Sunday, May 17, 2020 As we begin Day 62 of the Covid-19 shelter-in-place pandemic, let's herald this shift with the infamous 16th Major Arcana of the Tarot. It has many faces: the Tower of Babel of biblical times, the World Trade Center of 911, Pearl Harbor from the days of the Greatest Generation, or any cataclysmic event that marks the end of an era: The Tower. The isolation begins on March 16. Lightening strikes the tower and the element of fire roars. Who is the Frankinstein in our midst and after the bodies fall, where will we land? It's time for us to face our own Personal Tower during this time of quarantine. While we contemplate what has happened, what illusions have to fall away? If we can no longer be that Tower struck by nature, who are we really and what can we still be? I have witnessed many shadows during these weeks of repose as we are all forced to face what can no longer be denied. There is Naomi, who lives in her crumbling house, fallen into disrepair over the years. Now in her 60's, the money and energy are no longer there for restoration. Slowly, the sprawling home is eating her alive. But the possessions surrounding her are familiar: the pressure cooker for making perfect rice that no longer works, the outfits crowding her closet from every era of her life, the VHS videotapes of her favorite classic movies. There is a way to move forward to a simpler life, but can she weather the loss of her House of Cards? And Molly----what happened to her dream of becoming a writer? The writing bug bit while in college and the years have escaped her. Now, it's so painful when she looks back. Instead, she phones her neighbor, complaining about his tree that drops leaves on her yard. Would he consider cutting it down or at least trimming it regularly? And does his dog have to bark outside her window? If no response, she will take legal action. Can she impact this barbarian who lives next door? Or can she forge a new path, now in her 7th decade. Finally, Judith, who is in "the hermit's repose." She's too fragile to handle the ugliness of life. So she turns off the news as the daily report of the coronavirus death toll is expounded. And isn't it true that Trump is to blame for the virus spreading? Why so many lines in her face, pounds to be shed, greys in her "crowning glory." Meanwhile, the homeless in the streets of LA pound at her door, insisting to come in. Will she invite them into her domain? But there is no Devil, only the Universal Good. And so, we each face our inner demons, or not, and prepare to meet what remains after the Tower has fallen. We will emerge from this universal time out. Can it be??????? A MIRROR, as we remove our masks and head towards the light. For more information, contact Donna Graves at: thedifferentdrummerblog@gmail.com