Mask

6. Mask

The Mask personifies hiding and deception. On the card, we see insects and specimens that have been preserved to look as though they are alive. Now, pinned to the wall, one can easily see that what remains are empty vessels. The mask meets our eye, devoid of life. If the Mask card has visited you today, consider what part of you is hiding. Are you presenting an exterior image that doesn’t match what is on the interior? Are you pretending to be someone that you are not, in order to please other people? Perhaps you use the mask to deceive in order to get what you want? At times the mask serves our needs in a useful way and at times it causes harm. If we work diligently to hide our needs, feelings, or desires from others, we may no longer occupy a life that is our own. When we mask our motives, we can not be accepted and loved for who we are. Have you lost trust in who you are? Take a moment to consider the cost of living behind a mask. How does it feel to occupy an empty vessel?

If this card was pulled with the intent to provide advice:

At the moment it is best that you hide your true feelings or motives from others. Keep your hopes and dreams to yourself for now. Wear a mask when you go out in public. Now is not the time to reveal your authentic self to people who don’t understand or cannot be trusted.

Key descriptors:

Hypocrisy, lies, concealment, playing a role, schizophrenia, hiding, deceit, smoke and mirrors, shapeshifting, denial, manipulation.

Introspection:

• Am I wearing a mask in a given situation or in a particular social setting?

• Is there a need to hide information about myself from others?

• How does a mask help me to express myself differently from my core identity?

Advanced play:

Native Dimension: Fruit
Incompatible: 6 <> 20: Mask (fake) / Eye (truth)