TdM: dodalisque reads for Rachelcat

[dodalisque]

Hi again. I'm ready for your question.

[Rachelcat]

Ok, hopefully this isn't too specific for majors, but it's just what I'm thinking about. Let me know if we should try something a little more spiritual/psychological.

Will I ever be able to do tourist travel in Europe? (I would most like to go to Italy, Britain, and Prague. I'm not getting any younger, and it hasn't happened yet! But I guess there's always retirement. And any information that goes along with that topic, like how should I pursue it, what I would gain from it, should I just stay home, etc.

Let me know if this works for you. I look forward to your reading!

[dodalisque]

Thanks, the question seems like it could be interesting. This is the first time I have used this spread for someone else so I hope it works out.

[dodalisque]

The deck I am using is the Flornoy Noblet, which dates back to around 1650. The sequence works out as follows:

Emperor (4) - Star (17) - Bateleur (1) - Moon (18) -
Death (13) - Popess (2) - Empress (3) - Pope (5) -
Wheel of Fortune (10) - Justice (8) - (Fool)

Your question is about whether you will ever be able to travel to Europe as a tourist, especially Italy, Britain or Prague. I had intended to have one card ask a question of the next, as Mary Greer does, but couldn't do it. That approach seems to work better with Rider-Waite style decks where the meanings of the cards are more fixed. So instead I did a chain of pairs

Emperor (4) + Star (17) = At the moment, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, governments (Emperor) have turned their back on you and effectively closed their borders. But the Star reassures us that these restrictions will eventually relax. Coverings, i.e. masks, will be discarded. The Star predicts that when you do travel it will be to a place near water. The Star herself is often identified with the goddess Venus and the large bright object above her with the planet Venus, the "morning star". So, how about Venice?

Star (17) + Bateleur (1) = One of the locals, an attractive young street vendor working in the Piazza San Marco, known in English as St. Mark's Square, notices you preparing to climb down into a gondola and undresses you with his eyes.

Bateleur (1) + Moon (18) = In the back of his mind he plans that night to go with you to your hotel (one of the two towers). But first, after a romantic meal (the lobster) in a rustic seafood restaurant that he knows, he imagines you both walking and conversing beside the Grand Canal, gazing up together at the full Moon. The Canal makes a large reverse-S shape through the central districts of Venice, and your hotel is at one end beside the lagoon near the Santa Lucia railway station (the other one of the towers).

Moon (18) + Death (13) = Next morning you are aroused from your slumbers by a noise outside. Beneath your window a street cleaner (the skeleton) is whistling to himself while sweeping up last night's debris. You allow Matteo to continue to sleep soundly while you dress quietly and slip away. You have a train to catch that day to take you to London. Is it ruthless of you (Death) to dispose of Matteo so coldly? The Moon card was his dream but the skeleton is moving to slash it to pieces. A rude awakening indeed.

Death (13) + Popess (2) = In the quiet privacy of your train compartment you cannot read your novel (Popess). While passing a farmer's field the slender body and firm rump of one of the labourers (Death) monopolises your attention.

Popess (2) + Empress (3) = You are daydreaming (Popess). You sit up straight and face forward (Empress). "Pull yourself together," you say to yourself, collecting up your bags in preparation to disembark.

Empress (3) + Pope (5) = In London you visit Buckingham Palace (Empress) and St. Paul's Cathedral (Pope), and all the famous tourist sites.

Pope (5) + Wheel of Fortune (10) = The London Eye, or the Millennium Wheel, is a cantilevered observation wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames. It is Europe's tallest cantilevered observation wheel, and is the most popular paid tourist attraction in the UK with over 3 million visitors annually. At the ticket booth (Pope), after much pleading, you are told that there are just two seats left for the next ride, and you find yourself sharing an enclosed car with a smartly dressed man about your own age, who carries a rakish broad-brimmed red fedora. He immediately feels like your soul's counterpart. It's a religious feeling (cathedral in Pope card). You are like two peas in a pod. There is a strong mutual attraction. Kismet.

Wheel (10) + Justice (8) = It turns out that your partner on the Wheel, Matej, comes from the beautiful city of Prague and is a rich used-car salesman (the king on the Wheel) and master of roulette. Using Justice's sword to cut a long story short, the observation car of the Eye is soon rocking (scales), and by the time you dismount you have both decided to get married. You find a Justice of the Peace and live happily ever after in his luxury home in the centre of Prague. It's no more than you deserve (Justice). The End.

[Rachelcat]

That's the best story I ever read!!! And all for me! Now I know exactly what to wish for!

I don't really know if I can, but I'll be back to try to give you more detailed feedback. (It's just going to be "oh I wish!" "oh I wish!")

[Rachelcat]

I'm finally back with some comments. This is truly wonderful!

I like your chaining pairs. A good way to read when you get so many majors for one reading!

Emperor (4) + Star (17) = At the moment, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, governments (Emperor) have turned their back on you and effectively closed their borders. But the Star reassures us that these restrictions will eventually relax. Coverings, i.e. masks, will be discarded. The Star predicts that when you do travel it will be to a place near water. The Star herself is often identified with the goddess Venus and the large bright object above her with the planet Venus, the "morning star". So, how about Venice?

I’m in! Star = Venus = Venice! Perfect!

Star (17) + Bateleur (1) = One of the locals, an attractive young street vendor working in the Piazza San Marco, known in English as St. Mark's Square, notices you preparing to climb down into a gondola and undresses you with his eyes.

I like your naughty Bateleur!

Bateleur (1) + Moon (18) = In the back of his mind he plans that night to go with you to your hotel (one of the two towers). But first, after a romantic meal (the lobster) in a rustic seafood restaurant that he knows, he imagines you both walking and conversing beside the Grand Canal, gazing up together at the full Moon. The Canal makes a large reverse-S shape through the central districts of Venice, and your hotel is at one end beside the lagoon near the Santa Lucia railway station (the other one of the towers).

Do you know the Soprafino deck? In its Moon, there’s a cooked lobster on a platter. Or you’ve only seen it in your mind! Two towers in the Moon as two city buildings. I would never get that, but it so works for travel!

Moon (18) + Death (13) = Next morning you are aroused from your slumbers by a noise outside. Beneath your window a street cleaner (the skeleton) is whistling to himself while sweeping up last night's debris. You allow Matteo to continue to sleep soundly while you dress quietly and slip away. You have a train to catch that day to take you to London. Is it ruthless of you (Death) to dispose of Matteo so coldly? The Moon card was his dream but the skeleton is moving to slash it to pieces. A rude awakening indeed.

All good things must come to an end!

Death (13) + Popess (2) = In the quiet privacy of your train compartment you cannot read your novel (Popess). While passing a farmer's field the slender body and firm rump of one of the labourers (Death) monopolises your attention.

If all this happened to me, I would be distracted and daydreaming for sure!

Popess (2) + Empress (3) = You are daydreaming (Popess). You sit up straight and face forward (Empress). "Pull yourself together," you say to yourself, collecting up your bags in preparation to disembark.

But when you’re traveling alone, you have to have your wits about you, and at least look like you know where you’re going!

Empress (3) + Pope (5) = In London you visit Buckingham Palace (Empress) and St. Paul's Cathedral (Pope), and all the famous tourist sites.

I don’t think I’ll get a glimpse of the queen, though.

Pope (5) + Wheel of Fortune (10) = The London Eye, or the Millennium Wheel, is a cantilevered observation wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames. It is Europe's tallest cantilevered observation wheel, and is the most popular paid tourist attraction in the UK with over 3 million visitors annually. At the ticket booth (Pope), after much pleading, you are told that there are just two seats left for the next ride, and you find yourself sharing an enclosed car with a smartly dressed man about your own age, who carries a rakish broad-brimmed red fedora. He immediately feels like your soul's counterpart. It's a religious feeling (cathedral in Pope card). You are like two peas in a pod. There is a strong mutual attraction. Kismet.

The wheel turns on the wheel! I think I might be afraid to go that high, but if it brings that kind of fate, I’ll risk it!

Wheel (10) + Justice (8) = It turns out that your partner on the Wheel, Matej, comes from the beautiful city of Prague and is a rich used-car salesman (the king on the Wheel) and master of roulette. Using Justice's sword to cut a long story short, the observation car of the Eye is soon rocking (scales), and by the time you dismount you have both decided to get married. You find a Justice of the Peace and live happily ever after in his luxury home in the centre of Prague. It's no more than you deserve (Justice). The End.

A justice instead of a pope to marry us! I wish I did deserve such a thing!

Thank you very much! I thoroughly enjoyed your wonderful fantasy! It really motivates me to take the trips I’ve been dreaming of. When the time comes, of course.

[dodalisque]

Thanks so much. That was fun to do. As I said in the reading, I tried other ways of using this spread and it was driving me crazy. When, out of desperation, I decided to try the pairs thing it seemed to work out all by itself. I'm not sure how often I will use the Cadillac Spread.