The November Hanafuda card is one of the lightest, yet one of the deepest. A willow, bending in the wind. A swallow, flying through the air. There’s no typical “strength” here — but there’s a kind of mastery in movement that doesn’t break or disappear.
Willow: Surrender Doesn’t Mean Weakness
In Japanese culture, the willow symbolizes resilience, softness, and compassion.
It doesn’t break in the wind — it lets the wind pass through. It doesn’t resist.
It moves — and comes back. In poetry and art, the willow often appears beside women who have known loss — widows, or heroines who’ve endured hardship. But not as victims. As survivors through gentleness.
Swallow: Messenger of Change
A swallow in November is unexpected. It should’ve flown south already. But here it is. That means something has stayed — a thought, a feeling, maybe you. In Japanese symbolism, the swallow stands for home, warmth, and returning. But this swallow isn’t nesting. She’s flying through autumn.
What This Card Says to the Body
If you’re between states right now — not here, not there — this card is for you. If you’re trying to stay true to yourself, even under pressure — it’s yours too. The willow says: you can bend and still come back. The swallow says: you can be in motion and still know your direction. Together, they remind us: movement doesn’t always mean running — sometimes it’s agreement.
Practices: Moving Gently
- Wave-breathing
Stand or sit. Imagine you’re a willow. Inhale — like your branch rising. Exhale — like it gently falling. No goal. Just a few minutes to tune your body’s rhythm. - Gesture of Flexibility
Find a tense spot in your body. Don’t fight it. Imagine you’re moving around it, like a swallow dodging the wind. Shift your posture. Let yourself adapt instead of resist. - Ask: “What can I release?”
Write down a single word — a belief, a habit, a grudge. Then ask: If I were a willow, would I still hold this? You don’t need an answer. Just ask. - Letter from the Return
Write a letter to yourself, as if you’ve just returned from a long journey. What did you learn? What stayed with you? What didn’t change? The swallow is you, still flying — but not lost.
From Japanese Tradition: Soft Doesn’t Mean Fragile
In traditional Japanese art, the willow isn’t sad. It’s a shaded place, where you can rest. It protects — without blocking. It exists — without demanding attention.
Swallows are thought to bring good fortune to homes, but only if their nest is kept safe. If the nest is destroyed, they won’t return. Because returning is a choice.
Final Thought: Moving Doesn’t Mean Disappearing
The November card isn’t about doing. It’s about saying yes to change — about flowing with the wind, without losing your shape. Let the willow in you say: I bent, but I’m still standing. Let the swallow add: I’m in motion, but I know where I belong.
You don’t have to be a rock. It’s enough to be a tree that outlives the storm. You don’t need all the answers. You just need to keep flying without losing yourself.
And if everything around you is shifting — maybe that’s your true center: the kind of flexibility that remembers who you are.
