Spottig Specific Illnesses With The Cards?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 16 Aug 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Kiama	16 Aug 2002
Pollux said something in the 'Majors Only' thred that he knew somebody who spotted tachycardia, a stroke, and other illnesses from the cards in the deck, whichat the time were Majors only... I have two questions to raise here, and would dearly love everybody's opinion... 1) CAN specific illnesses be predicted by the cards? 2) SHOULD specific illnesses be predicted by the cards? Over to you! Kiama

Jenny-Li	16 Aug 2002
Hm... I get very mixed feelings about this, I guess it could be predicted by a person with two qualities: a) highly developed psychic abilities and b) medical training. I could never predict specific illnesses, even if I had the psychic ability (which I don't...!), simply because the number of illnesses I know and have a name for is SO limited. So trying to keep my mind as open as possible, I still feel sceptical. I think you could predict problem areas in the health issue, and also whether or not the condition is bad enough to demand that you go see a doctor of some sort, but I'm sceptical about stating the diagnosis "just" from the cards... Hm... Interesting question, I look forward to reading about what everybody else thinks...! Jenny :)

Pollux	16 Aug 2002
I was dragged in soo... ;) Well, this woman was/is (it's ages I haven't heard from her) a psycich reader I think. She surely had something like that - even though much more similar to that sort of "intuition" that we can develope with the use of the cards themselves. She used a Thoth deck. And she did wonders with it. She was really skilled. She worked VERY INTUITIVELY with it, and this is why I could think she was a bit psychic. She never admitted to, though. So, the questions... 1) Well, maybe I misused the adjective "specific"; I just meant to say that she went further the "your health might suffer" or such... She knew if something was not right, and manage to spot it, but as far as i saw, it was from the CARDS. Therefore I tend to accept that: it can be done to a certain extent. I myself had some specific cards in my readings in certain periods... And the Moon was always connected with uneasy circulation-related situations in my experience. 2) Probably they should NOT. People takes readings soooooooo seriously, as if the Book of Destiny was already written for them. And this could have very very very negative effects. I would simply hint to a certain psycho-physic (sp? ARGH!) balance tilting, and some investigations... As for Jenny-li's post, well, I agree with it. The medical training might be needed to know the "names", as she says (LOL :D), but actually I think that the tarot cards have a certain AMBIGUITY (lovely thread it was, wasn't it? ;)), and it is rightly so, and that some conditions are so very widespread you don't need a medical training. Therefore hardly anyone would go beyond a head/backache or menstrual pains at similia - that belong to the everyday life of almost anyone). I raised this issue myself... but I feel sceptical too in a way. It CAN be predicted (I saw it done, and sometimes saw something myself). It should NOT be predicted. I actually know of NO READER that accepts readings about health - if not, as Jenny-li says, for a general overview... and a "why not have a check up?" suggestion. :D That friend did not either... ;) A kiss to Kiama :* and one to Jenny-li :*

Phoenix	16 Aug 2002
I believe that this is the area of expertise of Christine Jette. I think she explains this in her book Tarot for the Healing Heart but I am not 100% sure.

Starfish	16 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Kiama Pollux said something in the 'Majors Only' thread that he knew somebody who spotted tachycardia, a stroke, and other illnesses from the cards in the deck, whichat the time were Majors only... I have two questions to raise here, and would dearly love everybody's opinion... 1) CAN specific illnesses be predicted by the cards? I had done several readings for my DH in mid-June and the 3 of Swords :T3S kept popping up. In the last week of June, he spent a week in Hospital with Atrial Fibrillation - his heart doesn't beat correctly and he was close to having a stroke. In reading the original spreads, I hadn't even thought about why the 3 of Swords :T3S kept showing up. :T7C Starfish

Jenny-Li	16 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Starfish :T3S kept popping up. In the last week of June, he spent a week in Hospital with Atrial Fibrillation - his heart doesn't beat correctly and he was close to having a stroke. Oh starfish, this is a story that really grabs your heart ans squeezes it hard... :eek: Is he OK now? (Related to the topic I just wanted to add that this is what I meant about predicting problem areas, but not *specific*, exactly named illnesses...) Light and love, Jenny :)

catlin	16 Aug 2002
Maybe some of you will recall the reading I did for a friend of mine with the Aquarian deck in which appeared the King of Swords. We could not find a relation to someone around her, so I was inclined to see it as a kind of institution or action. 10 days later the friend called me from the hospital where she had to have an unforseen eye surgery. As I do not comment on illness or health problems for legal reasons, I do not pay extreme attention to the indication of illness. When I pick up bad or ill vibes around a client, I ask him/her when s/he had the last check-up at the doc's and suggest them to go there.

Starfish	16 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Jenny-Li Oh starfish, this is a story that really grabs your heart ans squeezes it hard... :eek: Is he OK now? Yes - he's on medication and will eventually have a pace-maker of sorts inserted (within the next year). But anytime I see him take his medication, I can almost see the heart w/3 swords piercing it super-imposed on him ;) It was quite a wake-up call. :T7C Starfish

Pollux	16 Aug 2002
Well, an exaple from me too. It occurred to me only now, reading Starfishs's. Some couple of months ago I gave a reading for an acquired aunt (married my mother's younger bro). She is 38, and since they had been trying to have a baby with no success for a good while, she asked me for a reading. I was quite sceptical about the effective necessity of a reading - and I don't think I have to explain why. Anyway, Temperance reversed came. And it was in the Environment position. It was intuitive from my part, or probably psychic, but I interpreted it as an outer influenece. A Doctor trying to "balance" her. And the more I looked at it, the more I saw things clearer (and consider I was using the AQUARIAN, that has the most rotten and off-putting Temperance cad EVER!). She was having problems with her period, strong pains and irregularities, due to the fact that she had been takign the piull for so long, and stopped only recently. She was taking a cure. (The Temperance of the AQUARIAN does not show water flowing from the Cups, yet I felt the flow in the Card, I could see the two cups, and the meshing... I can't explain). She was qute puzzled and surprised of course. The Outcome was 6 of Pentacles. You can imagine the rest of the story. :) *BTW, now she's expecting, and at three months :D*

Sorceress_Jade	16 Aug 2002
I believe that it's possible to use cards (and pendulums) to deduce what area of the body an illness resides. I'm sure there's plenty of ways to do it, but I have a system already devised myself for the cards. While i understand that illness' can affect a different part of the body then where it originates, it can still be helpful, particularly when the questions are phrased properly, in finding where problems lie. I don't think this sort of cartomancy should in any way replace a physician, but even doctors take a long time to figure things out, I can't see as looking into it could hurt any and probably would augment the diagnosing. I had a dream where I ran a shop and provided a reading service as well. I had a customer who was asking about some regular old (what's coming up soon in my life) question and I relized something was wrong with her husband. I did a body reading on him and was able to pinpoint that his liver was failing. (remember this is a dream) Ended up providing her with an herbal tea that helped him some and she took him to the hospital as well, etc. etc. (it went on a from there, poor dream lady) It wasn't that I knew exactly /what/ was wrong, but where was wrong.... I think that cards can be used this way very effectively.

midnightmerry	16 Aug 2002
I just recently had a very startling experience with a spread that had many swords in it, including the 3 of sw. I interepreted it to mean that possibly someone I knew would either become ill or be injured, and I duly recorded this in my tarot journal. The first person I thought of was my husband- who has diabetes & heart disease. He's already had one heart attack, so you can imagine what I thought when I saw this spread! However, to be honest, I was still skeptical, as my readings have always reflected trends rather than specific events. Later that day we got a call from the nursing home where his mom is saying that she had fallen again and had to be taken to the hospital for monitoring. (She has alzheimers and cancer). She suffered a tremendous whap on her head and now has a really big swelling, but TG, she is alright- or as alright as a person can be with her medical conditions. My husband is fine and seems to be having no problems right now, so I think that reading was a warning about his mother. This the first time I've had medical information show up in a reading, and I'm certainly more open to it based on this experience.

Minderwiz	16 Aug 2002
I have a similar dilemma with Astrological transits/progressions and horary charts - can they show the onset of illness and should I tell. My starting point is that I believe the horoscopes (and cards) show possibilities - trends for the future. It is quite possible that a horoscope may show the onset of an illness - indeed much Westerh medicine up to the eighteenth century made use of charts both in diagnosis and in selection of remedies - we only need to look at the work of people such as Nicholas Culpepper to see that is so. However even if a chart (or spread) indicates the onset of illness, it represents a possiblity not a certainty. Also we need to be able to interpret the chart (or spread) 'accurately' - cards are not labelled 'You're going to catch the measles' - the relationships between cards in a spread and their positions require some interpretive skill - and we as readers are human and can make mistakes. If you suspect that because of the question, or the clients appearance and demeanour, or their history, that the cards are pointing to illness and you believe it may be serious is to gently try to persuade the querent to consult their doctor or get a checkup. This may be difficult to do without causing alarm but it is a lot safer than saying something like 'the cards indicate that you are likely to have a heart attack next week' which I would classify as dangerous and unprofessional - even if you believe it to be true. Minderwiz

renard	16 Aug 2002
Hi, guys. I posted to another thread about this a while back, but it's pertinent, so here's a recap and update. I have a good friend who's just gone through a divorce -- with all the usual heartache and lingering money troubles -- who's had pneumonia several times in the last year. He does not rest when he's told to (must work, work, work) and never quite gets well. So I get 10 swords, 9 swords (also an insomniac), 3 swords for him All The Time as I've tried to figure out what, if anything, I could do to help. (The kind and objective folks on the forum advised me strongly to get the heck away from him and all the swords, which, BTW, I'm doing.) Here's what happened last week. (I've been seeing him once a week -- okay, I'll cop to it, he's been my therapist for about a year). I'd been showing him the dismal R-W cards I get whenever I ask about my relationship with my mother (2 swords, 8 swords), and, while I was at it, in a last-ditch effort to bully him into taking his health seriously, I showed him the 10 of swords and told him that card sort of belonged to him, these days. He, of course, was taken aback (so to speak) by the image, but went through his usual routine about oh, I'm actually getting more rest, gonna take a whole week off for vacation in October, etc. Okay, so when I kept my appt. yesterday, he said, jokingly, that he had a bone to pick with me. He'd exhausted himself over the weekend and woke up Sunday morning with a high fever and piercing pains in his upper back -- the pneumonia was back. "You and that damn card," he said. "All I could think was, 'Yep, my back's full of swords.'" So, for what it's worth

Laurel	16 Aug 2002
I don't know about tarot predicting specific illnesses, however I know that when a particular friend of mine does readings for me, the fact that I have fibromyalgia often comes up in one or more cards in the spread (a couple specific disks and swords) and tends to flavor the environment. The advice I've been given about my illness has been invaluable. For example, I was told by this reader (and from what the cards said to me personally) not to overextend myself, even though I was feeling great, I wasn't "well", it was just a short term respite. Sure enough, within 3-4 days of the reading I started getting jabbing pains and naseua again. I was mentally and emotionally prepared to get sick again and able to hold steady instead of getting depressed. Laurel

MeeWah	16 Aug 2002
Renard: I recall something of the discussion on your friend though not where; however, the relapse was expected based on the impressions at the time. Your friend's health is much debilitated due to exhaustion with depression a basic contributing factor. A vicious cycle only he can break if he has "the mind" to--as referred to by the multiple Swords cards. He uses work as a remedy & an escape. 'Tis likely the conditions are of some standing as are the habits. Besides indicating insomnia/sleep problems &/or depression--9-Swords can be seen as a warning in more ways than one. That is, referring to a need to wake up & smell the roses; to *look* at the self, the life one has created (in the RSW version, the person has the hands over the face, in effect blocking the vision). Also that bedrest is advised--the illness literally knocks one flat (10-Swords). The recurring bouts of pneumonia are dangerous & weaken him further. In risking the health repeatedly (pneumonia can cause scarring of the lungs) there is a point of no return.

Pollux	16 Aug 2002
Meewah: you did respond to Kiama's question! :( I want to know your opinion too!!!! :(

MeeWah	16 Aug 2002
Pollux: Oops, I forgot. Yes, I think specific illnesses can be detected with the cards; however, it must be done very carefully & judiciously. Readers can tread a thin line between the divinely inspired & a lesser vision; & there is also the legal aspect. Personally, I do not look to do health readings (nor past life readings) for the reason mentioned above. If the information is given, that is another matter entirely & is considered within its context.

renard	17 Aug 2002
MeeWah: Thank you for your succinct analysis. (And yes, you gave me good advice about this before.) I'm printing it out and handing it to him -- my last try at waking him up to what he's doing to himself. If it doesn't work, nothing will. Bless you for your kindness, and for sharing your gifts. Namaste, Renard

Thirteen	17 Aug 2002
Do a Zodiac spread. The querent--or you--focuses on the querent's health. You lay out the cards, and they tell you the following: Aries--something about either the querent's brain, eyes, sinuses Taurus--tonsils, thyroid, major veins that reach up through the neck Gemini--nervous system, speech, lungs and arms Cancer--esophagus, breasts, stomach and gall bladder Leo--Hair, heart, blood circulation Virgo--small intestines, adominal organs, colon and fingernails Libra--kidneys, adrenals, lumbar area of the spine Scorpio--sex organs and spine and, interestingly enough Sag--Pelvis, hips, thighs and gluteus Capricorn--knees and skin Aquarius--blood circulation, calves and ankles Pisces--feet, glandular and lymphatic system The book I used, by the way, wasn't the best, so if someone more knowlegable on this subject of Zodiac signs and what parts of the body they rule over would edit it, I'd be very grateful. However, you can see how you'd do a reading with this--if, say, two-of-swords showed up in capricorn, you'd probably tell them they're about to have compromising knee problems--and in both knees at that.

Pollux	17 Aug 2002
Good one Thirteen! It never occured to me! Well, I can say that to Taurus the ovaries should be added, and Gemini are also associated to the periferic nerves. Leo is associated to the backbone, blood circulation to Aquarius (the opposition engine/pipes in the polarity Leo/Aquarius). Probably not much to add anyway... :P Definitely interesting! THANK YOU!!! :*

renard	17 Aug 2002
Great idea, Thirteen! For those of us who know astrology better than tarot, wheel spreads are the bomb. Thanks.

Thirteen	18 Aug 2002
And hey, if you got the 2 of Cups in Capricorn that would mean "water on the knees"--right? Yuck, yuck, yuck.... Hey, only half kidding there.

renard	18 Aug 2002
Yep. And Two Swords in Aries would mean crosseyes!

renard	21 Sep 2002
Bad joke.

VmprGokuboi69	01 Oct 2002
I had a tarot reading years ago at a fair, and like me at the time.. I was like oh this doesn't mean anything.... Well it kept predicting long stays at somewhere cold and sterile... in my case, a hospital... I got extremely sick and the docs didn't know why. My WBC (white blood cell) and platelet counts dropped so low, they almost didn't exsist... This kept up for months, and I was finding myself loaded with tests and all. Then one day, my platelet counts started rising and are back to normal... I am still having problems with my WBC's but who doesn't... I'm very rarely sick anymore, so I think I built up a tollerence to things

juice	02 Oct 2002
As far as technique goes, if you can't remember the chart just shown for the wheel which I wa going to suggest, you can make a body shaped chart on the fly. Homemade spreads count. Just remember there are five major systems that affect a large percentage of the body: digestion, blood, lymph, nervous, and chakra/energy. Another approach would be to ask for the type of influence your body is having trouble fighting right now. You can look for bacterial, fungal, viral, chemical. And then look for how it is getting in, ingestion, breathing, skin contact, mental influence, or maybe overflow of energy from another person. Ow, lets add accidents are a valid cause of (dis)ease. So is repetitive motion symptoms like tennis elbow, bowlers knee, and poor posture. As mentioned earlier root cause, damage area, and symptom area may not be in the same parts of the body. Maybe I'll try to think up a health spread for those times you're sure somehthing is wrong but not what. BUT, with that said let me point out that I believe care is extremely touchy here. The mind is a powreful tool and people who are closed to most forms of energy are often open to subtle suggestion. Maybe instead of asking how their back is, you should ask how several parts of the body are. Get them to thinking about there health. maybe you should your questions to the obvious stuff the surgeon general is warning about all the time. Are they working in a clean environment? Is anyone they deal with regularly sick? Is there anything preventing them from excersizing more? If you just have to tell somebody there heart is about to stop, don't put it that way. Tell them to take better care of a certain part of their body since it might be under more stress in the future. Under more stress and needs more care isn't exactly promising them they will get sick.

lili	02 Oct 2002
I did a rading for someone over the phone, the person i did the reading for told me to just do a reading without asking any question, I decide to do a Celtic Cross, I do not remember the entire spread but some of the cards did not make any sense to me I just remember the crossing card being the fool the crown card was the world, the before you card was the death the self was the 10 of wands, hopes fear 2 of wands and the outcome 3 of wands, I admit i had trouble relating to the cards the first thing i told her was that she wanted to take risk because of the fool card in the crossing position that was when she told me she was considering suicide, I was working for a hot line back then and the ammount o time that she had to talk was just three free minutes so our conversation was cut and we did not talk any longer I try to call to the company to find the person phone # to try to get help for this person but they couldn't, I can see how everything in the cards was so clear.

The Spottig Specific Illnesses With The Cards? thread was originally posted on 16 Aug 2002 in the Using Tarot Cards board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Using Tarot Cards, or read more archived threads.