Time to find the light in the shadow. You know those Tarot cards, the ones that make you cringe whenever you see them. Some years ago, over on FB, Alison Cross (visit her court card blog, This Game of Thrones), challenged a Tarot group I’m in to identify the cards in our decks that create stress for us and come up with three good things to say (ah, reminds me of my mom telling me about not speaking up unless I have something nice to say) about them.
Now, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be honest about the negative implications of a card in a reading, of course (I personally have to resist the tendency to spin them all to the good when that’s not useful for the querent). But there is a good argument for bringing balance to the Force, as it were. So, herewith, my difficult cards from the Universal Waite (recolored version of the Rider-Waite-Smith original deck).
Hierophant
Stressful because he reminds me of my Catholic guilt trip. I tend to want to rebel and consider him stuffy and arrogant, anti-feminine/woman, etc. But, like my historically inspired keywords say, there are lots of good things about the Hierophant: he represents teaching of tradition, blessing of belief, initiation, and marriage. He is also one of the Wise and has his own connection to the eternal wisdom, just in a different way than the High Priestess.
Devil
Stressful because he/she/it represents demonic forces, hell, and therefore suffering and temptation to evil. So, what to do? Well, the presence of the card in a reading gives you fair warning that you are letting yourself get sucked into stuff that will make you suffer, so consider this your call to enlightenment and integrity! Also, the nooses that hold the two “slaves” of the demon are loose enough to remove, so your freedom or captivity is your own choice; you have control. And lastly, we can’t have light without shadow, so, the devil just represents the balance in the Force, as it were.
Queen of Swords
I’ve always found the Q of S the most severe of the queens. Always in her head, no-nonsense, no sympathy (I’m an intellectual, but feel much more comfortable around the empathetic Q of Cups—must be my Pisces Sun influence). The good parts? She does have great focus, and I do love her in-charge persona. Great for setting boundaries. And she looks like she might be greeting a visitor, or maybe about to knight someone!
Death
The Death card looks like it may not have a silver lining. Everyone seems to be facing the music, so to speak. The bishop is already gone, the king is pleading, and the young woman is about to at least faint away. The child could be crushed in a moment. And the horse’s yellow eye, along with the usual skeletal presentation for the card, seem to offer no hope.
There’s little enough about the usual “letting go” message found for this card in many modern decks, and more about not having any choice in facing a loss. Back in the day when these cards were first drawn, the Black Death was never far away; life was often brutish and short, and the grim reaper always lurked in the shadows.
The positive lesson is again about the balance in the force; loss is inevitable, just remember to move on after you grieve. Also, Death is the great equalizer—king or pauper, all will face loss and inevitably death. It is also the foundation of life itself, for only through decay can new life find the sustenance to be born. Death is an important phase in the cycle of life.
Besides, the sun is coming up in the distance between those two towers that remind me of the ones in the mysterious Moon card. Life remains quite resilient.
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