TdM: Rachelcat reads for Charlie Brown

[Rachelcat]

Here we are! Do you have a question or subject for me? Just let me know!

[Charlie Brown]

Since this month is sort of a hybrid of modern and historical reading, I thought maybe I'd try a more modern, woo-woo style question. If it's a little too unorthodox for you, I put a second question at the bottom.


What do I need to develop in order to have a balanced yang?

For reference, I more or less formulated this question based on this graphic

If you don't like that, this is probably a more straight forward question:

What are my best opportunities for growth in the upcoming months?

thx

[Rachelcat]

BTW, I have an issue with your graph. Shouldn't it be excessive yin to the left and excessive yang to the right, with balanced in the middle? I'll pretend that's what I'm seeing when I do your reading! Anyway, I'm working on your reading now!

[Charlie Brown]

Well, it isn't my graph but, yes I agree with your assessment. I'm was more interested in the particular qualities delineated.

[Rachelcat]

I kind of understand the graph a little better now, but I’m still thinking it should be extreme yin to the left and extreme yang to the right. Maybe have the positive effects on the top and negative on the bottom? Sorry, I’m an INTJ. I’m only happy when I’m organizing things . . .

But let’s get on to your reading!

I’m using my homemade spread based on the Four Noble Truths, which, in turn, are based on a medical model, briefly: symptom/issue, diagnosis/cause, prognosis/outcome, treatment/advice.

I’ve customized these four for your question. I’ll lay out three cards horizontally for each sub-question.

What makes you think your yang is out of balance?
Lovers, 10 Wands, 6 Cups
What for most people would be positive emotional experiences and feelings, Lovers and 6 Cups, make you feel overwhelmed instead. And relationships. The give and take of sharing life and happiness is just too much for you. I see that there are 10 wands to 6 cups, so this imbalance may be too much yang. But also, in the Lovers card, it looks like an exchange of gender symbols: The woman holds the wand-like arrow, and the man holds out his hands like he’s offering a cup. So maybe you’re uncomfortable with that kind of interchange of gender roles in a relationship.

Why is your yang out of balance?
9 Wands, Temperance, 3 Coins
Here again we have more yang items than yin items, another excess of yang. Temperance is in the middle, saying that you’re having difficulty blending masculine and feminine qualities in yourself, similarly to the Lovers saying you have difficulty accepting the interchange in relationships. In both, you tend to overdo the masculine.

Can you balance your yang?
Ace Cups, Pope, Queen Swords
Yes, absolutely. You may need the help of a method: A book or teaching that will get you started (Pope). And you will succeed and be happy about it (ace). The queen says you can heal yourself if you make a conscious effort. And again we see the opposition of masculine and feminine cards, cup and sword, but they’re coming closer together, joined by the feminine queen.

What should you do to balance your yang?
Magician, 5 Cups, 6 Wands
Same as the Queen of Swords, Magician is saying that it takes an act of will. Make a plan, make up your mind to do it, and do it, and it will happen. He looks fondly over at the other two cards, opposites again, but only one number apart. There is a definite progression from far apart to closer together yin and yang cards. They’re saying it’s ok to be more yang than yin, just don’t go overboard! Or maybe the advice is just to have sex! (I know it just means “six” in whatever language this is, but I love when we get the sex card.) And it seems quite appropriate in this case. Not only because it’s about yin and yang, but also because it’s the last card, and Lovers is the first.

So I think this is a positive message, that basically you can do it if you want to: Plan the work and work the plan.

I’m kind of freaked out about how every line of three is so balanced. In a reading about balance. I hope this helps. Thanks for the “woo woo question.” It helped me expand a bit!

[Charlie Brown]

Thank you for the interesting reading. I like that spread a lot. I don't think I've ever seen that deck used for a reading before. I recognize it from pictures, but I can't recall its name.

What makes you think your yang is out of balance?
Lovers, 10 Wands, 6 Cups
What for most people would be positive emotional experiences and feelings, Lovers and 6 Cups, make you feel overwhelmed instead. And relationships. The give and take of sharing life and happiness is just too much for you. I see that there are 10 wands to 6 cups, so this imbalance may be too much yang. But also, in the Lovers card, it looks like an exchange of gender symbols: The woman holds the wand-like arrow, and the man holds out his hands like he’s offering a cup. So maybe you’re uncomfortable with that kind of interchange of gender roles in a relationship.

It's super interesting and appropriate that your Lovers card has that gender exchange you noted. I guess I didn't give you a whole lot of background to what I was thinking when I asked my question. I think that my—I hesitate to call it a problem or even an issue, it just is—thing is more the opposite of what you're suggesting. I tend to find myself more often inhabiting female roles or occupying female dominated spaces. My relationships are usually pretty good. When I have them that is. One aspect of this situation that's problematic—specifically dealing with this "interchange of gender roles" you identified—is that I find myself in these female spaces and it's hard to develop social relationships because of the appearances of it. A man in his early(ish) 40s asking a lady out for a drink often carries a certain valance to it whether that's the case or not, if you know what I mean.

Why is your yang out of balance?
9 Wands, Temperance, 3 Coins
Here again we have more yang items than yin items, another excess of yang. Temperance is in the middle, saying that you’re having difficulty blending masculine and feminine qualities in yourself, similarly to the Lovers saying you have difficulty accepting the interchange in relationships. In both, you tend to overdo the masculine.

Would this still be your interpretation in light of the previous feedback? One thing to note is that although it's social expectations (for lack of a better term) that I feel inhibits my functioning with women, I feel that I'm often at a loss for what to say or do socially with men. We tend to focus social interaction around activities and most of the things I do tend to be more female dominated. I think I'm the only straight male I've ever seen within a mile of my local tarot group. One unfortunately aggravating factor is that there's a dearth of people my age where I live. Everyone's either 10 years older or younger. The reasons for that are sort of fascinating but way beyond the scope of this post.

All that stuff about the balance in the individual lines is great. Taking a look at the layout as a whole, I notice that there are lots of wands and cups but only one sword and one coin. So while there's a lot of balance in the lines, there's not necessarily an elemental balance overall. I wonder if this is significant. I also have no clue as to, if it is important, whether it would mean that there isn't enough earth and air or that I need to tone down the earth and air. That is, are the cards a picture of where I am or where I need to be?

Thanks again.

[kare]

Rachelcat, I LOVE that homemade spread! Thank you for sharing. It's going in the notebook!

[Rachelcat]

I know I need to follow up with Charlie Brown on the reading, but in the meantime, here's a full version of the spread. Thanks for your interest!

Oh, and the deck is the Budapest Tarot, from Sullivan Hinsman, Tarot Sheet Revival. It has all the majors and minors of a regular tarot, but the majors are numbered in a different order. I love it!