really off readings

[rwcarter]

Nit-picky English here, but "What can I expect from meeting this man?" and "How will my interview with this man go?" are two completely different questions.

In its own wonderfully quirky bordering on irreverent way, the BG answered the question you asked and not the question you meant....

Rodney

[WishingWell]

Right, I think the interpretations offered by the companion book are spot on, really. I found the book was really helpful to read prior to using the deck, in addition to my own intuitive feelings about the cards. The Bohemian Gothic is actually the only deck that I've felt it was especially important to read the book at all!

You believed you were interviewing for a socially conventional job which wouldn't compromise your morals or values. The Heirophant represents your expectations, but also hints at the possibility these expectations might be challenged. Otherwise, the card wouldn't have appeared at all, unless there was something important to note.

Immediately, the situation defied convention in the sense that you were called to interview at his condo, and it just got more unwholesome from that point on.

The shadow meaning of the card reads, "An institution that oppresses or attempts to control its membership." Well, he was a pimp, apparently. Sounds pretty controlling and oppressive to me. He also attempted to get you to join his "flock" so to speak.

The 2 of Wands can generally represent cooperation, but also the unexpected.

The 7 of Pentacles shadow side reads, "Building on the results of selfish and callous acts. Making plans at other people's expense." And what does he/did he do? He exploits unemployed individuals, looking to earn some money. I'm sure you're not the first female to be put in that position, and younger, less confident, more down and out girls probably gave in, not fully understanding what they were getting themselves into.

Beyond the BG, it generally indicates a period of re-evaluation or a need for reassessment. Frustration, too, at not seeing the results of your efforts. I think the card described your perspective and his. Your reassessment of the situation- recognizing that a change of course was necessary- and his understanding that the "interview" was not going to be profitable for him.


At any rate, so glad you got out of there safely. I've known plenty of young women, in my life, who were faced with similar circumstances and wound up injured as a result. It's a very dangerous element and the people who exist within it are often unpredictable. Sorry you had that experience.

[Mellifluous]

Please don't reply to job ads that require a photo. It's illegal to discriminate against someone in the hiring process based on race or age and it's too easy to see that in a photograph, so legitimate and ethical people don't even ask for one.

Of course, people do discriminate based on looks anyway (weight, personal style, whether they consider someone attractive/sexy or not, etc. - and race and age), but they usually at least go through the motions, wait until they meet you in an interview based on your actual qualifications, and then pretend their decision is due to something else.

Besides, a person doesn't need to look a certain way to be able to pour drinks. Illogical requirements are a red flag in general. Inclusion of unnecessary qualifications usually is a tip off the person doing the hiring is controlling, dishonest (and/or seedy), and wants more than they have a right to expect.

If this was a craigslist experience - which I get the strong feeling it was - that whole place is such a cesspool. Please be very, very careful about using that site, or similar ones, for anything that involves meeting other people. Even established companies that advertise jobs on there tend to be on their worst behavior, so you might want to look for work through different means.

To me the warnings in your cards are the hierophant and the 7 of coins.

Even if you don't take the hierophant as anything bad (because people seem to have vastly different reactions to that card), the 7 of coins shows the interview not leading to a job or money, just frustration and a continued wait to find the right job.

To me, the hierophant often shows up to make you question authority and check what someone with power is telling you (or doing) against what is actually moral and good. Sometimes it can mean a blessing or just 'something or someone nonconformist', but regarding anything to do with money, to me, it's not a positive card.

I think the 2 of wands was showing a fork in the road and obviously you were smart enough to choose not to go down the bad road. Otherwise, your life could have really taken a turn. I'm a bit saddened though because I don't think I've ever seen 2 of wands show up before in a situation where the choice wasn't between two good options. This clearly wasn't. Bums me out learning depressing new meanings for cards. lol

Live and learn though. I'm sure a lot of people might go to an interview anyway, despite indications in the cards that they won't get the job or that something is off - just to give their best effort and see what happens, in case the cards aren't accurate or to see if they're accurate or whatever. Plus, everyone 'misses' messages until they see them in hindsight. It's how we learn. Glad you're safe now and sorry you had that experience.

I'm not sure, but I'm thinking maybe you got these cards instead of other ones because you're meant to think about the experience or learn from it in terms of these issues. Questioning authority and 'how things are done' vs. how they should be done; making smart decisions and choosing your own path vs. doing anything (like trading on looks or sex appeal) for money, etc. I mean, some people might have taken his offer and maybe even actually made money by it, but it was clearly wrong for you and the whole thing was just icky, creepy, and wrong - to you. Does that make sense?

Plus, at first glance, to you it may seem like simple illusion and deceit but to someone like me (for example), the ad/application process itself would set off red flags - why is it based on appearance, why do they want a picture, why only a picture and contact info and not a resume and references? Then later, why wasn't the address to a business office or at least a public place? With life experience you learn more about how to read ads, they're almost in code in a way. Just like apartment ads, for example. 'Garden apartment' actually means depressing, rough basement, 'carriage house' usually means garage in back of the house, etc. Clues and red flags are there if you know how to recognize them, and now you've learned more about that.

[PhoenixRising]

I don't use reversals, instead I pair the cards, for example if I use past, present & future, in the past position I put two cards and I do the same to the other two positions, in the pair the left card indicate objective view of the position and the right card is the subjective view of the position, in other words the the second card of each pair will give a a feeling of what the reader or client think & feel about the situation described by the left card in the pair. I hope that this make sense, bu it work for me. Honestly reversal complicate the task of memorizing the key words, so I use the cards in pairs for each position in a layout.

~~~PhoenixRising~~

[Bloudwedd]

Eeeeewww!!! What a creepy man (In all honesty I really see the Hierophant dark side in him)! Glad you made it out safely!

As Sacredashes allready said, I think it is very important to be bold enough to see aslo the negative sides of the cards. In general all cards are neutral it is the question and circumstances that makes them positive or negative! So if you do not use reversals, make sure to take a look on the darks sides of the cards too. Especially with such a dramatic deck as the BG!

On a sidenote I found this really interesting article yesterday about good vs bad cards in a deck written by James Wells.
http://jameswells.wordpress.com/2008...e-right-cards/

In short he states the following:
1) All cards are neutral to start with
2) Any card can apply equally to any human prolem or question due to the dense symbology
3)We should adapt the cards around our lives not the other way around to recieve appropiate answers.
Anyway I dont know how this would apply for distant readings. But it would for sure apply for readings we do for ourselves or eye-to-eye!

/Anna

[euphoria]

Thank you for all your advice people. I know better next time not to trust those shady ads. I guess I should have expected it to be something shady and sketchy, but I thought I'd go anyways just to see if I was wrong. Plus, I was interested in seeing if my cards were right. I did tell the guy I had bartending experience and told him where I worked at before, but apparently that didn't mean too much to him.

As far as the cards go, I can see how I can apply it to the actual situation. If anything, I definitely feel more enlightened... and see the dark side of the Hierophant. This has all helped with me interpretting the cards.. hopefully next time it'll be more direct. Not that it would have really stopped me from going anyways just to see what it was all about... maybe I just have the wrong mentality.

[Demon Goddess]

Euphoria, I am sorry you had to go through this unexpected experience.

I want to caution everyone calling this guy a so-called "sleaze ball"... That's a judgement call.

They guy is obviously in the business of hiring pretty women, especially if he's asking for a photo up front, that in and of itself, for anyone other than an actress or a model, should have been the wake up call that this wasn't just an ordinary job interview. Based on what Euphoria posted, the guy did nothing illegal. He didn't touch her, he didn't force her to take her clothes off, hinder her from leaving, etc.

The guy is obviously in the "adult entertainment" business and that alone doesn't make him a sleaze ball or whatever else anyone has chosen to derogatorily called the guy.

And fwiw, I agree with Mellifluous, the "flags" that Euphoria's morals were going to come into play and give her a choice to make were all there to begin with. If she missed them, the Heirophant should have given that away. I will also add that someone with "lesser" morals, might have actually found out how much the guy was paying, and it might have turned out to be quite a lucrative deal in the long run.

Please note, as I type this, I am thinking that it is possible that the guy did or said things that really would qualify him as a sleazeball, having been both a photographer's model and an artist's model, I've met lots of those, but I have also posed for artist's for whom, I was nude and meant nothing more than a basket of fruit. But... since Euphoria didn't say that he'd done anything other than show her the book of models and ask her if she would get nude, I don't think it's fair to call him names.

[WishingWell]

Oh, see, I got the impression that he asked her if she had ever considered escorting and told her that she would make more money working for him (doing that).

Having known a few escorts (when I was younger), I know it's a nice word for....lady of the night. Which was why I referred to him as a 'pimp.' I do happen to think it's extremely sleazy and corrupt to pressure young women, particularly if they're vulnerable and hard up for cash, naive and confused, to join an escort service. That's my opinion, though. I've certainly seen it take a huge, tragic toll on the girls who became involved in that line of work, which mattered little to their employers as long as they were paid.

Maybe I misread the post...I'd have to reread it.

[sacredashes]

If he was indeed looking to hire someone for a proper job; he needs some HR training or at least, consider what he is putting his applicants through with the method he's using. Maybe the Hirophant card is hinting that he needs to learn what is socially acceptable behavior when it comes down to job interviews.

Coz the way he's conducting them; he may lose a lot of employees (Let's hope so!!! he still doesn't sound quite "kosher" to me... Laughing at someone who is applying for the "job vacancy" he put out in an ad... What is so funny about that? ) and his business may suffer for it. (2 of Wands + 7 of Pentacles)

Wow... switching things around makes this card combi feel like looking through a kaleidoscope.


Ash

[euphoria]

Hmm, I think he would qualify as a "sleaze ball". Honestly, I wouldn't have minded bartending at parties where there was nudity, as long as I didn't have to be nude or do anything other than making drinks. He talked down to me as well, and claimed that he was well educated, smart, "had it going" and has been in this business for years. I knew he was trying to manipulate me. He even got angry at me before I even got there, when I was calling him for directions (I got lost). But most of all, what he wanted me to do had absolutely NOTHING to do with what the online ad said. So it was pretty much a huge waste of time.

He is definitely a pimp want to be. He was trying really hard to convince me by telling me how much money i could make and how soon I could get started and that it was not a big deal, bu I told him I didn't come here to sell my body for a couple hundred dollars. I can make that anyways on a good night at the bar I'm working at.

But yes, these meanings for the cards are all over the place. Perhaps for a girl who wouldn't have minded joining the escort or aduly industry, this could have represented a good prospect? Although I don't see how anything good could have come out of working for that man.

I really hope that other young women that visit him will not be fooled or scammed by him. I'm kind of worried though, before he did all this, I filled out an application with all my info... although I'm not worried about him showing up at my place since it's a gated community, but it does have my SS#... can he do anything bad with that?