Four Noble Truths Reading for Me

Here is a reading with the Four Noble Truths spread.  I decided to use a stone-card combination--stones for the first four and cards for the path cards.

 

I asked for insight and advice on my various tarot projects, especially the two deck concepts I’ve been working on for a long time. 

 

Here’s the beginning of the reading:

 

Symptom:  15-Devil-Hematite.  My problem with my projects is a common one--my attention is always being called off by other tempting interests!  TV shows and movies, random (but irresistible) divination topics to research, fascinating new decks to get to know, these are where my time, attention, energy, and thoughts are snagged, instead of with my own creations that are not yet prepared to be sent into the world to seek their fortune.  I am in charge of my own thoughts and time . . .

Diagnosis:  14-Temperance-Rose Quartz.  The reason that I’m not paying enough attention to my projects is that I’m under the mistaken impression that I can take a balanced approach to my work.  But in reality that just leads to the temptation to work on what’s new and fun instead of working out the difficult issues with a project or knuckling down to the nitty gritty of writing things out exactly the way I want them.

Prognosis:  5-Hierophant-Orange Calcite.  This is good news!  The probable outcome is that I will be able to complete the writing and editing (and teaching) portions of my projects.  They will be considered acceptable entries in the tarot tradition.

Prescription:  2-Priestess-Moonstone.  Here’s where it get interesting.  Even though the beginning of the reading is telling me I just need to manage my time and energy and buckle down and do it, the actual advice is trust my inner knowing.  Does that mean my inner knowing of how to manage my work?  Or does it mean don’t just crank something out, but make sure that my work includes true tarot and spiritual wisdom?  It’s also an interesting contrast between Hierophant and Priestess.  If I put personal, inner wisdom into it, conventional and accepted wisdom will come out.  This works with the idea that religion and conventional spirituality are always based on the roots of someone’s very personal (and usually difficult to express) transcendent experience (as in Varieties of Religious Experience by William James).

So, to get more insight into and answer my questions about the Prescription, I drew 2 path cards for 2-Priestess.  (The deck is La Corte dei Tarrochi.)

Path:  Due Spade and L’Impiccato.  So, it looks like yes to both of my questions!  2 Swords says I need to follow my own wisdom and self-knowledge to make a (sharp?) decision about how I’m going to spend my time and energy.  The Hanged One, on the other hand, says I need to know when to work and when to wait.  I need to be able to wait for the inspiration and wisdom I need to say exactly what needs to be said.  The fact that the hanging person is held up by a chain of leaves held by two small birds perched in a tree makes me think that this waiting won’t be an anguished dark night of the soul or an uncomfortable punishment.  It will seem natural and in harmony with nature to wait until the time is right.

This is an encouraging reading.  I just need to balance (Temperance) the need for concentration and regular work habits with the need for waiting until it’s time for the truth to emerge in my work.  And I’ll keep my eyes on the prize of the Hierophant outcome!