Dover et. al what to make of this tarot spread?

[pippin]

Fed up with a relationship so ran the relationship tarot to find out what path to take. This is what came up;

how you see yourself (left hand column) Seven of Cups

how you see your partner(top right hand column) The Tower

how you feel about your partner (second card left hand column) Page of Pentacles

what stands between you and your partner (second card down right hand column) Strength

how your partner sees you (third card left hand column) Page of Swords

what your partner feels about you (third card right hand column) Ten of Wands

challenge of the relationship (center card between the two columns) Ace of Wands

I have just started learning the tarot and am still uncertain how to interpret the radings an would appreciate some pointers.

[Dover]

1. Hi Pippin. Just wanted you to know I saw this post and will throw in

my two cents later tonight (probably), as I've got to go run some errands before 5:00. Looks interesting...and a bit challenging.

Surely someone will be along soon to provide their take on it.
Later gator!

[pippin]

3. You are amazing!

"That's my two cents"

Heck! this is a million dollars worth! I am still stunned by how you have hit every nail on the head! As this is a reading about my own situation I am still in the process of trying to digest the information. In keeping with what you have already mentioned, however, paralysis seems to be my midle name--not to mention the source of ongoing misery.

Thanks again Dover and bless you for your wisdom! :hug:

[Dover]

4. I'm so glad there was some helpful stuff in there for you.

I understand the paralysis issue all too well. I have had to go deep to get at the fears underneath the stagnant energy.
It's very difficult to move effectively forward or in any direction at all without aligning yourself with your core. That's where to start...and then everything else will naturally realign and respond to that shift. I've found that this is not really a journey for the mind alone or something that can be transcended intellectually.
The mind can be a real trap. The heart has an intelligence all its own.

That's why I recommended meditation. Body work, breathwork,
and other things like that (that circumvent the mind traps and allow a more direct connection to your core), as well as constant acts of self love and nurture can really help. Our partners can be supportive but they can't do this for us. They can't make the inner angst go away even with all the love in the world. And expecting them to provide that can be very emotionally draining for them. So own your own 'stuff', and be your own best friend.

Hugs.

[Dover]

2. Okay, well here goes.........

The 7 Cups is how you see yourself. Now this card can mean several things. You probably feel emotionally overwhelmed, very up in the air right now, and/or have several things you're trying to juggle. Especially if you are relatively young, perhaps you haven't yet come into your own or made that strong connection with your essence and true path, and as a result struggle with not feeling grounded and focused and understanding of your place in the world. Of course this sense of being rudderless is not reserved for the young alone and can come upon any of us after a big life change or might dog us like a chronic condition and angst.
It's like your seed just won't take root, there's no clear path, it's disorienting, and emotions get scrambled. Hence this card is often connected to addiction or addictive behavior. Astrologically it's associated with Venus in Scorpio which can be rather possessive of or obsessive about what it covets, and is intense and moody... which again derives from the sense that you simply don't have "IT" yet....which ultimately is a deeper and more intimate relationship/connection with yourself. Trying to get internally quiet. Meditation might help immensely right now to reconnect you to yourself so you can get some clarity.

The Tower is how you experience your partner at this time. Again there are many ways to look at this. Perhaps you see your partner on some level as a disruptive and destructive force for change, either due to his/her nature or current circumstances.
Whether or not that is a positive force you probably can't determine, but it's frightening...especially if you aren't feeling grounded right now yourself. An ending with an unknown new beginning. Maybe his/her life has been jolted by a sudden change and they are shocked and in self preservation mode.
Of course the Tower can also be associated with the sexual act of copulation, or more spiritually speaking...the rising of the Kundalini energy. Perhaps it's not physical sexuallity that is at issue, but it is a metaphor for a deeper union.

Your partner seems like the Page of Pentacles (again perhaps seen as young if not actually young). This is a rather earthy type who is slow, methodical, practical and has a strong connection to the earth plane and the senses. They might bring common sense and yet at times seem a little intellectually less adventurous and dull...relying more on what they already know. They move confidently in the physical world which can be a touchstone for less grounded types, even if not particularly challenging in the arena of the abstract or less tangible realms.


What stands between you and your partner...The Strength/Lust card. Again one might examine the sexual reading of this card for it's deeper meaning about the relationship. Is there a lack of spark and chemistry....and animal attraction for one another? Or possibly the reverse is the issue....are your mutual desires overriding a deeper and substantive connection...is sex the ONLY thing holding this relationship together? Is one full of desire that is not reciprocated? Is someone too overbearing and needy? Or is there simply no passion as a couple for your lives together?

Your partner sees you as the Page of Swords. Swords are astrologically 'air' signs who live in the world of ideas and the intellect as well as being intuitive. They often stand aloof from their baser animal natures which they frown upon in some way...but are actually afraid of it. If you want to 'stimulate' an air type, the general rule of thumb is that they need to be intellectually aroused. The world of emotions is a bit less familiar territory and can seem rather like a quagmire at times, or something that needs to be conquered...head over heart. It may be that they must first work through their moods in order to find needed clarity. These people are usually pretty quick minded, so when clarity doesn't come quickly (usually due to being bogged down with emotional stuff) they become impatient and frustrated. They can bring brilliant insights that seem to come out of thin air. They may be very articulate too...though sometimes their tongues are rather sharp and critical...and they can seem to use these gifts as a defensive weapon. Ideas can become a reality unto themselves...

What your partner feels about you: Ten of Wands.
Ten is the culmination of events. In this case what may have begun with a firey and passionate relationship is now experienced as a burden. The negatives are outweighing the positives and things must either change or end. There's a heaviness about things. Saturn in Sagittarius is the astrological equivalent of this card; things are bogged down and stagnant, restrictive and oppressive...draining the life out of it and the potential for growth. Perhaps they feel that they're carrying the baggage for the both of you, and are simply weary of the task... Being Sagittarius, this could feel like restrictions on freedoms, expression, or even be issues about conflicting beliefs.

The challenge of the relationship is to begin fresh: Ace of Wands.
This is a firey energy (and certainly sexual too). It would require a joint commitment to reigniting passions and creativity and shared purpose. It needs an immediacy and physicality, and plain old excitement. First, it might be helpful to examine where you are as a couple right now and how you might have arrived there.
You both must be willing to explore the other's world and perspectives like travelers to another country and to dwell there long enough to allow yourselves to gain insight into one another and to be influenced by the others gifts without losing yourselves in the process. It is difficult to have that level of intimacy with another if you have not had it with yourself and explored your own inner landscape, but even self exploration can be a shared purpose or at least supported by a partner.

Of course, breaking up old patterns usually requires a major shakeup as well as a love strong enough to commit to this journey together. If it ain't there.....then time to move on.

That's my two cents. Take from it whatever rings true for you, and toss the rest.

Happy trails.

[pippin]

5. Slightly Different reading

Dover:

A DUer who is not able to post on this thread sent me the following reading. I am struck by her/his version regarding the seven of cups and the ten of wands. What is your take?




"Seven of Cups: you have a spiritual view of love, and maybe especially in this relationship. You may want a more spiritual basis than it offers right now.

The Tower: Great changes. Fear and victory, but not without taking a leap. Maybe a leap of faith.

Page of Pentacles: Someone who may not be as skilled as you in the affairs of living. You may have something to teach him/her, or think you do. Or it could be your career is more professional. You may think he doesn't know how to control money or physical resources to their best advantage, in your eyes.

Strength: Being a major Arcana is a turning point in your life, (as is the Tower). It describes your introduction to the reading. You are 'fed up'. Are you trying to push too hard? Think about taking a milder approach. The lion is guided by gentleness. When we hit a brick wall, sometimes the best option is to back off.

Page of Swords: He thinks you are an intelligent, sharp woman. He may have something to contribute to you on the intellectual scale. He challenges you. OTOH, he may view your intelligence as a danger to him. Something to be cautious of.

Ten of Wands: Total happy family-ness. Rewards .. All that one could aspire to in the creative realm. (this is unless you have an inheritance he wants to lay hands on.. I don't see that in the rest of the reading). Ten of Wands is one of the most beautiful cards. It means fulfillment .. all desires satisfied.

Ace of Wands: Opposite end of the spectrum from the 10. It's just getting the expectations settled. If the two of you want very different things, then this is not going to work. If you agree about what you want, the Wands will provide the creative energy. You only need to be honest with yourself. You see him as the Tower.. deep soul level change. Are you willing to go there?

He has some things to offer to the relationship which are very different from the things you bring in. I get the feeling you've been pushing him a little. He wants what you offer. Whether or not things work out between you depends upon if you are willing to back off, accept that you are different, allow him to give you his wisdom in his own way, and if he agrees he wants the same (the reading tells me very much that he does). The question lies with what you want. It will shake your life in a fundamental way. That happens to all of us anyway. So, if you are happy in other ways, this might not be a bad way for you to go about learning and experiencing more than you would on your own at this time. If that's what you want."

VSM.

[Dover]

6. I don't make comparisons like this because a card must be interpreted

within the context of the whole, rather than for their individual meanings, and ultimately the reader must just go with what comes to them. That's where the intuitive part comes in...using your psychic/intuitive skills and ability to see wholes.


If you are just learning Tarot of course you must lean more heavily on traditional explanations until they are such a part of your language that you can take the intuitive leaps. The same is true with Astrology and other forms of the intuitive arts.
This person has taken the reading in a different direction and ultimately it's up to you to take what is most meaningful from it.
It's confusing until you learn to trust your own inner voice and truth. Otherwise the world is a very confusing place.
And that kind of confusion, ironically, is very much in keeping with my interpretation of the 7 of Cups in this reading...lol!

[OKthatsIT]

7. Ive been Tarot reader for a few decades now..my advice is...

stick with Dover's take on this reading.