The Housing Tarot
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THE HOUSING TAROT Alfred Twu & octo-pisces MMXIX Berkeley, California Art by Alfred Twu Words by Alfred Twu and octo-pisces First edition, November 2019 Berkeley, California feedback: [email protected] to order a deck: californiarailmap.com/housingtarot Introduction For many years, people have used tarot to understand the self and their relationships with others. Today, as we live in interconnected metropolitan societies, there’s also the need to know a community’s past, present, future, and links to the wider world. The Housing Tarot can aid in understanding one’s block, neighborhood, city, or entire metropolitan area. It can also be used like a regular tarot deck for finding meaning at the personal or family scale. As a Californian, the architectures and issues of this present time and place take a large role in this Housing Tarot. There are many truths in this world and the reader is advised to adapt and reinterpret their findings to local circumstances. Contents Using the Housing Tarot......................2 Major Arcana.........................................6 Dingbats................................................17 Brownshingles......................................23 Missions................................................28 Victorians..............................................33 Using the Housing Tarot Shuffle the cards face down. One at a time, reveal the cards and place them on the spread while reflecting on the meaning. The upright and reversed meanings are always both present. Sometimes a card will come out upside-down. In these cases, pay special attention to the Reversed meaning. Simple Spread 1 2 3 1. Past: systems, decisions, and events that continue to affect us today. 2. Present: current challenges, debates, and things to focus on right now. 3. Future: changes, hopes and fears, things to monitor and prepare for. Celtic Cross This is a common tarot spread for in-depth readings. 10 5 9 4 1 6 2 8 3 7 1. What are the current conditions? 2. What obstacle do we face? 3. What deeper systems are at work? 4. What does our past tell us? 5. What is going on today? 6. What lies in the near future? 7. What are we thinking about? 8. What is happening in nearby places? 9. What do we want or fear? 10. What lies in the long term? Time and Space A spread for expanding one’s physical and temporal horizons. 6 8 9 Global 3 5 7 Regional 1 2 4 Local Present Near Long Term Future Timeline A spread for problem solving. 1 2 3 4 5 1. What is the deeper issue behind this? 2. What important things have happened? 3. What resources do we have within us? 4. What external influences can be expected? 5. What direction should we take? Compass Rose A spread for thinking deeper about relations and connections with neighboring areas. North 4 7 8 5 1 3 West East 9 2 6 South Other possible spreads - City council or supervisor districts. - Building floor plans. - Transit maps. - Project flowcharts. MAJOR ARCANA 0. The Fool A stack of half-abandoned shipping containers sprout from a muddy field. Hot and cramped, they’re bad for housing, but it’s in these odd spaces that art and informal business flourish. The space of the fool is one of freedom. It’s late-night urban exploring into the vastness of the unknown. Bright-eyed excitement and naive wonder, either not yet jaded or so jaded that nothing matters anymore. Open to new experiences, to creating a new vision without a map. Upright: Makeshift structures, amateur design, emergency housing. Reversed: Recycling bad ideas, fads, shantytowns. I. The Magician In the heart of downtown, a theater is reborn with homes and terraces above. The magician transforms visions into reality, builds something out of nothing. The magician is manifestation at it’s finest with an energy that can charm anything into being. Upright: Magic of the city, The invisible hand, Entertain- ment. Reversed: Bad faith policy, Things too good to be true, Corporate welfare. II. The High Priestess Under the arch in the park, we watch a neighborhood revitalize, but as the rents climb, the community is again dying. The high priestess knows all the answers lie within. This is a time to look toward intuition, gut feelings, and spiritual guidance. A time to connect to elders, ancestors, and history. Fiercely pursue what you know to be true, let it be your map. What would Jane Jacobs do? Upright: Revitalization, Desire, Gateways. Reversed: Gentrification, Obsession, Vacancy. III. The Empress A grand hotel brings a forest into the city under a glass dome. The empress is the forest, providing sustenance and care to an entire community. The forest creates an ecosystem that supports and loves all inhabitants. Upright: Indoor environmental quality, Beauty, Plants. Reversed: Air conditioning, Stunted growth, Humidity. IV. The Emperor An imposing tower of limestone rises in steps, capped by a golden pyramid. The emporer represents structures and boundaries. The rules. The map that says where to go and how to get there. Rules can stifle and they can also liberate. How will you hold your power? Upright: Efficient government, Law and order, The establishment. Reversed: Authoritarianism, Surveillance, Patriarchy. V. The Hierophant A bridge connects the mundane city to the heavenly city. The heirophant is a teacher, building bridges between vastly different worlds. The hierophant knows exactly what to do and why. The Hierophant has seen it all and has so much wisdom to impart . Upright: Sacred sites, The clergy, Bridges. Reversed: Sectarian disputes, False prophets, Bottlenecks. VI. The Lovers The gaytowns69 district of the city is home to dozens of clubs, bars, and other queer spaces. Love, lust, and community characterize this district. The lovers represents a partnership - buisness, personal, or otherwise. Feelings and desire are prioritized over anything else. Upright: Festivals, Love, Crossroads. Reversed: Riots, Shame, Gridlock. VII. The Chariot Amidst a worsening crisis of homelessness and shortage of housing, a lot has been set up for safe RV parking. The Chariot is the community organizer, the person who rallies the troops and makes things happen. The person who makes the plan and doesn’t stop until the goal is reached. Determination, stamina, and drive. Upright: Vanlife, Resilience, Nomadic lifestyle. Reversed: Homelessness, Being trapped, Feeling unwelcome. VIII. Strength The people united have shut down the port to demand a living wage and a union. This card is a reminder to never give your power away, to demand what’s right. We are stronger together. The pursuit of seeking accountability and providing checks and balances is necessary. Upright: Labor unions, Solidarity, Strikes. Reversed: Monopolies, Disputes, Lockouts. IX. The Hermit Behind gates and winding roads, a luxury compound finds a second life as a meditation retreat. This is a productive, yet restful retreat, one that leaves you feeling rejuvenated. Upright: Detox, Quality of life, Gated communities. Reversed: Avoiding responsibility, Exurbia and rural sprawl, Tax avoidance. X. Wheel of Fortune From around and beyond the city, buses come together on the hour in a timed transfer. The Wheel of Fortune enables this magical synchronicity. Upright: Paying it forward, Synchronicity Buses. Reversed: Running from problems, Relying on chance, Missed connections. XI. Justice The scales of justice tilt towards the many living in an apartment building, rather than the few that live in a oneplex. The watchful avocado looks forward to all our neighbors. Justice tilts the scales to where they need to be. Justice aligns itself with what is fair and correct. Upright: Rule of law, Lawful good, Housing justice. Reversed: Lawsuits, Lawful evil, Exclusionary zoning. XII. The Hanged Man An old factory becomes a brewery and beer garden. This card indicates the moment before a decision or a major change. The first step in a series of shifts moving toward something better. Progress. Upright: Nightlife, The unexpected, Gathering spaces. Reversed: Substance use, Hangovers, Low wage service economy. XIII. Death A freeway comes down, to be replaced by trees and homes. Transformation. The death of the old way is sometimes necessary in order to make space for the seeds of something new. Upright: Redesigning entire systems, Major change, Freeway revolt. Reversed: Systemic failure, Fear of change, Road closures. XIV. Temperance At the end of a journey of hundreds of miles, water cascades down the hill to the treatment plant. Temperance calls for balance, integration, and smooth waters. Upright: Running smoothly, Tranquility, Aqueducts and water systems. Reversed: Deferred maintenance, Blissful ignorance, Drought. XV. The Devil A huge mcmansion sprawls over fields of lawn. The devil represents greed, addiction, and vices. It also calls for a lighthearted nature, not taking things too seriously. Upright: Inherited wealth, Greed, Corporate executives. Reversed: Money laundering, Insecurity, Nonprofit industrial complex. XVI. The Tower Lightning strikes the Tower, casting billionaires down to the angry mob below. Disaster and destruction are all represented by this card. Despite the crisis this card indicates, it also offers protection and healing from the fall out. Upright: Uprisings, Revolution, A fall from power. Reversed: Billionaires, Real estate industry, Slow moving disasters. XVII. The Star A reflecting pool and temple mark the halfway point of water’s journey from mountain to city. The star represents replenishment, emotional health, and general prosperity. Upright: Statewide infrastructure, Long journeys, Ecological balance. Reversed: Urban-rural divide, Out of sight, out of mind, Environmental impacts. XVIII. The Moon On this side of the gate, dogs walk on leash. On the other side, we howl at the moon in the wilderness beyond the horizon. The moon brings out the shadow side out in us all. The moon is characterized by instability and feeling untethered. Upright: Unpolluted nature, Wildlife, Regional parks. Reversed: Natural disasters, Feral animals, Lack of open space. XIX. The Sun From world’s fairs to new neighborhoods, the island has always been forward looking.