Six of Wands
being in love sucks when you’re 17
except when it doesn’t. and anyway
there’s not much you can do
about it, your chemical experiment
of a body steering you past
dented lockers crammed
with folded notes and shiny
adolescent guts all squirming
and hollering “look at me!,” I mean,
“go away!” your hair is a dirty
lavender or an unfortunate length
that won’t grow out even and nothing
you’re really good at or love matters
to the people who get to decide
what’s for dinner and how short
is too short for a school uniform
skirt. your bed is a bath of anonymous
pheromones, you never know what
to do with your hands. so you perm
and you slick back, you gesture, palm
out, whatever, with all the disdain
you can dredge from your unsnapped
bones – don’t let them tell you
what hurts now doesn’t count. that these
are the best years of your lives
because they’re not. or maybe
they are, maybe the sun baking the tar
on the school roof is doing more than just
marking time, maybe lighting
the awkwardness of stairwell embraces
is the best thing she’ll do all day, maybe
the nickname you’re slapped with after
third bell will be the name that carries you
out of the Bronx and onto the pages
of whatever glossy hip-hop slick
is popping off the newsstands and subway
kiosks this year. maybe this
is the afternoon you’ll look back on
and say, baby, remember? we
were beautiful. everybody
on the goddamn block loved us.
we didn’t even know it,
but we were golden.
(Marty McConnell)
Six of Wands
being in love sucks when you’re 17
except when it doesn’t. and anyway
there’s not much you can do
about it, your chemical experiment
of a body steering you past
dented lockers crammed
with folded notes and shiny
adolescent guts all squirming
and hollering “look at me!,” I mean,
“go away!” your hair is a dirty
lavender or an unfortunate length
that won’t grow out even and nothing
you’re really good at or love matters
to the people who get to decide
what’s for dinner and how short
is too short for a school uniform
skirt. your bed is a bath of anonymous
pheromones, you never know what
to do with your hands. so you perm
and you slick back, you gesture, palm
out, whatever, with all the disdain
you can dredge from your unsnapped
bones – don’t let them tell you
what hurts now doesn’t count. that these
are the best years of your lives
because they’re not. or maybe
they are, maybe the sun baking the tar
on the school roof is doing more than just
marking time, maybe lighting
the awkwardness of stairwell embraces
is the best thing she’ll do all day, maybe
the nickname you’re slapped with after
third bell will be the name that carries you
out of the Bronx and onto the pages
of whatever glossy hip-hop slick
is popping off the newsstands and subway
kiosks this year. maybe this
is the afternoon you’ll look back on
and say, baby, remember? we
were beautiful. everybody
on the goddamn block loved us.
we didn’t even know it,
but we were golden.
- Marty McConnell
Six of Wands
Last night, I was looking at this card, which is normally one of my favourites. It tends to represent victory and recognition for your achievements. It’s a “good” card, and one I usually like.
Except, last night, I was disgusted with it. I saw pageantry and propaganda. They parade this man out and have us all believe that the victory is had, everything’s okay, everybody celebrate, but it’s all fake. It’s just a show, meant to keep everyone under control.
That’s a much more cynical look at the card than I normally have. And I wasn’t doing a reading, or anything, I was just contemplating the card for awhile.
This reminds me of why I don’t read reversed cards. Better make a note of it~
Personal Reading for September 2011
As is becoming my routine, I did a tarot reading for the month of September. I used my Wildwood Tarot deck, since it is quickly becoming my favorite, but I don’t have a good way to scan the cards in or anything, so I’ll represent them with images from the Thoth deck.
First, I did a one-card reading for this current week. It’s a transition week; the end of August and the beginning of September. I drew the Six of Swords. Wildwood Tarot calls this Six of Arrows - Transition, and that seems rather appropriate to me. This week is all about leaving behind August and moving forward toward the next month.
So the September reading will be one card to give an overall view of the entire month (including the days in this transition week), and one card for each week after this week.
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Month: Nine of Arrows - Dedication (Nine of Swords)
Right off the bat, I can see that this is going to be a difficult month. Tarot training has taught me that 9/S means Worry; Wildwood says Dedication; Thoth says Cruelty. Yes, it’s going to be a hard month. This is really *not* what I was hoping for my September. This month is full of challenges and events (like my birthday) that I want to go well. Wildwood’s Nine of Arrows looks like an archer trying to find calm and retain her bow and arrows amidst a whirlwind.
Week 1: Six of Bows - Abundance (Six of Wands)
This week looks positive. Abundance, victory, things are in order. I’ll need to soak up as much positive energy as I can this week, and keep it with me throughout the month.
Week 2: Five of Arrows - Frustration (Five of Swords)
This card is frustration and defeat, no matter how I look at it. Do you know how much I don’t want to hear this? However, it comes after a week of abundance, so it seems rather fitting, considering it is September, and I am a Libra, and my life is about balance.
Week 3: Ten of Bows - Responsibility (Ten of Wands)
Wildwood says Responsibility; Thoth says Oppression; I say: as usual. Not that I usually feel oppressed, but that it’s pretty normal for me to be harboring a heavy feeling of responsibility. This is an important week, filled with events I am really wanting/needing to go well. I’ll take the responsibility and forget the oppression!
Week 4: 14 Balance (Temperance)
Wildwood says Balance; Thoth says Art. Either way, I say: bring it on! After what looks like two pretty stressful weeks, I’ll be looking forward to some balance. Again, so fitting for me, for September.
In addition, I find it interesting that this month is all Swords and Wands! No Cups, no Pentacles for me? Only one of the Major Arcana, but at least it’s a good one! I guess this month is all about being prodded and swept along with the flow, and I’ve just got to keep up.
Card of the Day
Как правило, эта карта показывает, что наш труд и наши усилия увенчаются успехом.
Это приятный сигнал. Так приятно услышать: еще чуть чуть и тебя ждет что-то замечательное.
Шестерка Жезлов — это карта победы, успеха, славы и “всенародного признания”, “кто живет по законам другим и ему умирать молодым”. Впрочем, умирать молодым можно и в 90. Главное - жить по своим законам. Чуть более честным, чем принято среди людей.
