Marseille 3-card combinations

Teheuti said:

what makes you advise loosening up as opposed to being stiff and rigid? Are you saying it's better to be the 7 of Cups than the 3 of Wands??

Click to expand...

I was reading from left to right sensing a general "tightening up." The Seven Cups felt warmer and friendlier compared to when they "became" the Three Wands.

Then again I can see "teamwork" and "solidarity" in the three wands as well and can make a case that in the Seven they are emotionally scattered and become "unified" and strong in the Three


ETA:

I mostly see Wands as "combative." They don't inflict as much damage as Swords, but they evoke a strong feeling of barriers or competition.

Here's a quote from "Explaining the Tarot," a wonderful book recommended to me by Enrique Enriquez:

"Batons represent ancient wars, which were often fought using them, not only in public wars but also in private conflicts. So we read that Cain killed his brother with a large club, which was the first war and discord among men."

and

In the wars represented by Batons and Swords, we do not always want to use the Swords, but many times the Batons, which are much lighter in punishment than the Swords. But when arrogant enemies & other villains become to insolent, proud and impudent as a consequence of the humanity of their masters and princes, then it is time to use Swords, in order to punish their temerity and their crimes with death


These quotes were taken from an essay written by Francesco Piscina in the Sixteenth century

System: The Math Number qualities/attributes. (Still sticking with this approach).

8 Coins + 7 Cups + 3 Batons

8 Coins = Very much the same as Teheutis' meaning!
"Strongest allusion to the financial situation. Suggests that finances are moderately stable but final adjustments need to be made to arrive at completion or satisfaction.". Except that the 8s are more robust in this method as they contain two 4s.

7 Cups = Self-determined & focussed (7). Art, pleasure, personal opinions, subjective (Cups).

3 Batons = 3s are both Prime & Triangular so are Self-determining & Effective (3). Administrative, civil interests/comcerns, studious &/or ambitious. Political. (Batons)


I think this indicates that there is a little more to be gained financially and the (fictious) querent is about to make (or has just made) a coup. They have confidence in their innate skill/talent.

Again there is similarity with the words used by Teheuti, the "will, desire and money" are all present. I supose it's possible that some of these math-qualities are present in other systems, but it surprises me. (Pleasantly)



Bee

Subject: Life Path
Deck: Dodal
Positions: none (read as a unit)

Chariot - Three of Swords - King of Wands/Batons

My first thought was that is about someone who is used to being on top of things; a smooth path to succes; or someone who has overcome challenges quite easily... now being put in a position where the obstacles require more strategy and planning, and as a result, having to put more thought and effort into their actions.
The more we overcome, the harder it is to continue overcoming and growing.. because we keep raising the bar for ourselves.

The Chariot I see as possibility and a myriad of choices, because it is a 7, and so shows that multiplicity that I see in them. The road is ahead of them, they have come from success behind them, and the horses could pull them in whichever direction they'd like. I also noticed (just now, for the first time!), that the main figure looks forwards (into the present), the horses look behind and forward (past and future), and the shoulder faces also look in both directions... so this person sees all the possibilities from all the different angles.

The 3's to me show expansion and growth, and sometimes 'growing pains'. The swords show the mind; learning experiences and shifts in perspective. New information is coming in, they are seeing things in a new way. Perhaps this is literal, like someone furthering their education.

The king of wands is air (king) and fire (wands), so someone whose mind is on fire as a result. Their king nature has them studying, strategizing, and planning, and the wands part has them thinking about the future, and getting excited in the face of challenges.
I also notice the 'rhyme' in this card with the figure in the Chariot. They both hold a wand, and have similar postures, except that the King's legs seem poised for him to leap up and run. He will have to carry himself now, there are no horses to pull him. In addition, his gaze goes to the right.. he's thinking only about the future now, about what he can achieve, not just centering in the present.

sorry, I know I've been long-winded already, but I have one more thing to add.

I love this particular King, because he is always 'antsy' to me... not quite comfortable in his throne, tied down to responsibilities. He's thinking about what's coming next, and perhaps isn't comfortable with routine and commitment.

In this image, I see the tall lump to his right as the back of a comfy chair, and the other fleshy-colored part as a seat cushion. So, he is sitting sideways in his chair, not facing his kingly duties head-on.

This man was conflicted then finally took control. We see him in the chariot looking straight ahead in the moment as if saying, "which way?" Does he move backward or forward? Until he resolves the conflict in his life and speaks up -three swords- he will always have trouble deciding "which way" to travel.

When he finally gets his words together and speaks, he will find a dynamic future where he is leading and in control.


Going back a step to the Two Swords, I would ask this person if there was someone in his life who opposes him and his ideas. If yes, I would suggest he "speak up", even if it meant walking away from this relationship.

I'm frantically reading Thorpe's "Card Fortune Telling" and Foli's "Fortune-Telling by Cards" so that I can try out other methods. But in the meantime I can say that visually all three cards are saying push forward, so in terms of a Life Path subject I would recommend the client to go ahead with their plans.

In a nutshell the Chariot suggests moving forward but with difficulties so there may be some indecision at first. The Three Swords suggest impetus and finally some movement, and the King also is ready for movement, he's dressed for action and on the edge of his seat.

This is brief for the moment but seeing these three cards together teem with getting into gear and getting on with things. I'm not going to guess what the life path is, more the advice that the cards are giving.

And its lovely to see the Dodal.

I was intrigued by the image of the Three of Swords. The two curved swords seemed to gather in the figures/cards on either side. There's such a strong tradition of this card meaning sorrow - going back to the Sola Busca deck, that I don't want to ignore that. Even the old cartomancy books stress tears, inconstancy and unfortunate circumstances.

1) If I were to look at the cards as having a timeline, then I'd say that the querent had been strongly on their lifepath in the past (Chariot) and developed a level of mastery in that area.

Currently they are experiencing a loss of faith or something that has brought them sorrow—even to the extent of coloring with gray their experience of the past and vision of the future. (Three of Swords)

But, it will not be long before they are able to refocus and be back on track, perhaps with a new maturity and new sense of direction. (King of Wands)

Also, that this new sense of direction may emerge directly out of the experience of sorrow and heartbreak. In the RWS, I like to look at the 3 of Swords as "creative heartbreak"—like the poignant beauty of a country-western song of love & loss. In the Dodal version the single sword in the middle seems to emerge out of the difficulty that threatens to engulf it.

2) However, if I look at the Three of Swords as an image of difficulty in a three pronged relationship—a disturbance in the harmony, then I'd ask the querent what opposing factors the two figures on the sides represent. Then I'd try to help the querent determine where the strongest point of agreement lay and help reforge a sense of destiny based on that.

Both version 1 & version 2 could be true. Version 2 is much more dynamic and allows the querent to come to his or her own realization, which, for me as a reader, is much more exciting.

Subject: Life Path
Deck: Dodal
Positions: none (read as a unit)

~~~ Chariot - Three of Swords - King of Wands/Batons ~~~

I looked at these cards shortly after they were posted and have been wondering how best to view them as a unit. Then today I just looked at them and........

Someone who travels through life meeting everything head-on and dealing with it in the most politically expedient way. The chariot implies (for me) that the person has allegiances or principles that will define his/her approach. The 3 Swords, that they are prepared to 'step into any breach' and handle it, not a shirker. However the King Batons seems to suggest some softening of a purely black & white viewpoint.

Someone who will negotiate their Life Path according to a keen sense of.what does & does not constitute progress and accomplishment ?).


Bee