Q8: Which card do you dread pulling the most?
Hmm. Interesting question. I tend to take things as they come, so I accept every card for what it wants to show me, knowing I’ll learn something from my interpretation, so dread might not be the right word.
I’ll go with the Devil, though. For a couple of reasons: I constantly have to get over my association of the horned god with the Greek nature god Pan and the fact that the Christian Devil was just an anti-pagan propaganda tool by the early Church to demonize (ha-ha) the ancient nature-based myths and rituals, unfairly, in my opinion. And the whole thing about the card is really about being in one’s own little hell, largely self-created, feeling trapped by our temptations and excesses. Brings out the old Catholic guilt I grew up with.
So, when I see him/her/it (various depictions in various decks go different ways with it), I feel warned to stay centered and realize that I do have the power to decide how to relate to my daily realities. Pain can be mandatory, but suffering is really a choice; I always have more freedom than I think I do.
Which brings me to the other restriction card, in the Minor Arcana: The Eight of Swords. This one also makes me feel helpless, except that again, the figure in the card really does have the power to be free; they just can’t see it. And the irony is that the eight is about movement usually (away from emotions—8 of Cups, toward victory—8 of Wands, toward progress—8 of Pentacles). So this eight must also be about movement; we just have to take the blindfold off to find it.
I’ve also just noticed that freedom always begins on the inside before it can manifest on the outside. And folks who feel trapped or restricted often find they feel better when they have company (as in misery loves…), although they still haven’t faced the challenge of finding freedom on the inside.
I figure the message is to be brave enough to find our inner freedom and avoid the temptation of collecting or joining any misery company. Then we can manifest freedom on the outside, and lead others to it. Onward!
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I found the questions for this series at a Tumblr account that no longer exists. A lovely person named Rhee started the thing. These are great prompts for telling stories about one’s journey through the world of Tarot, so I’ve started the series again on a weekly basis so you all can get to know me better, and also share your own answers to the questions in comments or links to your own posts. I’d love to hear from you!
I don’t have an issue with the Devil, though there are certain positions in the spread I’d rather not see him appear. I do find that the Majors have echo cards in the minors, sometimes more than one depending on the interpretation, and the Devil is one that I pair with 8 of Swords.