Football: a tarot study in Twos?
Posted by Rebecca | Filed under family, tarot, writing
It just occurred to me that football season — the game itself, even — reflects tarot pretty well. I bet you could find some aspect of the event in every single one of the 78 tarot cards. As a matter of fact, I’ll look it up on http://www.tarotgarden.com as soon as I’m done here, because I know there’s a baseball tarot… why not a football tarot?
[Edit: none! There are two baseball tarot decks, but none for sports or football! *pfft*]
I typically see interpretations based on actual pairs (choices between two options, or relationships between two individuals), but can they be applied to group situations as well? I wanted to see if I could relate football to the Twos, to help me study and try to wrap my mind around the number itself within the tarot.
In general, the Twos represent balance, interaction/conflict, and decisions, each within the context of its suite, be it Swords (challenge), Cups (emotion), Wands (energy), or Discs (material things, ambition?). Now you tell me: which of these DON’T fit into the game?
Teams competing with each other: duh – interaction and competition. Strategy versus brute power. Testosterone. The teams are cohesive (ideally; lots of Gamecock fans could mourn otherwise, but not this year. NOT THIS YEAR!!!) units struggling against each other to win the game. The path is clear, but obstacles tackle and sack and intercept along the way. Only one will reach the end first. And somehow or other the sports announcers and ESPN bigwigs plug the stats into their servers and rank the hundreds of teams across the nation to come up with a generally accepted leader board. And in January, the winner is announced.
Now.
The Fans.
OMG, the Fans are fanatic. I couldn’t have cared less in high school about football, as long as a wild ball didn’t fly into the stands behind the end zone to dent my French horn. I attended a college whose mascot was a cute Yellowjacket. Now, come on. A smiling bee? I didn’t go to a single game. Too busy playing Hearts all night with my friends.
But when I moved to SC, I learned a valuable lesson. Align yourself with a team. Marry quickly.
GO COCKS!!!!!
See? I’ve been trained well.
Now, here we come into the Discs aspect of the Twos. I never understood the power of football until I went to my first game. (Which, by the way, was at home against the Bulldogs in 2000 and we kicked their butt. Kinda like LAST WEEK.) Columbia, SC turns into a field of garnet and black banners, canopies, chairs, flags, balls, t-shirts, shoes, drink coozies, and a low greasy cloud of yumminess. Assuming you’re not a vegetarian. Otherwise, just being in the vicinity might break even the most disciplined vegan. And it all involves family. Money. Decisions. Balancing the spending. Balancing the energy of who to talk to, where to park, how many tickets, etc etc blah blah.
I suppose the Three of Cups might be better suited (ha HA!) to this scenario… Oh! Or the Nine of Cups.
Okay, so maybe football is all about Cups. And Swords. And Wands! And for the ESPN and the t-shirt guys at the games? The Discs, for sure.
Hmm. Maybe football isn’t the best example for Twos. And thus, my study continues.
What are your thoughts?
Can Twos relate to one-on-one sports, or be effectively applied to a team sport?
I feel pretty darn comfortable, however, in saying that The High Priestess II, who represents passion in any given situation*, is alive and kicking in the game of football. Every aspect. Unbridled, naive, ever hopeful that a game can be won, that the good Lord will shine down and bring excellent things to the faithful. She is righteous in her self-importance and knowledge she’s gained from her own experiences (even though she hasn’t traveled very far on her own journey). She loves life, and lives it to the fullest. Gluttony may not mark her decisions, but if she happens to drink a few too many, or eat that fourth hotdog that pushes her over the edge? Shrug it off. Move on.
I love life! she says. I’m amazing! she gushes.
My team ROCKS!
So. To recap, my current interpretations of the Tarot Twos:
Wands ::: interaction of energy and power, win or lose, we’re gonna fight and kick your butt
Cups ::: loyalty, overflowing testosterone. Need I say more?
Swords ::: the challenge of battle, of strategy between two teams and two head coaches. The snipes and cat calls and throwing of gauntlets between two fan camps.
Discs ::: juggling of family and fan obligations, the cost of team PRIDE and investment in showing your colors, of supporting your team. And, of course, the eternal balance of faith, even in hard years (decades?).
*per Tarot Dynamics
Note: just the other day I listen to a Beyond Worlds podcast interview with Robert Place in which he tried to explain the historical delineation between the passive and active suits of the tarot, and that Wands were considered emotional but instinctive, while Cups were emotional but intentional thoughts. Now, I may have mis-heard (or outright misunderstood) what he was saying, but it made enough of an impression on me so that I need to listen again to the interview and pay particular attention to how he explains the difference between the two. His book The Fool’s Journey: The History, Art, and Symbolism of the Tarot looks quite tasty. I’ve purchased the .pdf version for $10 through Lulu.com and can’t wait to browse the artwork on my iPad! I know… nothing to do with this post, per se, but I’m struggling with separating Wands from Air (and now from Cups) and thought his expertise will prove helpful.
