Welcome to Cast Iron, a weekly newsletter about fitness, tarot and current events that hits inboxes every Monday (usually). 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.
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Temperance represents balance and moderation.
I always imagine Temperance as a tightrope walker. They understand that balance ebbs and flows depending on factors within and outside their control; The tightrope walker can rise onto their tippy-toes or stand on one leg, the wind can rise and fall, a sprinkle of rain may hit their glasses or thunder may crash in the distance. True balance requires the tightrope walker to consider all these factors and then act in such a way that they can maintain their connection to the rope.
In this card, we see Temperance as Avalokiteshvara, the Buddhist bodhisattva of compassion. Avalokiteshvara’s gender is fluid, just like the androgynous angel used to portray Temperance in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck.
Michelle Tea writes in Modern Tarot that Temperance’s appearance may be a reference to Hermaphroditus, the hermaphroditic child of Hermes and Aphrodite who is sometimes portrayed as a winged androgynous deity.
Rachel Pollack notes in Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom that the flowers near Temperance resemble irises, which could be a reference to the Greek messenger goddess Iris, who was known to gather water from the river Styx with a golden container. Iris connects deities and humans, which serves to remind us of Temperance’s role as a bridge between two seemingly opposite energies.
Temperance represents the Middle Path, a Buddhist idea of avoiding extremes to reach enlightenment. Temperance is a force of moderation, which is emphasized by above character keeping one foot on land and one in the sea. This stance also shows that Temperance is able to mix their outer and inner lives, which are respectively represented by land and water. This card’s connection to moderation also connects it to those recovering from or struggling with addictions.
With all that said, I’ve crafted a workout to help bring you back to balance and correct some possible muscle imbalances.
Fit tip: When attempting to correct a strength imbalance, start the move or rep set on your weaker side. Once you max out on that side, match the rep count on your dominant side. This will help to strengthen both sides/muscles without nursing the imbalance.
Reading (the) Room
With the secular and witchy new year giving us all the go-ahead to start fresh, I’d like to talk about cards of the year and how to find yours!
My card of the year is Death.
We just covered Death last week, so I won’t go too in-depth on this but, essentially, Death is:
Interested in what your card of the year is? Take your birth day, month and this year and add it up. E.g. if you were born on March 26th, you’d add up 3 + 2 + 6 + 2 + 0 + 2 + 1, which would equal 16, which would distill down to 7, which would be the Chariot!
Of course, there is a 16th major arcana card: the Tower. We haven’t covered the Tower yet but the Tower essentially represents sudden unavoidable upheaval.
If I were interpreting this for me, I would say that the Tower energies will lead to the unveiling of the Chariot, aka the forced chaos and sudden upheaval lead you to discover a newfound sense of direction and purpose.
What’s your card of the year? How are you interpreting it?
What I’m loving this week:
Temp: The Real Story of What Happened to Your Salary, Benefits, and Job Security
I just started this over the weekend, and I’m already pissed. This book does a great job of explaining why the American workforce is treated the way it is. A great intro to this topic that’s a little less dry is Can't Even: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation.
The Life-Changing Manage of Tidying Up: A Magical Story
2020 was a slog and I wanted to start this year off with some much-needed reflection and care. I feel that the words “cultivate” and “intentional” get thrown around a lot in the witchcraft community. I get why but it’s hard to be intentional about every little thing in your life. That’s why I reached for this book last week and why I’ve been living in a rotating mess of belongings ever since. What brings me joy? How has my sense and definition of joy changed over the past year? What do I now envision my life to be? How have I changed, and how can I reflect those changes in my environment?
This week’s deck is Tarot of the Divine by Yoshi Yoshitani!
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?
Schedule remote tarot readings and/or personal training sessions with me. If you’re interested in personal training, schedule a free consultation! And if you’re interested in my upcoming workout guides, make sure to sign up for this newsletter to stay up-to-date on my offerings.
Buy a copy of COVENTRY, a secular witchcraft zine created by me and my friend Megan Castro, an Atlanta-based artist and witch. 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.