I didn't try to 'read' these cards differently because they aren't a RWS or Thoth clone. And I didn't just overlay the images of decks I know better, either. (Except with the outcome card, I didn't do it on purpose - it just happened.) Mostly I just looked up the meanings to see if they matched what I felt the card was saying.I don't do significator cards:
1. XVI The Tower
2. V The Hierophant
3. II High Priestess
4. Five of Wands
5. Seven of Swords
6. Nine of Wands
7. Four of Cups Reversed
8. Ten of Swords
9. Two of Cups
10. Five of Swords Reversed
Part of my concern had been that he would never go back to school. We've been talking about it for years. I believe the first and second cards are assuring me that he will be going back to college (V The Hierophant), that it'll be soon, and it will be very disruptive to our lives. (XVI The Tower)
Another concern I had was that I was pushing him to do something he didn't really want to do. I have had to remind him to get the ball rolling. I had to call his old college back home myself to get them to send his transcripts. Because of the High Priestess showing up where she did, I'm feeling his hesitation has more to do with the upheaval and cost to our family. I need to make sure he knows that I'm willing to go through the hassle.
When I took a look at the 4th card, one of competition and some struggles, I started thinking this might be information I should share with him. Which makes it a reading for someone other than myself! Yeah! The answer to my question is that 'This is going to happen, it's going to suck and it's going to be worth it.'
1). The Primary thing I need to know is something is going to rock my world and it won't be pretty. XVI The Tower
2). What's rocking the boat?V The Hierophant is a good candidate for Higher Education, so this is good.
3). What's the deeper meaning behind our lives being turned upside down so he can go back to school? II The High Priestess: this card in this position confirms an inner calling to study and learn. (That book on her lap caught my attention right away.) I may not be able to be objective about this, but I see in this card that this is something he really wants, not something I'm pushing him to do. Also there is more to his desire to go back to school than just to get a different job. The keyword from the LWB that came with this deck is study.
4). This is what's hovering above the whole situation. Five of Wands: Strife. LWB says, "fatigue, long-term commitment, great effort." Oh yeah, I can see that. But I usually take it as a competition card. (Officially it's Saturn in Leo, but I always think of it as Mars in Leo) "Proving one's own abilities." (From: The Crowley Tarot: The Handbook for the Cards, I refer to this book a lot for other decks.) Frankly I always think this card sucks, but under the circumstances I think his competitive drive will serve him well in a college environment. I'm guessing it's probably a competitive situation to start with, but I wouldn't know.
5). I'm thankful to see the Seven of Swords in the past position! This card could be talking about his past school experiences or both of us thinking that we'd never be able to pull this off. The LWB says, "Secrets, search for truth, discretion" (which, strangely enough, fits his past school situation on a whole other level.) Seven of Swords: Futility - Inner doubt and indecisiveness.
6). And I'm equally thankful to see the Nine of Wands as the near future. This card makes me think of Temperance and The High Priestess, as a successful blending and balancing of contrasting forces (Fire and Water). Channeling combined energy like that can give you some serious strength. Nine of Wands: Strength - Intellectual and Emotional Harmony. I'm seeing here that his intellectual side and emotional side are not going to be pulling him in opposite directions making this harder, but are going to be reinforcing each other giving him the strength to see this through. Being about school, the intellectual part is obvious. The end result of school for him, is not a better paying job but an emotionally satisfying one. Work he truly wants to do.
LWB says, "experience, clairvoyance, intuition" Still a nice future card in general. And I get it...this card is associated with the Moon (intuition) and Sagittarius (an adventurous sign that likes to travel, so experience would come from that). Combine those and "far-seeing" makes sense too. But I just don't see it.
7). Four of Cups reversed. In this position it's telling me he sees himself as ready to do something different. He's been in the same line of work for over 20 years. The only needs his work is meeting now are rent, health insurance...providing a stable home life for his family.
When it's upright I take the four of cups to reflect happy, comfortable surroundings, (with the exception of decks where the image makes it more about abstinence or overindulgence). Usually home, but it could suggest any familiar environment that has been a constant, defining presence. (Like a career path!) It doesn't have to mean an actual physical place. For the most part, all needs are met and everything is set, safe and secure. (Jupiter and Cancer.)
When it's reversed I think this is where the idea of boredom can set in. It's like a person who is ready to leave home for the first time, not necessarily because home is bad - just time to expand your horizons. It could mean needing or wanting to go outside known boundaries of any kind, really.
8). What's P's outside environment like regarding him becoming a student? 10 of Swords: Ruin. That's not good. I'm going to have to do something about this. It's not surprising that a man in his 40's with a full time job and two young boys wouldn't find his environment helpful for going back to school. I can't do anything about how people at work deal with it, but I can make life at home a little smoother than it is right now. The LWB says, "affliction, psycho-physical instability, unreliability, hidden pain." From The Handbook for the Cards: "Destruction, desolation, depths of depression."
9). Hopes & Fears: Two of Cups - Love, sensuality, harmony. I'm not sharing my personal thoughts on this one. It would be TMI. Here's more from The Handbook for the Cards: Instinct: Union of man and woman. Goal: Emotional and physical exchange. Light: Harmonious emotional emphasis. Shadow: Disillusionment, separation, conflict of interests. Quality:Happiness of love (balancing of the polarities.)
10). The Outcome: 5 of Swords Reversed:?? I know upright it's Defeat, I sure would like to just tell myself that since it's reversed it must be the opposite of it's upright meaning. But I'm not really feeling that. I just started looking through my resources at various meanings of this card. Hoping one might give me that "Ah, that must be it," feeling. The first things that popped int
o my mind were images of the Five of Swords, first from Vargo's Gothic Tarot and then from the Housewives. I had it as a card of the week not that long ago, dealing with understanding my limitations and time management.
o my mind were images of the Five of Swords, first from Vargo's Gothic Tarot and then from the Housewives. I had it as a card of the week not that long ago, dealing with understanding my limitations and time management. 
That Gothic Tarot Image is a real piece of work. It sends the message of Defeat and Humiliation loud and clear. Whenever I see it or picture it, my inner voice says, "getting your head handed to you by an ass clown." Not a good outcome card, thank you very much.
From The Handbook: "Passive endurance of the painfulness of a negative experience. Recognition of one's own limits."
Joan Bunning's online tarot site gives Self-Interest as a keyword. As of now, that's what I'm going with. It's a card of self-interest and it's reversed to get my attention. The outcome that I need to know is that I can't be self-interested and I should expect P to be, even though that's going to make home difficult.
From the Learn Tarot Online website:
Acting in your own self-interest
Setting aside the concerns of others
Looking out for number one
Thinking of your own needs
Knowing you must concentrate on yourself
Encountering selfishness
Indulging in power plays
Gloating
Going for the win-lose result
This is totally off the subject, but my six year-old has been peeking over my shoulder and knew that I was writing about his dad. Dad came home from work while I was running the spell check and I said to him 'Ass clown is two words?' Laughing he says, 'I don't even want know what you're writing about.' Naturally, the six year old pipes up with 'It's about you, daddy.'
