I pull a Tarot card every day. It started as curiosity, then as a challenge to learn a new skill that I can pull out in awkward moments. I thought it might give me something to do with my hands when I am sitting in an art fair tent, or bored at a party (if I ever went to one). Now it’s a morning habit, a bit of a compulsion, like coffee and breakfast.
I could tell you that I don’t believe this woo-woo stuff, that I believe in science, and that would be true. I could tell you that I leave the door open to magic with a hope that I can peek through to the other side just for a moment, and that would be true too.
Pulling a Tarot card every day gives me a moment that belongs to me only. I take a moment to meditate on the day ahead and let the card focus my energy on a portion of my life that may need attention. Sometimes the card seems to mirror my thoughts. Sometimes it gives me lessons I needed to hear. Sometimes the lesson is unheeded or unheard, or just unrecognized. The cards I pull for myself are overwhelmingly from one “suit.” I’m sure there’s a perfectly scientific explanation.
The Card of the Day. Yes, that’s a beautiful celestite crystal. It does nothing but look pretty and prop up cards.
Today’s card: The Wheel of Fortune. This card was fundamental in my interest in the Tarot. Many years ago, I painted a local legend, an albino nutria that hung out in an urban pond in Vancouver, Washington. The firefighters in the local station had named it The Oracle, because it seemed to know things and just wasn’t telling. I wanted to paint it, but I wanted to convey its mystical, oracular qualities, so I painted it holding a Tarot card. At the time, I knew nothing about Tarot cards, so I had to do a little research in order to find the right card for The Oracle to hold. Thus began my interest in the Tarot.
The Wheel of Fortune is really a blank slate - a joker. All it tells you is that something is bound to change. Fate is turning, but you know not which way. Will you ride the wheel up or down? That is unknown to you. Of course, that is the nature of time - change is the only constant. So I must be ready for a twist of fate today.
The Wheel of Fortune reminds you that sure, you are the Captain of Your Fate, but Fate can flick you off the bridge at any moment. You may steer the ship all you like, but sometimes Fate takes the helm.
The Oracle with She Who Watches (Tsagaglal)
Tsagaglal (She Who Watches) is a 6,000 to 7,000 year old petroglyph found in the Columbia Gorge on lands stolen from the indigenous people who were here before us. She is also an Oracle. I thought that she belonged in this painting. I hope she doesn’t mind.
Enjoy your day. Watch out for the Hand of Fate.