Dear Collective,
I was wondering which deck to use for this month’s reading, and I just couldn’t decide. I have no shortage of excellent tarot decks, so it wasn’t from lack of choice. But every day I noticed that I was packing, unpacking and repacking the Slow Holler Tarot Deck into my bag “just in case”, and so I figured, this must be the one!
This month’s questions are:
What should we be wary of?
What do we need to move on from?
Where can we find guidance when distracted?
What do we need to prepare for?
A bit of a spoiler alert here, but November’s reading is very much, “Would you like some Swords with that (or in this deck’s case – Knives)?”. Sharp times require sharp tools to keep us moving.
Let’s begin!
1. What should we be wary of?
Ten of Knives
LOL, yes let’s indeed be wary of this card! Commonly depicted as a person lying in a pool of blood on the ground with ten swords in their back, it isn’t a card that is usually received with delight. But to be clear, let us be wary of the sneaky promises that are made to get us off guard. Be wary of the sting that comes when we are careless. Be wary of those representing power structures that dismember our dreams or even our loved ones. Be wary of the temporary calm that may arise when in the middle of a storm. We’re still in a storm, so keep on going.
2. What do we need to move on from?
Traveler of Knives
Move on from the notion that we have to punish ourselves as a way of life. There are plenty of obstacles out there without having to add more to the mix. Try to slow the constant momentum that keeps us from our community and that stifles our deeper feelings for our friends and family (chosen or not). It is okay to feel deeply, it is okay to try another way of moving that prompts gentleness and self care. There will always be plenty of opportunities to move quickly so let us go slow when we can.
3. Where can we find guidance when distracted?
Six of Branches
Find guidance in what has been growing around you for a long time. A lot of those trees we pass daily have had their roots in the ground for longer than we have been living. Find guidance in your own path and how long you have been travelling upon it. If you are distracted try and remember any kind thing anyone has said to you ever. Notice if that memory buoys you in some small way. Be guided by your own body and how it tells you what it needs and what it doesn’t. And what it needs can sometimes be spoken words that can help relieve the existential fear that everything is compounding towards chaos. Be guided by what feels right in your body and mind, not by whatever power structures dictate to you.
4. What do we need to prepare for?
Student of Knives
Prepare for a fight that doesn’t necessarily involve physical contact – though it could. By preparing you can learn skills that help you deal with the current state of the world. These skills may also be just what you need if we ever get the incredible opportunity to live in a different way, a way where we aren’t just fending off climate chaos and the immense spiritual disruption that comes from systemic oppression. We can prepare to see ourselves more clearly: our own failings as well as our creative bursts of genius. Then we can keep connecting with each other, communicating so that we know we aren’t alone.
© Sarah Barry ~ Tarot Readings with Psychic Sarah 2019
This Tarot Reading for the Collective was done with the Slow Holler Tarot Deck by the Slow Holler Collective. Find out more about this deck at slowholler.com
If you want a more personalised reading, go here to make an appointment. To find out more about how I work go to sarahthepsychic.com/about/ and sarahthepsychic.com/faq/
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Slow Holler Tarot Deck by the Slow Holler Collective