A Fool Reading – Spread by Rachel Pollack
Date: 25th June 2011
Querent: Stacey
Question: Fool Spread
Deck: Druid Craft
Cards:
1. XII Hanging Man
2. Queen of Cups
3. 5 of Pentacles
4. The World
5. XV Cernunnos [Devil]
6. XII Death
7. 4 of Wands
I’d forgotten how blunt with the truth the Druid Craft can be!
1. How have I been a Fool in my life? – XII The Hanged Man.
I have been a fool by refusing to let go of my past; past hurts and even my childhood. Because of this I have not been able to reap the rewards of my hard work. The tree represents my unfulfilled ambitions or what I would like to me. The figure in this card reminds me of The Fool himself. In this card he is clearly exposed. Perhaps this highlights my under achievement and lack of direction.
2. How has it helped me? – Queen of Cups.
It has helped me gain a deeper emotional understanding of myself and others. The full moon also indicates that the spirit of the Fool helps me connect with my dreams. This Queen of Cups also reminds me of the High Priestess in lesser form. Going with the flow keeps my emotions calm. When I start to overthink things or go through possible pitfalls that line my path, my anxiety increases. As this card is at night there is an implication that other people may not be aware of this aspect or that I make efforts to hide this aspect of me. I get the feeling that this Queen is turning away from something.
3. How has it hurt me? – 5 of Pentacles.
Embracing The Fool has meant that I have chosen to isolate myself. Worse I have blinded myself to what I do not wish to see. I prefer living in shadow rather than embrace the power and scrutiny of the sun. I feel I am not understood. My landscape feels barren even when lush green land is available. This manifests itself mainly in two ways. Firstly, my desire NOT to have children and my non mainstream beliefs in paganism and tarot, both of which periodically receive ridicule. Also being a 5 means that I’m prepared to challenge or go against society’s norms laid down by the High Priest [Hierophant]. The animals in the background highlights my secret fear that I will struggle to survive as a person with a disability in the ‘survival of the fittest’ or ‘deserving poor’ ethos.
4. Where in my life do I need to be more Foolish? – XXI The World.
I need to go with flow and let things come to me without forcing the issue. Also, I should stop expecting things to go wrong and just enjoy the moment. I will get my moment in the sun and feel on top of the world but it’s not my time yet. I should stop worrying about the when and focus on the how. I should utilise the Fool’s forward movement and stop looking back.
5. Where will the Fool not serve me? – XV Cernunnos [Devil].
The Fool does not serve me when I give into my desires and ignore my responsibilities. I will always pay for it later, and probably in ways I least expect it as when I embrace the Fool, I am rarely in possession of all the facts. My shadow is unfulfilled potential, dreams, and ambitions. In short, wasting away my life. The Shadow figure also represents Resistance. Resistance is the force that tries to stop me completing worthwhile endeavours. It’s easy to treat Resistance as an outside influence but in reality Resistances comes from within inside me. It’s something that I always struggle with, but I’m definitely struggling to find my flow when writing fiction.
6. Where do I find the Fool outside myself? – XIII Death.
The scythe from the Hanged Man also appears here suggesting that this outside influence could assist me in reaping the rewards of my hard work. I can see snake/serpent imagery. Snakes to me represent transformation especially in this card. This outside influence should help me shed my old life and emerge as a new entity. The wind and bird suggest that this influence could help me soar to a higher level. I think the key to what this outside force is the woman. Whenever I see this card I think of crone. I think the meaning here is literal and the outside influences are older females. The main one is my mother but also older females of TFL, who I hope forgive me for referring to them as crones!
7. What gifts does it bring me? – 4 of Wands.
It gives me a secure creative space outside of physical limitations. Energy of the Fool is this spark that lights my creative fire and then the oxygen that feeds it. It also gives me a solid foundation to work from. However, I must remember to move outside to greener pastures once in a while to renew and ground myself. The path reminds me that I should also bring myself back to the conscious world and focus on my responsibilities there.
Overall Picture
Looking at the overall picture ala Tarot Triplets I can see that the Hanged Man is trying to get a better look at the Queen of Cups but she is refusing to acknowledge his presence probably in disdain at his overt nakedness. This Queen is a firm believer in decorum. Also she has little sympathy for him as she believes the Hanged Man got himself into this mess. The Queen and the female figure have their backs to each other, almost as if they’re in the middle of fallout from an argument. Turning away from each other allows them not to acknowledge their flipsides of the same coin. Reminds me of a mother and daughter who clash on a regular basis. So very similar, yet so very different. The figure in 5 of Pentacles is facing right so could see The World if she wasn’t covering her eyes. This action makes me believe she is scared to see what she could be as that would make the pain of failure so much harder. It’s easier to convince herself that she doesn’t have the talent or that things were stacked against her, rather than the simple fact she did not ask for help when she needed it or apply herself. The figure in the World is looking straight ahead focusing on the here and now. Her legs are in a very similar position to the Hanged Man suggesting that this could be me if I had the courage to set myself free. The figures in Cernunnos are locked in their own world with shadow looking straight ahead mirroring lady in the World. The irony is that this card offers me the most fertile landscape if I utilised it in the right way but right now I should put my desires on hold. Right now this is my desire to own the Oracle of Visions and the Tarot of Dreams by Ciro Marchetti. I just hope they don’t sell out before I get the chance to purchase them. The Crone in the Death card seems to be keeping an eye on the Shadow figure. Perhaps she knows how I can channel my primal energy in a constructive way. Is the skull a gift or key for the young couple and for me. The skull is significant but I’m not sure what it means. As the crone is not interested in the scene depicted in 4 of Wands I believe that it is no danger or doesn’t warrant attention so my creative fire isn’t going to go out. The problem is how I am utilising the energy. My tarot readings are flowing but my fiction writing is not.
Further Questions/Study
How should I let go of my past?
Which direction should I head in?
How can I stop myself over-thinking about things?
Why do I hide the Queen of Cups aspect of myself from view?
What am I turning away from?
Why do I prefer living in shadow?
How do I get to be on top of the world?
How should I channel my shadow aspect into something positive?
How should I begin the process of shedding the parts of old me that are no longer useful?
How should I make the most of my gifts?
How should I apply myself so I can achieve my dreams?
How is the best way for me to channel my primal energy in an constructive way?
What does the skull the crone is holding signify?
Other Comments
This spread has provided me with a deep mine of further avenues to explore!
