Second Readings : Wofford's Soul

According to Eden Gray’s The Tarot Revealed, the second triangle on the tree of life “represents the intellectual and moral nature of the subject” (107).  But in this case, I found this triangle to refer to the student body more than anything else. 

I read the fourth card in the gravel parking just behind Old Main.  This spot is actually a bit controversial because it borders several houses whose owners have refused to sell their property to the college.  In my experience, Wofford has rarely been the subject of harsh criticism, but I’ve definitely heard people talk of the “good people” who were “forced” off their land for Wofford’s needs to expand.  In this place I asked about Wofford’s good qualities, its virtues.

The answer is that Wofford students are traditionally humble, sharp, intelligent and forward-thinking.  Age is certainly a factor here but not immaturity.  It’s more about the Page of Swords – a young, sword-toting boy.  His tense eyes show that he’s critical.  And his blade (which he carries with two hands) shows that he expects the worst.  These qualities aren’t out of place – the final card, the five of pentacles, reveals that through exercising these virtues he will find success in love, good companionship, and new, rewarding, spiritual interests.

The second reading was done at Frat Row (the traditional place of college debauchery and vice) and, interestingly enough, asks about the college’s intellectual and physical strength, its feelings toward conquest and competition.  The result is that this notion of conquest is closely linked to students’ frustration, their impatience with the state of transition and conflicts of interest.  Nothing is clear for the Wofford student.  To a certain extent, they know their potential and they know what they’re capable of attaining.  They want to be the Knight of Wands – an American badass of sorts, who attacks with calculated control, upsetting order and creating conflict – but they're stuck in a liminal phase.  This frustration fuels competition amongst themselves and will one day serve as a motivation to act and stand apart in the “real world.”

The third reading was done outside the Success Initiative room, facing Old Main, and it inquires about the spiritual health of the student body.  In a big way, the reading feels specific to my generation, angst-ridden and weathered by disruption.  There isn’t a desire to break the mold here; rather, we’d be more inclined to go with the flow and ride the tide.  We will find success but it will come with time.  Society will try to bind us to past conventions but our greatest fear is narrow-mindedness, so there will probably be more growing pains and difficulty finding a place in the world.  Water plays a large part in the reading.

Overall, I feel very happy with this reading.  It’s an interesting interpretation of the student body, which I feel is really the soul of the campus.