It’s been a while since I did a Tarot reading… it used to be a regular feature back when I first started blogging on Invinciblog. (My three regular readers will remember it well. Or not.)
Anyway – I was sorting out my iPad apps and I came across my trusty Tarot HD app. Since I’m as prone to Pavlovian impulses as the next dog, I clicked on it, brought a question to mind, and shuffled the pack.
The question I brought to mind was “How Will Arsenal do in today’s match against Manchester United?” I chose the Past/Present/Future layout, and immediately thought ‘hmm… how is the “Future” position going to be relevant?’ Will the Tarot be telling me how we are going to do in future fixtures..?
I should never have doubted its power. The card that I drew could not have been more startlingly relevant and thought-provoking. All of the cards are incredibly appropriate, and – if you are a Gooner – heartening. You’ll see…
Here are the 3 cards I drew:
PAST: Ten of Wands (Reversed)
In Tarot – the tens signify the end of a cycle.Woohoo! Hopefully the significance of that doesn’t escape you… Arsenal haven’t won at Old Trafford in the Premier League since 2006. And Wenger has NEVER beaten a Mourinho-managed side in the EPL. If this is the cycle that is ending today, then Halle-effing-lujah!
An upright Ten Of Wands means you have taken on a heavy burden. It depicts a man carrying a heavy bundle of sticks, with his destination in sight, but still far away. The harvest has been reaped, but the benefit (profit) has not yet been fully realised…
When reversed (i.e. upside-down) the ten of Wands indicates that you are needlessly hanging on to that burden. It’s time to let go… The challenging times that have been weighing you down will soon pass.
This card, and its significance in the PAST position, could not be more perfect for us Manure-despising Maureen-hating Gooners.
Time to get this monkey off our back
PRESENT: XIX The Sun
Yes, please!
If the significance of The Sun shining on our present escapes you, then allow me to elaborate…
In the picture there is a naked kid riding a white horse through sunflowers with an orange banner billowing and a smiling sun shining. The only thing that could possibly be better would be if the horse was a unicorn and the banner was red, with the Arsenal crest on it.
It reminds me of this Jack Handy quote:
Is there anything more beautiful than a beautiful, beautiful flamingo, flying across in front of a beautiful, beautiful sunset? And he’s carrying a beautiful rose in his beak, and also he’s carrying a very beautiful painting with his feet. And also, you’re drunk.
Perfect. Powerful. And on a symbolic level, as encouraging as the previous card:
The Sun is the source of Life. It signifies a new dawn. The kid is naked – nothing to hide. The horse has no saddle and is being ridden hands-free, signifying perfect balance between the conscious and the subconscious.The orange banner in the left hand represents action, and shows that the subconscious is now in control. The sunflowers represent harvest and nourishment. The rays are good vibrations…
If this card doesn’t represent The Arsenal Way then I don’t know what does…
Hopefully drawing this card means that today’s Gunners will be the playful, liberated Wenger-ball acolytes that we have seen so rarely of late, playing with the proverbial handbrake off, and ripping the Red Devils a new one.
And now – for the card that really blew me away…
FUTURE: The Eight Of Cups (Reversed)
The card depicts a man who has turned his back on a pile of golden cups and is heading off into the darkness. Or, as I see it – it depicts Arsenal Wenger walking away from a pile of trophies.
Is he leaving?
Is that over-reaching? I don’t think so. As I mentioned earlier, I wasn’t sure how a “FUTURE” card would be relevant to the question that I was asking. However, this card really made me stop and think about how freaky these Tarot readings can be.
The Eight of Cups normally signifies someone willingly leaving behind material success and heading off on a Higher (spiritual) Path.
In a reversed position, however, there is an element of confusion or uncertainty that creeps into play. It is about (not) knowing when to walk away from a situation that is no longer healthy. It is about (not) accepting that there are fundamental issues that may never be resolved, (not) calling it quits…
*ulp*
I don’t know whether Arséne Wenger knows if he is staying or leaving. I don’t know if I’m sure about wanting him to go or not.
If this card had been the right way up, I would have believed that this was Wenger’s last season as Arsenal manager. However, now I’m not so sure. The Tarot could be saying that he is staying… or that Arséne’s (and Arsenal’s) future is up in the air…
What do you think?
Prognosis
I am feeling quite hopeful for today’s match. If the Tarot is correct, today will be a good day for The Arsenal, for Wenger, and therefore for those of us who hang our happy hats on the Gooner hook.
Regarding our future… Will Wenger leave at the end of the season?
According to the Tarot, the answer is ‘Maybe’.
And that’s final.
I was eleven-and-a-half. My family had just emigrated from Rhodesia to South Africa. All the kids on my street supported United or Liverpool, because of their Southern African goalkeeper connections: Bailey for United and Grobbelaar for ‘Pool. Problem was: I didn’t like the colour red – so when FA Cup Final day came around in 1979, I supported the team in yellow, even though their name sounded like “Asshole”. At the final whistle, I had bragging rights and a team that had won my heart.
Then I discovered that the Gunners also wore red. Luckily, I remained loyal, and the Arsenal has kicked my heart around ever since… (apart from a few lost years in the ’90s and early ’00s, when I was busy doing grownup things as a composer in Hollywood).
Abandoned invinciblog.com to launch this site with 1 Nil Down 2 One Up blogfather Dave Seager – and we have used this platform to help launch the writing careers of a number of amazing Arsenal bloggers.
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