Winning makes you happy, but overcoming gets you going

Knight of Wands Three of Cups, Strength, Ace of Swords

To make yourself happy, you have to handle this in a hurry. He has won, he is well on his way to celebrating with the woman who handled some of his obstacles. He went all out for her to be the winner, but she handled things herself. Winning makes you happy, but overcoming gets you going. A forceful hands-on approach to getting problems out of the way quickly wins the day. Put everything you’ve got into overcoming in this pivotal struggle, and you will be so happy. The joy of engaging and defeating the opposition gets your blood moving. She exerts a forceful influence that gets those girls going, and everyone is happy. She is on her way to celebrating victorious living, having overcome even her own resistance. Challenging this woman gets her fighting spirit up:  She wins and he leaves the field to her. The girls pool their resources, meet their challenges, and are on their way to the good life. Strong women who stick together win fast. She gets women to go all out in pursuit of prosperity. At first glance, the girls win and the guy flees:  It’s a battle.  But there’s a lot more going on when you look a little.  There’s overcoming a challenge, and getting going or getting one’s blood moving.  And the guy can be pursuing victory, not fleeing someone else’s.  The girls celebrate, though, that’s for sure.  So we have several scenarios, which I unwound in due course. Smack in the middle is the Strength card, which in Rider Waite Tarot is having the character to overcome without a battle, to have such an influence about you that the monster doesn’t want to eat you.   It means spiritual overcoming, and the figure who has the lion purring is without question female.  Next to her is the Ace of Swords which means victory by force, winning, and challenging.  And on the other side of her is the celebrating … girls celebrating a good life, that lovely Three of Cups.  On top is the Knight of Wands, putting all his energy into the pursuit … or the flight, depending.  These are the pieces that make the messages above. A victory is the direct and main subject of both he Three of Cups and the Ace of Swords.  The Strength card is also about overcoming, which is a victory.  Women or a woman winning is in the Three of Cups and the Strength card.  The idea of going all out for something is in the Ace of Swords and the Knight of Wands. Advice is some battles are won before any blood is on the floor.  Advice is to lunge into high gear and grab your win from the opposing factors directly.  Exert your influence expertly, surgically, and forcefully but deftly.  A sure win is under your hand.

Meanings and Illustrations:

Three of Cups: These girls get together and celebrate; they have pooled their investment and made a whopping profit they share.  The harvest is at their feet, and the sky is all blue. Strength: She loves her enemy, you see.  She gets on the good side of the monster by having such an influence about her that he doesn’t want to mess with her, so he submits to friendly contact with someone he really would rather eat.  You go, girl. Ace of Swords: Win.  Victory.  Challenge.  Totally one way.  Those are the meanings we use today anyway, the easiest ones, because there’s the hand with the sword in it that is crowned with victory. Knight of Wands: He is all in a lather getting going out of town in a hurry, or in hot pursuit of something or someone.  This is exertion, giving it your all, going all out – today’s emphasis.

A sudden big unexpected win, when losing was a sure thing

Knight of Pentacles Five of Cups, Wheel of Fortune, Knight of Swords

Focus is on getting back a lost opportunity. This is your big chance:  Take it and run with it, or be the loser. Something wonderful comes along while you are feeling so sad or sorry:  Watch for it. A miraculous recovery from his focus on past losses. A miraculous recovery from focusing on past losses. That miracle, to change when you are down, is what you are looking for. He can see his destiny changing as he bounces back from heartsickness. This is the one opportune time to capitalize on that loss. To quit drinking, he focused on making that one thing happen. He knew the loss had to happen to fuel the getaway. Keep your eye on the ball of grand opportunity and reverse that loss. One big chance to turn things around from despondency. A sudden big unexpected win, when losing was a sure thing. One thing on his mind:  To snatch victory out of the jaws of defeat. A sudden loss focuses you/him on one thing:  the turnaround. This one win makes up for all his losses. Only a miracle can save the day, it’s sooo bad. When you hit bottom like this, luck can change fast. He is so down, and he is looking for that stroke of luck. That grand opportunity happens in the nick of time:  just before you go under. This is pretty much all these four say – as if we asked for more!  Smack in the middle is the grand Wheel-of-Fortune opportunity, the miracle, the big chance, the lucky strike, the jackpot.  Next is the fast Knight-of-Swords turnaround:  Yay!  To the left is the dismal depressing sad past you are sorry about, the Five of Miserable Cups.  Overall is the focus-on-one-thing Knight of Pentacles. Notice that today’s two spreads have the same message:  victory that is coming FAST.  Each spread features a dude on a horse hurrying, and each spread ends in a dude on a horse.  Three knights in shining armor!  Not bad for an eight-card pantheon. Advice is, once again, to seize the day, be looking for that crack of light in the dark tunnel of despair that is the first glimmer of turnaround.  It’s coming fast.  The Wheel of Fortune is not about finding ten bucks in the grocery store; it is about a pivotal lucky destiny.  The concept of capitalizing on a loss may refer to taxes for some visitor here.  This second spread is a guy’s perspective; the first one was about a girl’s.

Meanings and Illustrations:

Five of Cups: Oh, woe is me, I focus on what is spilled more than the cups that are filled.  It’s a gray day, and I’m all droopy in my black robes.  Wah, I’m a big loser and I’ll never get over it, I just look back enveloped in sorrow and sorry. Wheel of Fortune: Miracle.  Luck.  Destiny.  Jackpot.  It happens.  Grand opportunity/opportune  The big chance.  Illustration has occult symbols of fate, and a roulette-wheel looking thing in the center. Knight of Swords: The last-minute turnaround strikes, this time right after the jackpot miracle.  Can you think of a better place for that?  He is pictured full speed ahead brandishing his weapon, eyes on the prize. Knight of Pentacles: He has one thing on his mind, he does.  His eye is on the prize, too.  And he is a tough guy who will reach out and grab it, not politely at all.  You know what they say about thugs like him:  It’s good to have him on your side.