Page 31 of Foresyth Conservatory
But if there was a source, then there was power.
“Ah, now that’s a much more interesting question.” The Meister leaned back, satisfied.
Sequoia’s eyes flashed with horror, but the look was gone as quickly as it had appeared. Had I said the wrong thing? Or had I tapped into something I wasn’t ready to know?
“Haven’t you heard ofThe Book of Skorn?” Leone said.
I turned to him, feeling the weight of his judgement. “Of course I have, but it’s a hypothesis, just like anything else. The truth cannot be derived solely from books, only through experiment,” I said pointedly to Aspen.
Aspen rolled his eyes. “What a purist,” he muttered under his breath.
“No, let’s follow that thought,” the Meister probed. “True magick, after all, comes from experimentation, not from reading books. It is the practice of doing, of becoming, that creates magick. What experiments should Ms. Blackburne perform to derive the origin of the cards’ powers?”
An uneasy silence fell across the room. I had the feeling that everyone, except me, already knew the answer.
“She could call to different deities and then pull cards, see which ones are more accurate,” Sequoia suggested. “I could help you draft a list of patrons,” she added.
“That assumes that the power of Tarot comes from deities,” Nina said. “What about sacrifice? I could lend you a frog or a pheasant. I would expect it back, though. After you kill it.”
“You’re disgusting, you know that?” Aspen frowned. “What she really needs is a hypothesis, like she said. Where do you think the powers come from? From there, test it.”
I found myself agreeing with Aspen. But I couldn’t very well say that I didn’t believe the cards had power; otherwise, what kind of Tarot reader would that make me? Leone had mentionedThe Book of Skorn. If I referenced the work, perhaps that would help me gain their favor.
“Aleric Khorvyn wroteThe Book of Skorn. In his view, Tarot was a means to access the archetypal energies and universal principles that underlie the fabric of reality,” I started, recalling a copy of the book I had read in my father’s library. “He believed that by engaging with the symbolism and imagery of the cards, individuals could gain profound insights into their spiritual journey, the nature of existence, and the forces shaping their lives.”
“I know you come from a sub-tier school,” Aspen bated with a teasing smile, “but a hypothesis usually begins with an if-then statement.”
I shot him a dagger with my eyes, but my mind was too preoccupied to reply. “As I was saying . . . if Tarot’s powers come from engaging with these archetypal energies, then by engaging with them in a specific way—maybe even embodying them in the real world—one could strengthentheir powers of foresight. If one’s power of foresight does strengthen, then Tarot’s power is derived from these collective energies.”
Sequoia’s excitement bubbled up and she started clapping her hands in a quick, hummingbird motion. “She’s so good,” she whispered to Aspen.
“Sounds like someone developed an experimental framework,” the Meister said. “Does anyone have suggestions for which cards Ms. Blackburne could use to test her hypothesis?”
“The Moon—that’s my favorite,” Sequoia said, smiling.
“She needs something straightforward to study. The Moon is too ambiguous. What about Eight of Coins? That one’s very literal,” Nina said.
“Coins are so material. She needs cards with spiritual meaning. The Two of Swords is an excellent choice,” Leone added.
“The Devil,” Aspen said. Everyone turned to him, eyes scrunched—even Leone.
“What? She needs a card that has a strong, unambiguous meaning. The Major Arcana card representing rebellion should be easy for Ms. Blackburne to embody.” Aspen crossed his arms with that same sly grin on his lips. I hated how my cheeks were blooming from his attention, and I let my hair fall to the sides of my face to conceal them.
“Then I think you have a path forward, Ms. Blackburne. Is there anything else you want to discuss with the group?” the Meister asked.
“No, that’s all. Thank you,” I said, sitting back, defeated.
What the hell had I just gotten myself into?
I wanted to propose studying the lineage of Tarot using empirical methods, not tapping into its magick. How was I even supposed to do that, when I’d never done magick before?
“What deck are you going to use?” Leone asked.
“I have my own,” I said, severely wanting the attention to shift away from me.
“Your hypothesis is based on a Skorn deck. While nearly identical to the archetypal images in Tarot, the Skorn deck was penned by Khorvyn himself and imbued with his magicks,” Leone said. “You should use one of those.”
“He’s right; otherwise, it’s not a controlled experiment,” Aspen said. “And we know how much you care about that.”
