I had to go grocery shopping a couple of days ago. I wasn’t sure what to expect given the fact that the Coronavirus seems to have just penetrated the mass consciousness of America and people are shopping like there’s no tomorrow.
But we were running out of food. I was about to run out of coffee creamer, for goodness sakes!
Ample coffee creamer is synonymous with “civilization” in my world.
I wasn’t entirely surprised to find no toilet paper–the aisles at Aldi’s had been picked clean. A lonely, beat-up tissue box was all that remained (after I tossed a couple boxes into my cart, because…well, no toilet paper). I decided not to grab the last tissue box in case someone else needed it more.
I’ve seen many admonitions not to panic. I’m sure somebody somewhere is panicking, but it wasn’t what I personally witnessed. People were focused for sure, but most were not giving out cranky or anxious vibes. Overall, I was feeling a sense of camaraderie. People were kind to me and one another, albeit across increased personal space.
I don’t think of more aggressive shopping as proof positive of mass panic. Folks want to have a good supply of toilet paper and soap (and yes, coffee creamer) because this provides a sense of predictability and control. That’s what’s lacking in the bigger world right now. It feels like doing something, you know? People are preparing to hunker down and ride things out if need be, and would like to be comfortable doing so.
In a weird way, I found the whole experience oddly comforting. Realizing most of us have a lifestyle such that having enough toilet tissue, hand soap and Ramen in the cabinet qualifies as disaster preparedness? It drives the point home: most of us live a very good life!
Next week, I’m expecting the mass vibe to be very similar to this shopping trip.
Next Week in Tarot
For outlook this week, we’ve got the High Priestess. On advice, the Eight of Cups is joined by the Tower, all from the Radiant Rider-Waite deck.
There’s plenty going on, but much more is under the surface than out in the open. So you can’t really put your finger on issues directly so much as you can just FEEL it. Your spidey senses will do the best job of guiding you this week (as always).
We’d be well advised not to make any grand, sweeping gestures this week. Don’t burn any bridges. There could be an itch to “get things settled, once and for all” but there won’t be a need to scratch it. Bridges that most need burning are likely to spontaneously combust. If you take a step back emotionally, you’re far less likely to feel the heat.
Let events sort themselves out because they will–potentially with great drama and fanfare. Tower energy isn’t exactly subtle. The upside of the Tower sort of disruption is that it tends to be quick. Dramatic, sure. But usually it’s not going to drag on and on. Once the Tower begins to fall, it’s coming down and there will be no stopping it. Our choice is only in how close we’re standing to ground zero.
The key point here is that any drama does NOT have to be largely disruptive on a personal level. Step back. Let go what you can and wait for what you cannot let go to settle down. It will.
The world is a little weird right now. But that’s okay. We can be okay individually, weirdness in the bigger world or not. Take a step back and ride it out!
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