We Are Many!
7 of Wands, and The Strength of a Ballerina
Tell me this painting doesn’t show our socio-political dynamic today!
An executive holding his suspenders, and you can just feel how careless he is. He doesn’t care about the well being of his dancers, nor what they have to say. He just cares about how much profit he can make off their sweat and hard work.
I can see the disinterest in his eyes, and I can practically hear him smack his lips and saying “alright team, we have sold a total of $40,000 in ticket sales (which is more than you’ll see in your whole year’s salary) Good job team, but I know we can do better. Our shareholders are expecting to double the sales next quarter. Keep up the good work. I’m off to the Bahamas”.
Defiance
My heart leaps for our frontline ballerina. She dares to face oppression for the good of her community. Even her posture is one of defiance. Leaning forward as if saying “say it to my face, bitch!”
While the men in the back are looking at the executive, the ladies are talking among themselves, causing a commotion, making noise, perhaps (hopefully) even organizing and unionizing.
Aries
Funny how I found this right at the beginning of Aries season. The fire starter, the bringer of Spring, the one who initiates. I’m taking bets on the frontline being an Aries.
I do love the executive’s right hand stretched out. It’s almost as if he’s gesturing with his hand for her to calm down. She’s fired up and he’s getting nervous.
Ballerinas
Ballerinas are the strongest athletes in the world! You ever tried dancing ballet? I used to and I loved it so much, but man was it hard! An ocean of sweat would form in my clothes and it was pure muscle strength to make something look weightless and delicate.
I find it interesting the color juxtaposition of the ballerinas in white, a sense of purity and softness. Harmless even. In contrast with the brown surroundings and the men in grays, blacks, and browns. Dull, conservative, pushing the status quo.
Never underestimate the strength of softness. One grand battement to the face and he’s knocked out.
7 of Wands
This is a similar archetype the 7 of Wands in the Tarot. A being holding a wand in offense, defending what they believe to be right, holding ground and digging in their heels.
Speaking of heels, did you ever notice the mismatched shoes in the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck?
Mismatched shoes
Here we have Pamela Colman Smith inspired by The Taming of The Shrew. Which I also find interesting because it’s about a man trying to “tame” his bride-to-be. We can see a similar motif in the executive trying to “tame” his ballerina.
Petruchio (the husband) arrives badly dressed for his wedding.
We can take this symbol to the adage “walk a mile in someone else’s shoes”. Perhaps the mismatched shoes are a nod to that. Walking a mile in someone else’s shoes inspires empathy. It means to understand and feel it in the body the pain of someone else, and how similar it is to pains you’ve also felt. We’re not so different, you and I.
Perhaps our ballerina is ready to fight, because not only has she been on pointe for hours, toes bleeding, but she knows what her sisters are going through. She has walked (danced) a mile in their shoes. While our executive here doesn’t have one callus on his feet. Always buying new shoes and of course the most comfortable. When one starts to get worn, why just get new ones.
Fighting the Good Fight
Remember that they are one and we are many!
If the ballerinas decide to walk out, how’s the executive going to make money? What about shareholder value?
So lean forward, feel the fire in your heart and the pain in your feet. And be as strong as a ballerina.
With much love, weightlessness, and tarot magic,
Icaro
I loved this one too! I will share it with my friends. I like your approach of interpreting art with tarot!