Vice Fashion - In The Cards

Hair: Kristen Shaw, Makeup: Emi Kaneko, Set Design: Samantha Jacober, Assistant: Alexis Kawahara

Aurelio Costarella vest (aureliocostarella.com), Catherine Fulmer top and skirt (catherinefulmer.com), Alexander McQueen shoes (alexandermcqueen.com); Catherine Fulmer top and skirt, Jeffrey Campbell shoes (jeffreycampbellshoes.com), Delphine-Charlotte Parmentier bracelet (dcp-corp.com)

MELANIE

Gwen: Your reading is about change and about ripening karma and how things come full circle. The theme of your reading is the Wheel of Fortune. Covering you is the Six of Swords, which means travel or being on a journey, but it can also be the journey of life. Crossing you is the Devil. The Devil is not really the devil in the old-fashioned or Catholic way, it’s more of a habit or a pattern of mind that concentrates a little too much on materialism. These cards are saying that you’ve already started to think there’s something off about that mentality and that instead you can start to think that you’d rather help people more. The whole reading kind of goes on about that.

First of all, the Two of Pentacles, which is about having balance in your life. You very much want that, and now is the time when you can start to. It’s been too difficult before. Below is the Hierophant, which means that you had a very strict upbringing. Is that true?

Melanie:

Kind of.

You sort of adopted cultural norms from that, but you’ve already started to question it and realize it’s not necessarily what you want. You might want to be looking beyond that.

Behind you is the Four of Cups, which shows a young man being offered a cup, but he doesn’t want it. At the same time, you have three cups on the ground, so you already have three full cups, so it’s saying you really have what you need and you don’t need to take on things that don’t work for you.

Ahead of you is the Three of Swords. That can mean a broken heart, but in your reading it means more about how you’re really developing compassion and how you’re really starting to see things from other people’s points of view and having more of a desire to work in a bigger world.

Your attitude card is the Two of Swords, which is exactly about that—changing your attitude and changing your view. It’s not a huge change, it’s just a shift.

The people around you are the Chariot. You’re around hard-driving business people. They are very hard-driving, and they are very much in the material world, because that’s what business is. But you start to see them more as people and not just as business people.

In your hope and fears is the Ten of Wands, which has to do with stress, a very high-stress lifestyle. You want to find ways of working with that and not being so stressed out.

The Knight of Swords and the Hanged Man are in your outcome, which say that you’re making a shift. It also looks to me like your spiritual thing has to do more with olden times and really ancient roots—somewhat pagan, actually—and nature. Working with nature much more would make you happy—nature spirits and very, very early Christianity, before it got taken over by the politics of the church.

This fall, things are going to happen for you with work. You’re possibly going to go in a slightly different direction and have more energy. Once again, you get the Devil, which brings up too much fear, because you’re afraid it won’t work and then you really, really hope it will. You vacillate, and that puts out too much anxiety. There’s a second thing, the Seven of Swords, and that means worry and anxiety, which sort of drain you and steal your energy. The cards are saying not to let that happen.

The Five of Wands is behind you, and it says that you have been the victim of people being jealous of you, and they stop you from getting the best jobs. That’s happened to you in the past, but it’s over now. It isn’t going to happen in the future.

Ahead of you is the Magician, which is a powerful person who can make things happen—somebody who can pull a lot of strings. That person’s going to help you, but you should be very careful when you enter into a contract with them because they can also be tricky.

The outcome is Temperance, which is health. It’s very wholesome. You might want to look into this—you could have your best and happiest work in helping people to become healthy.

STEPHANIE

Gwen: The cards always pick a theme for the reading, and you have the Nine of Pentacles, which is about being on your own—being independent. That’s kind of what this reading is about.

Stephanie:

That’s interesting.

What covers you is the Six of Pentacles, and that’s saying you’re a very generous person, so you attract generosity from other people. Then you’re crossed by the King of Swords, so I think that the difficult part of the situation for you is that you have to put up with being criticized sometimes, and that’s a little hard for you. That also touches on the fact that you’re kind of a perfectionist, so you are a little hard on yourself. You’re kind of your own worst critic.

Above you is the Four of Pentacles, so these cards are saying, “Well, now you’ve got this good opportunity, and you need to be a bit of a penny-pincher.” Save some money. You’re going to have some opportunities that come up that you want to take advantage of, which you won’t be able to unless you save some money.

The Seven of Cups is below you and that says that you have had many options and also that you’re going to have some dreams or at least one dream over the next while—or else maybe you just had it—and you should pay attention to it. It’s going to help to guide you on your path. Have you had a dream like this recently?

Yes, actually.

You should think about the meaning of it.

You made a decision recently to take more control of your own life and be more creative, and it’s coming to fruition now. And at the same time you’ve been getting help from people who are more powerful than you. That’s the Magician.

Ahead of you is the Four of Wands, which means friendship in your work, really making some new friends. It doesn’t necessarily say marriage, but there is a possibility of meeting someone. But the cards say that you kind of need to learn more how to be on your own before you make a commitment. And also they say you could go to school or you could do a course.

You have a real interest in children. Is that right?

I like children, yes.

That would be a good path for you. You have the Knight of Cups, saying again that you’re a nice person, and you want to offer kindness to others, and you really want to help people. The next card is children. The cards say you might be very happy, either becoming a mother or working with children.

I understand, but it’s probably not my intention anytime soon.

You might want to think about it for the long run.

In the hopes-and-fears position, you have the Knight of Wands, which is to say that you really are a bit of a homebody, you don’t really like moving.

Maybe because I’ve moved so much lately.

Yeah, and you really don’t want to move again. Travel is OK, but moving you don’t like.

The next thing that comes up is the Knight of Swords and the Nine of Cups. You have a little fear of success. You’re just about to have a major achievement but you will sometimes just jump out of the way of success.

You have three Knights in your reading, so I see there are many young men. Not too young, but in their 20s and early 30s, coming your way, and they’re going to fight over you.

That would be nice!

Catherine Fulmer dress (catherinefulmer.com), Björn Borg underwear (bjornborg.com)

CAT

Gwen: The first thing the cards say is that right now you have a big choice about making a commitment. One side of you is saying no, and the other side is saying maybe. What just popped out is the Hanged Man and that has to do with listening to your inner voice.

You have the Nine of Swords, which says that what you’ve been doing is thinking and analyzing. That has been making you feel anxious and lonely and unsure about things. The King of Wands is crossing you, which represents someone that you can talk to.

Above you, you have the Four of Wands, which is to say that there is a community of support that you can go to. Below you is the Knight of Cups, that’s someone offering you love. Behind you is the Queen of Pentacles, and ahead is the Three of the Cups. That’s really nice because that shows that you have a lot of good girlfriends, who are very supportive and very fun to be with. You’re also going to a party really soon.

Your attitude card is the Page of Swords, which shows that you’re thinking a lot and also that you’re impatient with this situation.

Cat:

That’s very true.

You’re tempted to do something to make it be over with, so you don’t have the discomfort. You wish you could just take a pill and it would go away. But you have plenty of support so just relax.

In the people card comes the Ace of Swords, and that shows that this stuff will not be taken care of overnight. It looks to me like you’re going to have to wait until winter for this to really be resolved.

This thing I’m being impatient about?

Yes. We’ll get more information about it with the rest of the cards. The first thing that comes up now is that you have some regret, you’re feeling a little guilty. The Queen of Cups comes up. It shows you looking at the past and feeling emotional and also that you really need love in your life.

Then you have the Ten of Wands, which means stress. Now we have the Three of Pentacles, which represents planning. Your outcome card is the World, which is extremely positive. It means enormous success, and it means really being out there in the world. I think you’re going to travel.

Well, that’s good.

So the cards say that you’re going back and forth between making this commitment or not, and that the answer comes from being able to talk to this one guy you can talk with, and then there’s a girlfriend. If you talk with them, then you’ll see what to do. The other thing is that there’s a pattern with love and being impatient.

Ah, OK.

Uncertainty gets too uncomfortable, so you throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Oh my god, that’s so true.

Now is your chance to stop doing that. You can break that pattern permanently, and that would be really good. It’s an obstacle to your happiness. Now you can ask me very specific questions, like yes-or-no questions.

If I’m seeing someone now, should I keep hanging out with him?

Well, I’ll tell you the story with this person. You met because you were looking at your options, and he was one of them. That’s the beginning of the relationship. The middle looks like it was very uplifting, but the end is not so good. The beginning is the Seven of Cups, the middle is the Star, and the end is the Five of Swords, which is like a rip-off. He’s causing you stress. Is he possessive?

No.

Is he just a pain?

A big pain.

Well, I think that’s your answer. It was good for a while, but now it’s not. That’s what the cards say.

Good to know.

Eliza Gran dress (elizagran.com)

CLARA

Gwen: The cards are not something outside you. They can’t make you do anything. They will just show you what’s in your deeper consciousness.

While I shuffle the cards, be quiet for a moment and contemplate on knowing the best possible path that will help you and everybody else, and I’ll do the same. That way I’ll get your energy.

OK, the theme of your reading is kind of a two-edged one. It’s about home and also how you’re ready for a new phase.

Clara:

That’s so funny. I just moved to New York.

The first thing is the Ace of Pentacles, which means money and also means that you just moved. It’s also very auspicious for having a fresh start, so that’s fantastic to have along with the Ten of Pentacles. For a lot of people moving to New York is not a good idea, but for you it’s very good.

In your case, the way your karma is, you’re one of those people with whom whatever you do comes back right away, so you have to be careful about what you put out, because you’re going to get it back ten times. You get immediate feedback that way, so be generous and nice.

OK.

The next card is the Four of Swords, which is the best thing that could happen next. That has to do with laying fears to rest. You don’t have big fears, but you have anxieties. Some of the anxieties are about travel.

Yes.

The cards are saying you don’t need to worry so much, you can let those fears go. You would benefit from a short trip, like a long weekend. The next card is the Eight of Swords, and this is about moving to New York. The cards are saying that in some ways it feels very restrictive to you because it’s so crowded. You need to get out of the city periodically. Once a month is good. You might get sick if you don’t. If you can’t get out of the city go to Central Park or something.

You have the Two of Wands behind you, so I see you’ve done some travel in the past. The cards are saying, “Congratulations on being really brave and making this move. Good idea.”

Good.

Your personal card is the Nine of Wands. In your reading it has to do with feeling like New York is dangerous place, it’s a little scary, and that’s why it’s good to get out, so you don’t have to get used to it all at once.

The next card you get is the Wheel of Fortune from the Major Arcana, which is why I made that comment to you about your karma; it’s the card of karma. That comes in the position of other people for you, so the people you meet are going to have a big influence on your life. You’re often going to have these feelings of “Where do I know them from? Why do they feel so familiar?” You have karma with them.

The next card is the hopes and fears, and it is the Five of Cups, and that’s something to do with guilt. You have some kind of regret about the past.

Yeah.

You need to deal with it. The cards say if you just wronged someone, you don’t have to make reparations directly, just do something for someone else and then consider it paid back so you can let it go. If someone wronged you, don’t dwell on it or nurse it, because that will make you sick, especially if they lied to you or sort of used you. Again, just let it go. You may not believe in reincarnation, but your reading has a lot of reincarnation stuff in it.

I do believe in reincarnation.

The view you need to take is that we’ve all done things to other people, and they’ve done things to us, and it’s just endless. You can never find the root, because it could be a thousand years ago.

United Bamboo dress (unitedbamboo.com), Delphine-Charlotte Parmentier bracelet (dcp-corp.com)

ZOE

Gwen: The cards are kind of saying that it might be an option for you to think about going to school. Or if not that, maybe volunteering at a nonprofit. It might be a good way for you to be meeting people and finding out more about what you’re interested in. Those two things popped out as being extra-important for you. And the other thing is that there’s some conflict around you right now and the cards say that you shouldn’t take it too hard. It will disappear on its own, as long as you don’t feed it. They’re also saying that now is a time to listen to your inner voice more and not be swayed by other people. This is a time to take some space to really look into yourself.

The next thing that crosses you is the Eight of Pentacles, which is work, and very specifically it means perfecting what you already do. You get a lot of satisfaction out of that. Sometimes you overwork and then you need to step back, and sometimes you overplay and you need to restore your health because that also affects your work, you know?

Zoe:

Yeah.

Above you is the King of Wands. There are a lot of men in your reading, but there’s only one who’s good for you. There are a lot who would like to be with you, but only one of them is the right guy and the right influence for you.

The other thing is that you had a broken heart recently, and you’re still kind of feeling wounded. That’s the Three of Swords, which is beneath you, and it’s saying that you’re still feeling that. Was there kind of a triangle?

No, not really.

Well, just a broken heart. Behind you is the Moon, which is a Major Arcana card. That has a lot of different meanings. First of all, it means that the people that you fall for, people that you fall in love with, aren’t always honest with you. You have it in a couple of places in your reading. You also kind of go into denial a little bit. The signs are there but you’re not looking at them. So this reading is kind of saying that you deserve better, and there’s a whole thing in here about being able to see that coming and being able to make a better judgment about who to be involved with.

Another strong theme is your need to be more in control of your life, and not to do things to please other people—guys especially.

And yes, even if it’s a surprise to you, school comes up. If not school then, like I said, volunteering. Some kind of focus that’s not just a social occasion and that’s beyond your current work and gives your life more meaning and gives you a feeling of connecting with the world in a really meaningful way, you know?

Yeah.

The next card in the reading is Strength. In this particular case, it has to do with you having a lot of passion, and sometimes you have so much passion it scares you, so these cards are saying that this passion is a real treasure for you, and it’s something that you have to offer, and you shouldt be afraid of it. I already told you that you have the Nine of Wands, and where you are, which is a feeling of being wounded and having your energy be affected by that, because of having had this broken heart.

But I haven’t, though.

You haven’t had a broken heart?

No.

Well, what can I say? If you haven’t had a broken heart in a personal sense, then this is a broken heart for the world. It’s like a feeling that you want to have compassion and help people, and you can feel other people’s pain a lot. You have a natural desire to help them. This reading is saying that this is a maturing process for you, learning how to do that. At the same time as you’re learning how to do that, then you’re learning how to attract more of what you want into your life, the kind of people that you want to have in your life, and less the kind of people that you don’t want to have.

Yeah, that makes sense.

For your own illuminating reading, email Gwen at coilofjoy@eastlink.ca.