“You begin as the person who steals your own weapons, essentially, your own power—to demilitarize this idea. You do this when you pretend to be less than you are in order to make someone else more comfortable. You craft an identity that is a kind of lie of omission, a closet.” I know this is such a painful thing to live through but man is this a beautiful description 🫶🏽👏🫶🏽
I just sat and read it. As one of your readers, a writer, a sometimes querent, a Venezuelan-American in PTSD.
Horrified to be reliving here the self fulfilling prophecy of a gringo 4.0 version of same ole' same ole' I left behind in my own banana republic regime, when I came over to remarry for love. You are abso effing lutely right in every word and interpretation of this magnificent deck. I used to write op/eds for an oppo newspaper in Caracas. And you described exactly to the letter the way one self erases, auto purifies from any vestige of anything and so becomes anodyne, neutral, acceptable to the regime. A robot.
I fought thru fear, during eleven years tooth and nail against it, supported by my editor. I hope these lucky students are so inspired...
Thank you, Alexander for sharing your wisdom, insights and encouragement. May I offer warm wishes, solidarity, empathy and hope (from across the pond) to you, too.
I'm holding all those with chronic illnesses, caregivers, immigrants, elderly and most vulnerable in my prayers and thoughts. This is the community I've grown into as a carer. Thank you for your words.
Excellent reading, thank you Alexander! I think you're spot on about the obeying-in-advance thing.
I see all the roundness, all across the middle as you say; but then the round thing in the Fool card is the Fool's bundle, they carry it all in there. Carrier Bag Theory! I see also that the banner attached to the sweeping sword in the root card looks like a notebook, that spiral binding form at top left. The clean page sweeps away a bunch of less grounded ideas and leaves only two firmly planted ones. Maybe the dog becomes a bird, but when the Fool steps off that cliff, they fall into the heart of the Ace of Coins, the blossoming idea.
“You have to take risks and make mistakes, and to fix those mistakes because it matters. You take responsibility for your truths and how you present them.”
Yes! I feel like one of the biggest barriers we have now in our society and organizations and interpersonal relations is the inability to risk making a mistake, the refusal to allow others to make mistakes, and the refusal to take responsibility for mistakes and endeavor to do better.
"Writing a story in a way that belongs to you can feel like deciding to risk a great deal. And that is because it should. You are placing a bet on your own ideas."
Grateful for your reflections. I am working to find my writing voice and most of my daily lessons I bring back to the tarot cards I am working with for the week. Your thoughts are constructive and inspiring. Thank you.
“You begin as the person who steals your own weapons, essentially, your own power—to demilitarize this idea. You do this when you pretend to be less than you are in order to make someone else more comfortable. You craft an identity that is a kind of lie of omission, a closet.” I know this is such a painful thing to live through but man is this a beautiful description 🫶🏽👏🫶🏽
Thank you
Wow. Just what I needed right now. Thank you.
I just sat and read it. As one of your readers, a writer, a sometimes querent, a Venezuelan-American in PTSD.
Horrified to be reliving here the self fulfilling prophecy of a gringo 4.0 version of same ole' same ole' I left behind in my own banana republic regime, when I came over to remarry for love. You are abso effing lutely right in every word and interpretation of this magnificent deck. I used to write op/eds for an oppo newspaper in Caracas. And you described exactly to the letter the way one self erases, auto purifies from any vestige of anything and so becomes anodyne, neutral, acceptable to the regime. A robot.
I fought thru fear, during eleven years tooth and nail against it, supported by my editor. I hope these lucky students are so inspired...
Thank you, Alexander for sharing your wisdom, insights and encouragement. May I offer warm wishes, solidarity, empathy and hope (from across the pond) to you, too.
I'm holding all those with chronic illnesses, caregivers, immigrants, elderly and most vulnerable in my prayers and thoughts. This is the community I've grown into as a carer. Thank you for your words.
That AWP panel was amazing. I was grateful I got to be there.
Thank you for being there!
Excellent reading, thank you Alexander! I think you're spot on about the obeying-in-advance thing.
I see all the roundness, all across the middle as you say; but then the round thing in the Fool card is the Fool's bundle, they carry it all in there. Carrier Bag Theory! I see also that the banner attached to the sweeping sword in the root card looks like a notebook, that spiral binding form at top left. The clean page sweeps away a bunch of less grounded ideas and leaves only two firmly planted ones. Maybe the dog becomes a bird, but when the Fool steps off that cliff, they fall into the heart of the Ace of Coins, the blossoming idea.
“You have to take risks and make mistakes, and to fix those mistakes because it matters. You take responsibility for your truths and how you present them.”
Yes! I feel like one of the biggest barriers we have now in our society and organizations and interpersonal relations is the inability to risk making a mistake, the refusal to allow others to make mistakes, and the refusal to take responsibility for mistakes and endeavor to do better.
Thanks for sharing your wisdom.
Thanks so much, William!
Look what just came in the mail… now I just wish/need you to do me a reading,
me, this time the querent. janine
Ah gorgeous. Have fun with it!
So powerful and well said. Found myself catching my breath a lot in recognition, especially when you talked about self-erasure. Thank you!
Beautiful and also beautiful deck!
Thank you—and these cards are beautiful.
I love this so very much. Thank you thank you.
Yes thank you for encouragement so beautiful and clear.
This is profound stuff. So grateful for this, as it’s a big theme of the memoir I am working on. Thank you!
I love this. (& I was at the protest in SF)
Thanks for being there for us!
I especially love this call to bravery
"Writing a story in a way that belongs to you can feel like deciding to risk a great deal. And that is because it should. You are placing a bet on your own ideas."
Thanks Randall
Grateful for your reflections. I am working to find my writing voice and most of my daily lessons I bring back to the tarot cards I am working with for the week. Your thoughts are constructive and inspiring. Thank you.