CARD OF THE DAY: November 25, 2021

 

The Wheel of Fortune

from Neo Tarot

by Jerico Mandybur with illustrations by Daiana Ruiz

 

November 25, 2021: Two songs sprang to mind when I drew this card! I'll probably be trying to get them out of my head for the next several days. How'd you like to share my struggle? 😊 Here goes!

I'm going to let two great singer-songwriters--David Clayton-Thomas and Carole King--bring you counsel that might apply to our Card of the Day, The Wheel of Fortune:

What goes up must come down/Spinnin' wheel got to go 'round

("Spinning Wheel," Blood, Sweat & Tears, 1969)

Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose/And sometimes the blues just get a hold of you/Oh, just when you thought you had made it

("Sweet Seasons," Carole King (written with Toni Stern), 1971)

The first is a classic of psychedelic rock, remembered from my high school years; the second, a pop hit for King, came out when I was in college. Both acknowledge the rocky, predictably unpredictable nature of human life but also invoke the power of dreams and visions to move us towards the future our soul holds for us.

Someone is waiting just for you/Spinning Wheel spinning true/Drop all you troubles by the river side/Catch a painted pony on the spinning wheel ride

You know you we can get there easily/Just like a sailboat sailin' on the sea

 

"Drop all your troubles by the riverside" calls up the image of Pamela Colman Smith's Five of Swords-- doesn't it?--and of the Black spiritual "Down By The Riverside," where the singer vows to "lay down my sword and shield/down by the riverside" and "study war no more."

Yes, acknowledge the struggle, how profoundly difficult things have been and can often be. Risk and periodic downturns and failures are realities. But you're being encouraged to hang on and, meanwhile,  feed and heal your mind with hopeful, pleasurable images and ideas that give power to a better future. 

For those of you celebrating Thanksgiving traditions, it's a day for enjoying fun and a generous, sumptuous meal with loved ones. But remember to take some time to nourish yourself mentally and spiritually as well. And, among your thank yous, remember to thank yourself for being here with the potential you have to overcome, to heal, to grow, and to find your joy.

 

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