12. The Mirror

[Wanderer]

 

This is a gorgeous, beguiling card whose elements are very difficult to unpick, and the whole remains elusive... To me, it is very like the Moon on Water, both in content and in character, and this is tied also to a similar type of meaning. It is 'equivalent' to the Hanged Man in RW decks, but really is quite a different thing, sharing only the uneasy sense that one needs to look at things differently...

 

So, we have a serpent-woman, mermaid, or some variation (a siren, possibly?), referred to in the book as the Dark Woman of Knowledge. Whether this is Nimue, Morgan, or other iterations in British mythology, she is a figure who reveals secrets and hidden truths, thereby creating changes in the world for good or ill. She holds the Moon (or a likeness of it), illuminating the scene around her, while her own eyes are turned inward. Does she glance at the mirror held carefully in her other hand? Perhaps she doesn't need to; but the Mirror is that which reflects reality, and which shows people the Truth. This is another motif that appears throughout mythology, from Snow White to Galadriel. 

 

The scene that she illuminates is one of grey, cold peace. She sits at the edge of a pool, the surface barely rippled. A soul in a boat crosses the water (or is tethered, in limbo?) to an island that recalls Avalon; a place of healing and resurrection after transformation, emptiness and loss. The trees are dormant, waiting for the Sun to return (although I feel that here, it never will). A heron, gatekeeper of the otherworld, slouches in the foreground, perhaps going through the motions of hunting, with a crane bag (containing runes or healing tools, perhaps) around its neck.

 

Everything is about stillness and dormancy, but in the process, the revelation of true understanding. The soul in the boat must be passive, and simply accept the nebulous reality that it finds itself in. There is no place for study (as  the Shaman), or careful introspection (as for the Hooded Man), but only a blankness of the mind, which the images in the mirror can fill. For this to happen, we need to give in to it, completely. Utterly. Lose ourselves, lie as still as death, and allow the insight of the mirror to fill the void.

 

In the book, this is an involuntary journey. It is something that cannot be actively sought, or forced; it is something that happens when we need it to, and the circumstances are right. We might encourage the insights to appear by cultivating an empty, meditative mind, or using techniques like scrying to see into our subconscious... but we can only ever create the circumstances under which the Dark Lady may manifest. We have no power over her, and when she shows us the mirror, it will be at a time of her choosing. Deep meditation may give us glimpses of the Mirror, but only when our lives need some fundamental transformation will we see it clearly.

 

But... this place is not the mundane world. The Mirror isn't physical, and it's not tangible. Its knowledge cannot be transmitted in a way to convince a rational mind, or be read in a book. This is where we must give in to the subconscious, for it is when we are in a state of need, or when we doubt ourselves utterly, that the Mirror's knowledge can flood through our mind, washing away illusions and filling it with a new, known but unprovable reality. Accepting this needs complete trust of our intuition and unconscious; we need to recognise when the time comes, then let go of what we 'know' and embrace what really is.

 

For those seeking the Mirror's guidance, most are doomed to frustration. The word 'patience' is often applied here, but I think it's wrong. Patience implies a stoic acceptance of the need to wait, and anticipation of the outcome. Here, that isn't what is needed. What we need is to forget that we are waiting at all. Accept that when the time is right, the Mirror will be shown to us, with all the transformations that its knowledge will require. But until that time... well, live your life and do not think on it; just be open to it, should it ever happen. The Dark Lady follows her own agenda, not yours.

[tara]

Hi Wanderer

Does the Mirror have any connection to the Hanged Man? I have often considered buying this deck but never got around to it. Probably because I think I remember reading that the cards do not necessarily match the rider waite and I felt I might get confused.

But if I compare the mirror with the Hanged Man, then you could say that looking in a mirror is a reflection, the same but not. You see something different when you look in the mirror at yourself, so you could say you are seeing a different perspective too. That beautiful woman is not looking in the mirror in the card and the greyness surrounding her could be seen as limbo, so it could signify that she is trying not to succumb to vanity, thereby making a sacrifice of sorts? The moon in her hand is illuminating, as the halo is in the Hanged Man. Does it help her intuition and in her seeing things with more depth?

 

Regards

Tara

[ilweran]

Interestingly I did a reading with the WW last night and got the Mirror. In the situation I was reading for I did take it as that I should essentially just leave it, stop pursuing the matter, don't expend any more energy in it, what will be will be.

 

Rather neatly I thought, the six of Arrows was the outcome.

[Wanderer]

Hi Wanderer

Does the Mirror have any connection to the Hanged Man? I have often considered buying this deck but never got around to it. Probably because I think I remember reading that the cards do not necessarily match the rider waite and I felt I might get confused.

But if I compare the mirror with the Hanged Man, then you could say that looking in a mirror is a reflection, the same but not. You see something different when you look in the mirror at yourself, so you could say you are seeing a different perspective too. That beautiful woman is not looking in the mirror in the card and the greyness surrounding her could be seen as limbo, so it could signify that she is trying not to succumb to vanity, thereby making a sacrifice of sorts? The moon in her hand is illuminating, as the halo is in the Hanged Man. Does it help her intuition and in her seeing things with more depth?

 

Regards

Tara

 

Hi tara[/member] !  X/

In a sense, you're absolutely right. Yes, the Mirror is an equivalent of the Hanged Man, and does indeed carry some of the meaning - but it's very much focused on the change of perspective angle, and to the authors (and me) is not really about sacrifice at all. Also, this change in understanding is imposed rather than under our control; the hanged man may be deliberately choosing his new position, but the figure on the boat is not - s/he is there to be healed or reborn. The revealed truths are necessary for them to grow.

    In this image, the character on the Wildwood's journey is the one on the boat; the snake-woman is the revealer of secrets and truth, an actor in the story rather than the one we sympathise with. I feel that she's not looking at the mirror because she doesn't need to; the truths it contains are not for her, but for her to give to others. What is she seeing inside her head? Perhaps she already knows all there is to know. She is the one illuminating the lives of others...

 

  I do know what you mean about confusion! However, I think there's potentially just as much confusion even between different RWS clones, in terms of the variations in detail and significance. I honestly don't know how anyone can handle dozens of different decks, and read effectively with all of them. This may be a relatively extreme case, but there is so much subtle difference between these cards and even the Greenwood (the same system, with many of the 'same' cards - see ilweran's journal for a fascinating delve into this deck) that I feel it's going to take me a lifetime to really understand it.

  That's a good thing, though - to always be learning from a deck means that you're seeing more than the surface of it. The RWS was what I started with, and for many of the cards I could never see those subtleties; it just didn't click. For the Wildwood, I feel like I've somehow got a built-in key to the meanings; the pictures make sense to me in a way that the RWS never has done.

  Like all decks, it's a question of whether it calls to you or not. If it does, then it's probably worth exploring. I do find that it's extremely powerful, and wonderful for deeper questions.  :)

[Wanderer]

Interestingly I did a reading with the WW last night and got the Mirror. In the situation I was reading for I did take it as that I should essentially just leave it, stop pursuing the matter, don't expend any more energy in it, what will be will be.

 

Rather neatly I thought, the six of Arrows was the outcome.

 

ilweran[/member]

Ha!  :D

Yes, the Six of Arrows was rather to the point, in that case...  out of interest, what position was the Mirror in? I've not had it turn up yet in such a way that the 'just leave it' angle has been the main point, although obviously I can see that potential is there.

[tara]

Hi Wanderer

Does the Mirror have any connection to the Hanged Man? I have often considered buying this deck but never got around to it. Probably because I think I remember reading that the cards do not necessarily match the rider waite and I felt I might get confused.

But if I compare the mirror with the Hanged Man, then you could say that looking in a mirror is a reflection, the same but not. You see something different when you look in the mirror at yourself, so you could say you are seeing a different perspective too. That beautiful woman is not looking in the mirror in the card and the greyness surrounding her could be seen as limbo, so it could signify that she is trying not to succumb to vanity, thereby making a sacrifice of sorts? The moon in her hand is illuminating, as the halo is in the Hanged Man. Does it help her intuition and in her seeing things with more depth?

 

Regards

Tara

 

Hi tara[/member] !  X/

In a sense, you're absolutely right. Yes, the Mirror is an equivalent of the Hanged Man, and does indeed carry some of the meaning - but it's very much focused on the change of perspective angle, and to the authors (and me) is not really about sacrifice at all. Also, this change in understanding is imposed rather than under our control; the hanged man may be deliberately choosing his new position, but the figure on the boat is not - s/he is there to be healed or reborn. The revealed truths are necessary for them to grow.

    In this image, the character on the Wildwood's journey is the one on the boat; the snake-woman is the revealer of secrets and truth, an actor in the story rather than the one we sympathise with. I feel that she's not looking at the mirror because she doesn't need to; the truths it contains are not for her, but for her to give to others. What is she seeing inside her head? Perhaps she already knows all there is to know. She is the one illuminating the lives of others...

 

  I do know what you mean about confusion! However, I think there's potentially just as much confusion even between different RWS clones, in terms of the variations in detail and significance. I honestly don't know how anyone can handle dozens of different decks, and read effectively with all of them. This may be a relatively extreme case, but there is so much subtle difference between these cards and even the Greenwood (the same system, with many of the 'same' cards - see ilweran's journal for a fascinating delve into this deck) that I feel it's going to take me a lifetime to really understand it.

  That's a good thing, though - to always be learning from a deck means that you're seeing more than the surface of it. The RWS was what I started with, and for many of the cards I could never see those subtleties; it just didn't click. For the Wildwood, I feel like I've somehow got a built-in key to the meanings; the pictures make sense to me in a way that the RWS never has done.

  Like all decks, it's a question of whether it calls to you or not. If it does, then it's probably worth exploring. I do find that it's extremely powerful, and wonderful for deeper questions.  :)

 

Hi Wanderer

You have such a deep understanding of the cards that one would be forgiven for thinking you wrote the book. Lol. Thanks for your teaching.

Regards

Tara

[ilweran]

Ha!  :D

Yes, the Six of Arrows was rather to the point, in that case...  out of interest, what position was the Mirror in? I've not had it turn up yet in such a way that the 'just leave it' angle has been the main point, although obviously I can see that potential is there.

 

Injustice was the past situation (had that in a recent GW reading as well), then there was The Fool as me in the present, the present situation was challenge and the Mirror, the future was Six of Swords.

 

I do realise I've done a mixture of titles and keywords there  ::)

 

I have put a lot of effort in to resolving this situation, and since I started using tarot again and using it around this issue it's been leading me quite gently to this conclusion - I can't resolve it but I can stop giving it head space. And it's sort of being forced on me as it's pretty much that or continue banging my head against a brick wall...

 

[Wanderer]

Hi Wanderer

You have such a deep understanding of the cards that one would be forgiven for thinking you wrote the book. Lol. Thanks for your teaching.

Regards

Tara

 

Aww, thanks tara[/member] ! But no, alas... I'm very much still a learner at this, even though I find it's a lot more intuitive than it could be with other decks. Some just click, as they say... but I still find I need to spend a lot of time with a card to get to grips with it, and then sometimes I'm left frustrated at the way they've illustrated it! I'm hoping to do your reading this evening, but if not then tomorrow - thanks for not minding any delays!  :)

[Wanderer]

Injustice was the past situation (had that in a recent GW reading as well), then there was The Fool as me in the present, the present situation was challenge and the Mirror, the future was Six of Swords.

 

I do realise I've done a mixture of titles and keywords there  ::)

 

I have put a lot of effort in to resolving this situation, and since I started using tarot again and using it around this issue it's been leading me quite gently to this conclusion - I can't resolve it but I can stop giving it head space. And it's sort of being forced on me as it's pretty much that or continue banging my head against a brick wall...

 

Impressive cards! That's certainly a compelling spread, and yes, it's interesting to see the role of the Mirror there (combined with Challenge). It's saying much the same to me: there is a resolution to be had, but it'll be given to you in its own time: go sail away and do your own thing until then. 

 

I think it's really useful having examples like this on these threads, so thanks!  :)

[tara]

 

 

Aww, thanks tara[/member] ! But no, alas... I'm very much still a learner at this, even though I find it's a lot more intuitive than it could be with other decks. Some just click, as they say... but I still find I need to spend a lot of time with a card to get to grips with it, and then sometimes I'm left frustrated at the way they've illustrated it! I'm hoping to do your reading this evening, but if not then tomorrow - thanks for not minding any delays!  :)

 

Whenever you have time is great. I lool forestd to it wanderer

 

Regards

Tara

[CharlotteK]

I just drew this card. I can really identify with the soul resting in the boat, in limbo. Seems like it is on the way to The Guardian and the cave of renewal, but is not there yet. The sea creature holds the mirror - which reflects back, and the crystal ball, through which we can see things new and differently. Love the interpretation and analysis at the start of the thread.

[Wanderer]

12 hours ago, CharlotteK said:

I just drew this card. I can really identify with the soul resting in the boat, in limbo. Seems like it is on the way to The Guardian and the cave of renewal, but is not there yet. The sea creature holds the mirror - which reflects back, and the crystal ball, through which we can see things new and differently. Love the interpretation and analysis at the start of the thread.

Hi Charlotte! Thanks for your input here, and it's great to read about how the cards work in practice - please keep it up!  This sense of stillness and the need for healing is one of the over-riding impressions I get from the card, even though the Dark Lady is the one who defines the meaning...

    I'm going to query a couple of things you said, just to see if it leads you somewhere deeper. Firstly, what does a mirror actually do? Does it reflect our ideas, or the reality? For me, the Mirror represents Truth, often in spite of our beliefs and affectations, and that is itself the power that the Dark Lady holds. She doesn't need to use a crystal ball to change our perspective, because Truth alone will do that. Our impressions of who we are sometimes deceive us.

    So, if that's not a crystal ball, what is it? It seems to be giving off a soft light, and she's holding it up to illuminate the scene before her. Without light, we cannot see into the Mirror, after all... but why does it look like the Moon, that mysterious light that as often conceals and deludes as it reveals? I'm not sure how much significance it was intended to have, but for me it acts as a prompter to question reality, to doubt what we have seen before. Rather than being a wild light that can lead us astray, here it is held deliberately by the Dark Lady. Perhaps she is using the moonlight to reveal truth rather than delusion. Whatever... for me it adds to the sense of uncertainty, helping us to question our beliefs and prior knowledge.

    Hope that makes some sense?

[CharlotteK]

Yeah am massively struggling with this one! She holds the mirror to her chest. Her eyes are closed. She has seen what the Mirror shows and has no further need to 'look'. What she holds up is a mystery - yes it is very moon-like. It is also the same size and shape as the glass would be in the mirror. The figure in the boat is not moving... it is waiting... in a liminal space. She is shedding some light but the mystery remains.