Umbrae
Okay – let’s take this reading apart!
But first I want to tell you how I read. When I read, it comes from a spiritual basis. There is a lot of feel – which overshadows ‘meaning’. Reading is an event. And the event of reading is never discussed. We discuss spreads and meanings and mechanics…but rarely the event.
I don’t know the principals involved here, I didn’t even lay the cards, so I can only go by what the Tarot tells me. And how it tells me (which may vary). When I discuss the cards here, they are in a specific context – the lives of two very real people. The same cards laid out for two different people would not read the same. There is no real mathematical formula for how the cards ‘twist’ with each reading. But they do.
The reading looks okay (based on feedback) until I begin to discuss how the 5 of Pentacles and The Magician are balanced. Time passes as I stare at my computer screen. More time passes. How do I describe this?
How do they feel. The 5 feels anxious, The Magician feels calm (but there is an underlying tone here – think of le Bateleur…he’s a juggler, a showman). So we have this Magician in a red robe that’s ill fitting and he’s a tad uncomfortable/silly. He seems to tell us, “Fumum Vendidi” (“I sold smoke”). So on one side is this liquid light frantic and on the other is a calm silliness disguising (“Uncomfortable in his own skin”)…They have this quality to them…they are both uncomfortable feeling cards (in this specific instance)…and when you ‘connect’ or ‘hinge’ them to the Emperor, it’s like he puts his arms around each of them and says, “There there now, it’s all better. Come warm yourselves by the fire in my great-hall…do you play chess?”
Controlling is most likely a communicative error on my behalf in attempting describe certain aspects of Person 2, it’s use carries pejorative connotations – which is not my intention. Now my mother was controlling – she had passive aggressive to an art form, but that’s another story.
In discussing the presence of the 5 of Pentacles on Row Two, WhiteRaven said, ”Way Off”, but earlier stated ”Dead On plus more”, so I don’t know if you’re disagreeing with my pairing with the Magician or the reason, or guilt induced motive behind the self punishment.
”Way off” on the 3 of Cups, I can handle that, but hold that in the back of the mind…
Then it all falls into confusion when I talk about emotions crossing over.
We are looking at emotions as things here. We know they are not. But think about ‘looking at a relationship’…we are looking at emotions.
And there is this flow…from The Magician to the 5 of Pentacles…and where does it flow to? It doesn’t ‘fit’ with the 2 of Swords. But the 2 of Swords seems to fit as an end card for Person 2, but unfulfilled ending card if the ‘flow’ of energy from The Magician to the 5 of Pentacles does not ‘go’ anyplace. The ‘flow’ ends at the 8 of Swords. And as a reading, as an event, it ‘feels’ right.
But how do I explain what I’m looking at and ‘feeling’. This is kinda like explaining the Moonlight Sonata to someone…well you have these kind of not really triplets doing this boring da-da-da up here and these ominous bass tones but they don’t sound ominous cuz of the da-da-da and all of the sudden you get this ‘Dee-Dee-Dee’ and it just blends…”
With that in mind, how do I explain this crossover of emotion…that Person 1 could very well begin punishing themselves for whatever reason…and that if they do that they will be living a lie and miss the boat!
Look at column 2. It has flow right straight down. It feels good. It feels strong. It feels like it could stand a thousand years as long as Person 1 & 2 would just leave it well enough alone…and it ends on an odd note…an uncomfortable balance…but it works.
And that’s no help. So I’ll try it this way.
Let’s say the 7 of Cups is delusion, fantasy…what does the Bateleur or The Magician provide? Illusion. They balance.
Can we think of some examples that don’t balance? Chariot and 4 of Cups, Death and the 3 of Pentacles comes to mind.
Does that help? I realize I’ve rambled around a lot, sorry about that…
But first I want to tell you how I read. When I read, it comes from a spiritual basis. There is a lot of feel – which overshadows ‘meaning’. Reading is an event. And the event of reading is never discussed. We discuss spreads and meanings and mechanics…but rarely the event.
I don’t know the principals involved here, I didn’t even lay the cards, so I can only go by what the Tarot tells me. And how it tells me (which may vary). When I discuss the cards here, they are in a specific context – the lives of two very real people. The same cards laid out for two different people would not read the same. There is no real mathematical formula for how the cards ‘twist’ with each reading. But they do.
The reading looks okay (based on feedback) until I begin to discuss how the 5 of Pentacles and The Magician are balanced. Time passes as I stare at my computer screen. More time passes. How do I describe this?
How do they feel. The 5 feels anxious, The Magician feels calm (but there is an underlying tone here – think of le Bateleur…he’s a juggler, a showman). So we have this Magician in a red robe that’s ill fitting and he’s a tad uncomfortable/silly. He seems to tell us, “Fumum Vendidi” (“I sold smoke”). So on one side is this liquid light frantic and on the other is a calm silliness disguising (“Uncomfortable in his own skin”)…They have this quality to them…they are both uncomfortable feeling cards (in this specific instance)…and when you ‘connect’ or ‘hinge’ them to the Emperor, it’s like he puts his arms around each of them and says, “There there now, it’s all better. Come warm yourselves by the fire in my great-hall…do you play chess?”
Controlling is most likely a communicative error on my behalf in attempting describe certain aspects of Person 2, it’s use carries pejorative connotations – which is not my intention. Now my mother was controlling – she had passive aggressive to an art form, but that’s another story.
In discussing the presence of the 5 of Pentacles on Row Two, WhiteRaven said, ”Way Off”, but earlier stated ”Dead On plus more”, so I don’t know if you’re disagreeing with my pairing with the Magician or the reason, or guilt induced motive behind the self punishment.
”Way off” on the 3 of Cups, I can handle that, but hold that in the back of the mind…
Then it all falls into confusion when I talk about emotions crossing over.
We are looking at emotions as things here. We know they are not. But think about ‘looking at a relationship’…we are looking at emotions.
And there is this flow…from The Magician to the 5 of Pentacles…and where does it flow to? It doesn’t ‘fit’ with the 2 of Swords. But the 2 of Swords seems to fit as an end card for Person 2, but unfulfilled ending card if the ‘flow’ of energy from The Magician to the 5 of Pentacles does not ‘go’ anyplace. The ‘flow’ ends at the 8 of Swords. And as a reading, as an event, it ‘feels’ right.
But how do I explain what I’m looking at and ‘feeling’. This is kinda like explaining the Moonlight Sonata to someone…well you have these kind of not really triplets doing this boring da-da-da up here and these ominous bass tones but they don’t sound ominous cuz of the da-da-da and all of the sudden you get this ‘Dee-Dee-Dee’ and it just blends…”
With that in mind, how do I explain this crossover of emotion…that Person 1 could very well begin punishing themselves for whatever reason…and that if they do that they will be living a lie and miss the boat!
Look at column 2. It has flow right straight down. It feels good. It feels strong. It feels like it could stand a thousand years as long as Person 1 & 2 would just leave it well enough alone…and it ends on an odd note…an uncomfortable balance…but it works.
And that’s no help. So I’ll try it this way.
Let’s say the 7 of Cups is delusion, fantasy…what does the Bateleur or The Magician provide? Illusion. They balance.
Can we think of some examples that don’t balance? Chariot and 4 of Cups, Death and the 3 of Pentacles comes to mind.
Does that help? I realize I’ve rambled around a lot, sorry about that…