"Voula sighed wearily, sat on the couch, and reached for her tarot deck, Well I guess it’s just you and me now, and you better start talking, she whispered to herself, as she thoughtfully shuffled the cards. When they felt ‘ready’, that is tight in her hand, resistant to more shuffling, she spread-out her purple cloth, placed a rose quartz crystal at the top and laid out three cards side-by-side:
Hmm, the eight of wands, Magician - reversed, Emperor - reversed. Well, well, looks like there’s some fast-moving energy coming in from a deceptive, maybe criminal source, and someone’s being a bully, a tyrant, but who?
Let’s see, give me clarification, Spirit, who, what, when, even? Voula thought, as she shuffled again and laid-out the first card below and between the eight of wands and the magician. The three of wands, so something from across the water? From a ship perhaps? This fast energy, now looks like missiles…she drew another card, placing it between the magician and the Emperor, The tower! Like lightning, everything’s coming down for the emperor, but when?
The next card she laid alone on the third row, Strength! The lion, Leo, everything’s going to come down during August, the time of Leo! But who? Spirit, who? She implored as she drew another card and laid it on top of the last one, The chariot, that’s Aldo’s card and a card of war. Tell me more, she pulled another, it was the six of swords, hmm, more boats, water, someone’s pulling away from turbulence.
Okay Spirit, one more message please, Ah! the Ace of swords! Victory… for Aldo? Please, god, let it be for Aldo. Voula picked-up her cards, shuffled them, passed the crystal over them to cleanse, then replaced them in the box, as she ruminated on the messages received. She now knew there was a deceptive element, an abuse of authority, fast, destructive energy breaking it down, and a strong push forward away from the chaos, into calmer waters and victory over oppression. All to go down in August…what’s happening in August to do with boats, explosions, war? Of course! The Varkarola festival, August eleventh.
Yes, they told me about it at the salon; the miracle of Saint Spyridon who saved the island from the Turkish invasion. There’s going to be a sail-past along Palaiokastritsa bay, a mock naval battle, with cannons and everything, and Melina said, at the end they set a boat on fire, then there’s a huge fireworks display.
So, it seemed there was going to be more to this re-enactment than a mock battle, someone was going to have a real war. She looked forward to the time with a mixture of anticipation and dread."
