Safe Passages Spread from “Agatha All Along” – benebell wen

When you haven’t been watching the 2024 Marvel TV sequence Agatha All Alongside, it’s a spin-off from WandaVision centered on the character Agatha Harkness. And the episodes have been chock filled with tarot (and witchy) goodness.

I really like how the web tarot neighborhood is presently having enjoyable with a fictional however bona fide tarot unfold within the present, named the Secure Passages unfold, a key function in Episode 7 (“Demise’s Hand in Mine”). It’s acquired Celtic Cross vibes within the formation of a pentagram.

(Ignore my graphic above; I squished all the cardboard positions collectively, which is why you’ll be able to’t actually see the pentagram anymore. Within the TV present, the pentagram form is extra pronounced.)

Only a head’s up: there could also be spoilers on this weblog put up, however nothing too main; I’m specializing in the tarot elements.

Lilia Calderu is a Roma psychic and divination witch who, per comedian e book lore, makes use of the Historic One’s Ebook of Cagliostro for divination. Right here on this 2024 sequence, she makes use of the tarot.

A coven of witches are on the Witches Street and every episode spotlights one of many witches with a trial that she should move, primarily based on her specific witchy talent units. (They do this entire kitschy potions witch, inexperienced witch, safety witch, the Wiccan, chaos witch factor, but it surely’s superb.)

And in Episode 7, it’s Lilia’s trial: divination. That is vital as a result of at first, they’re doing readings for who they suppose the querent is likely to be and are failing the trial.

The Teen (who’s the Wiccan) does a clumsy novice studying and struggles with the cardboard meanings.

Agatha (I believe they’re typecasting her as both a chaos witch or a darkish witch) doesn’t come to the tarot with the proper intentions or honest coronary heart.

“Tarot is a con, like another,” says Agatha to the Teen. “There’s no magic to it. There’s no talent.”

After studying of The Teen’s identification, the witches suppose possibly he’s the querent and Lilia does a studying for him. Right here’s the place we get some enjoyable insights into learn how to do a tarot studying. The querent should shuffle and reduce, says Lilia. One of many characters, Jennifer Kale (the potions witch/social media influencer witch/rootworker) even protests, saying they don’t have time for that, and Lilia emphatically ensists that the querent should shuffle and reduce.

Then, as you’ll be able to see from the above screenshot, the deck is fanned throughout the studying desk and the querent selects the playing cards one after the other from the fan of playing cards, provides the cardboard to the reader, who then notes the cardboard chosen, recites a number of key phrases, then locations it into place within the unfold. As soon as in place, the reader (on this case Lilia) proceeds to interpret its which means.

Lastly, Lilia realizes that because it’s her trial, she is the querent and must do the studying for herself.

Her significator, the cardboard designating The Traveler, is the Queen of Cups.

By the way in which, the palace within the background of the TV Present Queen of Cups is from the RWS 4 of Wands.

I really like how on this present, they took Pamela Colman Smith’s artwork model from the RWS and edited it round to make the illustrations on every card higher match the present’s plot, however drawn within the model of PCS.

Like how the determine representing Agatha within the TV Present Three of Swords is predicated on the lady within the RWS Two of Cups.

It was a bit exhausting for me to observe which unfold place was what as a result of (1) that round studying desk spins so body of reference saved altering, and (2) the directionality of what was upright and what was reversed saved altering from studying to studying.

What I used to be capable of catch was that when Lilia pointed as you see above, she stated that was The Obstacles place. [But then later you’ll see that in the show itself, this card position was The Path Behind card.]

Then when she pointed as you see above, that was The Windfall place. [But later, the final reading they did shows this card position to be The Path Ahead.]

And that ultimate card crossing The Traveler (the significator card) was The Vacation spot.

So primarily based on Lilia’s narration of the cardboard meanings and pointing on the positions, it could suggest a tarot unfold that appears like this:

Nonetheless, primarily based on the plot and that ultimate unfold we noticed on display screen, The Tower reversed is the Path Forward card, the Knight of Wands upright represents one of many characters from a earlier episode…

…and thus is the previous Obstacles card… or, wait… is that this possibly the Path Behind card for “wounds suffered, classes realized”?

…and The Excessive Priestess represents who one of many characters is remodeling to turning into and thus is the Windfall place (possibly? the unfold on a spherical desk that saved on spinning didn’t make this simple…).

Ergo, evidently the Secure Passages tarot unfold must be as follows:

Now, after all, let’s check out this unfold for ourselves.

“Ask a query that’s essential to your existence on earth,” says Lilia.

All proper. Comply with her directions. =) Consider a query for test-driving the Secure Passages unfold with. It must be a query “that’s essential to your existence on earth.”

Listed below are the cardboard positions:

1. The Traveler. That is you. This card tells us one thing about who you’re and what you’re bringing to the scenario, your core attributes.
2. The Quest. That is what’s lacking, the journey to be undertaken, what’s at stake, and the explanation on your quest.
3. The Path Behind. Wounds suffered, classes realized, experiences gained.
4. The Path Forward. An area for progress and discovery, says Lilia.
5. Obstacles. These are the challenges you’ll face. If it’s a previous occasion, it designates what ache you’ve needed to undergo to get to the place you’re. If it’s indicating a future occasion, it’s a warning signal.
6. Windfall. Features available after you may have confronted the obstacles. These are powers, blessings, and strengths that come to be.
7. The Vacation spot. Omen of the long run to return. The ending.

Again to card reversals for a second. Not solely was reversed card meanings vital to the plot of the TV present, however currently I’ve additionally observed a rising development in tarot social media transferring again towards studying with reversals. We have been preferring to learn with reversals in just like the early 2000s, after which the 2010s had us transferring, as a collective, towards no reversals and studying all playing cards upright, and now I’m observing a collective shift again to reversals. Enjoyable!

I additionally love how the Demise card on this present lined the vary of meanings tarot readers debate over on what the Demise card means. Is it dead-death or is it transformation, transferring on to a brand new part or cycle. I can’t get into why or how with out gifting away main spoilers, so I gained’t, however the tarot reader watching this episode goes to catch all of them. 😉 You’re going to be fairly impressed and suppose, “Oh! Sensible!”

And eventually, the witchy, magical act of bodily altering the positioning of one of many playing cards within the unfold to vary the course of occasions. The episode even lined tarot as spell-casting.

At a vital juncture level of the story, Lilia takes that “Path Forward” card the place The Tower got here up in reversed and switches it upright. You even see glowing golden mild and refined sound results to point that it’s a spell. Then by activating the cardboard upright, she, nicely… that additionally could be too large of a spoiler. =)

The tarot deck featured on this present goes to change into sizzling commercialized merch in 5… 4… 3… 😉 It’s only a matter of time earlier than we begin seeing it on the market. Oh, hmm, attention-grabbing that the present went with non-reversible card backs when the characters have been studying with reversals. (Random final commentary…)

When it comes to witchy goodness, there are such a lot of particular technical esoterica, culturally pagan and witches in popular culture by the a long time references, plus tongue-in-cheek critiques on this sequence that I’d wager they most undoubtedly have a witchcraft subject material professional on employees to assist with the script.

For me, that’s one thing I actually respect. As an alternative of a employees author wanting stuff up on Wikipedia and mish-mashing fantasy tropes collectively, this script is knowledgeable, and when it leans in to stereotypes, it’s humorously self-aware.

There’s even a little bit of witchy Asian illustration. One of many coven members, Alice Wu-Gulliver, has a safety seal that her mom had tattooed onto her daughter Alice’s arm, to safeguard her from a generational curse.

The Seal does appear to encompass precise oracle bone script, seal script, Taoist constellation glyphs, and customary Fu talisman sigils usually, although itself might be the TV present’s personal authentic design. I see directionality glyphs for the south and west place; that middle ideogram is likely to be Wind although it’s exhausting to say; there are glyphs for middle (or center pillar), stars, and moon.

In observe, Fu talismans and seals could be uniquely stylized per the person practitioner, so it’s completely believable that others aren’t capable of learn out precisely what’s what or decipher every glyph’s symbolic which means.

The numerous cool, knowledgeable detailing is why I embrace actuality mimicking fiction right here with tarot social media unironically having fun with the Secure Passages studying unfold.

When you’ve been watching the present and even in the event you haven’t however have gathered up a primary impression from this weblog put up, what are your ideas on the tarot and witchy illustration present in Agatha All Alongside?