I am full of dread for the next year and the start of Trump presidency 2.0. Is there anything to be hopeful for?—Dread on Arrival
Cards: King of Pentacles, Strength (reversed), Knight of Wands (reversed), Three of Pentacles (reversed)
Dear Dread,
First, I recommend you get a copy of Slavenka Drakulić’s “How We Survived Communism and Even Laughed.” It’s a sharp and funny memoir of sorts that details the role of women in the Soviet Union and, particularly, the black market they ran out of their kitchens. I recommend reading it not because the cards suggest you get into bootleggin’ but because it’s important to see how those who survived under totalitarian governments did it—and how they got away with subverting it.
Strength reversed suggests that resilience is needed and will be needed for quite some time. You do have to keep it together and push forward, but this does not mean sealing yourself off from others. Strength is walking her beast, not wrestling it to the ground. There is empathy in the card, an understanding that to lead by brute force is weak. Compassion is how you make it through.
This could be with people you already know or people you will meet, but compassion is necessary to build community, which is something else that might serve you. The Three of Pentacles is harmony when working together, whether for a political cause or a creative one. That harmony comes from having multiple minds face a problem and the deep well of imagination that can come from it. It’s worth exploring.
A final thing that will help you for next year (and the years after that) is to be true to your inner Knight of Wands and tend to your passions. What lights a fire in you? Not in the “noble cause” way but in a positively self-serving way. What inspires joy? If you had two weeks paid vacation, how would you want to use that time? Making art? Traveling? Training to be an MMA fighter? Having that passion will give you something to return to, again and again, when the dread becomes too much.
The final card of the spread is a tricky one. The King of Pentacles is an authority and one who is responsible for creating their own world. This could be you, certainly. It could also be Trump—which would make sense as to why the three cards underneath are reversed. Either way, there are things in your life that you can control, protect, and retreat to, even if they are only in the inner world.
I hope your passions give you light in the dark times ahead.
I’ve been out of a relationship for a long time, and I would like to find love again this year. The apps are awful but I’m not sure of another way. Do the cards have any advice?—Hopeful Romantic
Cards: The Hermit (reversed), Seven of Swords (reversed), Page of Swords (reversed), Four of Wands
Dear Hopeful,
I sincerely hope you find love. Life is both terribly short and incredibly long and being in love with someone who loves you back is a glorious way to move through your time on this spinning rock.
And as someone who also had horrific experiences on “the apps”—and who moved across four states to date, then marry, a guy who had his shit together—I feel you.
The good news is, I think you’ve done a lot of soul-searching in your singlehood, and with The Hermit, you know what you’re looking for, both in a partner and in life. The Hermit doesn’t fall to either extreme; he walks what the Buddhist call “The Middle Way” and has a strong sense of self.
However, I’m not sure that you have always been treated kindly in your past relationships and, if so, if those lingering abuses have created negative self-talk.
The Seven of Swords is often a card of destruction and deceit, but these things aren’t always announced loudly. You may have chosen a partner who you thought was kind and compatible, but they may have been manipulative or subtly eroded your self-confidence. You may have had a series of bad relationships or one that sent shockwaves through the years and made you uneasy in other relationships.
The whip-smart Page of Swords, too, is someone who thinks a great deal, who “knows thyself” but who can also make snap judgments and be stubborn in letting go of their beliefs, even if they prove to be false.
Being that these two cards are the swords (the suit of the mind) and not the cups (the suit of relationships), I do wonder if you may still have some trauma/Trauma from your past relationships, or at the very least, if they’ve been a real mindfuck.
But, just because past relationships didn’t work out doesn’t mean you are forever doomed. With the Four of Wands, the cards do suggest happiness and stability in the future—especially with another person.
Looking at the two sword cards from a practical lens, it could be that your old avenues of meeting people aren’t working. In the age of Work From Home and $20 mocktails, it can be difficult to meet people in real life, but perhaps by doing things that relate to your dreams, you might meet kindred souls. So go play that open mic, or take that homesteading class, or join an armature backyard wrestling league. It’s also worth working (perhaps with a DBT therapist) to suspend your quick judgments. Of course, if you feel unsafe, follow your gut. But see if you can replace your judgment and worries with curiosity. What if you went to that party where you only kind of know the host? What if you talked to that person at the chicken coop building workshop?
What might happen if you opened yourself up to more spontaneity?
I hope you’re able to find what you’re looking for in the wild, wondrous life, my dear.
Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.
Follow us: Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | BlueSky
This article appears in Dec 26, 2024 – Jan 1, 2025.