A Celtic Cross for the United States

The day after Independence Day, I suddenly felt moved to do a reading for the United States. I pulled out the Gaian Tarot and shuffled very mindfully and very, very thoroughly. The first four cards I pulled were majors: The Seeker (aka The Fool), Strength, The Star (reversed), Temperance (reversed). After that I pulled nothing but Air (Swords): the Ten of Air (reversed), the Nine (reversed), the Explorer, or Knight (reversed), the Seven, and finally, the Two (reversed). Lots of birds on these Air cards, for obvious reasons. 

Let’s look at the fundamentals here, first. The Seeker. We are at a new beginning of some kind. The Seeker’s companion here is not a dog, but a fox. Sneaky but a survivor. 

Our obstacle or challenge is Strength, which to me is Patience. Are we standing in our own way by being too patient? Or do we simply need buckets of Strength and patience to get through the days ahead? My sense is both. But let’s not ignore the warning that one can be too patient, and thus get caught off guard when the time for patience has passed. 

The foundation of the situation, which is also our strength: the Star (reversed). Hope and lack of hope. We have them both. And they are strong motivators. 

Leaving aside the next three cards for a moment: let’s look at us, in the bottom right: the Nine of Air (reversed): worry, anxiety. A raccoon watches from the clouds. We are worried and rightly so. 

Let’s look at the outcome: the Two of Air (reversed). To me this is a decision, but not only that – – it’s a decision we don’t want to make. And the 2 here makes me think of the 2 Americas, the divided America. It makes me think of a split and it makes me think of civil war. Nobody wants to make that choice, for good and obvious reasons. That’s why we are being so patient and reflective. 

Turning back to the cards we haven’t covered yet: the recent past, Temperance reversed, and the near future, the Ten of Air reversed. Getting out of balance, politically, followed by stabbings in the back (I’m thinking of the Ten of Swords here) and by movement or mass migration (the geese in their v formation). To me, that looks like movement of Americans to places that match and support their personal politics. 

The crowning or theme of the spread shows us four eggs in a nest. Resting now, but ready to hatch and fly away, in not too long a time. 

Our support network: the Explorer of Air/Knight of Swords. Support from a surprising source: the military. Why? Because they understand the danger. And they are used to scouting ahead to see it coming. 

Advice? The Seven of Air. Shown here with a map. But this Seven tends to have overtones of lying and stealing. Does it here, in the Gaian? I would say that to be on the safe side, not telling our opposition our plans, not giving them our map, would be wise. 

And going back to the Star again…when it’s time, it’s time, at a cosmic level. Despite all the worry, despite the horror of a divorce that divides the country, this may take us to a better place, in the end. But before that happens, we have to do the work that will take us there, and stop hiding from realities that do need to be dealt with, one way or another.

Lots of Air/Swords here, which I personally associate with words, thinking, reason. Is the pen mightier than the sword at a time like this? I hope so.