Sample Reading: The Answer Deck

Yesterday, I wrote a post about my newly-arrived Answer Deck. Today, I have a personal question to ask. It involves the relationship between me and someone who shall remain anonymous - we'll call her L.

 Things between L and I are complicated. Some people in life, you want to get closer to them but you aren't sure how. We have never been best friends, but I have always wished we were closer. With this in mind, I asked the cards what the nature of our relationship really is, and how I can improve it.

 

PAST: FAITH/TRUTH

To me, this indicates a friendship built on solid foundations. The cards suggest absolute trust in one another, and a complete lack of suspicion. Put simply, it means faith in the integrity of another, or in the very notion of truth itself. In terms of my friendship with L, I think it refers to a time when we were almost close, and assumed we would always be in each other's lives.

 
PRESENT: CHALLENGE/HAPPINESS

This combination also makes a lot of sense to me. Circumstances have greatly affected us - we do not move in the same circles like we used to, and have grown apart. Lately, I have become acutely aware of L's absence from my life, and it has certainly begun to sting. The cards also suggest that to find a happy solution, challenges must be overcome, and obstacles should be expected.

FUTURE: VULNERABLE/ABUNDANCE/LOSS/THE TROUBLESHOOTER

In the context of a relationship, especially a reconcilliation, I believe Vulnerability speaks of the risk involved whenever we open our heart to another - the fear of rejection, and the uncertainty of reciprocation. I think it also points to a relationship which is on shaky ground, one that will take work to mend.

I was a little confused about Abundance - I could not tell whether it referred to the previous card, indicating heightened levels of vulnerability, or the next, referring to great losses. I can only hope it is the former, not the latter.

Loss is an interesting card to find in a relationship spread. It does not necessarily mean an end to the relationship, but at the very least, there are troubled times ahead. This may come in the form of sacrifices to be made, but it just as likely means that even if we reconcile, things won't quite be the same. This is a risk I am more than willing to take.

The Troubleshooter is similar in meaning to the Tarot card The Magician. It represents creative solutions, and implies that we have all the tools for success already - it is just a matter of using them. I get a sense from this card that the way forward will not be easy, and that I may have to take an original approach to the problem.

OUTCOME: THE FAIR/GREY HAIRED MAN

It would seem that the fate of our friendship relies on a third person, someone who may have the power to make-or-break the deal. This could be someone with mischievous intentions, or simply a case of the wrong thing said at the wrong time. It just so happens that I know who this is: a mutual acquaintance who will make friendship difficult between us, as they often have in the past.

The general message of this reading seems to be that reconcilliation is well within reach, but that this can only work if both parties really want it to.