I recently said to someone that even though we aren’t entirely done with the COVID-19 pandemic, while we are battling a third wave(let), I am glad it is this March instead of last March. Last March, this mysterious virus had taken over, and the world was in hard lockdown as it was not known when the lockdown would end. The world was blindsided by a pandemic that quickly came on. People who had special events such as weddings, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, and other fun social gatherings had to have them canceled. People who looked forward to going on exciting trips had to cancel those trips, and it did not matter whether or not they saved up for years to go on their dream vacation – it couldn’t happen. Kids had to suddenly stop going to school and had to learn at home, virtually.

The Pandemic Appeared Out Of Nowhere And Added Fear And Confusion

No one knew when life would ever return to normal, and people were not only grieving over lost opportunities and canceled trips and events – but they quickly became prisoners in their own homes. That was March of 2020.

At least in March of 2021, scientists and doctors not only know so much more about the virus, even with the variants of concern that recently emerged. However, many countries worldwide began their vaccination campaigns (and Canada is finally getting their shit together, hooray). It is unnecessary to be locked up at home even though wearing masks and social distancing is what we have to do until we reach herd immunity after vaccinations.

Doctors and scientists know that you can safely enjoy having social gatherings outdoors as long as you stay distant from each other as patiently waiting for your turn to get the jab when you are eligible. Therefore, the big difference between March of 2020 and March of 2021 is that in March of 2020, there was no hope for life to resume as it was before. In March of 2021, you see that there is the hope of life returning as it was back, and you can feel it is on the horizon. However, even once the pandemic is over and the economy is running at total capacity again, will life ever really be back to ‘normal’? Will life be back to how it was before the pandemic hit? No. I am afraid it will not be, and that is what the tarot card combination of the Star and Death represents.

Star And Death Tarot Card Combination: There Is Hope For Normalcy After COVID-19, But Things Won’t Be Back To How They Were Before

The Star tarot card is the card that represents hopes and dreams, and that is exactly what the COVID-19 vaccine is bringing to us! Hopes and dreams for the pandemic to end, which will eventually turn into a reality. However, the Death tarot card tells you that even though the economy will run at total capacity, and ultimately, we will no longer need to wear masks and socially distance from others – the pre-pandemic life is over, for good. It is dead and gone.

I know I already touched on a topic similar to this one when I wrote The Moon And Tower: The Reality Check Will Shatter Your Delusions. That is because people aren’t preparing themselves for how they can handle going back to ‘normal’ life once the pandemic ends. Psychologists already have a name for this phenomenon that we will feel once we reach herd immunity, called re-entry anxiety. However, I am not going through the emotional and mental aspects of what will happen after the pandemic ends. I will strictly talk about the structural, societal, and physical elements of what to expect once the pandemic ends.

There is something to realize as well. When the pandemic hit last year, Saturn and Pluto conjoined together in Capricorn to represent destruction, abuse of power, and sudden transformations. Jupiter in the mix pinpointed the pandemic being the cause as Jupiter and Pluto’s conjunctions often describe pandemics. The crazy thing is that there was a Jupiter and Pluto conjunction in Cancer during the 1918 Spanish Flu. Now, there will also be a Jupiter and Pluto conjunction in 2033 in Aquarius. Will that be the sign of another pandemic? You know, the fact is that I think pandemics are going to happen more and more since so much more travel is happening, and polar ice caps are melting, so it is possible. However, let’s hope at that point, the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020/21 won’t be forgotten, to everyone will have a better time preparing for what to do.

Now, let’s talk about what I suspect won’t be coming back in the physical form after life gets back to ‘normal’:

What Physical, Societal, And Structural Changes Will Likely Happen After The Pandemic Ends?

Here is the thing. People think that once you get back to ‘normal’ life once the achievement of herd immunity happens, even after realizing that it will take time to digest – they think that life will be back to how it was before the pandemic. Not exactly. Firstly, I believe the birthday cake tradition of you blowing candles out will be a goner once the pandemic ends.

People never thought about the germs sprayed all over the cake whenever the birthday guy or gal blows out their handles. They know now, and that tradition will likely die along with the pandemic once that day happens. Will some households will keep up with the germy tradition? Probably – especially those who don’t take COVID-19 seriously. However, as a whole, society won’t accept it anymore.

The same goes for shaking hands. People will not, for the most part, want to shake anyone’s hand anymore. You don’t know what the individual touched, which is why you will likely see people make fists and bump them together, which transfers fewer microbes and germs than shaking hands do. That may be that new meeting and greeting tradition. Does that mean the ‘high five’ will become obsolete too? Maybe.

Another thing that you may see from now on is virtual events happening all around. Yes, in-person gatherings will happen again. However, if someone cannot go to an event in-person, then they can always attend virtually. This might have been thought of before the pandemic happened, but if not, that is a change we will likely see from here on.

Speaking of parties, what will happen when it comes to serving food? Will there be open bowls of candies and chips for people to grab? Or will they be given Halloween-size packs instead? Now people know how many germs transfer from your hands to items, and no one wants to eat food from a bowl where other people’s germy hands touched. That is something that will potentially change. However, horderves can still be served because guests at a party or an event can use a disposable fork or toothpick to grab the horderves. The same will go for samples at supermarkets. Therefore, that is not something that you will see disappear.

However, now that we are on the topic of food what about buffets? I believe buffets, where you could go on your own and pick up what you want from the buffet table, are gone. Buffets post-pandemic will have a different approach: you ordering what you want, an all-you-can-eat deal, and having servers serve you whether they bring it to your table or do it in a cafeteria-style. The number of germs and microbes that get transferred from person to person at a buffet setting is astounding, and people are aware of this fact. What will that mean for Las Vegas buffets? Only time will tell what happens.

Another potential change that you will likely see is that every cold and flu season, people may be told to wear masks and to socially distance to minimize illness-spreading. Yes, COVID-19 may become endemic which is why we will need booster shots for future variants. However, that is mostly because each cold and flu season is a germy time.

As you can see, the pandemic will bring potential changes, many that I outlined and probably many more that I am not thinking of in post-pandemic life. Yes, again, the COVID-19 era will come to an end, because one way or another, everything does end. But things will never really be the same on every level.