Six of swords and four of cups - Tarot de Marseilles reading

Kuroga

Hi all,

I'm new, I'm having trouble with a reading. I have a deadline for work, meaning I have an article to submit, but I have been having a block for the last couple of weeks. So I took my Hadar TdM deck and did a cross spread.

Question: How should I go about this paper to get it done?
1, myself: L'Hermite VIIII
2, the context: Le Chariot VII
3, about the question: Le Diable XV
4, advice/solution: La Force XI
5, synthesis (8+7+75+77=41=5): Le Pape (reversed)


L'Hermite is mysef, trying to find the trigger that gets me writing, but also very concentrated on the lantern, as distracted by it throughout the quest. This is my subconcious speaking, as I've been not very productive lately. The context, which I take as my work context, is the Chariot. This is weird, I didn't understand at first. I have this habit with a cross reading that when I have problem with the arcanes majeurs, I shuffle the mineurs and get two out, placing them around the problematic card. This gives six of swords and four of cups. If the chariot is the workplace, where I could achieve success but from which the Hermite kind of moves away, what do these two pips mean? Six of swords I take as isolation, detachement, concentration on one's self (it is also in line with the Hermit) but what about the four of cups? Nothing comes to my mind. Maybe the stability that I feel I am lacking in order to properly be productive? But why cups and not swords or better pentacles? This is unclear to me.

The other cards I read as the devil, indicating the creative nature of the question I am asking and the force, indicating that the solution is to make my instincts and mood to work with my reason together, to achieve my objective. The synthesis is the pope reversed, and I take it as meaning someone who has lost is contact to the divine, or his inner self, his centre of inspiration (the Pope is reversed, but his inspiration comes from above, not from below. He is terrestrial, but his natural aspirations should be towards the highs, not the ground). The vertical line looked quite clear to me, it is these pips which confuse me.

How should I read these two cards in combination with the chariot?

Thanks for your help!

Kuroga
 

tarotmka

Cool, it's fun to see the cards in French!

I'm guessing "Le Pape" is the Hierophant?

1, myself: L'Hermite VIIII
2, the context: Le Chariot VII
3, about the question: Le Diable XV
4, advice/solution: La Force XI
5, synthesis (8+7+75+77=41=5): Le Pape (reversed)

You asked how you should go about it. You need to become the Hermit - shut out the rest of the world, go deep into your "zone" (I call mine the brain cave) and don't come out until it's finished.

The context is that you have a deadline that is steadily approaching. You have a goal and need to get there, focussed and sure.

The Devil could also be about tying yourself down (hunkering down). You might be feeling constricted by this deadline.

Strength is telling you to muster up what you have to get through it.

(You pulled both the inner strength (La Force) and outer strength (Le Chariot) cards, so that tells me you need to control both your external world - remove distractions - and inner world - focus.)

The Hierophant is telling you to stick to the rules, abide by your deadline. Set timers to work by, create structure and discipline yourself.
 

tarotmka

Oh sorry, I didn't address those pips. I'm going to go way out on a limb here and say: "move with concentration". That's what the Chariot does. The reason I say limb is because other cards could have meant something similar. The Knight of Wands (or a Knight in general) with the Eight of Pentacles might have represented this better, but that's what came first to me.

In the Four of Cups, he's ignoring what's being offered him (resembles the Chariot controlling the outer environment or applying Will).

The Six of Swords is moving forward (moving on), although there's much more sadness in this card than in the Chariot. Maybe you also need a change of scene?
 

Kuroga

Thanks tarotmka for your insightful replies! And sorry for the French names, my two decks are in French and Italian, and I never studied the Tarot in English so they do not come to me easily!
taromka said:
In the Four of Cups, he's ignoring what's being offered him
I didn't think of this meaning, I can really relate to it. Do you mind sharing how you came to it?

taromka said:
The Six of Swords is moving forward (moving on), although there's much more sadness in this card than in the Chariot.
To me it represents rather the moment just before the moving forward, the gathering of the self before the jump. I have always felt utterly sad and lonely in front of this card too. It is disturbingly fascinating to me.

Thanks, this was really helpful.

Peace,

Kuroga
 

prudence

Hi Kuroga and Tarotkma,

I think there may be some confusion at play, on a Marseilles deck pip card, there are no scenes, for example, the 4 cups literally just shows 4 cups arranged on the card with a little bit of plant/vine growth around those cups. In the Rider Waite Smith deck (aka RWS) there is a man basically not paying attention to a cup being offered to him, which I am guessing is where Tarotkma got her interpretation for the 4 cups card in your reading, Kuroga.

Also, Kuroga, if you'd prefer to have this thread moved to the Marseilles forum, we can do that for you. There are a lot of readers of TdM decks who frequent that forum, and have a bit different style to reading the cards than you may find here in Your Readings, as this forum is more often frequented by those who read using the RWS type decks.

It's up to you though, just let us (Alta, Sulis or me) know and we can move it over for you. :)
 

tarotmka

Ah, yes, my understanding is from the RWS deck. I think my head would hurt trying to learn a new deck. ;)
 

Kuroga

All right, this is why I could not figure out that four! Silly me!

Thanks Prudence. Please, move the thread if you think it'll be better in TdM forum.

Thanks again for your help tarotmka!

Kuroga
 

iAmRiotEyes

Question: How should I go about this paper to get it done?
1, myself: L'Hermite VIIII
2, the context: Le Chariot VII
3, about the question: Le Diable XV
4, advice/solution: La Force XI
5, synthesis (8+7+75+77=41=5): Le Pape (reversed)

1. Isolate yourself as purely as possible, gather all the information you'd like to share in the article.

2 and 3. The Chariot is pulled in one direction by two forces, I think you might need to focus a bit better. From the next card (the Devil) it seems you're being distracted, probably by tiny little things like surfing the internet, wandering around to get food, check your phone, etc. Little pleasures that take over your time, time to ignore those.

4. Your advice really addresses the last two cards. Get in control of your impulses and wants, "I'll get that call later." "I'll play video games when I'm done." "I'll go to blah blah's site when I get a rough draft of this article done." Practice self control.

5. The Heirophant is about routines, you need to reconstruct your routine when it comes to getting work done. Take what you've learned that works for you and what doesn't. Set up a space that is conducive to getting your work done, even if it means relocating to another area of the house, getting a new comfy chair, etc. Take a look at your work routine and figure out any areas that could be improved to make you more productive.
 

Kuroga

iAmRiotEyes said:
From the next card (the Devil) it seems you're being distracted, probably by tiny little things like surfing the internet, wandering around to get food, check your phone, etc. Little pleasures that take over your time, time to ignore those.

The Devil is in the small things, isn't he? :D

Great take on it iAmRiotEyes, thanks a lot.
How do you get to the Hierophant-routine?

Peace,

Kuroga
 

iAmRiotEyes

The Devil is in the small things, isn't he? :D

Great take on it iAmRiotEyes, thanks a lot.
How do you get to the Hierophant-routine?

Peace,

Kuroga

Well he deals with established codes, ethics, philosophies, convention and traditions. Major Arcana cards don't necessarily have to be about huge things, you can find their energies even in the smallest mundane aspects of day to day life. The way Lovers means a choice for example. I'm sure you could have gotten another card to signify "routine" but I think your deck gave you this card because it goes deeper than that, it's something you've been doing for a really long time thinking it works for one reason or another. :) It's behaviors you conventionally do, the Hierophant is how you live your life. I hope that makes sense.