Only if and when you’re ready, write or voice note that story. Be very granular with it. Tell it to yourself just like you tell it to everyone else.

Then listen to your voice or read your words retelling the story. Do it until you get sick of it.

Next, if you’ve written the story down, rip it into pieces, burn it, then dispose of the ashes. If you’ve voice noted it, delete the voice note. Feel free to make this a ritual. Maybe wear a piece of jewelry - like a bracelet - or anything that will help you embody the Queen.

Put that story to death so you can have a new life.

And let me know how you get on.

IMPORTANT DATES

5 November: Full moon in Taurus (13°23’)

9-29 November: Mercury retrograde

20 November: New moon in Scorpio (28°12’)

21 November: Sun in Sagittarius

27 November: Saturn stations direct

Here’s the latest edition of “Tramblings”. Please take a watch / listen as I share some important info about paid subscriptions for September. As always thanks so much for your support. And if you’d like to send messages of encouragement (you’ll understand after watching the first part), feel free! ❤️🙏🏾

Links mentioned

• Lunar eclipse spread

• Solar eclipse spread

• COTDs on YouTube

• Tabula Mundi Deck

Quilt pics

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The video below is from the Variety series “Actors on Actors”. This episode features Cynthia Erivo and Angelina Jolie and came out during the juggernaut that was the Wicked marketing campaign.

Of course Erivo and Jolie are absolutely stunning. The video is a feast of cheekbones and lips. But what made me return to it is Erivo and how she carried herself – no, that’s not the right term – how she created sacred space for herself and her story in the episode.

What stood out was how she said “thank you” when Jolie complimented her. (Check out 00:56, 1:12-1:23, and around 12:00). Erivo didn’t gush. She didn’t become transactional and inauthentically reciprocate. She simply accepted the compliments and graciously said “thank you”. I got the feeling that Erivo’s ease acknowledged something she already knew and was comfortable with.

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Mom’s room in hospice was cluttered. Her favorite pillows and electric blanket from home were piled in a chair. Next to that was the pull-out chair-bed thingie we took turns sleeping in. The closet held her nightshirts, sliced open in the back for access. And slippers she’d never wear again.

Lotion bottles, lip balm tubes, sponge sticks, straws, plastic cups, and tissue boxes were stacked on the table next to the bed. A family member had installed one of those absolutely horrid plug-in air fresheners, I guess to change the smell of the room from death to Exotic Tropical Blossom™️-scented death. It wasn’t that the wonderful hospice staff didn’t clean Mom’s room. It’s just that as soon as they’d clean it, various objects from her life, brought in to ease or perhaps slow her impending death, would be placed within arms reach by some well-meaning cousin just in case Mom needed them.

I imagined a blob of family dynamics wearing Mom’s pink nightshirt and gold slippers taking up all the space in her room. It made it hard for me to find clarity, to compute what was happening, to make my brain understand that the person in that bed, in that non-responsive body, was my mother. And that she was actively dying.

During my turn with her I’d try to clean up the room because, well, she’d never need that pink nightshirt again. My actions risked the ire of certain family members, waiting on the miracle that would lift her out of bed and back into that nightshirt, ready to watch the 10pm news.

One day a family member entered the room while I was there. I’d put everything back in its place. The family member noticed Mom’s skin care products lined up along the sink. I believe I’d arranged them by size, or alphabetically, or something. I can’t remember anymore. The person said, “I know only one person who’d do this”.

“Yeah,” I said, “That’s how I cope”.

***

Here’s the Sabian Symbol for the Virgo new moon (00°23’):

In a portrait, the significant features of a man’s head are artistically emphasized. (Virgo 1°)

Keynote: The capacity to picture oneself clearly the salient features and the overall meaning of any life situation

To be able to get a clear sense of a situation, you need uncluttered space. You need room to think. This is where the Virgo new moon comes in.

Virgo gets a bad rap. Most astrologers and spiritual folks focus on the negative, critical, box-ticking, perfectionist nature of the sign. But when I’m overwhelmed because of work or life overall, I activate Virgo’s tendencies. I clean my space. I need to literally and metaphorically see what’s happening so I can face reality head on instead of hiding behind piles of blankets and plastic cups.

The Virgo new moon invites us to establish a clear space so we can think, breathe, grow, celebrate, grieve. To allow ourselves to use the act of cleaning not just to cope, but to thrive. Dust off the cobwebs and invite clarity to stay for a while.

***

A couple of days later after finishing a shift with Mom, I was sitting in a guest bedroom in my sister’s house. She’d moved Mom to Houston, where she and my brother-in-law live. From what I vaguely recall, I’d been at the house for about 30 mins when I had a sudden urge to leave. There was too much stuff around. I was irritated. I couldn’t think. I stood up not knowing what to do next, how to get away from the clutter. That’s when my brother-in-law came up to me. He’d just gotten off the phone with my sister.

“Mom just passed”, he said.

Maybe the irritation I felt was Mom’s spirit clearing away all that earthly clutter.

And getting rid of that damned pink nightshirt.

***

A TIP

In addition to clearing your space, check out your astrological chart to see which natal house the Virgo new moon lands in. That house signals what part of your life may need tidying up.

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I don’t believe 78 pieces of cardstock can heal anything, But what a tarot deck can do is help us unpack the various ways racism takes root in and affects us. Maria Minnis' book Tarot for the Hard Work: an Archetypal Journey to Confront Racism and Inspire Collective Healing, (Weiser Books) uses the archetypes of the Major Arcana to highlight systemic racism and the inner work needed to help dismantle it.

Instead of focusing on one card this month, I’m sharing the foreword I wrote for the book below. I believe the messages and exercises Maria offers us in Tarot for the Hard Work are extremely relevant for today’s world.

If you haven’t purchased the book, I hope my words will prompt you to add this important work to your tarot library.

***

19 May 2023

As I write these words, Jordan Neely’s body is lying in a casket in a Harlem church. Neely, a thirty-year-old Black man known for performing impersonations of Michael Jackson in Times Square, was killed by a white U.S. Marine veteran who put him in a chokehold on a New York City subway. He did this in order to “protect” the other passengers. What did they so drastically need protection from? Someone who was homeless, thirsty, and having a mental health crisis. And of the multitudes of mentally ill, homeless New Yorkers who make underground public transportation their home, Jordan Neely was an obvious, outstanding, especially scary threat: he was a Black man.

A clip of the murder made the social media rounds, as is the macabre norm now. You may have seen it. You may have even become outraged and retweeted it. But I have a question for you: what did you do after? And by the time this book lands in your hands, there will probably be another hashtaggable Black victim of someone who took the law into theirs. What will you do then? My friend, I ask this question not to offend, or even provoke. I ask because I’m genuinely curious. I wonder if you’ve ever considered or observed your reaction when news of yet another unarmed person of color being killed or seriously injured for walking, driving, riding a bike, sitting in a car, or, hell, breathing, reaches your eyes, ears or device. Does that reaction morph into action? And can that action, possibly, maybe be one tiny step towards healing racial wounds?

But healing racial wounds isn’t only about the murder of Black people. Let’s take a look at Black mental and physical health. In the series “From Birth to Death: Black Americans and a Lifetime of Disparities”, the Associated Press explores the effects of racism on the health of Black Americans, investigating the inequities that Black people face in the medical system on a daily basis. According to the AP, 14.8 percent of Black babies born in 2021 were premature, more than any other ethnic group. And Black people are almost three times as likely to die during pregnancy or childbirth than any other race. Some 18 percent of Black youth “said they were exposed to racial trauma often or very often in their life” with 50 percent saying that they experience moderate to server symptoms of depression. The AP continues, revealing that Black teens “report experiencing an average of five instances of racial discrimination per day” and that between 1991 and 2019 they had the highest increase in suicide attempts compared to their peers of other races: 80 percent. That’s right, an 80 percent increase. The news organization posits that these horrifying statistics are the result of medical racism, one of the many offspring white supremacy has birthed into the world. But this information, as shocking as it is, should come as no surprise.

I have to be honest here. As someone born and raised in the Deep South, with my DNA stitched together by the thread of slavery, I laugh when anyone suggests that systemic racism can be healed. Systemic racism is what “made America great” and why so many on the wrong side of history want to make it “great” again on their terms, using updated methods proudly inherited from their foremothers and forefathers. But as I laugh, there’s a tiny part of me that wants to believe; I want to believe that there are good people out there who want to drive a stake through the heart of systemic racism. I want to believe that there are good people out there who want to pound that stake even deeper, pushing it through the many layers of systemic racism: misogyny, transphobia, homophobia, xenophobia, classism, and white supremacy. And I want to believe that there are good people in the spiritual community who want to do something, anything, but just don’t know what or how. Yes, sometimes the laugh gets louder, and even more amplified by my roots. I’m from Memphis, the city where Dr. King was killed by a white man’s bullet, and where fifty-five years later Tyre Nichols was killed by a Black cop’s baton.

But that tiny part keeps going, keeps trying to drown out the laughter while still believing that good people exist – good people who know in their hearts that racism can be defeated with the right tools. That tiny part, as small as it is, is mighty. And that tiny part believes in you.

Yes, you’re one of those good people I believe in. Why? Well first, we have something in common: a love of tarot. Both you and I believe that tarot isn’t just for fortune telling. It can also help us discover what influences our thoughts and actions. Which archetypes, numbers, symbols activate something deep in the core of our being? We believe that tarot helps us access and analyze hidden messages, imprints, and signals we’ve picked up by living in this society. Tarot allows us to address these issues. Tarot is a catalyst for change.

Second, you’re reading this book. Tarot for the Hard Work is not for the faint of heart. As Minnis states, this book “is a tool for passionately demolishing structural oppression. It is a tool for white people who want to use their privilege for mass liberation. It is a tool for Black and Brown people living in a structurally racist society that’s intent on selling self-hartred and shame to marginalized people and making money off their backs”. Both you and I want to – and must – use any and all tools we have at our disposal to crack the foundation of racism. Tarot for the Hard Work is just one of those tools.

Think of this book as a map that we can take with us as we discover our personal, subliminal views on race and how we’re impacted. Each card of the Major Arcana serves as a waypoint that challenges us to rethink our views on racial equity. Starting with the Fool, Minnis asks us to embrace the unknown and open ourselves to the creativity we need for social justice work. Then Minnis takes our hand, leading us along a path towards the World and the liberation that follows. No stone is left unturned. Topics such as protecting public spaces, the impact of climate change on BIPOCs, and expanding health care are carefully and logically linked to the cards. Minnis offers keywords, exercises, and journal prompts, providing real, actionable, tarot-based steps to bring us closer to understanding our role in dismantling racist systems by using progressive definitions of the Major Arcana archetypes – not as set characters in someone else’s story, but as fluid ones in ours. In addition, she tackles the “love and lighting” of spirituality that blocks us from addressing the pertinent issues affecting both the magical and mundane worlds. Minnis leads us to and through this somewhat uncomfortable, but fully rewarding process, all the while encouraging us to stretch, grow, and become aware.

Tarot for the Hard Work asks us to set aside our standard operating procedures when it comes to race, no matter how background, no matter how “woke” we assume ourselves to be. It encourages us to think of the issues within the framework of tarot and then expand those thoughts and insights into the real world, and most importantly, act upon them. Tarot for the Hard Work endeavors to show that a tarot deck isn’t a sign of spiritual enlightenment. Rather, it is a work permit.

Can seventy-eight pieces of cardstock counter four hundred years of racial injustice? No. But we can add them to our toolkits. We can use them to look deep inside ourselves, acknowledge the role we have, and then use that energy of acknowledgement as fuel for action. This work may give you pause. Some of the statements, questions, and exercises in Tarot for the Hard Work may require you to set your preconceived notions of who you are aside. By the time you finish this book, you may even want to leave those notions where they are.

I asked earlier what you would do if—or let’s be honest when—another Black or Brown person is robbed of their life and humanity, and reduced to a tweetable hashtag. You probably didn’t have an answer. And that’s okay. Actually, not having an answer is probably the “right” answer. Not knowing and being open are the epitome of Fool’s energy. And that energy, the energy of curiosity and a willingness to learn, will be more than enough to sustain you through the hard work.

Let’s begin.

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