SolSionnach
I credit Faolainn Storm for the original exhaustive list of things to consider when studying a card. I've modified her list for my own needs.
Sravana
Initial Impressions: I'm so unhappy that I don't' know what to do.
Card description, symbols and objects: this is a very dark card, visually. A singularly unhappy kitty is standing in front of a church/cathedral, closely hemmed in by 8 swords. She is wearing a tapestry skirt with a white underblouse and a tapestry vest. Her arms are loosely bound by a silvery rope/cord. The light is coming from the right, and is quite dim, the church is in darkness and the cat is only partially lit. She is looking down with eyes almost closed, and there might be photoshopped tears on the side of her nose - it's a bit hard to tell. It would be easy enough for her to free herself - the ropes aren't that tight, and she could cross her arms more closely and they'd fall off, and there are no swords behind her, as they are all visible from the front.
Symbols on this card suggest: bondage, oncoming evening, being oppressed by established religion, turning away from established religion
Emotions, feelings, and attitudes of the figures, and the mood and atmosphere of the environment: Unhappy, feeling tied in knots, unable to conceive of alternatives to the situation, unwilling to do what one needs to do to help one's self, waiting for rescue which doesn't come
Mental: 'poor me', tied in mental knots, can't figure out what to do, doesn't know which way to turn, unaware of one's own power to change a situation, expecting the worst, being in an unpleasant mental rut, victim consciousness
Spirit: completely stuck, or stuck in reverse, fear has frozen any drive or creativity, definitely a dark place, but with a way out if one is able to work through the fear, choosing a religion where you are not allowed to be your full self
Emotional: feeling guilty, 'deer in the headlights', feeling helpless, frozen with fear, waiting for the next horrible thing to happen, completely disconnected from one's inner strength
Physical: clinical depression and anxiety, being bedridden, unable to get outside due to weather (cabin fever), financial difficulties that have a solution which isn't obvious,
Soul: caught in guilt and depression due to religious beliefs, being overshadowed by oppressive patriarchal religion, dark night of the soul, the last bit before finding the key to freeing one's self
Business: looking at bankruptcy, having a hard time keeping the business afloat, having tried the same thing (which doesn't work) over and over, needing to break into a new market, feeling hemmed in by regulations which are killing the business, your job is killing you, being in an abusive job situation and thinking there is no way out, abuse on the job
Relationship(s): yikes! caught in a bad marriage and one's religious beliefs deny one a way out, an abusive relationship, a relationship where you are not allowed to be your full self, any situation where you are desperately unhappy and feel you have no answers
Beneficial: the light is coming from the cat's left = intuition and spirit have the answer, the situation is not as dire as first thought, the way out is fairly easy, once you open your intuition and allow your answers to come
Problematic: you are choosing to be a victim of a situation when there is a way out, fear which overcomes one's ability to think straight, choosing to not make the choices which will improve one's situation, feeling completely stuck when one truly is not
Passing Influence: you have been trapped in a victimizing situation, but things are changing and that's no longer the case.
The Situation: you are desperately unhappy in your life, but lack the 'intestinal fortitude' to do anything about it. One way or another, your unhappiness is due to your choices, or your refusal to make a different choice.
Hidden influence: no doubt about it, things are rough right now. You cannot wish the difficulties away, but you do have choices concerning them
Advice: open your eyes and see that your situation is not nearly as dire as you think. You are a resourceful person, and there is definitely a way out - do what needs to be done to get there.
Foundation: you are feeling trapped, feeling that there is no way out of your situation. You feel hemmed in on all sides, but if you look, there is a different way to look at this, choices which can be made.
Gift of the Universe: no matter how dark things may seem, you have choices. Your intuition and spirit will give you all the information you need to move forward
Outcome: the path you are on does not have a happy ending. Many of your assumptions are dead wrong, and refusing to be completely aware of all the elements of your situation is leading you to a place where you will feel that you have no where to turn for help.
The number, suit/element/mode is about:
Synthesizing number + suit + element + mode yields:
This card reminds me of the following:
Metaphors in this image include:
“Once upon a time…”
Dialoguing with the figure/objects on this card, I learn:
Imagining myself in this card, I learn:
Myths and archetypes related to this card include:
These suggest:
Embodying this card I learn:
Other thoughts I have about this card:
Sravana
Initial Impressions: I'm so unhappy that I don't' know what to do.
Card description, symbols and objects: this is a very dark card, visually. A singularly unhappy kitty is standing in front of a church/cathedral, closely hemmed in by 8 swords. She is wearing a tapestry skirt with a white underblouse and a tapestry vest. Her arms are loosely bound by a silvery rope/cord. The light is coming from the right, and is quite dim, the church is in darkness and the cat is only partially lit. She is looking down with eyes almost closed, and there might be photoshopped tears on the side of her nose - it's a bit hard to tell. It would be easy enough for her to free herself - the ropes aren't that tight, and she could cross her arms more closely and they'd fall off, and there are no swords behind her, as they are all visible from the front.
Symbols on this card suggest: bondage, oncoming evening, being oppressed by established religion, turning away from established religion
Emotions, feelings, and attitudes of the figures, and the mood and atmosphere of the environment: Unhappy, feeling tied in knots, unable to conceive of alternatives to the situation, unwilling to do what one needs to do to help one's self, waiting for rescue which doesn't come
Mental: 'poor me', tied in mental knots, can't figure out what to do, doesn't know which way to turn, unaware of one's own power to change a situation, expecting the worst, being in an unpleasant mental rut, victim consciousness
Spirit: completely stuck, or stuck in reverse, fear has frozen any drive or creativity, definitely a dark place, but with a way out if one is able to work through the fear, choosing a religion where you are not allowed to be your full self
Emotional: feeling guilty, 'deer in the headlights', feeling helpless, frozen with fear, waiting for the next horrible thing to happen, completely disconnected from one's inner strength
Physical: clinical depression and anxiety, being bedridden, unable to get outside due to weather (cabin fever), financial difficulties that have a solution which isn't obvious,
Soul: caught in guilt and depression due to religious beliefs, being overshadowed by oppressive patriarchal religion, dark night of the soul, the last bit before finding the key to freeing one's self
Business: looking at bankruptcy, having a hard time keeping the business afloat, having tried the same thing (which doesn't work) over and over, needing to break into a new market, feeling hemmed in by regulations which are killing the business, your job is killing you, being in an abusive job situation and thinking there is no way out, abuse on the job
Relationship(s): yikes! caught in a bad marriage and one's religious beliefs deny one a way out, an abusive relationship, a relationship where you are not allowed to be your full self, any situation where you are desperately unhappy and feel you have no answers
Beneficial: the light is coming from the cat's left = intuition and spirit have the answer, the situation is not as dire as first thought, the way out is fairly easy, once you open your intuition and allow your answers to come
Problematic: you are choosing to be a victim of a situation when there is a way out, fear which overcomes one's ability to think straight, choosing to not make the choices which will improve one's situation, feeling completely stuck when one truly is not
Passing Influence: you have been trapped in a victimizing situation, but things are changing and that's no longer the case.
The Situation: you are desperately unhappy in your life, but lack the 'intestinal fortitude' to do anything about it. One way or another, your unhappiness is due to your choices, or your refusal to make a different choice.
Hidden influence: no doubt about it, things are rough right now. You cannot wish the difficulties away, but you do have choices concerning them
Advice: open your eyes and see that your situation is not nearly as dire as you think. You are a resourceful person, and there is definitely a way out - do what needs to be done to get there.
Foundation: you are feeling trapped, feeling that there is no way out of your situation. You feel hemmed in on all sides, but if you look, there is a different way to look at this, choices which can be made.
Gift of the Universe: no matter how dark things may seem, you have choices. Your intuition and spirit will give you all the information you need to move forward
Outcome: the path you are on does not have a happy ending. Many of your assumptions are dead wrong, and refusing to be completely aware of all the elements of your situation is leading you to a place where you will feel that you have no where to turn for help.
The number, suit/element/mode is about:
Synthesizing number + suit + element + mode yields:
This card reminds me of the following:
Metaphors in this image include:
“Once upon a time…”
Dialoguing with the figure/objects on this card, I learn:
Imagining myself in this card, I learn:
Myths and archetypes related to this card include:
These suggest:
Embodying this card I learn:
Other thoughts I have about this card:
