fandomhigh | Good Omens...And Bad: Prophecy in Theory and Practice, Lab Four

Friday, September 29, Second Period

Once again the furniture has been rearranged. There are large comfortable pillows and cushions on the floor, and between each set of two is a low table with two decks of cards sitting on it. One deck is an ordinary set of playing cards, the other is a classical tarot deck. There are also two sets of handouts on each table. As usual, a table of tea and coffee, scones, cookies, and tea sandwiches has been provided.

"Today's exercise is on Cartomancy, or the skill of divining through cards. Cartomancy can be done using ordinary playing cards, although many people choose to use the more ornate and specialized tarot cards. You have a choice to use either one today. Once you've gotten comfortable, I want you to follow the guidelines on your handouts and do a simple reading for your lab partner. You can choose any layout you like, although you must use a minimum of three cards. If you're not certain what to choose, consider using the Celtic Cross, which is a very common layout for general readings."

HOMEWORK: One of the handouts is actually a take-home test. Please complete the test and bring with you to lab next Friday.

[OOC: The following links can be used to generate tarot readings.]
Traditional Tarot Reading #1
Traditional Tarot Reading #2
Reading using Playing Cards

Syllabus
Class Roster
Classes Linkdrop
Lab Partner List

[~~Please wait for OCD threads.~~ Class is now in session.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"I turned down his proposal of marriage by chucking a rock at his head, then I ran from him and jumped in a fountain." Pippi admitted.

"But that was very good!" she clapped her hands for him.

"Thanks," Sam said, smiling again. "If I was your knight, I'd forgive you...for the leaving and jumping in a fountain part, though maybe not the rock to the head part."

Pippi nodded. "Understandable." she said. "Shall I do a reading for you now?"

"Sure," he said, sighing softly as he tried to think of a question. "I want to know what my chances of getting into college are."

"Okay!" Pippi said and set out the "Path to a goal" layout. She looks at it for a moment and tilts her head.

"Um."

"Is that good um, or a bad um?"

"Well," Pippi said looking at the spread (http://strongestgirl.livejournal.com/73654.html). "The short version is that it's going to be a long hard road. In the end you'll be facing a person who believes he is above the rules."

"A long hard road? Gee, that sounds familiar," Sam said, with a hint of sarcasm. "I guess the man at the end could be my dad. Or Dean. They both fit that description pretty well." He wasn't sure if he liked how some of the other cards looked.

"Possibly, but this person is... Well he's mad. He doesn't know the meaning of the word mercy. But you got some good stuff along the way too."

Sam took a deep breath, wondering if she could possibly mean whatever it was that killed his mother, but simply nodded. "Well, good stuff is...good, right?" he said, smiling softly.

"Good stuff is good. See here..." She pointed to the Death card. "That's always a scary one to come up but it's not always bad. This is your hidden health path, it indicates influences on your wellbeing that isn't obvious. It indicates sudden change brings fears of the unknown, but ultimately alters life in such a way as to initiate new growth. So the change may seem bad at first, but it can ultimately brings about good."

"Okay, I see what you're saying," Sam said, nodding. Especially if that change was his new nightmares. "I'll just have to keep telling myself that things will end up good."

"No no." Pippi said waving her hand across the cards. "You have to make the things end up good. You feel sometimes like you have no control over your destiny. And it's true, there are things beyond one's control, but you're not helpless, and you're not alone. But you can and should guide your own fate. You don't have to just ride the current. You have sails and a rudder, you just have to use them."

And that was exactly what Sam needed to hear. He could control some things, and if that meant finding a way to go to college against his father's wishes, then maybe he could pull it off after all. "I...thank you. You have no idea how helpful that is to hear."

Pippi smiled, maybe the Page of Cups was her after all. Not that she could say for certain.

"My pleasure."

Good Omens...And Bad: Prophecy in Theory and Practice, Lab Four

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