3 cards a day...

Here's what I come up with, before I've read anyone else's interpretation:

I lean on the pips-as-trumps method to help me with the pip cards. 8 of Swords indicates concepts of fairness. 9 of Coins indicates re-evaluating your values. To me, this sequence shows that you want something badly, and are following your desire (or you aren't yet but want to), focusing your attention on the desire (the cup) and riding full-speed away from (i.e. ignoring or denying) your own inherent sense of fair play. Presumably following the desire would in some way come into conflict with your own concepts of fair play.

The 9 of Coins says that after a brief "fling" with the object of desire, you'll eventually think better of it and your sense of fair play and fair dealing will reassert itself.

Visually, the thing that jumps out at me is that while the Page is focused on the cup, the horse is looking back at the 8 of Swords. Even the horse knows that this course of action isn't right! He's thinking, "Uh-oh, we're going down the wrong path here."

On the Swords card, the two red jewels seem to be held in place by the swords, as if the swords were the tines of a ring holding a jewel. The jewels, i.e. fairness, are supported not by force but by delicacy of balance and design.

On the Coins card, the two different floral patterns coexist in a symmetrical arrangement of coins. It makes me think of the yin-yang symbol, showing balance and an awareness that each side contains a bit of its opposite, suggesting that a true balance means not denying yourself of desired pleasures but on the other hand not galloping off and leaving the rest of your life to fend for itself.

le_charior said:

I was more positive than most of you (as usual - well, what can I say, I'm just a little sunshine boy ) But for me you were clearly Force, not the Lion. Or more the principle of Force as an advise, a guidance for you.

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Everyone needs some sunshine! I do think it's an interesting exercise to cast ourselves as different characters on a card and see how that changes our perspective. This might be something I might try on a regular basis -- shift my identification to a different part of a card, just to get a different viewpoint.

He seems to be avoiding hard work and great reward in favor of daydreaming.

a lot of good stuff here about these cards, so just one little image that popped into my head when I looked at them (I LOVE the deck, for all the reasons Lumen dislikes it for, I think - the color of the card stock, the historical feel etc - and I always like pips with real swords, not the stylized ones).

to me the chevalier looks like a rider at a showjumping competition. He does not seem to turn away from the swords, but i see him as in the process of turning towards them, his horse is already looking at the next obstacle, he will follow. He just jumped one and now has to ride a curve to come to the next one. The interwoven swords, if one looks at the upper part, look like a jumping obstacle. So this is his next challenge, dividing him from his reward on the other side. The horse is eager to jump, he is hesitant. Like the idea that the horse is your instincts and the chevalier is your reasoning or your emotions, maybe fear to spill what he has in his cup, that's holding you back.

will think about what obstacle and reward could be - but wanted to share this image already.

Satori said:

What I can say about the throw is this.

There seems to be a movement from congestion to a more open and free expression. The center card is rigid, ordered, leaving little room for breath and spontaneity.

The Pentacles seem like seeds sprinkled across a field and the existing flowers sort of hint at the prize that might sprout from the seeds.

I think that the message for the man on the horse is about trying to think in terms of what his actions and his journey is going to yield. Order is okay, can be good, but when we are choking out other input it can be too limiting. The center point of the middle card is so tight....so....confining.

I like the end card because it seems to breathe, there seems to be a freedom and a sense of hope to me there.

The red strap across the chest of the horse becomes the places where the sword tips rest...and in the last card the reds are distributed across the field of seeds, comprising them.

Could the seeds be held in the cup? Is she out in a field about to seed a field with these possibilities?

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I like how you have focussed on the feeling of freedom and restriction. I think that is very appropriate to my state of mind at the moment. I'm torn between that freedom of expression and external constriction. Interestingly, I've been feeling physically constricted - I've had some feeling of tightness and not being able to breathe properly. It's like my body is mirroring my mind.

Lee, thank you so much for sorting the picture out for me. Would you mind sending me a pm to explain how you fixed it? I really tried everything I could think off and had to admit defeat.

Lee said:

Here's what I come up with, before I've read anyone else's interpretation:

I lean on the pips-as-trumps method to help me with the pip cards. 8 of Swords indicates concepts of fairness. 9 of Coins indicates re-evaluating your values. To me, this sequence shows that you want something badly, and are following your desire (or you aren't yet but want to), focusing your attention on the desire (the cup) and riding full-speed away from (i.e. ignoring or denying) your own inherent sense of fair play. Presumably following the desire would in some way come into conflict with your own concepts of fair play.

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I think I may be suffering a bit from the 'grass is always greener' but at the same time I'm not very happy at work. This is due to the restriction Satori picked up. I want to follow my heart's desire which is to teach part-time but I'm held back by that 'fairness' of not quitting mid-year.

Lee said:

The 9 of Coins says that after a brief "fling" with the object of desire, you'll eventually think better of it and your sense of fair play and fair dealing will reassert itself.

Visually, the thing that jumps out at me is that while the Page is focused on the cup, the horse is looking back at the 8 of Swords. Even the horse knows that this course of action isn't right! He's thinking, "Uh-oh, we're going down the wrong path here."

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I wonder if that relates to my feeling for wanting out. I do wonder about whether it is the right decision or not.

Lee said:

On the Coins card, the two different floral patterns coexist in a symmetrical arrangement of coins. It makes me think of the yin-yang symbol, showing balance and an awareness that each side contains a bit of its opposite, suggesting that a true balance means not denying yourself of desired pleasures but on the other hand not galloping off and leaving the rest of your life to fend for itself.

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Caution duly noted! I know that there is an element of fantasy attached to it at the moment. It's all in my dreams but I haven't got to putting it down in concrete steps or fully think through the financial implications. A very accurate summary.

Herzog said:

He seems to be avoiding hard work and great reward in favor of daydreaming.

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That is actually quite true at the moment. I'm currently queen of work-avoidance!

Flaxen,

Please, forgive me for jumping in while the train is on the move.

Even though the cards' style do not speak to me, I've been thinking about how would I interpret them, and thus begin following the other interpretations on your 3 cards. Following Satori's example, I decided to give it a try. So, to better understand this process, I transposed them into Grimaud's, and what I see follows Herzog's reading:

There is something emotional or related to feelings in the past that you are focusing on, however this "dream" or past issue is not possible, and it is making you wonder, ponder, and just focusing on that central blue flower (I know, this deck does not have a blue flower in the center of 8 of swords, but that's how I read this card). Meanwhile, an important material issue/situation is reaching an end in cycle, and it seems to be calling you to focus on 9 de derniers. BTW, the first thing that caught my attention in these cards was 9dD with its 4 above / 4 below coins forming two very well defined squares. And the coin in the center not dividing these squares, but uniting them - it is calling you to take action to find balance in your material and physical world.

Lumen said:

Flaxen,

Please, forgive me for jumping in while the train is on the move.

Even though the cards' style do not speak to me, I've been thinking about how would I interpret them, and thus begin following the other interpretations on your 3 cards. Following Satori's example, I decided to give it a try. So, to better understand this process, I transposed them into Grimaud's, and what I see follows Herzog's reading:

There is something emotional or related to feelings in the past that you are focusing on, however this "dream" or past issue is not possible, and it is making you wonder, ponder, and just focusing on that central blue flower (I know, this deck does not have a blue flower in the center of 8 of swords, but that's how I read this card). Meanwhile, an important material issue/situation is reaching an end in cycle, and it seems to be calling you to focus on 9 de derniers. BTW, the first thing that caught my attention in these cards was 9dD with its 4 above / 4 below coins forming two very well defined squares. And the coin in the center not dividing these squares, but uniting them - it is calling you to take action to find balance in your material and physical world.

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I'm glad you decided to dive in anyway. Yes, I can really see the need to bring balance and I think that is why I have been struggling. My work-life balance has been heavily skewed towards work for the last 6 years and I'd like to reclaim some time to pursue other interests.

The part that you picked out about focussing on the past which is no longer possible is also very accurate. It's quite personal so I won't go into detail here but this past issue makes my current circumstances feel bitter-sweet - there is a lingering sadness that my life did not turn out as I thought it would.

Yeah, I saw in that Cavalier an affinity with my life situation right now... Longing for a past that can no longer be. I think we all go through this path for one thing/person or another. But there is a point where life screams: "let's move on or else!" But often it is easier said than done.

The interesting point here also is how the cards speak of multiple issues at the same time.

For example, in my triple ace [gosh I wish this was a lottery winning number...], besides speaking of my fight with my ex over money (my lingering past that life keeps on screaming "move on" and I just can't; trapped like the 4dE), it spoke of a girl I began mentoring last week at the university where I teach. It was the beginning of an intellectual relation (AdE) and work relation (AdB), which brings a prosperous beginning (AdD) by using my skills (Le Bateleur).

Hang in there, Flaxen; transitions are a tough part of our lives, but when they pass, our sense of balance is stronger, we mature, and grow; we become better people.