Interesting pattern...

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 07 Oct 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

destinyawaitsme	07 Oct 2002
Okay. In my daily readings, I usually do this 3 cards spread: Theme or problem, guidance, and projected outcome. When asking about my day I got: Temperance, Knight of Wands, Page of Wands. When I asked about my love life (having an issue with it right now) and I got: The Emperor, Knight of Cups, page of Cups. I jus thought it was weird that the pattern of having a major as my theme, a knight as guidance, and page as outcomes was interesting. Also both times the knight and page were of the same suit. I know 2 readings isn't really considered a pattern, but I don't believe in coincidences. But I also have an ability to look into something a little too much. So let me know what you think...I could be crazy. ;)

Prince	07 Oct 2002
The probability of getting a major as your first card, a knight as your second card, and a page (of the same suit as the knight) as your third card, is: 22/78 x 4/77 x 1/76 = 88/456456 = 1/5187 Having it happen on two consecutive throws has a probability of (1/5187)^2 = 1/26904969 which is roughly 1 in 27 million. This cannot be mere coincedence. Never mind that events with 1 to 27 million odds happen to approximately 222 different people each and every day of the year, on our planet of 6 billion plus people. Since 27 million is a large number, it must have metaphysical meaning. Clearly you are being told something of great significance by a higher power. I suggest that you fast, spiritually cleanse yourself, and prepare for a miracle.

aeonx	07 Oct 2002
*l* Prince, I just loved your reply! :D Welcome to the magnificent forum of ours, and I hope to see more of you in the future! :) ~aeonx~

Prince	08 Oct 2002
It just occured to me that the odds are much better than 1 in 27 million, because the original pattern is completely arbitrary. The original pattern seems interesting only because a pattern similar to the original emerged in a subsequent throw. So we need to reformulate the problem in order to get the correct answer. The probability of getting a three-card spread similar to an arbitrary three-card spread is lower bounded at 1/78 x 1/77 x 1/76 = 1/456456 depending on how one defines "similar". According to destinyawaitsme's definition of "similar" in this case, the probability is 88 times higher, namely 1//456456 x 88 = 88/456456 = 1/5187. This probability is about four fifths the probability of getting four of a kind in poker, and about fifteen times the probability of getting a straight flush in poker. In other words, it's an interesting event, but by no means rare or meaningful. Events with similar odds occur to more than 1.1 million people each and every day of the year, assuming a world population of 6 billion.

Laurel	08 Oct 2002
I had to take a class in statistics as a college freshman twelve years ago. I got a better than passing grade in it; the father of my child, who later become a wildlife biologist/forester working for WA state, almost failed that same class. Ironically, he now spends every working day preforming statistical analysis and excells at it; I am an occultik who thinks statics are typically neat but irrelevent. Clearly life is sublime. :P The two questions are themselves pretty similar; obviously your love life is going to be part of your daily life for the week. LOL. But the Emperor is a very dynamic card. It suggests an extremely different theme than Temperance, which is a card about achieving a balance. Destiny- are you male or female? And what's the gender of your lover? That's the problem with the Internet, its hard to judge people's gender based on names *g* and the pattern here is so about polarities, that it would be easier to describe with that information. Basically, though, the two readings are -definately- interrelated. Laurel

destinyawaitsme	09 Oct 2002
Hehe...I'm a female...and I'm hetero. If you could help me figure out what the spread could be telling me that would help me a lot. I'm actually taking Statistics right now in college. I have a B in it, but I hate it.

faunabay	09 Oct 2002
All those numbers!!! oooooooo I'm getting a headache!! LOL

Laurel	09 Oct 2002
Okay, armed with that additional info... *g* It seems to be that the cards are guidance in both readings is that you need to "articulate what you want/need and actively pursue it"... otherwise forces outside yourself are going to take advance and set you backwards, not out of wanting to cause harm, but because their own natures are *cough*.. aggressive. This would be a bad time to be a damsel in distress; its an excellent opportunity to be your own personal Lancelot. This is very much a set of situations where the power is there for you to take, but there's a lot of conflict between circumstances (those fiery wands with Temperance; The Emporer with water) which suggests that part of the confusion (especially in the relationship) is that one of the two of you is trying to swim upstream instead of going with the flow, and wondering why this relationship seems to require so much energy to maintain. Does that make any sense?

Keslynn	09 Oct 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Laurel This would be a bad time to be a damsel in distress; its an excellent opportunity to be your own personal Lancelot. I really like that, Laurel. Very eloquently stated analysis. :) Kes

DeLani	10 Oct 2002
I would go for the "comparative" style, as if reading them all together as one reading. Your theme is spiritual in nature - I don't see Temperance and the Emperor to be so different. In fact, 14 is considered a "higher vibration" of 4, so that could mean Tarot is trying to show you that the time has come to step up to the plate, and master something spiritually, through a balance of inner & outer work. (outer work could be accepting a position of authority). The Knights in the guidance pos. are saying: do it! Go for it! Use your inner fire. Like it was said, be your own knight in shining armour. Outcome as Pages - new beginnings. Becoming a student (of life, in college, whatever). Let us know if this pattern comes up again!

The Interesting pattern... thread was originally posted on 07 Oct 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.