I sigh. Chase always reads the cards like an encyclopedia, analyzing their symbols historically and isolating their meanings from context. It’s not that he’s wrong. It’s more that, deep down, I’ve always felt the tarot is more personal than that.

Not to mention, it’s just like Chase to overlook the fact that The Empress is my personal tarot card expression.

“Since The Empress is my card representation,” I say, “I think I should be the one to decide where we go next. She is a Queen in charge, after all.”

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“I couldn’t agree more,” I say. “The Empress is Mother Earth. It’s the obvious direction based on the intention we set.”

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“Is this how it’s going to be every time?” Chase whines. “I lay the foundation and you make the decision, like always?”

“That’s not how it always is. The Empress just happens to be my card. And, for your information, I was going to choose Mother Earth Occult anyway.”

I watch as Chase resists the urge to respond, especially since he got his way in the end. Sometimes I feel like he pushes back on purpose, just for the sake of arguing. Then again, I am indeed an Empress at heart. Spontaneous. Commanding. Demanding.

One of the first things Grandma taught us was how to find our expressions in the Major Arcana, adding up the digits in our birthdays and combining the sum. Mine is August 1, 2001, which equals twelve. With a number that low, I then had to choose to keep twelve, The Hanged Man, or add the one and the two to make three, The Empress. For little-girl me, this choice was easy. Chase’s own birthday is October 27, 2001, which brings his final sum to four, making him The Emperor.

It seemed so fitting back then, proof that we were the perfect complementary pair. However, the older we got, the more we realized this really meant we were more like balanced opposites.

“The Major strikes again,” Cleo says. “Not that you two tarot wizards care about third opinions, but I agree with Mother Earth Occult as the outcome.”

“Then it’s unanimous,” Logan adds, “because that one is closer and I really need to pee.”

I can feel Chase bristling once again at Cleo’s comment, but he keeps quiet. Amelia and Chase, The Empress and The Emperor. Major Amelia, named after the bold and chaotic personalities of the tarot’s first half. Minor Chase, named after the precise and numbered second half, structured like a traditional deck of cards.

Grandma always believed what really makes the tarot so universal is the way it draws strength from two opposing halves that make up a whole. Thankfully, Chase and I have always understood that our differences only make us stronger.

At least, most of the time.

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