The plight of the Amazon Indians threatened by the building of the Belo Monte dam came into my consciousness the day I pulled The Seven of Wands to paint as my next card. These are the words Chief Raoni spoke on June 14th at the Rio conference on the future of our planet.“I want to ask the entire World to respect us, the native people. That the World respect our lands, the native lands. That they let us live in peace. I am going to continue to defend Nature, the rivers , the forests...and I'm going to see that my sons pursue my fight to defend what belongs to them and preserve the lands which are theirs.” —Chief Raoni
The Seven of Wands is a card of valor; the courage to stand up for what you value and not to compromise or settle for less. The Seven of Wands is about defending your position and communicating a deeply felt opinion.
When painting this card I did a ceremony every day to bless the rainforest and keep it safe—to stop the destruction and in support of the indigenous people and all of Nature.
