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Author Topic: help explaining tarot reading  (Read 1278 times)

Vixen

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help explaining tarot reading
« on: April 23, 2018, 04:17:39 am »
I was at a fantasy/pagan fair yesterday and I had a free tarot reading done. It left me really unsettled and on edge. What I was feeling from the cards was not what the woman was telling me and she herself was struggling to interpret the cards. Now to be fair I am no expert on cards. I am a beginner and only use the big arcana, and I use a different set that speak to me. She used the standard cards.

She had just came in from break and was a little flustered and needed time to ground herself. I don't think she was grounded very well when she started. Anyway. She didn't ask me any questions she just laid out a 7 card Ellipse patern. She didn't work with inverted cards as she turned all the cards upright for the reading.

1. the past: King of wands
2. present: Queen of Challises
3. future: Knight of pentacles
4. what to do: 8 of pentacles
5. my environment: Lovers
6. hopes and fears: 6 of wands
7. outcome: 3 of swords

1. She told me I have been a motherly person in my past, perhaps caring for children. I don't have any children and I don't really have any motherly feelings. Nor have I ever taken care of someone who is sick or elderly. It didn't resonate with me. She was struggling. She drew an extra card, the hanged man. And told me not to pay attention to that card as it was for herself, saying she was trying too hard. I noticed her hands were shaking. We skipped that card for now, telling me it might make more sense if I thought about it a bit.
2. She told me I was a very strong person. A teacher. A spiritual leader at that. Guiding people and helping them find their way spiritually. I found it odd as I have always struggled with my faith and still am. I do try to help others with the knowledge that I gained through my searching as I know I as a researcher dig up a lot more interesting things than most people do. So yeah, not a perfect explanation but not totally out there either.
3. Here is where it gets difficult. When this card came up and she told me this was the future my heart leapt. I saw a strong knight on a strong horse. I got the feeling he is a hard worker, diligent, providing. The exact depiction of how I see my fiancé. Then she told me this card represented problems. Serious problems. I will struggle heavily in my future and I may have to come to the conclusion that this is not what is right for me. If that is the case I just have to let it go. I can't fight it, I will have to let it happen as it's supposed to happen. But it will be a very hard ordeal she told me. A little backstory for you: I am awaiting my K1 fiancé visa to go live with my loved one in the United States. I am leaving behind everything that I know and love to be with him. He has four children, and as you have seen at card 1 I have no true motherly feelings. I know I will have a hard time adjusting, but this almost made me feel sick to my stomach. Especially since my feelings of the card were so positive. But again, I don't work with the small arcana and I am only a beginner.
4. She told me I needed to work really hard to get things accomplished. I can accomplish my goals but it will take a lot of hard work.
5. My environment is very supportive of me. This I can understand. I have a very loving family and my fiancés family has been very warm and welcoming.
6. My biggest hurdle is not acknowledging the successes that I have accomplished. I always think of the things that still need to be done, or the things that I didn't or couldn't do. She said that if I work on that and celebrate every little achievement, especially with the hard tedious work that the 8 of pentacles told me is needed, I will achieve my goals.
7. I truly can't seem to remember what she told me about this card. But I believe it was a difficult card for her to read again. It tied in with the troubles and difficulty that was in the knight of pentacles card but it could be minimized or even entirely prevented by the hard work and overcoming my own obstacles that the 8 of pentacles and 6 of wands showed.

As you see, I am kind of at a loss here. I would really appreciate if some of our experienced tarot readers to help me get a bit of insight here.




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Jenett

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Re: help explaining tarot reading
« Reply #1 on: April 23, 2018, 11:03:15 am »
I was at a fantasy/pagan fair yesterday and I had a free tarot reading done. It left me really unsettled and on edge. What I was feeling from the cards was not what the woman was telling me and she herself was struggling to interpret the cards. Now to be fair I am no expert on cards. I am a beginner and only use the big arcana, and I use a different set that speak to me. She used the standard cards.

Given what you've reported for the cards, and what you report about her interpretations, I'm going to suggest that taking this as 'this was not a great reading for whatever reason, and take what's useful out of it, and let the rest go' is probably the way to go.

But in case it's helpful, here's a bunch more thoughts.

Quote
She didn't ask me any questions she just laid out a 7 card Ellipse patern.

Some readers ask for specific questions, but plenty of readers don't, especially if what they're offering is a general 'what's going on in life right now' sort of reading that is a manageable size/scope (which seems pretty likely for someone doing free readings, that they'd do a consistent thing they feel comfortable offering.)

Quote
She didn't work with inverted cards as she turned all the cards upright for the reading.

Also pretty common!  (I'm going to move the card notes into your comments about them.)

Quote
1. the past: King of wands
1. She told me I have been a motherly person in my past, perhaps caring for children. I don't have any children and I don't really have any motherly feelings. Nor have I ever taken care of someone who is sick or elderly. It didn't resonate with me. She was struggling. She drew an extra card, the hanged man.

I find her reading this as 'motherly' really weird - traditionally, the kings are older (or at least mature) male figures, so I'd think at first glance it had to do with a father or other adult male interaction, rather than a mother, at least not without other context.

Does it make more sense to read it that way? Could be a father, could be another person who'd had that kind of impact on you. Wands suggests fire and an active force, someone who is or was active, engaged in the world, maybe a little uncomfortably so? It could be a good relationship or a more difficult one, but either way the king suggests a relationship that's had a significant impact on you.

I'm not quite sure what to make of the Hanged Man here, other than suggesting that looking at this card from a different perspective might be helpful (i.e. that it might not be a father or paternal figure you normally think about that way, but someone else who actually did have that effect on you.) Since this card is in the past slot, I'd be looking for that new perspective on your past to help inform how you go through the choices you're making now.

Quote
2. present: Queen of Challises
2. She told me I was a very strong person. A teacher. A spiritual leader at that. Guiding people and helping them find their way spiritually. I found it odd as I have always struggled with my faith and still am. I do try to help others with the knowledge that I gained through my searching as I know I as a researcher dig up a lot more interesting things than most people do. So yeah, not a perfect explanation but not totally out there either.

The queen of cups (or chalices) is usually seen as a mature woman who is comfortable with intuition and emotion. It's definitely a good fit for some of how you've described yourself in that sense, of being aware of the energies of things going on around you, and using that as part of how you interact with things

Based on your posts here, you've always come across to me as someone who cares not just about providing the information - that'd be more swords than cups - but about how people feel about it, or what it allows them to experience (much more cups) - like learning more about their homes or properties.

In this context, where you're looking at a big move for emotionally-based reasons, rooting yourself in paying attention to your emotions and intuition seems a pretty good takeaway.

Quote
3. future: Knight of pentacles
3. Here is where it gets difficult. When this card came up and she told me this was the future my heart leapt. I saw a strong knight on a strong horse. I got the feeling he is a hard worker, diligent, providing. The exact depiction of how I see my fiancé. Then she told me this card represented problems. Serious problems.

I am totally baffled why she saw this as a sign of problems. The knight of pentacles can be seen as a bit too hard-working, or stubborn to a degree that causes problems, but it doesn't necessarily have to be that - you can also read the knight as a younger man (or younger person) who is an adult. The Pentacles get read as earth and all the things that come with it - work, prosperity, physical health, all places where hard work and stubborness can also be really good things.

I think I'd read this one as 'a solid base to aim toward, but make sure you/your fiance don't get stuck in the stubborn place, or end up in situations where you're butting heads over things that have other solutions if you take a step back. It's not about what will happen, but a thing to be aware as a possible pattern.

Quote
4. what to do: 8 of pentacles
4. She told me I needed to work really hard to get things accomplished. I can accomplish my goals but it will take a lot of hard work.

I usually read the 8 of pentacles as being about joyful craftmanship - yes, it takes work to get things done right, but it's someone who enjoys taking that time and having that attention to detail.

As someone who went through the K1 paperwork with my now-ex-husband (15+ years ago, and I know it's worse now!) attention to detail is definitely going to serve you very well! Seeing it as a craft that gets you closer to something you want and value rather than pure drudgery will probably help a lot with the experience.

Quote
5. my environment: Lovers
5. My environment is very supportive of me. This I can understand. I have a very loving family and my fiancés family has been very warm and welcoming.

This one does seem pretty clear! And I'd say it's a pretty good sign in general.

Quote
6. hopes and fears: 6 of wands
6. My biggest hurdle is not acknowledging the successes that I have accomplished. I always think of the things that still need to be done, or the things that I didn't or couldn't do. She said that if I work on that and celebrate every little achievement, especially with the hard tedious work that the 8 of pentacles told me is needed, I will achieve my goals.

Minus her take on the 8 of pentacles, I think this is a reasonable reading - take time to celebrate the steps as you complete them, even if it seems that there are a lot of things yet to do. That's pretty key in any big move, and it's also important when you're making lots of other changes. It's usually seen as a quite positive card - celebrating the successes you've had (in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, it's someone in a parade, after all!)

Quote
7. outcome: 3 of swords
7. I truly can't seem to remember what she told me about this card. But I believe it was a difficult card for her to read again. It tied in with the troubles and difficulty that was in the knight of pentacles card but it could be minimized or even entirely prevented by the hard work and overcoming my own obstacles that the 8 of pentacles and 6 of wands showed.

The 3 of swords is not the happiest card in the deck - it represents loneliness, or even heartbreak. However, I don't think that's a 'this is doomed' thing, I think it can be read in two ways: one, that you want to take steps to be attentive to detail but not lost in it (the 8 of pents), or lost in being stubborn about things that do have other solutions (the knight of pents).

The other is that making a move this big does come with some losses - some of which you can probably see now (you'll be far from your family, friends, and spaces you know and love, you'll have all sorts of other changes) And some of which you probably won't know for a while.

That doesn't mean that the outcome as a whole is bad, but that you probably want to make space in your life to grieve the things you're losing, as well as celebrate the things you're gaining, and you probably need to keep doing that for a while.

The fact it's not a Major Arcana or higher in the suit also suggests this might be a shorter-term thing (next couple of months) rather than long-term, so I might make some preparations in advance to take care of yourself a bit if a bump in the road comes up unexpectedly. If you don't need them, they'll be nice to have anyway.

A couple of final notes:

One of the things I look at in spreads is how the cards group. In this case we have:

- A pretty even mix of suits, light on the Major Arcana (which suggests this is probably not a 'this is your life changing reading' sort of reading, and that Major is in your environment, which suggests the other things represented are less major and/or shorter-term.

- 3 cards are court cards (often representing specific people or relationships) and another is the Lovers. That's more than half this reading. I'd be looking at your interactions with people in your life more carefully as a result, rather than more nebulous concepts or ideas.

I hope some of that makes some sense! Feel free to ask more specifics if something didn't.
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Vixen

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Re: help explaining tarot reading
« Reply #2 on: April 24, 2018, 05:35:29 am »

I find her reading this as 'motherly' really weird - traditionally, the kings are older (or at least mature) male figures, so I'd think at first glance it had to do with a father or other adult male interaction, rather than a mother, at least not without other context.

Does it make more sense to read it that way? Could be a father, could be another person who'd had that kind of impact on you. Wands suggests fire and an active force, someone who is or was active, engaged in the world, maybe a little uncomfortably so? It could be a good relationship or a more difficult one, but either way the king suggests a relationship that's had a significant impact on you.

This makes a lot more sense. I'm going through a very rough period in my life and my father is helping me every way he can. Now that my fiancé s so far away he has really stepped up to support me. I've always been very close with my father but we butt heads a lot too.

Quote

I am totally baffled why she saw this as a sign of problems. The knight of pentacles can be seen as a bit too hard-working, or stubborn to a degree that causes problems, but it doesn't necessarily have to be that - you can also read the knight as a younger man (or younger person) who is an adult. The Pentacles get read as earth and all the things that come with it - work, prosperity, physical health, all places where hard work and stubborness can also be really good things.

I think I'd read this one as 'a solid base to aim toward, but make sure you/your fiance don't get stuck in the stubborn place, or end up in situations where you're butting heads over things that have other solutions if you take a step back. It's not about what will happen, but a thing to be aware as a possible pattern.
 

Now this is something I recognize. My fiancé and I can both be very stubborn people. It's good on one hand as we hold steady till we reach our goals, but we do tend to butt heads...
He is a very diligent and hard worker. He doesn't stop until he gets the job done type of guy. I'm more procrastinating but once I got my mind set on something I will dig up all the details I can find about it. We are both working hard to get through this K1 process with as few hitches as we can, but it is hard. I definitely understand this card now.


Quote

I usually read the 8 of pentacles as being about joyful craftmanship - yes, it takes work to get things done right, but it's someone who enjoys taking that time and having that attention to detail.

As someone who went through the K1 paperwork with my now-ex-husband (15+ years ago, and I know it's worse now!) attention to detail is definitely going to serve you very well! Seeing it as a craft that gets you closer to something you want and value rather than pure drudgery will probably help a lot with the experience.

This ties in wonderfully with the knight now in my opinion. It takes hard work but its something I enjoy doing and reading up on. I am very active on the VisaJourney forums helping others through this process too.
How wonderful that you did the K1 too. I'm sorry about the divorce though. It's nice to know you understand the struggles and difficulties of the process. And you are right, K1 has changed dramatically, waiting times till NOA-2 are 5 to 7 months these days.  :-X
TV shows like 90 days don't really help either...  ::)

Quote

Minus her take on the 8 of pentacles, I think this is a reasonable reading - take time to celebrate the steps as you complete them, even if it seems that there are a lot of things yet to do. That's pretty key in any big move, and it's also important when you're making lots of other changes. It's usually seen as a quite positive card - celebrating the successes you've had (in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, it's someone in a parade, after all!)

With the hard work and being happy doing that hard work its only logical to take time and remember to celebrate your successes however small. Its a long process we go through and we need to remind ourselves that we are making progress.

Quote

The 3 of swords is not the happiest card in the deck - it represents loneliness, or even heartbreak. However, I don't think that's a 'this is doomed' thing, I think it can be read in two ways: one, that you want to take steps to be attentive to detail but not lost in it (the 8 of pents), or lost in being stubborn about things that do have other solutions (the knight of pents).

The other is that making a move this big does come with some losses - some of which you can probably see now (you'll be far from your family, friends, and spaces you know and love, you'll have all sorts of other changes) And some of which you probably won't know for a while.

That doesn't mean that the outcome as a whole is bad, but that you probably want to make space in your life to grieve the things you're losing, as well as celebrate the things you're gaining, and you probably need to keep doing that for a while.

The fact it's not a Major Arcana or higher in the suit also suggests this might be a shorter-term thing (next couple of months) rather than long-term, so I might make some preparations in advance to take care of yourself a bit if a bump in the road comes up unexpectedly. If you don't need them, they'll be nice to have anyway.

 

I think this is a very sensible way to explain the card. It is a bittersweet process to go through, you know what its like. I am very aware of all the things I am giving up. But I am gaining so much too. A husband, a family, a new life, new experiences. Whatever happens this will make me grow as a person.

Quote

A couple of final notes:

One of the things I look at in spreads is how the cards group. In this case we have:

- A pretty even mix of suits, light on the Major Arcana (which suggests this is probably not a 'this is your life changing reading' sort of reading, and that Major is in your environment, which suggests the other things represented are less major and/or shorter-term.

- 3 cards are court cards (often representing specific people or relationships) and another is the Lovers. That's more than half this reading. I'd be looking at your interactions with people in your life more carefully as a result, rather than more nebulous concepts or ideas.

I hope some of that makes some sense! Feel free to ask more specifics if something didn't.

I love your take on the reading as a whole. I'll take from this reading that my relationship with people is where I need to keep my focus. Follow my heart and keep my loved ones close however far away they are. With hard work and the support from my loved ones I can overcome any of the negative side effects of this move.


You are awesome Jenett. Thank you so much.
You're only given a little spark of madness, you mustn't lose it.

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