Six of cups

Saturday night was like something out of "Big" and the Zoltan machine. Okay that's a bit of a reach, but there was some freaky-deaky shit. Long story short? Rebecca read our Tarot cards. For hours on end. Riveted? To say the least.

For starters, Rachel is trying to decide between two grad schools: Boston and New York. Tough decision? I should say yes. So she asked the deck about Boston and drew the Three of Pentacles. A description? Here are some key phrases associated with the card: "meeting your goals, proving your ability, achieving more than what's expected, knowing what it is and how to do it, operating in the know." It perfectly applies to a girl going to grad school, does it not? All of us in the room felt sure that the deck was telling Rachel, "Boston or bust!" But I suggested Rachel draw a card for New York — just to see what the cards had to say about The Big Apple. So she shuffled. And shuffled. With great gusto and much, well, shuffling. She drew a card. Can you guess? Three of (fucking**) Pentacles. The room let out gasps and screams as each of us backed into walls, clawing at our faces and shrieking at each other, "What the fuck! What the fuck!**" It was just too weird. Impossible. But it happened. That's some freaky shit.

To sum up the other strange readings, they all have to do with love. We asked the deck about our good friend, Christina's, relationship with her boy toy. Said boy toy has just returned from a six-month stint in Afghanistan. The card we pulled for their relationship's current state of affairs? A card that depicts a proud soldier returning home from war. (Again, the gasps resounded!) And a second love-related oddity? Lindsey simply asked the deck if she and her boyfriend would be married within the year — she pulled the Six of Wands, also known as "the victory card." Yes, this card appears when success is just around the corner. Will we all dance at Lindsey's wedding within a year? Who can say. But the Tarot seems to think so.

Now on to my own reading — I asked about The Boyfriend and I, as that will always be the most fun to a group of gossiping girlfriends. For our past, I drew The Lovers card. In my research, I found that The Lovers card really tells the story of a choice. "The Fool comes to a cross-road, filled with energy, confidence and purpose, knowing exactly where he wants to go and what he wants to do. But he comes to a dead stop. A flowering tree marks the path he wants to take, the one he's been planning on taking. But standing before a fruit tree marking the other path is a woman. The Fool has met and had relationships with women before, some far more beautiful and alluring. But she is different. Seeing her, he feels as though he's just been shot in the heart with cupid's arrow." Flowery, romantic, and just how a relationship's past (AKA beginning) should be.

For our present time, the deck sent me the card of Temperance. This card is all about opposites and merging those opposites together — "This card urges the querent to have faith that they can merge fiery red and watery blue into otherworldly violet. But they will need to experiment, have confidence, and try, try, again. It is about mixing things until you get exactly what you want, which is usually a perfect blend of the two." What a perfect reminder for a couple trying to figure out their next step. The Boyfriend is considering grad school... or a career. Our blessed economy being what it is, so much is up in the air — but Temperance is a reminder to try, have patience, and work at blending our lives bit by bit. It can be done.

Our future was the freaky-deaky shit card. I pulled the Six of Cups. It shows a boy bestowing a cup filled with flowers to a girl. Here is one interpretation: "The Lord of Pleasure is a welcome card in any reading, bringing in a sense of harmony and balance. Existing relationships broaden and deepen, giving an extended sense of contentment and satisfaction. It's important to recognize, with this card, that its influence extends only to established relationships - those which already have a history of their own. It will come up in a reading to indicate major steps forward, strengthened commitment, marriage." And another: "Harmony, past associations have brought present relationships. A sense of the past. Happiness that results from past efforts. Pleasant memories and realization of a dream. Can also indicate new elements entering into one's life which are linked to the past, which will work through the present to create the future."

I'm not freaking out. But I am. I mean what are the odds that I would pick such a card? I could have drawn Rachel's Three of Pentacles, but no. It just (pun is intended) wasn't in the cards. And even more strange? Rebecca said, after she explained this final card to me, that while she had been reading up on Tarot, the Six of Cups reminded her of me. She said she kept thinking of me. Thought it was "so Kelsey." And then I go and draw it? Final thoughts: as aforementioned, freaky-deaky shit. Gotta love it.
**Note: Please excuse my French. :-)