The Futility of Divining Forbidden Themes: Entrance Exam Results Edition
Tamaki Amami-sensei recently posted a new article on the theme of "things you shouldn't divine," and I found it very interesting to read this time as well.
I'm sure you have all, to a greater or lesser extent, had the experience of divining something even though you were told you shouldn't. I certainly have, too.
I know, right!!!!
Actually, about two years ago, I checked the entrance exam results for my own child.
At the time, I concluded for myself that it was "practically meaningless." Even now, with time having passed, I still hold the same view.
Actually, I didn't write this in the article, but when applying to multiple schools,
I thought, 'If I ask what kind of student life they would have if they enrolled in each, that's not asking about pass/fail, so it should be fine!' and I did a one-card Tarot draw (I can come up with all sorts of loopholes like that...).
I drew the cards more than half a year before the entrance exams. So, part of it was that I figured I wouldn't take whatever result came up too seriously. In short, I couldn't overcome the urge to try divining it.
I just remembered that I had written down a record of that time. Is the statute of limitations up? So, I'll reveal it. By the way, I didn't show these results to the person involved.
Looking back at the notes where I wrote down my reading, this is how I interpreted them.
Regarding the school that got the "Wheel of Fortune," I felt like I was being told from the start that there was no connection. Even if they enrolled, it seemed like they wouldn't be able to keep up with the curriculum.
The "Page of Swords" seemed to suggest they would feel their own immaturity the most. The "Ten of Wands" suggested that even if a mountain of assignments were given, they might enjoy it. The reversed "Queen of Pentacles" suggested that they might not gain anything from attending in the first place. Incidentally, this school later had a scandal that caused a stir in society for a while.
The school they enrolled in among these is the "Ten of Wands" one. In reality, they are being chased by a dizzying amount of assignments, but since they are doing it because they want to, even while saying it's tough, I suppose it's fine. It really does look tough, though. Actually, after attending, there were many things that made me think it was good they went to the Ten of Wands school.
The school that got the "Wheel of Fortune" was their first choice at the time. Since it's a top-class school in the field they were aiming for, one could say it wouldn't have mattered which way it went, but when it comes out with a bang like that in the Major Arcana, even a parent can feel discouraged.
I tried divining by pretending to change the question like this, but for an examinee, the results of a pass/fail divination are nothing but poison, even if a seemingly good card comes up. I almost want to tell people who ask me to "divine the pass/fail of my child's entrance exam" to reconsider.
When it comes to yourself or issues you are deeply involved in, your heart wavers even more. Even if the result is wrong, you can use it as an excuse for yourself, saying, "My attachment was too strong, so my reading must have been off." No, in a sense, that might be a benefit?
In any case, I think that "things you shouldn't divine" are just that prone to wavering (in the style of Yukari Ishii).