branchandroot

So, I finally got around to reading the full translation of Yukimura’s 40.5 profile (*tips hat to Ai*), and the tarot reading at the end caught my attention.

For one thing, as divinations go, it was considerably less corny than most of what shows up in these profiles.

Over and above that, though, I found this bit absolutely fascinating. It really looks like either Konomi is a tarot geek with a complex conception of Yukimura’s character (and just can’t translate that into narrative to save his soul), or else got really lucky.

Disclaimer: I had to make some assumptions about which spread Konomi was basing this on; there are dozens of different ways to interpret which card falls where and how they relate. Since this was divination for Yukimura’s profile, though, and since there are only the five cards, I assumed it was a fairly standard “who is this person and what are their circumstances” reading.

So, in the center we have The Emperor. To the right is The Empress and to the left is The Hermit, reversed. Above is Justice and below is The Hanged Man.

The center card of a spread like this is generally read as the one representing the person in general, kind of a summation of their current condition. Alternatively, it can be read as the issue that is most central to their concerns at the moment. Given that Sanada's sobriquet is 'the Emperor', that did give me a moment of giggles. Let us, however, take it as Yukimura's signifier. The Emperor represents power and authority in the daily, physical world. It indicates someone who is a ruler and knows it and is both comfortable and satisfied to be so. So, as captain, Yukimura holds his authority easily and well. And most likely quite firmly, too. This is, the positioning suggests, his central characteristic.

The right and left hand cards are sometimes read temporally, as the past and future, but that wouldn't make a great deal of sense in this context, with these cards. Therefore, I assume that they represent, instead, the 'left' and 'right' hand traits: emotional or inner, and physical or outer, respectively. Read this way, one takes left and right from the 'perspective' of the central card. There are other ways of reading these positions, of course, but this is probably the most common.

On the Emperor's left is The Empress. This is a card of power and authority in the emotional and sensual world. This card is often read in terms of nurturing and of sexuality. So we might say that, not only is Yukimura confident in his captaincy, he's kind to his team and sexy while he's at it. *grins* Less facetiously, he cares for people and is probably comfortable in his body and sexuality. Moreover, this card indicates that he has great emotional strength, and is openhanded in sharing it.

On the Emperor's right is The Hermit, inverted. This was the one that most made me think that either Konomi is knowledgeable about tarot or else a complete tyro. The Hermit is a card of introspection, of isolation for the sake of fruitful meditation. Reversed, this card does not indicate that someone is outgoing and open; it is more likely to indicate that introspection has turned sour, to brooding. Since this is card is in the position for outer or physical affairs, this could be an indicator of what happened during Yukimura's illness. The gloss of the reading given in the profile makes no mention at all of this aspect, however, which left me wondering.

Above we have Justice. This is the position of the intellect or higher faculties, and Justice is a card of balance and measurement. Thus we have a suggestion that Yukimura has a fine judgement, and also that his mind is of the type that weighs and measures. Given that he has both The Emperor and The Empress in his reading, both very authoritative cards, this one may also indicate that he tends to take on the position of judge.

And below we have The Hanged Man. This is a complex card, and can be read a number of different ways. It sometimes refers to mysticism or transcendence. It can also indicate a certain quirkiness, a tendency to view the world not quite as others think normal. It is most often read in terms of openness to enlightenment, but Konomi's gloss indicates he may have had the quirky reading in mind. This card falls in the position that represents underlying truths, the subconscious, or deep issues. So either Yukimura has a transcendental streak or he's really a little weird. Possibly both. It may, however, help explain why he was one of the three who achieved no-self before the start of Canon Year. The Hanged Man, in this position, does suggest that Yukimura has a talent for these things, and The Hermit indicates that he is given to introspection, albeit not productively right at the moment. The other three cards, however, show that he's just as strongly inclined to outward connection and action, on all levels.

It's a complex reading. Me, I just wish Konomi had put all this into the story instead of stuffing it into a profile offstage.