March, 2020 - Queen of Swords

                        Perseverance in power, perceptiveness in communication, and confidence in the self; these are what rules the Queen of Swords. She can cut through the fog and see clearly what is in front of her, giving her power over the situation. Yet, power is expressed differently than just strength in the Queen; her power is enduring and circumspect.  
                        With that being said - March was a doozy, to say the least. On March 4th, I made the decision to move back in with my parents and push myself to be a better version of me. I am officially a bachelor(ette). This decision was not made in haste or anger with E; I still love my friend but we both need time to focus on our mental-health and ourselves. At home, I had been organizing my stuff, applying for yoga jobs, and advertising more tarot gigs.
                        On March 14th, we both left for a trip to New Orleans we had planned months in advance. The trip was going well until our flights back home got cancelled, no thanks to COVID-19. Shops were closing down, we had plans that needed to be abandoned, and it was becoming increasingly more frustrating to continually reschedule our flights and have them get called off again. Back home, all of my classes, except for one gig that went on Zoom, got cancelled, I had plans with no one, and quarantine was beginning to be put in place. In a fight against my own patterns of fear and the unknown - like the Queen with her sword, cutting through a dense, clouded judgement - I finally decided to extend my stay for two more weeks without E. I was nervous at first, but my excitement grew and fear quickly dissipated.
                        I was free to do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, without much regard for anyone else except my gracious hosts. Of course, I couldn't go to museums or any of my favorite stores, but I could visit my sister, Helena, a few blocks away. I could ride around town with my hosts/friends/family, one of which is a NOLA tour guide, and get my own mini-tours, filled with facts and tidbits on our drives to-and-from Costco. I drank coffee and read books for hours in their backyard, with visitors always popping by, like the little lizards that ran everywhere, the rare baby opossum, and of course, the daily visits from the neighbor's chicken, Isabel. Before E left, I had a dream about reading a book on Tarot Reversals, so before the shops all closed I went on a hunt for one to pour myself over. Focusing on me had never been so accessible nor had it ever felt so good.
In that time I had so much energy flow into myself that I finally felt ready to give back; I decided to start offering free 30-minute classes online. The brainstorming had begun and Instagram flyers were quickly made. By the end of March, inspiration was flowing and the pursuit of self was in full swing. The Queen of Swords had appeared.
                      When faced with the Queen of Swords, pay attention to any prejudices or distortions you have to the position you are currently in. How can you face your situation head on? Are you being forthright? How can you communicate your thoughts and needs more clearly?

A note on the deck I am using:
The Hermetic Tarot Deck has lots of differences from your average Rider-Waite deck, but perhaps the most noticeable difference is in the Court cards. Usually, the order of the court card goes as follows: Page, Knight, Queen, King. The Hermetic Tarot deck's Court cards on the other hand, goes like this: Knight, Queen, King, Princess. I love this distinction; it gives the daughter, the culmination of the Mother and Father, the most power. The Queen doesn't become less important, the page is merely replaced by the princess, who is a new energy all together, which moves her up in the cycle.