Tarot and The Red Violin

I've read Tarot cards since I was 12 years old and bought my first deck at a local dry goods store with my very own saved up cash.  One thing that has annoyed me over the years is the way in which card readers and, in particular, the cards themselves are portrayed in film and television.  There are two typical scenarios.  Either the reader turns over the Death card and everyone gasps or detectives find the Death card carefully placed at the crime scene and shake their heads about the crazed serial killer they're tracking.

Okay, listen up.  One, the Death card--the one with the scythe-bearing skeleton on it--may look creepy, but does not foretell physical death.  It is a card of personal transformation (think a phoenix rising from the ashes) or of things coming to a natural end in the querent's life.  Any reader who foretells anyone's death from this card is not only ignorant, they're irresponsible.  There are combinations of cards that do hint at illness and the possible death of someone around you (I know... I got them a few days before my father passed away) but guess what.  The Death card isn't one of them.  Tell you what.  I've got a prediction for you.  You're going to die.  We all are.  To borrow a phrase from the Lizard King--no one here gets out alive.

Look at it this way.  A Tarot card reading is like a snapshot of where you are on your path.  It shows events that led you to your current point, what is passing out of your life and what is moving into it.  It gives insight into how your feelings and actions and those of others are affecting your life. The outcome tells you what will occur if you continue along this path.  Remember, you have free will.  You can change your life's path.  If you allow the cards to impart some wisdom to you about what changes need to be made or what actions you need to take, so much the better.  But the cards rarely predict some specific, catastrophic event.

There is one wonderful film that gets it just right.  It opens with a Tarot reading for Anna, the pregnant wife of a master violin maker, given by her servant Cesca.  The reading continues throughout the film, as introduction to each new segment in the history of the Red Violin. Although Anna doesn't realize it in the moment, the reading foretells her soul's journey through fortune and time as it is inextricably bound to her husband's final masterpiece. The film transports us with her on that allegorical journey.

She draws five cards.

First card:  The Moon
Reading: "You'll live a long life, full and rich. There's travel ahead.  I see a long journey."

Second card:  The Hanged Man
Reading: "A curse hangs over you, madame. Danger to those who come under your thrall. And there will be many...many. It is a powerful card, The Hanged Man. I see danger, infirmity and disease. I'm sorry, but what kind I can't say. There are many kinds of sickness.  And then I see a time of life...a time of lust and energy loosed across mountains, and oceans, and time.  Confusing, madame, I know.  But I see it, madame, I'm certain. Yours is a Lazarus soul."

Third card:  The Devil
Reading:  "And then a man comes into your life.  A handsome man and intelligent.  He'll seduce you with his talent...and worse.  In short...he's the Devil."

Fourth card:  Justice
Reading:  "There will be a trial.  A great trial before a powerful magistrate. And you, you will be guilty.
Beware! Beware the heat of the fire!"

Fifth card:  Death
Reading:  "The last card. Courage, madame. Upside down. At this point in the spread, it might be good news. I feel the fast air sweeping around you...carrying you...furious wind and then stopping. Your journey will end.  No question, I see it. One way or the other, your travels are over. And there is trouble in this, like always. But you, you are strong by now. Strong like a tree in the forest. You are not alone. A crowd of faces, friends and family, enemies, lovers. You will attract many admirers fighting to win your hand. And money...lots of money.  No, madame.  Don't be afraid.  In this card I see a rebirth."

I won't give away the plot, so you'll have to watch the film and see how each card manifests in the story. Sometimes subtle, sometimes not so much, but always very well done.