A Tarot Reading on Kanadajin3 (aka Mira)

When the water of ones emotions are consumed by the fire of ambition they evaporate into steam. Hot, searing steam. And just as quickly as it burns.. it disappears as if it was never there.

How does I shot damage control?

There's been some internet dramaz going on recently that's caused quite a stir in the j-vlogging community on YouTube. Mira, aka Kanadajin3 and her niggas are apparently no longer best buds - the fallout of which has been all but completely made public via Twitter, YouTube, 2ch, and a message board titled "Pretty Ugly Little Liar" (or: PULL for shortsies). In the interest of keeping this post as focused on the reading as possible, I urge anyone who isn't aware  of what Mira has done to read more on the PULL messageboards, or watch the call-out video posted by Rachel (of the YouTube channel "Rachel and Jun"), that is if you give a shit, of course!

Essentially, TL;DR - Mira created a bunch of sock puppet accounts in an attempt to subvert and trash other j-vloggers (such as Micaela, Sharla, Rachel, and some other lesser known vloggers just starting out), many of which were on friendly terms with her on and offline. She was pretty much caught red-handed but refuses to admit culpability, refuting all allegations against her.

Whilst looking into this, I was suddenly inspired to do a reading on Mira. Why would she behave in such a way? Isn't she supposed to be friends with Sharla, Micaela and Rachel? What could she gain from such underhanded behaviour? I attempt to look into just that through the.. wait for it.. that's right! The Tarot.

Let's begin.

I asked the following question: How has Mira's sense of self-love/self-esteem been affected since arriving in Japan?

Mira's Celtic Cross Spread

Her current emotional state and the energy affecting this state are depicted through the reversed 9 of Swords and the reversed  10 of Wands. A release of pent up burden has finally been expelled - all the effort of carrying those wands has finally caused Mira to buckle under the weight and collapse. Her secrets have been revealed, which in some ways must be a relief to her and simultaneously be a source of incredible dread, given that many are watching the outcome play out in real time.

Below these two cards, we see the Knight of Wands. A man of pomp and flash, he's gung-ho and ready to go! He speaks to Mira's state of mind upon leaving for Japan from Canada: full of ambition and ready to face the adventure of moving on to a whole new continent, never mind a new country. There is a clear sense of excitement and anticipation for what's to come.  Oh, the best laid schemes of mice and men..

Upon teaming up with other vloggers in the community, she had already faced unexpected adversity (Many of us who follow Mira know this already). The man in the 9 of Wands stands at the ready, eyes wearily fixated on the eight wands that loom from behind the wall menacingly. He's battle-worn and ready for a fight. The question is: Who is this unseen enemy that stands behind the wall brandishing these wands? Is there anyone there at all? There is a feeling of paranoia. Seeing an adversary where one may not exist, or may no longer exist. In collaborating with her peers on YouTube, etc., was Mira expecting them to attack her in some way?

What was she running away from emotionally? There was something she was hiding beneath the facade she wears. One not unlike many of us. The World reveals the answer.. openness.. exposure of her self. Being naked for the world to see. She was avoiding showing her vulnerability. The softness buried under her quite brusque veneer.

She ran from the World and in doing so she had hopes to
cut herself free from the bondage of inferiority. The 8 of Swords reversed is a mirror into the mind of Mira. Upon gazing into this mirror we can see her desire to feel free, to feel grounded upon the earth. She wanted unhindered security without restriction. She is a damsel in distress hoping for rescue.

I designated a card position to explain how Sharla affected Mira's sense of self worth.  I chose Sharla because it seemed as though they were fairly close. I don't know much about their relationship aside from the energy of their collaborative videos and whatnots. And just how did Sharla influence Mira's self esteem?
The Queen of Wands steps forth beaming with radiant sunshine. A woman of this quality is one who encourages and uplifts. The big sister who's always got your back when you need it, and Sharla totally had Mira's back. She brought light and support. A true friend, I reckon..

At this rate, where can Mira expect to find her sense of self worth? Perhaps a little too obvious, the Magician
reversed relays a lack of confidence in his abilities. He shows us that Mira will be experiencing this. But not only that. She will know powerlessness. She may even find that she is unable to adequately care for herself. Attempts will surely be made, thought.. no doubt.

Over the summer I see Mira feeling pretty pleased with herself. She'll surround herself in  achievements that result in emotional comfort. Something will occur to cause her to well with a sense of pride, perhaps even in a confrontational way. We'll have to wait and see what that's all about, however..

Finally, we approach the ultimate outcome, and it sure is a doozy! The Tower. In the end much time will be needed if Mira wants to rebuild the Ivory Tower she took up residence in not so long ago. The Tower, struck down by the force of Nature, is now little more than a pile of smoldering rubble. And Mira? She must decide the worth in the daunting task of rebuilding it.. stone by stone. Another option exists. She can always walk away. But if the choice is to reconstruct it's imperative she understand the folly in repeating karmic mistakes.. otherwise the tower will continue to be stricken from existence again, and again.. until the lesson has been integrated properly.

~end of the first reading~

Follow-up Question (FUQ)

This Celtic Cross sure did give some insight. But, alas.. I needed more. So back to the breast I went to suckle just a bit more information out. As a follow-up to the Celtic Cross spread, I threw only 4 cards with the following question in mind:

What was Mira's motivation for the attempt to subvert her friends with sock puppet accounts. What was she trying to get out of this?

Every single card in this spread is a Cup. This reflects the depth of emotional attachment Mira has placed on fame. On acceptance. On winning. But above all, on her low opinion of herself.

She sought to bring them down to her level. Knock them off the throne. To dethrone the king(s). The king, in this case, being those of a higher rank than her. Of higher celebrity, if you will.

Mira was unwilling to see the gestures of sincerity these kings extended, preferring to focus on old hang ups that were and are no longer serving her. There was also niggling guilt which she ignored with determination. She was fixated on her perceived lesser value in comparison to her friends and peers. There is a stain in the emotional waters running within her.

She wanted more than what she had.  Much time was spent in a state of daydream. In the Seven of Cups there is a face of a woman. The face is translucent as though it is fading into nothingness. There is a figure standing inside of the cup next to her - a cloth draped over them - they're covered from view. A snake looms closer, readying itself for attack. A Tower stands off to the left. Notice the wreath of victory, and the skull embedded in that cup, admonishing in its wisdom.

I don't think Mira even realized why she did what she did. So much of her focus was on her belief of her of inferiority. She sees her life as more painful than her friends and peers of the vlogging community. She was and may still be ignorant of the sincerity her friends extended toward her.. the experience of a deeper, truer sense of camaraderie.

She ignored this and focused on the hate. The painful, gut-wrenching weight of the dark matter that commands so much of her energy.

She wanted to cover her friends, or should I say her competition, under the cloth we see in the 7 of Cups so that no one else could notice their existence. Then, in this way, she would have the top floor in the Ivory Tower. She would become the victor. Such temptations have thus driven her to do nasty things to people who have done little or nothing to deserve it.

"Why aren't they feeling pain like I am? Why are they on this throne? It's MY throne. It matters not who is the first to fall. So long as their fall brings about my rise, I care not one bit. Eventually I will be above them all."

And that, Mira, is why you were knocked from the Tower.

What damage have you endured to bring about such bitter, festering hatred for ones who reach their hand out to you with such purity? 

Please see the lesson in this experience. Don't  let the light inside of you become totally eclipsed by the darkness that feeds on your spirit.

Elliot Rodger and his Day of Retribution as seen through the eyes of the Tarot

↑　Elliot Rodger　 ↑

[[Scroll down if you want to skip straight to the spread interpretation!]]
 
There is little chance you’ve not heard of the recent murders that took place in Isla Vista, California this past week. Elliot Rodger, who was 22, killed 6 people and injured 13 before killing himself in what was coined by him as his “Day of Retribution”: the day he would have revenge on those he viewed as his enemies. It was obvious none of these people had done anything to deserve their fates, however, this wasn’t about to stop the massacre from happening.

A 140 page manifesto written by Rodger was released to the public. I can only assume this was with the intention of imploring the public to understand, maybe even empathize, with the motivating factors behind his actions (as an assumption take it with a grain of salt!). With the manifesto we learn that Elliot was the son of Peter Rodger (assistant director of The Hunger Games) and Chin Rodger. He also had a step mother by the name of Soumaya Akaaboune.

If the words of his manifesto are anything to go by, his parents were largely absent from his life, especially his father, in the ways required to produce a well-adjusted human being. Certainly his parents can’t be blamed for his heinous crimes but I feel it’s worth mentioning. Throughout the text much of the pain Elliot was struggling with becomes all too clear. Between that and his creepy-as-fuck YouTube videos, there’s no mistaking the fact that his grasp on reality was tenuous at best.

What does the Tarot have to say about all of this?

I thought it would be interesting to see so I grabbed my deck and cast a Celtic Cross as an overview of the events leading up to the infamous “Day of Retribution”.

Here’s what came up:

Significator: (X)Knight of Wands

This is a powerful spread as we can see in the placement of the 6 Major Arcana and the high volume of reversals. I’m seeing a lot of struggle and strong emotions. It’s a sad picture to gaze upon, there’s not doubt about that.

The month of February was very difficult for 
Elliot. I see in the reversed Wheel and reversed Lovers a decision, or realization perhaps, that he will never experience the emotions associated with love and sex. I don’t believe his sole pursuit was to get his dick wet, though that was top of his list of priorities. There is a yearning to share love with another person. Preferably blonde, I’m sure, because we all know anything less simply won’t do, amirite??When it comes to luck in love he sees himself at the bottom of a Wheel that refuses to rotate. I believe that much of our fortune comes from our resolve to be persistent. The Wheel is stuck, or more accurately, it’s being unwittingly held firmly in place by one who fulfills his own prophecy.

The Two of Cups is reversed in the position describing Elliot’s childhood years. But how does this contribute to the outcome? The relationship between Chin and Peter Rodger was not one of faithful monogamy. According to the manifesto, they divorced in 1999 and very shortly thereafter Peter brought another woman into the picture, Soumaya Akaaboune, who would ultimately become Elliot’s stepmother. The rapidity in which his life changed at this vulnerable time would have more of an impact on the outcome than one would expect, even Elliot.

Junior High was  a pivotal time in the life of Elliot Rodger. During his teens he felt he couldn’t be free to express himself fully. The steps required to begin the journey toward self-realization were not taken. There is a strong sense of fear and cowardice that I’m getting from the Fool. The number zero prominently stands out. Elliot had a lot of self-hate going on and zero accurately depicts this. It screams out to say just how low an opinion Elliot had of himself.

The dog in this card seems to nip at the Fool’s heels playfully. It wants to be free and without care, to enjoy all life has to offer. But the dog is being ignored. He’s not allowed to join in the reindeer games, it seems.

Another Major Arcana card. A reversed Magician reveals Elliot’s cowardice and lack of ability to manifest thought into action, into “solid form”. The last thing he wanted from all of this was to puss out, or fuck his meticulously laid plans. He ached to show the world he’s not some wimp who couldn't get it up and get shit done. Unquestionably, he didn't want everyone to realize he wasn't as magnificent as he so desperately attempted to portray himself.

Supreme Gentleman and Magnificent guy. Yes.

Was he able to see past the end-game? Perhaps he saw himself as a martyr who was without regret. The halo around the Hanged Man’s head mirrors Elliot’s thought that what he had planned was divinely inspired. This card unmistakably speaks to just how lopsided his perceptions of reality were. This card coupled with Temperance show just how at peace he was with the choices he’s made. As an aside.. I thought it was oddly amusing that the Hanged Man’s hair is blonde…

The Rodger Family (this includes Soumaya), whether they know it or not, had some real negative impact on Elliot’s mental state. It’s impossible to deny the absolute violent nature the Ten of Swords conveys. Taking it one step further the Ten of Swords, when viewed through the lens of the Wheel, shows just how severely damaged Elliot was as a result. I can’t say exactly what was said or done, although I have a sense that it was more about what wasn't done.

Ah, and the Three of Swords. Another card crying out for the pain Elliot was feeling. It sure doesn’t tell us anything we don’t know by now, though. Women, in general, caused him great amounts of pain, and stress. He was definitely depressed over this. He sees woman as intentionally malicious toward him. If the Three of Swords had merely one sword penetrating the heart, well sure, that might have been an accident, but 3? Now you’re just being an asshole.

The hunter has become the hunted in the Five of Wands. Immediately my eye was drawn to the boy furthest to the left. To me this is Elliot. His wand is held aloft, ready to strike. The boy wails a war-cry announcing his intention to attack.He’s taking his opportunity to engage in combat with those he’s been to cowardly to confront in the past. This, in Elliot’s mind, was a long-awaited opportunity to reciprocate the aggression he endured (whether real or perceived) while growing up. Fighting back against what he saw as bullies or aggressors.

The Four of Wands reversed explains how Elliot was feeling the day before the murders. There were misgivings regarding whether the plans would come to fruition. Worried he may not reach the “finish line”. This goes without saying, me thinks.. of course one is bound to be filled with a sense of trepidation and anxiety before carrying out such heinous crimes.

Elliot intended to murder his stepmother and younger brother, but fate had other ideas for the two of them on that day. He too had trouble gaining access to the women at the sorority he had targeted. Despite this, Temperance shows the precision of his focus on the task at hand. Considering this was a murderous rampage, it’s disturbing to see just how calm, how zen, his state of mind was. More than one might have expected.

I requested one more card from the deck. One to describe his state of mind before death. The response was the Queen of Wands reversed. Even until the end his hate seemed to seethe.

My conclusion

At the end of the day, this was a tragedy that could have been prevented by the police easily if they’d only paid more mind to the potential consequences of inaction. Especially given the undeniable evidence to his unstable state of mind all over his YouTube channel (which they were aware of) before the massacre. His parents could have done much more as well. Hindsight sure is something..

I’d like to leave you with a link to what I feel is as objective a commentary on this tragic event I’ve seen so far. Stephan Molyneux attempts to analyze the situation while using the manifesto as reference material. He presents a compelling argument and insight into Elliot Rodger’s frame of mind and what very likely contributed to the monster he ultimately became.

Thanks for reading.