Download PDFOnly the dead have seen the end of war. – Plato
On the last Monday in May, the U.S. observes Memorial Day, a day for honoring those who died while serving in the military. One of the symbols associated with this day is the red remembrance poppy, inspired by the 1915 World War I poem, In Flanders Fields by John McCrae who wrote the poem after witnessing his fellow soldier and friend die on the battle filed. Lines in the poem refer to poppies as being the first flowers to grow in the churned-up earth of soldiers’ graves.
In 1918, professor and volunteer YMCA Overseas worker, Moina Michael made tribute to McCrae’s poem with one of her own titled, We shall Keep the Faith. She also adopted and vowed to wear the red poppy everyday as a symbol of remembrance and became the acting leader in the campaign to make it a national symbol. Though widely adopted by international veterans’ groups, the red poppy is mostly seen in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the U.K.
Over the years other poppies have been introduced using varying colors to symbolize more inclusive ways for commemorating victims of war:
White Poppies stand for peace and symbolize all casualties of those who were in conflict with war.
Purple Poppies, sometimes replaced with a purple paw, symbolizes animal victims of war like horses, dogs and pigeons who, like many humans, were unwillingly drafted into service.
Black Poppies are viewed two-fold. Introduced by the Stop the War Coalition, the black poppy is seen as an anti-war symbol and commemorates the conscientious objectors of World War I. It also stands for the contribution of people of color in the war effort.
Khadi Poppies are also red, but made of khadi, which is the cotton made famous by Mahatma Gandhi spinning it on his Charkha as a symbol of self-sufficiency. This poppy stands for the contribution of Indian soldiers and ethnic minorities in World War I.
Since 2015, I’ve been deeply committed to collecting vintage photographs to be used as card candidates in the Relative Tarot, a deck that honors our ancestors and the beloved dead. Mixed with photos of stage actors, politicians and circus performers are the overlooked victims of war which include, but are not limited to, children, the elderly, women, animals, belief systems and the environment.
For this Memorial Day I wanted to introduce a divination that serves as one of the Relative Tarot’s foundational pillars which is strongly rooted in ancestral remembrance. This spread puts us in contact, honors and remembers those who lost their lives due to war. May it bring peace to our beloved dead and the living while promoting a future of non-violence. Here’s how it works:
For this spread you will need a 78-card tarot deck and two dice. Don’t have a set of dice? No problem, there’s an app for that. And while it’s nice to print out the following handout for keeping a visual record of your reading, it’s also not required. Pulling a card for each position works too as do charms.
Start by energetically preparing and clearing your space with whatever method works best for you. For this spread I like to light 5 white peace candles while reciting a prayer and invitation to the beloved dead who wish to be part of this divination. My home receives daily doses magical attention and so stating the intention behind my divination is enough for me to get started, though you may want to do something else. Please use your intuition to decide what feels best.
Once your space is ready, take your deck and place it in front of you. For this spread, I don’t fan the cards out but instead keep them in a single stack of 78 cards.
The first step gives focus to the red poppy on your printout followed by the opening question:
Red Poppy: On this day of remembrance, what do my ancestors want me to remember lest I forget?
To divine an answer or message, start by rolling your dice. Whatever number you roll, which with a traditional set of two dice will be between the numbers 2 and 12, will determine the amount of cards you are going to select. Draw from the top of your deck until you reach the number rolled. For example, draw 9 cards if your dice total comes to 9. The 9th selected card is the card you will lay over the red poppy and it will stand for what your ancestors want you to remember on this day. Set the remaining 8 cards aside and return to your dice and deck. Repeat this roll-to-card-draw divination for the remaining four questions:
Purple Poppy sent to the animals of war: What would you like me to remember lest I forget?
Black Poppy sent to ancestors who were people of color and conscientious objectors: What do you want me to remember least I forget?
Red Khadi Poppy sent to minorities of war: What do you want me to remember lest I forget ?
White Poppy sent to all casualties of war with emphasis given to the overlooked: What do you want me to remember lest I forget?
Once you’ve selected and placed five cards in their five positions, take some time to reflect on your divination. This is a good opportunity to simply listen in to see if anything else wants to come through. I also like to use this time to look for possible themes, or a collective message. Does your selection reveal five distinct messages, or do the cards share similarities in design like numbers, suits, atmosphere, etc.? What is being asked to be remembered through these similarities?
To extend the divination you can also ask how you can best be a vehicle for remembrance with the following question:
What action can I take that will inspire peace in myself, my family, ancestry, community, world and beloved dead?
Create your own questions that inspire reconciliation, cooperation and the promotion of peace through action.
Here are a few lines from a prayer I try to recite daily which is an excellent way for understanding that peace starts with me. It comes from A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life by Shantideva, a Buddhist master from the monastic university of Nalanda, India and composed in the eighth century.
May the frightened cease to be afraid and those bound be freed.
May the powerless find power, and may people think of benefiting each other.
For as long as space remains, for as long as sentient beings remain, until then may I too remain to dispel the miseries of the world.
May your day of remembrance bring great peace to you and your ancestors.
