Three (or one) Card Draw for Samhain

[wyld_dandelyon]

Edit--I have work tomorrow, and NaNoWriMo starts tomorrow (technically, started at midnight) so I'd better close this to new requests. I'll do this again, though, so if you missed it this time, look for it to happen again in December.

Anyone who already left a request, I'll respond soon, most likely tomorrow night. Thanks for stopping by!

I haven't done one of these before, here in LJ-land. But I really enjoy them when other people do them.

Of course, the usual disclaimers apply -- a card reading can't substitute for professional advice. If you need a doctor or lawyer or financial planner, etc., that's not me. If I can provide some entertainment, or help you get in touch with your own higher power(s) or inner muse(s), on the other hand, I'm glad to be of service.

One of the things I've thought was great about many of these readings is that I get to glimpse different ways of doing readings, people's individual decks, or stone readings, and so on. So I'm bringing a unique "deck" to this reading--one I created for Torn World, as well as some more conventional cards.

One interesting feature of Torn World that isn't really visible in the stories is that there are three classes of noun--natural, technological, and abstract. Language shapes how people think; I suspect that having three classes of things will have significant effects on their culture; one of the things I wanted to do with this divination "deck" (the Kuleilyi actually place the images on metal disks, because metal and sounds are important to their religion/magic system); only children and apprentices work with paper or wooden copies). The specifics of the divination disks are still being reviewed by the canon board, so this is a sneak-peek for my friends, old and new.

So, anyway, THE RULES: You can leave a question or not, as you choose. The question can be for you, personally, for a creative endeavor, for a fictional character in a work in progress, or a request for inspiration. The default, if you don't specify, will be a three-card Torn World reading, much as Bai-Kunabei might give if you were to get a reading from her. Alternatively, you can ask for a one card reading from the Daughters of the Moon Tarot, or the Shapeshifter's Tarot.  A final option is to ask for a Guide from the combined deck I made out of  Susan Seddon Boulet's Goddesses and Animal Spirits.

Payment:  No payment is necessary, but this does take time and energy.  Any tips will be gratefully appreciated and applied to the "Get a Laptop that doesn't crash when it overheats" fund, since even with the little fan-table underneath, this laptop has crashed in the middle of me trying to write twice this week.

Time period:  this being the first time I've done this here, I don't know what to expect.  My current plan is to leave the post open for requests until at least midnight, but if the response gets overwhelming, I may close it sooner.  I will edit the post (in nice bold letters at the top) when I close to new requests.  If you get your request in by closing, I'll do a reading, either today or soon.

Comments

[rm.livejournal.com]

Question is for me, personally, as regards a creative endeavor. I'm going to phrase it in a way that makes euphemistic sense to me (and actually is bullshit as far as discretion goes, as I use the metaphor a lot, but I feel better in this approach), I hope that works. If not, please contact privately for clarification.

Will I meet the wizard and will that serve us both?

Thank you.

[stryck.livejournal.com]

Pull some cards for my cub, please. :)

[meghers.livejournal.com]

Oh, can I ask for a guide? How exactly does that work? I am intrigued. <3

[dianavilliers.livejournal.com]

Go on, then.

[rose-lemberg.livejournal.com]

I'd much appreciate a reading about my health, and I'd like to ask for the Guide option. Thank you very much.

[thesilentpoet.livejournal.com]

I'd be interested. General sort of future stuff. Lots of stress right now in regards to employment (or lack thereof), finances, and to lesser extent, personal matters. Any insight would be appreciated! :)

[wyld-dandelyon.livejournal.com]

The Shaman sits under her staff, prayer bells quiet, the oddly-burnt ball whistle hanging there to remind you this is a woman who has faced invisible monsters and survived. She reached into a leather bag and brings out three iron discs. "I am glad this reading is for your endeavor, and not your life," she starts.

"Your first image, which represents the natural, living world that is pertinent to your question is Snow, the silent expanse of winter, water frozen in deceptively peaceful state, more than enough to drown you, ready to freeze you or bury you alive. Snow is the dangerous aspect of water, treat your subject matter carefully."

She looks from you to the next disc. "The next symbol is Storm, which is also a card of water. This creative endeavor will challenge your skills and call on your resources and your resourcefulness, as well as touching on things that you care about deeply."

The final disc shows a body in a shroud. "And for the abstract aspects, you get Corpse, the symbol of personal tragedy, of endings, and also of the family and friends who have to let the dead person go, and get on with their lives, though it seems impossible at the time."

She lets you gaze at the images, worked in metal and enameled with bright, melted glass. "Will the meeting serve you both? That is hard to say. This could be a good reading if you are making a weapon, or writing a tragedy. Not so good, I think, if you are writing love poetry."

(edited to fix misplaced quotation marks)

[akaihyo.livejournal.com]

Seeking inspiration. Thank you.

[rm.livejournal.com]

That is positively spooky.

[wyld-dandelyon.livejournal.com]

The shaman smiles at the little one, and shakes bells over him in blessing. Then she reaches into her bag and pulls out three discs, laying them in front of the little boy.

The first is an iron disk, showing the night sky. "The first image is Void, showing that he has many challenges to face, but also plenty of time and space to face them in."

The second disk is made of brass, and shows a person of indeterminate gender, one foot lifted and arms outstretched. She nods, "Dancer. An abstract image to represent the things in his life." She ponders for a moment. "It won't matter so much how much stuff he has, as what he does with it." She picks up the disk, which had been just out of his reach, and hands it to him so he can run his fingers over the shiny image. "You need to learn to dance, young man--to gracefully make the most of your tools and skills, whatever they will be." She looks back at you. "It was dancing saved my life, you know, when I met the wraith high in the mountains."

Then she turns to the final disk, which is made of copper and shows an infant with wide eyes. "And finally, Newborn, a natural card in the abstract position, here to show what thoughts and attitudes are pertinent. This little one's mind is busy doing exactly what he needs right now, looking out at the world, learning about everything, and learning to think about everything that matters."

She shakes her bells over him again, and he looks up, reaching for them. In the process, he drops the Dancer, which she quietly gathers up with her other disks and returns them to her bag. "Blessings for you both, mother and son."

[ideealisme.livejournal.com]

Have donated. Three carder, please? Confirmation that I am finally getting it right on this iteration...

[kathryn-aka-kat.livejournal.com]

Please, a reading? I think I know where I'm going, but the way there is shadowed and I'm always looking for illumination. A Guide might be a Good Thing, or a card would do. I'll take wherever your hand moves.
Thank you!

Scarab

[wyld-dandelyon.livejournal.com]

For you, I drew the painting of a scarab, a symbol of regeneration or rebirth. In Egyptian mythology, the scarab rolls the sun across the sky. In this painting, the artist incorporated the lotus flower on the beetle's head and glorious outstretched wings, upper wings like a bird or angel, and lower wings like a butterfly, with a central image of two people looking at each other on the its back.

The scarab is a powerful guide, and it can help you face tasks that seem as impossible as herding the sun through the sky. It also advises that you must not forget to attend to your daily tasks, and that you should seek inspiration from your loved ones as well as your dreams.

Re: Scarab

[meghers.livejournal.com]

That's really interesting and amazing, thank you! <3

[thejeweledhorn.livejournal.com]

Will the man I'm thinking of follow through or abandon?

I feel dorky asking that question, but it's very kind of you to offer cards today. Thank you.

[ariestess]

I would love a Guide from your combined deck of Susan Seddon Boulet's Goddesses and Animal Spirits. thank you!

[wyld-dandelyon.livejournal.com]

"Ah, for you, the first image, the image that is the basis of your question, being the natural world that you live within, is Clouds. Ever shifting, always different, nearly always open to interpretation, unless they carry a storm to your doorstep. Do you really see the world as so malleable, so open to becoming whatever you wish to make of it?"

She turns to the next disk, a child looking curiously at something just out of the image. This disk is copper, where the first one was iron. "Perhaps you do. The skills, the tools that matter to your question are those of the child, the natural learner, and look--"

she holds out the final disk, made of gold or some gold alloy, since it isn't damaged from being in the pouch with all the heavy iron disks. It shows a person, an adult. "The Neuter--the person whose gender is indeterminate, or doesn't matter, because what matters is ideas."

She smiles at you. "Interesting. Thank you for stopping by. I--perhaps you could show me some of your art, one day, when I'm not so busy." She gestures at the waiting people, and shakes her bells in blessing for you.

[wyld-dandelyon.livejournal.com]

For you I drew Monkey, dancing in the night sky. The moon and stars look on, serene, and bubbles float at his feet. The monkey embodies agility, courage, and spirit. There is a myth of a money hero named Hanuman, who had the agility to leap across the heavens. He led a monkey army against a demon and rescued Sita, the wife of Vishnu, and was granted everlasting life.

I don't know what metaphorical demon is holding your health hostage, but the Monkey can help you find the agility and courage to deal with it.

[tornaderman.livejournal.com]

I'd like to ask about my health, if that's alright with you.
Whichever draw you are feeling is fine with me. :)
Thank you.

[dianavilliers.livejournal.com]

Heh. Not so much an answer as a reflection. As you say, interesting...
Thanks :)

[wyld-dandelyon.livejournal.com]

The shaman reaches into her leather bag and brings out three disks.

"You fist disk, the card of the things you cannot control, is Dragon." It's an iron disk, and the dragon depicted on it looks fierce and deadly. "The forces causing your difficulties may be just myths in their essence, but the effects on the real world are extensive and dangerous."

The second disk is made of silver, and shows a circle of tree branches depicting the seasons. "The tool you need to manage is depicted by the Year-Wheel. You can't speed things up, so you have to manage your resources to get through the hard times."

The final disk is also silver, and shows a shiny city of high-rises. "The final card is the Ancient World, the world before the Upheaval, before the world was sundered into fragmentary shards of what it was before." She looks at you quizically. "Did your world have a disaster too?" Then she shrugged. "No matter. The things you need to know to face this challenge have been handed down to you from your ancestors."

[thesilentpoet.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

[danceswithlife]

Three card reading Torn World, if you would.

Is what I am currently focusing most of my energy on where my priorities should be?

Thank you so much!

Lola

[celtic_maenad]

I'd like advice on dealing with some personal conflict at work, please.

[wyld-dandelyon.livejournal.com]

The woman takes a moment to shake her bells at some children nearby who are arguing. They look guilty for a moment, then bow and thank her for the blessing before running off to play elsewhere.

Then she pulls three disks, all iron, out of her bag. She smiles, looking at the first disk, showing a beautiful woman in rainbow robes.

"You get your wish. Your first disk is the Muse. Inspiration is all around you, though it may not take the form you expect. The tools you need to access it--" she taps the second disk, which shows a young man holding a bouquet of flowers. "The Suitor. You need to take a little time with your Muse, let her know you're paying attention to her, to get her attention."

Then she turned to the final disk, which shows a strange, short man in a circle of rocks. "And your last card is the Rock Tender. You have to tend the ideas you get from the muse, spend the time and the materials needed to bring them into reality." She smiles again, "The rock tender is a powerful ally for smiths and other creative people. I look forward to seeing the fruits of your inspiration."