Even those of you who are not fans of the Eurovision Song Contest couldn't help but be moved by the message of Israel's song by Eden Golan for Eurovision 2024. The music, choreography, lyrics, and pain that is expressed in such a strong and touching way was at the same time respectful and artistic. Despite this, Israel received different reactions around the world. People liked the song and wrote things along the lines of "Unfortunately, the Israeli song may win." There is great potential in the song, but a large part of the viewers dislike Israel, and the song is therefore currently receiving poor PR.
Considering this, how should Eden respond?
Interestingly, the Tarot card that came out in the arrangement I made for Golan (the High Priestess card) is a card of self-respect, total dedication, and few words. Golan's first instinct might be the need to make big speeches, to defend us, herself, and the song, but in fact, the opposite is true. The song says it all, and all the investment in it shows Israel's essence. It shows the Jewish state's artistic side, its culture, and an incredible investment in the performing arts. One picture, or in this case, one video clip, is worth a thousand words.
Quality speaks for itself and there is no doubt that Golan's is the knowledge that it is part of a strong nation with deep roots. Golan knows what happened on October 7 and she doesn't need to justify, defend, or go to war on social media. If she remains elegant and unmoved, it will do her the best service. Silence is worth its weight in gold, and she has to choose very carefully what she reacts to and what she doesn't. This will give her the greatest sense of worth and show that she won't stoop to the level of those who mock her. Such conduct will bring her far, for sure to the final and maybe even to the top ten.
The High Priestess Tarot card instructs not to react, or at least not to react immediately.
Surrender to the experience, don't resist what's happening, don't fight but simply stay calm next to everything that happens - and be curious.
When we are curious instead of angry, something interesting happens. We manage to create a certain emotional detachment and examine how we should conduct ourselves in the existing situation without prejudgment. We should take a cautious approach this week, especially in front of an angry boss, jealous employee, mother-in-law, or neighbor. This does not mean that we should not react at all, but that first we should be curious, remain somewhat detached from the emotion, and not intervene where there is no need. We must remain slightly detached from the current circumstances.
The story of this Tarot card is the story of Persephone, the beloved daughter of Demeter, the earth goddess. Persephone was kidnapped by the king of the underworld, but instead of panicking, she was interested, remained curious, and discovered that she could even gain something from this terrible situation. Although the comparison to the situation in Israel is warranted, it's beneficial not to touch on the hostage issue at the moment, but only in the fact that Persephone remains relatively calm and curious in an unexpected situation. Ultimately, Persephone discovered not only that she could handle the situation, but if she approached it without judgment, she could discover new and interesting things.
The underworld in mythology is not a "bad" place, and even in our consciousness, it is possible to replace "bad" places with interesting places.
Therefore, this week, Israel must react not with excessive emotion, but out of curiosity. Israel should use its ability to investigate the potential inherent in situations, even in mainly negative situations.
Surrendering does not necessarily mean giving our all emotionally, but simply remaining open to what comes. This does not mean Israel should reveal its cards, which sounds like a contradiction, but there is a lot of logic here. We can go to a meeting at work, hear all the opinions, but not talk too much. You can go on a date, and absorb the experiences and the person in front of you, but not give it your all. Don't tell all of your secrets. We can meet new people with great openness to experience their world, but take things slowly in terms of personal exposure and attachment.
This is the art of Persephone. And if we have an "enemy" in life, not someone dangerous, but simply a person that is important to us to face, we will remember to remain curious and open. We must remember not to reveal everything all at once, maintain self-respect in the situation, and see the encounter as an adventure rather than something we have to take personally. We must try to understand if there is a way to turn the situation around, and we will not be afraid to go down to the "underworld", the place where our fears are, but also the real growth potential.
The author of this article is Sagie Mandelbaum, director of the School of Personal Fulfillment, Tarot, and Dreams. Mandelbaum is the author of the bestseller The Guide to Reading Tarot Cards, which deals in classical homeopathy. Additionally, Mandelbaum has 28 years of experience in teaching courses and workshops on personal development, tarot, and dreams which he delivers on Zoom, in person in Tel Aviv, and in other cities throughout the country. More information can be found on Mandelbaum's Instagram page, https://www.instagram.com/sagie_tarot_and_dreams/.