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Did My Mother Cast a Spell on Me?
Reading Type: Relationship
Cards: 12
Question or Concern: Did my mother
cast a spell on me?
Deck Used: Universal Waite (illustrated
by Pamela Coleman Smith)
Spread Used: Expanded Think/Feel/Will
1 & 7 You/Your mother
2 & 8 What you/she thinks
3 & 9 What you/she feels
4 & 10 What you/she wills
5 What will help
6 What will harm
11 Action
12 Advice or outcome
Cards drawn
- 10 of Pentacles - permanence
- Page of Pentacles - dyslexia
- World - integration
- 5 of Swords - loss
- 0 The Fool
- 7 of Swords
- 9 of Pentacles
- Ace of Wands - male potency
- 4 of Pentacles - possessiveness
- 4 of Swords - rest
- 8 of Cups - go
- 20 Judgment - higher power
Interpretation
1 & 7 You/Your mother are given by the 10 and 9 of Pentacles.
The next card in the suit, the Page, is also close by. Normally,
in relationship questions, we see Cups as favorable emotions and
feelings, and Swords as sharp or unpleasant emotions. The only card
of the suit of Cups that appears in this spread is the 8 which is
about leaving, but we’ll talk about that later. For now, there
are a lot of Pentacles which is the suit of Earth and money and
the body. I think the 9 and 10 here tell us that you are very similar
in some ways, but that perhaps you are the more developed or mature.
(I’ve had people comment on this when seeing me with my mother.)
The 10 shows that you are comfortable with your self, your history
and your future. All your needs are met. There is no reason why
you should feel discontent, as you stated in your question. The
9 shows that your mother is enjoying the fruits or results of her
plans and efforts. She is well-to-do or powerful in some way, has
a reputation as even-keeled, and smart. She is prosperous and is
enjoying life.
2 & 8 What you/she
thinks
Your thoughts are described by the Page of Pentacles. A youth stands
gazing at a golden globe he is holding aloft, that is inscribed
with a pentacle. He is dark haired and well dressed in green tunic
and orange leggings. What strikes me most about this card is that
he is oblivious to the vista behind him. There are miles of meadows
and farms land, a stand of trees, and a mighty blue mountain. Your
thoughts are scattered at times, a million miles away. Yet, you
are capable of extremely intelligent insight. I think this is about
what you are thinking about her casting a spell on you. Why in the
world would she do such a thing? Thinking about it is making you
crazy. You state that you are not happy with anything. This sounds
like clinical depression. It may be caused by the winter season.
It may be caused by someone else. A mental health care professional
or therapist can help you uncover the source and prescribe treatment.
The Ace of Wands describes what she thinks. This
is a card a bout dominance, male or female. It could be that she
wants to dominate your life and feels threatened that you have romance.
The picture on the card is of a heavenly hand reaching from a cloud
in the sky and holding a large staff that is sprouting leaves. A
castle rests on a hilltop beyond a stream in the far distance. What
struck me when I saw this card is an image of her beating you with
this wand, her power. I don’t know if it was the suggestion
of your question, but it bears consideration. I think in any case,
she wants to dominate you. She’s not adjusting to the fact
that you are an adult now. (I’m 36 too and my mother still
does this kind of thing. It drives me nuts. ) It’s a control
issue. Sometimes women are very fulfilled while controlling and
caring for children, and they very much enjoy the feeling of power
that they have over their children. There is nothing wrong with
that in essence, but it must be left behind. The greatest victory
for a mother is to let her children go to fly on their own, and
become successful, motivated individuals with intense, interesting
lives of their own.
3 & 9 What you/she
feels
I think that you think the World of your mother. You see her as
a wholly integrated person, someone who has it all together. And
in a lot of ways you are feeling this way about yourself. You are
a whole unto yourself.
On the other hand, the 4 of Pentacles shows us that she is feeling
quite possessive of you. The positive side of this card is attention
to detail, taking good care of ones things, one’s relationships,
one’s business. The downside is being overbearingly possessive,
greedy, and unwilling to help or share.
4 & 10 What you/she
wills
The 5 of Swords shows a fair haired boy smiling in victory and holding
3 Swords. The two Swords of the defeated parties lie at his feet.
Two figures have their backs turned and are leaving in defeat. The
meaning of this card is usually ascribed to the losing parties.
Someone wins means someone loses. I see that you are willing your
depression to be your mother’s fault. I’m not saying
it’s not her fault, but this card indicates your will. That
you have lost, that something has been taken away from you.
The 4 of Swords (another progressive pair in which
the higher number is yours) is the meat of this reading. Did or
did she not cast a spell on you? This card shows a figure resting
on a slab with hands folded. We often ascribe the peace and quiet
of sacred surroundings to this card. There is a stained glass window
above the reclining figure. But the picture also has the overtones
of a crypt. The figure is monochrome and could also be the carved
cover of a coffin. So the positive connotation is rest and recovery,
rejuvenation, but the negative is stagnation and forced inactivity.
And this last is what I see your mother willing for you. Perhaps
you have grown up too fast for her and she wants to freeze you as
the little girl you once were.
I’m getting the feeling from the whole spread
that any effect she is having on you is unconscious on her part.
Is she a witch that she would have cast an active spell? I’m
getting the feeling that it’s more in her mental attitude
and the things she’s said nad done to you over the years that
are affecting you, wearing down your enjoyment in life, eating away
at your self-confidence and self-esteem. Again, these are things
that a therapist might help you with; breaking the parental conditioning
that is affecting you. This is what I see going on here, the natural
(though not nice) urge of a mother to ride herd over her children,
rather than some malignant action to ruin your life.
5 What will help
6 What will harm
The Fool is such a fun card! Full of endless possibilities. It is
one of the three major arcana cards in this spread and thus indicates
significance in your life. A brightly dressed youth stands at the
edge of a cliff, head high, arms thrown back. In one hand is a flower,
the other holds a pole with a pack. A dog is barking behind him.
I am struck instantly that this means you should strike out on your
own. Fame or fail, you need to do your own thing. The Fool is about
taking chances. They may not pan out, but you just won’t know
until you try. This is about more than just the new relationship
you are into. This is about how you live your life.
The 7 of Swords describes what will harm this
situation. A young man is stealing away in broad daylight from a
fair. He is holding 5 Swords and looking back over his shoulder
as though he is getting away with something. There are two more
Swords standing upright. Too much for him to carry them all away.
I think that this is a strong indication that any thought of retaliation
will backfire. NO tit for tat here.
11 Action
12 Advice or outcome
I see the same message born out again in the 8 of Cups. This card
shows a person walking up hill and using a walking stick, leaving
behind 8 golden chalices. There is a face on the moon. The way it’s
drawn the moon looks like it’s a sickle and full at the same
time. The implication is that the action that is best for you is
to go forward, upward, and onward, and don’t worry what you
leave behind. This is so similar to what I see in the Fool card.
And the advice card is to trust in your higher
power. To call on the help of your higher power. I’m also
wondering where your father is in all this. An archangel blows the
heavenly trumpet, calling the souls out of their graves. This is
also a sort of, we’ll see what happens card.
Summation
I didn’t get the Cups cards I was expecting, but instead there
seemed a lot of Pentacles and Swords cards dealing with the relationship
between you and your mother. Money and Stress. I also didn’t
get an indication of a spell or any ill will, but instead a strong
dose of more usual controlling manipulation. The thing about that
is, it’s like smoke nad shadows. You can’t fight it
directly. But you can choose not to allow it. The 8 of Cups and
the Fool both speak to me of striking out on your own path. Combined
with Judgment, that path may turn out to be a spiritual one.
Standard Disclaimer:
The tarot shows how the future could be based on the present. Your
future is yours to create.
© 2000 Lady Lorelei
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