MGoTarot Reading: Iowa
MGoTarot is something that I started doing last season. The tarot card readings turned out to be amazingly accurate in revealing the outcomes and energies of each game. This season, I thought I would share with you.
The approach is a standard 3 card spread showing the past, the present, and the future outcome. I do the reading within 24 hours of the game for accuracy. I like to use the Salvador Dali Deck because it puts a modernist/art history twist on the traditional 78 card Rider-Waite Deck. Plus the cards have an oil-paint smell that is totally groovy.
The King of Swords represents intellectual power more than any other card. It is fitting for the past because Michigan knows this Iowa team from the BigTen Championship game last year. This team has both the experience and maturity to understand just how tough the Hawkeyes can be. But in addition to knowing the opponent, the shadowy reflection of the King knows himself in both his strengths and weaknesses. Michigan comes into this game fully rational, business first, "Ain't afraid a' no corn," but also possibly lacking emotion.
Shenanigans are afoot with the 7 of Swords. In contrast to the King that is fully self-aware, the shadow of the huntress must reconcile contradictions and internal turmoil. I would consider this the Kinnick factor. We all know things are going to get weird. The crowd will be off the chain. Kirk Ferentz will have some razzmatazz up his sleeve. Sideline signals could even be stolen. Michigan will have to dig a little deeper, stay cool, and discover something about themselves beyond the confidence that arose during the first portion of the season.
The outcome of the Judgment card is a call back to last week's past card. In that spread it was the gateway from nonconference cupcakes to the grind of Big Ten action. Here it represents a trial by fire forcing Michigan to move on from the glory of last year's title. This will be a hard fought game and a new battle tested team will emerge. But what is the outcome? I have no idea, so I consulted a decider card:
6 of Cups! Found that emotion! It is heartwarming, child-like joy. You are going to be jumping up and down with delight for this old school Michigan victory. Look for this game to become a BTN Classic to remember fondly like a Neil Diamond song.
October 1st, 2022 at 7:36 AM ^
Look for this game to become a BTN Classic to remember fondly like a Neil Diamond song.
Forever in Blue Jeans.
October 1st, 2022 at 8:23 AM ^
I know virtually nothing about Tarot, the deck, the interpretation, etc.
But this reminds me of something I was thinking of the other day: imagine you have a regular playing card deck, and it's very ordered: A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 of Spades; the same order for Clubs, Diamonds, and Hearts. Very ordered.
You then shuffle the deck.
What kind of programmatic or statistical test can you administer against the now-shuffled deck to determine the degree of disorder? Is there such a thing as maximal disorder compared to the maximal order I proposed to start?
I bring this up within the context of Tarot simply because the same issue would apply, I would imagine: the reading relies on the cards being disordered. If they're pre-ordered, then the reading would be a function of the order that was set.
What does this have to do with football? Nothing. But it's 8:23am Saturday morning and the game isn't for another 3.5 hours! :-)
October 1st, 2022 at 9:14 AM ^
An autocorrelation test of some sort. Autocorrelation measures the similarity of nearby elements in a series. Think stock prices over time, or ground temperature over space.
A range of methods to do this exist for numeric data. If we just convert the jack to an 11, etc, the values are interval data. Handling the suit of those cards is more irritating, which is nominal and not interval.
October 1st, 2022 at 9:46 PM ^
That is a great question DonAZ. If you have ever played Uno with a deck shuffled by children sometimes the cards are totally lacking disorder.
My method to avoid that is to sing the fight song while shuffling. This is how I try to get a feel for the energy surrounding the game. I then lay out all the cards in a line. With my off hand, I select 3 randomly with my eyes closed. There are 78 cards in the deck. So the probability of a repeat from week to week is actually quite low starting as a 1 out of 78 shot. My results have been more accurate than a coin toss as I completely botched only 3 games last season.
October 1st, 2022 at 5:43 PM ^
Nicely done. Well read.
And, yes-- startlingly accurate, it seems; at least the decider card!
The judgment card / interpretation most interesting, and perhaps best assessed post-season, in retrospect.
October 1st, 2022 at 9:59 PM ^
The cards were right, but the reading was slightly off. You want classic victory? That 4 down stop of Morris/Morris/Okie/Okie to end the game is as epic as the 1993 goal line stand against Penn State!
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