A World Away...

(Photo credit/Copyright: Terence Rushin @photorushin)

my trip to atlanta for memorial day weekend started with a desire to do what often comes up during tarot readings: change!! get moving!! there are numerous cards in a tarot deck that can indicate travel or some type of physical movement including the 4 of wands, the chariot, the knights of any suit, temperance and -- especially -- the world.

as a tarotist, one of my greatest strengths and privileges is having the ability to meet people where they are. no judgment, no fear, no preconceptions. just one human to another human, having a spiritually guided moment. in order to keep my inner self refreshed and strong, it's vital to avoid stagnant energy -- including routine days with routine readings with routine topics or decks, etc. travel is one way i recharge and expand my gifts. travel offers me a chance to build a personal connection to tarot cards like the world so when i read, i know firsthand what the energy feels like and what type of results it can produce.. in the words of the great deceased comedian, bernie mac, travel allows me to "tell you what I know, not what I heard" about tarot and its major arcana energies like the world.

Truthfully, travel nowadays is different -- we realize that. I single-masked my way through the airport and doubled up during the flight. but i also kept thinking about what lay ahead of me during the journey from florida to the atl rather than what could go wrong or glaring resentfully at travelers who chose not to mask. i was focused on doing my best to stay safe and trusting my guides to do the rest. those first hugs with family i hadn't seen in a long time made whatever travel hassles disappear in an instant. the car ride along highways filled with endless acres of lush green pine and maple trees was a welcome shift from endless miles of beaches and coconut palms. we stopped for lunch and it was refreshing to hear an offering of fresh brewed sweet tea instead of 2-for-1 overproof mojitos.

i took great delight in a place that was less than a two-hour flight but felt worlds apart from my usual daily rhythm. i stopped to think about you, and you, and you too! -- people who are opening hearts and minds to get more out of life, to reach for something beyond the boredom or fear, to claim a rightful stake in an ever-changing world. To peer out into a horizon where the past is what it was while the future winks, "hello there, beautiful!"

(IMAGE CREDIT: LOTUS TAROT)

i SPENT FOR DAYS LUXURIATING IN THE COMPANY OF LOVED ONES AND STRANGERS, ESPECIALLY WHILE ATTENDING A JAZZFEST AT PIEDMONT PARK IN THE HEART OF ATLANTA. THE HOLIDAY FESTIVAL HAD BEEN CANCELLED LIKE SO MANY OTHERS OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS, AND I MUST SAY, IT'S NOT THE MUSIC I REMEMBER WHILE WRITING THIS AS THE SMILING FACES. WHITE. BLACK. LATINO, GAY. STRAIGHT. KIDS. ELDERS. VEGANS. CARNIVORES. POT SMOKERS. STRAIGHT LACED. ALL GETTING ALONG. ALL SEEMINGLY RELIEVED TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET "BACK TO NORMAL." IT WAS AN EVENT THAT BROUGHT OUT THE BEST OF WHAT AMERICA IS: A MELTING POT IN THE DEEP SOUTH WHERE PEOPLE WERE COOL, CALM, COLLECTED. SHARING AN EXPERIENCE. SHARING A WORLD.

wITH BLESSINGS -- AFEFE