Majors v Minors: Rose Lalonde reads for Diana

[Rose Lalonde]

Hi Diana. Nice to be exchanging with you.

I'm at your service. Is there a question or an area of your life you'd like me to read about?

(If you have a deck preference, there's a selection in my profile, or I can choose the deck on the day.)

[Diana]

Hi Rose Lalonde ! I'm very pleased to be your partner. I love it when you post and always get a little smile on my face and I assume also my eyes also when I see your avatar.

But I'm feeling a little bit daunted - lol -. You know lots of stuff I don't !! But I'll do with what I have. It'll have to suffice. (I love the word suffice - I like these old words that aren't much used anymore.)

I'll give some thought to the question and give it to you in a couple of days at the latest. It's not always easy to find questions for these reading circles!

[Rose Lalonde]

It's funny you should say that, because I feel the same way when you post about TdM. I'm very sure you know lots of stuff I don't!

No worries on your question timing. I usually do readings on the weekend anyway. Work week keeps me hopping.

[Diana]

I gave some thought to which deck I could ask you to use. I went to your profile as you suggested. But I don't know 95% of these decks. So I've gone for the Tarot of Prague, in honour of Karen Maloney and Alex Ukolov. I remember when it was being designed. I never owned a copy though.

I doubt Karen will be reading this, but I blow her a little kiss in her direction anyway. You know, like those fairy kisses you send to children when you can't be there to put them to bed ? And you tell them that you'll send them little fairy kisses and they'll land gently on their cheeks at night.

Karen used to talk about sometimes on Aeclectic about her growing up in Northern Ireland, Belfast maybe, during the troubles. It was hard. The work she and Alex have accomplished is astonishing. Their respect for their work is most inspiring. It is certainly a mirror of the respect they must hold for themselves.

[Rose Lalonde]

I can give it a go! I've actually never read with that deck. (I know, I'm terrible. It's on my trade list so I can find it the loving home it deserves. Karen and Alex really do put their hearts into their decks.) But hey, if you'd like Prague, and don't mind that it will be a first, I can do that. Or if that all sounds a bit iffy to you, and you'd prefer a deck I'm used to reading with for others, those are the dozen or so at the top under the exchange decks heading.

[Diana]

Oh sorry, I didn't pay attention to sub-sections and titles in your reading list. Oh no, let's do one that you're used to. I looked at the Tyldwick (the name caught my eye) and that's a deck that I can live with very nicely I think. I was very attracted to the few cards that I looked at.

Why is it called the Tyldwick ? Sounds sort of Dickensy. Or English countryside.

[Rose Lalonde]

You're good! English countryside is right. The deck creator grew up in a village that he said was like something out of history, much unchanged in its way of life. He loved old estates and historic buildings, their mystery and the secrets they would only give away on close inspection. I think Tyldwick is a name he created himself for the imaginary estate where his tarot takes place. I could be wrong; in keeping with the mystery, he provided no lwb or blueprints of the grounds and house. I'd love to go exploring in there for you and see what we can find among the dressers, mantels, statues and ornamental items silently waiting for someone to return.

[Diana]

Well then I chose well. My coffee mug (I drink an inordinate amount of coffee) has written on the inside in pretty letters "There will always be an England". I've had it for years. And always smile when I read that. Although I've been smiling a lot less recently. England seems to be be getting smaller and colder...

[Rose Lalonde]

Hi, Diana. Just checking in about an area of your life or question to read about. Or if you'd rather have a general reading, I can do that. Whichever you prefer... :)

[Diana]

Oh, this seemed to have slipped my mind ! That's not good at all. No dessert for me tomorrow.

Here's the issue. I have a week ahead of me with no responsibilities nor urgent imperatives nor duties. It's very rare. I'm not going away though.

What would be the most profitable way for me to spend the week ? In what kind of atmosphere should I plunge myself ?

Should I for example spend the week just reading, studying my beloved tarot, listening to music, watching movies or series or documentaries and just generally relaxing at home?
Or should I go and visit all my friends, some in other towns, and take the train and go and visit a couple of art galleries or exhibitions in Geneva or Bern?
Or should I go walking by the lake and the vineyards ? It's cold though....
Or should I do a thorough spring clean of my room which needs it and try and sort out my taxes which are a pain but which have to be done at some stage.

I'm not expecting you to draw cards for all these questions. That's just to show you some of the choices/atmosphere/energy that I could choose from.

So basically, the question is : What would be the most beneficial for me to reach the end of the week satisfied and happy with my batteries recharged.

They need recharging and I've got some very busy months ahead with lots of duties and responsibilities so I'd really love to make good use of the week.

Is this okay for you ?

[Rose Lalonde]

Yes, that's great! Thanks!

[Diana]

Yes, that's great! Thanks!

I just realised that this reading obliges you to do it this weekend for it be in time for my week's break. But if the deadline is not suitable for you, please tell me and I'll ask another question.

[Rose Lalonde]

No, it's fine, but thanks for checking! This weekend is the easiest time for me to do the reading.

[Rose Lalonde]

Tyldwick reading for Diana

Question: “What would be the most beneficial for me to reach the end of the week satisfied and happy with my batteries recharged?”

You listed some options, and I’ll say up front that there are no taxes in this spread and no spring cleaning. Despite the entertaining make-believe in several cards, there is a suggestion to take a closer look at what you really want even though it may be uncomfortable. The majors are a bit fixated on the situation in an existential way, but thankfully the minors hold a more concrete answer to your question.

Majors:
I Magician ~ VIII Justice ~ XII Hanged Man

I the Magician
You enter the imagined Tyldwick estate and meet Le Bateleur, or at least we have his entertainment and misdirection. There’s a puppet theatre with geometric quilt backdrop. It’s difficult to see, but on the stage in diamond outfit there’s a marionette Harlequin among the cast, a character much like the Magician in cunning and comic relief. But that’s not the true Magician. The real action and the power lies in the unseen hands pulling the strings backstage. This card is a pointer for you to use this week to focus more behind the curtain and see something in your life that has gone unacknowledged while days were busy.

VIII Justice
In the next room is a mirror. (There are a few in this deck, but the others are obscured or tinted.) This is the clear mirror on the card of balanced Justice in the center of your spread. It’s a card of pink flowers and curves instead of the diamonds and angles of the Magician. The yin to the latter’s yang, and here the focal point mirror is the right place to be looking.

We have the scales of Justice (and of Libra’s desire for balance and harmony). At the top of the mirror frame is another illusion – some of what looks like ornate details are actually 4 geckos on the wall. They’re excellent at blending in and that fading into the background show both the impartiality of Justice, and that Libra is said to have a tendency to blend in while facilitating harmony with other people. But the red carpet below is a reminder that Justice has some bite and that impartiality also means no sentiment will soften what is seen.

Your advice for your week is in the mirror. Along with whatever you actively do, behind that and likely before that, take a clear look at what you truly want. This is the most important card in the spread, I think, and there’s the suggestion in all three majors that there’s something important to you that’s not currently being seen, something that the day to day busyness doesn’t allow you to give your full attention.

XII The Hanged Man
Speaking of taking a look, there’s the unusual perspective for you in the Hanged Man of seeing things upside down. He’s stuck for now; Justice has been meted out. Following right on the heels of Justice in this spread, I’d say that the inner desire you examine in the mirror will give you pause and may feel disorienting.

In this deck, The Hanged Man is also the Celtic ‘Oak King,’ with oak leaves framing the card. Since you mentioned Geneva and Bern, you must be in the northern hemisphere toward the end of winter. The Oak King is said to reign now in your part of the world -- from Yule until midsummer. But as you said, it’s cold where you are. His effects won’t be obvious until later. That’s reinforced by Newton’s cradle at the bottom in which the energy of a sphere striking at one end travels unseen through the motionless spheres in the middle before you can see the sphere fly up on the other end. What’s unseen or has remained unaddressed in your life is not gone; it will pop up again later. Better to face your thoughts about it head on while you have this time.


You asked what would be “most beneficial for me to reach the end of the week satisfied and happy,” and when I pulled the majors what I saw for you was a suggestion that happiness will spring from taking another look at something that's been percolating beneath the surface. But you also clearly had practical answers in mind. Luckily the minors offer advice as to what you might do. I have to say though that there’s such a strong connection between the majors and minors in your reading, that I feel like everything below is informed by what the majors had do say.


The Minors
7 of Staves ~ 3 of Staves ~ 2 of Cups

Where the majors increased in number, the minors decrease, as though we’ve hit the end of a cycle and are now turning back toward the start. After the suggested introspection of the majors we can address the energetic and active aspects of your question.

7 of Staves
Connections to The Magician are the red curtain, the diamond wallpaper, and the toy soldiers on their toybox ‘stage’. More entertainment, though here a child gives life to their own story rather than watching one performed by someone else, so when it comes to action, you should be the instigator of this week’s plans rather than going along with someone else’s plans.

It’s a card associated (in the Thoth and RWS that influenced this deck) with courage against long odds, and is in an energetic suit about drives and wants. The 7 of Stave’s better side would have you moving forward with what you want or think is right despite not knowing whether you’ll succeed. That sounds dramatic for your week off, but the Tyldwick is a bit tongue in cheek and undercuts the drama, since this isn’t a painting on the wall of an epic battle, but rosy cheeked figures protecting their toy box. Not a war but a youthful sense of enthusiasm and optimism, in the same way children go in assuming every battle can be won, and with that optimism you can do something that will push your boundaries this week.

3 of Staves
You might need the 7’s determination, because there’s some reticence shown in the locked drawers (may have to click the image to actually see them) in the 3 of Staves and in the ship, which instead of being painted in its element at sea (there are many paintings in this deck) is a model under glass. But still, a plan is coming together.

Like the toy soldiers, we’re dealing with the small scale. (Your spread collects most of the toys in Tyldwick estate, actually.) This being a ship, and paired with the following card, the spread is finally letting me move to the practical. -- It will be better to do some 'small scale' travelling than to spend the entire week at home. There’s creativity in the Magician, 7 of Staves, and even the building of the model on display in this card that leads me to say that your suggestion about heading out to galleries is good or not far off the mark.

The floral wallpaper and the glass at the center, much the same color as the mirror, links this card with Justice above it, and I would say whatever it is you see in the mirror will light a fire under you to go out.

2 of Cups
You’ve left Tyldwick house for the grounds outside. The as-yet-unrealized green growth shown in The Hanged Man is on display here.

This is a card associated with connection between two. Generally two people. The Tyldwick, often a bittersweet, melancholy deck, seems to highlight the gap that must be bridged for connection to happen, and how rare connection can be.

The 2 cups, giant urns of flowers, are anomalies, like nothing else in the landscape; they sit between the structured angularity of the garden and the natural wildness of the trees beyond. With other people, we meet somewhere between the maintained exterior we show the world and our unspoken inner life. Finding the right balance of how much you share with someone could benefit you this week.

The urns are also far apart, which is unusual for this card in the RWS and Thoth style. The first urn is huge, the second small and hazy in the distance. It can take effort to bridge the distance and connect with someone. There's someone you could decide to bring closer or to reconnect with. Perhaps a relationship that’s been prickly or on pause like the Hanged Man.

The urns also remind me of the two vases on Justice. Can the difference in sizes in the 2 of cups be brought into balance like they are on Justice? Has one person done more than the other to remain close? Is there someone with whom you can be more open than you have been in the past?

While the ship pointed to travel, here we are out and not out alone, so your suggestion of meeting up with a friend for a journey is in keeping with this card.


Overall
I shuffled with your suggestions in mind and had every intention of focusing on actions, but the cards had something more introspective in mind. I don’t know what issue it’s suggesting you take a closer look at and address, but it's something you want that has not been satisfied yet. Something you might even think you shouldn’t want or it would be risky to pursue. Looking at that more deeply will lead you out of the house and in the company of another. The nature of your relationship with that person may need to be brought into better balance.

If my long reading leaves you thinking, Good grief it’s just a week, and I only wanted an itinerary, then let’s just say... Your happiness and satisfaction will be most easily found in getting out of the house in the company of another, and that appreciation of the arts will be enjoyable, as would an appreciation of nature. Between the two I see more of the arts than the outdoors. I think the last card with the garden is mainly a push for you to be out with someone else.

I hope some of this long reading was helpful, Diana. Thanks for the opportunity to read for you. :)

[Diana]

Came over here first thing I woke up. As the week has begun. I was eager to see what is in store for me this week.

Wonderful reading. Great insights. Lovely deck. Thank you Rose Lalonde.

You've hit on a very important point concerning a connection or to bridge the gap that is apparent in a relationship, and what I desire but don't address - I sort of shove it under the covers so as not to think of it. Last year, my husband and I went through what I think was the biggest conflict since I met him when I was 19 - that makes 40 years now. Got to the stage where I announced with great seriousness and intent at the end of last year that I was going to ask for a legal separation. However, this announcement seemed to serve as an electroshock and things got adjusted real quick. Suddenly we started talking again properly and since then, things have evolved very nicely and are improving daily. I no longer wake up with a heavy heart but all bright and chirpy. Sometimes when talking is not an option, electroshocks work very nicely it seems.

But we haven't yet go back to the stage where we go out together. We spend a lot of time together, but it's usually at home or looking after our granddaughter together. And I'd like to have some outings with him which don't concern little children.

Now there are three art exhibitions (you mentioned art would be a good thing for me this week) that I really want to visit. They're all in my town so would be day trips. One of the museums is bang in the middle of nature so I could combine art and nature that day. Take a little picnic - the weather has suddenly warmed - a bit too much for the season in fact. And then there's the ethnographic museum in Geneva that I haven't visited for about 10 years and it has been renovated and I'd really love to go and visit it again. It's an absolutely fascinating museum with the most incredible exhibits and collections. You come out of there with your eyes and head full of wonder.

All museums are closed on Mondays so today will be spent reading up a bit on the exhibitions I want to visit and the paintings and painters that I'll be exploring. First a bit of exploration at home and then the real thing. And I'll be inviting my husband to come with me. It's doubtful he'll come to all the places I want to visit, but I have another friend who I have been neglecting a bit these last months so I'll reach out to her as well. And if in the end, I go and visit them by myself, well I'm no enemy to solitude - solitude has always been a good friend to me so that would also be alright. Anyway, I always end up by chatting to people at exhibitions and who knows, I may even make a new "friend", at least for a few hours. Last time I visited an exhibition, I ended up in the tea room with a group of tourists whom I'd got friendly with.

Very insightful reading. Will be reading it often today to get all the nuances that I haven't yet caught on to.

Thank you Rose Lalonde !

P.S. I also want to start a jigsaw puzzle. I'll see if I can buy one that is one of the paintings that I'll be seeing in the exhibitions. I love jigsaw puzzles and haven't done one for ages and ages.

[Rose Lalonde]

You're feedback is very helpful. I've been focusing lately on the role of the question. I tend to keep it and any background information very central in the reading. In some respects that's necessary in that I of course want to answer the question asked of me, especially when reading for someone else. But I also want to say what I see. Your last card is literally titled 'Love' in the Thoth and on the RWS shows a couple. Though the Tyldwick is less explicit, the connection shown could as easily have been romantic as friendly, especially with the sense I was getting form the Magician and Justice side by side. But the background info accompanying your question mentioned events and friends, and I let that be my guide and didn't mention the fact that that card often indicates a romantic relationship. I don't mean that to sound like I blame the question -- I really, really don't. It was a good question. The way I choose to handle it is what I'm focused on; it brings up my approach and where I draw the boundaries. But in the end, you didn't need me to spell it out in order for you to make the connection to the situation with your husband.

(I forgot to mention, although it may not be relevant to your interests... I also got a sculpture vibe from the model ship and the pyramid statues in the garden.)

I love jigsaws as well. (When I was a kid we used to have one out on a table whenever we went on vacation.) And a jigsaw puzzle goes nicely with your cards.

I hope you have a wonderful week.