The “Fog Cutter” — A Tarot Disambiguation Technique
“Now when the day goes to sleep and the full moon looks/ And the night is so black that the darkness cooks” — from The Green Manalishi by Peter Green
AUTHOR’S NOTE: My allusion in the title is to the potent, three-liquor “Tiki” cocktail that, in sufficient volume, will do anything but “cut the fog” unless it is taken as a morning-after “hair-of-the-dog” libation (in which case it might just make your hair stand on end and curl your toes as it banishes your hangover).
There is an assumption in the I Ching that water flowing upward “goes against nature:” according to Benebell Wen, it is in an “unnatural or supernatural” state of elevation because water’s normal tendency is to flow downward, seeking the depths. (Consider the bidirectional flow of the fluid between the two vases in the Waite-Smith Temperance card, which seems to defy gravity.)
While the element of Water at its best is completely transparent, hiding nothing, all-too-often it can be murky and misleading. When a Water card appears as the culmination of a reading, we might suspect that its testimony will be evasive or even unreliable in that it has reluctantly risen to the occasion, spurning its habitual mode of subsidence or unobtrusive withdrawal; this impression is reinforced by the fact that it is customary to pull cards from the top of the deck, with the last one showing “the end of the matter.” In other words, Water has been shoved into the spotlight where it isn’t at ease, and it may deliver inconclusive evidence that I often characterize as “squishy.” (Good examples of being “fog-bound” would be the sullen Moon, the misty Page/Princess of Cups, and the nebulous 7 of Cups.)
Although I seldom use clarifying cards, in this instance I can see pulling one additional card to “disambiguate” the meaning of an incoherent Water card by hopefully “cutting the fog” surrounding it. I think of this ploy as crowding it into a corner and forcing it to cough up its wisdom as it delicately tries to sidestep the issue. (If a second Water card turns up as the clarifier, you’re on your own!) With a little imagination, we could easily arrive at a similar dispensation for the other elements, particularly Earth since it also “settles” by nature (Fire and Air seem self-sustaining in their upsurge).
Here is a brief sample reading showing the idea in action:
The 3 of Disks (Work) as the “Current Situation” card suggests remaining steadfast and “staying the course” through planning and execution.
The Knight of Cups (which has long been my personal Significator) is telling me to “just be myself” and don’t step “out-of-character” when trying to move things forward.
The 3 of Cups (Abundance) reversed indicates that, in the final analysis, I should not expect to receive clear signals of emotional indulgence or encouragement toward my objective. It might even hint at a “loss of favor.”
Because this is a rather shapeless conclusion, I pulled a clarifier . . .
. . . and came up with the Fool reversed, which seems to be saying “Step back from the brink and don’t do anything stupid that could take you over the edge.” In the matter at hand, this is wise counsel given the “no-confidence” vote of the reversed 3 of Cups.
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on August 9, 2024.
