Issa Rae: Refusing to Slow Down!

Part 2!

Start of Transcript

Hello, and welcome back to my channel. Today we will ask some questions about Issa’s career and how she feels about it.

The first question I asked was, “How does [Issa] feel about the direction of her career having successfully transitioned from YouTube to Hollywood?”

We got Jupiter in Gemini: Bluff in reverse, Venus in Cancer: Birth in reverse, Jupiter in Taurus: Status in reverse, and the Sun in Aries: Assertion in reverse. Mercury in Taurus: Resistance and Mercury in Sagittarius: Discovery were at the bottom of the deck.

For tarot we have The Free Man or Fool, 3 of Knives, 5 of Sticks, and Dem Bones or Judgement in reverse. Black Herman or the Magician and the 6 of Knives were at the bottom of the deck.

This was not what I was expecting. Let’s mix it up and start with the tarot.

Overall, these cards are saying that for Issa to go down this path, the Hollywood path, was daring of and difficult for her. She took a chance on following her dreams with The Free Man card. Going from YouTube to Hollywood was still a very new thing, and not a transition many have been given the opportunity to make. But Issa accepted the challenges that may have come with this decision with a straight face. What was the worst that could happen? If she stayed on YouTube, she would have been refusing to go after her true goals. She chose those goals and what unknown laid ahead over her fears and worries.

This is reflected in the reverse Jupiter in Gemini card above it. While some may have thought she was bluffing about being approached by HBO or even other corporations while she was still relatively unknown, she wasn’t. Issa was dead serious about these opportunities and actually giving this Hollywood thing a try. She had so many ideas she wanted to get off the ground and put out into the world. She wasn’t going to let this chance slip on by.

However, in doing so, there was a lot of heartache, anger, and judgement from others, surprisingly. The 3 of Knives speaks of heart break, betrayal, and an unwelcomed ending of a relationship. It seems as though some people thought Issa could have been potentially “selling out” to chase a checkor fame. Perhaps they thought Issa could continue to do everything that she wanted on her own. Maybe they thought Hollywood would control Issa or she would willingly compromise her vision, again for a check and/or fame. With the reversed Venus in Cancer card above it, it could have been that people were scared that Issa would change and become a different person.

Alternatively, these cards can represent how Issa felt when she went to Hollywood. That is, she felt like she had to leave her family behind, literally and figuratively—as in the people she built up her prior works with. It must have been difficult to say, “This was a good run. I hope everyone takes care” as she went to HBO. I don’t think any of the Awkward Black Girl cast were on the show or in the writing room, so Issa was very much alone and had to fend for herself. How would she balance her YouTube past and this new future she was forging? She likely didn’t have the answers at the time.

While in Hollywood, Issa came to quickly realize how competitive and even catty the industry really was with the 5 of Sticks. With the reversed Jupiter in Taurus card above it, I also think Issa quickly realized that she was at the bottom of the totem pole within the industry. Although executives have sought out Issa because of her original works, that didn’t exactly translate into having status within the entertainment world. It likely did not help that she’s black, dark skinned, and was from YouTube. It is very likely she was talked down to and about behind her back frequently. “What’s so special about her and her dumb YouTube videos?” Some more “elevated” people in the industry may have thought or outright said, perhaps even to Issa’s face!

Things did not seem to get better based on the last two cards. I think as Issa proved herself to be successful, people within the industry continued to hate on her. With Dem Bones or Judgement in reverse, it’s like these people couldn’t believe that she was receiving rave reviews from critics and that the general public was positively responding to her work as well. The numbers and awards were not lying on Issa and yet they were still in shock.

The Sun in Aries above this card indicates that Issa couldn’t fully be herself or let people know what was good. She had to let her work and the appraisal of them speak for her which was likely difficult. She couldn’t ruin her career by being labelled the angry black woman, especially not when she just barely had a toe in the industry at that point. I think Issa had to temper her need to respond directly back to the haters and mean-spirited people within the industry, so I think she did so covertly through humor. Fire signs are generally playful, so she likely masked her true feelings with jokes and sly comments you may not always catch. Regardless, let’s move on to the cards at the bottom of the deck.

Starting with Black Herman or the Magician, I think Issa believes she did everything she set out to do and then some. Taking that leap of faith to leave YouTube and the larger internet sphere has led her to prosperity and her greatest dreams fulfilled. It was the belief in herself, her ideas, and skills that helped her manifest the new reality she finds herself in.

Mercury in Taurus above this card is interesting because it seems as though Issa had to be very grounded and strong in her beliefs as she made the transition. She has talked about how even before going to HBO, white executives were always trying to change her vision and de-center blackness from her works. Black Herman or Benjamin Rucker who is representing the Magician, “was the most famous Negro magician in the history of the United States,” according to the guidebook. However, “he used his platform as an entertainer and Hoodoo man to promote his militant Black Nationalist political beliefs.” Issa doesn’t appear to be militant in her convictions, but she is very clear and unmoving in her desires to create images and spaces for black people through her works and businesses. This seems to be what is driving her perhaps even more so than her own desire to be seen in the world. I go into more depth about this in my prior video on her, but it interesting to see it pop up here as well.

In any case, with the last two cards [Mercury in Sagittarius and the 6 of Knives], Issa sees this journey she has been on as a journey of discovery. I don’t think she could have imagined where her life would have led her. She was just a college graduate not knowing what she would do with her life but knew film, writing, and producing were things she cherished. Now she’s critically acclaimed, won several awards, has numerous business ventures and partnerships, and seems to be living out her wildest dreams. I think she’s optimistic about where she’ll end up next.

This next question I asked is a bit confusing. I wanted to know what Issa thought of her work and projects. By “work” I meant more like what does she think about being on the job as a business owner or producer. What does she think about doing and being those things? For “projects” I meant more, “What does she think about the products of her work?” Like, what does she think about Insecure or her roles in movies? I hope I was able to make that clear. Her thoughts on her work are on the left and her thoughts on her projects are on the right.

For what she thinks about her work, we have Saturn in Aquarius: Eccentrism in reverse, Mercury in Aries: Restlessness, and Saturn in Libra: Devotion in reverse. Saturn in Scorpio: Inheritance was reversed at the bottom of the deck.

For tarot we have the 7 of Knives, 7 of Sticks in reverse, 4 of Wands in reverse, and the 10 of Coins.

Again, I am a bit surprised by the cards. We’ll start with the astrology first. Although this deck shows a lot of more “traditional” imagery of astrology, it very much interprets Aquarius modernly. As a result, Saturn in Aquarius coming out seems to suggest that Issa was not expecting her life or career to go down this path. She didn’t think going down a nontraditional route would end up working for her, but it has. With it reversed, though, I wonder if she thinks about what could have been if she had a “normal” job or perhaps listened to the people around her and did something else with her life. But that is all in the past.

Currently, Issa is a bit restless about what to do next, especially since Insecure has finally ended. I looked online and she was a lot of things lined up for HBO Max in the summer and she seems to also be focusing on her record label. So, Mercury in Aries can also reflect how she has a lot of irons in the fire, so to speak, and that she may always have new ideas and ventures that come to her that she wants to act on.

I wonder with the reversed Saturn in Libra, however, if she is potentially spreading herself too thinly. She cannot possibly devote herself to all these things, her own projects and ventures, PLUS any other obligations she has with partners or larger entities. She should be very careful not to burnout or overpromise on what she can feasibly deliver.

Finally, we have Saturn in Scorpio. A placement Issa actually has! I think it being reversed is really driving home what I was saying about Issa doing a bit too much, especially with it over the Mercury in Aries card. She needs to slow down and realize all the things she wants to do will take time.

Alternatively, this card and the rest of the astrology spread can represent Issa knowing this, but she can’t slow down because she has already said “yes” to whatever she has agreed to do. She has promised people that she can deliver but she is now scrambling to actually make that a reality because she’s realizing that the work will take time. Time is money and those who have invested in Issa and/or vice versa may be pressing her about the progress or result.

This all, then, explains the tarot very clearly. Issa will try to be strategic and smart in how she goes about fulfilling her promises with the 7 of Knives. Since this tarot deck incorporates Hoodoo in it, I wonder if Issa will get some metaphysical, spiritual, or magical help in all of this. This will be smart of her part, because with the reversed 7 of Sticks, she will likely face a burnout otherwise. We’re only human. There is only so much we can accomplish at once, so there is no shame in reaching out to others.

Speaking of, it seems like Issa may have some underlying family problems potentially. This was sort of seen in the previous spread with the reversed Venus in Cancer card, although I didn’t necessarily feel that her parents were disapproving of her career choices. Regardless, the reversed 4 of Wands can mean an unhappy family and home life, cancellations or delays in celebrations, and not feeling connected to your community. I think this card is not talking about Issa’s relationship with her parents but her husband, Louis Diame. Perhaps because she will be working so much, they won’t see much of each other, and things will become a bit strained. However, since we end with the 10 of Coins, I think this rough patch will be resolved once Issa’s efforts pay off, which they seemingly will. I see Issa making a lot of good money despite what it might take to get there. Her family will be well taken care of physically and financially. I wonder if that is what Issa wants with “inheritance” written on the Saturn in Scorpio card. She may want to have a legacy, so now she is also motivated to support her family with her wealth. Good luck to her.

For what she thinks about her projects, we have Venus in Virgo: Discrimination in reverse, Moon in Aquarius: Independence, Jupiter in Capricorn: Control in reverse, and Mars in Taurus: Defense.

For the tarot we have the 5 of Sticks in reverse, Mother of Sticks in reverse, and Aunt Caroline or the Wheel of Fortune in reverse.

Usually when I see the Venus in Virgo card when I’m reading on black people, I have a tendency to take it literally because of the world we live in. However, I think that may not be the case here. I think for Issa, she may have a hard time choosing which project is her favorite or best represents herself or what she is capable of. Perhaps to her, all of her projects are equally beautiful just like the butterflies in the card. They all have a different purpose, and they fulfill them well.

The Moon in Aquarius card is interesting because I often interpret the Moon in this sign to represent emotional detachment. Here, however, I think it may show the resolved emotional energy Issa puts into her works. Again, I talked about this more in my previous video on her, but basically, this card is showing how Issa’s projects are not always about her but how she wants to uplift certain communities. There are numerous interviews where she says this. All of her businesses were created to do exactly this as well.

Now we get to the reversed Jupiter in Capricorn and Mars in Taurus cards. I think them, along with the tarot cards, speak about how Issa was not able to fully actualize her visions because of others. That is, she didn’t always have complete control of what she was able to put into her works, such as Insecure, for example.

The man in the Jupiter card can represent the entertainment industry as it is mostly run by old white men. With him in reverse, he wants to keep the “law and order” of the industry that Issa is disrupting. But Issa refuses to back down, which is why the Mars in Taurus card along with the 5 of Sticks and Mother of Sticks are here. They all speak of being on the defensive, but I feel like Issa is ready to go on the offense a bit.

She has, at times, listened to the industry and has sacrificed her vision, and that hasn’t worked out for her with the reversed Aunt Caroline or Wheel of Fortune. She believes that by sticking to her guns and fighting for what she wants is worth the battle now, I think. Insecure turned out for the better, so where is the evidence that her other projects won’t sell or be well received unless she changes something fundamental about them such as the cast, themes, or messaging? There is none. So, I think in the future Issa will be a little more forthright in her visions and when people try to get in her head or force her to change things, they will catch those hands.

When I was searching online, I saw that Issa has numerous projects in the works already and [one] will be dropping in the summer on HBO Max. “How will these future projects of hers be received by critics and the public?”

For the critics, we have Jupiter in Capricorn: Control, Moon in Leo: Appreciation in reverse, and Venus in Pisces: Submission. Jupiter in Cancer: Speculation was reversed at the bottom of the deck.

For tarot we have Black Herman or the Magician, Courting or the Lovers, and Dr. Buzzard or Justice in reverse. The 3 of Baskets or 3 of Cups was at the bottom of the deck.

The critics seem to be of the opinion that while Issa is very powerful and talented, having rightfully earned all the praise and rewards for her work, they seem to wonder why she is limiting herself to HBO. I’m not sure what these critics may know about HBO and their contracts or history of managing series, but they seem to be deeply questioning why Issa is continuing her relationship with them.

The Jupiter in Capricorn card showing up again is very interesting. It can represent Issa, especially as it is over the Magician. But at the same time this can be the HBO executives. With “Appreciation” in reverse followed by “Submission,” the critics may believe that Issa and her visions are not completely valued at HBO. Why they feel this way I’m not sure; I guess we have to see these projects for ourselves. But there is this feeling that the critics think Issa is either trapped by HBO legally through contracts or is even “persuaded” by some other mystical means perhaps, as again, this is a Hoodoo deck. Or, further still, they think Issa is undermining herself by sticking with HBO.

This is clearly negative thinking on their part as is pointed out by the reversed Jupiter in Cancer card. Although the people in the card are supposed to represent a marriage, I see this as critics talking amongst themselves about Issa and what they think of these new projects after the success of Insecure. I guess you can say they are not going to really feel these new projects of hers.

But again, the crux of the issue here seems to be the deepening relationship Issa has with HBO as almost all of these cards speak of a partnership of some kind. I think they may speculate, perhaps needlessly but who knows, that Issa wasn’t given enough creative freedom, which may be attributed solely to HBO and their alleged controlling ways, or they may believe that Issa sort of clipped her own wings creatively by staying with HBO. And I think this conjecture will vary from critic to critic with some laying more blame to either party depending on their point of view. So, overall, it seems like the critics will be a bit pessimistic about Issa’s new shows but seemingly only because of the larger company they are tied to. A very interesting take.

For the public’s thoughts we have Venus in Scorpio: Secrets, Sun in Sagittarius: Enthusiasm, Saturn in Libra: Devotion, Venus in Aquarius: Detachment, and Mercury in Aries: Restless in reverse.

For the tarot we have Miss Ida or the High Priestess in reverse, Daughter of Knives in reverse, Mother of Knives in reverse, and the 6 of Coins. The 4 of Knives was at the bottom of the deck.

So, this spread seems to represent the stans and haters. The stans are seen with the astrology up until the Venus in Aquarius card. From there, the haters appear. Let’s start with the stans.

Venus in Scorpio is a very interesting card to fall out. I think it represents people wondering how Issa has been able to do it all—to start out humbly but then become this powerhouse. They seem really excited to see what Issa will put out regardless if they’ll like it or not. I think some of this is because they love to see a black woman winning, especially a dark skinned black woman who often wears her natural hair. For others, they just loved Insecure and likely Awkward Black Girl as well, so they just want to see how much more Issa can evolve.

With the Saturn in Libra card, I think another subset of fans or stans just want to support Issa in any way that they can because she is doing great work to give black people a seat at the table. I think this card really represents people who deeply admire Issa’s activism and philanthropy.

Now let’s talk about the haters and people who don’t really care for Issa any which way. I think with the Venus in Aquarius card, some people don’t get the hype around Issa. Maybe they don’t think she’s funny or someone that is really all that groundbreaking. Whatever the reason, they will be very apathetic towards her new projects. With this card over the 6 of Coins, I wonder if they think Issa is just another “sellout” or someone who is only doing all of this for a coin. Basically, they may think she’s a bit fake. But to be honest, since Aquarius is showing up here, I wonder if these are the types of people who hate when people try to be woke or show any type of feelings toward social change. You know the ones. The ones who always got something to say about people being “sensitive” or “liberal” or a “snowflake” or who uses “buzzwords” or “academic jargon.” Those people who seem to be needlessly miserable everywhere they go. So, that’s one type of hater that seems to be here.

Another one is some people thinking Issa is doing too much, which is funny because that was pretty much confirmed earlier in a prior spread. Regardless, the Mercury in Aries card makes its return but reversed. It seems as though some people will be of the opinion that Issa has too many things going on. She has these shows with HBO, but she is also focusing a lot more with record label. We haven’t even mentioned the 8-figure deal she has with Warner Media, which will apparently give “HBO, HBO Max, and Warner Bros. television exclusive rights to [her] upcoming work,” (Betancourt, 2021). So, Issa is doing the most but is that so bad? Some people seem to think so and that she really needs to slow down. This is good advice, but with the High Priestess, Knight of Swords, and Queen of Swords all reversed, I wonder how genuine this “concern” may be for some people. For her fans, of course. But for others…it seems like they may have the same issue as the other haters and that is that they think she’s inauthentic in some way and only doing all of this for the white man. They may believe that Issa is a bit cold hearted and not really for the culture. So, this type of hater or supposed concerned fan may be part of Dr. Umar’s circle if you get what I mean. You know the ones as well. Conversely, some may just be straight up haters and believe that she is overexposed at this point.

In any case, both sides are not really enthused about Issa’s new prospects. In different yet similar ways, they seem to be of the opinion that Issa is selling herself, either too short on the critics’ side or quite literally on the public’s side, or at least amongst the haters, which seems to largely be composed of masculine energy for whatever reason. I guess we will have to wait and see how this plays out in the near future.

But will these projects be financially successful?

The World in reverse, the Magician and the Mirror in reverse, and the Angel of Balance also in reverse flew out. I also pulled from the bottom of the deck because the cards seemed interesting. We got Caring Connections, Appreciation, Blossoming Abundance, and Anxiety in reverse. To get a potential “yes” or “no” answer, I also shuffled my Angel Answers cards. I felt compelled to pull from the bottom and got “Yes.” Since I pulled, I thought I would reconfirm it by shuffling. “Helpful People” flew out.

The Energy cards that flew out are very interesting. They are all speaking of how Issa is limiting herself and not seeing her worth for what it is. Likewise, she may be overworking herself. We saw this much earlier and even again when we asked about the public, interestingly enough. It seems like everyone can see what Issa may not be able to for some reason. The reason, of course, can be because she is Capricorn and has unfortunately made all these deals with these entities. Issa has a very large plate to fill up. Although this seems to work out in her favor in the end, especially financially, the ordeal may not be worth it. Maybe she does need to take a break. But from her perspective, she’s just starting out. She is like the person looking up at the world. She wants it and wants it all right now. But perhaps she doesn’t need it, or at least not all right now if she’s suffering physically and maybe even emotionally from because of it.

It is interesting, however, that Anxiety is reversed. Maybe because she does succeed and turn out financially successful material, she doesn’t feel worried about working so hard. With Caring Connections and “Helpful People,” Issa may feel more at ease because she knows that she has a lot of people who have her back. She is also very appreciative and grateful for her career and new lifestyle. These are likely the things that are motivating her to keep pushing forward in spite of the potential issues that may come from overworking.

But again, there is a message of needing to slow down and reevaluate all the things that she is doing or going to do in the near future. She can have so much more than what she has and is currently getting. She can be bigger and have more reach and control in what she creates as well. I wonder if she’ll ever realize this, or if she is just waiting it out until a certain point to then make the transition to something else? Who knows?

Finally let us end with this question, “Will she remain successful?”

We got “There’s something better,” “Don’t Stop!”, and “Success!” at the bottom of the deck. I take this to mean a “yes,” but it seems like Issa may surprise us in how she goes about her career in the future. While reading on her these two times, I wondered if she’ll become like a Tyler Perry, being able to produce very black focused content all paid for by her. She’ll be able to put people on or give black actors and actresses a space to live out their dreams as Hollywood will likely remain Hollywood for a long time. What do you all think? Leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts!