the awakened eye summons the force of tender hearts

COLLECTIVE TAROT READING
MAY 2024

When I practice Tarot, I drop in mindfully, breathing and taking time to tap into my intuition before even touching the cards. I entered into this space with an open heart and a hope that we could receive some intuitive guidance for this part of our collective life cycle. When I ‘pull cards’, that means I shuffle the deck repeatedly, lay them out on a flat surface, and hover my hand over the line of spread out cards. For this reading, I used the Be With Your Body tarot deck.

When I feel some tingly (literally, I’ve been noticing a warmth sensation or a ‘push down’ feeling of my finger), I stop moving my hand and I select the card that’s there. The cards are all faced down at this point, so I have no idea which one I select until I turn it over. 

This is what came out in this process for us. The Tarot is composed of 78 cards total,  with major arcana theme cards and minor arcana. The minors are divide into several suits: swords, cups, wands, and pentacles. All the cards pertain to different facets and energies of Being Human. I will go through each card that arrived in this particular reading that I facilitated for us. There's no 'right or wrong' or 'good or bad' in tarot. I invite us all to receive with an open, curious heart.



5 of Eyes / Swords
 
This collective message literally jumped out. This happens sometimes. The cards like to play. When you’re carefully shuffling, a card or two might fly out. They often signal an unexpected idea we’re not aware of, or something that urgently or especially needs our attention.


The 5 of Eyes card depicts five illustrated eyes and some vines. One eye in the middle is visibly frightened. The others surround this eye, keeping focus on this centered fearful eye. The Eyes in this deck correlate with the suit of Swords of the tarot. The Swords suit correlates with the natural element of air. The Swords suit captures many mental aspects of Being Human; ideas, beliefs, communication, how we think about the world and ourselves, where and how we focus.

We are collectively being called to keep our eyes and mind open. We specifically received the 5 of swords, and it’s important to note that the fives in the tarot signal some sort of challenge. There is conflict present. In our case here – it’s the kind of conflict that feels unjust or lacking integrity. The traditional depiction of the 5 of swords card in tarot decks includes a tumultuous or grey clouded scene, with a person who has a smug, sly look on their face taking swords away in a fight. There are others who walk away slouched in despair. Fighting might be coming to an end, but there is a sincere need for reparation. There’s no clear victory because you get the sense it’s been an unfair battle.

My heart immediately sinks. I feel a nausea rise up, and my mind goes to occupied Palestine. The devastation and trauma in the eyes of the children in Gaza. I cannot help but think of this warning released by the World Health Organization back in February, and the current collective campaign to keep All Eyes on Rafah.

Judgement

I then asked, “What can support us in approaching this challenging 5 of Swords card/moment in time?” Hovering my hand over once again, I followed where it wanted to go and I landed on a card. I took a deep breath and flipped it over. The Judgment card. Wowza. Yes, like Judgment Day status, but without all the strict religious connotations. This is the 20th card of the tarot, the second to last card in the whole deck and tarot journey.

Judgment card comes right before 21, The World (a new portal, a new beginning). Ooohh.

For context, the Tarot follows the ‘journey of the fool’ (fool = us humans figuring out life on this big floating rock of magic). There’s a leap into a new cycle, then a movement through various themes and learnings that are universal to the Human experience, and then it concludes at card 21 with a new world/new cycle. We go through multiple cyclical journeys in our lifetime.



In this deck, we see an image of a person rising from water with their arms wide open. They are emerging amongst a landscape of lotus flowers. These flowers have deep roots, and they are rising confidently and thriving beautifully. The lotus flower is significant - this plant grows in muddy waters and is a symbol of rebirth in many ancient cultures.

The Judgment card arriving here is potent. It pops up when we have been through it. It’s like – hey, I see you have traveled all this way my dear foolish human and you’ve learned many important lessons in your trials over the mountains and through the uncertain shadowy depths. It’s time to put those insights toward a higher level purpose. It’s time to begin again from a refreshed vantage point.

This Judgment card is commonly referred to as the awakening and revolution card. Ummm…yeah. This card acknowledges that we have been through struggle. We have carried weight that wasn’t ours to carry and learned to let go what doesn't serve us. We see things as they truly are. We are choosing to cultivate saplings that have us more meaningfully connected to our collective and personal truth. In the Radical Tarot book, author Charlie Claire Burgess explains that this particular card “meets us at this moment of radical transformation, calling on us to imagine new and emergent ways of relating to ourselves, each other, and the more than human world, to enact different ways of consuming, working, living”.

Yes. Do you feel this energy too, reader?

On an individual level, it whispers or, more likely at this point, blows through a trumpet something along the lines of “You’re ready for your renewed purpose, your next higher calling.” This card often comes up in momentous periods of transition. It requires bold change that involves heart and intellect, and uncomfy but absolutely necessary life affirming transformation. It typically involves extending outward toward the community.

The Judgment card when paired with 5 of Eyes/Swords clearly says: This is not the time to look away, to be distracted, to avoid, to try to resist. This is a defining moment when we have choices to make based on our authentic voice, our values, and the lessons we have learned through the muddy waters. Are you heeding the call, my fellow sacred messy wonders?

“Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.”
—Arundhati Roy

As a follow up, I asked the cosmos another question. (Yeah, my former conventionally scientific, academic self never imagined I would be writing that line, but here we are embracing changes.) What can we as individuals focus on in order to plant more seeds of fruitful abundance in this cycle of change? Two cards came up.

Knight of Hips / Cups Reversed

First, the Knight of Hips arrived on scene, but it showed itself in the reversed position, meaning when I flipped it just like I did with the others, it was upside down. I’ll get to this in a moment. This card’s illustration has a person floating on a turtle friend in the depths of the water, surrounded by sea plants. First thought - how innocent, playful and precious. Protect them at all costs ha.



The Hips of this tarot deck = the tarot Cups suit. The Cups represent the element of water and the domain of: emotions, imagination, deep dive healing, love, connection with the heart, and intuition. The Knights of the Tarot signal an invitation to embody the quality of purpose led movement. Traditionally, knights are seen as boys in battlefields, bravely barreling towards their opponent. Consider this updated take instead: a courageous young soul on a quest following their heart and life purpose. 

The Knight of Cups/Hips (knights can be of any gender by the way) is an artistic, romantic type who journeys passionately forward with the following as their driving forces:

❤︎ heart centered values

❤︎ an appreciation for natural beauty and simple joys

❤︎ desire for meaningful connection

❤︎ an intuitive trust in the flow state

This is why we see this person in the illustration actively in flow, in partnership with a turtle companion, headed towards some magical undersea destination (outcome though to be determined).

However, this card has shown up Reversed, and I wonder about that. Reversals can be an extra wink wink; pay attention here, there’s some extra work to be done or maybe this is an area that's particularly challenging right now. Reversals can also be emphasizing that this action is really in flux or already on its way to being accomplished. Perhaps, in our case, this is a nudge to acknowledge where (how) in our heart space is there a blockage from moving forward.

Some reflections you may want to consider:

🐢What is a barrier to you in trusting the flow right now?

🐢What needs to be released in your heart in order to step towards love and vulnerability?

🐢How can you prioritize action that leads to more compassion with self and others?

I imagine embodying this gentle hearted knight swooshing past algae, braving the elements of unpredictable sea tides, leaning on their underwater turtle neighbor and trusting that they are going in the direction of some treasure cove of coral, a mermaid, and undiscovered subterranean life…

I feel my heart warming, thinking of the students. The ones out there on lawns of universities across the world, literally placing their bodies on the line. The ones daring to keep their spirit free, singing even when the handcuffs try to hold them down. The ones being uplifted and encircled with protection by philosophy professors and high schoolers. The ones dancing, hugging over a shared meal, and beaming their ancestors through poetry, protest, and interfaith prayer. The ones risking it all because they believe with their whole hearts that it is possible to change the world for the fucking better.

8 of Hands / Wands

The second card that can support us in this time of change and conflict. Oof, we are receiving a lot of messages to surrender to some bold movement! 



The 8 of Hands/Wands card illustration depicts a hand with the pointer finger out, surrounded by 8 rosemary sprigs. The suit of Hands/Wands corresponds with the element of Fire. This suit captures creativity, passion, bursts of energy and motivation. You know that inner spark that gets you feeling alive out there in the world – that's Fire Wand energy :) 

The 8 of Wands, in most tarot decks, depicts sticks or wands flying rapidly in unison in the air with no clear landing spot in sight. There's a swiftness in the movement, and a trust fall type of feel to this card. This card often pops up in readings when air or overseas travel is especially relevant. It comes up frequently when something big needs to be acted upon. It’s an energy that is gaining speed, and it can feel simultaneously thrilling, exciting, and a woah kind of scary.

(Again, are we sensing into some common themes here? Tarot is wild, never ceases to amaze me.) 

The pairing of Knight of Hips/Cups Reversed and 8 of Hands/Wands really makes sense - they emphasize the need to be ready for and flow with speedy progress. It’s giving ‘go time!’ Getting clear in mind and heart on where you are headed. Also, there’s an invitation to hold space for both water and fire. The heart and the drive. Love in action.

We need to remember that with these elements – water and fire – we have the possibility that smoke/fog and mirrors may distract us. There’s chance of burn out too. It makes me think of the supportive rosemary sprigs illustrated on the card. As plant medicine, rosemary helps with managing stress and offers anti-inflammatory properties. In folk witchcraft, it is used as a protective element and increases clarity of the mind in troubling or high-conflict times. 

❈ What practices or strategies support you when you are in the midst of transition or changing energy? Who supports you?

❈ What helps you stay focused and energized on your aligned path? (Think small, consistent actions or beliefs that feel right in your heart)

❈ How can you help protect the students / young knights out there who are mobilizing and expressing love in action?
 

All together, these four cards that have decided to show themselves are truly an invitation for us to acknowledge what is present in our heart and right in front of our eyes. It’s recognizing the adversity we have individually and collectively been moving through for years. Individually, you likely have areas in your own life that are calling on you to act on with more acceleration and intentionality.   

We are in this collectively significant moment in time on this Earth. We are actively in motion, right now. We’re free falling towards some new world. There’s a burgeoning knowledge spreading globally. When you see the visuals of encampments of students scattered nationally and internationally, it’s really hard not to see it.

There’s a momentum that is gaining velocity launching us all towards radical change, towards R E V O L U T I O N.

There’s a transformation brewing and we have a choice.

We root into our heartspace and our interconnectedness to bear witness, flow, and fiercely move through this new chapter.

OR

We don’t.

We always have a choice. Tarot is not about prediction. It reflects back our present moment and reality, our intuitive wonderings, our ancestral knowledge, our inner wisdom.

With love and in solidarity,

Dr. Mo

Please share this with anyone who might be interested in this reading and reflection. Would also welcome any insights or sparks that came up for you in this reading. Email me ♥️

A MoodyBoard to tap into the energy of this New Moon Tarot Reading:

Affirmation: May we flow. May we seek heart centered action. May we emerge awake and with purpose.


🐢A tortoise shows us the importance of nourishment + rest this spring season.



📢🎶Hind's Hall by Macklemore🎶⚡️

🔮

Photo I took at the Valencia University encampment this week. Palestinians pictured with animal companions. Title: "Joy is an act of resistance."


🪷You see mud. She sees joy.


@tessa_perlow

🌱Seed Planting and Watering Ritual



✊🏼Support and Resources for Student Activists

 

🍉Take Action for Rafah