August 13, 2020
Today I used Ryan Edward’s Playing Marseille cards again, this time to find out what’s happened to a parcel of playing cards I ordered from Kickstarter. This is a trackable international shipment from the UK, and the Royal Mail website showed that it had already left the UK on August 4. The reason I’m worried is that there is no sign of the parcel’s having arrived anywhere in Canada yet, and today is already the 13th. All the Canada Post website says is that they are “waiting for the item”. Maybe the cards can tell me what this really means.
This deck always feels like a playing cards deck to me, so I file these readings under cartomancy, but it’s also a Tarot deck. It has 78 cards, which include the major trumps, as well as the Knights, as you would find in any Tarot deck.
Although my card readings take their cues mostly from the logic of the illustrations before me, I also like to use a fairly common sense approach, such as the one that was taught by Dawn Jackson in her Hedge Wytchery website, and also used by Camelia Elias of Aradia Academy.
After shuffling, I looked at and put aside the two cards from the cut, which I take as representing the influences at work around the question I asked. I got the Knight of Cups and the Six of Diamonds.
In Dawn Jackson’s system, the Knights will deliver messages and sixes are paths. The Diamond suit represents things of value, as well as electricity, space, the mind and distant things. The Suit of Cups refers to family, things of the heart, as well creativity and the arts. So I read these two cards as the artist who created the deck has shipped it from far away. So then where is it?
I drew five cards to answer my question. In the first two we see another Knight. Aha! More deliveries of messages or things, but this time the Suit is Diamonds. This is a person or institution whose business is to deliver things across distances (Diamonds) physically or electronically. The Ten of Clubs I usually read as “a lot of/too much work” because 10 is the end of the line for any suit and clubs (or wood) can be used to build things. Because the Knight is facing the Ten of Clubs, I read this as ” the Post Office would like to deliver my parcel, but is faced with a backlog of work to catch up with first.”
And what does one do when trying to catch up with a lot of work? Probably prioritize. In the next card, the Lover, a choice has to be made. The young man in the picture seems to be pulled this way and that by two different women and is finding it difficult to make a choice. Similarly Canada Post employees are probably finding it difficult figuring out which parcels to clear first.
Thank goodness the next card shows an end to that. Justice is brandishing a sword with one hand and is holding scales with the other. Although this card can refer to the Law, as well as administrative things, I like to look for a resolution in it. The sword puts an end to what is on that side. So no more hesitation (Lover card).
The scales on the other hand, are a tool that can hold weights. Here the scales are on the side of the following card, so we read them as “leaning towards” that card. In this reading what follows is the Chariot or movement. Yay! Or maybe yay…
I have to admit that I’m usually very wary of that card. I don’t take success for granted when I see it because it’s often been pointed out that the horses’ legs are moving in different directions. It’s also played a few tricks on me in the past. (See “Expired Work Visa” here.)
Nevertheless, there were no “nasty” cards after this one–I cheated and took a look 🙂 –, so I’ll say that the parcel will start moving in some direction soon, hopefully mine. As long as I’m not shuffling more cards, I’ll keep my fingers crossed and then post a picture of the cards when they arrive. 🙂
August 19, 2020 Update
I checked again this morning, and finally Canada Post says the item has arrived in Canada! This is great news on my birthday. 🙂 Surely the item wasn’t just hovering in the air all this time, LOL. I’m thinking maybe this parcel was thrown into one or several quarantine bins before any Canada Post employees were finally able to document its arrival on their website.
When I checked this morning, it said it would probably make its way to me within 3-7 business days, as in the picture above, but now it seems I might get it by this Friday. Yay!
August 20, 2020
Final update: Yay! The cards were delivered right to my door today and I’m sure you’ll agree with me that they’re absolutely delightful! Have a look. They represent common scenes and wildlife from Cumbria and the Lake District, in the north of England.
They’re currently still available for purchase directly from Ian Cumpstey at http://www.northerndisplayers.co.uk/