Okay, I think tarot readings are really cool! Would you please do one for me? I am moving to Japan next month and will stay there for six months to do field research for my PhD. Nervous! What do the cards say?

Alright so our first card is the nine of cups reversed, which suggests that although things you will go well, it is wise to manage your expectations and don’t be frustrated if things don’t go according to plan.  Then we have the seven of swords reversed which means that some people will have good advice for you, the next card the queen of wands reversed, also means that you must be cautious to avoid listening to gossip about someone who will turn out to be good and helpful.

The next two cards the tower and the ace of swords reversed seem to indicate to me that if you ignore this person’s advice because of rumors about them things could go pretty wrong, but if you do listen, things will go well.  Also these cards seem to indicate that there might be some sort of power struggle going on in the institution you’ll be involved with when you arrive, and you should be cautious which side you pick.  I then drew a reversed chariot which just added to the impression of struggle.  The next two cards ten of staves and six of pentacles are sort of complicated, basically, they could be good or could be bad.  Basically, I think all this means to be vigilant in terms of your social environment, and careful of who you trust, but that if you manage that you’ll be very successful