Seeking asylum in the tarot

Samhain TarotBlogHop 2014

If for some reason the links above don’t work, hop on over to the Master List to find the next blog in the BlogHop. The directive for this BlogHop was to write about whom we would invite for tea if we could. Instead of choosing a deceased ancestor I would choose to invite an asylum seeker over for tea – if I could.

Most of us lead relatively secure lives, confident that we live in a democracy that as citizens affords us some rights and protection. Imagine if it were not so. Imagine fleeing your country of birth in fear of your life, in fear of your partner and children’s lives.

As parents we would do anything to protect our children. Now imagine such an opportunity presents itself, a ‘safe’ passage out of the land that seeks your annihilation. ‘Safe’ is relative of course; however, I imagine the people who subject themselves and their beloved families to dangerous seas on a small, often overloaded boat seeking safety and freedom as asylum seekers, weigh up the risks of drowning at sea against being slaughtered in their homeland. It must be a terrifying choice to make…

The card in tarot that reminds me of what some people call ‘boat people’ is the Six of Swords, if only because of the imagery.

It seems there is little that I and other concerned citizens can do about the plight of asylum seekers who reach our shores only to be detained indefinitely under the most heinous conditions, often separated from their loved ones, and often sent back to their own countries. How I would love to wrap my arms around them, to rock their children to sleep and to tell them  tales of hope of a better future in this wonderful land Down Under. Sadly our hands are tied.

Instead we can protest and vote for a more humane and compassionate policy toward asylum seekers, this we can do. We can join a letter-writing campaign to reach out to asylum seekers, person-to-person, and hope that our messages of encouragement and hope is carried with enough love to keep their courage and faith alive. Perhaps receiving a sincere letter from someone who cares will help in some small way to calm the proverbial rough waters they find themselves in, maybe even be a step toward restoring their faith in humanity again.

The Swords suit in tarot governs over the spoken and written word, and we know that the pen is mightier than the sword. We might not be able to visit with these asylum seekers to hear their tales and to offer the comfort of companionship and compassion, but we are able to extend a hand of friendship through the written word to  contribute toward restoring their dignity and humanity as well as our own.

If you haven’t yet, I recommend watching an Australian documentary that was recently released called ‘Mary Meets Mohammad.’ If you too feel moved to do something for asylum seekers feel free to download a document  called ‘what can i do?’ with details of a coordinated letter-writing campaign that you can participate in if you are so inclined.

Thank you for your humanity.
#onelove