What are the significant issues surrounding Jaq’s struggles with weight and eating?
Hi Jaq. Thaks for letting me read for you with such a robust question. It’s obviously a sensitive topic for many people, and probably for you as well. I find that with a question like this it can be hard to clearly and directly say what I see in the cards without having it sound like I’m making assertions about you personally that I don’t have any basis to make. I’m sure you understand what I’m trying to do and I just hope that I was able to do it in an appropriate way. It’s much easier when I can just say “he’s not leaving his wife” and have that be that. Also, since this is at least semi-adjacent to a health reading I feel that I have to throw out all the usual disclaimers that I’m not any kind of medical professional, etc. etc
For this reading, I used my vintage 1JJ Swiss tarot
n.b. click on photo to turn right side up
In a nutshell, what I’m seeing in the cards is that your desire for change is rooted in a sense of obligation and duty—it’s something that you should do— rather than in a heartfelt drive for something different. While the end result might, theoretically, be nice, the process is not making you happy. If anything, worrying about it might be a detriment to your happiness. There’s also a possibility that there’s an interpersonal dynamic at play.
Please note I ordered my rows, from top to bottow, as Mind, Body, Spirit. I did this for two reasons. 1) It aligns more properly with my theory of tarot structure and 2) It places the body row in the center of the tableau, which I thought was appropriate for the question. Also notice that both Jupiter and Juno appear in your reading. I think this is just the deck showing off. It’s underutilized and is always happy to demonstrate its capabilities.
For the main cards, we have two fives and a court. We see Jupiter as the main mental factor. There’s an inherent dissonance and imbalance to the 5s and the Jupiter card displays this far more readily than the traditional Pope. Thinking of Jupiter, although he is the lawgiver and ruler, he prefers to spend his time galavanting about. Doesn’t he look miserable sitting there on that throne having to dutifly deal with his regal leagal eagle? The flanking cards likewise reflect this dynamic. The highly structured, thoughtful, abstract, and mental 8 of Swords, its high-minded ideas shining like a finely set jewel on the one side and, on the other, Le Mat all fancy-free, footloose, and free-wheeling. He isn’t concerned with the laws and the duties and the shoulds. He’s off having fun. He doesn’t have the weight sitting on Jupiter’s shoulders.
An extremely similar dynamic can be seen in the spirit cards at the bottom of the tableau. Here, the gracious and always convivial Valet de Coupe seems like he’s being harrassed, harrangued, and hectored by Mrs. Jupiter herself. She’s directing him sternly, demanding he put a stop (10 of swords) in whatever it is that he’s otherwise up to.
Notice that in the first row, we had the 8 of Swords as a perfect idea of what should be happening/what you should do/what the law dictates and, in the bottom row, we see the 10 of Swords as spiritual effect of that idea/where these ideas lead/what the law ultimately demands.
Finally, we come to the body row in the center.
As a cup, it suggests that your emotions are deeply mixed up in all of this. As a 5, it suggests that there is a desire for something more
As an aside, I did once get 5 of cups in a body reading as meaning too much drinking. I have no reason to think that’s an issue here, but I thought I’d throw it out there.
Five Cups seems fairly apparant: there is a desire for change but its emotionally burdensome and a big downer. The idea that you should be eating differently or losing weight (Jupiter) weighs down on you, giving rise to some depression or, at least, ennui about it (5 of Cups), which, in turn, leads you to a general sense of malaise and/or frustration (Valet moving to 10 of swords).
The flanking cards are a bit more puzzling to me and I have a few different notions to offer you.
The first, and most fortune-tellery, is that perhaps there is a man (King of Coins) who is something of a bad influence on you (7 of Wands as inharmonious will). Do you often find yourself planning to dine on a little Pacific Salmon when all of a sudden he picks you up and takes you for endless quantities of Molson and Poutine?
Reinforcing the other parts of the reading would be interpretation two: The emotional discord in the 5 of cups comes from trying to control your body (King as controller, coins = earth = physical) in a way that is discordant with your true will (7 of wands, again, as inharmonious will).
Thirdly, I look at the flanking cards in the context of their columns. The King of Coins is yet another ruler type figure who sits directly between the two swords. This reinforces the reading that a lot of this is something that’s being imposed from ideas of what you should do or what you have to do. Likewise, the 7 of Wands reflects the struggle between The Fool and Juno.
