posted April 24, 2021 05:49 PM            

For reference: I ended up being rejected by 7 of the 8 schools I applied to and was a finalist then waitlisted by the 8th (we'll just call it School 8). I did finally receive an acceptance on the very last possible day from School 8.

Cards that came up repeatedly: 8 of Pentacles, 6 of Swords, and The World
- The 8 of Pentacles came up in nearly every reading I did on pursuing or getting into grad school and it always came up in the future or outcome position. Even while I received rejection after rejection notice, this card persisted and led me to think that school was on the horizon. That said, I did question whether it would happen for me this year or might be further in the future because I was getting rejection notices. But the cards knew what was up and I did receive an acceptance.
- The 6 of Swords came up in one card readings on specific schools immediately before I received rejection notices from said schools; to me this card was a sign of moving away from the thing in question, perhaps moving toward something else (the school I was finally accepted into)
- The World came up as the outcome several times in readings on School 8 and I always interpreted this as completion of the admissions cycle rather than an indicator of success in being admitted; one way or another, there would be a resolution and an ending leading to some new beginning (whether it's what I hoped for or not)

Readings I did:
- 1 card for each school to represent the likelihood of being accepted; the only school I received a major arcana for was the one I eventually was accepted into, but I was waitlisted long before that happened and the card I received before being waitlisted was the Wheel of Fortune
- 5-card Horseshoe spread (present position, present desires, unexpected, immediate future, outcome); I used this spread to read on School 8 the evening I was notified I'd been waitlisted; my question was where am I headed with School 8; the cards were The Star, Judgement, 9 of Wands, 4 of Swords, and 8 of Pentacles; the 4 of Swords was apt for being waitlisted (a period of rest and no activity), and of course there's the 8 of Pentacles in the outcome position
- 7-card Triangle spread (cards 1 and 2: present situation, cards 3 and 4: next 1-4 weeks; cards 5 and 6: next 5-8 weeks; card 7: central card/significator); I used this spread to read on School 8 several weeks after being waitlisted; the cards were 7 of Pentacles and 3 of Wands, 2 of Wands and Knight of Wands, The Wheel of Fortune and The Hermit, and Judgement; the 2 of Wands and Knight of Wands were apt for what happened when I received acceptance (though it took a little longer than four weeks), because I was given barely 24 hours to let them know whether I'd accept their offer and made a mad dash to visit the city where the school is located before giving my decision; The Wheel of Fortune and The Hermit indicating the 5-8 weeks following seem to indicate a changes and introspection related to the decision with the Judgement card in the center showing being called to make a decision and move forward to a new life (whatever that may be)
- 3 card spread (Where does the admissions committee stand on my application, What will the admissions decision most likely be, Outcome); this spread I did one week before the final notification deadline; the cards were Page of Cups, 4 of Wands, and Knight of Swords; the Page of Cups indicates a message of admiration or a heartfelt proposal or invitation; the 4 of Wands as the decision seems to indicate reaching and celebrating my goal to gain entry into this community; the last card indicates dramatic change and quick decisions or seizing the moment, which definitely fits with my last minute trip and requirement to make a decision in 24 hours;
- The day before the final decision deadline I did another 5-card Horseshoe spread on School 8 in which I received the 6 of Swords in the unexpected position (uh-oh, I typically get this before being rejected), the 8 of Pentacles in the future, and The Sun as the outcome; here the 8 of Pentacles moved closer in time (from outcome to future) and with The Sun in the outcome position, I was cautiously optimistic (could just mean clarity, which I was bound to get the next day, regardless of what the actual decision would be); in this case perhaps the 6 of Swords was finally showing me what I was moving toward (instead of away from).
- And finally, on the day I was to receive a decision, but before I actually received the notification, I did a basic reading with three cards generally representing whether I would get accepted to School 8 for the fall; the cards were The Hermit, The Hierophant, and the 8 of Pentacles; this totally gobsmacked me it was so apparent and in my face that this was a resounding, yes you are going to get into and go to school