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.
The Star is about informed hope.
The Star isn’t naive or unrealistic. She’s been through The Tower, so she knows pain and sorrow and loss. She understands what it means to be betrayed or suddenly realize the last five years of her life aren’t what she thought they were.
And yet, she knows that everything is temporary. This period of mourning and groundlessness will give way to fresh soil and new roots. The days will grow long again, just like the trees will bloom and the tides will rise.
The Star says that hope is the healing spring we visit when all else seems lost.
The above card shows The Star as the Russian story of Alyonushka and her little brother, Ivanushka. The two orphans are making their way to Alyonushka’s job on the other side of a forest when Ivanushka falls prey to a witch’s trick (Author’s Note: Sorry) and transforms into a goat. The tale ends with the witch’s death (yikes), which breaks the curse on Ivanushka and returns him to his previous form.
Both siblings had to keep hope where there seemed to be none, and that ultimately allowed them to achieve the ending they sought.
Melissa Cynova writes in Kitchen Table Tarot that The Star is “the first drink after days, months, years of being thirsty.”
The RWS Star clearly shows off the card’s astrological pairing, which is Aquarius, an air sign that relates to social justice, intelligence, restructuring, community, teamwork and innovation. If you want to know more about Aquarius being Saturn’s BFF for the next two years, check out COVENTRY’s Surviving Saturn zine.
The nude Star is pouring water into a pool and onto the earth. Nudity represents vulnerability. Water represents healing, intuition, dreams and so much more. I like to think that The Star’s seemingly endless supply of water echoes our own capability to find hope in even the dryest well.
Michelle Tea writes in Modern Tarot that the water poured onto the earth represents taking subconscious desires into the material plane while the reverse shows The Star replenishing her hope through art, creativity, dreams and so on. Interestingly, I find that many of my personal training clients don’t engage in the latter half of the equation.
Perhaps it’s because I’ve been attracting the type of client who has internalized the “nose to the grindstone” mentality but I believe it’s more likely a symptom of the U.S.’ workaholic culture that implies any time not spent producing is time wasted. Did I say implies? I meant screams. You’d be hard-pressed to avoid this message in any aspect of your life, which is why it feels so rebellious, so wasteful, so — dare I say — “lazy” to refill your inspiration and hope bucket with joyous activities like Netflix or YA bingeing.
This week’s workout is for those of us who are getting back into movement after taking a break or two.
Fit tip: Everyone “falls off the [fitness] wagon” or loses their meditation streak. You will have to start over again and again and again. And that’s more than OK; it’s human. Enjoy these fresh starts the same way you enjoy cracking open a new journal or sitting down to a fresh cup of coffee. Savor it.
Reading (the) Room
This week we’re talking about the Louisiana attorney general and his issue with transparency and accountability.
On Friday, Landry sued an investigative reporter for The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate over a public records request, according to the newspaper.
Repoter Andrea Gallo had requested copies of sexual harassment complaints against Pat Magee, the director of Louisiana’s DOJ criminal division, in December. She also requested records related to the handling of those complaints.
Last month, Landry’s office promised to release the records but quickly reversed course, citing privacy concerns. The newspaper’s lawyer contacted the office and offered to redact sensitive information about victims in the complaints but that offer went unanswered.
Landry’s lawsuit comes just days after the newspaper warned it would sue over the unfulfilled record request.
Magee, whose LinkedIn says he’s held the position since 2018, was put on admin leave the same day Gallo filed her FOIA request, according to the newspaper. He returned to his office last month after an internal probe found he had “inappropriate verbal conversations” and used sexual slang. His pay was docked by about $20,000, which KATC-TV reports is equivalent to about 38 days without pay.
Not only does Landry not want to release the sexual harassment allegations against Magee, he also doesn’t want the public to see how his lawsuit against Gallo goes.
Now on to why this matters via my opinion as a journalist.
Journalism provides relevant and important information so readers can make informed decisions. Assuming you aren’t a journalist, you rely on journalists to know what’s going on in the world and your community.
If journalists don’t ask questions or hold public officials accountable, government spending and inefficiencies increase, corruption spikes, citizens disconnect, voter turnout drops and communities suffer. Have you seen how news deserts are faring?
But, moving past that for a second, why should the allegations against Magee be public?
Because the public deserves to know what their elected and appointed officials are or have been accused of and how those accusations have been handled. That information could change someone’s vote, uncover corruption or even cause policy changes.
Note: I’d like to say, for no reason, that I am biased against people who self-identify as a “husband” or “wife” before anything else.
TW: transphobia, racism, sexism and the like are featured in the below screenshot of the twitter acc belonging to Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry.
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I’m just giving you time to avoid this tbh
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Now, you’re probably wondering what tarot pull we’re doing for this mess.
I really only have one question, and it’s v simple:
According to the reversed Nine of Cups, Landry’s problem is that he’s a bit arrogant and materialistic. I usually shorthand the reversed Nine of Cups as “KonMari,” aka time to clean house and question those with whom you’ve surrounded yourself.
On first glance, I would say Landry wants to keep the records closed because they will reflect poorly on him, which tracks.
But I pulled another card for clarity on how exactly these traits are showing up in this lawsuit.
The reversed Ten of Wands says that Landry is burned out, overwhelmed and afraid to delegate the responsibilities that would enable him to recover. And, if there are any other allegations against Landry’s team, I think we can see why he can’t lean on them.
What I’m loving this week:
I didn’t expect to like this book at all. I heard it described as a deadly Harry Potter-esque tale, which honestly didn’t sound appetizing (and people did die in HP, iirc, so?). BUT I needed some quick fiction that involved magic and — here’s what got me to buy it — a kickass female protag. I tore through this in a day AND I’ve pre-ordered the sequel. I’d describe it as a supernatural Battle Royale-type story with a minor romance arc. Try it out if you’re looking for the book equivalent of spicy chicken nuggets w/curly fries.
When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times
This book aligns with this week’s card AND also where I’ve been at lately, which is why Cast Iron took a small hiatus while I went through my own Tower realizations. This is a sweet (and grim) book to read in spurts. I wouldn’t suggest tearing through it in one sitting as you’ll probably end up skimming over sections that deserve to be truly tasted and savoured. Try this out if you’re looking for the book equivalent of the wine you reach for when you’re feeling tired of the world and other people.
This is adorable. I’m still in the midst of the game, so I can’t tell you if I’ll continue to love it but if you loved Coffee Talk (highly rec), then you should check this out.
Before you say anything: Yes, I still am working through 2077. However, the amount of glitching means I’m taking a break.
During this break, I’m trying out a 2045 campaign! If you like the neon punk aesthetic and ttrpgs, test this out and let me know how it goes! I’m still in the midst of character creation (I went with a netrunner), so I haven’t had a chance to dive fully into these rules. It’s unclear how much pathfinder/dnd knowledge will transfer. I’m still a little eh about the lack of magic in this game, so I went with the closest thing to a trad magic user.
Articles you may want to check out:
This primer on the impeachment trial that starts Tuesday
This stimulus package update (spoiler: it’s not nearly enough for struggling Americans)
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?
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.