Welcome to Cast Iron, a weekly newsletter about fitness, tarot and current events that hits inboxes every Monday. Each issue features a workout based on a tarot card, a tarot pull related to current events and, sometimes, a blog post or journal prompt. You’ll also find a list of my current favs at the end of each email, so be sure to check those out if you’re low on inspiration or energy. If you like my work, connect with me on Instagram and Twitter @byAlissaSmith or visit my website.
Justice represents accountability, consequence, fairness, truth, objectivity and decisive action.
In this card, we see Justice as a person holding aloft a raised sword in one hand and Libra’s scales in the other. The Sword is the Ace of Swords, which represents clarity through information, research, data and rational thought. She’s holding it in her right hand, which is usually associated with outgoing energy. Her heaven-facing blade represents victory, and Siolo Thompson notes in The Linestrider’s Journey that Justice’s double-edged sword represents impartiality.
In her left hand, Libra’s scales hang down, bringing to mind a sort of “as above, so below” balance. As the left hand often is associated with inward flowing energy, we can infer that she takes in the details about a situation before making a judgment with her sword.
The scales may also remind mythology lovers about Ma’at, the Egyptian deity of truth, balance and divine order. In that mythos, the hearts of the dead were weighed against Ma’at’s feather of truth (which may be the ostrich feather that she’s often spotted wearing on her head). If the heart weighed more than the feather, then that person’s heart was devoured by Ammut. If the feather outweighed the heart, then the deceased was free to enter the land of the dead.
In the RWS version, we see a very similar scene, which makes sense as the initial card is from a clone deck. The balance of Justice is echoed in the tarot card’s art, which shows a nearly perfect symmetrical scene. Even the number of the card, 11, is symmetrical (when not shown in Roman numerals).
This Justice’s cloak is held together by a clasp that shows a circle enveloped in a square, which Modern Tarot author Michelle Tea says represents a protective force around a community. I think the imagery represents how our society is built upon the natural order and laws of the world; taking it a step further, we can infer that laws, justice and order are required to create communities. As Avatar Kyoshi said, “Only justice will bring peace.”
Martin Luther King Jr. said that the “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” The late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg once used that Martin Luther King Jr. quote in a dissenting opinion and added that the arc only bends toward justice “if there is a steadfast commitment to see the task through to completion.”
Creating justice and peace requires thoughtful, engaged and decisive action. Justice is ready to mete out an appropriate consequence, whether that consequence is seen as positive or negative by the receiver. It’s important to note that justice as portrayed by this card represents moral justice, not necessarily the laws enforced by authorities, institutions or other people in power.
As Justice can represent a kick in the butt, the below balance-focused workout will strengthen your lower body.
Fit tip: In the gym and on the weight floor, you only get out what you put in. If you’re working out every day at minimal effort levels, not sleeping enough, not eating enough, not moving enough, you won’t get stronger, faster, more conditioned or reach any lofty lifting goals. Hold yourself accountable.
Reading (the) Room
This week we’re talking about hungry Americans. According to Feeding America, a domestic hunger-relief nonprofit, one in six people and one in four children may go hungry because of the pandemic. Additionally, 80% of food banks are serving more people this year than last year.
“The pandemic has exposed the fragile nature of success for millions of Americans: material markers of outward stability, if not prosperity, but next to nothing to fall back on when times get tough,” The New York Times reports.
When people think of hunger in America, they may envision maps of food deserts, images of soup kitchens or photos of people huddled in Depression-era breadlines.
The Associated Press reports that “this year’s portrait of hunger has a distinctively bird’s eye view: Enormous traffic jams captured from drone-carrying cameras. Cars inching along, each driver waiting hours for a box or bag of food. From Anaheim, California to San Antonio, Texas to Toledo, Ohio and Orlando, Florida and points in-between, thousands of vehicles carrying hungry people queued up for miles across the horizon. In New York, and other large cities, people stand, waiting for blocks on end.”
National Geographic reports that communities in which the majority of residents are Black, Native American or Hispanic are being disproportionately affected by pandemic-related hunger insecurity.
The managing director of Feeding America’s research unit, Emily Engelhard, told National Geographic that “the populations and geographies that started in the most disadvantageous state of food insecurity are the ones that are getting hit the hardest.”
So let’s talk about what you can do to help. You can donate to and volunteer at food banks, rally relevant politicians to take action on pandemic relief legislation, check on your neighbors and, if you’re near Atlanta, you can drop off food in community fridges organized by Free99Fridge.
Rather than pulling cards this week, I’m going to highlight the Five of Pentacles.
The Five of Pentacles is about hardship, poverty and general lack. In this portrayal, we see two people walking through a snowstorm outside of what appears to be a church (check out that stained glass window). The pentacles are connected to the element of earth, which means they strongly relate to material wealth and physical health.
This card always reminds me of the Little Matchstick Girl, a horrid tale about a little girl freezing to death. Countless people walked right by her as her limbs slowly numbed and then started to ache, as her slight shivering turned to violent shakes until finally halting completely, as her heart rate slowed and a lack of oxygen caused her to hallucinate that she was warm, cared for and well-fed.
Would you have noticed the dying girl? Would you have stopped to help or would you have walked by, enveloped in worries about decor, gifts and holiday plans?
Do something about the crisis right outside your home.
What I’m loving this week:
Korean Home Cooking: Classic and Modern Recipes and Love and Lemons
We’re not eating out that much at my house. The main driving factor is that eating outside the home raises COVID risks for all involved. Yes, we can order take-out but that add$ up. So, I’ve invested in some cookbooks that will allow me to make some version of my fav foods at home!
Extremely à la Buffy the Vampire Slayer, this YA book is a simple and fun beach read filled with witches and spooky baddies. As it is a YA book aimed at younger teens, be prepared for a lot of “ughs” and undeserved anguish.
Yes, this is another K-drama that involves the dead, demons, ghosties and the like. What can I say? It beats watching Supernatural and all its clones. Also, I can’t rewatched Charmed anymore. It’s been over a decade. If anyone has any good original Charmed-esque recs, please let me know!!
This week’s deck is Modern Witch Tarot by Lisa Sterle.
How can you support Cast Iron?
Share this newsletter and leave a comment below! Tell me what you liked, didn’t like, want to see, etc. I want to know how to make this newsletter the best thing about Mondays. If you have a story or topic idea, drop me a line at Hello@AlissaSmith.red.
How can you support me?
Hire me for freelance writing gigs. You can find some of my clips here.
Schedule remote tarot readings and/or personal training sessions with me.
Buy a copy of COVENTRY, a secular witchcraft zine run by me and my friend, Megan Castro, an Atlanta-based artist. Our newest issue covers truth, bias and conspiracy and how these concepts sometimes appear in witchcraft communities. Our spellcrafting zine currently is available as part of a collab with Folk Care, a company founded by an Atlanta-based herbalist.
Note: Some of the links I’ve included are affiliate links, which means I may get a cent or two if you decide to purchase whatever was linked.