Quinn's Tarot Reading
Our friend beths_stanley did a tarot reading for Quinn a couple of days ago. I've just now gotten around to putting it up:
Dear Quinn: I tried pretending I didn't know who the other person in this relationship was, but it so didn't work. This is a reading about Nick as much as it is about you, & it's going to be much more helpful to you (& la Geek) if I speak freely. Hope that's OK.
Querent: Quinn
Querent's fictional home: "From Simple Beginnings," by purplegeek
Spread: 5-card
Question: A general question regarding his new relationship
Card 1, focus: 5 of Wands
Card 2, aiding influence: Ace of Coins
Card 3, hindering influence: 9 of Wands
Card 4, internal influence: 3 of Coins
Card 5, external influence: 9 of Cups
5 of Wands in focus position
The 5 of Wands often indicates conflict. Its energy appears where opposing viewpoints come into contact & don't mesh so well. In any project where more than 1 outlook or way of interacting with the world comes into play (including relationships), there may be resistance. Perhaps you & Nick are clashing in day-to-day details as well as what seem like weightier matters? If it's a new relationship, that's to be expected - you come to the situation with 2 individual ways of meeting life, & sometimes those ways are going to conflict. I also sense that the relationship itself was unexpected to you both, & that you are still adjusting to the change in your lives. The 5 of Wands counsels patience, & reminds you that "nothing will be gained if you give up at the first sign of
trouble."
Ace of Coins in aiding influence position
The 2nd card is the aiding influence, conditions which are having a positive influence on the situation. The Ace of Coins is a card of new opportunities, which makes perfect sense for a new relationship. Taken in conjunction with the 5, it also suggests a new opportunity for ways of dealing with conflict. Coins is the suit of the physical - whether that be the body, money, plants, or (especially in this suit), time. If there is conflict, the Ace might indicate a feeling of patient calm, when you believe that you have all the time in the world to work out your differences. The Ace also speaks to those times when time seems limitless - like you have the rest of your life to get to know Nick, yes? But - remember that time moves on, & that these endless moments which are presented to us must be seized & acted upon. If you have the patience, what you reap from this relationship will be more than worth the effort - but only if you plant the seeds now.
9 of Wands in hindering influence position
The 3rd card points out influences on the situation that present you with challenges. Basically, the message of the 9 is defensiveness. We withdraw to protect ourselves, but this can be very exclusionary. I had some trouble getting a clear hit on this card; I couldn't tell if it referred to you (forcing yourself back into the closet somewhat to protect Nick?) or to him (shutting himself off from you to avoid being hurt). The question you need to ask yourself, in either case, is: are the
dangers real, or have you overreacted? Choosing to keep yourself in ignorance of a situation may be hindering progress (for instance, maybe it wouldn't be so bad for Nick if he were out. On the other hand, maybe you haven't fully grasped just how bad it would be. I honestly can't say. Maintain your objectivity as much as possible, & find ways to balance time-tried, safe, but potentially isolating ways of interacting with new but kind of scary ways.
3 of Coins in internal influence position
This is the card of your personal attitude & how it affects the
situation. You have a real passion for doing things well. I see this as being equally applicable to your strip, your relationship, your caring for Jezzie...anything. You do what you love, & you honestly love doing it. And you take great pride in the fact that you do it well. I see this as a very positive thing in your relationship: now that you're invested in it, you'll see to it that it's done right. You have both the patience & the drive referred to in the first card. You should, however, take care that your passion doesn't turn into an obsession; there is such a thing as pushing too hard. You also have comfort in the knowledge that, at those moments when the relationship just doesn't seem to be going right, you have your work - or Jezzie - to focus on for a time. This is excellent; everyone needs something like this in their lives. I feel a
need to warn you, though, that I keep getting a hit that this card refers somewhat to Nick, as well. He, too, has a deep passion for his work, & I think you've already seen a few times how this can cause you 2 some problems. Again, patience & understanding are the watchwords of this reading, & don't forget that you can step back for a while if you need to.
9 of Cups in external influence position
The final card of the reading is outside factors that may affect the situation. The 9 of Cups is a very sensual card, a card of enjoying the pleasures of life. This is where you reap the benefits of the effort you put in with the Ace in position 2. In this case, it really seems to be referring to Nick. Enjoy him. For the time being, just bask in the relationship you have, & don't worry about the fact that he's not all that out. In the external influence position, I think of this as a 'stop & smell the roses' kind of thing. You have great things in your life: Nick, Jezzie, the strip. Revel in them - but don't fall all the way into hedonism. That is, ice cream is good, but not every day.
Synthesis & Conclusions
The absence of major arcana from the reading suggests that any
difficulties you'll be dealing with in the near future are immediate, rather than systemic. I don't see any long-ranging, overwhelming problems. Also, the absence of Swords suggests a lack of intense conflict. By remaining truthful with Nick & with yourself (Wands is the suit of truth), any disagreements that arise can easily be turned into opportunities to deepen your understanding of each other. This is the period of the relationship where you're very actively getting to know each other - personally, emotionally, sexually, etc. All of your cards are odd numbers; these are traditionally very active, even restless cards, though cards with firm foundations. It's not going to be a stroll in the park for you guys, but if you stay calm, you'll come through the bumpy times much stronger - both individually & collectively.
Dear Quinn: I tried pretending I didn't know who the other person in this relationship was, but it so didn't work. This is a reading about Nick as much as it is about you, & it's going to be much more helpful to you (& la Geek) if I speak freely. Hope that's OK.
Querent: Quinn
Querent's fictional home: "From Simple Beginnings," by purplegeek
Spread: 5-card
Question: A general question regarding his new relationship
Card 1, focus: 5 of Wands
Card 2, aiding influence: Ace of Coins
Card 3, hindering influence: 9 of Wands
Card 4, internal influence: 3 of Coins
Card 5, external influence: 9 of Cups
5 of Wands in focus position
The 5 of Wands often indicates conflict. Its energy appears where opposing viewpoints come into contact & don't mesh so well. In any project where more than 1 outlook or way of interacting with the world comes into play (including relationships), there may be resistance. Perhaps you & Nick are clashing in day-to-day details as well as what seem like weightier matters? If it's a new relationship, that's to be expected - you come to the situation with 2 individual ways of meeting life, & sometimes those ways are going to conflict. I also sense that the relationship itself was unexpected to you both, & that you are still adjusting to the change in your lives. The 5 of Wands counsels patience, & reminds you that "nothing will be gained if you give up at the first sign of
trouble."
Ace of Coins in aiding influence position
The 2nd card is the aiding influence, conditions which are having a positive influence on the situation. The Ace of Coins is a card of new opportunities, which makes perfect sense for a new relationship. Taken in conjunction with the 5, it also suggests a new opportunity for ways of dealing with conflict. Coins is the suit of the physical - whether that be the body, money, plants, or (especially in this suit), time. If there is conflict, the Ace might indicate a feeling of patient calm, when you believe that you have all the time in the world to work out your differences. The Ace also speaks to those times when time seems limitless - like you have the rest of your life to get to know Nick, yes? But - remember that time moves on, & that these endless moments which are presented to us must be seized & acted upon. If you have the patience, what you reap from this relationship will be more than worth the effort - but only if you plant the seeds now.
9 of Wands in hindering influence position
The 3rd card points out influences on the situation that present you with challenges. Basically, the message of the 9 is defensiveness. We withdraw to protect ourselves, but this can be very exclusionary. I had some trouble getting a clear hit on this card; I couldn't tell if it referred to you (forcing yourself back into the closet somewhat to protect Nick?) or to him (shutting himself off from you to avoid being hurt). The question you need to ask yourself, in either case, is: are the
dangers real, or have you overreacted? Choosing to keep yourself in ignorance of a situation may be hindering progress (for instance, maybe it wouldn't be so bad for Nick if he were out. On the other hand, maybe you haven't fully grasped just how bad it would be. I honestly can't say. Maintain your objectivity as much as possible, & find ways to balance time-tried, safe, but potentially isolating ways of interacting with new but kind of scary ways.
3 of Coins in internal influence position
This is the card of your personal attitude & how it affects the
situation. You have a real passion for doing things well. I see this as being equally applicable to your strip, your relationship, your caring for Jezzie...anything. You do what you love, & you honestly love doing it. And you take great pride in the fact that you do it well. I see this as a very positive thing in your relationship: now that you're invested in it, you'll see to it that it's done right. You have both the patience & the drive referred to in the first card. You should, however, take care that your passion doesn't turn into an obsession; there is such a thing as pushing too hard. You also have comfort in the knowledge that, at those moments when the relationship just doesn't seem to be going right, you have your work - or Jezzie - to focus on for a time. This is excellent; everyone needs something like this in their lives. I feel a
need to warn you, though, that I keep getting a hit that this card refers somewhat to Nick, as well. He, too, has a deep passion for his work, & I think you've already seen a few times how this can cause you 2 some problems. Again, patience & understanding are the watchwords of this reading, & don't forget that you can step back for a while if you need to.
9 of Cups in external influence position
The final card of the reading is outside factors that may affect the situation. The 9 of Cups is a very sensual card, a card of enjoying the pleasures of life. This is where you reap the benefits of the effort you put in with the Ace in position 2. In this case, it really seems to be referring to Nick. Enjoy him. For the time being, just bask in the relationship you have, & don't worry about the fact that he's not all that out. In the external influence position, I think of this as a 'stop & smell the roses' kind of thing. You have great things in your life: Nick, Jezzie, the strip. Revel in them - but don't fall all the way into hedonism. That is, ice cream is good, but not every day.
Synthesis & Conclusions
The absence of major arcana from the reading suggests that any
difficulties you'll be dealing with in the near future are immediate, rather than systemic. I don't see any long-ranging, overwhelming problems. Also, the absence of Swords suggests a lack of intense conflict. By remaining truthful with Nick & with yourself (Wands is the suit of truth), any disagreements that arise can easily be turned into opportunities to deepen your understanding of each other. This is the period of the relationship where you're very actively getting to know each other - personally, emotionally, sexually, etc. All of your cards are odd numbers; these are traditionally very active, even restless cards, though cards with firm foundations. It's not going to be a stroll in the park for you guys, but if you stay calm, you'll come through the bumpy times much stronger - both individually & collectively.