I was recently visiting a very dear longtime friend. We were on our way home from dinner (where I enjoyed a single Guinness) when she said, “A lot of people don’t know this, but I do Tarot Card readings.”
“Shit, I’ve known you for almost 40 years and I never knew that,” I responded, and thinking about it for a moment, I continued, “Would you be willing to do a reading for me? I’ve always wanted to do a tarot card reading.”
“I’d love to,” she agreed.
Soon we were seated across from each other at her dining table, and she asked me to shuffle the cards. Little did I expect what those Tarot Cards would tell me about my sobriety journey and what potentially lay ahead.
The Devil Of Addiction
My friend explained some of the basics of tarot readings, asks me to shuffle the deck, and then to cut it. After I cut the deck, I drew three cards placing each of them in front of me on the table. The first card I placed down was The Devil.
“Oh, crap,” I say, “This doesn’t look good.”
She explains that we are doing a past, present, and future reading. And she tells me that there is meaning in the fact that The Devil is reversed (upside down – see Tarot Cards above). She goes on to say that the reversed Devil card indicates that I’ve reclaimed my power and freedom over a trapping or addiction. She mentions that she doesn’t often see The Devil drawn, so it’s interesting I drew it as the first card. Especially considering our conversations that evening (Concerning this blog and addiction among other related topics).
“So then this would indicate that my alcohol and pot addiction are behind me, then?”
“Not exactly,” she replied in a somewhat serious tone, “Let’s see where you are presently.”
Enter The Seven of Wands Tarot Card
The Seven of Wands tarot card depicts a man on top of a hill, armed with a wand and fighting off six more wands drawing up from below him. He is defending his progress and his successes. Interestingly, the man is wearing two different shoes. This suggests that he may have been caught unaware or unprepared for battle. Or he may be unclear of his own stance or opinion. In other words, he may be confused or unsure of himself.
My friend explains that the Seven is in the upright position. Thus, I have made significant progress toward my goal of transformation. But she warns that I “still have some challenging work ahead of me.” The Seven of Wands indicates that I am persevering in my fight against The Devil of addiction. But I’m not out of the woods yet.
So I take this to mean that the reversed Devil of my past is still working desperately to rope me back into my addiction, but that I’m not going down without a fight! I have a determination to press on and am prepared to take on the battles that lie ahead. This is my present state.
10 Swords Stuck In My Back!
My last card, representing my future, is the Ten of Swords in the reversed position. As soon as I see it, I say, “Oh, this can’t be good.”
My friend looks at me reassuringly and explains the meaning of the card, but not before she shares that she doesn’t see this card very often either, and that overall, I’ve drawn a very interesting hand. I agree.
The Ten of Swords tarot card shows a man lying face down, obviously dead, with ten swords stuck in his back. A red cape covers the lower half of his body representing dignity as he departed this world. The dark sky is ominous, but the sun is rising on the horizon, communicating hope and opportunity. The calm sea in the background brings solace, suggesting that even in times of darkness, peace and calm may be found.
My friend tells me that my future state is one of sea change – complete rebirth and renewal. At the end of my arduous journey, I will have completely transformed myself and my life. The old addicted me will be dead and the new me will rise with the sun.
“So I will experience complete and utter transformation… I will succeed in my journey.”
“It appears that way,” she replies with a warm smile.
Tarot Cards & My Sober Journey
The tarot reading truly amazed me. I can’t reconcile the sheer coincidence of the tarot reading with our conversations that evening. Nor can I wrap my head around how closely these cards in this specific order resembled the current state of my sobriety journey as I see it.
The tarot reading offers insight and advises caution. While I may view addiction as a past affliction, my fight is not over yet. In fact, if the Nine of Wands (not drawn in this reading) is any indication of the fight ahead of me, I’m to be significantly more beaten, bloody, and battle worn before I end up with all those swords in my back. The Nine of Wands is the final showdown. A test of my faith. The conquest of the ultimate challenge before I experience total transformation and renewal.
Of course, I realize that regardless of the cards I drew, we would have assigned some pertinent meaning to them. But these cards, in this order, stuck me as more than mere coincidence.
All a reasonable person can do is work with the insights gained and press on. That is what I plan to do. Take my staff and fight the good fight and beat back the devil of addiction. In the end, it will have been worth it.
