Sunday, February 8, 2009

A friend in need

Today I decided to draw just one card, asking, "What do I need to be aware of today?"
8 of Swords

This doesn't represent me, but someone very close to me. It came up in a reading I did last week (with a different deck) in the spread position representing him. I think there's a variety of reasons he's feeling this way right now, one of them being that he was recently turned down for a promotion. He aspires to great things and knows where he wants to be (the castle above), but feels trapped and maybe unable to see the path to get there.
Sometimes when I'm working with the cards a quote or phrase will pop into my head, and then it just sticks as the meaning. The reading I did last week was with the Victorian Romantic Tarot, and the phrase that popped was, "My hands are tied." As in, "I wish I could do something about it, but my hands are tied." Here the blindfold and most of the restraints have been removed.
To take it even further, I brought out the Anna.K Tarot for comparison. That card illustrates that the restriction is purely mental and self-imposed.
Of the three, the situation in the Hanson-Roberts is the most hopeless. Not only is the bondage the most severe, but the figure is unable to see the way out of it. I have a couple of different takes on the castle. Like my friend's situation, it could be goals that seem out of reach. The distance from the castle to the water below shows that emotions may need to be shut off in order to achieve them. In another sense, I imagine the castle represents some sort of authority: the law, church, parents, etc. whose oversight prevents someone from having the freedom they would choose.
I take this as a sign that I should reach out to my friend as he may not be able to reach out to me.

7 comments:

  1. The comparison of the three cards is startling. You've shown why sometimes it is good to have numerous decks and illustrates how one deck can have a completely different voice to another. Brilliant post - and I agree that it looks as if your friend really is unable to step outside himself.

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  2. Ohhhh, I love the Anna K. 8 of Swords! Great post - thanks for sharing!

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  3. Great post....making comparisons with other decks is an excellent way to bring out extra meaning. The Anna K emphasises the mental attitude of waiting for someone to come to the rescue instead of taking steps to free oneself.

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  4. It's really interesting to see cards from different decks compared. Great post!

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  5. I do love the comparative study. For whatever reason some 8 of Swords are my favorite cards. I love the Gilded one.
    Really interesting to see the differences. The Anna K one is fabulous. I think it makes the meaning so clear. Nothing to do with physical binding... but purely mental.

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  6. What they said! :-DD
    Thank you for highlighting the differences among those three decks. This shows me the importance of comparing and contrasting for nuances of meaning. And one day, I'd like to own an Anna K.!

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  7. Wonderful! I know very little about tarot (I don't think I've ever had my cards read. How is that possible?) but I love love love any mechanisms that let us explore habits and psyches and life paths. The more romantic the presentation, the better. :)

    We're actually thinking of creating Oracle cards. Boy! We should talk to you!!

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