A Collective Call to Liberation

An Independence Tarot Reading by Pratishtha Natarajan

Dear Reader,

I am so glad you found your way to this safe tarot space. Happy Independence Day! In the spirit of India’s independence, this is a special reading centered entirely on the theme of liberation, that goes beyond 15th August!

As the energy for this reading gathered, a line from Nicki Minaj unexpectedly popped into the channel:

“They say you don’t know what you got till it’s gone, they say that your darkest hour comes before your dawn, there’s something I should have asked along, Imma ask on the song.”

I encourage you to do the same. Take a moment right now. Set your intention. Invite the universe in, and please take from this message only what resonates with your spirit.

The Roots of Our Reading

(Drawn from the Dirt Gems Plant Oracle)

Before we jump into the reading, let me tell you about this deck. This deck was created by Anne Louise Burdett and Chelsea Granger and is born from a profound love for plants and a deep desire for companionship with the natural world around us. As a lover of herbs and essential oils, these breathtaking images called to me instantly, bringing a much-needed grounding, earthy magic to my collection. 

Now onto the reading! 

To begin, two cards stepped forward to form our base, and the message that came through was genuinely amazing, requiring a deep, thirty-minute pause just to sit with the resonance.

Number 15: Sweet Flag (Suit of Ablaze)

How deeply symbolic. This card bursts forth with the colour red. Think of the root chakra, the very base of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. It carries the energy of fire: hot, sunny, gold, desire, rajas, and mountains. It is beautiful and profound. The card means literally what you would think, it is time to invite colour back into your life and connect your threads back home. Let your sweet flag, whatever that is for you, fly high and proud. Dance in the hurricane of colours and see what you get.

Number 16: Elder / Ancestors Plant (Suit of Water)

We move instantly from fire to water. Think about the ocean. It is still colourful, it is still magnificent, but it is also still and deep yet ever moving. This amazed me to my core, sitting currently on the unceded lands of the Wallumattagal clan of the Dharug nation, who are a water clan. A vision of Vishnu as Matsya, and this deep indigo plant called Elder popping up. Just like an elder, their advice may seem tough, difficult, or painful. But we respect their wisdom because it has come from lived experience. We know that they are strict, but fiercely protective and loving. They are not binaries. Together with Sweet Flag, this forms the beautiful base and the deep roots of our reading.

The Wings of Liberation to Help Us Soar

Drawn from the Wise Earth Medicine Tarot

Again, let me tell you a bit about this deck before we do the reading. This deck is created by Lalania Simone. It shares a beautiful earth connection with the Dirt Gems but follows the traditional 78-card tarot structure. What makes it so incredibly special to me is that it bypasses traditional, literal imagery: you won’t find actual cups on a Cups card here! Instead, it relies on profound animal symbolism, which invites me to look past the obvious, read the energy deeper, and has truly helped me evolve in my tarot practice.

Where the Collective Stands Today: The Sun (The Peacock)

How fitting for liberation! The Sun is symbolised here by the stunning peacock. It is time to invite success, joy, and abundance. No matter your gender, channel the energy of the peacock. It holds a masculine energy, but it is so bold, bright of colour, and unabashedly dances and shows up to enthrall his mate. Colour is for everyone. It is this exact boldness and joy that form the dance of where you stand today.

The Current Blockage: 10 of Earth (Mama and Baby Kangaroo)

We are often so fiercely protective of our pasts or the times when we were hurt, especially regarding our feelings of security, wealth, or completion. We hold onto them like a kangaroo with a baby in her pouch, protecting her from hurt. But just like the little joey needs to jump about to learn its lessons, so do you! You will find stability, and you will always have the ability to have a pouch, but do not hold something in your pouch that wants to jump out.

What is Hidden Right Now: The Flying Goose

This magnificent flying goose comes forward with a reminder of the highest truth! It instantly brings to mind “silly goose behaviour.” Think about what we associate the goose with, it is always seen as silly. But the goose is both a warrior and a guide designed to lead you to your highest truth. Your behavior may seem “silly goose like” to others right now, but you must stick to the path you want to fly.

The Resources at Your Disposal

When asking about your resources, three cards flew out together. They are deeply interconnected and refused to be separated: The 5 of Earth, The Moon, and the Knight of Wind.

  • 5 of Earth (The Raccoon): Symbolised by a despondent raccoon. Think of how we view them, often known as trash eaters, known for their dark eyes, always excluded. But they have learned to find their way and thrive in the trash. Your inner self may feel like this baby raccoon right now: sad and hiding behind a tree. But you are equally as fierce and adaptable as this creature.
  • The Moon (The Wolf): Represented by the wolf howling at the moon. I love this image. The message coming through is clear: your intuition is angry and howling right now. It is a massive resource. When it releases so loudly and boldly, just like the wolf does when it finally surrenders to the tides and the howl rises through its whole being, it invokes something truly beautiful.
  • Knight of Wind: This energetic resonance of the moon’s watery intuition takes us right to the sky. We are all passionate, driven, and ambitious. If you have any blocks around feeling like you are any of those things, trust me, it is only because you haven’t found the thing yet. Passion is like intuition, of course, it takes discipline, adaptability, and practice, but it is the resonance of the howling, the passion, that will take you soaring.

The Message from Your Higher Self

  • 9 of Water (The Starfish) Finally, what does your higher self-want you to know? They want you to know this 9 of Water, represented by the starfish. This is the most unique 9 of Cups you will ever see. This is a card of complete wish fulfillment. But true wish fulfillment is nothing external. That is what the beautiful stillness of this creature reminds us of. It is already abundant. It is already living in its dream life. Your higher self is asking you to find that same profound stillness and realise the abundance you already inhabit.

Here’s a sneak peek into our yet to be published August edition of WWeaV. Happy Independence Day!! Also check this YouTube Link for the video.

I truly hope this message resonated and connected with you. I believe you are sovereign and an independent being wherever you are tuning in from. And to honour India this Independence Day, I conclude this message by thanking the land’s innate wisdom and by saying Satyameva Jayate. The eternal truth is always victorious.

With immense tarot blessings,

Pratishtha