Tarot reading performed for BenSiegel by MamboSally in NewOrleans.

The reading is the standard Celtic Cross, although I stuck one extra card at the end -- the Hanged Man / The Scarecrow.

Card 1, The Wheel of Fortune (X). The card shows the Cyclone, carrying Dorothy and her Kansas farmhouse off to Oz.

Old Sally says: “The first card shows where you’re at. That’s easy. You’re caught up in the cyclone, boy. Tossed by the winds. Anyone could tell you that just by looking at you. You’re a smart boy, probably got lots of big plans, probably there’s other folks got lots of plans for you too. But the Cyclone says, the gods laugh at the plans of men. Build a house, build a farm, scrabble in the dirt. The cyclone just gonna come, and blow it all away. You caught up in it now, boy, nothing you can do but roll with it. Maybe it’s blowing you some place you oughta be.”

Card 2, Ace of Wands, Reversed. The card shows an iron rod, sheathed in flames. 

“The second card shows what crosses you, what stands in your way. Wands are the suit of fire, the suit of industry and initiative. The Ace of Wands stands for enterprise and business, men building things up. But here it’s upside down, ain’t it? That ain’t so good. It means a bad inheritance, it means pride going before a fall. I see a city of industry, a city of fire [Chicago]. Someone there got a hold of you boy. You gotta get free of that or I think maybe you gonna burn.”

Card 3, The Fool (0). The card shows Dorothy, skipping along the Yellow Brick Road, Toto at her heels.

“The third card crowns you. It shows your plans and goals. The Fool represents a journey launched without preparation. Dorothy skipping off down that yellow road. That’s what you wanted, wasn’t it? A journey? Adventure? Well, looks like you got it, my boy, looks like you got it. ... But I don’t think this here Dorothy is you. No, you the Scarecrow, searching for secrets to stuff your head like straw. I think this card is for somebody else.”

Old Sally fixes Danny with a stare. “The Fool stands for madness, madness that links him to the divine. Dorothy’s the fool that drops down from the sky, she speaks in the tongues of the gods. It’s a gift that damns her to wander. Scarecrow goes looking for secrets, the Lion for courage. All Dorothy wants is just to go Home. Ain’t that right, mister?” she asks Danny. [And here you guys probably figured Angie would be our Dorothy.]

Card 4, 10 of Swords. The card shows a woman encircled by ten swords.

“The fourth card is beneath you. It shows the secret foundations, the hidden influences that can’t be seen.” Old Sally blanches. “Well, this here, is just about the worst card in the pack.” [Don’t thank me, thank Bryant.] “It means death, ruin, disaster. You got a black, black hoodoo on you, boy. Maybe some of that bad inheritance from the Ace of Wands. A terrible crime was committed, maybe some time long ago, but it has a long black shadow and that shadow falls squarely on you.”

Card 5, 7 of Wands, Reversed. The card shows the CowardlyLion and seven wands of fire.

“The fifth card is behind you. It shows the past. But again, I don’t think this card is for you, boy.” Sally looks at those of you standing there: Ben, Reese, Angie, Danny, Black.  “I don’t see him here, but I think you got a Cowardly Lion traveling with you, too. I see an old man, a man who maybe once had a gift. He had strength, but no courage. The 7 of Wands reversed say, he who hesitates is lost. This old man, he’s spent a lifetime hesitating. Now he’s wasted, dissolute. He’s squandered his courage, his power, most of his time. But the Cowardly Lion found his courage, didn’t he? And your old man might too, with help. But he’s got to be brave. He’s got to face what he hasn’t wanted to face. He’s got to open his eyes and remember how to see.”

Card 6, The Moon (XVIII). The card shows the Wicked Witch of the West, wizened and hideous, cackling over a moon-like crystal ball.

“The sixth card is before you. It shows what’s immediately in your road.” The old woman cackles. “Now she shows her face. The Wicked Old Witch. The Black Maria. Bloody Mary. The Black Goat of the Woods. She’s out there in the West [WickedWest], watching you. She rules the back roads and the night streets. She calls on the dark side of the moon. You look out for her, boy. She hates the Sun. She hates the Wizard. She hates the men who think they rule this land. But boy, she hates you most of all. Oh lord, what did you do?”

Card 7, The Tower (XVI).  The card shows a WhiteCastle, collapsing.

“The seventh card shows what you fear. And you are right to fear the Tower, boy. Cause the Tower is Man’s Pride. Most deadly of the seven sins. Time was a group of men in this country got together, they was rich men, kings. Built great cities, thrones of gold. But that weren’t enough for them. Wanted to touch Heaven. Wanted the power that rightful only goes to God. The kings invited something into the world. Thought they could rule it. Thought it would serve them. Thought it was for sale. They found out. They found out who would rule and who would serve. Now the castle is a ruin. The thrones is cages. And they might still look like kings. But behind the walls of the castle, they on their knees, licking the palms of the Beast.”

Card 8, The Empress (III). The card shows Ozma of Oz, reclining on her throne in a rich corn field.

“The eighth card shows what you can hope for. And it’s about time. I was beginning to think your whole reading was gonna be doom and gloom. But here’s a ray of light. This here’s a good witch, and a green and gold field of corn. Look at that corn field. Is that Kansas or Oz? Maybe it’s both. Maybe there is hope for you boy, hope for you and for the land. Because Ozma here is the Green Mother. She’s Mother Earth. She’s nature and fertility, the loving goddess who gives birth and nourishment to all things.”

Card 9, King of Wands, Reversed. The card shows Santa Claus, of all things, looking surprisingly sinister on an iron throne.

“The ninth card shows who you got to face before all this is done. Fix your eyes on him good. Santa Claus, huh? Jolly old elf, bringing presents to the kiddies. But here he’s upside down. Upside down, the King of Wands is a dark dark man. He’s powerful and ruthless, merciless and cruel. Don’t you let him get his hooks in you, boy, or you gonna be his forever.”

Card 10, 10 of Coins. Dorothy and the Wizard stand before the Great Seal of Oz, ringed with ten golden coins.

“The tenth card shows your fate. The ten of coins is the money card. It stands for great wealth, a long dynasty, heaps of gold. And you know money is a good thing, there ain’t no shame in taking money that you’ve earned. But just remember that gold and silver ain’t all. Sometimes riches can be hollow. You got to ask yourself if the treasure is worth what you give up for it all along the way.”

Card 11, The Hanged Man (XII). The card shows the Scarecrow, hanging upside down. Gold spills from his pockets.

“But now what’s this? Here’s another card, another fate that you might could choose. You know this card, don’t you? This is you, here, boy, the Scarecrow. Folks call the Scarecrow “KingHarvest.” The Summer King [OccultKingship]. When I was a girl, the sharecroppers would pick a scarecrow every summer to be king of the crops. They’d call him White Ben. They’d put money in his pocket, girls would give him kisses, put a crown upon his head. They set White Ben in the field up above the other scarecrows, and oh would he look proud. But then, come summers end, White Ben would go to the fire. That’s what it means to be the Summer King. He’s got to die so the land will live and the crops will grow tall. That’s what the Hanged Man is about. He’s a martyr. He stands for sacrifice and submission, an early death. But in his death, the land finds life, and Summer comes round again.”

See Also

• MajorArcana
• The Wizard Of Oz (Sally used an Oz deck)