Euthanasia

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 06 Jul 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Flavio	06 Jul 2004
This question is about which cards would mean euthanasia in a spread were we ask about situation and needs of a person in coma. Such card would answer "What does she/he needs now?" / "What to do to help her/him? / "What is she/he trying to tell us? etc... I think it might me 4 of Swords or under such circumstances the Death. Please note: I am not trying to actually apply the results of this thread as that kind of medical issues should be consulted to professionals, and it is prohibited in many countries, I just want to learn and think this matter would be of great interest. Thank you very much.

tmgrl2	06 Jul 2004
Research show one should treat and speak to someone in a coma no differently from the way you would if they were alert: lovingly... My husband and I have worked in our professtions with patients who have gone into comas. We actually find the work with the families quite comforting to us and often rewarding, since we teach what we need to learn as well. The Tarot cards can have the same meanings in terms of loving guidance that would apply to anyone. Death, if it came up, could be discussed in terms of position of card, of course, but as another transition we make, one that should be made with love and attention. There is a lot of good literature about people who are dying (although many in comas do come through to this plane again). As you said, yourself, you are not asking the Tarot to serve the function of a medical professional, doctor, social worker...in this situation. terri

Thirteen	06 Jul 2004
I think, Flavio, that 4/Swords, like the Hanged Man, might well indicate the coma, a death-like sleep...but not pulling the plug. For coma patients and any other person in a state where a decision must be made on whether to take them off life-support, you'd really need the Death Card AND Judgement (aka, final Judgement) at the very least. Wheel of Fortune, The Chariot, and The Universe could add to that, but not on their own (each suggests a transformation, an end to one thing, a move-on to something new). Not without the Death Card at least. As for the minors, I'd be leery of depending on them for such a decision. However, 8/Cups and 6/Swords--leaving the bad behind, traveling toward something better--might reinforce the suggestion. 4/Swords alone would suggest to me that the patient would like to remain as they are, resting between life and death.

tao51	08 Jul 2004
a spread has more than one card. I would have a hard time using a tarot reading instead of sound medical advice. I have done readings which expressed emotions an ideas of a person unable to express themselves. --Tao

Moongold	08 Jul 2004
What an interesting question. It would be good if people made Living Wills or gave trusted loved ones or friends medical power of attorney so that if ever situations arose where decisions about removing life support had to be made the wishes of the person concerned would be respected..... but that rarely happens. I can't imagine a situation where anyone would accept a Tarot reading as reflecting the wishes of someone in a coma, although I know you're not suggesting that.

Ace	10 Jul 2004
Four of Swords feels to me like a rest card, but not an eternal rest. Hanged man the same way, a pause to consider. Either could go either way. Judgement or the World are breakthrough cards, if you got either of those, I might take it to indicate the person is ready to move on. If I were actually doing the reading, then it would depend on how the cards felt to you at the time: you might get a different reading to fit the circumstances. But in general, the above is how I feel about the question. Barb

Grizabella	10 Jul 2004
If anyone ever wanted to know from me through a tarot reading whether to pull the plug or euthanise someone, I'd absolutely decline to do the reading on the basis of that question. I could never, ever agree to try to help someone reach that answer through tarot. It's just too serious and final an issue, you know?

SongDeva	12 Jul 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Lyric If anyone ever wanted to know from me through a tarot reading whether to pull the plug or euthanise someone, I'd absolutely decline to do the reading on the basis of that question. I could never, ever agree to try to help someone reach that answer through tarot. It's just too serious and final an issue, you know? That interesting, as I would head to my intuition (and possibly tarot) first for a question that serious. It would help me to tap into what my inner self says. Would I help someone else? Not to answer the question per se, but to tune into their inner self about the answer, yes. Welcome to the forums Lyric; our member nicknames were meant for each other. ;)

Luminessence	12 Jul 2004
I think that depending on the context, a lot of cards could fit this description. Some examples are Judgment (moving on to a higher level; this card can also relate to the afterlife), the Three of Pentacles (moving to a higher level), Ace of Cups (can relate to the universe and divine love), Death (a major transition), 10 of Swords rx (the situation is bad, and it's not going to get better), Five of Cups (you're only looking at what you would lose, when really it would be better in the long run), and the Tower (same idea). Of course, depending on context, some of these could most likely say that euthanasia is not the best option. As for the question of doing a reading for a situation such as this, I wouldn't do this kind of reading for somebody else. I wouldn't want to be a major factor in such an important decision when it's not really my decision to make, especially if it's for somebody I don't know. I wouldn't want ot involve myself that deeply, both from a personal and from a karmic perspective. I could see doing such a reading for myself - not as a deciding factor, but simply to help my thoughts - and intuition - along.

Flavio	16 Jul 2004
Thank you all for your input in this thread, the results are very interesting. The origin of the question is a fish from my tank who got sick, did my best to cure him but he died one week ago, a pet health spread showed in the "what shall I do to help?" position the 4 of Swords, which was discussed within the thread, doing a read for the pet was difficult so I thought in terms of human beigns under similar conditions and imagined how hard that could be. As expected, this topic is a difficult one and raised lots of positions and attitudes, once again let me tell you I did not use the results of this thread it or plan to use it in the future, the interest is academic, it's very clear to me that medical, finantial and legal matters must be solved by the right people.

Indigo_lady	18 Jul 2004
I don't think cards give you the answers to what to do. They might open your perspective on an existing issue. They might reveal issues related to it that you did not know. The might tell you the options that you have and the consequences of those options Ultimately, as crude as it sounds, it's your call whether or not to pull the cord So therefore I don't think that they will indicate what to do... They CAN indicate a situation in which you will be faced with making a decision for someone else who is in a comma. And I think that the cards that can best describe this are the Hanged Man and the 6 of swords combined. The 6 of swords because it speaks of sacrifice, and for me, a sacrifice that has to do with your loved ones, taking a huge decision. And the Hanged Man, well on its own I guess it speaks of the limbo that the person in comma and you will be in. VERY interesting question

The 78th Fool	27 Jul 2004
This is a really challenging thread and I'm glad it's been posted. From my perspective, this is one of several questions I just don't think it's appropriate for the cards to answer. Thinking about this has also made me realise that I would never look to the cards to predict or indicate any issues with direct regard to physical death. Part of me feels at gut level that we're just not meant to know when ours or someone else's time's up. More importantly, If we're reading for others, Tarot is not an exact science and to fraternise with questions such as these is to play dangerously with the hearts and emotions of those we read for. To sum up, I really do think that its better not even to ask. As to the posting of this thread - It's a very good thing that we all ask ourselves some tough questions once in a while. Thankyou for making me face up to these. Chris. xx

The Euthanasia thread was originally posted on 06 Jul 2004 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.