this past week i saw wicked for the first time, and while i loved seeing the bits that aren’t included in the soundtrack, i think what hit me hardest was an old favorite: “defying gravity.”
the song starts with elphaba and glinda arguing. elphaba has, in glinda’s words, flown off the handle at the wizard of oz and glinda wants her to apologize, to make everything right again. but elphaba can’t. she has seen what the wizard truly is and she can’t play by his game anymore, knowing how it’s rigged.
it doesn’t end with the two agreeing, of course. we know how the story goes; the good witch and the wicked witch are at odds. they are, however, able to wish each other the best with their respective goals. they are able to acknowledge each other as friends.
it’s a hard thing, being in conflict, especially with someone you love. but it’s not always a bad thing, either. we cannot expect everyone we know and love to agree on everything, which means that we will have to be brave and face the hard thing.
the five of wands is a perfect card for this. it “can be a call for patience, an a willingness to listen to different opinions. alternatively, you can choose to embrace the friction as a necessity to create a fire,” as the sasuraibito tarot guide says. or, like “defying gravity”, it can be both.
darlings, this week, let’s think about our relationship to conflict. let’s think about when it’s right to listen to the other side, and when it’s right to create a wildfire.
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this week’s deck: sasuraibito tarot
this week’s crystal: citrine