For anyone who has ever had a reading done with Tarot cards
you know that each card carries a meaning, often changed if the card is laid
upright or upside down; depending on the pattern that the cards fall in shows
us how many answers are dependent on the things and people around us.
Aside from the suits Pentacles, Swords, Cups and Wands, the
cards are also categorized into Minor and Major Arcana. Minor Arcana belong to
the individual suits whereas the major arcana (I.e.: The Lovers; Judgement; The
Hanged Man; The World; The Fool; and more [22 in total]) do not belong in the
suits. While several of the minor arcana (8 of swords; 2 of cups; 5 of wands; and
more [56 in total]) share similar meanings with the major set, the message is
not as strong.
When reading the cards, the minor arcana indicate average
day-to-day activities and influences. The major arcane on the other hand are
more persistant, seems to carry more weight, and indicates that there are
outside forces that factor into our lives and have significant bearing on the answer.
The standard is when 4 or more major arcane show up in a reading then the
result of the question often means that the outcome is not in the seeker’s
control.
(*my mom used to read
with a normal deck of playing cards and she was fairly accurate, however she
always said the cards are not the final answer, only the most likely if
everything continues on the same path. Most times you do have the power to
alter the forecasted outcome)
But dang it gets frustrating when you life seems to all major
arcane and we feel no control over our situation. There are times when we do
everything “right” only to have those outside influences grab on. The person
driving down the road, obeying all of the traffic signs and mileage, is struck
by another car that is speeding and weaving – the outside influence was the
OTHER driver – this situation may have been out of our control. Or how about
when Mother Nature decides to flood our streets and we have water gushing into
our homes, one would not be surprised to see several major arcane in the lay of
the cards.
Truth is that even in the examples above we still retain some
control (in the 1st we drove a car, in the 2nd we decided to live in
a low-lying flood prone area near a major waterway). It is always very wearisome
when no matter how well we planned our actions, something unexpected happens to
ruin the day. It doesn’t change the fact that this is the life we’ve been given
and we have to decide to move on, to attempt to take back control of our lives.
Things happen, sometimes they go wrong… and sometimes something better has been
placed before us; we have to learn to recognize those moments and grab them
while the opportunity exists.
Sometimes life is like that. We all know we’ve got to work “with
the cards we’ve been dealt”, however it’s hard when we feel all that is being
sent our way are major arcana. Never allow yourself to feel defeated and never
give up. Garth Brooks sang a song called Unanswered Prayers and it serves as a
good reminder that things don’t always go as planned and that could be a very
good thing.
Just the other night at a hometown football game
My wife and I ran into my old high school flame
And as I introduced them the past came back to me
And I couldn't help but think of the way things used
to be
She was the one that I'd wanted for all times
And each night I'd spend prayin' that God would make
her mine
And if he'd only grant me this wish I wished back then
I'd never ask for anything again
Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers
Remember when you're talkin' to the man upstairs
That just because he doesn't answer doesn't mean he
don't care
Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered
prayers
