Stories from the Sidewalk: A Flyby Tarot Reading

I regularly consult my tarot cards - for direction, for perspective, for a reality check - especially during pivotal life moments.

I've been avoiding the cards this month because I once again find myself in a scary moment of transition and I'm not sure I'm ready for them to give me any hard truths just yet. Give me a moment to process and grieve. I'll pull myself back up. I always do. And when I do, there will be no stopping me from getting exactly what I want.

Until then, I'm avoiding the cards. But as they love to do, they find me anyway. They always know.

I was walking Muldoon this evening on 2nd Avenue, not taking notice of anyone or anything, when a man walked by us. He was unnecessarily close considering the wide sidewalk so I looked up and caught the back of his shirt. Printed off-center were two tarot cards in the traditional Rider-Waite style: The Fool and Justice.

The Fool happens to be my favorite card. It’s the first card in the tarot and represents the beginning of a journey, new pursuits, a fresh start. My relationship with this card is yes, those things. But I also get that feeling the night before a big vacation, that excitement when you’re about to travel somewhere new before the reality of having to get there kicks in. An “ignorance is bliss,” you don’t know what you don’t know, the all-at-once exhilarating and paralyzing knowledge that anything could be in front of you. It’s a leap of faith. In the card, the fool is about to step off a cliff. A reminder to trust that everything is happening for my greater good. The universe is clearing the way for a new phase.

Justice, of course, deals with fairness, karma, balance. Not a card I see a lot in my own readings. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever pulled Justice for myself.

Together, they reassure me that this new beginning will level the scales and also remind me to evaluate options coming my way instead of rushing in. In this case, I don’t have to step off the cliff, but weigh opportunities and make the best selection to leap into.

A needed reminder not to panic. Step back from the cliff and think. Make pros and cons lists. Make a list of what I want next and manifest options in that vein.