Barleywine
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Reading Reversals
I had a very instructive case of reversals this past week-end that's worth offering here.
I was doing a Celtic Cross for a woman without knowing her question or her circumstances in advance (but they didn't take long in revealing themselves). Note that, although I don't normally use them, I had her pick a significator and she chose the Queen of Wands from a second deck. The main reading deck was the Connolly..
She had the Fool crossed by the Hanged Man rx at the "heart of the matter;" her comment was "Those cards always show up for me lately." Together they showed that she is in a "neutral" state of affairs, although the reversal of the Hanged Man suggests that she has a glimmer of insight about how to "get her head above water" and evolve beyond her present state of suspension. On the other hand, as an "obstacle" it shows her reluctance to stick her head above the rim of her foxhole and risk having it shot off again.
The Queen of Wands rx was in the "foundation" position, indicating that she had been constrained in expressing her "queenliness," and the Tower in the recent past showed her traumatic liberation from that repressed condition.
The 8 of Wands was in the "above" position (which I consider the "present"), giving a sense that something is coming for her, perhaps sooner rather than later. But in the Connolly deck, rather than eights staves driving purposefully toward a common goal, they are all tossed willy-nilly into the sky; the raw energy and desire are there but the focus seems to be lacking, so the outlook is literally "up in the air."
The near future position held the 2 of Cups rx. It was clear that she is conflicted about opening herself up to new love because of the Tower experience of her recent past. This would have been nowhere near as obvious without the reversal, although it was suggested by the 2 of Swords following that reinforced the impression of indecision and self-doubt, and the 9 of Wands in the "environment" position. The Connolly 9 of Wands looks not so much like a man defending a barricade of several staves as someone hiding behind a forest of them. I told her it looked like a "fortress" that the Fool and the Hanged Man would happily live in as long as she lets them.
All of these cards from the Tower onward were quite ambivalent as far as her goal of finding a new relationship, since - out of fear of exposing herself to further pain - she has taken a rather hypercritical and overly suspicious defensive stance that won't let her "loosen up."
The Page of Wands rx in the "hopes" position made me think she needs to "remake" herself in line with what she used to like most about herself as the Queen of Wands before her self-confidence was shattered, as a way to overcome her self-limiting attitude, but the reversal suggests she could have some trouble finding her way back to that cheerful state of being. (I didn't tell her it could also mean she has her hopes pinned on a carefree and possibly unreliable younger man, and that it probably wouldn't pan out.)
The 3 of Wands as the outcome card lent encouragement to the picture as long as she remains optimistic, but coupled with the series of indecisive cards it also showed the need for abiding patience. It wasn't a message she really wanted to hear, but there it was.
Reading Reversals
I had a very instructive case of reversals this past week-end that's worth offering here.
I was doing a Celtic Cross for a woman without knowing her question or her circumstances in advance (but they didn't take long in revealing themselves). Note that, although I don't normally use them, I had her pick a significator and she chose the Queen of Wands from a second deck. The main reading deck was the Connolly..
She had the Fool crossed by the Hanged Man rx at the "heart of the matter;" her comment was "Those cards always show up for me lately." Together they showed that she is in a "neutral" state of affairs, although the reversal of the Hanged Man suggests that she has a glimmer of insight about how to "get her head above water" and evolve beyond her present state of suspension. On the other hand, as an "obstacle" it shows her reluctance to stick her head above the rim of her foxhole and risk having it shot off again.
The Queen of Wands rx was in the "foundation" position, indicating that she had been constrained in expressing her "queenliness," and the Tower in the recent past showed her traumatic liberation from that repressed condition.
The 8 of Wands was in the "above" position (which I consider the "present"), giving a sense that something is coming for her, perhaps sooner rather than later. But in the Connolly deck, rather than eights staves driving purposefully toward a common goal, they are all tossed willy-nilly into the sky; the raw energy and desire are there but the focus seems to be lacking, so the outlook is literally "up in the air."
The near future position held the 2 of Cups rx. It was clear that she is conflicted about opening herself up to new love because of the Tower experience of her recent past. This would have been nowhere near as obvious without the reversal, although it was suggested by the 2 of Swords following that reinforced the impression of indecision and self-doubt, and the 9 of Wands in the "environment" position. The Connolly 9 of Wands looks not so much like a man defending a barricade of several staves as someone hiding behind a forest of them. I told her it looked like a "fortress" that the Fool and the Hanged Man would happily live in as long as she lets them.
All of these cards from the Tower onward were quite ambivalent as far as her goal of finding a new relationship, since - out of fear of exposing herself to further pain - she has taken a rather hypercritical and overly suspicious defensive stance that won't let her "loosen up."
The Page of Wands rx in the "hopes" position made me think she needs to "remake" herself in line with what she used to like most about herself as the Queen of Wands before her self-confidence was shattered, as a way to overcome her self-limiting attitude, but the reversal suggests she could have some trouble finding her way back to that cheerful state of being. (I didn't tell her it could also mean she has her hopes pinned on a carefree and possibly unreliable younger man, and that it probably wouldn't pan out.)
The 3 of Wands as the outcome card lent encouragement to the picture as long as she remains optimistic, but coupled with the series of indecisive cards it also showed the need for abiding patience. It wasn't a message she really wanted to hear, but there it was.
