Cult of Tarot Forum

Hi, Rachelcat,

What is the situation you are hoping for insight into?

I hope you are well. It's nice to be working with you again!

kare

Hi! Thanks for reading for me! Here's my question:

I've been on a news blackout since a certain person won a certain election four years ago. I’m sure it’s been good for my mental and emotional health. But is it time for me to ease back into paying attention and caring about politics and the outside world again, basically rejoin the human race and my fellow Americans? Or would it just throw me back into unnecessary, avoidable anxiety and depression (and anger)?

I hope this is an ok question for this spread. I’m looking forward to what you do with it!

I had just decided to incorporate reversals this time, and so of course every card that I drew came out reversed except the moon. This deck has a sense of humor. Plus even before reading the message in the cards, it seems they agree with my view that all is still topsy turvy in the world, and you might as well continue in the dark. In fact the upright moon bracketed by reversed star and sun seems pretty straightforward on that. Incidentally, I originally stopped at three cards after the page, but pulled the next two for more info when I saw it ended on a reversed star.

I thought your issue was at heart a swords issue. Potential anxiety, reactions to political situations, deciding whether you really wanted to take that stress in. This all spoke of a mental process to me, one to which emotions might be tied, but which was first and foremost a mental process. Reversed, he is suggesting that rather than embarking on growth in a new perspective, you will remain stuck in the existing one. The news landscape and political one are not going to be sources of comfort, so you must rely on your ability to manage your perspective and the intellectual impact of what you encounter, and be prepared for it to be difficult. He represents the mental struggle that you fear will come when you reengage. He appears to be looking at the bottom of the two of coins.

The reverse two of coins to me represents a choice or a call to balance two things of value--perhaps your peace and your desire for engagement with the outside world, but reversed, it seems that it is a choice that will upset the balance or be difficult to establish the balance you seek. The page only looks at one end of the two of coins, so I feel like this means the balance is skewed. Actually not balanced. As an answer to the question what should you do, it seems to be saying that the process of making the choice will not be easy, knowing the burdens of the one option (to engage with the world), and that bringing the balance you desire in your life will be difficult if you choose to reengage. However, you already seem to feel like you need some more balance--that you aren't engaged enough. So the reversed page is looking now a bit like the really difficult process of choosing which version of imbalance you prefer. Basically that neither choice will be all sunshine and roses. So prepare yourself for that so you can manage it well and hopefully flip the cards upright, so to speak.

The idea of your own authority in this process I think is embodied by the reversed empress. Sure, she is the earth mother and all that, but she is also the female authority figure and she is looking directly at the coins, rather that at the bottom or top. I think she has the ability to manage the situation to her desired outcome, but she is reversed, too. If you are concerned that reengaging will lead to thought processes and emotions that leave you out of control of yourself, she presents the question: what do you need to do to regain control over your thoughts and emotions if you are going to move forward in establishing the balance you desire. But she also suggests that it is within your power to do so, since she appeared.

The empress upside down has her back to the star, and likewise with the star. Upright they would be facing each other. So there is a disconnect with the hope and rewnewal and "flow" of the star. Not there yet because still focused on that reversed two of coins. Apparently, in alchemy, the star represents the union between the masculine sun and feminine moon, and they all came to the party this time. Her flow is jammed up, the water is going to fall and put out the light of the stars in the sky. No union here just yet. But you get an upright water feature with the neighboring Moon. The only upright card, and of course the card of no straight answers.

I interpret the moon, as the only upright card, as offering the real answer, while the reversed cards just present challenges. And the moon suggests exploring the nature of reality. And the moon is looking at the star, who is facing it but looking at her own body of water. You have isolated yourself from the outside world in terms of news. But now desire to reengage. But fear the difficulties you will encounter in doing so, knowing the nature of the world as it is today. Maybe first question your current reality--do you have less anxiety etc. for not being engaged? Why are you interested in changing your circumstances? What does your intuition tell you about this choice, and what will bring you a sense of hope and renewal. You, like the moon, are concerned with the status of the star. And the choice represented by the two coins seems to be distracting the empress from the star as well. Is this a choice that is worthy of all this attention and anxiety when it comes from a place of feeling powerless? Focus instead on what will bring a sense of renewal, a good direction forward, hope, and it may not have to do with this choice you are pondering.

And to the sun. Reversed. Interesting that the masculine energy of the sun is reversed, while the feminine energy of the moon is upright. So embrace the moon energy and sit with that before moving forward in making a decision. The sun looks outward, and the moon is facing away from the sun. The bright side of the moon faces the sun. That is a moon that is waxing, becoming full. Working toward manifestation and fully reflecting the sun's light. And the sun shines light on all that has transpired, but the reversal seems to say that you aren't ready for that yet. Before you jump into reengagement with the world that you anticipate causing you overwhelming stress, first do the internal work represented by the moon in the softer light. Like the empress, the sun indicates a kind of abundance and power, and along with the page, they seem to say this. It isn't so much which choice to make, but that it might not be the right time to make the choice. Getting back in touch with your personal agency and power, and finding that sense of hope from within rather than allowing external forces to impact your well-being is the answer.

Thank you for letting me read for you. I hope this helps. If you click on the image, it will render to full size and not be so squished.

kare wrote: ↑22 Jan 2020, 06:09 I had just decided to incorporate reversals this time, and so of course every card that I drew came out reversed except the moon. This deck has a sense of humor. Plus even before reading the message in the cards, it seems they agree with my view that all is still topsy turvy in the world, and you might as well continue in the dark. In fact the upright moon bracketed by reversed star and sun seems pretty straightforward on that. Incidentally, I originally stopped at three cards after the page, but pulled the next two for more info when I saw it ended on a reversed star.

Isn’t that always the way with reversals! I usually never read reversals, and if I try to as an experiment, I always get the Hanged Man. Yes, and of all cards to be upright, the Moon. So your initial read seems spot on.

kare wrote: ↑22 Jan 2020, 06:09 I thought your issue was at heart a swords issue. Potential anxiety, reactions to political situations, deciding whether you really wanted to take that stress in. This all spoke of a mental process to me, one to which emotions might be tied, but which was first and foremost a mental process. Reversed, he is suggesting that rather than embarking on growth in a new perspective, you will remain stuck in the existing one. The news landscape and political one are not going to be sources of comfort, so you must rely on your ability to manage your perspective and the intellectual impact of what you encounter, and be prepared for it to be difficult. He represents the mental struggle that you fear will come when you reengage. He appears to be looking at the bottom of the two of coins.

Good choice for the issue: anxiety and dealing with information.

kare wrote: ↑22 Jan 2020, 06:09 The reverse two of coins to me represents a choice or a call to balance two things of value--perhaps your peace and your desire for engagement with the outside world, but reversed, it seems that it is a choice that will upset the balance or be difficult to establish the balance you seek. The page only looks at one end of the two of coins, so I feel like this means the balance is skewed. Actually not balanced. As an answer to the question what should you do, it seems to be saying that the process of making the choice will not be easy, knowing the burdens of the one option (to engage with the world), and that bringing the balance you desire in your life will be difficult if you choose to reengage. However, you already seem to feel like you need some more balance--that you aren't engaged enough. So the reversed page is looking now a bit like the really difficult process of choosing which version of imbalance you prefer. Basically that neither choice will be all sunshine and roses. So prepare yourself for that so you can manage it well and hopefully flip the cards upright, so to speak.

Yes, well I definitely made the original choice as a conscious choice, instead of just letting info and ideas flow into me in any way they show up. And this will be just another deliberate choice. Right, which imbalance do I eventually choose!

kare wrote: ↑22 Jan 2020, 06:09 The idea of your own authority in this process I think is embodied by the reversed empress. Sure, she is the earth mother and all that, but she is also the female authority figure and she is looking directly at the coins, rather that at the bottom or top. I think she has the ability to manage the situation to her desired outcome, but she is reversed, too. If you are concerned that reengaging will lead to thought processes and emotions that leave you out of control of yourself, she presents the question: what do you need to do to regain control over your thoughts and emotions if you are going to move forward in establishing the balance you desire. But she also suggests that it is within your power to do so, since she appeared.

Yes, here’s the balance again. I can choose control by not engaging, but that in a way is being not in charge because I don’t know what’s going on. Or the more difficult path of choosing to control how I REACT to what I find out.

kare wrote: ↑22 Jan 2020, 06:09 The empress upside down has her back to the star, and likewise with the star. Upright they would be facing each other. So there is a disconnect with the hope and renewal and "flow" of the star. Not there yet because still focused on that reversed two of coins. Apparently, in alchemy, the star represents the union between the masculine sun and feminine moon, and they all came to the party this time. Her flow is jammed up, the water is going to fall and put out the light of the stars in the sky. No union here just yet. But you get an upright water feature with the neighboring Moon. The only upright card, and of course the card of no straight answers.

I can hope to be more in control, but I don’t really hope things will get significantly better!

kare wrote: ↑22 Jan 2020, 06:09 I interpret the moon, as the only upright card, as offering the real answer, while the reversed cards just present challenges. And the moon suggests exploring the nature of reality. And the moon is looking at the star, who is facing it but looking at her own body of water. You have isolated yourself from the outside world in terms of news. But now desire to reengage. But fear the difficulties you will encounter in doing so, knowing the nature of the world as it is today. Maybe first question your current reality--do you have less anxiety etc. for not being engaged? Why are you interested in changing your circumstances? What does your intuition tell you about this choice, and what will bring you a sense of hope and renewal. You, like the moon, are concerned with the status of the star. And the choice represented by the two coins seems to be distracting the empress from the star as well. Is this a choice that is worthy of all this attention and anxiety when it comes from a place of feeling powerless? Focus instead on what will bring a sense of renewal, a good direction forward, hope, and it may not have to do with this choice you are pondering.

Hmmm, interesting. Instead of worrying about knowing or not knowing, consider doing / concentrating something else completely. Maybe working toward some definite good instead of watching all the not-good happening. I need to work with my intuition a bit on this!

kare wrote: ↑22 Jan 2020, 06:09 And to the sun. Reversed. Interesting that the masculine energy of the sun is reversed, while the feminine energy of the moon is upright. So embrace the moon energy and sit with that before moving forward in making a decision. The sun looks outward, and the moon is facing away from the sun. The bright side of the moon faces the sun. That is a moon that is waxing, becoming full. Working toward manifestation and fully reflecting the sun's light. And the sun shines light on all that has transpired, but the reversal seems to say that you aren't ready for that yet. Before you jump into reengagement with the world that you anticipate causing you overwhelming stress, first do the internal work represented by the moon in the softer light. Like the empress, the sun indicates a kind of abundance and power, and along with the page, they seem to say this. It isn't so much which choice to make, but that it might not be the right time to make the choice. Getting back in touch with your personal agency and power, and finding that sense of hope from within rather than allowing external forces to impact your well-being is the answer.

Also good advice! When I first read this, I got the idea that you’re advising me to prepare before going back into this. Like meditation or other ways of dealing positively with thoughts and emotions. But now I see it going along with the previous card, get into something where I can actually make something good happen instead of worrying about all the bad things that are happening. Like the Serenity Prayer, accept what you can’t change and change what you can.

kare wrote: ↑22 Jan 2020, 06:09 Thank you for letting me read for you. I hope this helps.

Thank you so much! This has given me a lot to think about. I really appreciate your kind reading. And enjoyed your method of reading, including all the reversals! A lot to learn there, too!

Your feedback is so helpful. I actually was going with reading the cards as advising you to just be preparedf for what you encounter,. Your idea to not only question the issue itself, but to take it even a step farther by effecting change yourself in the world is not only really commendable, but is a thread I didn't fully catch. It fits with the empress. Thank you. I wish you the best of luck. And maybe taking those steps naturally leads to you feeling better about getting involved with the news again. I hope it goes well! Thank you again.

Rachelcat wrote: ↑25 Jan 2020, 18:21

kare wrote: ↑22 Jan 2020, 06:09 I had just decided to incorporate reversals this time, and so of course every card that I drew came out reversed except the moon. This deck has a sense of humor. Plus even before reading the message in the cards, it seems they agree with my view that all is still topsy turvy in the world, and you might as well continue in the dark. In fact the upright moon bracketed by reversed star and sun seems pretty straightforward on that. Incidentally, I originally stopped at three cards after the page, but pulled the next two for more info when I saw it ended on a reversed star.

Isn’t that always the way with reversals! I usually never read reversals, and if I try to as an experiment, I always get the Hanged Man. Yes, and of all cards to be upright, the Moon. So your initial read seems spot on.

kare wrote: ↑22 Jan 2020, 06:09 I thought your issue was at heart a swords issue. Potential anxiety, reactions to political situations, deciding whether you really wanted to take that stress in. This all spoke of a mental process to me, one to which emotions might be tied, but which was first and foremost a mental process. Reversed, he is suggesting that rather than embarking on growth in a new perspective, you will remain stuck in the existing one. The news landscape and political one are not going to be sources of comfort, so you must rely on your ability to manage your perspective and the intellectual impact of what you encounter, and be prepared for it to be difficult. He represents the mental struggle that you fear will come when you reengage. He appears to be looking at the bottom of the two of coins.

Good choice for the issue: anxiety and dealing with information.

kare wrote: ↑22 Jan 2020, 06:09 The reverse two of coins to me represents a choice or a call to balance two things of value--perhaps your peace and your desire for engagement with the outside world, but reversed, it seems that it is a choice that will upset the balance or be difficult to establish the balance you seek. The page only looks at one end of the two of coins, so I feel like this means the balance is skewed. Actually not balanced. As an answer to the question what should you do, it seems to be saying that the process of making the choice will not be easy, knowing the burdens of the one option (to engage with the world), and that bringing the balance you desire in your life will be difficult if you choose to reengage. However, you already seem to feel like you need some more balance--that you aren't engaged enough. So the reversed page is looking now a bit like the really difficult process of choosing which version of imbalance you prefer. Basically that neither choice will be all sunshine and roses. So prepare yourself for that so you can manage it well and hopefully flip the cards upright, so to speak.

Yes, well I definitely made the original choice as a conscious choice, instead of just letting info and ideas flow into me in any way they show up. And this will be just another deliberate choice. Right, which imbalance do I eventually choose!

kare wrote: ↑22 Jan 2020, 06:09 The idea of your own authority in this process I think is embodied by the reversed empress. Sure, she is the earth mother and all that, but she is also the female authority figure and she is looking directly at the coins, rather that at the bottom or top. I think she has the ability to manage the situation to her desired outcome, but she is reversed, too. If you are concerned that reengaging will lead to thought processes and emotions that leave you out of control of yourself, she presents the question: what do you need to do to regain control over your thoughts and emotions if you are going to move forward in establishing the balance you desire. But she also suggests that it is within your power to do so, since she appeared.

Yes, here’s the balance again. I can choose control by not engaging, but that in a way is being not in charge because I don’t know what’s going on. Or the more difficult path of choosing to control how I REACT to what I find out.

kare wrote: ↑22 Jan 2020, 06:09 The empress upside down has her back to the star, and likewise with the star. Upright they would be facing each other. So there is a disconnect with the hope and renewal and "flow" of the star. Not there yet because still focused on that reversed two of coins. Apparently, in alchemy, the star represents the union between the masculine sun and feminine moon, and they all came to the party this time. Her flow is jammed up, the water is going to fall and put out the light of the stars in the sky. No union here just yet. But you get an upright water feature with the neighboring Moon. The only upright card, and of course the card of no straight answers.

I can hope to be more in control, but I don’t really hope things will get significantly better!

kare wrote: ↑22 Jan 2020, 06:09 I interpret the moon, as the only upright card, as offering the real answer, while the reversed cards just present challenges. And the moon suggests exploring the nature of reality. And the moon is looking at the star, who is facing it but looking at her own body of water. You have isolated yourself from the outside world in terms of news. But now desire to reengage. But fear the difficulties you will encounter in doing so, knowing the nature of the world as it is today. Maybe first question your current reality--do you have less anxiety etc. for not being engaged? Why are you interested in changing your circumstances? What does your intuition tell you about this choice, and what will bring you a sense of hope and renewal. You, like the moon, are concerned with the status of the star. And the choice represented by the two coins seems to be distracting the empress from the star as well. Is this a choice that is worthy of all this attention and anxiety when it comes from a place of feeling powerless? Focus instead on what will bring a sense of renewal, a good direction forward, hope, and it may not have to do with this choice you are pondering.

Hmmm, interesting. Instead of worrying about knowing or not knowing, consider doing / concentrating something else completely. Maybe working toward some definite good instead of watching all the not-good happening. I need to work with my intuition a bit on this!

kare wrote: ↑22 Jan 2020, 06:09 And to the sun. Reversed. Interesting that the masculine energy of the sun is reversed, while the feminine energy of the moon is upright. So embrace the moon energy and sit with that before moving forward in making a decision. The sun looks outward, and the moon is facing away from the sun. The bright side of the moon faces the sun. That is a moon that is waxing, becoming full. Working toward manifestation and fully reflecting the sun's light. And the sun shines light on all that has transpired, but the reversal seems to say that you aren't ready for that yet. Before you jump into reengagement with the world that you anticipate causing you overwhelming stress, first do the internal work represented by the moon in the softer light. Like the empress, the sun indicates a kind of abundance and power, and along with the page, they seem to say this. It isn't so much which choice to make, but that it might not be the right time to make the choice. Getting back in touch with your personal agency and power, and finding that sense of hope from within rather than allowing external forces to impact your well-being is the answer.

Also good advice! When I first read this, I got the idea that you’re advising me to prepare before going back into this. Like meditation or other ways of dealing positively with thoughts and emotions. But now I see it going along with the previous card, get into something where I can actually make something good happen instead of worrying about all the bad things that are happening. Like the Serenity Prayer, accept what you can’t change and change what you can.

kare wrote: ↑22 Jan 2020, 06:09 Thank you for letting me read for you. I hope this helps.

Thank you so much! This has given me a lot to think about. I really appreciate your kind reading. And enjoyed your method of reading, including all the reversals! A lot to learn there, too!

Can I chime in here ? The spread is really unusual with all those reversed cards, their positions and the Moon.

Just to say that I think Rachelcat that if you get back to being updated on world events, that you should choose carefully that your sources are of high quality. I'm sure you're not an avid reader of tabloids - I'm not suggesting that you are ! - but all those cards reversed, and specifically which cards they are, makes me think that you should choose your reference sources well and not even bother with the others. News on television is known to increase anxiety - the very short time they have to devote to a subject doesn't allow for any real understanding. And television is always paid for by a sponsor of some sort...

I think this may ease the anxiety if you do this and get those cards uprighted. Maybe if you read more in depth articles rather than just the latest new scandal and bad news which will in a day or a week be replaced by another, to use those incidents to find out more what's going on a deeper level. We get so impressed by the headlines, the photos, the scandals, that we forget that these are very superficial. And one should stop paying so much attention to Trump. With his tweets, he forces people to listen and they lap them up - whether they hate or love them. One doesn't have to listen to his ravings. They're always the same demented and insane stuff - just different words.

I mentioned somewhere that I went to our local chemist yesterday to buy something, and there was a big notice on the counter "face masks out of stock". I asked the chemist if it's due to the Chinese flu virus and she said yes. She said there was a steady flow of people buying them and they now have to wait for the supplier to send them more. The wave of panic has come to Switzerland apparently, to some people at least, and this is all due to these headlines that are deliberately designed to shock. It's up to us to weed out what is true and what is false. And that is the most interesting part of being interested in world events - it's to look behind the scenes and to debunk a lot of nonsense that is being told.

I have two main sources from which I get my info and then go to read what some other source I trust has to say about the situation if I want more info.

Hi! Yes, that makes sense as an interp of all the reversed cards: not only that the info might be anxiety-producing, but it may also be incorrect or incomplete! You give a very good suggestion to go to a trusted source and ignore the rest. Like PBS Newshour, Washington Week, Frontline, etc. I feel like I can trust PBS. Thanks for the additional insight!