The inverse of a situation
‘I’m tired of the inverse of the situation.’
‘Meaning?’
‘Meaning exactly that, that I’m tired of the inverse situation.’
‘Ok.’
‘So, what do I get?’
‘You get the Star and the Devil.’
‘Meaning?’
‘Meaning exactly that, the Star and the Devil.’
‘So, on the outside I got the Star and on the inside I got the Devil?’
‘That’s right. Heaven and Hell.’
‘I knew it. It’s all about image and appearance, the outside, and that ain’t nothing like the hellish reality inside.’
‘Well then, you’ll have to put the Devil on your sleeve, and get on with the real program.’
‘Are you kidding me? What about my image?’
‘Well, fine then. Keep the Devil in the closet, and stop lamenting about the superficial.’
‘Is there a third card?’
‘Why? Didn’t you ask about the inverse of the situation? About how this is this and that is that and about how ‘that’ can become ‘this’? What do you need a third card for?’
‘I guess you’re right.’
‘Damn right. Put the Devil on your sleeve, like I said, and then act accordingly. You’ll only lose the appearance.’
‘And the consequences?’
‘Come back tomorrow, and we’ll triangulate. But today, today we stick to the binary and its inverse situation.
♠
Advice to other Tarot readers from the life and times of a fortuneteller: when your clients resist formulating a concrete question, but do, however, volunteer other type of information, don’t bother with large spreads.
Two cards will do the trick. They will create a tension that will force the other to see just what is needed. In this case here, three cards would have messed with the beautiful symmetry between heaven and hell.
Apart from the direct message, the client also got to gush: ‘Wow, look at that. But if Heaven is just playing to the gallery, and Hell is what IS, then that’s not so good, is it?’
When the client asks a rhetorical question that validates his or her sudden insight, the work is done to everybody’s satisfaction.
Hail symmetry! Hail simplicity!
♦
Cards: Carolus Zoya Marseille Tarot, Torino, ca. 1790-1800, in my private collection.
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The force
My course book on the Marseille tarot takes care of many a resisting sitters.
