Remember?

After several moments of heavy silence, she said, "You will destroy that which is undead."

Anyone else think there's more to it than just killing Strigoi? That Rose misunderstood her reading, like she did with Dimitri's? 'That which is undead' - it could mean a lot of things.

And I'm thinking maybe Rhonda didn't tell her everything. I mean how come she was silent for so long if that was all the cards said?

I pointed at them. "Seems like they've got a little bit more to say than that. You gave Lissa a whole encyclopedia worth of information!"

And:

She shuffled the cards again and then handed them to me to cut. I did, and she flipped three more over. The Nine of Swords, the Sun, and the Ace of Swords. The Sun card was upside down. Now, I knew nothing about this stuff, but I immediately got the feeling I was about to get a raw deal compared to Lissa.

Maybe the cards she mentioned are clues. The Sun card being upside down seemed significant.

Meanwhile, my Nine of Swords showed a woman sobbing in front of a wall of swords, and the Ace of Swords was a boring hand holding a plain iron sword. The Sun at least looked cheerful. It had what looked like an angel riding a white horse, with a brilliant sun shining above.

I wonder what it all means...

Were these "normal" tarot cards? If so, there should be a wealth of information on how to decipher them on the Internet.

A woman weeping in front of swords could mean she's the sole survivor of her graduating Dhampir class. The Ace the sole hand could also signify that she's alone in her fight. The upside down sun w/ the chariot....dunno. She saves the day and brings back the sun? But the world is upside down after she's done?

I remember, and I agree. I think there is some kind of hidden message somewhere.

Hmm I'm not sure. I wish I knew more about them.

It seemed to me at first that the sun being upside down meant something negative, but I completely forgot about the angel and the white horse which could be more positive. The woman weeping in front of swords - that can't mean anything good - for some reason made me think of Rose killing Dimitri. I don't think that will happen though. And I think you're right about the Ace.

I was skimming through a Wikipedia article about Tarot cards just now and found this:
Some methods of interpreting the tarot consider cards to have
different meanings depending on whether they appear upright or reversed.
A reversed card is often interpreted to mean the opposite of its
upright meaning. For instance, the Sun card upright may be associated
with satisfaction, gratitude, health, happiness, strength, inspiration,
and liberation; while in reverse, it may be interpreted to mean a lack
of confidence and mild unhappiness. However, not all methods of card
reading prescribe an opposite meaning to reversed cards. Some card
readers will interpret a reversed card as either a more intense
variation of the upright card, an undeveloped trait or an issue that
requires greater attention. Other Interpreters point out that card
reversal is dependent on the order of the cards before shuffling, so is
of little bearing in the scope of a reading.

Hopefully I'll find more info on them.

Yeah, that makes sense.

I found the following info on another forum. http://thedarksidecometh.freeforums.org/vampire-academy-series-clubhouse-t423.html
Post by Obsidian

Obsidian wrote:

Also, here is some info. on the tarot card readings that Lissa, Rose & Dimitri got. Rose Nine of Swords Upright: Suffering, doubt, desolation, illness, injury, death of a loved one, suspicion, cruelty, misery, loss, dishonesty, pitilessness, slander The Sun Reverse: Unhappiness, loneliness, canceled plans, broken engagement or marriage, a clouded future, a lack of friends Ace of Swords Upright: Beginning of a victory, ability to love and hate with ardor, a valiant leader may be born Dimitri Knight of Wands Upright: An impetuous nature, generous friend, a lover, haste, a journey, the coming or going of a matter is of much concern The Wheel of Fortune Upright: Destiny, fortune, a special gain, an unusual loss, end of a problem, unexpected events, advancement, progress Five of Cups Upright: Sorrow, loss of a loved one, a broken marriage, disillusionment, vain regret Lissa The Moon Upright: Deception, trickery, disillusionment, error, danger, disgrace, double-dealing The Empress Upright: Action, development, accomplishment, mother/sister/wife, evolution Ace of Cups Upright: The beginning of love, joy, beauty, or good health NOTE: The Sun card, if it had been the right way up, would have been a foreshadowing of children.

Well depending on the combination of the definitions you use, you could come up wit anything!

Whoa.

Check out these links:
Tarot Cards - The Nine of Swords
A while ago I read somewhere that The Nine of Swords could also mean you're going to - or already have - "walk into a trap".

Tarot Card Meanings - The Sun

Quote:

Ah, but then there is the situation when this card falls in reverse. See, that is when they are most likely to run into problems. Why? Well, when this card falls in reverse, it usually indicates that the subject actually believes that things are going to be great. Perhaps they've been informed of a potential new job or promotion. It seems as if everything is going perfectly. Unfortunately, in this position, the card signifies that the person is looking at things through rose colored glasses. Essentially, the subject needs to stop day dreaming and look at things realistically. One of the dangers is that the subject will just expect things to happen without putting any effort in. This is where you get into real trouble. Nothing in life is like that. Everything takes some kind of effort. Another problem is that sometimes when planning to get involved with something, proper research isn't done and the "can't miss" opportunity turns out not to be so great, or even a flat out scam. In addition to the above, this could indicate serious disagreements at home or work. Close relationships can be severely affected by this card. You may have to put off future plans because of unexpected complications. Loss at home or work is very possible. So you see, with The Sun, you have to be very careful. Things are not always as they appear.

At the time, Rose did think everything was going to turn out well - didn't she? I'm not sure. But as Deidre A. H. from Amazon said,

Quote:

With Dimitri she will always hold him to a higher standard--and she's already proven that she DOES hold him to impossibly high standards, and it hurts Dimitri when he can't live up to them.

I searched for the Sun card, with an angel riding a horse, but instead of an angel there's always just a kid: The Sun

Ace of Swords Tarot Card Meaning
Tarot Cards - The Ace of Swords
Tarot - Ace of Swords

The Nine of Swords, the Sun, and the Ace of Swords. I'm quite sure that the order in which the cards were mentioned is important - maybe what they predicted will occur in the same order.

From the info yall two gathered it makes sense from how the things are happening. The cards could go in order, and I think it would.

The post taken from the other board credited to "Obsidian" makes a lot of sense for the story. Especially for both Rose and Dimitri. Sadly, for both of them, their cards indicated 'a broken marriage'. Excuse me a minute... But then again, with all of these fortune telling things: Tarot, crystal ball, auras, whatever, it's all for entertainment. It's not meant to be taken seriously. Hopefully, Rose doesn't take it to heart and things will be good again for her and Dimitri.

Well their relationship right now is indeed broken.

Yes, for right now it is broken. But broken things can be repaired. (with some exceptions) I'm just a huge Rose/Dimitri fan...I don't want to see them broken up for good.

same here.
I mean all this other talk of "teaching us a lesson" by not having them together?!
What about the lesson that true love conquers all????
Helloooo people. Haha

What you've all said here makes sense for Shadow Kiss, but it makes me wonder how far into the future Rose's reading was indicating to and whether the path she's taken now has changed her future?
If you think about the future constantly changing then her reading may no-longer apply. Dimitri's was obviously a short-term reading (unless you can only tell the future of something that's considered "alive"), so what's to say Rose's wasn't based within the same time frame? Therefore it would no longer apply. (except I doubt that's the case because then there would have been no point in having a reading for Rose in the first place)

Or perhaps that future has already come to fruition given how much death she dealt w/ Christian during the battle with the Strigoi.