Weathering change
Not the version of this email I thought I 'd send.
Hi little coven.
I voted for Kamala Harris to become president. I voted for Democratic leadership in my home state of Ohio. I wanted more for the country that raised me than what Harris’s policies offered, but I wanted her policies at a bare minimum. I wanted a democratic leadership as a foundational base for the rest of us to get to work making change. I wanted some basic fucking security to build on, imperfect as it would be. I wanted, at the very fucking least, proof America doesn’t hate women as much as it obviously does.
In a parallel universe where progressive policies won out, I am hitting send on a cautiously optimistic little email featuring an excerpt from my first book, The Tarot Spreads Yearbook, about how the small ripples we create through our actions drive real change… I am inviting you to a free workshop this Sunday to help you reflect on how you can grow in this moment of change, how you can push the needle further and fight for the necessary social changes that even the “good guys” resist or avoid addressing.
In this universe, the meaning of “change”, and the invitation to reflect on how it is at play in our lives feels sharper and heavier and scarier than I imagined it would today.
But in this universe, we need to talk about change more than ever. We need to support each other in weathering it and more importantly, in making it.
I don’t know what to do other than continue to hold that space for you: to facilitate a conversation with ourselves, through the tarot, about what change means for us and how to make it. Sunday’s workshop on setting intentions for change will go ahead, and it’s open for free to every reader of the The Shuffle. I hope I can offer a container for processing this open wound, this frightening moment of change; and that together we can hold each other up, support each other in facing change we didn’t ask for and connect in the name of creating change we so desperately need to see.
On 10th November I’m hosting a free Change-themed tarot journaling event.
For more on change in the tarot, find an excerpt from The Tarot Spreads Yearbook below:
Hit play to listen to me read the excerpt, or scroll on to read it for yourself:
The famous missionary Mother Teresa once summed up her philosophy like this: ‘I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.’
Change rarely matches this description when it’s happening to us in the moment. When an unbidden change disrupts our lives, it feels cataclysmic – it’s nothing like the calm image of ripples blooming outwards on the water’s surface. At the opposite end of the spectrum, when we want to make change, it can be hard to even see the small ripples we’ve created through our actions.
But change is happening all around us, all the time. Good changes, bad changes, and neutral ones we forget to take note of. The sun rises and sets, meals start and end, moments of activity fade into moments of rest.
In the Season of Change ahead, I hope you’ll build up a tool kit for looking at the ripple effects of change in your life. I hope the spreads we journal through together can offer a container for stepping back and seeing your ocean of experience for the vast, resilient, adaptable, living thing that it is. I also hope you’ll feel empowered by just how effective even the smallest acts toward change can be, once you take into account the idea that one little movement can set off ripples. Because this season isn’t just about weathering change, it’s about creating it.
With that in mind, spend some time journaling or meditating on these questions to help you prepare for the Season of Change:
What changes have I been through recently, and how have they affected me?
What do I love about change, and what do I hate about it?
What changes would I like to see as a result of this season – within me and within my community and environment?
If I could make the first move towards one specific change in the next three months, what would it be?
Author’s note: Given that this letter is landing in your inbox the day after the US presidential election, consider, too, what the moment of political change means to you, and what change you want to continue to fight for in the future.
Change in the tarot
The tarot is a masterclass in understanding and creating change. The Major Arcana, and every suit cycle, charts change – from little rises and falls to life-changing enlightenment. We see change happen fast – consider the tonal shift from Temperance to the Devil – and we see change happen slowly – the Fool’s journey from innocence to wisdom happens over the course of 22 cards.
Change is often the whole point of reading tarot for ourselves. When we ask the cards for advice, what else are we looking for but permission and instruction to make change in our lives?
But even though we come to the tarot seeking change, the cards that signal change most prominently are two of the most feared cards in the deck: the Tower and Death. Both of these cards signal monumental change – within us and around us. Their imagery doesn’t shy away from the fact that change can feel like a disaster, can feel like loss, can be terrifying. But buried within this symbolism is the truth that change can also be exciting, invigorating, and life-giving. Whilst the Grim Reaper dominates the Death card in most traditional tarot decks, when you look closer, you might notice floral motifs, water, a sun, or harvest imagery in the illustration. Each of these elements represents the cyclical nature of change, and of death. What goes up, comes down and goes back up again. What grows, shrivels and fertilizes the ground for the next season. The card is ultimately an ode to, and acceptance of, change as a fact of life.
The Tower, which we discussed last season (see Shadow in the Tarot), also signifies the electricity of a sudden change. The experience of watching everything fall apart – and the opportunity this offers to rebuild. It’s also a card that often represents epiphany. The lightning that strikes the Tower is a realization, a new way of seeing life. A change within you that tumbles everything that came before.
Reminder
This Season of Change is a natural evolution based on what you’ve gained through past Seasons: Change is the sharp edge of Growth, but now that you’re armed with a deeper knowledge of yourself following your Season of Shadow, you’re ready to confront not just the exciting growth prospects of change, but the hard parts too. Remember, as you move through this season and confront the changes you’re forced to endure and adapt to, as well as the changes you want to create in yourself and the world, that you can take it one small step at a time. The ripple effect will take over from there.
The Season of Shadow Intentions Spread
It may be tempting to come into this season feeling like you’re at the mercy of the changes happening to you, so this spread is designed to aid you in reclaiming your role as a change-maker rather than a change-responder.
To set intentions for the Season of Change using this spread, shuffle your deck and lay three cards out before you, according to the following prompts:
A change I want to make within myself this season
A change I want to make for my community this season
How I can be resilient in the face of change this season
Join me on the 10th of November to journal through this spread live, and have the chance to ask me questions about the cards you pulled, your Season of Change journey, or other broader tarot topics. Click here to sign up.
Join the conversation in the comments:
What did this piece bring up for you? I’d love to know:
What changes are you navigating personally now?
How are you affected by the global changes at play now?
What changes are you afraid of?
What changes are you seeking in your life?
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Thanks for reading x
Thank you for this, Chelsey. This is so timely. 💙