Have you ever wondered if you could use the Tarot to interpret a dream? This is, indeed, possible. Here is a dream that was shared with me by a high school student, containing symbolism and events which did not make any sense in her day to day life.
In the beginning of the dream, she was in school, but a much bigger school than the one she attends. Oddly, there were small children present, as well as older children. She dreamed that in the Kindergarten classroom, there was a large spider, speaking in a gentle, but deceptive masculine voice to one of the students, saying, "you can try all you wish, but you cannot escape me!" Next, the bell rang, and everyone went to class; everyone, that is, except for one boy, who hid in a closet, instead. The boy had taken ten orange laptops into the closet with him, and was attempting to hide them. Also in the closet was a vent, and in the vent was another, somewhat older male child, who did not attend the school. The older boy attempted to help the younger boy escape the school through the vent, taking the ten orange laptops, but nine of them were lost. In the end, one orange laptop and both boys ended up outside the school, and walked to a campsite where there were other people who offered to help the boy hide. The dream ended there.
This reading starts with the six of pentacles, sharing and sharing alike, crossed by the Knight of Wands, reversed. We have a picture of giving and taking equally, suddenly interrupted by a jealous and quarrelsome young man. Possibly the "spider" in the Kindergarten classroom? Beneath this, we have Judgement, reversed. This is a warning against tangible loss of some sort. Perhaps this related to the lost orange laptops in the dream? The next card is the nine of cups, also reversed. This relegates the "loss" to planning difficulties, and wasted time.
A warning contained in the dream is the ace of swords, reversed. This card speaks of force and tyranny when it falls reversed. Things do not get any better with the ace of cups coming up reversed, next. This card, reversed, tells of instability and relationship failures. This seems to have been symbolized by the escape from the school.
In the place of fears, we have the three of pentacles, reversed. In this position, the card is telling us that the subject is afraid to use her skills. The environment is described by the seven of cups, reversed, which shows, despite any fears, that the subject is actually competent and capable. In the place of hopes, we find the two of wands, which tells us that help of some sort has been offered by a peer, in order to restore balance. The last card is the ten of wands, reversed. This indicates loss, still; possibly because of the unusual direction and action taken.
To put the dream symbolism together with the reading, it appears that the student has disliked much of school, since Kindergarten, as per the reversed aces of swords and cups. Lack of studying and lack of attentiveness has cost her a great deal, shown by the reversed nine of cups, and she her grades where showing it, via Judgment reversed. She was hoping for help with an "escape", which was shown in the dream by the escape through the vent. The cards pictured this with the two of wands. The laptops that were lost appear to represent knowledge and school subjects that had been given to this young lady, but which she had "lost", or not learned. Since the "help" that she accepted was to "escape", rather than to achieve, the reading, and the dream, still auger loss in such a course of action, as shown by the reversed ten of wands. The "camping" symbolism illustrates the temporary condition of escape from responsibility.
Luckily, this student eventually gave up the "escape" route and learned some study skills. The dream was a warning of where her habits would lead.
In the beginning of the dream, she was in school, but a much bigger school than the one she attends. Oddly, there were small children present, as well as older children. She dreamed that in the Kindergarten classroom, there was a large spider, speaking in a gentle, but deceptive masculine voice to one of the students, saying, "you can try all you wish, but you cannot escape me!" Next, the bell rang, and everyone went to class; everyone, that is, except for one boy, who hid in a closet, instead. The boy had taken ten orange laptops into the closet with him, and was attempting to hide them. Also in the closet was a vent, and in the vent was another, somewhat older male child, who did not attend the school. The older boy attempted to help the younger boy escape the school through the vent, taking the ten orange laptops, but nine of them were lost. In the end, one orange laptop and both boys ended up outside the school, and walked to a campsite where there were other people who offered to help the boy hide. The dream ended there.
This reading starts with the six of pentacles, sharing and sharing alike, crossed by the Knight of Wands, reversed. We have a picture of giving and taking equally, suddenly interrupted by a jealous and quarrelsome young man. Possibly the "spider" in the Kindergarten classroom? Beneath this, we have Judgement, reversed. This is a warning against tangible loss of some sort. Perhaps this related to the lost orange laptops in the dream? The next card is the nine of cups, also reversed. This relegates the "loss" to planning difficulties, and wasted time.
A warning contained in the dream is the ace of swords, reversed. This card speaks of force and tyranny when it falls reversed. Things do not get any better with the ace of cups coming up reversed, next. This card, reversed, tells of instability and relationship failures. This seems to have been symbolized by the escape from the school.
In the place of fears, we have the three of pentacles, reversed. In this position, the card is telling us that the subject is afraid to use her skills. The environment is described by the seven of cups, reversed, which shows, despite any fears, that the subject is actually competent and capable. In the place of hopes, we find the two of wands, which tells us that help of some sort has been offered by a peer, in order to restore balance. The last card is the ten of wands, reversed. This indicates loss, still; possibly because of the unusual direction and action taken.
To put the dream symbolism together with the reading, it appears that the student has disliked much of school, since Kindergarten, as per the reversed aces of swords and cups. Lack of studying and lack of attentiveness has cost her a great deal, shown by the reversed nine of cups, and she her grades where showing it, via Judgment reversed. She was hoping for help with an "escape", which was shown in the dream by the escape through the vent. The cards pictured this with the two of wands. The laptops that were lost appear to represent knowledge and school subjects that had been given to this young lady, but which she had "lost", or not learned. Since the "help" that she accepted was to "escape", rather than to achieve, the reading, and the dream, still auger loss in such a course of action, as shown by the reversed ten of wands. The "camping" symbolism illustrates the temporary condition of escape from responsibility.
Luckily, this student eventually gave up the "escape" route and learned some study skills. The dream was a warning of where her habits would lead.
