The Second Option?

Every picture tells a story. Look at these two as an example. That young Page of Cups seems to be having a fine old time, playing about with his cup and fish. He's definitely captivated by it as it pops up to say hello and thinks he'll take it to show his queen. He tries his best to carry it to her without spilling a drop, but her royal highness, old moody-pants, is not interested. She barricades herself from the lad with her throne and turns her back on him and his new pet. One step too close, and she's likely to take a swipe at his throat with her sword.

I can see this story in the two cards. That's one thing I really like about the Sharman Caselli Tarot; it is simple, but so evocative. The cards work so clearly together. But what is really happening here? I could easily re-write my first paragraph in a different way -

"Every picture tells a story. Look at these two as an example. That young guy seems to be having a fine old time in his new relationship and wants to tell the world about his new love. He's definitely captivated by her and thinks he'll go to tell his queen all about it. He tries his best to get to her, but her royal highness, old moody-pants, is not particularly interested. She barricades herself from the lad by not answering the door and turning off her phone. One step too close, and she's likely to break. She's heard his tales of new love many times before".

When I read two cards like this, I see the first as the core of the reading, so when it is a court, it is me. The second card adds flavour, so when that is a court, it is someone else. My boyfriend often says that I can be unemotive. I am not entirely sure that I agree with that, since I can be overcome with emotion quite easily. However, I can control my feelings to some extent and hide them behind a seemingly tough exterior. This is what the Queen of Swords does. She only shows one side of her face and keeps that which is personal hidden. This can often (and quite unfairly) make her appear cold.

The other character in this duo is the complete opposite of the queen. His emotion is held out for all to see and he wants to share it with everyone. I have become somewhat reclusive of late. I go through these stages where I draw within and wish to hide like the queen. I don't necessarily mean to offend or cut anyone with the sharpness of my sword, but I do feel a need to barricade myself away from the emotional neediness, sociability, or naivety of others, as this Queen of Swords would. I think these cards highlight that today as my mind becomes once again connected with work and no more. The water in the first card is mainly hidden, but it is there. The lady's head is in the clouds of intellect and thought, which she cuts through effortlessly with her weapon; her mind is far above the realms of water and emotion and her heart is kept safe.

I received a reply from my friend. She expressed confidence in my working practice, saying that she thinks I would be able to offer the kids engaging workshops in the pupil referral unit. She has had experience of a place like this and says that the pupils she worked with were heavily into fashion. However, she also reminded me that these kids could be tough - having been failed by the education system in some way and coming from difficult home lives, they need to work without judgement and require a lot of encouragement. When I was working on one of my last projects, my friend was based in a centre for teenagers who had been thrown out of timetabled lessons. Whenever I visited her to meet for lunch, I often wondered how I would deal with a group of kids like the ones I met there and thanked God that I was tucked away with my enthusiastic and polite boys at the back of the site. As much as this job doesn't sound like a walk in the park, something about the project still grabs at my trouser leg. I have got a week or so to think about it and see if there are some workshops I can put together that might be to their benefit.

It was definitely a good idea to write to my friend. I got a real sense of her in two of the three cards in my last reading. She also mentioned in her mail that she is meeting with other agents tonight, regarding the setting up a new business. She has added me to her list of the people she wishes to work on their books, so lets hope this is another opportunity for work in the pipeline. This is interesting, because my friend, Shaheen, made a comment about The Lovers card in my reading yesterday which is pretty apt now. I looked at the card as one of making a single decision, but he reminded me of the element of choices. Even though there were not two options available to choose from yesterday, this mentioning of work through a new business might be the second option he spoke about coming to the surface today.




Illustrations from The Sharman Caselli Tarot by Giovanni Caselli