Tarot for Coronavirus: Introducing Weekly Collective Energy Readings To Guide You Through the Covid-19 Pandemic
By 
KJ Parish
This Week’s Collective Internal Energy:
King Of Wands—You are your own leader.
Regardless of political affiliations and whether or not your local government is enforcing strict policies in an attempt to flatten the curve of Covid-19, you are your own leader now. If you live somewhere where local officials are not taking this seriously, the advice is to assume the leadership you want or need internally. Conversely, if you live in a city or state where leadership is proving effective in stemming the spread of the virus, don’t ease up in terms of vigilance. You own your response. If you, or someone you love, are sickened, you must find it within yourself not to fall apart. We must accept that we can’t control external circumstances during this pandemic. But with a steady hand on your own wheel, YOU can dictate how you respond to this crisis internally. And this will affect outcomes for you and perhaps the world on a collective level. Be intentional about how you spend your time. Should you obsessively read the news and feel drained or powerless, or can you accept that you are living in extraordinary times and be selective about how much you take in and what you focus on? Be intentional about who you spend time with, too (as much as this is possible, given the circumstances). Transmute fear or panic into something that will enable growth instead. After all, great works of art have been made, and previously unthinkable innovations unearthed, during times of duress in the past.
Knight Of Cups—Love & Art
Collectively, there is a strong energy signal available to us related to the creative arts and building deeper connections with others, should we choose to tune into it right now. I personally feel everyone has the ability to tap into this energy signature, even if you don’t consider yourself particularly creative. As Covid-19 drastically changes how we spend our time and money, you may find that without all that FOMO interrupting your inner guidance, you might actually receive and act on the inspiration that comes to you. Whether that’s finishing a book you’ve been meaning to write for forever, learning some new skills, or even drafting handwritten love letters for the first time, suddenly, there is the space to do so. This may not be true for everyone in the collective, but even those on the front lines of the pandemic may find unexpected bursts of inspiration in treating patients or ways to bring love and light into the darkest places. For those of us stuck at home, tapping into this creative energy does help bring healing to others on a collective level. So, turn off the news and get to it.
Four Of Cups—Discontent / Withdrawal
If you feel alone, discontent, or withdrawn, you are (obviously) not alone. This is the first time in my lifetime that I have experienced the Four Of Cups’ energy on a collective level. These are, indeed, trying times for all of us. The advice is to simply accept these feelings, whatever they encompass. You may be missing friends or family, or feeling grief over losing a loved one, friend, job, or a routine you relied on. You may feel depressed for all sorts of reasons. This is all completely expected and normal. You don’t need to cover up your feelings or invent some alternative reality for yourself on Instagram. If things suck right now, allow yourself time to process and accept it without beating yourself up. Though the collective energy is there for you to tap into something healthy and creative when you’re ready, we may not all be ready for it at the same time. If this week is more about coming to terms with what is, that’s okay. Get a journal out every morning and write your observations, concerns, thoughts, and feelings. Get it all out, as if ridding yourself of toxins before starting your day. Then, with that out of the way, be as mindful as possible throughout the rest of your day. You must be open in order to let the light back in.
This Week’s Collective Energy: External
Nine Of Swords—The Nightmare
No joke! On the global, external level, we are living through unthinkable times, and sometimes it feels surreal, like a bad dream or apocalyptic movie. I will make this card’s summary brief because it merely confirms what we all know. Many are worried, afraid, distraught, or downright panicking, and we can easily confirm this by watching the news or scrolling through Twitter.
Ten of Cups—Joy & Family
Contrasting the Nine of Swords, we have some good news on the collective level. You may discover that you, or those around you, are discovering what truly brings them joy and savoring time well spent with “family”. Many within the collective are finding ways to deepen their connection, and even managing to find peace during this period of forced isolation, by spending uninterrupted, meaningful time with their loved ones. It may not be accurate for everyone, of course, but the Ten of Cups suggests many are experiencing a deepening of their familial (or extended family) core right now. When this pandemic is over, there will be tighter bonds and a new respect for a simpler kind of living that prioritizes deep human connection over fleeing, surface-level distractions. This week, look to families making the most of it, even during difficult times, and see if you can do the same by focusing on joy in your own home.
Two Of Swords—Hold Your Breath
We are at an impasse, and there isn’t a clear path forward, based on what’s happening externally this week. At the very least, we may see efforts in one area to stem the spread of Coronavirus mitigated by the lack of efforts in another. This could be a peek into the collective on an administrative level—we may see less movement in terms of policy because it’s too late to make a difference this week, or leadership is poor. This could be due to a lack of data, supplies, or action—hard to say. It could be related to all sorts of things, but my sense is this will be a week where we see a lot of collective breath-holding to see how the curve forms, given the individual circumstances in each municipality, city, state, or country. The picture that comes to mind is of standing in the ocean when you see a massive wave heading your way. You can’t avoid it, you can’t overcome it. If you dig into the sand and tense your body too much, you’ll only get slammed harder when it comes. So, you hold your breath, relax your body as much as you can, and let it hit you. What more can you do in that moment? That’s the energy, so don’t expect bold new moves this week. There will continue to be an overall feeling that we don’t have any of this under control.
In conclusion, I suggest you re-read the collective internal energy suggestions above when you start to feel overwhelmed this week. Turn off the news if you become exceedingly angry or deflated that not enough is being done. You’ll be right to feel this way, but it won’t stop “the wave” from coming. If you spend the week ruminating on everything that should be different than it is right now, you’ll be feeling drained and only hurting your immune system. We need you healthy. Hang in there. Collective hug to you, my friend.
The Curve:
In honor of our friend, The Curve, which we are all trying to flatten, I am including a “curve” card every week. Consider this to be meditation inspiration or advice to help you flatten your own curve (i.e., internal obstacle) this week. I hope this speaks to you, or at least gives you something to think about when you’re sitting on your stoop journaling.
Five of Swords—Rest
It’s okay to stop, it’s okay to rest. You must recharge your yourself. This is a time of retreat. This is what you need right now, despite the disruption being unexpected. Are you resisting this time of forced pause? If you feel deep friction during this period of solitude, it may be time to unearth why you felt the need to be so busy in the first place. I strongly suggest the following book to work through internal motivations while you have the time.
Conversely, if you are loving this downtime, good for you—keep it up this week. Don’t feel bad if you’re not “productive enough.” The universe thanks you for not freaking out this week, and those books weren’t going to read themselves, were they?
