We Have Met Before

1.The Love That Returns

This option is for a person with whom closeness came too quickly to be explained by time alone. It may be a current partner, an ex, someone with whom everything took off almost at once, or a relationship that has no clear name yet, while inside you there is already the feeling that this person is somehow familiar to you. With them we will trace the whole story — what you were to each other, how you found each other, how the love began, where the first real problem came, how you parted, and why you are now appearing in each other’s lives again.

1. What were we to each other?

Two of Cups • The Empress • King of Cups • Ten of Pentacles • Four of Wands

There was a real love relationship between you, one that was part of your everyday life — much more than a strong feeling that stayed at the level of meetings and promises. The Two of Cups brings the mutual choice, the Empress adds closeness, care and the wish to create a home, and the King of Cups speaks to me of a person who felt deeply but was more sparing in the way they showed their emotions. The Ten of Pentacles and the Four of Wands then give a very concrete picture of a shared environment, a family, a shared home, gatherings and a life in which you were seen as a couple.

You both had different roles in this relationship. One brought more warmth, care and the ability to create comfort; the other was the emotionally steadier person you turn to when everything outside becomes too complicated. This was a relationship in which you knew each other up close — habits, reactions, weaknesses, the small things others do not see. That is why the present sense of closeness can come so early. With this person it takes very little time for the feeling to appear that you know how to be around them. The soul has apparently decided that the formal introductions can be shortened.

2. How did we find each other?

Wheel of Fortune • Eight of Wands • The World • Three of Wands • Page of Pentacles

Your meeting back then came during a time of movement and change. One of you was in a new environment, on the road, in training, starting a job, or at a point where their life was already changing direction. The World and the Three of Wands show widening boundaries, a new horizon and stepping out of the familiar, and the Page of Pentacles adds a practical reason — work, study, a skill, a new place or an opportunity that seemed important in itself.

The Wheel of Fortune and the Eight of Wands speak of events that unfolded quickly. One meeting, one message, one invitation or one change of place brought together two people who had originally set off for a completely different reason. The love came unplanned. It appeared along the way and almost immediately began to change the plans.

This explains why the relationship may carry a sense of destiny now as well. Back then, too, you were each on your own path, without looking for each other in particular. Life simply put you on the same stretch of road and then left the two of you to work out why.

3. How did the love begin?

Ace of Cups • Knight of Cups • The Sun • Six of Wands • Three of Cups

The beginning was much lighter than the end. Between you there was joy, laughter, meetings, conversations and the feeling that everything becomes easier around the other person. The Ace of Cups gives the discovery of the feeling, the Knight of Cups brings the first clear step, and the Sun makes the love open and visible. The Three of Cups suggests a friendly or social setting, more meetings, shared people or time spent without unnecessary tension, while the Six of Wands shows that you both knew you were wanted.

One of you made a clearer gesture and received an answer. Here I see a love that was mutual from the very start, without a long period in which one suffers in silence while the other has no idea. That is exactly why it grew so quickly. There was that pleasant feeling of waiting for the meeting and already knowing that the other person wants to see you too.

This is one of the strongest traces that can return now as well — the joy comes almost at once. The person has not yet done anything much, and inside you it is already becoming brighter.

4. What bound us together?

The Lovers • Strength • Nine of Cups • Queen of Pentacles • Six of Pentacles

There was a strong physical and emotional attraction between you, but the relationship was also solid because of what you did for each other every day. The Lovers bring the choice to be together, Strength gives the chemistry and the ability to get through hard times together, and the Nine of Cups speaks of real pleasure in each other’s presence. The Queen of Pentacles and the Six of Pentacles then show the practical side of the relationship — care, mutual help, sharing resources, time and attention.

One of you was the person who creates security and keeps everyday life going; the other sensed more easily when to support, to calm or to take on their share. There was a sense of being a team. The love lived in concrete actions much more than in big words.

That is exactly what made the relationship so hard to break later. When someone has become part of your everyday life, a separation takes much more than the love. It takes habits, plans, security and that simple thought that in the evening you know whom you are coming home to.

5. What began to divide us?

Two of Swords • Eight of Swords • Five of Pentacles • Justice • The Emperor

The first real tension came around a decision you had put off for too long. The Two of Swords and the Eight of Swords give a block and the feeling that whatever you choose, there will be a price. The Five of Pentacles adds material pressure, insecurity or fear of losing one’s position, and Justice and the Emperor bring in a strong external frame — the law, a family rule, social expectations, work, a contract or a person with power over the situation.

Here I see two people who still love each other but begin to want different things from life, or at least to want them in different ways. One was more inclined to go along with the order and to seek security; the other experienced this as a limitation and gradually began to feel cornered.

The problem built up gradually, day after day, through postponed conversations, half-made decisions and the hope that circumstances would somehow sort themselves out. They usually have the bad habit of not doing so.

6. How did that story end?

Eight of Cups • Six of Swords • Five of Cups • The Hermit • The World

The end comes through a departure or a clear drawing apart. The Eight of Cups and the Six of Swords show a person who leaves even though the feeling still exists. The decision is made because one of you no longer sees how the relationship can go on under the same conditions — the love was still there.

The Five of Cups leaves strong regret afterwards. The Hermit speaks of a long period in which at least one of you carried the separation alone and kept returning to it in their thoughts. The World shows that outwardly the story did end — life moved on, other places came, other people, other obligations.

Emotionally, however, the end came later. One of you left; the other was left with the feeling that the conversation had not been finished. It is exactly this difference between the outer ending and the inner continuation that lasted the longest.

7. What was left unfinished?

Six of Cups • Four of Cups • Page of Cups • Judgement • Nine of Wands

After the separation, tenderness remained, along with an opportunity that was never fully used. The Six of Cups keeps the good memory, the Page of Cups brings an unspoken feeling, a letter, an apology or an attempt at reconciliation, and the Four of Cups speaks of a chance that came at the wrong moment or was recognised too late.

The Nine of Wands shows that one of you kept an inner readiness to defend themselves for a long time and at the same time seemed to leave the door ajar. Judgement connects all of this with the present — the story returns because back then the decision was made from outside, while the feeling was left without an answer of its own.

That may be exactly where that strange sensation comes from, that the present meeting continues a conversation that began long before you appeared in front of each other now. And that is why your reaction may be stronger than you would expect from a person you have known for a few weeks or months.

8. How are we repeating that story now?

The Moon • Seven of Cups • Nine of Swords • Two of Pentacles • Knight of Wands

Now the same theme returns through an uneven rhythm. The Knight of Wands gives a strong coming-together, chemistry and moments when everything seems very clear, while the Two of Pentacles brings hesitation, changing plans and a relationship that has not yet found a stable form. The Moon, the Seven of Cups and the Nine of Swords show how quickly the empty spaces fill up with assumptions.

You may have a wonderful meeting, talk for hours, feel close, and the next day there is silence. That is exactly when the old fear switches on much faster than the situation really calls for. One unread message can turn into a whole scenario, and two days of distance can start to look like an approaching separation.

This position is very important because it shows where the old feeling begins to steer the present relationship. If the person is close, you easily see them as a continuation of that love. If they pull away, the old ending immediately begins to repeat itself inside you. That is why their actions matter most now — whether they seek contact, whether they make room for you, whether they are consistent, whether they take on their share of the relationship.

9. Why have we met again?

Judgement • Ace of Swords • The Star • Justice • The Magician

This meeting comes so that a decision that was left unfinished before can be made. Judgement brings back the old theme, the Ace of Swords asks for an open conversation, Justice insists that the relationship be equal, and the Magician shows that this time there will have to be action. The Star gives the chance to live the story more cleanly and with more hope.

This means your relationship will ask for more than hints, strong attraction and a sense of destiny. Someone will have to say what they want. Someone will have to take a step. If there is an obstacle, it will have to be named and resolved, instead of the two of you once again waiting for circumstances to choose for you.

This time you have much more freedom. That is the great difference between the old story and the present one. Back then you were hemmed in by outside conditions. Now the question is what you will do when the choice is yours.

10. What is the next chapter between us?

Temperance • Two of Wands • King of Pentacles • Ace of Pentacles • The World

The next chapter can become much more stable than the previous one, but this time the relationship has to come down from the feeling into real life. Temperance asks for time and gradualness, the Two of Wands sets a concrete choice of direction, and the King of Pentacles and the Ace of Pentacles give the relationship the chance to take shape — plans, constancy, a shared everyday life and security.

If the person begins to be present consistently, to make real plans and to show through actions that they want a place in your life, the relationship has a good chance of developing in a serious direction. Then that old feeling of home can truly get a new life, this time under different circumstances and with more maturity.

The World, however, leaves a second possibility as well. If one of you once again stays between closeness and distance, if the choice is put off again and one carries the whole relationship alone, this cycle will close. The difference is that this time the ending can be clear and conscious, without the long waiting that remained after the previous story.

So this love has a real chance of continuing, and it will happen once choice is added to recognition. It will happen if the two of you choose the same life and begin to build it through actions.

Where to continue in the Game of the Soul

If you want to understand what from the old story is still at work between you, go into Karma with the question: “What from our old love is still affecting our relationship, and what wants to be completed now?”

If you want to see what the two of you can really build in your present life, go on to Compatibility with the question: “What are we to each other now, and is there a foundation between us for a relationship that can grow?”

And the last question is the most important: if this love really has come back to you, what will you do differently this time so as not to reach the same ending again?

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2.The Person From My Family

This option is for a family member with whom your bond seems older than your present roles. It may be a parent, a child, a brother, a sister, a grandmother, a grandfather or another close relative, with whom there is a lot of love, but also a theme that stubbornly keeps coming back. One always takes on more, the other always needs help; one wants to protect, the other wants to breathe; one says “I’m only looking after you”, and the other already hears “they’re telling me how to live again”. Families have a special talent for knowing both what we love and which button to press in two seconds.

With this option we will see what the bond between you was in the symbolic story of a former life, what roles you had, what you gave each other, how that story was cut short, and what old contract you seem to be continuing now. The most interesting thing is whether the roles have stayed the same or whether life has brought you together again precisely so that you can change them.

1. What were we to each other?

The Empress • Six of Cups • Page of Pentacles • Ten of Cups • Queen of Pentacles

In the symbolic story of that bond, one of you was in a more caring, mature and responsible role, while the other depended more on them. The Empress and the Queen of Pentacles bring a person who took care of the home, the food, security and everyday life, and the Page of Pentacles speaks of a younger, inexperienced or dependent person who was only beginning to build their own life. The Six of Cups and the Ten of Cups add strong emotional closeness and a clear sense of belonging to a family.

It may have been a parent–child bond, an older and younger brother or sister, a guardian and the person in their care, but the role itself matters more than the literal kinship. One of you was the one the other turned to when they needed protection, advice or security. There was a lot of love between you, and it was precisely this love that made the dependence easy to accept.

The interesting thing is that your present roles may be reversed. The person who was once protected may now be the parent, and the one who once did the caring may be their child. Or back then you carried the responsibility for them, and now they are trying to carry it for you. Souls are clearly not at all attached to their job descriptions.

2. What role did I have in their life?

The Emperor • King of Pentacles • The Hierophant • Three of Pentacles • Seven of Wands

Your role was that of a person who holds up the structure. The Emperor and the King of Pentacles give authority, security and practical responsibility, and the Hierophant adds family rules, traditions and a strong conviction about how one ought to live. The Three of Pentacles speaks of teaching and building — you were the person who teaches, organises, prepares and helps the other find their place.

Over time, however, the care began to mix with the conviction that you are the one who knows what the right decision is. The Seven of Wands brings defending your position and finding it hard to give way, especially when you believe the family’s security depends on it.

There may be a trace of the same role now as well. You may easily see what this person should do, where they are going wrong, what will happen if they do not listen to you, and why the most sensible decision happens to coincide exactly with yours. At the root there is care, but the person opposite may feel more pressure than help.

3. What did we give each other?

Six of Pentacles • Ace of Pentacles • Queen of Cups • Four of Pentacles • Two of Cups

There was a real exchange between you, but it was unequal. The Six of Pentacles and the Ace of Pentacles speak of material help, a home, a resource, an opportunity or security that one gave to the other. The Queen of Cups adds emotional support, the ability to listen and to be beside a person in a hard moment, and the Two of Cups brings the strong mutual attachment.

The Four of Pentacles, however, adds the condition that gradually began to enter this exchange. The care came with an expectation of loyalty, obedience or closeness. The one who gave more wanted to know they would not be abandoned, and the one who received gradually began to feel that the help also had a price.

It is possible that the same mechanism appears today. One helps with money, time, organisation or constant care, and then expects their opinion to carry more weight. The other accepts the help but begins to fight for their own space. Both have their own logic, and at such moments the family dinner easily turns into a meeting with no agenda announced in advance.

4. What bound us most strongly?

Ten of Pentacles • Four of Wands • Judgement • Eight of Pentacles • King of Cups

The strongest bond between you was the family itself as a system. The Ten of Pentacles and the Four of Wands bring a shared home, a family name, property, traditions and a feeling that you belong to one place and one circle of people. The Eight of Pentacles adds shared labour or family work — you may have kept up a home, land, a craft, a business or something that required everyone to take part.

Judgement brings in very strongly the theme of the lineage and of what is passed down between generations. There seems to have been an unspoken rule between you that the family stays together and personal choice comes after the common need. The King of Cups brings a deep love that was often expressed more through actions than through words.

This was both the strength and the limitation of your bond. The family gave you identity and security, but it was hard for anyone to ask for a different life without the others experiencing it as a drawing away. That is why, now too, one person’s independence can easily awaken anxiety in the other.

5. What was hard between us?

Five of Wands • The Emperor • Queen of Swords • Seven of Wands • Five of Swords

The conflict between you was about the right to decide for yourselves. The Five of Wands and the Seven of Wands bring two people who defend their positions and find it hard to give up, and the Emperor and the Queen of Swords add strong characters, logic and firmness. The Five of Swords suggests that over time some conversations drifted away from the concrete problem and turned into a battle over who would have the last word.

You may have started from a perfectly practical question — money, home, work, marriage, moving, the choice of a partner — and gradually arrived at something much deeper: “Do you have the right to live in a way I don’t approve of?” For a person who has carried the responsibility all their life, a refusal to be listened to easily sounds like ingratitude. For a person who has lived for a long time under someone else’s care, the same conversation sounds like a refusal to recognise their maturity.

You may recognise this old argument now as well. You start from something small, and a few minutes later you are already arguing about years gone by. Families keep an excellent archive, especially when nobody asked for one.

6. How was that bond cut short?

The Tower • Six of Swords • Justice • Eight of Cups • The World

That family bond was cut short after a powerful change that forced a separation. The Tower brings an event that abruptly changes familiar life, and the Six of Swords and the Eight of Cups speak of leaving and of abandoning the old home or the old way of life. Justice adds an official decision, a law, a contract, a marriage, an inheritance, a family division or another external factor that made the change final.

It is more likely that one of you left because their life had taken another direction, while the other experienced this as the loss of a bond they had believed secure. The World closes the story outwardly — life went on, the new environment became permanent, and the old family was left behind.

The hard part is that the roles between you did not manage to change gradually. The person who had protected and led suddenly lost that function. The person who had been protected had to live independently all at once. It was exactly this abruptness that left a trace, which can now be activated with every more serious separation.

7. What old family contract have we brought with us now?

Ten of Wands • The Hierophant • Six of Pentacles • King of Pentacles • Eight of Swords

An old unspoken rule seems to continue between you: the stronger one carries more, the younger or more dependent one has to comply, and the family has the right to take part in the decisions of each of its members. The Ten of Wands and the King of Pentacles carry a great deal of responsibility, the Hierophant guards the family rules, and the Six of Pentacles once again links help with dependence.

The Eight of Swords is the card that says how easily this contract can limit both of you. The person who carries more begins to believe they have no right to give up their role. The person being cared for begins to believe they have no right to make a choice the family will not approve of.

That is why an old “I must” may live in your present relationship, one that nobody has ever discussed, but that you both seem to know. I must help. I must comply. I must be there for them. I must not disappoint them. It is exactly these rules that need to be seen, because only some of them still serve closeness.

8. How do we play out the old roles today?

Queen of Pentacles • The Empress • Page of Cups • Two of Pentacles • Four of Pentacles

Today the old pattern shows most clearly in everyday life. One of you thinks ahead about everything — money, the doctor, documents, shopping, appointments, problems, who has forgotten what and what has to be sorted out yet again. The Queen of Pentacles and the Empress give a person who takes care of things before being asked, and the Four of Pentacles suggests how hard it is for them to let go of control.

The Page of Cups puts the other in a softer, more dependent or more childlike position. They may seek comfort, expect understanding, sulk when help is missing, or promise that “this time it will sort itself out”, while the Two of Pentacles shows how some of the tasks keep coming back to the person who always takes them on.

In different family relationships this will look different. A mother may go on running the life of her grown-up child. A sister may constantly rescue her brother financially. A child may take on all the decisions of their elderly parent and gradually become the parent of their parent. The form changes, but the old question remains: who has the right to carry their own share of their life?

9. Why are we family again?

Justice • Temperance • Strength • Nine of Pentacles • Three of Pentacles

You have met again as family in order to learn closeness between more equal people. Justice asks for a new division of responsibilities, Temperance seeks a healthier rhythm, and the Nine of Pentacles gives independence. The Three of Pentacles then speaks of cooperation in which each has their own task and each lives their own life.

Strength is very important, because the change will require maturity from both of you. The one who cares will have to bear the moment when the other makes a choice in their own way, even if it is not the best one by their standards. The more dependent one will have to begin carrying the consequences of their own decisions and finding the way out themselves, instead of automatically looking for a rescuer.

The change will be recognised by very concrete things. Financial dependence may decrease. One of you will begin to decide on their own something that until now has always gone through the other. There will be a conversation in which someone says “this is my responsibility” and this time really takes it on. Then the old family system begins to lose its power.

10. What can be different this time?

The Star • Nine of Pentacles • The Sun • Three of Pentacles • The World

This time your bond can become much lighter and warmer, once each of you gets the right to a life of their own. The Star brings the restoration of trust, the Nine of Pentacles gives independence, and the Sun brings back more openness and joy. The Three of Pentacles speaks of a family that knows how to help one another, with each carrying their share, and the World completes a long cycle.

The change will come quietly, in small things. You will see it when you stop checking whether the other has done their task and they actually do it. When you say “I can’t this time” and everyone accepts it calmly. When the person beside you asks for advice instead of expecting a decision. When you can disagree and still be close after the conversation.

If this process begins, the relationship will become more mature and freer. The sense of family will remain, but the weight of the old obligation about who has to protect whom will lessen. Then each of you will be able to be yourself and still know there is a place for you with the other.

And that is exactly the meaning of this second meeting: to keep the closeness and to leave the old roles where they were once needed.

Where to continue in the Game of the Soul

If you want to see which pattern is passed down through the generations and why you in particular carry it so strongly, go on to The Lineage with the question: “Which family role am I repeating with this person, and where does it come from in our lineage?”

If you feel you have taken on more than really belongs to you, go into Letting Go with the question: “What responsibility am I carrying instead of this person, and how can I give it back to them while keeping the closeness between us?”

And the last question for you is: if you are now free of the role of their rescuer, their protector or the person who decides everything, who can you be for them now?

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3.The Person I Cannot Explain

This option is for a person who, for some reason, takes up more space in your thoughts than your relationship supposedly warrants. It may be a friend, a colleague, an acquaintance, someone you have met twice, or a person towards whom you have felt sympathy, tension, curiosity or an inexplicable dislike from the very first moment. Your connection may be short, your conversations few, and yet inside you there are already far too many questions. That is exactly what we will trace — where the feeling that you know them comes from, what connected you in the symbolic story of a past meeting, what was left unfinished, and why this person is appearing in your life again now.

1. Where does the feeling that I know them come from?

The High Priestess • The Moon • Six of Cups • Judgement • Two of Swords

The recognition between you comes before the facts. The High Priestess and the Moon give a strong inner reaction that is hard to explain by the time spent together, and the Six of Cups brings that strange familiarity that can appear through a look, a voice, a gesture, a way of moving or some quite small remark. Judgement brings back the sense of an old theme waking up again, while the Two of Swords shows how hard it is to decide what exactly you feel. You may see them and, even before understanding why, already be more tense, more curious or more attentive towards them than towards the other people around. For one person it will be sympathy, for another the wish to keep their distance at once, but in both cases the reaction comes too quickly. That is exactly the first trace — the meeting awakens something in you that seems to have begun before your present acquaintance.

2. What were we to each other?

Three of Pentacles • Eight of Pentacles • The Emperor • Page of Pentacles • Three of Wands

In the symbolic story of your previous meeting, you were connected through work, training or a shared task in which one of you had more experience, authority or control. The Three and the Eight of Pentacles speak of a concrete activity that required time, skill and cooperation, and the Emperor and the Page of Pentacles clearly divide the roles — one was the more experienced, the person who leads or teaches; the other was in a newer, dependent or student position. The Three of Wands adds a shared goal linked to development, travel, trade, a project or something that looked towards the future. There may have been no intimacy between you at all, but you were important to each other because you took part in the same work or plan. That is exactly why the person may affect you strongly now, even though your personal closeness is small — the old trace is linked mostly to their role in your life and less to love.

3. How did we meet back then?

Eight of Wands • Wheel of Fortune • The Chariot • The World • Two of Pentacles

The meeting happened quickly, on the move, at a time when at least one of you was outside their usual environment. The Eight of Wands and the Chariot bring travel, a change of place or a sudden change, the World adds another place, a new environment or contact with people beyond the familiar circle, and the Two of Pentacles shows a busy period with many tasks and decisions. The Wheel of Fortune makes the meeting a turning point, although at first it seemed purely practical. One of you may have arrived for work, begun training, joined a shared project or come temporarily to a place that later turned out to be important. In the same way, the present meeting may have the same character — the person comes through work, mutual acquaintances or a very specific occasion, and then somehow stays in your thoughts long after the occasion has passed.

4. What attracted or repelled me?

The Devil • Strength • Queen of Wands • Five of Wands • Six of Wands

There was strong tension between you even then, because the other touched on a theme connected with self-esteem, recognition and one’s place among others. The Devil and Strength give magnetism and a reaction that is hard to rein in, and the Queen of Wands and the Six of Wands speak of a person with a visible presence, confidence or the ability to draw attention. The Five of Wands adds competition and the wish to prove yourself. Imagine a very concrete scene: they walk in, say something confidently, the others listen and pay attention to them, and in you a mixture of interest and irritation immediately switches on. You may have respected them and at the same time wanted to put them in their place. They may have impressed you, but also awakened in you the wish to show that you can do it too. The same reaction may appear today, especially if the person receives recognition, speaks confidently or carries a quality you yourself have not yet fully allowed yourself to express.

5. What was really between us?

Seven of Swords • The Moon • King of Swords • Two of Swords • Five of Swords

The story between you became complicated because one of you knew or planned more than they said. The Seven of Swords and the Moon speak of incomplete information, and the King of Swords brings a person who thinks strategically, keeps their distance and shares only part of their thoughts. The Two of Swords shows a decision that was put off, and the Five of Swords speaks of a moment when one was left with the feeling that the other had put their own interest first. This may have been linked to work, a position, a shared project, money, influence or a choice in which the two of you wanted different outcomes. It is possible that one considered the relationship purely practical, while the other expected more loyalty or openness. So after the meeting the feeling remained that something had been left unsaid and that the story had not been fully understood. It is exactly this feeling that returns now as strong curiosity or mistrust, even when the present person has not yet given any real reason for it.

6. How did it end?

The Hermit • Eight of Cups • Six of Swords • Four of Swords • The World

The end came quietly. The Hermit and the Four of Swords speak of drawing apart and communication breaking off, and the Eight of Cups and the Six of Swords show how one set off in another direction and gradually left the other’s life. The World closes the shared period and suggests that circumstances made the separation lasting. There is no big conflict after which both clearly know why everything ended. Rather, one left, changed their environment or simply stopped being part of the other’s everyday life. It is exactly this lack of a real resolution that made the trace last longer. When a person disappears without a final conversation, curiosity easily survives for years. And now you may feel the same wish to understand the person, even though you have no sufficient reason to put so much thought into them.

7. What trace was left?

Page of Swords • Nine of Wands • Four of Pentacles • Justice • Seven of Pentacles

After that story, the habit remained of watching carefully and trusting gradually. The Page of Swords brings the need to follow the details, the Nine of Wands keeps the defences switched on, and the Four of Pentacles makes you keep your distance until you understand whom you are dealing with. Justice seeks a clear answer about who did what and who was honest, and the Seven of Pentacles adds the waiting — as if you want a little more time, one more remark, one more sign before deciding what you think of the person. This trace may show now as a particular attentiveness to their every reaction. You may notice things that would not make any impression on you with another person, and wait for some proof of whether your first feeling was right. The old habit is to keep watching the person until you are sure what they want from you.

8. How does it show now?

Seven of Cups • The Moon • Page of Cups • Nine of Swords • Two of Swords

Now you most easily start filling in the story around them, because your real contact does not yet have enough facts. The Seven of Cups and the Moon give many possible explanations, the Page of Cups adds curiosity and a wish for contact, and the Nine of Swords and the Two of Swords show how easily a long inner conversation can spin around something quite small. You see they are online but not writing to you, and immediately several versions appear of why. You meet by chance, exchange five sentences and then spend the whole evening recalling their tone. Someone mentions their name and you feel your reaction before you have even decided what you actually think of them. In exactly this position you need to look at what is happening between you in real life — how often they seek you out, whether there is interest beyond the practical occasion, whether they are consistent, how they behave when they have nothing to gain from the contact. These actions will tell you more than ten inner scenarios.

9. Why are they appearing now?

The Magician • Ace of Swords • The Chariot • Eight of Pentacles • The Fool

Their appearance now comes to set in motion a change you have probably been putting off. The Magician and the Ace of Swords bring an idea, a conversation or a decision, the Chariot gives movement, the Eight of Pentacles points towards work, a skill or a professional direction, and the Fool opens a new stage. After this meeting a new project may appear, an offer, training, a journey, a change of job or a contact that will open another door for you. If the person irritates you, the irritation may push you to defend a position, set a boundary or show an ability you have kept in the background until now. If they attract you, they may lead you out of a period of excessive caution and make you take a little more risk. The most important thing is to watch what begins to change around you after their appearance, because that is where the role of this meeting will become visible.

10. What will remain of this meeting?

The World • Judgement • The Star • Six of Swords • Ace of Wands

After this meeting a new direction and much more clarity will remain. The World and Judgement close an old question that has long waited for an answer, the Star brings the sense that what you lived through had meaning, and the Six of Swords helps you leave behind the constant need to decipher the person. The Ace of Wands shows how something new begins after them — an idea, a desire, a direction or a decision that now belongs to you.

If mutuality, regular contact and real interest gradually appear between you, the person may stay in your life and the relationship may take a new form, different from the old story. If the contact stays brief, the meeting will still do important work, because it will give you clarity about what they awakened in you and where you want to go from there. At some point the question “Why does this person affect me so much?” will begin to lose its power, because the answer will already be visible in the change they have left behind.

Where to continue in the Game of the Soul

If you want to understand why certain people unlock such a strong reaction in you and what from the old story returns through them, go on to Karma with the question: “What do I recognise in this person, and why is my reaction to them so strong?”

If you want to see what role this person has among the other people in your life and whether their presence is part of a larger change, go on to My People with the question: “What role does this person have in my life now, and what is changing through our meeting?”

And the last question is: if you stop trying to decipher this person, what will become visible about you yourself?

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4.The Story That Wants a Second Ending

This option is for a relationship in which you have the feeling that you have already been in this place. It may be a partnership, a friendship, a strong closeness, or a relationship that keeps arriving at the same question: do we stay, do we go, do we choose each other, do we wait some more, do we take the step or put it off again. The scene may be different, the people are different now, life is different, but inside that familiar feeling appears: “I seem to have lived this before.” With this option we will trace where the old turning point was, what you chose back then, what price remained after it, and how you will recognise the moment when the present story reaches the same place. Because life sometimes has a rather particular taste for repetition and apparently believes that if we did not understand the task the first time, it can give it to us again.

1. What story did we begin back then?

The Chariot • Ace of Wands • Two of Cups • Six of Wands • Knight of Pentacles

In the symbolic story of that relationship, the beginning was strong and very decisive. The Chariot and the Ace of Wands give movement, impulse and the feeling that the two of you set off towards something new with great confidence, and the Two of Cups shows that there was mutuality between you and a readiness to go forward together. The Six of Wands brings the feeling that you made the right choice and that your relationship had a chance of succeeding, while the Knight of Pentacles adds the wish for this beginning gradually to become lasting.

This was a story in which the two of you acted as a team. One gave more impulse and courage, the other brought practicality and constancy. You may have set off on a journey, changed your surroundings, started shared work or made a decision that required you to trust each other. At the beginning you acted at once, with that pleasant self-assurance that comes when two people look in the same direction.

That is exactly why the next part of the story became so difficult. When the beginning is confident, it is hard to accept that over time the two of you may begin to understand the future differently.

2. What did we want to achieve?

Three of Wands • The World • Ten of Pentacles • The Emperor • The Star

Your shared goal was big and concrete. The Three of Wands and the World give a widening horizon, movement towards another place or towards a broader life, while the Ten of Pentacles and the Emperor bring in the clear wish for stability, a home, a position, security and structure. The Star shows that behind the practical plan there was also a real dream.

You may have wanted to change city, create a home, start shared work, acquire property, leave an old environment, or build a life that at the time seemed freer and bigger than the one you already had. At first the plan seemed shared, but gradually each of you began to see differently how exactly this future should look.

One wanted more security and clear steps; the other was ready for greater risk. One was looking at how you would live in five years; the other wanted first to feel able to breathe now. So the shared dream slowly began to split into two versions.

3. Where did the first turning point appear?

Two of Pentacles • The Lovers • Eight of Pentacles • Seven of Pentacles • Four of Cups

The first turning point came at a moment when it had become impossible to go in two directions at once. The Two of Pentacles shows an attempt to balance two important things, the Lovers set a real choice, and the Eight and the Seven of Pentacles speak of effort, waiting and the feeling that the result was being postponed far too long. The Four of Cups adds the disappointment that appears when one begins to lose faith that the plan will ever happen.

One of you may have been waiting for a decision about work or a move, while the other already wanted a definite answer about your shared life. There may have been a family obligation that one could not leave, which the other saw as yet another postponement. You may have had the chance to go somewhere together, but one of you asked for more time.

That is exactly when the same remark began to mean different things. “Wait a little longer” was reasonable to one. To the other it already sounded like “we’re not going”. And when waiting begins to carry more fear than hope, the turning point has already come.

4. What choice did we make back then?

Eight of Swords • Two of Swords • Justice • Four of Pentacles • The Emperor

Back then you chose what seemed safer. The Eight and the Two of Swords give fear of the consequences and a feeling that the freedom to act is limited, while Justice and the Emperor place the weight of the law, the rules, work, family obligations or social standing. The Four of Pentacles clings tightly to the familiar, even when inside there is already doubt whether this is really the life one wants.

Here I would see a very concrete parting of ways. One stays because of work, family, property or security, and the other has to decide whether to wait. Or one chooses the common obligation, while the other understands that the relationship has once again been put in second place. It is also possible that you both gave up a risk that seemed too great at the time.

From the outside the choice looked reasonable. Inside, however, it left unease. That is exactly why, after it, the question remained whether you had protected your life or given up part of it.

5. What price did we pay?

Five of Cups • Nine of Swords • Six of Cups • The Hermit • Four of Swords

The price was different for the two of you. The Five of Cups and the Nine of Swords show regret and a long return to the decision, and the Six of Cups keeps the memory of the time when the shared future still seemed possible. The Hermit and the Four of Swords speak of a period in which each was left alone with their own version of what had happened.

One may have regretted more the person they lost. The other may have regretted themselves and the decision they made out of fear. This is an important difference. One thought: “I should have stayed with them.” The other: “I should have been braver.” So the same story left a different wound in each.

And that is exactly why, after a while, the memory may appear without great sadness, but with that brief inner “what if back then...”. Sometimes a person only wants to know what would have happened if they had chosen differently — they no longer need the old life back.

6. Where did the story end?

Death • Eight of Cups • Six of Swords • Ace of Swords • The World

The end came with a clear decision. Death shows that the old form could no longer continue, and the Eight of Cups and the Six of Swords speak of setting off in another direction. The Ace of Swords adds a conversation or a moment of clarity after which you both knew there would be no return to the previous plan. The World closes the cycle and shows that afterwards life really did move on.

Here I would see a concrete scene: one says they will not wait any longer; the other admits they will not take the step; someone leaves; a key is returned; a shared plan is cancelled; a decision is signed, after which your paths really do part. The ending began long before the last conversation, which is why it came gradually. The last conversation only named what was already clear.

This matters for the present, because now a moment is approaching again when postponing will stop being harmless. If no one chooses, time itself will begin to choose for you.

7. Which moment is repeating now?

Two of Wands • The Lovers • Wheel of Fortune • Three of Wands • Two of Pentacles

Now you are again reaching a decision that will determine the direction of your relationship. The Two and the Three of Wands look towards the future, the Lovers ask for a choice, the Wheel of Fortune brings back the familiar theme, and the Two of Pentacles shows that again there are two important priorities that are hard to fit together.

You will recognise this moment by a concrete theme. It may be the question of whether you will live together, whether someone will change city, whether the relationship will become official, whether work will once again be put before the relationship, whether a third factor will demand time and resources, or whether one will keep waiting for the other to decide.

The scene may look completely different from the past one, but the feeling will be the same: one wants movement, the other wants more time. And that is exactly when it will become clear that the old turning point is already in front of you.

8. How do we react in the old way?

Nine of Wands • Seven of Swords • Four of Pentacles • The Moon • Queen of Swords

The old way begins with silence and defence. The Nine of Wands keeps a person on guard, the Seven of Swords makes them keep part of their thoughts to themselves, the Four of Pentacles clings to what is safe, and the Moon quickly fills the empty space with assumptions. The Queen of Swords comes when the feeling has already become too vulnerable, and instead of openness, coolness appears.

It may sound perfectly ordinary: “I was going to ask, but I decided to wait.” “If they don’t write, it’s clear.” “I won’t show how much I care.” “Let them take the first step this time.” Then the other sees the distance and reacts with their own defence. After a few days you both have an excellent theory about what the other is thinking — only the conversation is missing.

That is exactly how the old pattern begins to reproduce itself. The fear of the wrong choice creates distance, and the distance then looks like proof that a shared direction is impossible.

9. What can we do differently?

Ace of Swords • The Magician • Justice • Strength • Three of Pentacles

The change comes through a conversation that has to be followed by action. The Ace of Swords and the Magician ask for clear words, Justice insists that each takes their own share of the decision, and Strength gives the courage to stay in the conversation even when the answer is different from the one you wanted to hear. The Three of Pentacles shows that a shared direction can only be built if both of you take part.

Acting differently, however, has a price. If you ask for clarity, you may hear that the person is not ready yet. If you choose the relationship, you may have to change work, place, a habit or a plan. If you choose yourself, it may turn out that the relationship will not continue. This time maturity lies precisely in the readiness to hear the truth and then live by it.

The most important thing is for the decision to become action. If you are going to be together, a concrete step has to appear. If there is a deadline, it should be real. If there is an obstacle, there should be a plan for how it will be resolved. If your directions are different, admit it before waiting once again becomes a way of life in itself.

10. What can the next chapter be?

The Fool • Ace of Pentacles • Temperance • Six of Swords • The World

The next chapter can take two different paths, but both can give a truly new ending. The Fool opens a new direction, the Ace of Pentacles gives it the chance to become concrete, Temperance asks for a more mature and slower rhythm, the Six of Swords leads the two of you out of the old tension, and the World closes the cycle that until now has always stayed half-open.

If you both make the different choice, the relationship can begin again on a much more real foundation. There will be more clarity, concrete plans and less life in assumptions. This may mean a shared home, a real change of surroundings, a joint project, or simply the decision at last to give form to the relationship you have mostly only talked about so far.

If only one of you is ready to change the old pattern, then the second ending may be a separation. The difference is that this time the long “what if” will stay behind you. You will know what you asked for, what answer you received and why your paths are parting. And sometimes it is exactly this second ending that an old story needs most.

This relationship returns to the old turning point to give you a choice you once made out of fear. Now the question is both much simpler and much harder: now that you know what waiting costs, will you choose the same again?

Where to continue in the Game of the Soul

If you feel you are once again facing a choice you already know in another form, go on to The Crossroads with the question: “Which old choice is repeating in this story, and what will change if I choose differently now?”

If you want to understand why exactly this pattern keeps bringing the two of you back to the same point, go on to Karma with the question: “What unfinished choice are we carrying from the old story, and why do we keep arriving at it again?”

And the last question is: when you recognise the old turning point and this time you yourself decide, what will you choose?

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