MLK Day

From the Via Tarot, the Nine of Swords; from the Nature's Pharmacy Deck, "Stinging Nettle:"

           In the Thoth tradition the Nine of Swords is called Cruelty, and astrologically it is described as Mars in Gemini. Now I rarely use astrology in reading the cards, but today I'm making an exception because of an interesting coincidence. Martin Luther King, Jr., a Mars in Gemini person, is being celebrated today with a holiday in his honor. Mars shows up as our animal instincts, our aggressive nature. Gemini is both a mutable sign (concerned with change) and an air sign (characterized by language and logic with a love of freedom). MLK, a charismatic speaker and great thinker, was definitely motivated by issues of survival, safety and security. But I would not think of him as cruel - his actions were nonviolent and fueled by love. However his message and protests were seen as a harmful and disruptive by those with fixed ideas about civil rights.
          Urtica dioica, or stinging nettle, has tiny hairs with tips that come off when touched. Grabbing this plant bare-handed results in the hairs becoming needles that inject a substance that causes a painful sting. Yet if you harvest this plant carefully (gloved hands) and cook it, it becomes a spinach-like food rich in nutrients: vitamins A and C, iron, potassium, manganese, and calcium. Both these cards remind me that change can be painful and scary, but if done with patience, kindness and an open mind, it can lead to great things. As MLK taught us, it's all in the way you wield that sword.