Feb 13, 2025
Guests:
J, S, A’chan, K, M
Discussion Content:
Today was a really windy day, and J, who came before the others, said that’s good because then his washing will dry quickly. I said, yes, but it might get blown away and asked if he had good, strong clothespins (clothes pegs).
Just then, the others all arrived together, and I said there was a dust cloud over the whole area due to the strong wind. A “dust cloud” is actually mostly made up of dirt and soil blown from farms and barren land, but for some reason it’s not called a “dirt storm”.
J asked K if she was using ChatGPT. I asked J if he had tried the new Chinese AI platform called “Deep Seek”, but he said he wasn’t going to use it because he doesn’t trust the Chinese government. I said jokingly, President Xi will find out all your personal information.
Last week, K and M were absent because they went to a Tarot card reading lesson, so this week I asked them to bring their cards and try a reading with the salon members. I was asked about the origin of Tarot cards, and I didn’t know, but guessed from the word that it could be French. J checked on Google and it said they originated in Italy and France in the 14th & 15th centuries.
K had a set of Tarot cards in Japanese, and M had an English set, so we used hers. J asked the first question, but the answer was very general and vague, because it doesn’t predict literal events. It said to “Focus on practical matters” and that “The future is not set in stone”.
Next, I asked A’chan to ask a question, but noticed that this week her hand was no longer bandaged. She said she had completely healed following a burn she got a few weeks ago from overheating soy milk in the microwave.
A’chan asked about her son’s upcoming entrance exam, but again, the result was that it can’t predict future events. Then she mentioned that she was going to a lecture today about a new device for healing tooth disease, and the 4 Tarot cards chosen all looked a bit scary. The interpretation said something like “Take time for introspection”.
Then I asked the question, “Will I stay in Japan for the rest of my life, or will I return to Australia?”. When M chose 4 cards, K said they were all “Major Arcana” cards – which apparently means they are important somehow – of which there are only 22 in a deck of 78. The message was something about choosing between seeking stability or seeking adventure.
Next, I asked K what questions she usually asks a fortune teller when she goes to see one, and she said she asks about her accessories business where she makes fashion items out of felt and wool, etc. However, she said that she doesn’t want to sell some of the pieces she makes because they have sentimental value and she has become attached to them.
Lastly, I reminded M about her lost pair of pants that she told us about a few weeks ago, and suggested she ask the Tarot cards where the pants are. The answer was to use a logical thought process to determine where they could be located. I thought it was interesting and ironic that the Tarot cards, which are not a logical system but a superstitious and spiritual one, was suggesting the use of logic.
Useful phrases:
clothespin
clothes peg
dust cloud
dust storm
practical matters
The future is not set in stone
healed quickly
too general
introspection
Doesn’t matter
stability
Become attached to something
sentimental value
take turns
logical
ironic