Month: December 2024

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Art Art Feature News News Blog

Arrow Creative to Close, Brooks to Absorb Programming

(Photo: Arrow Creative | Facebook)

Earlier this week, Arrow Creative announced its closure following its Holiday Bazaar, which will conclude on December 22nd. The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art will absorb the majority of the nonprofit’s programming, including workshops and camps, artist coworking spaces, and retail opportunities. 

“Our goal has always been to empower creatives,” said Abby Phillips, co-founder of Arrow Creative, in a press release announcing the closure. “We know that the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art is already a very strong champion for this mission.”

The launch of Memphis Fashion Week, which sought to showcase Memphis’ fashion design industry, marked the beginning of Arrow Creative in 2012. In 2017, with the closure of Memphis College of Art (MCA), Arrow expanded its reach, outside of just fashion, to support creative entrepreneurs and engage artists of all skill levels in visual arts, hoping to fill the gap created by the school’s closure. 

In that mission, this weekend, for instance, Arrow will host a Macrame & Mimosas: Tree Wall Hanging workshop ($54.13) and a Winter Watercolor Workshop ($49.87). It will also continue its Holiday Bazaar, where you can shop more than 100 local artists and makers (Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) through December 22nd, which, as aforementioned, will be its last day of business.

(Photo: Arrow Creative | Facebook)

All programming added to the Brooks’ existing framework will be recognized under Arrow Creative’s name, with the transition taking place over the coming months. Expect a schedule in early 2025 at brooksmuseum.org. 

“By integrating Arrow Creative’s innovative programming into the city’s art museum, we can provide even greater opportunities for artists and creatives of all ages to make and learn while ensuring these resources remain accessible,” said Brooks Executive Director Zoe Kahr in the press release. 

Arrow had also purchased key equipment from MCA in 2019, including tools from the woodworking, ceramics, photography, illustration, painting, fashion design, sound lab, letterpress, paper-making, and print-making departments. Those pieces will be distributed to local and regional art organizations, schools, and individual artist groups. 

“Memphis has an indelible legacy of incredible creativity and collaboration,” said DeMarcus Suggs, director of creative and cultural economy at the city of Memphis. “I am excited to see these groups come together to support our artists and the creative community.”

“The board, staff, and I are incredibly proud of our work over the last 12 years,” said Phillips. “We look forward to what the next 12 will look like under the helm of Memphis’ art museum.”

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Analysis: MPD Consent Decree May Not Matter in Trump’s Next Term

Credit: Donald J. Trump via X

Next steps after the federal government’s report on excessive force within the Memphis Police Department (MPD) are not known, of course. But at least one big sign points to “not much,” as far as the next White House occupant is concerned. 

President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign ran on “law and order” as a central theme. His campaign said ”there is no higher priority than quickly restoring law and order and public safety in America.” He even just tweeted those words in all capital letters four years ago: 

However, the American Civil Liberties Group (ACLU) has said that “law and order” in a second Trump administration is a “shorthand message promising repression of the Black community.”

Trump Promises to Militarize Police, Reincarcerate Thousands, and Expand Death Penalty

”Specifically, Trump’s law enforcement policies call for further protections for abusive police, including condoning the use of force against protesters, which he once described as a ’beautiful thing to watch’,” reads an ACLU analysis of Trump policies in July. “This rhetoric risks encouraging state actors to take a similarly brutal approach.”

If the ACLU is correct on the premise, this means Trump’s “brutal approach” to law enforcement could, maybe, trickle down to state and local leaders, emboldened by the President to allow tough justice to be doled out across the country without major repercussions to law enforcement officials — i.e. police officers.

To get there, Trump promised to ”strengthen qualified immunity and other protections for police officers.” Qualified immunity allows government actors (i.e. cops) to perform their jobs without the risk of civil liability. This means, basically, that if a cop breaks some laws while they are making an arrest, they can’t be sued for it in court. So, Trump would give cops extra protection against the citizens they serve even if they hurt those citizens during the course of their work. 

Germane to the DOJ’s report on the MPD, Trump promised on his campaign site to: 

1. Sign a record investment in hiring, retention, and training for police officers. The bill will increase vital liability protections for America’s law enforcement officers.

2. President Trump will require local law enforcement agencies receiving DOJ grants to return to proven policing measures such as stop-and-frisk, strictly enforcing existing gun laws, cracking down on the open use of illegal drugs, and cooperating with ICE to arrest and deport criminal aliens.

”…to qualify for this new funding and all other Justice Department grants, I will insist that local jurisdictions return to proven common sense policing measures, such as stop and frisk — very simple — you stop them and you frisk them….,” Trump said in a campaign video. 

City leaders and President Joe Biden’s DOJ are now tussling on whether or not the two will approve a consent decree for MPD. An agreement like this would bring in federal monitors to watch over the police department on a day-to-day basis to ensure it adhered to new policies for improvement. The city’s attorney has said the city will not approve a consent decree. 

First, the city argued, the investigation didn’t take long enough. These can last up to three years. The DOJ wrapped up the MPD review in 17 months. Memphis officials said, also, they need a legal avenue to question the DOJ’s investigation methods. 

Leaders here, though, won’t likely have to worry with threats of a lawsuit to enact the consent decree. Only one such decree was enacted in Trump’s first term. So far, 17 have been issued under Biden. Trump also cancelled a consent decree enacted during Barrack Obama’s Adminstration against the city of Baltimore.   

City leaders also argued that such a consent decree would cost too much. Memphis taxpayers would be on the hook to pay for all the federal monitors and programs to adhere to the agreement. Leaders said this could cost millions of dollars. 

That cost would come, too, as city taxpayers face paying out a $550 million civil penalty to the family of Tyre Nichols. The beating death of Nichols at the hands of MPD officers drew the eye of the DOJ investigation in the first place.      

As of Thursday afternoon, Trump did not make any statement about the DOJ on his Truth Social platform.

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“Excessive Force:” Leaders React to DOJ Findings on Memphis Police Department

Credit: City of Memphis

Reactions are pouring in after a blistering report from the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) Wednesday detailed the agency’s findings from an investigation into the Memphis Police Department. This probe was launched in the aftermath of Tyre Nichol’s death following his deadly beating after a traffic stop.

“Based on this investigation, we found that the police in Memphis use excessive force; that they stop, search, and arrest people unlawfully; that their policies have a discriminatory effect on Black people; and that they discriminate against people with behavioral health disabilities,” the DOJ said in a statement. “Furthermore, we are concerned that Memphis police officers unnecessarily escalate encounters with some of the most vulnerable members of the community — its children.”

The DOJ found that the agency used excessive force, discriminatory practices against Black people, and imposed harsh and “aggressive” tactics on children.” The agency found these to consistent practices where they “violat[ed] people’s rights.”

Career attorneys and staff from the Civil Rights Division, the United States Attorney’s Office, and “more than a dozen experts who specialize in police department management, use of force, statistics and other areas,” were consulted in what the Justice Department called  a “comprehensive and exhaustive” investigation. They also interviewed police officer, city employees, community members and more.

“We received hundreds of incidents, watched hundreds of body-worn camera videos, read thousands of documents, and conducted statistical analyses of the department’s data regarding officer activities and enforcement,” the statement said.

U.S. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said MPD’s practices do not make Memphis safer and urged the city to intervene in terms of police reform and consent decrees. They said they are also committed to working with the city to remedy these patterns.

“Achieving meaningful constitutional policing reform costs time and resources,” Clarke said. “ But not implementing systemic reforms also imposes enormous costs — cost in terms of citizens’ rights that are trampled, personal, and financial costs in injuries and deaths due to excessive, unnecessary use of force, costs in diminished public safety, and millions of dollars in legal judgments against the city due to constitutional violations.”

During a press conference Mayor Paul Young said for those who had not read the report that it would be “difficult to read” and that some types of incidents are “not acceptable.”

“Policing in Memphis must always be ever-evolving, constantly improving, and I’m confident that our team is ready to further the work of creating ongoing change,” Young said. “We believe that adjustments we’ve already begun making must continue and that they must expand.”

In a letter addressed to Justice Department officials, Tannera Gibson, city of Memphis attorney and Chief Legal Officer, said the city will not willfully enter a consent decree based on the report. She said a legal process is required for them to question how they evaluated information, witnesses, and facts used to reach their conclusions.

“Until the city has had the opportunity to review, analyze, and challenge the specific allegations that support your forthcoming findings report, the city cannot — and will not — agree to work toward or enter into a consent decree that will likely be in place for years to come and will cost the residents of Memphis hundreds of millions of dollars,” Gibson said in a statement. “From what we understand, consent decrees remain in place for an average of more than ten years, with absolutely no controls to ensure timely completion or consideration for the financial impact to the affected community. Such a proposal is not the right solution for Memphis.”

Upon sharing these findings, the Official Black Lives Matter Memphis Chapter said the following:

“Confirms what activists and organizers have been saying about the police department for years.” 

Cardell Orrin, executive director of Stand for Children – Tennessee, echoed these sentiments saying this is what they’ve “heard many times and has been debated, disputed, and diminished.”

“Thanks to the investigators from DOJ for validating the experiences of people in Memphis when the people’s representatives have not been willing to acknowledge and do something about it,” Orrin said in a post. “You can go back to the many CLERB (Civilian Law Enforcement Review Board) recommendations that never got addressed by MPD leadership or the city.”

This story will be continually updated as more reactions come in.

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We Recommend We Recommend

Memphis Rox Gala and Auction

Memphis Rox Gala (Photo: Courtesy Memphis Rox)

Memphis Rox boasts itself as the largest nonprofit rock climbing gym in the world — but it’s not just about rock climbing. It’s about community, and rock climbing just happens to be a part of it. 

Located in South Memphis and founded in 2018, the gym operates on a pay-what-you-can model and houses space for fitness classes outside of climbing, like yoga, karate, and swing dance. “Then there’s all of the outreach and service programs that we do,” says Jon Hawk, director of operations. “We have a very sizable unhoused population that comes out in the mornings, and we offer them coffee. And we have a free lunch program. We provide the meals every weekday. We give them clothes whenever we see that they need it, but we also have a community closet, like a sundry store.”

Rox also is home to Juice Almighty, which offers those who cannot afford a meal to “pay” by volunteering at the gym, assisting with neighborhood cleanups, or serving at another nonprofit. The gym also partners with Sister Supply to offer free menstrual products to those who need them, and it offers an after-school program for 12- to 17-year-olds. 

Because of all these efforts, the nonprofit gym has garnered international attention, with news pieces and films centered around its story. “It just made people all over the world excited,” Hawk says.  

Now as the year comes to a close, Rox is preparing for its largest fundraising event of the year — its annual gala on December 11th and online auction — and it’s asking for Memphis’ support.

“The gala is going to be food, drinks, a little bit of music, telling a few stories, just talking about we’ve been up to this year, trying to inspire people,” Hawk says. The online auction, meanwhile, has lots of items and experiences that would appeal to Memphians in particular, like Memphis Grizzlies floor seats with a locker room tour, a recording session with Matt Ross-Spang, suite tickets to Ballet Memphis’ The Nutcracker, and much more. The auction (tinyurl.com/4vc8kz88) closes on December 11th at 7:30 p.m.

If you can’t support through the gala or the auction, Hawk says, “We always accept monthly donations, which is always huge, because that’s something we can count on every month, and then we have an end-of-the-year fundraiser campaign going on right now.”

For more information about Memphis Rox, visit memphisrox.org.  

Memphis Rox Gala, Crosstown Concourse, 1350 Concourse, Wednesday, December 11, 6-9 p.m., $500/seat.

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Film Features Film/TV

Memphis Flyer Podcast Dec 5, 2024: Winter Arts

This week on the Memphis Flyer Podcast, Chris McCoy and Abigail Morici talk about the Winter Arts Guide, Tsunami, Wicked, and Andrea Morales’ photography exhibit at the Brooks Museum. Check it out on the Flyer’s YouTube channel.

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Supreme Court Hears Arguments Regarding Transgender Healthcare Ban

(Credit: Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash)

Today, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) heard arguments in the case regarding gender-affirming care for Tennessee youth.

The case of United States v. Skrmetti challenges Tennessee’s ban on trans healthcare for minors in the state. This hearing marked the first time SCOTUS has heard a case regarding healthcare for the trans community.

In September of 2023, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals allowed for the law restricting transgender youth from accessing gender-affirming medical care to remain in effect. 

The ruling came months after the court initially blocked the law from taking effect in July of the same year. 

The state law was signed by Governor Bill Lee in March of 2023 and prohibits healthcare professionals from administering gender-affirming care to minors. This legislation makes gender-affirming hormone therapy and puberty blockers inaccessible and trans people in Tennessee will not have access to this care until they reach the age of 18. 

GLAAD (formerly the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) said this is one of approximately 25 bans passed by Republican-led legislatures. They, along with other national and local leaders, said the court’s ruling could affect gender-affirming care for youth nationwide.

Prior to today’s hearing, Senator Heidi Campbell (D-Nashville) called the ban unconstitutional and condemned Tennessee leaders for “waging a costly legal battle” as opposed to addressing issues such as traffic and “unaffordable healthcare.”

“This political gamesmanship, funded by our hard-earned tax dollars, is not only cruel but also a violation of fundamental rights,” Campbell said in a statement. “Tennessee’s discriminatory ban is unconstitutional, and it does nothing to improve the lives of our citizens. Tennesseans deserve leaders who focus on solving real problems — not manufactured culture wars that harm families and divide our communities.”

In a release issued after arguments were heard, the office of Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said the case seeks to “protect vulnerable kids from risky and unproven medical practices.” Skrmetti added that his office reviewed medical evidence and cited instances in European countries where healthcare such as puberty blockers are restricted.

“The Office of the Tennessee Attorney General presented a robust legal and evidence-based defense of the State’s legislative response to the recent explosion of childhood gender-transition interventions. The law at issue restricts the provision of irreversible medical interventions to minors with gender dysphoria — a psychiatric condition marked by mental distress from a conflict between a person’s sex and asserted gender identity,” the statement said.

Skrmetti added that their arguments were based on “constitutional clarity and common sense.”

Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, said today’s arguments highlighted the lack of any legal or medical basis for denying transgender youth the same protections afforded under the U.S. Constitution. Robinson said despite Skrmetti’s team’s efforts to disprove this logic, “Transgender healthcare is best practice, medically necessary, and supported by almost every medical association in the country.”

“It’s healthcare, plain and simple, and no politician should be able to interfere in the healthcare decisions best made by families and doctors,” Robinson said. “Now the Supreme Court has the opportunity to follow the facts, the science, and the law, and affirm our constitutional promise of equal protection for all.” 

The Supreme Court is expected to reach a decision in this case by June.

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Beyond the Arc Sports Uncategorized

Grizzlies’ Win Streak Snapped in Big D

Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies dribbles the ball during the game against the Dallas Mavericks during the Emirates NBA Cup game on December 3, 2024. (Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)


As the Emirates NBA Cup group stage came to a close, the Dallas Mavericks ended the Memphis Grizzlies’ six-game winning streak with a 121-116 win at American Airlines Center on Tuesday night. 

The Mavericks improved to 14-8, while Memphis fell to 14-8. 

The Grizzlies went up by as many as 15 points early in the fourth quarter, but they were unable to take advantage of Dallas’ blunders and ultimately lost the game. But let’s not get it twisted: The main reason for the Grizzlies’ fourth-quarter collapse was the free-throw disparity.  

The Mavericks’ 44 free throws (compared to Memphis’ 14) were the game-changer. It’s unheard of to have a free-throw differential of 30. In the final period, Dallas went to the line 26 times while the Grizzlies managed to go just three times. It was a 26-3 free-throw advantage in the fourth quarter. 

The Mavericks’ 23-free-throw edge in was the most lopsided fourth quarter disparity in the NBA since 2015 according to ESPN Stats & Info. 

Plus, Memphis couldn’t find a rhythm and went eight of 23 from the field and a dismal 2 of 10 from the three-point line in the final quarter. The Grizzlies’ offense stalled in the final three minutes, scoring just five points while making only two of nine shots, allowing the Mavericks to pull away with an 18-5 run. Dallas won the period, 39-21. 

The final period took a whopping 42 minutes to finish. 

Ja Morant led the Grizzlies with a season-best 31 points. Desmond Bane added 19 points, Jaren Jackson Jr. chipped in 16 points and seven rebounds, and Santi Aldama provided a spark off the bench with 15 points and eight rebounds.

Weird coincidence 

Memphis defeated the Mavericks in preseason, 121-116 on October 4, 2024 in Dallas. 

Up Next

The Grizzlies are gearing up to host the Sacramento Kings at FedExForum this Thursday, December 5, at 7 p.m. CT.

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Council Reallocates Funds For Downtown Command Center

Downtown Command Center (Photo credit: City of Memphis)

A request for additional financing for the Memphis Police Department’s Downtown Command Center raised concerns from several city council members during Tuesday’s budget and audit committee meeting.

The committee heard a resolution to adjust the Fiscal Year 2025 Capital Improvement Program Operating Budget for the development of the center.  Police Services asked the council to move funds from completed projects to fund it.

Officials said not only will this proposal “enhance the visitor and tourist experience” Downtown, but will also use “multi-functional cameras with fiber connection.”

“The new project is designed to support the operations and coordinate response activities with other city divisions with law or code-enforcement targeted areas,” the resolution added.

The command center will be a 2,500-square-foot buildout at 250 Peabody Place and will have four monitoring stations along with a restroom, conference room, and other amenities. City officials said there will be 63 cameras for surveillance with 24 hour shifts. The city’s timeline started on October 31, 2024 and is scheduled to end in April 2025.

Deputy Chief Financial Officer Walter Person said in looking for funding, they found some available through the Leftwich Tennis Center — a project to convert a tennis center in East Memphis, where the city donated $3 million in cash and $1.3 million in donations for the demolition. Person added the University of Memphis paid $5 million to the facility and contributed $2.5 million towards construction.  The state allocated $2.5 million to the project.

Person went on to say there were several design enhancements for the facility where the city loaned $10 million — which was funded by commercial paper. This was to be paid off and funded by pledges, private donors, and private payment. The building was completed, where the city also sold naming rights in the facility. He said $4.6 million was generated to defray the commercial paper — which could only be used for capital projects and suggested that $2.5 be allocated towards the Downtown Command Center.

“I know there’s been a lot of questions with the ability to reuse the funds, but the funds were not restricted in its reuse — it’s to pay the city back,” Antonio Adams, chief operating officer, said. “The city has the authority or autonomy to then redirect as it so desires. This is an important project that will enhance public safety in the area but also help trigger [the economy] and growth in the Downtown area which is one of the centers of Memphis.”

Councilman and committee chairman Chase Carlisle said he had many questions, noting that he has been an avid supporter of tackling crime Downtown. But he questioned the commercial paper, cash, uses, pledges, and total sources. He asked for documentation, specifically asking how much money was pledged by private donors, including naming rights.

“I know this thing sped up rapidly for you — very rapidly like a lot of downward pressure,” Carlisle said. “You just can’t ask us to move that kind of money without understanding that kind of setup.”

Person said the city is getting about $1.4 million back from the University of Memphis and there’s additional inventory of naming rights available such as hallways, courts, and quarters for the tennis center. He said there’s about $4.5 million to $4.6 million in-house.

He also clarified that people who purchase naming rights will be helping the city pay the loan off.

Councilman Philip Spinosa also said that he supports the command center, but thinks there should be a pause on the conversation until they receive more answers.

“I don’t think there’s foul play,” Spinosa said. “I think everybody’s just trying to understand the flow and the process and we’ll do that.”

During the regular council meeting, Adams said they will continue to provide documentation as requested — however at the time of voting those documents had not been prepared for amendment and was added to the add-on agenda.

The resolution was passed unanimously with an amendment that the council would loan $2.5 million to the project.

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Ruling: Funds from Lobby Group to Gov. Lee for Travel Breaks State Law

Credit: state of Tennessee

Travel funds given to Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee to speak at a conservative Christian conference broke state law, according to an opinion issued Tuesday by the Tennessee Ethics Commission (TEC).  

The opinion was requested by Lee after he accepted expenses for a trip in July to speak at the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) Summit in July 2024, according to TEC. The only event scheduled on the ADF website for July was its Legal Academy, held on Marco Island, Florida. Lee was paid for “certain travel expenses,” though those were not detailed in a statement from TEC Tuesday. 

The TEC ruled that accepting funds from the group to attend the event was a “prohibited gift.” That’s because the group’s ADF Action subgroup is a registered employer of a lobbyist in Tennessee. 

Lee originally argued that the event sponsor — the overarching ADF group — and its political group were different organizations. Therefore, the the payments did not break state law. Though, he noted the two do share resources.

However, after a thorough review of state laws and the Tennessee General Assembly’s intent for enacting them, the commission said the payment — even though paid indirectly from ADF — still broke the rules. 

“Even a cursory review of the information presented by ADF and ADF Action establishes a close working relationship in the pursuit of similar goals with resources shared to achieve their common purposes,” reads the opinion.

Aside from the names of the groups, another such “striking resemblance” of the two groups, according to TEC, are their mission statements. ADF advances “every person’s God-given right to live a speak the truth” whereas ADF Action advocates for “public policies supporting religious freedom, freedom of speech, parental rights, and the sanctity of life and marriage.”

“ADF Action cannot escape the broad reach of the gift prohibition statute by its related organization — ADF — paying the expenses at issue, whether overtly or covertly on its behalf, or to advance their shared interests,” reads the opinion.

State Rep. Caleb Hemmer (D-Nashville) applauded the ruling, calling it a “misuse of power to take luxury trips paid for by interest groups, breaking Tennessee law.”

“The Ethics Commission has stood firmly on the side of the people, making it clear that the governor isn’t above the law,” Hemmer said in a statement. “They have ordered him to pay back the trip to Florida, funded by an organization employing a lobbyist in Tennessee.

“I hope this advisory opinion will stop lobbyist groups from offering these illegal and unethical trips to influence the Lee Administration.”

Hemmer said he was reviewing legislation to strengthen these ethics laws in next year’s session of the Tennessee General Assembly.

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Fun Stuff Metaphysical Connection

Metaphysical Connection: Holiday Temperance

Photo: Vvictori | Dreamstime.com

The ancients certainly seemed to know what they were doing when constructing the zodiac wheel. They placed the mutable, fiery sign of Sagittarius in the middle of the holiday season. Those born under the astrological sign of Sagittarius are thought to be optimistic, adventurous, curious, and independent. And these traits translate well into how many Americans spend their holidays.

As a fire sign, Sagittarius is passionate and drawn to new ideas, philosophies, and travel. Sagittarius is represented by the centaur — a half-human, half-horse creature — often carrying a bow. Also referred to as “The Archer,” Sagittarius uses a trusty bow and arrow to dream big and aim high. 

In tarot, each zodiac sign is associated with a major arcana card. Sagittarius is associated with the Temperance card in tarot, card number 14 of the major arcana. The Temperance card refers to the blending, moderation, and tempering of disparate elements to achieve a balanced whole that is greater and more harmonious than the sum of its parts. The Greek philosophers, beginning with Socrates, spoke of four natural virtues: prudence, or virtuous use of the intellect; temperance, or virtuous regulation of the emotions; fortitude, or virtuous effort of the human will; and justice, the result of the combined virtuous activity of the other three.

Both Sagittarius and the Temperance card are constantly striving for a more enlightened state of being. The angel in the tarot card here demonstrates this by slowly pouring the liquid from one golden cup into another, a culinary process called “tempering.” Similarly, Sagittarius accomplishes this by exploring the far reaches of both the physical and philosophical worlds to expand on or “temper” what is already known. The angel’s red wings represent blood or life, while the triangle on her dress means spirit, but it is also the elemental symbol for fire. 

The angel’s feet are also symbolic of the eternal pilgrimage or spiritual journey. By showing one foot in the water and the other on the shore, we are reminded that our greatest wisdom lies in the art of balancing. The iris flowers are indicative of the Greek goddess Iris who provides the link between the gods and humanity, acting as a messenger and using rainbows to travel. Like Sagittarius, she travels from one end of the world to another, building upon something that is bigger and brighter than herself.

Temperance is the card of acceptance, where the cycle of life and death, passion and division, and all other oppositions find unity for a shared cause. It unites the masculine with the feminine, keeping us in balance when situations require strength and endurance, or tenderness and compassion, depending on the moment. This card speaks of personal and spiritual growth, one that leads us toward the point of self where we understand how inner conflicts and troubles lead to certain reflections and problems in the outer world. Its symbolism is one of the alchemy of life, and it is significant in a reading, for it represents the point where we get answers needed to change the course of fate or influence our life to change what is needed.

As we glide through Sagittarius season, we are reminded of the Temperance card. Temperance is all about striving for balance — which can often mean taking the middle road. To a Sagittarius, the middle road is almost never enticing. Yet it is not always a compromise, but another solution that can combine both extremes. 

As a mutable fire sign, Sagittarius is bold and confident. Fire is not naturally a mutable element, so Sagittarius is already operating in oppositions. It’s through the alchemy of temperance that we can learn about balancing these oppositions. 

Our lesson for this season is to find balance in opposition. How can we learn to accept and mold the outcome into something more desirable? With Mercury in retrograde in the sign of Sagittarius, we may need to be more detailed in our projects and more understanding when things don’t go as planned. Embrace the optimistic energy of Sagittarius and pivot with the challenges. 

Emily Guenther is a co-owner of The Broom Closet metaphysical shop. She is a Memphis native, professional tarot reader, ordained Pagan clergy, and dog mom.