Rape and related trauma depicted in cards

sweet_intuition

Hey all,

A while back I was doing a reading for someone using the RWS, and the 8 of swords came out. The woman I was doing the reading for, connected to the card and revealed that the woman in the card showed how she felt when she was raped during her teen years by a close family friend.

In a way, I always felt that the woman in the 8 of swords card had endured such a traumatic event in her life... but for the querent to see her own situation in that card was something else.

Are there any cards you feel that would represent rape or anything related to it, or perhaps any particular combination of cards?


Thank You

Love and Blessings

:)
 

ana luisa

How insightful of your querent! The 8 of swords does depict that sense of total lack of power. As to the cards that may represent rape, I don´t know, it really depends on the situation. I would see the Hanged Man as rape comitted by a husband ("consensual rape"); the Devil plus 9 of cups plus knight of wands, could mean date rape tainted with alcohol; the Fool plus the Lovers plus 9 of Swords could be a combination for date rape; the Hermit could suggest rape that has happened a long time ago , that has been kept secret and to what the victim is still trying to find an explanation. However, I still feel that since it is quite a strong crime it really depends on that "a-ha" moment when the cards seem to fit and the reading just screams it at you.
 

Tara2007

A tough question. I have never seen so much horror in a reading, and frankly hope I manage to avoid it in the future.

The first card I'd have to answer with is the 5 of Pentacles. Emotionally out in the cold, purposely keeping the distance because of the experience - meanings along that line. The other card I would expect to see is the 5 of Swords, telling of conflict, of either an inner or outer nature - or both in the case of rape - and that theme of loss and humiliation would have to be there as well. It would really have to leap out at me.

The things I would need to have at the time of the reading to really consider that there was rape or some kind of violence are two things:

1. The querent would have to act in a way that made me think she/he had been victimized

2. The querent would have to be the first one to use the actual word "rape" or "attack"

I would tactfully (and gently) mention to the person that there may be something "under the surface" here, and that it appears to have been quite difficult, or something of that nature, as a way of opening up the door for the sitter to open up and tell me.
 

Babylon_Jasmine

I could see the 3 of swords in the RWS depicting a rape. The heart penetrated by swords can be a variety of emotional violations. The 5 of pentacles has always been more about money and need to me, although I could see it covering the emotional aftermath of rape.
 

star-lover

the 8 of swords does conjure up that image i agree

my first instinct is the devil for rape - control, revenge and all the nasty emotions

perhaps the emperor as well in combination with other cards

also the knight of swords - vicious at his worst

just reread the opening post and you said it was how SHE FELT about it...which rings true and perhaps for the 3 of swords as well and a few other cards that have been mentioned
which is different from the actual crime on the part of the perpetrator
sorry
misunderstood
 

Sophie

From the victim's point of view - 8 of Swords, as you saw; 3 of Swords could point to that; and the 5 of Swords - or even the 5 of Wands; 10 of Swords makes me think of gang-rape. For the Majors - High Priestess and/or Moon combined with Devil or with the Tower could indicate rape or abuse. The 10 of Wands might indicate the weight of carrying such a burden. The 5 of Cups too, because of the loss and the emotional pain. The Ace of Cups reversed combined with a Sword or Wands card.

Like Tara, I'd never come out straight with it, but if I had that impression I would create an opening for the querent to talk about it if they felt they could and needed to.


From the rapist's/abuser's point of view: oh dear, any card of power that was reversed (or felt reversed - since I don't read reversals), combined with cards like - Ace of Swords, 5 of Swords, 7 of Swords (covert - this could be in the case of abuse that does not involve violent rape), Ace of Wands, the Tower.
 

Tara2007

Between all of us we mentioned every 5 card. Interesting.
 

Grizabella

I don't see things like this in the cards, probably because a) I don't look for it and b) unless, like in your case, the sitter were to bring it up, it would be something much too traumatic for me as a reader to feel I should deal with even though I've been raped myself, which therefore brings us back to a) I don't look for it. So I don't really give much thought to which cards might symbolise that someone has been raped.

If the sitter were to bring it up, I'd definitely find out if they'd sought couselling for it and if not, I'd refer them to someone else qualified to deal with it. If by some chance I did psychically flash on a sitter having suffered that trauma, I wouldn't pick at it to try to get them to talk about it. I'd tactfully leave it alone and read the cards as pertained to their original question. If there were a relationship between the rape and the answer to their question, I'd suggest that maybe there were something that they needed to seek counselling for, but if they asked what, I wouldn't say "I see that you've been raped". I'd just say that it was apparent they'd suffered emotional trauma that only a counsellor could help them with that might pertain to their questions.

I do understand why sweet_intuition brought this up, because his sitter brought up the subject themselves. What I don't understand is why a reader would be curious about what cards would indicate this (without the sitter volunteering the information) any more than I understand what the big curiosity is about what cards would indicate someone's sexual preference. If a person has been raped, it's not your business any more than their sexual orientation is and if they try to make it your business by mentioning it, rather than asking curious questions to get them to talk about it to you, just refer them to a qualified counsellor. You can do a great deal of harm by getting into the question of rape with someone.

What I've said isn't meant to insult or anger any of you. I'm just speaking from the point of view of someone who has been traumatized that way more than once. I've seen this question discussed before and I didn't say anything then, but felt now was the time. I guess I feel as offended as when the question of "what cards mean someone is gay?" comes up. Another area that I feel is not our business as readers is what someone's sexual preference is, so I don't look for it in the cards unless the sitter wants me to know and it pertains.

Oh, and yes, I've had counselling. And I'd be mighty miffed if I went to a reader who was trying to see if I'd been raped in the cards and then, seeing it, tried to get me to talk about it. :) I'm not afraid to talk about it if appropriate, but as for a tarot reader trying to see it in cards----that falls into the nunya category. (nunya damn business. :) )