art by @anxident, thank you so, so much for this gorgeous piece of my rook, dasha. i was inspired to write a description/card pull meaning, as if she was part of a tarot or oracle deck!
Freedom
On this card, we see freedom as represented by Dasha Laidir.
Her past seeks to drag her back into the surf, the torn fishing nets and broken ship rigging wrapping around her arms and legs. But she wears the gold and bright colors of the Lords of Fortune, moving forward towards her new home and family. She walks through gold and treasure, earned by her labor but never meant to be held by her hand. Gold coins fall from her fingers, showing that she already has all that she needs. A bloody red sun sets into the water, and a slave ship is dragged beneath the waves by the mighty arms of a kraken. The sea is calm, despite the carnage, matching the knowing look on Dasha's face. She has found her freedom, she has no need to look back. The snapped ropes and fierce monster are also reflected on her body, her tattoos showing that she carries her past with her, but it is not an anchor to weigh her down.
UPRIGHT Freedom is a wonderful and heavy responsibility, and it is yours. Pulling this card in it's upright position indicates that you are standing before a threshold, the awesome power of that responsibility in your hands as your look toward something— a goal, a path, a need. Dasha is urging you to make a choice, to reach out and take what's there before it's swept away in the current. The only way to fail is to make no decision at all.
REVERSED Pulling this card in reverse is an indication that you are stuck. Uncertain consequences and a murky understanding of your own emotions have left you feeling disconnected from your objectives and goals. Dasha appears to you now, upside down and stuck in the sand, as a reminder that a dropped anchor can keep you steady, but also keeps you in one place. Pull up the chain, it's time to remember what it is you want and where you need to go to get it.
