Knight of Wands

After attending Jade T. Perry and Rachel C Blakes' Mixed Method Divination workshop, I did a pull for myself using Colored Afros Art’s Afro Avatar's cards and one of my cherished books, Alexis Pauline Gumbs’ Undrowned: Black Feminist Lessons from Marine Mammals.

In Colored Afros Art’s depiction of the Knight of Wands, we see a forest scene; center is a warrior like figure with a wand straddled atop a large, four legged creature with a long neck and snout. It’s an animal from the Avatar world called Shirshu. The Shirshu has no eyes and trusts its sense of smell to guide its way. It literally does not stop until it finds what it has been searching for— determination and focused action is the name of its game. For me, this card brings to mind passionate action and forward movement.

Then, I opened my book to a random page:

“Remember this feeling, there is something called love. I would say remember, there is something called freedom even if you can’t see it [...] There is something called freedom and you know how to call it.”

—Undrowned, Alexis Pauline Gumbs

I loved how the mixed method added a depth of understanding to the card—the initial message: move forward towards what makes you come alive. When I added the text: move forward by letting love, determination, spirituality, creativity, and intuition lead the way; come out of paralysis, move towards true aliveness, even if you haven’t ever gotten to see what it is you're looking for. Trust that a piece of you knows the way.

What if we moved towards a future/world/community that hasn’t ever even existed? Or hasn’t existed in this current time but was a part of us in another?

What if we believed in freedom and liberation and love and the parts of our bodies that know there is more than these current systems that shackle us?

What if liberation was both about creating and remembering a time and world where life is sacred and earth is sacred and community is sacred and joy is sacred and children are sacred and elders are sacred?

What if we lived the truth that we are all connected to all that exists now, has existed, and ever will exist?

What could this world be if we passionately moved forward with those visions held as truth and we grabbed them, brought them down, and wove that reality into being?