Taroo, Tarot, Tarra...

 ONE of the novel’s secondary characters is Tante Ilse, a 91 year old neighbour of the Thomas family, who has known Madeleine since she first came to Munich. She likes to do Tarot spreads and one of these will feature in the novel. But what are Tarot cards and what are they for?

Tarot is a very ancient method for trying to read the future. The user lays cards from a pack of 78 cards with a variety of pictures on them and seeks to decipher answers for his / her question from the cards. This sounds very esoteric, but to find Tarot cards interesting and helpful, it is not necessary to believe that there is a mysterious power guiding the user in the card selection. The strength of the cards is that their meaning is open to interpretation and this can help people to reflect on their situation and view problems from a different angle. This change of perspective can often help the user make better decisions.

About four weeks ago while researching the topic, I decided to do a very simple spread about this project from a Tarot writer called Hajo Banzhof and I asked the question “What do I need to know about writing this novel and blog?”

I fixed the question in my mind and shuffled the cards. I then laid four cards face down on the table following the points of the compass:

1 West = represents the starting point for everything and the current situation.

2 East = represents things which are currently unimportant and can be ignored.

3 North = represents things which are currently important, the direction in which I should go, or what I should do.

4 South = represents the results in the near future if I follow the direction outlined in step 3.

I then turned over the cards, one after another, and this was my spread:

How do I interpret them?

1 West: The Page of Coins – this shows a man playing with what to me looks like a soap bubble. Banzhof’s interpretation is that I am considering the possibility of following an opportunity. I would add that the idea for this novel has been at the back of my mind for a long time as something vague and insubstantial. Now I want to take hold of it and turn it into something posiive.

2 East: The Five of Coins – this shows two beggars trudging thorough the snow and represents crisis or insecurity with problems that are not easy to solve. Normally quite alarming but in this case it means that this is something that I don’t have to worry about.

3 North: The World – a very positive card representing joy, happiness and thankfulness for what has been achieved. In this position it suggests I need to keep my eye on the goal and carry my project through. Sensible advice, you have to admit.

4 South: The Six of Coins – another positive card which suggests that if I persevere I shall be rewarded.

Yay!

It’s too soon to judge the accuracy or not of this reading, but there has been nothing so far to contradict its suggestions. You could argue that it’s all very generic good advice that could apply to any project. But I could have drawn a lot of other more negative cards, so I’m giving the Tarot the benefit of the doubt at the moment and feeling that, yes, this project is going to be a success, and the Tarot predicted it.

We shall have to come back to review this later. Don’t let me forget.