I turned 29 about a week ago to very little fanfare.  That doesn't mean I haven't been busy.

On the evening of January 1st, I pulled out 12 cards from my Initiatory Golden Dawn deck to forecast the upcoming year.  But instead of posting it here, I wrote them down in my planner to kinda meditate on as the months goes by.  The card for January's forecast [theme?] was the 9 of Cups - The Lord of Material Happiness.

Which I found confusing at first.

Habari Gani, everyone- and a Happy New Year to you all!

When this post goes live I will most likely still be in my bed, as my beloved and recover from the nerdy masquerade ball we'll be attending New Year's Eve.  So I wanted to make sure this was ready for you- our last day of Kwanzaa, and our last Principle: Imani [or 'Faith'].

Habari Gani, everyone?

Did you miss Part !?  Part 2?  Part 3?  Part 4?  Part 5?

It's New Year's Eve!  How has the time flown by so quickly, huh?  But just because we're all ready to say 'good riddance' to the collective dumpster fire that has been 2017, that doesn't mean that we are done with Kwanzaa!  In fact, as we make the transition to 2018, I think this is one of the potent times to really consider today's Principle: Kuumba [or 'Creativity'].

Habari gani everyone?

Did you miss Part 1?  Part 2?  Part Three?  Part Four?

Yes I know this entry was late, but honestly when I sat down to write this last night my eyes felt like they were seconds away from exploding out of my skull.  So this is a belated Day 5 of Kwanzaa post [and you'll be the getting the last two on time to compensate!]

So, yesterday's Principle was Nia ['Purpose'], where we are asked “To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.”

As I mentioned before, keeping in mind that Kwanzaa is a hella-Black festival, the emphasis in the last part of that phrase is critical.  'Restore OUR people to their traditional greatness.' No doubt it's pointing to the times before our ancestors were treated as chattel and goods.  Before the centuries of colonialism, slavery, apartheid, etc. stripped us of everything that made us great as a people.

However I think that that is a struggle that is hard to articulate in a tarot spread- at least, not here.  For Kwanzaa is about pushing forward and making the future better for those yet to come. And thus, that's the direction I went with the spread for Nia.