Will my friend prove faithful and true?

What this is

The question of one who would know whether a friend is truly loyal, whether the bond will hold when it is tested. It is the question of trust weighed. It carries the unease that comes before you must rely on another.

What it governs

Opens the domain of a friend's faithfulness, whether one you trust will prove true. It governs loyalty in friendship, the reliability of those you depend on outside of love.

Its properties

Its answers turn on truth and falseness in a friend, and it suits the querent weighing whether to rely on someone rather than wondering about romance. Its honest use is when there is a real bond to test. Its shadow is using suspicion as a weapon, asking it of a friend who has given no cause for doubt.

Where else it appears

The same note is the oath of friendship sworn before witnesses, the test of the true companion in the old tales, the figure cast on whether an ally will stand. Across traditions the question of whether a friend will hold faith has been put to the pattern when reason alone cannot settle it.

Where you meet it on the Oracle

Choosing this question routes your Sign of 32 to a verbatim answer about a friend proving faithful and true. It binds to the Harp for the bond in tune, the Anchor for the steadfast friend, and the Hand and Dagger for the betrayer to beware. Read its folio as a forecast of whether the bond holds.

Why it matters

It stands twentieth because so much of life rests on whether friends keep faith, and the oracle must help you read them. It asks you to extend trust wisely and to be the faithful friend you hope to find.

Correspondences

number

20