Getting Serious Tarot Reading
Jun. 14th, 2007 07:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pegkerrToday was the second reading I've tried with my new Jane Austen Tarot deck. I tried a new spread suggested by ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
tizianaj (thanks!), the Getting Serious Spread.
The spread:
6
1 2
3 4 5
1. What you want to accomplish
2. What will support you
3. What will oppose you
4. Problems or obstacles
5. What you must get rid of or sacrifice
6. Possible outcome if you go on as you have been
The cards:
1. Lord of Quills, Fitzwilliam Darcy (Reversed)
2. Six of Coins, Anne Elliot visiting Mrs. Smith (Reversed)
3. The High Priestess, Jane Austen
4. Four of Coins, John and Fanny Dashwood
5. Sun, Emma Woodhouse and Mr. Knightley are engaged, (Reversed)
6. Judgment, various characters in Emma in the garden at the end of the book
Interpretation:
1. What you want to accomplish: Darcy, Lord of the Quills, reversed. [Fitzwilliam Darcy, a tall, dark, handsome, and perfectly attired gentleman is seated at an elegant desk, writing a letter with an old-fashioned pen. It is clear that he has already written quite a bit of the letter, and is poised with the pen in a thoughtful position, clearly thinking about what he's going to write next and how he's going to phrase it. The room around him is a library filled with books and paintings of various ancestors who look much like him.]
This is one card that made me glad that I used this particular deck, rather than my Druidcraft tarot deck. In the Jane Austen tarot deck, the suit of Swords is Quills, and what immediately came to my mind is writing. Darcy is the King, the Master, of words, of wit. I had mentioned that I started getting interested in tarot because every Easter Sunday for years I have had Laurel Winter (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-syndicated.gif)
l_a_winter) do a tarot reading for me. And year after year, I pretty much always asked the same damn question" What can I do to get my writing back on track?, or something like it. The goal, the worry, has always been the damn writing.
Note, however, that the card is reversed. Interesting. Now, as I've started to do tarot myself, I've been advised by tarot teachers not to worry about reversals, at least at first. But what immediately sprang to mind, thinking about that reversal, is all the agonizing I've been doing over the past couple of years over the fact that the fiction writing has stopped. I have seriously been wondering whether writing is even my goal anymore. Perhaps the reversal indicates that my goal is to become an un-writer, or at least reflects my ambivalence over what for years I told myself was my ultimate goal?
2. What will support you: Six of Coins, reversed. [Anne Elliot visits Mrs. Smith: they sit together in a small, impoverished living room. One is Mrs. Hamilton Smith. An afghan covers her legs and she looks particularly fragile. The other is Anne Elliot, who looks out of place in her elegant clothes. Mrs. Hamilton Smith holds out a box of papers to Anne.] The book notes that this card is about being a benefactor or benefactress to someone, but it points out that the relationship is actually two-way. Anne Elliot distinguishes Mrs. Smith with her company and her kindness, never asking or expecting a return. Mrs. Smith more than repays her with important information about a man who has the potential to cause great trouble for Anne and her family. Whether you are the giver or receiver, remember that both acts can be one of generosity and reciprocity.
Once I started thinking about this, I decided the card, to me, indicated LiveJournal. I started my Livejournal years ago, hoping that it would feed and benefit my writing. I would spark ideas about books and literature by having discussions with like-minded people. It was also a way to establish a web presence of myself as An Author. I have been told that my entries have helped and encouraged others. In that way, initially, I might be like Anne Elliot in the card. And yet, while I have given, I have received even more, unexpectedly. Three times in the last month, I have received surprise books in the mail from LiveJournal friends, as gifts to cheer and console me as I recover from surgery. My LiveJournal friends have taught me much and truly enriched my life, much as Mrs. Smith cheers and consoles and amuses Anne. This Lady Bountiful is also a grateful recipient.
But the card is reversed. I think of Tim Powers, who always told me, spend time with people because you enjoy them, not because you think that spending time with them will 'help your career.' I think of the Baronet, holding up his card of invitation to join Lady Dalrymple for tea before Anne, and saying stridently, "No, it will NOT do. You must NOT fritter your time away with Mrs. Smith! How do you expect to get ahead if you consort with Mrs. Smith instead of the proper people, the people who will help you get ahead??" Yes, my time with LiveJournal has benefited me, but it has also definitely cut into and dissipated my writing time and energy. In the end, I have spent time with my friends on LiveJournal because I enjoy them, not because I am using them to bootstrap my career. Has my output as a writer suffered because I have chosen to be on LiveJournal rather than apply myself to my fiction writing? Yes, it probably has.
I still think that it has been time well spent.
3. What will oppose you: The High Priestess, who in this deck is Jane Austen herself. My choice of this particular deck made this card also particularly interesting. When I turned over this card, I gulped in dismay at the thought that Jane Austen herself would oppose me. Here is how I read it: the Jane Austen/High Priestess card here is the idea of Jane Austen, a brilliant woman writer whom I admire desperately. The High Priestess card is suggestive of secret, unspoken knowledge, and is also associated with the moon, ruler of fears and confusion. So, in one, this card embodies my ideal of Jane Austen, High Priestess of Writing, possessor of that secret knowledge about writing that I desperately want and covet but fear I will never possess, The This-Is-How-You-Do-It,-This-Is-How-You-Write self confidence I have always searched for in a baffled manner, while knowing to my core that geez, I don't have it--the elusive "it" that Jane had.
And yet, I remind myself: Jane struggled, too. She stopped writing entirely for ten years, perhaps due to depression (see discussion of Sun card, reversed, below). Edited to add:naomikritzer very sensibly suggests that this card could also represent my highly over-developed inner critic, which, since it is so strong, can ham-string my work.
4. Problems or Obstacles: Four of Coins, John and Fanny Dashwood [Mr. and Mrs. John Dashwood are in the same room in Norland where his father died. There are several pound notes on the table that were originally on Mr. Dashwood's side, but only one remains. The rest are being pulled by Mrs. Dashwood to her side of the table. Elinor, Marianne and their mother appear behind them, here, but in a large painting that is slowly fading.] This card is sometimes called the Miser's card or the Control-Freak card. Fanny and John Dashwood are the perfect characters to portray the Four of Coins. To me, this card suggests all the anxiety about money which has long been wrapped up in concerns about writing, particularly lately with the layoff. I have not written full time because I have to bring in money. Women, Virginia Woolf tells us, need money (and a room of their own) to write. I am certainly the Fanny Dashwood in my family, the one who worries about money, who tries to find a bargain.
And yet, remember, Fanny and John already have much, more than they could possibly use. They worry about money excessively, and in doing so, they cheat Marianne (in this deck, the Maiden of Teacups, who represents the heart overflowing with emotion) and Elinor (the Lady of Coins, who is sensible and mature about material matters), robbing them of their rightful due. Excessive anxiety about money and unwillingness to take a financial risk hurts the fount of creativity (Marianne) and my chance of building a sensible financially responsible maturity (Elinor).
5. What you must get rid of or sacrifice:The Sun, reversed. [Emma Woodhouse is in a sun-drenched garden. She looks up at a man (George Knightley) with blissful joy, and he beams down at her with equal delight. Large flowers bloom around them.] Again, the reversal is what makes this card make sense. The reversal of sunny optimism is . . . depression, one of the biggest challenges of my life. Yeah, it sure would be helpful to get rid of that. Duh.
6. Possible outcome, if you go on as you have been: Judgment. [The image on the card shows several characters in Emma placed in a garden, all of them reaching up to what they want in the sky. Emma reaches for the hand of George Knightley, and vice-versa. Mr. Woodhouse reaches for his home, and you can see a big lock on the door. Harriet Smith reaches for herself in a wedding dress, and Mrs. Weston reaches for her baby.] The book that accompanies the deck says that this card suggests a necessity for evaluation and assessment of my current situation. This is the time for a visionary perspective that takes into account past, present and future. "If recent circumstances have been confining, you can choose to free yourself." This seems to be in keeping with the feeling that has been growing on me for the past several years: I am having a mid-life crisis, and it is time to re-evaluate and find a new direction.
tizianaj (thanks!), the Getting Serious Spread.The spread:
1 2
3 4 5
1. What you want to accomplish
2. What will support you
3. What will oppose you
4. Problems or obstacles
5. What you must get rid of or sacrifice
6. Possible outcome if you go on as you have been
The cards:
1. Lord of Quills, Fitzwilliam Darcy (Reversed)
2. Six of Coins, Anne Elliot visiting Mrs. Smith (Reversed)
3. The High Priestess, Jane Austen
4. Four of Coins, John and Fanny Dashwood
5. Sun, Emma Woodhouse and Mr. Knightley are engaged, (Reversed)
6. Judgment, various characters in Emma in the garden at the end of the book
Interpretation:
1. What you want to accomplish: Darcy, Lord of the Quills, reversed. [Fitzwilliam Darcy, a tall, dark, handsome, and perfectly attired gentleman is seated at an elegant desk, writing a letter with an old-fashioned pen. It is clear that he has already written quite a bit of the letter, and is poised with the pen in a thoughtful position, clearly thinking about what he's going to write next and how he's going to phrase it. The room around him is a library filled with books and paintings of various ancestors who look much like him.]
This is one card that made me glad that I used this particular deck, rather than my Druidcraft tarot deck. In the Jane Austen tarot deck, the suit of Swords is Quills, and what immediately came to my mind is writing. Darcy is the King, the Master, of words, of wit. I had mentioned that I started getting interested in tarot because every Easter Sunday for years I have had Laurel Winter (
l_a_winter) do a tarot reading for me. And year after year, I pretty much always asked the same damn question" What can I do to get my writing back on track?, or something like it. The goal, the worry, has always been the damn writing.Note, however, that the card is reversed. Interesting. Now, as I've started to do tarot myself, I've been advised by tarot teachers not to worry about reversals, at least at first. But what immediately sprang to mind, thinking about that reversal, is all the agonizing I've been doing over the past couple of years over the fact that the fiction writing has stopped. I have seriously been wondering whether writing is even my goal anymore. Perhaps the reversal indicates that my goal is to become an un-writer, or at least reflects my ambivalence over what for years I told myself was my ultimate goal?
2. What will support you: Six of Coins, reversed. [Anne Elliot visits Mrs. Smith: they sit together in a small, impoverished living room. One is Mrs. Hamilton Smith. An afghan covers her legs and she looks particularly fragile. The other is Anne Elliot, who looks out of place in her elegant clothes. Mrs. Hamilton Smith holds out a box of papers to Anne.] The book notes that this card is about being a benefactor or benefactress to someone, but it points out that the relationship is actually two-way. Anne Elliot distinguishes Mrs. Smith with her company and her kindness, never asking or expecting a return. Mrs. Smith more than repays her with important information about a man who has the potential to cause great trouble for Anne and her family. Whether you are the giver or receiver, remember that both acts can be one of generosity and reciprocity.
Once I started thinking about this, I decided the card, to me, indicated LiveJournal. I started my Livejournal years ago, hoping that it would feed and benefit my writing. I would spark ideas about books and literature by having discussions with like-minded people. It was also a way to establish a web presence of myself as An Author. I have been told that my entries have helped and encouraged others. In that way, initially, I might be like Anne Elliot in the card. And yet, while I have given, I have received even more, unexpectedly. Three times in the last month, I have received surprise books in the mail from LiveJournal friends, as gifts to cheer and console me as I recover from surgery. My LiveJournal friends have taught me much and truly enriched my life, much as Mrs. Smith cheers and consoles and amuses Anne. This Lady Bountiful is also a grateful recipient.
But the card is reversed. I think of Tim Powers, who always told me, spend time with people because you enjoy them, not because you think that spending time with them will 'help your career.' I think of the Baronet, holding up his card of invitation to join Lady Dalrymple for tea before Anne, and saying stridently, "No, it will NOT do. You must NOT fritter your time away with Mrs. Smith! How do you expect to get ahead if you consort with Mrs. Smith instead of the proper people, the people who will help you get ahead??" Yes, my time with LiveJournal has benefited me, but it has also definitely cut into and dissipated my writing time and energy. In the end, I have spent time with my friends on LiveJournal because I enjoy them, not because I am using them to bootstrap my career. Has my output as a writer suffered because I have chosen to be on LiveJournal rather than apply myself to my fiction writing? Yes, it probably has.
I still think that it has been time well spent.
3. What will oppose you: The High Priestess, who in this deck is Jane Austen herself. My choice of this particular deck made this card also particularly interesting. When I turned over this card, I gulped in dismay at the thought that Jane Austen herself would oppose me. Here is how I read it: the Jane Austen/High Priestess card here is the idea of Jane Austen, a brilliant woman writer whom I admire desperately. The High Priestess card is suggestive of secret, unspoken knowledge, and is also associated with the moon, ruler of fears and confusion. So, in one, this card embodies my ideal of Jane Austen, High Priestess of Writing, possessor of that secret knowledge about writing that I desperately want and covet but fear I will never possess, The This-Is-How-You-Do-It,-This-Is-How-You-Write self confidence I have always searched for in a baffled manner, while knowing to my core that geez, I don't have it--the elusive "it" that Jane had.
And yet, I remind myself: Jane struggled, too. She stopped writing entirely for ten years, perhaps due to depression (see discussion of Sun card, reversed, below). Edited to add:
naomikritzer very sensibly suggests that this card could also represent my highly over-developed inner critic, which, since it is so strong, can ham-string my work.4. Problems or Obstacles: Four of Coins, John and Fanny Dashwood [Mr. and Mrs. John Dashwood are in the same room in Norland where his father died. There are several pound notes on the table that were originally on Mr. Dashwood's side, but only one remains. The rest are being pulled by Mrs. Dashwood to her side of the table. Elinor, Marianne and their mother appear behind them, here, but in a large painting that is slowly fading.] This card is sometimes called the Miser's card or the Control-Freak card. Fanny and John Dashwood are the perfect characters to portray the Four of Coins. To me, this card suggests all the anxiety about money which has long been wrapped up in concerns about writing, particularly lately with the layoff. I have not written full time because I have to bring in money. Women, Virginia Woolf tells us, need money (and a room of their own) to write. I am certainly the Fanny Dashwood in my family, the one who worries about money, who tries to find a bargain.
And yet, remember, Fanny and John already have much, more than they could possibly use. They worry about money excessively, and in doing so, they cheat Marianne (in this deck, the Maiden of Teacups, who represents the heart overflowing with emotion) and Elinor (the Lady of Coins, who is sensible and mature about material matters), robbing them of their rightful due. Excessive anxiety about money and unwillingness to take a financial risk hurts the fount of creativity (Marianne) and my chance of building a sensible financially responsible maturity (Elinor).
5. What you must get rid of or sacrifice:The Sun, reversed. [Emma Woodhouse is in a sun-drenched garden. She looks up at a man (George Knightley) with blissful joy, and he beams down at her with equal delight. Large flowers bloom around them.] Again, the reversal is what makes this card make sense. The reversal of sunny optimism is . . . depression, one of the biggest challenges of my life. Yeah, it sure would be helpful to get rid of that. Duh.
6. Possible outcome, if you go on as you have been: Judgment. [The image on the card shows several characters in Emma placed in a garden, all of them reaching up to what they want in the sky. Emma reaches for the hand of George Knightley, and vice-versa. Mr. Woodhouse reaches for his home, and you can see a big lock on the door. Harriet Smith reaches for herself in a wedding dress, and Mrs. Weston reaches for her baby.] The book that accompanies the deck says that this card suggests a necessity for evaluation and assessment of my current situation. This is the time for a visionary perspective that takes into account past, present and future. "If recent circumstances have been confining, you can choose to free yourself." This seems to be in keeping with the feeling that has been growing on me for the past several years: I am having a mid-life crisis, and it is time to re-evaluate and find a new direction.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2007-06-15 01:26 am (UTC)However, now that you've figured out all of the obstacles you've put in your own way, you'll have to decide what you're going to do to eliminate them.
What just flashed into my own mind is that it might be good for you to take a mini-vacation, by yourself, to a spa or meditation retreat - just to get in touch with yourself again. Perhaps a three day weekend?
Well done!
(no subject)
Date: 2007-06-15 02:31 am (UTC)And *sigh* a three day mini-vacation would certainly be welcome. Of course, I've more than used up all my vacation time recovering from my surgery!
(no subject)
Date: 2007-06-15 04:36 am (UTC)I have occasionally wondered if you might break through your block if you wrote something under a pen name. More than that, though, if you chose a pen name that represented the sort of person who would write something frivolous just for fun, and then wrote something as that person. It might be a way to escape the High Priestess in your head that judges you when you're trying to write, if that makes sense.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-06-15 01:49 pm (UTC)Musings on the Inner Critic and the Creative Spirit
Date: 2007-06-15 08:26 pm (UTC)In your online reading from the William Blake tarot:
Bureaucracy and administration to the exclusion of the creative. The pursuit of tangible rewards at all costs.
While at first I saw this in terms of your law-oriented job vs. your off-hours creative writing, I now think it can be applied more broadly to this issue of letting your Inner Bureaucrat squelch your Inner Playful Creative Child -- if that makes sense. You're seeing writing as something to advance your career as a writer, rather than as something you do for its own sake, for the joy of it, because here you stand and you can do no other, Martin Luther.
Regarding your first reading with the Druidcraft deck, the preponderance of Cups really struck me. For one thing, at the time I was ending my explorations of the Path of Atheism ;-) I began to get tons of cups in my Motherpeace readings. (Yeah, I still did tarot readings, even during my years as an Atheist. Go figure.) The message was clear: I had heavily emphasized the realm of Swords, air, pure intellect, the Rational, at the expense of the realm of Cups, emotions, intuition, creativity, the Nonrational, and it was time to get a little more balanced and start feeding my Muse, which needs to drink lots and lots of Water. ;-)
Anyway, this has gotten awfully long, and I hope it doesn't sound too preachy or pretentious. As you know, it's the view from here. Ponder my musings, and see what works for you. Hoot!
(no subject)
Date: 2007-06-15 07:13 pm (UTC)I am intrigued by this spread and plan to try it myself. The piece that is speaking to me at the moment is the card representing something to get rid of or sacrifice. Taking your reading and applying it to myself, I would say that for me, the opposite of optimism would be pessimism. What would it mean to sacrifice my negative view of the world, of myself? Why do I hold on to it? What would I lose by giving it up? Hmm...
Thanks for posting about your reading.