Kalevala Tarot - Eight of Stakes
By Kalervo Aaltonen & Taina Pailos
US Games Systems

The eight of stakes shows a man driving a horse-drawn sleigh along a path marked by tall poles. A girl sits in the sleigh with him; he has his arm around her. He drives the horse along with a whip, held in his left hand.

From the LWB: Nothing can stop what is about to happen.
Reversed: An opportunity is lost.

In the Kalevala stories, there are bridal abductions; I think this is one. I can't remember which of the women is in the story, but she refused to marry him so he kidnapped her. Or it might be one of the stories where a hero is taking his sister someplace. I can't see the expression on the girl's face, to see if she is in the sleigh by choice or not. I think that would be part of the reading that I would have to feel out intuitively.

This one speaks to me right now; not that I am powerless, but that the price to stop something is higher than I am willing to pay right now. I'm not terribly proud of myself for allowing it, and that in itself is more an issue than the situation itself. I feel like I "have to" fix the situation, but I really don't. I have built an identity for myself that says I won't take any crap from anybody, yet here I sit.

This card is almost counseling a wait and see attitude. The girl can't exactly jump out of the sleigh while it's moving... it'll stop when they get to their destination. Granted, she'll be out in the middle of nowhere on the heath, but if she did jump out now, risking injury, she'd still be in the middle of nowhere. Nothing gained.

Seems an odd conclusion from a card usually marked "action". :)

kerry