The Tarot Room – Georgianna

Last year, as winter started to really kick in, I pulled some cards asking ‘How To Stay Bright When It’s Dark by 4:30’.

Today it was 14 degrees F (felt like -3) and dark by just after 4:00. When I turned on the news I saw ‘severe weather’ across the continent. And North America isn’t alone; Europe is getting blasted too. Snow and cold everywhere!

It’s time to check in with the cards again. What can I do to cope with this winter?

Page of Swords

I first asked, ‘how bad is it really going to be?’, at least in my general area. I got the Page of Swords. It’s a pretty cold card to me. Those clouds feel like snow squalls, and the birds are flying high, like they do when the wind really gets blowing below.

At least the card is kind of bright. The sun’s not visible, but it’s no Hermit or 5 of Pentacles. Looks like the weather in Toronto will be cold, blowing and fairly snowy through January, but maybe not as bad as it could be. No doubt though, I’ll be needing my heavy coat.

4 of Wands

My next question was ‘what attitude will serve me best to get through this cold.’ I got the 4 of Wands. Is it mocking me with its sunshine and bare-armed celebrants?

Unless there’s a serious warm front on the way, I think this card is telling me to have fun. Enjoy friends and family through the holidays and be creative. Use that wand energy to make something I care about real. Find something to celebrate and let the cold be damned. The fire is inside.

Finally I asked, ‘what would be a good way to spend my time while the winds howl outside?’ The World card, #21 showed up. A naked woman dancing in a wreath?

#21 The World

I think she’s inside looking out, as if through a window decorated for Christmas. The clouds outside look cold and snowy, not unlike the ones with the Page of Swords. But she seems comfy, no clouds inside. In fact, it’s warm enough to wear only a scarf.

I’m struck again by the call to celebration. And like the 4 of Wands, there’s a theme of completion. I’m being asked to get busy, finish up a long project. Something that can be worked on from inside the house. I have a lot of things on the go so this certainly makes sense.

But there’s a bigger feeling of ending here, an ending with joy. Like New Year’s Eve perhaps? Closing up 2010 and getting ready for a brand new decade.

Winter is here and it’s cold outside, but I know what I need to do. Dress warm, get some of my projects wrapped up, and enjoy myself as much as possible. It’s not going to be so bad. I might even have a very good time.

Happy Winter everyone!!

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So the cold hasn’t let up. I was hoping it might, but when -5 degrees C is the warm front it gets discouraging. Every morning it’s the same. Cold. And more often than not, snow. Since it looks like this icy weather might be here for a while, I decided to see if the cards had anything to say about it.

Sure enough they do. The RWS Tarot has two cards that show snow, the 5 of Disks, and #9, the Hermit. In the 5 of Disks, two people, ragged and beat up, trudge through the snow passing what might be a stained glass window of a church. They look pretty cold. The one that’s lucky enough to have shoes is on crutches. It’s a tough scene.

5 of Disks

Though I personally have a great pair of boots, a very warm parka and the most fantastic new hat anyone can imagine, I, like many others, have been feeling a bit like these two. Economically and meteorologically challenged. How the heck are we going to get through this winter?

The cards’ advice – Get inside! Just joking, but not really. I think the message here is to remember your spirit, that light on the other side of the stained glass window. Every season feels like winter when all you can think about is how to pay the bills and feed yourself.

This card is reminding us that our energy for living actually comes from within, whatever the circumstances are. The spirit on the other side of the wall is really just our own fire. The flame inside that lets us laugh and sing even when things are tough. Hard times, aren’t enough to break us down. Only forgetting why we like living can.

#9 The Hermit

And then there’s the Hermit. It’s a very different feel in this image. There’s snow on the ground but the sky is clear. He’s wearing what looks like a warm hooded cloak and with all that hair on his face he hardly needs a scarf. What’s most important though is the lantern he holds in his right hand.

This guy’s got his stuff together. He’s knows it’s the light that leads his way and he carries it with him wherever he goes. He’s calm, unflinching and comfortable in the snow. He internalized the lessons of the 5 of Disks a long time ago. They come in handy when the sun sets and the temperature drops.

The forecast says tomorrow’s high may reach -3, with a 40 percent chance of flurries. I look forward to it. Almost balmy relative to the -14 we’re expecting Saturday. I’ll take the messages from the cards to heart and wear my new hat. It’ll be spring soon enough.

Bundle up and smile.

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