The Bologna Tarot is typically read in large spreads. This is because each card has very simple meanings, so one cannot spend their time musing on them at length as often happens in contemporary tarot practice. The Bologna Tarot is closer to the Sibilla or to playing cards or Lenormand in this sense (or even to how regular tarot readings used to be).
Many general spreads done to tell a broad fortune use the whole deck. This is the case of the Lezuolata, or bed sheet spread. It is a 5×9 spread similar to the Lenormand or Kipper Grand Tableau (this is for the 45-card deck. If you use the 50-card deck just add a tenth row). Here is an example:
The Bed Sheet spread (Lenzuolata) with the Bologna tarot
This spread is typically used to “locate” the querent’s card (either the King or the Queen of Wands) and see how their general circumstances are. It is typical to start the reading by having a look at the four cards in the angles. In this case we have the Tower, the Hermit, the Ace of Coins and the Page of Cups. This could indicate money trouble relating to a young woman (maybe a daughter). If we interpret the Page figuratively, then it shows that the querent has no (bad cards) monetary (Ace of Coins) satisfaction (Page).
Let us suppose we are reading for a woman. The Queen of Wands is located in the second-to-last row and in the second-to-last column. She looks at the Moon, behind which there is the Ace of Cups (the house) and the Ace of Swords (relationships, or something close). Behind her is the King of Swords, a young man, and underneath her is the Juggler, which is a kid. So possibly she has kids (remember the Page of Cups), and she is worried about her financial situation at home.
Let’s look at the column where she appears. Broadly, this is a positive column, with a King and Queen of Cups possibly indicating figures in the family. Right above the Queen is the Chariot, which in this tradition indicates the sick bed, again reinforcing the idea of suffering (not necessarily physical). But the two figures of the Queen and King bring her the Ten of Cups, flourishing, and some minor good luck thanks to the Wheel.
Above the Wheel we find the Page of Wands, her thoughts, and the Seven of Cups, which also relates to the family, especially protection from the family. Possibly, therefore, the Queen is worried about having money for her kids, but her parents or another couple from her family are helping her.
As can be seen, this spread is not meant to let you talk at length, but it does give you a snapshot of the querent’s life at that moment.
I’ve recently talked about understanding the order of the cards when using the Vera Sibilla and playing cards. The Bolognese tarot, being a traditional fortune-telling system, follows similar rules, and as such it is important to understand whether the cards add their meanings together or contradict each other. Example:
Page of Coins + Queen of Coins
The Page indicates words, while the Queen represents the truth. Therefore, in this case, we get “true words”, “trustworthy words”, and similar combinations.
Queen of Coins + Moon
The Queen of Coins is the truth, but it is followed by the Moon, which indicates negativity, falseness, secrets. Therefore the combination talks about hidden truths, and thus of potential lies to cover the truth.
Moon + Sun
In the Bolognese tarot, the Moon is the card of negativity, while the Sun is the card of positivity. Traditionally, the Sun and Moon together are called “the two red cards” (due to the color of the two celestial bodies in the card) or the sorrow combination. Since here the Moon comes first and is followed by the Sun, the sorrow is passing, the problem will be solved.
Sun + Moon
In this case, the Moon more decisively blocks the Sun, so the sorrow doesn’t stop, or at least will last longer.
Tower + Justice
The tower can represent a large building one would rather avoid. Justice represents the law. Together, the two cards can represent a courthouse (but they can also indicate that justice or fairness is impeded, if the reading is not about a trial).
Justice + Sun
The Sun affirms the positivity of something. Together with Justice, it shows justice, fairness, equilibrium, etc
Justice + Moon
This is the opposite. The Moon negates justice.
Justice + King of Coins
The King of Coins is an important person, usually one with a degree. With Justice, he becomes an attorney, a notary, someone who is competent in some area of law or bureaucracy.
Love + Hanged Man
The Love card indicates, of course, love. In the Bolognese Tarot, the Hanged Man represents betrayal (being hanged upside down was the punishment for traitors). Together, they can indicate some kind of dishonesty connected to love (with the figure of a third party, it would become a triangle).
Love + Ten of Cups
The Ten of Cups brings feasting and jollity, so this combination would describe a happy-go-lucky love that is blooming, and if we add the Fool, that’s obviously a very fun love with not much commitment.
Love + King of Coins + Justice + Tower
We’ve seen that the King of Coins with Justice indicates a lawyer, and Justice and the Tower indicate a court of law. Connected with Love, this combination could show a divorce.
World + Eight of Wands
The World card means “around the world” or journey. The Eight of Wands indicates a road or path. Clearly, the two cards together strengthen the idea of a literal journey.
World + Page of Cups
The Page of Cups can indicate a younger woman, while the World shows “from afar” or “from around the world”. So this young woman probably isn’t part of the querent’ life: she’s a stranger.
All in all, combining the cards of the Bolognese tarot is a relatively intuitive process, although there are some traditional combinations that we’ll need to talk about in a future post.
One thing that I often receive messages about is how to understand the order in which the cards fall. Whether it’s the Vera Sibilla or playing card, there is one fundamental rule that applies in the majority of cases: later cards modify those that fall before.
Keep in mind that divination with cards is like the reading of a book, so the cards build the equivalent of sentences with their own grammatical structure. This is why I prefer to read the cards together rather than in isolation, as would happen in many contemporary positional spreads, where to each position corresponds one card.
In the tradition I come from, there can be positions, but there are always at least three cards, and sometimes five, covering one position. When we have two or more cards together, it becomes possible to “agglutinate” their meanings.
“Boy” and “run” becomes “the boy is running.” “Boy” and “friend” becomes “the boy is with a friend” or “the boy is a friend.” “Boy” and “Australian” becomes “the boy is Australian.”
Similarly, if we put two playing cards together such as the Three of Clubs (Union, marriage) and the Ten of Hearts (Happiness) they say: the marriage is happy. In the Sibilla, if we put the Ace of Club (Marriage) and the Four of Hearts (Love) together, it becomes “a loving marriage” or “a marriage of love.”
These are the first steps only. There are many more nunaces. However, the basic thing we must ask ourselves when interpreting two or more cards together is whether they add to each other or they contradict each other.
When they add to each other, the sequence in which they fall doesn’t matter that much (though it may add shades of meaning). “A beautiful girl” is roughly the same as “A girl who is beautiful.” But if we have “War” and “Peace”, saying “Peace and then war” is very different from saying “War and then peace”.
In the Sibilla, Fortune + Death is the end of fortune (literally, “the fortune meets its end”), whereas Death + Fortune is an end that brings fortune. Generally speaking, the cards falling after have the power to modify those that fall before.
That being said, divination is an art more than a science: we should never apply our rules so rigidly that we stop thinking about what the cards are saying. In most cases, in the Sibilla, Thief + Marriage has a similar meaning as Marriage + Thief: someone or something is interfering with the marriage.
Ultimately, each spread is a world in itself and the specific key to it must be found by following the clues that the cards leave behind.
(Note: this is a collection of the meanings attributed to the cards by some occultists in the past centuries. It does not reflect my own study or opinion of the cards. It is only meant as a quick comparative reference as I develop my own take.)
The Five of Pentacles from the Builders of the Adytum (BOTA) tarot deck
Paul Foster Case (and Ann Davies)
The time period is the first decanate of Taurus, under the rulership of Venus, April 20 to 29. Meanings: Well-Dignified: labor, toil, the cultivation of the land; building, and plans concerning it; some anxiety over money. lll-Dignified: toil unrewarded; loss of money; poverty; trouble for the Querent through lack of imagination and foresight. Keyword: Uncertainty; material trouble. (From the Oracle of Tarot course)
A. E. Waite
Two mendicants in a snow-storm pass a lighted casement. Divinatory Meanings: The card foretells material trouble above all, whether in the form illustrated–that is, destitution–or otherwise. For some cartomancists, it is a card of love and lovers-wife, husband, friend, mistress; also concordance, affinities. These alternatives cannot be harmonized. Reversed: Disorder, chaos, ruin, discord, profligacy. (From The Pictorial Key to the Tarot)
Aleister Crowley
The Five of Disks is in equally evil case. The soft quiet of the Four has been completely overthrown; the card is called Worry. [See Skeat, Etymological Dictionary. The idea is of strangling, as dogs worry sheep. Note the identity with Sphinx.] The economic system has broken down; there is no more balance between the social orders. Disks being as they are, stolid and obstinate, as compared with the other weapons, for their revolution serves t9 stabilize them, there is no action, at least not in its own ambit, that can affect the issue.
[…]
The Number Five, Geburah, in the suit of Earth, shows the disruption of the Elements, just as in the other suits. This is emphasized by the rule of Mercury in Taurus, types of energy which are opposed. It needs a very powerful Mercury to upset Taurus; so the natural meaning is Intelligence applied to Labour.
The symbol represents five disks in the form of the inverted Pentagram, instability in the very foundations of Matter. The effect is that of an earthquake. They are, however, representative of the five Tatvas; these hold together, on a very low plane, an organism which would otherwise disrupt completely. The background is an angry, ugly red with yellow markings. The general effect is one of intense strain; yet the symbol implies long-continued inaction. (From The Book of Thoth)
A peasantly mystical AI-generated illustration for the Five of Pentacles
Golden Dawn’s Book T
A WHITE Radiant Angelic Hand issuing from clouds, and holding a branch of the white rose tree, but from which the roses are falling, and leaving no buds behind. Five Pentacles similar to the Ace. Above and below are Mercury and Taurus.
Loss of money or position. Trouble about material things. Labour, toil, land cultivation; building, knowledge and acuteness of earthly things, poverty, carefulness, kindness; sometimes money regained after severe toil and labour. Unimaginative, harsh, stern, determined, obstinate. Geburah of HB:H (Loss of profession, loss of money, monetary anxiety). Herein the angels HB:MBHYH and HB:PNYAL rule.
Etteilla
Lover Upright. This card, as far as the medicine of the spirit is concerned, means, in its natural position: Lover [man], Lover [woman], In love, Gallant man, Gallant woman, Husband, Wife, Groom, Bride, Friend, Friend. – Lover. – Loving, Lovingly, Adoring. – Harmony, Agreement, Convenience, Concordance, Good manners. Reversed. Disorderly, Contrary to order. – Debauchery, Disorder, Turmoil, Confusion, Chaos. – Damage, Devastation, Ruin. – Dissipation, Consumption. – Unruliness, Libertinism. – Discord, Disharmony, Discordance.
(Note: this is a collection of the meanings attributed to the cards by some occultists in the past centuries. It does not reflect my own study or opinion of the cards. It is only meant as a quick comparative reference as I develop my own take.)
The Five of Swords from the Builders of the Adytum (BOTA) tarot deck
Paul Foster Case (and Ann Davies)
The time period is the first decanate of Aquarius, from January 20 to 29, under the rulers hip of Saturn and Uranus. Well-Dignified: the decision is adve rse to the Querent in any matter of a material nature. In spiritual affairs this card portends apparent troubles which work out ultimately to good result. Thus this Key is one of trouble and anxiety, but rightly comprehended can be the turning point for positive good . Ill-Dignified: the troubles are intensified and are probably due to the Querent’s own lack of understanding of the true nature of the situation. If the question is one of speculation, the Querent is likely to be disappointed due to his own desire to get something for nothing, to over-reach somebody else, or to get rich quick. Keyword: Defeat. (From the Oracle of Tarot Course)
A. E. Waite
A disdainful man looks after two retreating and dejected figures. Their swords lie upon the ground. He carries two others on his left shoulder, and a third sword is in his right hand, point to earth. He is the master in possession of the field. Divinatory Meanings: Degradation, destruction, revocation, infamy, dishonour, loss, with the variants and analogues of these. Reversed: The same; burial and obsequies. (From The Pictorial Key to the Tarot)
Aleister Crowley
The Five of Swords is similarly [to the other fives] troublesome; the card is called Defeat. There has been insufficient power to maintain the armed peace of the Four. The quarrel has actually broken out. This must mean defeat, for the original idea of the Sword was a manifestation of the result of the love between the Wand and the Cup. It is because the birth had to express itself in the duality of the Sword and the Disk that the nature of each appears so imperfect.
[…]
Geburah, as always, produces disruption; but as Venus here rules Aquarius, weakness rather than excess of strength seems the cause of disaster. The intellect has been enfeebled by sentiment. The defeat is due to pacifism. Treachery also may be implied.
The hilts of the swords form the inverted pentagram, always a symbol of somewhat sinister tendency. Here matters are even worse; none of the hilts resembles any of the others, and their blades are crooked or broken. They give the impression of drooping; only the lowest of the swords points upwards, and this is the least effective of the weapons. The rose of the previous card has been altogether disintegrated.
The historian is happy to observe two perfect illustrations of the mode of this card and the last in the birth of the Aeon of (1) Osiris, (2) Horus. He will note the decay of such Virtue as characterized Sparta and Rome, ending in the establishment of the Pax Romana. As Virtue declined, corruption disintegrated the Empire from within. Epicene cults, such as those of Dionysus (in its degraded form), of Attis, of Adonis, of Cybele, the false Demeter and the prostituted Isis, replaced the sterner rites of the true Solar-Phallic gods; until finally (the masters having lost the respect, and so the control, of the plebs, native and alien) the lowest of all the slave-cults, dressed up in the fables of the vilest of the parasitic races, swept over the known world, and drenched it in foul darkness for five hundred years. He will delight to draw close parallels with the cognate phenomena displayed before the present generation. (From The Book of Thoth)
AI-generated illustration for the Five of Swords
Golden Dawn’s Book T
TWO Rayed Angelic Hands each holding two swords nearly upright, but falling apart of each other, right and left of the card. A third hand holds a sword upright in the centre as though it had disunited them. The petals of the rose, which in the four had been reinstated in the centre, are torn asunder and falling. Above and below are Venus and Aquarius for Decan.
Contest finished and decided against the person; failure, defeat, anxiety, trouble, poverty, avarice, grieving after gain, laborious, unresting; loss and vileness of nature; malicious, slanderous, lying, spiteful and tale-bearing. A busybody and separator of friends, hating to see peace and love between others. Cruel, yet cowardly, thankless and unreliable. Clever and quick in thought and speech. Feelings of pity easily roused, but unenduring.
Geburah of HB:V (Defeat, loss, malice, spite, slander, evil-speaking). Herein the Angels HB:ANYAL and HB:Cha’aMYH bear rule.
Etteilla
Loss Upright. This card, as far as the medicine of the spirit is concerned, means, in its natural position: Loss, Alteration, Discredit, Degradation, Perdition, Decay, Destruction, Deterioration, Deterioration, Diminution, Depression, Diminution, Damage, Failure, Prejudice, Blemish, Torts, Avarice, Decline of business, Failure, Disadvantage, Devastation, Dilapidation, Dissipation, Injury, Disgrace, Reversal, Reversal of fortune, Ruin. – Defeat – Debauchery, Disgrace, Dishonor, Infamy, Ignominy, Affront, Ugliness, Difformity, Humiliation. – Theft, Thievery, Rape, Plagiarism, Abduction, Filthy, Horrible. – Infamy, Corruption, Profligacy, Seduction, Libertinism. Reversed. Mourning, Abasement, Affliction, Sadness, Grief, Pain of spirit, Funeral pump, Burial, Funeral, Inhumation, Burial.
No matter what kind of divination we practice: if it’s worth its salt and is not just some feelgood angel therapy oracle, it has the potential to deliver bad news. How we handle bad news is a mark of how helpful we are capable of being as diviners.
People can come to us for a variety of reason. They may need reassurance, hope, advice or just a quick look ahead. They may even come to us for fun or curiosity, and as long as they are not disrespectful, there is nothing wrong in indulging them.
The principle of respect for our querent stems from seeing them as a whole person rather than a sack of meat endowed with more than its fair share of doubts. We, as diviners and as handlers of odd devices (decks, charts, counters of various kinds) hold a degree of power over them. It is symbolic power, for sure, but reality itself is symbolic (that’s how magic works), therefore symbolic power is real power, and must not be misused.
Finding the right balance between informing the querent and respecting them can be difficult. It’s all well and good as long as the cards talk about pleasant trips and job interviews. But occasionally we recognize messages that we know are going to deeply upset our querent.
Causing unnecessary anguish is a no-no, and there are things that cannot be said without causing unnecessary anguish (“You’ll die soon”, “You’ll lose the baby). Even less serious topics (at least, less serious than death), such as marital infidelity must be treated with caution. We cannot just destroy whole families willy-nilly simply because our cards seem to hint at untoward dealings.
We must also distinguish whether a querent directly asks for something or something unpleasant simply shows up in the cards. Usually, if the querent asks for something, we can be more forthcoming, if we can speak with tact. If they ask “Will I get the job?”, they need to be able to accept “I’m not infallible, but it seems they appear more inclined to go with someone else.”
If they ask “Is my spouse faithful?” and the cards show clear signs of interference, an answer like “Remember that I could be wrong, but there does seem to be someone who’s trying whisk them away from you. Maybe it’s time to have an honest talk and try to solve the issue.”
Incredibly enough, even some taboo topics may occasionally be addressed in this guise. For instance, there are plenty of non-morbid reasons querents might want to know about death: “Do you think my elderly father going to survive long? I want to be able to visit him one last time but the situation at home is just crazy.”
While we must not delude the querent, we have no right to rob them of all hope. Aside from the mantra “Remember I’m a fallible human being”, and even aside from potential advice we might sometime give the querent to soften the blows of bad luck, there are occasionally ways of preparing the querent for a difficult situation without hurting them.
“Is the pregnancy going to go alright?” This is a question I am become more and more skeptical of answering as time goes by, because there is no way of saying anything other than “yes” and still be able to look at myself in the mirror. If we do find ourselves somehow coerced into answering it and the cards are less than positive, the only thing we may say is something to the effect of “Yes, but remember to take it easy, and the cards are saying you should pay extra attention to the doctor’s orders.”
Where all else fails, human empathy is our last line of defense. Helping the querent even for just some minutes by sharing their burden is part of what we may have to sign up for when we choose the path of divination.
(Note: this is a collection of the meanings attributed to the cards by some occultists in the past centuries. It does not reflect my own study or opinion of the cards. It is only meant as a quick comparative reference as I develop my own take.)
The Five of Cups from the Builders of the Adytum (BOTA) tarot deck
Paul Foster Case (and Ann Davies)
The Five of Cups is the first decanate of Scorpio, ruled by Mars, time period October 22 to October 31. Well-Dignified: strength, power to do; ability to introduce needed changes and let go of relationships, prejudices and false ideas that are hindering spiritual progress. lll-Dignified: loss in pleasure, vain regret, disappointment, sorrow and loss of those things which have been much desired; treachery, deceit; unexpected troubles and anxieties; disappointments in love, broken engagements, broken friendships. (Note: These sorrows and disappointments, as indicated by the Five of Cups, lll Dignified, are often the necessary destruction before the beginning of a new and greater expansion and growth in the life of the Querent, depending on his basic understanding and evolutionary level.) Keyword: Defeated desire. (From the Oracle of Tarot course)
A. E. Waite
A dark, cloaked figure, looking sideways at three prone cups two others stand upright behind him; a bridge is in the background, leading to a small keep or holding. Divanatory Meanings: It is a card of loss, but something remains over; three have been taken, but two are left; it is a card of inheritance, patrimony, transmission, but not corresponding to expectations; with some interpreters it is a card of marriage, but not without bitterness or frustration. Reversed: News, alliances, affinity, consanguinity, ancestry, return, false projects. (From The Pictorial Key to the Tarot)
Aleister Crowley
[…] the Five of Cups is called Disappointment, as is only natural, because Fire delights in superabundant energy, whereas the water of Pleasure is naturally placid, and any disturbance of ease can only be regarded as misfortune.
This card is ruled by Geburah in the suit of Water. Geburah being fiery, there is a natural antipathy. Hence arises the idea of disturbance, just when least expected, in a time of ease.
The attribution is also to Mars in Scorpio, which is his own house; and Mars is the manifestation on the lowest plane of Geburah, while Scorpio, in its worst aspect, suggests the putrefying power of Water. Yet the powerful male influences do not show actual decay, only the beginning of destruction; hence, the anticipated pleasure is frustrated. The Lotuses have their petals torn by fiery winds; the sea is arid and stagnant, a dead sea, like a “chott” in North Africa. No water flows into the cups.
Moreover, these cups are arranged in the form of an inverted pentagram, symbolizing the triumph of matter over spirit.
Mars in Scorpio, moreover, is the attribution of the Geomantic figure Rubeus. This is of such evil omen that certain schools of Geomancy destroy the Map, and postpone the question for two hours or more, when Rubeus appears in the Ascendant. Its meaning is to be studied in the “Handbook of Geomancy” (Equinox Vol. I, No.2). (From The Book of Thoth)
AI-generated illustration for the Five of Cups
Golden Dawn’s Book T
A WHITE Radiating Angelic Hand, holding lotuses or water-lilies, of which the flowers are falling right and left. Leaves only, and no buds, surmount them. These lotus stems ascend between the cups in the manner of a fountain, but no water flows therefrom; neither is there water in any of the cups, which are somewhat of the shape of the magical instrument of the Zelator Adeptus Minor. Above and below are the symbols of Mars and Scorpio for the Decan.
Death, or end of pleasure: disappointment, sorrow and loss in those things from which pleasure is expected. Sadness, treachery, deceit; ill-will, detraction; charity and kindness ill requited; all kinds of anxieties and troubles from unsuspected and unexpected sources. Geburah of HB:H (Disappointment in love, marriage broken off, unkindness of a friend; loss of friendship). Herein rule HB:LVVYH and HB:PHLYH.
Etteilla
Legacy Upright. This card, in its natural position, means, as far as the medicine of the spirit is concerned: Inheritance, Succession, Bequest, Gift, Donation, Endowment, Estate, Transmission, Will. – Tradition, Resolution [=Decision]. – Kabbalah. Reversed. Consanguinity, Blood, Family, Avi, Ancestors, Father, Mother, Brother, Sister, Uncle, Aunt, Cousin, Cousin. – Filiation, Extraction, Race, Lineage, Alliance. – Affinity, Attachment, Relationship, Ties.
I’m taking inspiration from a question I got asked recently to talk about an important topic in cartomancy. Sometimes (in fact, many times) the cards appear contradictory, with positive and negative cards mixed together. The question I was asked is, which cards prevail in the reading.
Before starting the interpretation, it is usually a good thing to get a general look at the cards to see the ‘tone’. Are they mostly positive? Are there places in the spread that seem difficult? Are there cards that answer the question directly? You don’t need to come up with the interpretation right away, but it’s good to be aware.
However, this general bird-eye view is not enough. Usually, in cartomancy, we read the cards from left to right as if they were a sentence, stringing the meanings together. Therefore, as a general rule, 5♥️ – 4♠️ is worse than 4♠️ – 5♥️. In the former case, the abundance is broken or blocked, while in the latter case the brokenness and blockage are overcome.
In this sense, it is important to pay attention to whether the negative points in the spread come at the beginning, in the middle or at the end, because. Even if there’s two negative cards out of five, if they come up at the end they can obstruct success. If they come at the beginning, it may be a passing problem.
Again, though, let us avoid purely mechanical rules. Suppose a five-card spread is all positive and shows the querent getting what he wants, and then at the end there is one negative card. This card may show not failure, but that the fulfillment of the wish comes with problems. In these cases it is always good to either add cards or do another spread.
Similarly, the cards are entirely negative and show failure, a single positive card at the end doesn’t necessarily show that the querent will get his way. It could be showing that there will be new opportunities. Again, additional cards or a new spread may be warranted.
When we ask a question and a card directly connected to it comes up in the spread, it is always important to look at the cards surrounding it, especially if they are of the same suit, and even more important are the cards following it, because they will show us what will happen to the significator of the question.
For instance, if the question is about a pregnancy, the 5♥️ followed by positive cards is encouraging. If the question is about work, the 8♣️ surrounded by Spades could show serious problems or even unemployment. In a marriage question, the 3♣️ surrounded by Hearts shows a loving union.
These are rules of thumb. Every spread is unique and must be judged on its own merits and in its own structure.
As I mentioned here, I got a new parrot from a local breeder and I had an interesting reading concerning it. The reading was done using the Bologna Tarot in its 45-card variant. We had already gotten some pictures of some of the available birds, and we had settled on a gray cockatiel, because it looked like the one I had as a kid. As the day approached, I asked the cards if everything would go alright. This is the spread I got:
Is the bird handover going to go smoothly?
Although I’ve already talked about the 13 card spread, when used with the Bolognese tarot there are some peculiar aspects to it (it is, after all, one of the “official” traditional spreads to be used with this deck). Traditionally, when a yes-or-no question is asked, the following rules apply:
If the Death card shows up in the spread, it’s a yes (as sure as we all die)
If the Angel (Judgement) card shows up, it’s a good chance
If both show up, it’s a sure thing
If the Angel and the Devil show up, it represents great satisfaction within the context (the Devil is in itself a negative card, but it is redeemed by the presence of the Angel)
Well, in my (still limited) experience with this tarot deck, I have found that it’s best not to rely too much on mechanical rules: the cards must always be interpreted, and exceptions allowed for. Still, it is encouraging to see both the Angel and the Death card as answer. Let’s interpret the cards row by row, as they came up very clear and orderly (it is not always like this, unfortunately):
King of Coins – Page of Coins – Seven of Cups: there have been talks (Page) with a man concerning business (King). The Seven of Cups is generically positive here. Angel – King of Cups – Ace of Coins: There is help (Angel) from a man of the house (King) concerning money (Ace). My husband paid in part for the parrot and the cage and food. Fool – Knight of Cups – Hanged Man: This is the most interesting row in the spread. It shows something that brings chaos or confusion (Fool) and that betrays or upends (Hanged Man) the agreement (Knight of Cups) Love – Queen of Coins – Death: True (Queen of Coins) Love (Love) is confirmed (Death) Ace of Wands: Success, positive ending
So in general what we can say from the spread is that the breeder is trustworthy, my husband helps me and I will be very satisfied, but still the deal will somehow be changed in an unexpected/confused way.
What ended up happening: we got there and the breeder introduced us to the various chicks that were ready for adoption, including the one we had settled on. But as we were playing with them, a white cockatiel chick quickly flew onto my shirt looking for cuddles. Obviously, it was love at first sight (see the true love in the spread), and we got that one instead.
I believe this change of plans is shown in the spread by combination of Knight of Cups (agreement, conciliation) followed by the Hanged Man (betrayal, upending). Our initial agreement was upended (or “betrayed” in a metaphorical sense), but still everything ended on a positive note.
NOTE: look how “dry” this reading is. Traditionally, tarot was not interpreted by musing on how the pictures looked, but by applying clear and specific meanings.
I’ve already written a couple of articles on unanswerable questions. Some of them are unanswerable for logical reasons, others because they ask about something on which no objective standard of measurement exists. Some are also unanswerable for ethical reasons (“Tell me when is the best time to rob the bank.”)
But occasionally someone comes along who asks a question that we instinctively feel is unanswerable, yet we can’t put our finger on why. It’s happened a couple of times to me that someone would ask me something to the effect of “Will I ever be happy?“
Obviously no one whose life is coming up roses would seek out a diviner of all people to ask such a question. These queries are put to the cards or the skies in a moment of weakness. My experience in these situations is that the cards behave in one of three ways. They:
Show the cause of the person’s unhappiness rather objectively, and whether the problem is likely to be overcome over the next few months (usually not)
Are generically very negative, without a specific sense to them
Are generically very positive, without a specific sense to them
In the first instance, the cards usually show the problem not getting resolved, not necessarily because it never will be, but because the person is still knee-deep in it. The fact that they chose to frame their question in such tragic terms tells us that, whatever the nature of their problem, it goes beyond its specific objective nature and it has wounded the person in their soul.
Extreme care is advised in dealing with people in such a state of difficulty. They come to us broken and they should, at the very least, not leave even more broken. Furthermore, it is not unlikely that they have started consulting many diviners, obsessively asking the same question in hopes of getting a magical solution to their issue dropped in their lap. It would be good to advise them to stay away from divination for a while, unless we are capable of pointing out a solution they haven’t thought about, which unfortunately is rare.
When the cards are generically positive or generically negative, they are merely reflecting the person’s state of confusion: the bleakness of their outlook or the irrational hope for unexpected redemption. I don’t think there is much that we can do in such situations, except telling them that their upset shows in the cards and that, life being a succession of phases, even this one will pass. Sometimes, in such situations, talking to them in our quality of human beings is better than talking to them in our quality of diviners. In extreme cases, having a hotline number handy may be helpful.
Really there isn’t much sense in asking this question except to torture ourselves. We as diviners should know this when asking our own questions, but many people don’t, so it’s best to be prepared.
