You may be wondering what the Tarot has to do with Afghanistan.

Allow me to explain.

When the Taliban overran Kabul more than a year ago, I received a message from an old Afghan friend desperate for help. He was terrified of the risk of reprisals for working with Westerners, and had no idea how he would feed his family as the economy cratered. I've since been doing what I can to support him and his family financially, and help them to find a way out. But I've realised that there's only so much I can do by myself. A few weeks ago, he mentioned as an aside that he had just sold the family furniture to pay for food.

I've never launched a crowdfunder before: I owe the inspiration to Tom Coghlan, a former journalist colleague, who ran a very successful appeal on behalf of a Syrian family. To be honest, I'd been feeling at something of a loss until that point. I'd had the impression of standing at the top of a cliff, holding my friend's hand as he dangled over the edge, his wife and children clinging on beneath him, like a chain of paper dolls. Tom's crowdfunder showed there was an alternative to feeling paralysed: Create a community of supporters who, by sharing the task, can make a life-changing impact for my friend and his family at manageable expense to each individual. (Even £10 makes a difference). I imagined many hands suddenly wrapping around my friend's wrist, and beginning to heave the family up to safety.

The dire humanitarian situation in Afghanistan is of course only going to worsen as winter deepens. My goal is to build a fund that can keep the family going over the medium-term as they move through torturous immigration processes, and pay towards visa, travel and resettlement expenses. (I'm very grateful in this regard for the support of an organisation in Kabul that has provided very generous administrative support and advice). I don't want to share many more details for security reasons. What I can say is that I feel a personal responsibility to do as much as I can for a man who took risks every day to ensure my safety, and who is now facing fears for his wife and children that no husband and father ever should.

Why Tarot?

Last year, I began learning the Tarot and now love to offer private readings. For those unfamiliar with the Tarot, I find it to be an amazing tool to develop greater self-awareness: The cards are, in the words of Jungian psychotherapist, Gerd Ziegler, mirrors to the soul. The archetypal imagery embroidered through the deck can help bring hidden aspects of our dilemmas into clearer view; enable us to tap into overlooked internal resources, and develop greater clarity on our next steps.

I've always been inspired by friends who've raised money for good causes by undertaking epic runs or swims. But since I'm a stranger to the gym, I'd felt stumped for sponsorship ideas. Then an idea came to me: Forget about the Marathon. Run a Tarothon instead.

Here's how it works: I will make myself available to offer a reading at any time of day during a designated 48-hour period. You can bring specific questions, or ask for a more general read-out on the major areas in your life. Anyone in any time zone can book a 30-minute reading at a time that suits them, for any donation (large or small) that feels right. If it's the middle of the night in London then so much the better: The veil is thinner in the wee hours.

Of course, you would be warmly welcome to support this cause without requesting a reading. But if you would like a consultation, then email me via the contact feature at the bottom of this page and nominate a 30 minute-slot between 7pm GMT on Friday, 16 December and 7pm GMT on Sunday, 18 December, 2022. I will be allocating slots on a first come, first-served basis. I suggest giving some options for times. I don't want to disappoint anyone, but if for any reason I can't fit everyone in, I'll have to ask for your understanding in advance.

You can make any donation you choose, but if I was to propose a target figure of £25 per half-hour reading then I could, at least theoretically, neatly meet my £2,000 target with room to spare (with plenty of coffee and micro-naps to stay sharp and possibly even sane).

I love supporting people to unlock the wisdom, insight and symbolism fused throughout the 78 cards of the Tarot. And I also love the idea of feeling more empowered and resourced to provide a more consistent, strategic and reliable form of support to my friend and his family.

Let's grab those hands.

With many thanks you for your consideration,

Matthew Green

PS: For any Tarot geeks, though the cards shown here are from the Ryder-Waite deck, I generally use the Thoth deck for reading purposes.

PPS: With bountiful thanks to the amazingly talented artist Maryanne Murray for designing the cover page.