I drew a tarot card with the question in mind: What's coming up for U.S. citizens?

The card I drew was XVI of the Rider Waite deck: The Tower.



An archaic tower is shown, one with an already ailing infrastructure. There is (was?) a crown atop the tower. It's in the process of being toppled off by a lightning bolt. A man and woman in heavy medieval royal-ish garb are hurtling to the ground. They are flailing arms, their faces frozen with terror, after having been cast from their cozy deck where they were master and mistress of all.... This is all occurring in the dead of night - the only light cast is from the shock of lightning, and the moon. And yet...there are little dabs of light - like tears - or like mercy? (The quality of mercy is not strained...) What will be left when the ancient tower has toppled entirely, when the crown has crashed to the ground, sealing the fate of the two hapless victims? Is there something tender and new sprouting inside? I think of Rapunzel, who was trapped in the tower, waiting for the prince to save her. As I recall, from the Grimm's version ( the REAL version) once the witch caught on to the fact that Rapunzel was dropping her soft, long hair for her lover to hoist himself up to her with, she arranged for some evil doings: the prince is blinded - doesn't Rapunzel get a haircut? But then...years later...Rapunzel comes upon him in the forest, blind - still searching for that dream of love, and her tears of mercy that fall into his eyes restore his sight. Anyhow...that's my version.

Next card: What do we do to cope? We citizens of these United States - and the world....


The Page of Wands. Pages always embody the tender pliability, the trust and enthusiasm, of youth, and the Page of Wands holds the power of fire - of creative initiation - like a junior Mage - or magician's apprentice. Talk about "The Secret" - the P of W is naive enought to 'make it so' with his/her thoughts, wishes, visons - with her dreams. The wand is stiff enough for this Karate Kid to do battle, and supple enough to trip the enemy (us?) simply by giving way to misquided aggression. Dare I say - the P of W weilds the power of love? Make it so! Make us gentle as a new shoot, and daring as a Catholic girl picked to crown the plaster Queen of May with lilacs.