A Lesson in Literal Meaning

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 27 Sep 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Sillanza	27 Sep 2004
Sometimes I forget that on occasion the card you draw may mean exactly what's depicted. This happened to me in a profound way today. I drew a card for my son, to see how he would do at school today. He has special needs and is an inclusion student with a class full of typically developing kids, so this is an important issue for me. I was using the New Palladini which has simple, elegant drawings. For today, his card was the 7 of Wands. In the New P, there is only one person depicted, holding a wand, while 7 other wands appear below him (no other people a la the RWS). My first thought was "he's going to hit people on the head with a stick!" Then I thought -- that's crazy, it must just mean that he's going to have a bit of a struggle today, but that he'll do OK. Damn if his in-class aide didn't call me and tell me that he was chosen to perform special duties in his classroom today, which included touching each child on the head with a "wand". I almost passed out with joy. P.S., he did great. :D The lesson for all of us: sometimes it really is as simple as looking at that picture. :)

Diana	27 Sep 2004
What a wonderful lesson the Tarot taught you (and has taught us in the process!) But no-one could have guessed the outcome! The Tarot is WONDERFUL!!!

Flavio	27 Sep 2004
I love when that happens! the Tarot let us know it also has a sense of humor. Why do we tend to think the worst when some cards appear?

rosyelf	27 Sep 2004
Sillanza, that is a great experience ! I have a little son with special needs too-I feel the whole world of tarot (not just the cards but the wonderful people I've met who use them) has helped me a lot to see that Daniel is not a" mistake", just different-and with great things to offer ! As I'm sure your young man is, too. Blessings to you both. It's funny-I think we do get all gloomy when we suspect something might be literal-Death card, for instance. Perhaps we're all pessimists at heart, don't know. rosyelf

firemaiden	27 Sep 2004
Yes, I love when the tarot is quite literal -- when the image says it all. We have a thread on it somewhere. Honestly, for me that is one of the most fascinating things about the tarot.

sarahbellum	27 Sep 2004
That's one of the things that always amazes me about the Tarot--how it can be so amazingly literal, if not in pictures, then in showing a snapshot of exactly what is going on. The other day I was waiting with bated breath for the results of a very scary medical test, and decided to just pull one card to kind of ground myself. I didn't really ask a question. SO of course I got the five of pentacles. I knew what that meant but decided to look for deeper meanings. The book I looked in said right off, "worry over serious health problems." I am one of those people who talk to the cards, and not infrequently, what I say is, "Well, DUH." This was one of those times. (Test came back fine, by the way.) Anyway, I am glad your son is doing well and that a little of the magic of the cards went with him to school and then reported back to you. As some famous poet or other said, having a child is like having your heart come out of your chest and walk around on its own.

Sechat	08 Oct 2004
The magic question is knowing, at the time of the reading, what kind of reading one is faced with when the cards are before you--prognostic (where things are leading) diagnostic (what 's happening now) analytic (understanding how the player(s) and the situation are interacting), etc. peace, sechat

Vilyariel	08 Oct 2004
aww! what a lovely story! sillanza & rosyelf - i think it takes a special person to be blessed with a special needs child. I am not thinking of having kids anytime soon, and parents of any kids have a hard enough time. Don't take this the wrong way, it's not intended to offend anyone, but i think you guys have it tougher than some others. i think it's really amazing to think that you're the most important person in the world to someone else. It's really sad when people talk about kids being 'mistakes' [as an adopted child, i quite often think of myself as a 'mistake' for someone.. but at the same time, dare i say it, i guess i was kind of a blessing in disguise for my parents] and its sad when people pity you and say, 'do you regret this and that?' Anyway, i wish you the best of luck! There were two special needs students in my grade, and they both graduated from highschool with us a few weeks ago. i think that was probably the nicest thing i've seen in a long time, everyone had to admit that it was a real achievement, and even i, [who am often not that sensetive] felt like i wanted to cry! it's hard enough to finish school as it is, and these people [one of whom, michael, is severely retarded] were able to graduate from year 12/grade 12/6th form. i digressed quite a bit there, i'm sorry. back on track -- is there any way to tell when the death card means that, literally? or is it a case of 'waiting it out'? it's ironic...it can really contradict itself. death or rebirth...two extremes.

Seed Crystal	08 Oct 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Sillanza ... For today, his card was the 7 of Wands. In the New P, there is only one person depicted, holding a wand, while 7 other wands appear below him (no other people a la the RWS). My first thought was "he's going to hit people on the head with a stick!" Then I thought -- that's crazy, it must just mean that he's going to have a bit of a struggle today, but that he'll do OK. Damn if his in-class aide didn't call me and tell me that he was chosen to perform special duties in his classroom today, which included touching each child on the head with a "wand" . I almost passed out with joy. P.S., he did great. :D The lesson for all of us: sometimes it really is as simple as looking at that picture. :) Ok this is driving me crazy; what on earth does "touching each child on the head with a "wand" mean? (I assume it has some meaning for the children; maybe "ok, you're next, go ahead..." Very nice annecdote and thread.

Vilyariel	09 Oct 2004
i think it means something like, you get a stick or a ruler or something, and you to 'bless' people with it... thats how i read it to mean. ::edited to reword ::

Sillanza	11 Oct 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Seed Crystal Ok this is driving me crazy; what on earth does "touching each child on the head with a "wand" mean? (I assume it has some meaning for the children; maybe "ok, you're next, go ahead..." Very nice annecdote and thread. Exactly. The kid who has this duty gets to use the teacher's pointer tap each individual on the head to dismiss them to recess. All the kids love it.

Maelin	11 Oct 2004
My daughter is autistic, and I don't ususally read for her at all - I think I'm afraid what the cards might tell me! But given that autistic children - and most special needs perspectives - are stronger visually than verbally- the connect is probably even greater than those of us language based people who struggle with a basically symbolic, visual guide like Tarot . Thank you Sillanza for a beautiful story. It really made my day!

Seed Crystal	11 Oct 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Sillanza Exactly. The kid who has this duty gets to use the teacher's pointer tap each individual on the head to dismiss them to recess. All the kids love it. Dimly I can recall such feelings. Thank for this smile.

The A Lesson in Literal Meaning thread was originally posted on 27 Sep 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.