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Writer's pictureGem Blackthorn

A Morning For Reflection

Tarot, Mutual Aid, and Resilience in Community


The Emperor tarot from The Urban Tarot Deck a still from Shuffle Session #1 by Gem Blackthorn on YouTube
Still from Shuffle Session #1

Over on YouTube, I published my first Shuffle Session. I’ll be using this series to meditate on culture, community, current events, spiritual ideals, and whatever comes to mind.


For my first Shuffle Session, I reflected on the day after a particular event that occurred earlier in the week and how it relates to mutual aid, community involvement, and the challenges we face.


A Quiet Morning in Reflection

Wednesday was a difficult morning for many women of color in my country. I remembered the morning of November 9, 2016, when the world went quiet. Even the drive to work — usually filled with radio DJs and their absurd morning shows — was somber. My friends in New York City noted how quiet the city was, even in the subway.


I didn’t have a commute this year because I work from home, but it was still a quiet morning for me. I left my phone in another room. When I finally got the habitual impulse to scroll, I went through my collections on TikTok and watched old, funny videos I saved.


To an outsider, it might’ve looked like the result made no difference to me. But that’s not the case. I knew that if I doomscrolled, I would descend into a spiral of hopelessness…the way I did in 2016. I was useless to my community then. I want to be useful now. A component of that is protecting my peace and planning next steps.


Whether it’s a personal or national tragedy, I’ve always been someone who acts first and feels later.


Charity vs. Mutual Aid: A Lesson from Experience

Now…I’m not going to explain why this post is shifting gears from a reaction to a national event to the difference between charity and mutual aid…we need to go back to reading between the lines.


I’ve been volunteering for causes I care about for fifteen years. Mental health awareness. Suicide prevention. Food insecurity. Housing insecurity. Etc. Etc.


I started off by volunteering with charities. Then 2020 happened. And I saw firsthand the functional difference between charity and mutual aid.


I was on the board of a pretty large organization. And the shutdown had just occurred. This organization had lunch meetings at a country club once a week. And because we were there so consistently, we had a dedicated server. We saw her often, we knew her name, a little bit about her life, and had a good rapport with her.


When the shutdown began, we obviously couldn’t keep meeting at the country club. The executive board met virtually to discuss donating to charities to help people get through the pandemic. Toward the end of the meeting, the president of this organization proposed that we make a donation to our server because she was a single mom who was about to be furloughed.


Legally, there was a way we could give her money and it was all worked out, we just needed the rest of the board to approve. And they said no.


And not just no. But they asked “Why?”


They didn’t get it.


They said “Why would we donate to one person when we could donate to a large charity and help a lot of people?” Mind you, they were still going to donate to several charities. This wasn’t an either/or proposal. It also wasn’t very much. It was only a couple of hundred dollars, when they had already approved thousands of dollars and there was money left over in the allocated funds.


Their logic might appear sound to some people. But it showed that they didn’t understand, or empathize, with how hard it is to get meaningful help from a charity when so many people need help too. Our server could’ve paid for bills and groceries with the money we wanted to give her. But instead, they were proposing that she take time off from looking for a new job, to find one of the organizations we were donating to, fill out some form, get in line, and maybe get a box of food once. And nothing else.


Charities aren’t bad. They have their role. But a charity or institution isn’t going to know what you need the way your friends, family, and neighbors know what you need. Mutual aid — where community members directly support each other — fills that gap.


Tarot and Real-World Magic

Tarot, for me, isn’t just about reading cards; it’s about applying spiritual insight to real-world situations. Living a magical life might conjure images of candles, herbs, and meditative rituals, but it’s actually about something much more grounded. Magic can be the radical act of holding onto hope and pushing forward when it feels like the odds are against you. Exerting your will against a tough situation — that’s magic in practice.


I recommend 78 Acts of Liberation by Lane Smith for anyone interested in learning more about using tarot as a tool for empowerment and liberation.


Community Roles and Collective Care

In a balanced community, we each have effective and sustainable roles.


  1. Observers and Preservers — These individuals document the emotions of the time through writing, photography, or other forms of recording. They might not act openly but are invaluable for keeping a historical record.


  2. Organizers — They work behind the scenes to coordinate, fundraise, and manage logistics.


  3. Actors — These are the people on the ground, volunteering, and engaging directly.


  4. Healers — Providing physical or emotional support, they help soothe the community and keep everyone grounded.


No one can fulfill every role, nor should they. Community requires balance. Observers, organizers, actors, and healers all play distinct parts that sustain each other. If one role is overwhelmed, the others can step up and provide support.


A Message From The Cards

If you watch the video, you’ll notice that certain cards jumped out. These cards come together to say a message about the event from earlier this week that you might find interesting. I sure did.




Take a moment to find your role in your community and lean into it. This isn’t about shouldering everything alone but about sharing responsibility and resilience. Because in times like these, we find strength together.


 

Thank you for making it this far. I have a download available: What Every Tarot Card Means in a Money Reading. Perfect for tarot readings regarding business, workplace, or personal finances (for entertainment purposes only, obviously).


If you enjoyed this post, subscribe to my newsletter for more esoteric content, or consider showing your support by buying me a coffee. If you’re a writer, download 300+ writing prompts inspired by the Tarot. If you’re a witch, access my Book of Shadows Notion Template here.

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