Corrupted Power

This week I'll be using the Tarot of the Masters, created and self-published by James Ricklef. (I'll also be referring to Ricklef's Tarot Affirmations book.) The oracle deck I'll be using is The Key to the Kingdom, a transformational cards and booklet set created by Tony Meeuwissen and published by Running Press. Today's draws are the High Priest and the Queen of Diamonds:

Ricklef's drawing is based on Raphael's painting of Pope Gregory IX, a man known for issuing decretals (papal decrees concerning canon law) and for instituting the Papal Inquisition (groups charged with suppressing heresy). He is a prime example of how tradition gets mistaken for truth and guidance becomes corrupted by power. On the heels of the devastating news about the Supreme Court's reversal of Roe vs. Wade, this card feels oppressive and tyrannical. If those 'christian' justices would read Exodus, they would see the unborn were treated as a treasured possession but not a human life. Yet the Queen of Diamonds asks that we maintain our commons sense rather than rely on opinions and assumptions. As a chess piece among other game pieces, she asks us to use our intellect to form a strategic plan rather than be jerked around by our emotions. There will always be those who try to contain and suppress others with their personal beliefs, but as William J. Brennan, Jr. wrote, "Law cannot stand aside from the social changes around it."                                                        

Slipping Through

From the Tarot of the Masters, the Hanged Man; from the Key to the Kingdom, the 'Queen of Diamonds:'

         The Hanged Man's coins slip from his hands as he dangles from a tree. The illustration implies that there is a spiritual need greater than our material goals at the moment, and it will force us to notice if we don't do it voluntarily. The Queen of Diamonds in Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass had a bit of a bossy, governess-like persona (but at least wasn't an emotional tsunami like the Queen of Hearts). When Alice grabs and shakes her, she wakes from her dream to discover she is holding her cat. Both these cards suggest that what we think is so important at the moment - finishing a project, getting to a specific destination, making progress on a challenging task, etc. - may turn out to be not nearly as essential as the people (or pets) around us who made need our attention. Pause, breath and check in on those we love before they slip through our lives.

Drowning Victim

From the Tarot of the Masters, the Eight of Cups; from the Key to the Kingdom deck, the "Queen of Diamonds:"

          The man in the Eight of Cups appears to be in agony. Whoever or whatever he chose to leave was obviously not an easy decision. I inexplicably had a flash of being certified as a lifeguard many years ago. One of the things the instructor kept impressing upon us was not to let our emotional response to someone in trouble result in us drowning too. Victims will often try to climb on top of their rescuer, pushing them under water. Not everyone can be saved; sometimes the only positive action you can take is to save yourself.

O Looking-Glass creatures," quoth Alice, "draw near!

'Tis an honour to see me, a favour to hear,

'Tis a privilege high to have dinner and tea

Along with the Red Queen, the White Queen and me! Me! Me!

Then fill up the glasses with treacle and ink,

Or anything else that is pleasant to drink:

Mix sand with the cider, and wool with the wine -

And welcome Queen Alice with ninety-times-nine!

Thirty-times-three and ninety-times-nine!

Meeuwissen pairs the Queen of Diamonds card with a song from Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass. Alice, finding herself a queen, hears this song being sung. But she never said those words in the song, which makes her out to be a self-centered loon. Honest communication is a huge part of all my relationships, whether with family or friends. It is the raft that keeps us afloat, even when life gets complicated. It makes no sense to get sucked under trying to make a friendship or partnership work without it.

Accountability

From the Tarot of the Masters, Demons (the Devil):

The other day I was listening to a woman talk about the Devil as if it were an actual being who might ring her doorbell and try to sell her some Avon products. I was completely dumbfounded and didn't even try to argue with her. The face on the stomach of the demon in the card reminds me that it is my own voracious appetite for what I desire (to get or escape from) that will cause my maladaptive behavior. If I'm shoving candy corn in my mouth or not taking responsibility for something I forgot to do, you can bet the devil isn't the cause. It's pure, egotistic self-interest running the show while it holds my brain and heart hostage.

From the Key to the Kingdom comes the "Queen of Diamonds:"

Tis a privilege high

To have dinner and tea

Along with the Red Queen,

The White Queen, and me!

As I look at this game board with its variety of pieces, I get the feeling there is some emotional manipulation going on. Do you want something? Then you're going to have to do what I say to get it. Do you want me to like you? Then don't you dare even think about disagreeing with me. The problem with this kind of control is that it doesn't create allies, only enemies. Like the lesson of the Devil above, I need to find the courage to take responsibility for the life I want instead of trying to find the easy way out.