The video below shows how Syed Muzamil Hasan Zaidi celebrated his 22nd birthday.
Instead of throwing a party for himself, he went ahead and performed 22 acts of random kindness for others.
I love the idea, and I love that the number of birthdays Zaidi was celebrating was 22. It caught my attention right away, reminding me of course of the 22 cards in the Major Arcana.
With Zaidi and his random acts of kindness as inspiration, I thought it might be interesting to look at the 22 Major cards to see what they might suggest in terms of kind acts.
I wasn’t thinking so much about the traditional meanings of the cards, but rather what’s in the actual pictures.
Using the Rider Waite Smith deck, I looked at each of the 22 cards and this is what I got …
22 Acts of Kindness Inspired by the Pictures in the RWS Major Arcana:
➢ The Fool – give someone a flower
➢ The Magician – lend your tools to a friend
➢ The High Priestess – send a note of thanks to someone who’s inspired you
➢ The Empress – offer a pregnant lady your seat
➢ The Emperor – give someone an orange
➢ The Hierophant – offer advice when approached
➢ The Lovers – give your unused clothes to charity
➢ The Chariot – help someone with directions
➢ Justice – tip more than is ‘fair’
➢ The Hermit – keep the porch-light on
➢ Wheel of Fortune – lend out your books
➢ Strength – be gentle with animals
➢ The Hanged Man – help a yoga-mate with their headstand
➢ Death – volunteer at or donate to a hospice
➢ Temperance – buy a friend a drink
➢ The Devil – leash your pet
➢ The Tower – donate to a disaster relief organization
➢ The Star – water your neighbour’s lawn
➢ The Moon – adopt a dog or donate to an animal shelter
➢ The Sun – smile
➢ Judgment – encourage someone with some rousing music
➢ The World – knit someone a long scarf