Alissa
HINDRANCE: Fate has Blocked This Path for You
From the Book:This woodland faerie presents an unavoidable delay, however this is merely a temporary setback. Try another approach to attain your goal. View the problem from a different perspective to find an alternate solution.
This is the other "twin", sister to the Seduction card. It is the same figure as the other, but here She is seen in full and with wings.
The scene evokes the atmosphere of autumn, the leaves that frame the picture are luscious shades of gold, red, and green... amber and orange. Falling leaves are also seen behind her in the background, and more leaves blanket the ground at her feet.
Her costume is a deep, crimson red, and she rests on a fallen tree, where moss grows. The draping of the gown, especially the sweeping arches seen to the left, are more artistic nods to Mucha's Art Nouveau style Click here to see Spring, a very similar piece of Mucha's in tone, model posturing, and gown draping to what we see from Filipak's hand. (And, for the very curious, Mucha's Autumn is nothing like the autumn-scene we see here, so we know that Filipak was not trying to mimic the work of Mucha, so much as use his style to express her own art).
When I found this card for the very first time, going through my virginal cards fresh out of the box, I was so relieved to find this message. I was concerned that the message behind the Hand of Fate card was that of blocking forward progress, as well as the other meanings ascribed to it (Forces Beyond Your Control Intervene).
But, here instead is the card that represents a blockage, a stopping point, a point where we must reconsider our path. The leaves about her gown-enshrouded feet, as well as the fallen tree that crosses the path, all speak of silent barriers that are being encountered.
While a pile of leaves can easily be kicked out of the way, and a tree easily hurdled, I don't think our kind Faery would allow our forward momentum, regardless of how stubborn we might feel when facing this card. She might look nice now, but Fae can get mean when they need to.
This card is a gentle warning, to me, one that should be heeded. The autumnal feel speaks of endings, fruition, and a time to harvest what is before you already.
On a personal note, there is a path I walk on often in the forest behind my yard, and along that path, I encounter two fallen logs that have toppled over the years. When I was first learning the lay of the land, the fallen logs were place markers for me, more solid that Hansel's bread crumbs to help me find my way *back* home again. In other words, they taught me how to turn around and go back, safely.
They are also like resting points for me. I often sit at Second Fallen Log and think about the magic things I've planted in that area, off the path, visiting them before turning around to go home again.
From now on, I will always also see Second Fallen Log when I see this card in a reading, and all the emotions that the place contains (for me).
From the Book:This woodland faerie presents an unavoidable delay, however this is merely a temporary setback. Try another approach to attain your goal. View the problem from a different perspective to find an alternate solution.
This is the other "twin", sister to the Seduction card. It is the same figure as the other, but here She is seen in full and with wings.
The scene evokes the atmosphere of autumn, the leaves that frame the picture are luscious shades of gold, red, and green... amber and orange. Falling leaves are also seen behind her in the background, and more leaves blanket the ground at her feet.
Her costume is a deep, crimson red, and she rests on a fallen tree, where moss grows. The draping of the gown, especially the sweeping arches seen to the left, are more artistic nods to Mucha's Art Nouveau style Click here to see Spring, a very similar piece of Mucha's in tone, model posturing, and gown draping to what we see from Filipak's hand. (And, for the very curious, Mucha's Autumn is nothing like the autumn-scene we see here, so we know that Filipak was not trying to mimic the work of Mucha, so much as use his style to express her own art).
When I found this card for the very first time, going through my virginal cards fresh out of the box, I was so relieved to find this message. I was concerned that the message behind the Hand of Fate card was that of blocking forward progress, as well as the other meanings ascribed to it (Forces Beyond Your Control Intervene).
But, here instead is the card that represents a blockage, a stopping point, a point where we must reconsider our path. The leaves about her gown-enshrouded feet, as well as the fallen tree that crosses the path, all speak of silent barriers that are being encountered.
While a pile of leaves can easily be kicked out of the way, and a tree easily hurdled, I don't think our kind Faery would allow our forward momentum, regardless of how stubborn we might feel when facing this card. She might look nice now, but Fae can get mean when they need to.
This card is a gentle warning, to me, one that should be heeded. The autumnal feel speaks of endings, fruition, and a time to harvest what is before you already.
On a personal note, there is a path I walk on often in the forest behind my yard, and along that path, I encounter two fallen logs that have toppled over the years. When I was first learning the lay of the land, the fallen logs were place markers for me, more solid that Hansel's bread crumbs to help me find my way *back* home again. In other words, they taught me how to turn around and go back, safely.
They are also like resting points for me. I often sit at Second Fallen Log and think about the magic things I've planted in that area, off the path, visiting them before turning around to go home again.
From now on, I will always also see Second Fallen Log when I see this card in a reading, and all the emotions that the place contains (for me).
