THE LEVEE

XVI THE LEVEE

The levee, built by man to hold back the immense power of the Mississippi River, crumbles. The water flows where it wishes, flooding the streets below in a testament to man’s hubris before the forces of nature. Once embodied by ‘The Tower’ in the traditional tarot, this card card implies destruction, upheaval, and sudden revelations may be at hand. You may have been experiencing a period of comfort and safety, where nothing seems like it may touch your sense of well-being. The wheel is always turning, however, and a sudden change may rock the foundation of your beliefs, your personal worldview, or well-being. This can be a sudden death, an unexpected financial loss, that late season hurricane. Like the levee was built to protect New Orleans, we too build walls to protect the side of ourselves we would not rather others see. We hide our true genders, our sexual orientations, our identities and pasts that would make it difficult to operate in a white dominated, cis heterosexual world. This card suggests reflection on what you keep from others and what you share, as there may be a threat to the structure of protection you have built around yourself. It is important to remind yourself of those that would support and love you no matter what. Now may be the time to reach out to those individuals if you need help or understanding of what you are going through.

Reversed: Everyone knew the levee was going to fail eventually, but the work needed to be done on them was always put off, until the river brought death to the city of New Orleans. Reversed, this card speaks of the disaster on the horizon. You know a tumultuous period is in your future, and perhaps you have been ignoring it in hopes it will go away. The hurricane isn’t going to turn this time, though, and you need to face it head on, with preparation and grace. There may be a relationship in your life you have been putting off ending. Maybe there is a difficult conversation at work you don’t want to have. It’s got to happen, and there is no use in delaying the inevitable. What you are about to face my cause you pain and discomfort, which can be anxiety inducing. Just remember, each difficult situation teaches us something, and you are strong for stepping up to face this challenge.