A Tale of Tarot: Why We're Living in Political Hell

Putting current events in metaphysical perspective

Note: A Tale of Tarot explores the metaphysical reasons for current events. While tarot cards can be useful for getting a glimpse into the future, they can also help explain the deeper meaning of experiences we are witnessing today.

Last night as I scrolled through my Threads feed, I saw several people asking the witches, psychics and seers to explain the current state of U.S. politics and chime in on what was going to happen next. Most of them wanted some reassurance that there would be a happily ever after because after eight Democrats voted with Republicans to reopen the government with no protections for healthcare subsidies, the future looked anything but.

I couldn’t help myself. I wanted to know too. So I did a one-card pull and picked the three of wands.

This card told me three things.

We are just at the beginning of a long journey.

That actually made me feel a little better. It reminded me to stop judging every event and take a long-term view. Focusing on each political win or loss is an emotional rollercoaster and it’s draining. Case in point: Last week Democrats were over the moon with joy after the election and by Sunday night they had to be peeled off the floor. All of this up and down provokes anxiety (which blocks intuition), but maybe that’s the idea. And it also told me to stop looking for a quick win or a quick loss. Nobody is going to achieve victory any time soon.

We should expect an emotional and sometimes turbulent journey.

The figure in the card is standing on land while facing the ocean. Water symbolizes emotion and can sometimes be turbulent. That tells me this political journey will feel scary at times. It will make me angry. It will make me sad. But it will also make me feel buoyant. None of those emotions really matter. Note the sense of calm that surrounds the figure in the card. I took that to be advice to us to be calm amidst troubled waters. Ignore all of the emotions and focus steadfastly on the goal.

Transformation is the point.

There is a popular viewpoint that one side wants to destroy democracy and the other side wants to maintain the status quo. Maybe neither side is right. Destruction isn’t the answer, but the status quo hasn’t been working either. This journey will instigate change. Every successful journey changes us in ways we didn’t expect. We are ready for the journey and on some level, we know that transformation is necessary. In fact there’s an element of fate to this journey. The figure in the card knows that all will ultimately be well. Collectively, we’re ready to move forward, but this journey must be made before we do.

---

---