#fangirls tarot

TEMPERANCE

“Everything in moderation, including moderation.” - Oscar Wilde

After the massive change in perspective (Hanged Man) and all the endings and changes that creates (Death), it’s time to balance out and find the stability in your life, so enter the Temperance card. This card denotes finding that comfortable, healing center so that you can restore harmony in your life. It points to the need to balance two opposing forces, combining the best of them so that you can center your mind and heart. Thus, it’s a very healing card, one that reminds us to have patience in order to reach that equilibrium (if you’ve ever seen a scale balance, you know it takes a little while for things to level out as the scales wibble-wobble for a bit). This card points to peace and tranquility being found once you find that happy middle ground and figure out who you are after that adjustment.  

::Who’s Who On This Card::

1.Astrid Magnussen from White Oleander - White Oleander is a movie about a young woman who is shuffled from foster home to foster home after her mother is put in jail. She loses her compass during all this turmoil, taking on a different personality in each home in order to fit in. By the end though, she’s gone through a major healing process and stands in a room where there is an art display of a bunch of different suitcases, each one with mementos of a different home and a different life she lived there, but she stands in the center, fully having integrated all of these different personalities into herself in order to find her center in them all. The holds onto the most important parts of herself and transforms into this beautiful mixture, a perfectly balanced moderation.

2.Zotoh Zhaan from Farscape - After Zotoh Zhaan was put in prison for murder, she turned to meditation in order to facilitate her healing and keep the wild side of herself in check. Even though her dark impulses never fully went away, she was able to hold balance our her emotions and became one of the most compassionate and wisest of the Farscape crew. It’s this kind of peaceful equilibrium that the Temperance card points to in a reading, and finding that calm center so that you can stabilize.

3.Grey Jedi from Star Wars Extended Universe - In the original movies, you were either a good Jedi or a vile Sith, but in the extended universe of the Star Wars books and comics, there was a sect called the Grey Jedi, who sought to find the balance between the two and live in that gray middle area, bringing together those opposites like the Temperance card likes us to do. As their code states, “There must be both dark and light. I will do what I must to keep the balance, as the balance is what holds all life. There is no good without evil, but evil must not be allowed to flourish. There is passion, yet peace; serenity, yet emotion; chaos, yet order. I am a wielder of the flame; a champion of balance. I am a guardian of life. I am a Gray Jedi.”

4.Wei Wei from Stick It - Technically, this could be any gymnast out there on the balance beam, but Stick It is one of my favorite gymnastics movies. A gymnast has to have both grace and strength to stay stable up there and keep their balance, which I think is a good lesson the Temperance card leaves us with– it takes a lot of dexterity to find the eye of the storm sometimes, to not let those little frustrations in life knock us off balance. But when you become an adept gymnast in life, temperance and moderation becomes easier.

5.The Beast from Beauty And The Beast - When the Beast first meets Belle, his actions and emotions are way too strong, he feels that force is the way to get what he wants and doesn’t care if his anger is off the chart loud and in people’s faces. But when he starts to fall for her, Belle changes him and he learns to not come off so harshly. That anger inside him starts to heal, resulting in a sense of inner calm that allows him to have more patience and moderate his behavior. In turn, Belle makes compromises herself, like forgoing silverware so everyone can eat together gracefully.

6.Franklin Dudikoff from Recess - This was only one episode of a Saturday morning cartoon show, but it always kind of stuck with me. In it, there was a new student teacher trying to find his footing in his field. When he first came into the classroom, he billed himself as Mr. Dudikoff, a very stuffy and nervous new teacher, who was trying to fit the mold of what a “teacher” should look and act like. But that wasn’t working. So he switched to calling himself The Dude, let the kids play all day and didn’t give them any rules or discipline. Again, that failed miserably. So after talking to the Recess kids, he realized he was going to the extremes when he could instead combine them into the perfect mixture– hence the creation of Mr. Dude, a fun guy who was able to add his fun side to his more serious teacher side, really gaining the kid’s approval, respect and finding a great way to teach them in a creative and fun way. Temperance is all about finding that happy balance in between extremes.

JUSTICE

“The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.” - Ida B. Wells-Barnett

The Justice tarot card tells us that the universe is playing fair and all consequences will be doled out based on the natural law of cause and effect. The truth is about to come out and karma will be swift with its outcome. You may find yourself involved in a court battle or working with lawyers, but if you live by the virtues of integrity and honesty things will balance out in your favor. This may also be a good time to look at all the options in front of you so that you can analyze the situation and arrive with clarity at the ultimate truth.

::Who’s Who On This Card::

1.Mr. Smith from Mr. Smith Goes To Washington - In this film, Mr. Smith is an idealistic young senator who promptly clashes with the corrupt political system in congress. He entreats, and then demands, other politicians to play by the rules and be more accountable in order for there to be a fair and balanced win-win solution for the whole country. When the Justice card pops up on a reading, it is often there to call out those who are not doing what’s right, just like Mr. Smith does in front of the older senators.

2.Jury from 12 Angry Men - This movie takes place entirely in the courthouse, showing Justice’s close ties with the legal system. Throughout the movie, the jury deliberates on their verdict, weighing their options of how to judge the accused. There are serious debates over fairness, impartiality, integrity and honesty; all the deep ideals of the Justice card.

3.Judgement of Solomon from Biblical Mythology - Solomon was a king known to be both wise and very adept with the law. One of his most famous rulings declared a baby should be cut in half in order to see which of the women who claimed the child was the real mother of the boy, and when one woman renounced her claim over the child in order to protect her son, Solomon declared her the real mother because no parent would have their child cut in half just to win in court. He was able to get right down to the truth, resolving legal matters quickly and fairly, just as the Justice card denotes.

4.Jack McCoy from Law and Order - Jack McCoy was a fearless prosecutor, stopping at nothing to see that criminals were put away on Law and Order. He was quite the badass, but he also showed that actions have consequences, showing off the cause and effect aspect of this card.

5.Perry Mason from Perry Mason - Perry Mason was one of the earliest lawyers on American television. He practiced as a criminal-defence lawyer, protecting most of the wrongly accused defendants from unfair prosecution. He was able to help the truth win out, guided by his own integrity and strong sense of justice.

6.Atticus Finch from To Kill A Mockingbird - Atticus is shown through this book (and later movie) to be just and fair as he defends a black man, Boo Radley, from discriminatory injustice. He is a firm believer in the legal system and it’s ability to uphold both the law and the integrity of the land, as he says in his closing argument, “Our courts have our faults, as does any human institution, but in this country our courts are the great levelers, and in our courts all men are created equal.”

THE HANGED MAN

“Sweet surrender is all that I have to give” - Sarah McLachlan

When the Hanged Man comes up in a reading, you are in a situation where some sacrifices need to be made in order to gain clarity on what direction you are headed. You’ve realized that you need to withdraw from always being on the go so that you can retreat and reflect. This is the time to gain some new perspective and see things from a new point of view, since the old way of doing things was not working for you. I’ve heard it said that this card can be summed up in the first line of the Serenity Prayer, “Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change”. Push pause, stop trying to control the uncontrollable and understand that acceptance will bring the much needed release to turn your world back around.

::Who’s Who On This Card::

1.Faith (turning herself in scene) from Buffy - After running from the accidental manslaughter charges and thinking that she could hide or deny or blame everyone else, Faith finally found the courage to turn herself in and accept her fate. At the end of a major two-parter episode, she’s seen choosing to pause and find that release the Hanged Man points to by turning herself into jail. Ultimately, she sacrifices her freedom so that she doesn’t have to run anymore.

2.Belle from Beauty And The Beast - After finding her father imprisoned by The Beast, Belle asks that The Beast accept her in place of her father. As a prisoner, she accepts her restrictions so that she can get something better, her father’s freedom– and in the end even has a change of perspective over The Beast.

3.Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games - Katniss choosing to become a martyr, sacrificing her freedom and surrendering to the will of the Hunger Games in place of her sister has strong Hanged Man vibes. She gives up control of the situation, putting her life on pause so that she can participate in the games to gain her sister’s freedom. When the Hanged Man comes up in a reading, the universe is telling you that you may have to volunteer as tribute– but just remember in the end you may come out even more victorious as the Mockingjay!  

4.Han Solo (in carbonite scene) from Star Wars - In The Empire Strikes Back, Han knows that they have lost the upper hand and things are not going their way. Instead of fighting back against Darth Vader, he lets himself be frozen in carbonite and accepts his fate. Interestingly, this was also because Harrison Ford was uncertain if he was going to return for the third movie, so they put his character in carbonite until he figured out which way to go – which is a very Hanged Man move as well.

5.Limbo from The Good Place - The Hanged Man is like being in a sort of metaphorical Limbo, much like the figurative one the main characters of The Good Place find themselves in after they die. The whole show has a subplot about different philosophies and changing how one approaches their life in order to break out of old patterns.

6.Jesus from Biblical Mythology - The Hanged Man can often point to martyrs and accepting God’s will in order to turn things around. In Biblical mythology, Jesus gave up his life for this higher cause, making the ultimate sacrifice in order for the world to gain some perspective on the ills of the world. Also, the imagery of hanging there, waiting for an epiphany and the eventual awakening is very Hanged Man-esque.  

THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE

“How swiftly fate can make or unmake kings.” -Nathaniel Lee

There is a lot that we can control in this life, but there is also a lot that depends on fate. This is where the Wheel of Fortune comes in! This card points to our luck changing, hopefully for the better– there is a sense of destiny here too, that we will be led through the cycles of life by the design of the universe. I’ve always loved the phrase “Man plans and God laughs.” If this card was a sound, it would be that laugh, and our job is just to roll with it and accept the gambling dice roll that is life sometimes.

::Who’s Who On This Card::

1.The Fates from Greek Mythology - In Greek Mythology, the three Fates would weave, measure and cut the thread of life of each person, determining that person’s destiny, major life events and time of death. These are among the things that are not in our control and this card points to the need to accept these unexpected events as a part of living life.

2.What A Twist Skit from Robot Chicken - There was a short repeating skit in Robot Chicken that parodied M. Night Shyamalan’s movies that always ended with a twist. In the skits, this stop-animation puppet would pop up at the end and shout “What a twist!” in a happy and surprised voice. When The Wheel of Fortune pops up for you in a reading, you can be sure the story of your life is about to leave you utterly surprised at your next twist and turn.

3.Coin Flip from NFL Football - The coin flip before every football game (I think they do these at college level football games as well, maybe..) shows the spinning nature of this card. You can prepare for the game and even call the side of the coin in the air, but where it lands is totally up to the turning of fate. So much can depend on just a one little coin flipping through the air…

4.The Wheel of Fortune - Ha! Well, I mean, it’s literally in the name of the show, so there’s that! Moreover, this game show all depends on the spinning of the wheel – whether you get a windfall of money or go bankrupt is left mostly to chance, so hold on and hope for something good to befall you!

5.The Feather from Forrest Gump - In the opening scene of Forrest Gump, a feather is seen falling from the sky and then getting tossed into the wind to float along in the breeze. The feather is a great metaphor for the larger themes in the movie of life being full of uncontrollable events, luck taking us on a ride during our lives and the fact that we never truly know what is coming next for us over that horizon. For better or worse, we are all like that feather, just floating on the wind, swept up in the changes of our lives.

6.Leaping from Quantum Leap - In Quantum Leap, Doctor Sam Beckett ‘leaps’ from life to life, time traveling through the hands of fate or God or the universe, not knowing what the next leap will be or what new adventure he’ll have to endure as he strives to put right where once went wrong. It’s this sense of not knowing what the future holds and still being propelled into it that this card points to– just hold on as destiny grabs you because luck and fate now control which way you’re headed.