What would happen between us if he was free?

[Midsummereve]

As part of a larger reading, using the RW deck, I pulled the following 2 cards in answer to the above question:
- The Queen of Cups
- The Hermit

2 things immediately struck me when I saw these cards side by side:
- the Hermit is turned towards the Queen, shining his light on her.
- I also recognized myself as the Queen of Cups and "him" as the Hermit (he's an introvert by nature).

So would this combination simply mean that, if this man was available, he'd turn his attention towards me, and shine his light on me, as it were?

Thanks in advance for your insights!

 

[rwcarter]

Bad news for you. If you go down that road, while the Hermit is looking at the Queen, she is looking away from him, her gaze intently focused on the ornate chalice (ciborium?) that she's holding. So if he were free, he might turn his attention to you, but your attention would be elsewhere. Might be a star-crossed lovers kind of thing.

Rodney

 

[Midsummereve]

Bad news for you. If you go down that road, while the Hermit is looking at the Queen, she is looking away from him, her gaze intently focused on the ornate chalice (ciborium?) that she's holding. So if he were free, he might turn his attention to you, but your attention would be elsewhere. Might be a star-crossed lovers kind of thing.

Rodney

Hi Rodney,

Wouldn't it be sweet to have a choice ))

For me, the chalice that the Queen holds is just a symbol of the depth of her feelings, her lifelong accomplishments in the realm of her emotional life, or perhaps here the symbol of the feelings she has for that man... I didn't "see" the Queen's gaze as a lack of interest but rather as her ability to focus intently on that chalice that represents her love.

I understand what you mean, though... The Queen ostensibly turning her back on the Hermit and her attention being apparently caught on something other than "him". The 2 of Cups with its 2 people lovingly facing each other would have been a better card.

So here I have a case of "Am i too close to the subject to see things in an impartial way", or "did my intuition give me the correct gist of things"?

In the end, how do we know?

 

[rwcarter]

In the end, how do we know?

Hindsight, which is always 20/20....

 

[Mystica7]

Hi Midsummereve,

I love your interpretation, but mine would be different.

I'd rather have to agree with Rodney on the "bad news" part, yet that's how it goes for my take:

The Hermit here doesn't signify a chance of relationship (other than that of one's relationship with the self), especially a romantic one... Neither does the Queen of Cups (a particularly introvert card).

The QoC here may rather be echoing the "you feel it, trust your intuition" effect. But for this to happen a healthy detachment from the situation is a must. Otherwise we really can't know...

For me, none of these cards (or the combo at hand) foretell a solid union or coming together to be exactly on point.

As it goes for the solution, I could suggest that you see the man in question in rather friendly terms, under a compassionate yet not romantic light.

Mystica

 

[rwcarter]

Now that you mention it Mystica7, I actually didn't interpret the cards but instead continued Mse's interpretation based on directionality of the figures in the cards. The QC has internal mastery of her feelings (which could easily be contained in the chalice), but I don't think that would mean that she's necessarily open to love or can show love easily as those are external manifestations.

The Hermit as his part of the equation shows him searching for her as something akin to a spiritual quest. So he might wish to make a spiritual connection, but the Hermit (which could also been interpreted as "I vant to be alone") isn't all that great a card for a relationship.

Rodney

 

[Mystica7]

Now that you mention it Mystica7, I actually didn't interpret the cards but instead continued Mse's interpretation based on directionality of the figures in the cards. The QC has internal mastery of her feelings (which could easily be contained in the chalice), but I don't think that would mean that she's necessarily open to love or can show love easily as those are external manifestations.

The Hermit as his part of the equation shows him searching for her as something akin to a spiritual quest. So he might wish to make a spiritual connection, but the Hermit (which could also been interpreted as "I vant to be alone") isn't all that great a card for a relationship.

Rodney

Oh I see. Continuing on the OP's interpretation, I like the way you put it into words/unfold the picture.

 

[Midsummereve]

Now that you mention it Mystica7, I actually didn't interpret the cards but instead continued Mse's interpretation based on directionality of the figures in the cards. The QC has internal mastery of her feelings (which could easily be contained in the chalice), but I don't think that would mean that she's necessarily open to love or can show love easily as those are external manifestations.

The Hermit as his part of the equation shows him searching for her as something akin to a spiritual quest. So he might wish to make a spiritual connection, but the Hermit (which could also been interpreted as "I vant to be alone") isn't all that great a card for a relationship.

Rodney

Rodney,
I just "knew" when I saw the cards that they depicted him and I. With absolute, uncanny certainty. For me, looking at these cards was like looking at a photograph of the 2 of us... Again, I see myself as a Queen of Cups/ Wands type of person and I see him as the Hermit/ King of Pentacles. He's a self professed introvert. So I didn't even feel that I had to delve into the meanings of the cards, as I saw him turned towards me and looking over my shoulder.
Perhaps the Queen would need to contemplate her emotional life before turning to face the Hermit, maybe she'd need a little time before engaging with him... For the rest, I just don't know... As you said, hindsight is a wonderful thing...

 

[rwcarter]

Rodney,
I just "knew" when I saw the cards that they depicted him and I. With absolute, uncanny certainty. For me, looking at these cards was like looking at a photograph of the 2 of us... Again, I see myself as a Queen of Cups/ Wands type of person and I see him as the Hermit/ King of Pentacles. He's a self professed introvert. So I didn't even feel that I had to delve into the meanings of the cards, as I saw him turned towards me and looking over my shoulder.

And that's great! You pulled the cards, so they should speak most loudly and clearly to you. And if you get an intuitive flash about what the cards are saying, again that's unique to you as the person who picked and is interpreting the cards.

But you did ask for confirmation of your interpretation, which opens the door for alternate interpretations. Those interpretations may not resonate with you, but they may to someone who searches the forum for this card combination in the future. Nobody's interpretation is more right or wrong. Your interpretation resonates more with you, but it's far from a "standard" interpretation for that pair of cards.

Rodney

 

[Midsummereve]

And that's great! You pulled the cards, so they should speak most loudly and clearly to you. And if you get an intuitive flash about what the cards are saying, again that's unique to you as the person who picked and is interpreting the cards.

But you did ask for confirmation of your interpretation, which opens the door for alternate interpretations. Those interpretations may not resonate with you, but they may to someone who searches the forum for this card combination in the future. Nobody's interpretation is more right or wrong. Your interpretation resonates more with you, but it's far from a "standard" interpretation for that pair of cards.

Rodney

Of course, and I realize that. I value everyone's input always That's the beauty of the Tarot, isn't it, a variety of meanings is associated with each card, but then intuition plays a big part in how we each read our cards, and that's what is fascinating...

By the way, I received Rachel Pollack's "Tarot wisdom" today and opened it at the page of the Queen of Cups. She says that the QoC is "intense and deeply committed to her path, which we might call the creative path of love. Waite says that "she sees but she also acts". And later "she blends intense feeling with manifestation". I rather like that interpretation