Tarot query - friendship question 10-7-23 (ghost, Israel, quote)

[pathrunner]

I thought it would be interesting to start a thread where people can post a spread they've done regarding their personal questions.

Background:
I have a friend who has some mental health issues, and she had become erratic and non-responsive to texts. I won't go into the specific mental health issues due to privacy concerns. My concern is that we will make a plan and then she won't answer, I'll drop the plan and then she'll show up in my town (a bit far away) and text "I'm here." Then I have to switch gears quickly and rise to the occasion. This has happened more than once. I felt that I had built trust with her and that things were going well. I was confused by this week's events and about our aborted plan for today, so I decided to pull a few cards.

This is a general reading, not a past-present-future spread:




Knight of Pentacles:
She is well set financially and has the ability to address her issues. (True)

Six of Swords reversed:
She is not moving past her issues, feels trapped and is stagnating. Not willing to avail herself of effective solutions.

Seven of Swords:
Deluding herself (self-deceit) and projecting her fears onto surreptitious unknown forces that she thinks are working against her and making her life miserable. She is also hiding her symptoms by ghosting until she can come up for air and be normal again.


Impression:
This spread indicates to me that she is currently grappling with the more severe aspects of her issues, and that while she is very friendly and enjoyable to be around, her mental state and behavior will for now continue to be erratic and quite frankly, annoying.

Many swords in a spread (see below for final card) indicate mental anguish. It also indicates overthinking something and not being able to see clearly.

This spread makes it clear to me that she is struggling and it is why this kind of thing keeps happening (making a plan, ghosting, showing up unannounced). She believes that there is no solution to her problem. I must realize that it's not personal toward me. Another thought is that troubled people will often irritate people in order to head off being rejected. They reject first, before a rejection happens to them.


This kind of situation is tough for family and friends to deal with. I've known people who are written off by their families and friends because of mental health issues and erratic, inexplicable behavior.

I then pulled a card for advice as to what I should do: 3 of Swords.
Not surprising. I was thinking of letting go. Not sure how I would, or or even if I will do that. I have found that when you urge people to seek professional help they prefer to dig in their heels even further. All we can do is hold a good thought for them and hope for the best. When they are rejected and abandoned it only deepens the trauma and perpetuates the illness.

The 3 of Swords also indicates the extreme heartbreak and suffering she is experiencing over her situation, which to her is very real but is likely self-made rather than originating from evil and destructive outside forces.

This spread indicates to me how powerful and clear tarot spreads are. Some are not as clear as others, but there is always insight to be had.

Final note:
This is an intelligent, financially well-set, educated woman who has the ability to address her issues with therapy but chooses not to because right now she just isn't able to.

[saibot]

That's fascinating. I would like to see more of thes.

[pathrunner]

Thanks saibot, I hope people join in by posting their own spreads. There is no judgment or criticism at all, ever. We're all continually learning. People can start with one card, or three cards, rather than trying to discern the meaning of more complicated spreads.

I have found tarot readers to be some of the most congenial and supportive people, along with astrologers. It is intriguing to hear how different people interpret different cards or charts. As always, the cards mean what they mean to you personally. Studying the art on the cards sparks meaning.

By the way, I use other decks besides Rider-Waite. The cards I posted are actually from the Smith-Waite deck, it is the Centennial edition.

My favorite deck has long been The Goddess Tarot by Kris Waldherr. Her art is amazing (I find it visually pleasing) and I like the interpretation of the cards. Several months ago I bought The Angel Tarot deck by Travis McHenry (not to be confused with other angel decks, though they are good too). I also want to try using the Crow Tarot.

I'm also intrigued by The Elemental Tarot because it was created by a tarot reader and her astrologer husband. When I do astrology consultations, I often work with the elements in a person's chart. It is something that many people can relate to (i.e., they are fiery (energetic and passionate), they are earthy (practical, down-to-earth), Airy (mentally oriented, fascinated by information and diversity) and water (deep emotions, sensitive and intuitive).

Before each tarot reading I decide whether I'm going to use reversals. Generally I don't use them. I will often interpret a card as both upright and reversed, and consider the general tone of the entire reading to determine whether the card should ultimately be interpreted as reversed. In the above example, the 6 of Swords came up as reversed, and it immediately indicated to me that it should be read as it initially showed itself.

[Mightyqueen801]

pathrunner, I've been meaning to get back to this thread after I read some more on the cards you pulled.

I had bought a book called Divination in the Barnes & Noble section that has inexpensive but interesting books, which has basics on different forms of the title. So far, I was primarily interested in Cartomancy, since that recently sparked my interest between occurrences in my life and some posts on this forum.

I decided tonight to check the Tarot meaning in the book, which are pretty brief and somewhat more vague than I'd like, against your reading above.

There wasn't much of a match between the words behind each card and what your post says. I'm not taking that as a "wrong" for either one. I would go with your interpretations as you are familiar with the subject of the reading and the cards are being read through your intuition and information you are picking up through your natural abilities. That's how it's supposed to go with Tarot.

I am partial to the Crow Tarot. That one resonated with me from the moment I saw it, and it's the one I use most often. If you do ever get a Crow deck, look at the Three of Swords and read what it says in the booklet accompanying the deck. I picked that card a little more than two years ago, when it was dawning on us that my boyfriend had an illness was not treatable or curable and that he was rapidly becoming physically incapacitated and would die from what he had, and it was the end of all we had planned and hoped for. I pulled that card and cried for hours.

Now, moving forward, I use the cards occasionally to "check in". I haven't in a little while. There is an eight-card "Crow Spread" that I do every couple of months. It takes time to read and absorb the information in each position, and I usually go over it again twice over the next two days, do some journaling about what thoughts come to mind, and then put the deck away for a while.

I was thinking of doing that here, but to keep it simple--and I am still very much in the learning stage here--I think I will do a three-card spread I often use with my runes.

It's from right to left -- The Issue, The Challenge, and The Action. I find this a handy spread to use when grappling with a specific question or problem. I will post it here. I'd like to keep this thread going. Thanks for starting it.

[pathrunner]

I like that spread "The Issue, The Challenge and The Action." I think I would like it better than Past, Present, Future actually. When using the Past-Present-Future spread, I think one should probably use the timing for the cards pulled (i.e., wand are immediate, pentacles take a much longer time, etc.) I've never used the timing method but I'm thinking I should probably start.

That's a good idea to journal over a couple days and put the deck away for a while.

I used to get the 3 of Swords a lot. It was a painful era. Never seemed to let up. I really think if people knew what guidance can come through astrology and tarot, they'd think more highly of it. As it is, they've been brainwashed that it is evil and that only a certain way is the right way - or else! So Piscean Age. For example, our guides were trying to warn you and perhaps soften the blow so that the reality of your boyfriend's illness and passing wouldn't come as such a sudden shock. I had an experience before my boyfriend died when I was 21. I kept seeing a casket floating in the air in front of me, like a foggy cloud. I didn't know what to make of it except that my grandfather was 87 at the time. It wasn't about him. Of course, I didn't realize what I was being prepared for, but in your situation you knew (your age, maturity, and experience).

I know this thread is about tarot but I found an astrologer the other day who fascinates me. She does political and other astrology. Her takes on the evolvement of our planet and in particular her thread about the 2024 Presidential Race is quite in depth and fascinating. It has some really good contributions from an array of people who follow her blog. I believe the thread can be read by a lay person who doesn't know much about astrology. Her name is Jessica Adams. Her post on Israel (current situation and history) is also really interesting. She's far less cynical than I am, and that's refreshing.

Back to tarot, I feel that I'm getting better at reading for myself, but when I read for others, it's usually quite clear. That's been my experience anyway.

If someone is really interested in learning the tarot, it's a good idea to pull a card a day, and take notes about your impressions. Going in depth with one card per day can help a lot. After a while, one can start to see a pattern in learning the cards.

One more thing. I used to shuffle and then open the deck with both hands. I would also shuffle and then pick the third card from the top. Now, I shuffle and shuffle until a card falls out. Sometimes more than one will pop out. It has to literally fly out and land. I have found this to be extremely effective over other methods, not that other methods aren't effective.

[Mightyqueen801]

I am a shuffle-and-see-what-falls-er, too. I often do just one card for the day.

[Mightyqueen801]

OK, here is a three-card spread read right-to-left, using the Issue/Challenge/Action framework.

The information I am seeking relates to a mix of things. As most of you know, my life plans changed earlier this year when my Canadian fiance died. I was supposed to sell my place and move to his home; instead, I became his caregiver when he got sick. I returned to my home in the USA, where I had allowed a homeless brother to live in my condo. He is still there, and it has become apparent to me that he is never going to leave unless I sell my home and move away. He is very intelligent but not mentally healthy, and he has a physical issue with back/spine pain that no doctor seems to be able to fix, but his pain is genuine. He has had this for a long time. One of the reasons I agreed to allow him to stay (it was supposed to be six months, but it's now two years) was that he was finally seeing a psychiatrist and a therapist and pursuing disability benefits. He does basic things like clean up after himself, but he is depressed and angry and generally has a self-centered, narcissistic personality and is not always pleasant to have around.

He was homeless, my house was empty because I was caring for my fiance up north, and it made sense to allow him to be here. I should have known better, but he is my brother, and no matter what, I did not want my brother to be living in his car, at least out of respect for the memory of my parents if nothing else. Please don't take this off on a tangent about ideas for what he "can" or I "should" do. All avenues have been exhausted at this time.

Now my mind is a jumble of where do I go/what do I do next--it was never my intention to stay in this area after my mother died (she left in 2020), and it seemed for a time as if everything was falling into place...until it wasn't. There's also the part where I am not comfortable in my own home and allowed the solitude to get through the grieving process because someone I don't want here is always present, and it's a very small, 2-bedroom condo.

So, I asked the cards for guidance.

The Issue:



The Challenge:



The Action:



Comments welcome.

Some of mine:

The "strings attached" in the six of pentacles made me think a little. I am not expecting any material payment from my brother in exchange for letting him live here He has no income and is living off the share of the money received from our mother's estate, but that won't last him forever. Because I came home to his possessions filling half my living room, I got a storage unit that I am paying for into which I moved his stuff.

I do expect him to make use of his therapy to move forward in his life and to understand that he is supposed to be working toward moving out of here. I am not sure he is getting anywhere with either of those things. He is whiny and full of "but I CAAAAANNNN'T".

The seven of swords seems obvious to me.

The Fool I find a bit infuriating, because when I saw a psychic in August, she said, "There is a conflict in your home." I said "Yes, I have a brother living with me whom I don't want there". She said, "You will survive it, as you always do." Gee, thanks. This card sounds like a similar sentiment to me.

In general, I don't see any guidance for what to do moving forward beyond "suck it up".

[pathrunner]

MQ are there graphics of the cards in your post? I can't see anything. Can you write out which card is attached to the categories/names in the spread?

Edit: If you look at the 6 of Swords (reversed, right?) as strings attached. Both you and your brother have strings attached. You want him to be responsible, and he wants to do what he wants which is his way of continuing to stay there. His "strings attached" is that he wants to stay with the status.

The 7 of Swords can also be interpreted as both of you. Him not revealing everything but you can choose to do the same. In other words, don't reveal your plans to him, devise a strategy to get what you need and avoid confrontation (use diplomacy) while doing so. The 7 of Swords is a challenging card and requires diplomacy (So does the 5 of Swords. The 7 of Swords is hidden conflict and the 5 of Swords is open conflict.)

The Fool could represent you taking action to start over and be free. The Fool in your brother's case means being forced to embrace new horizons and starting over. Both of you need to be free to expand your horizons take risks and make a leap of faith into the unknown.

I feel as though these 3 cards represents both you and your brother, but in different ways.

Actually the cards do show a way to work this out. The spread requires planning, holding one's cards close to the chest, and accepting the changes that The Fool brings. He needs to realize that it's time to move forward and you need to realize that you'll likely have to take steps that are initially uncomfortable.

[Mightyqueen801]

Originally Posted by pathrunner

MQ are there graphics of the cards in your post? I can't see anything. Can you write out which card is attached to the categories/names in the spread?

Wait, WHAT? I have PHOTOS from my City-Data album of each card and the page from the booklet that came with the deck. I don't know why you can't see them. Hmmm.

For now until I figure this out: The Issue is the Six of Pentacles, the Challenge is the Seven of Swords, and the Action is The Fool.

ETA: Try again. The album was marked Private, so I made it into a Public Album. Perhaps that is why you couldn't see it.

[pathrunner]

OK, now I can see them. I love that deck. I must get one!

I was able to figure out which cards belonged where, but "strings attached" with the 6 of Pentacles is a reversed interpretation, not upright. So that's how I interpreted it.

I would pull one more card as possible outcome, or even simply The Outcome.