Cult of Tarot Forum

Hey J...

What can I do for you?

Hi lovely, thanks for doing this!
I am currently slightly concerned about an old friend (nothing major). He doesn't seem quite as happy as usual and a way of looking at it from a different angle, with an eye to helping him, would be really useful. I'm happy for you to use your intuition in selecting decks if you like!
Warm thanks!
Jo

Do you have specific formulation of your question? If I don't hear back by the time I'm ready to do it, I'll just come up with my own.

Update coming:

Well, I don't know how much, if anything, of value I have for you, but here goes:

Since I never heard back, I decided to phrase the question as, "What's going on emotionally with Jo's friend?" Not surprisingly, then, what information there is seems to be more about your friend's present emotional process rather than any specifics of their situation.

The spread is Past-Present-Future in the center, with the four surrounding cards representing phases of the moon. This is because when, in a preliminary draw, I asked the Tabula Mundi if it was an appropriate choice for the second deck, it gave me the Four of Cups, which, in that deck, contains four circles that are arranged like the four cards in this very spread. Each circle in the image is a phase of the moon.

We'll go through the entire draw, but I first want to point out the collection of the 2 of Swords, 4 of Swords, and 4 of Wands, since I think they are the most telling of the cards.

The first deck gives us: Hierophant—King of Water—4 of Swords. The Hierophant is generally a rather fixed and rigid card that is rooted in its traditions. The King of Water, on the other hand, is a figure who is a bit detached and out of place. As fire of water, there is an inherent discomfort in him. In this card, we see that with the umbrella. This poor man is trying to keep the water off of him, but he's already soaking wet.

I think that the conflict between those two cards explains what is going on with your friend and explains the rest of the spread. Something—I don't know what—has changed in their life recently (perhaps it's the current global health situation) and they feel quite a bit out of sorts. As you pointed out in your question, you've been picking up a lot of uncomfortable energy off of them and we see thing in the Ace of Wands (full moon, what he's showing brightly) which represents this new, different energy.

What's not showing (new moon, what's dark and hidden) is the conflict that's roiling within. We saw their discomfort in the King of Cups. It is again expressed here in this 7 of Fire: Water vs. Fire, Yin vs. Yang, an uncomfortable imbalance between the will and the world.

The position of the Waning Moon comprises another Fire card, the 4. The 4 of Fire represents the triumph of the will (no reference intended) when the world is in structural accordance with the person. Like in the Hierophant, the persona and the structures are united. The waning moon shows that that unity is disintegrating, illustration the same progression that we saw between the Hierophant and the King of Water.

The final two cards are both Swords: the 2 (Waxing moon) and the 4 (future). In place of the 4 of Wands'/Waning Moon's unity of will and world, the two highlights yet again the opposition: the tiger and dragon are locked at a standstill, frozen and uncomfortable. Your friend should, however, get through this. The Four of Swords outlines a new, peaceful and structured relationship between them and the world. It may not be what was wanted, but it is something that can be lived with.

Thank you so much, that is really helpful and feels spot-on!
Apologies for the late reply, things have been a bit hectic here with mask-making and various other things. I appreciate all your work!
Warmth!