This week's tarot card from my Fortunus Games tarot deck is the Two of Swords, featuring Sam's mother, Raisa Abramova, from my Tapas graphic novel, Sam in New York.
The Two of Swords shows a blindfolded Raisa holding two crossed swords. The blindfold suggests that she's confused about where she is and she can't see the problem or solution clearly. But the swords are in perfect balance, which suggests that she is thinking clearly despite her lack of knowledge and thinking about both sides of the situation to find the best solution.
Behind Raisa is an ocean with islands. The water represents emotions and the islands symbolize obstacles in her path. This suggests that Raisa will have to use her emotional intelligence to navigate various obstacles. The crescent moon also suggests that Raisa will need to rely on her intuition.
This fits Raisa’s role in her family. Whenever her son, Sam, and her husband, Lev, get into a fight about Sam’s future, she is there to mediate. She always tries to help them build bridges, despite their different views on what constitutes a happy and successful life. As we know from my other graphic novel, “Finding Sam,” which explores an alternative universe where Sam stuck with what his father wanted him to do for a much longer time than he should’ve, Sam believes that he is meant for the stage. He is someone who wants to follow his passions, no matter how dangerous or “stupid” they seem. Meanwhile, his father believes that Sam should be a lawyer since that is a stable and respected professional.