21 Ways To Read A Tarot Card -- Step SIXTEEN

dadsnook2000

26-05-2007, 10:20

Drawing Pictures! That's part of this fun step in learning about reading Tarot Cards. We all get to re-design our favorite card. Well, lets get back to reality here. Your artistic ability is not being tested.

Mary starts off step 16 in her book by showing us cards from the Stick Figure Tarot which is based upon Lar deSouza's design and the Waite-Smith tarot. We can use stick figures, fully shaped figures, color or black & white, regular size or blown up to a larger size. All of that sort of detail is up to us.

We are to "draw" our card so as to have it represent the essential elements as we see them. The point that Mary makes is that sometimes we just don't see details until we draw them -- then they pop out.

Step 16:1. Do a basic sketch of your chosen card (or any other card) using any medium, style, coloration or level of detail (or lack of detail) as you wish. Then state what you discovered that you hadn't noticed before?

Thats it. Like some of the other "simple" tasks, I suspect we get out of this what we put into it. So, consider not being superficial but instead being very observant. I think we might really discover something here. If you try but don't seem to be getting anywhere, you can consider using another card. I wouldn't jump to another card without trying to work with the first card in a diligent manner. Have fun. Dave

coyoteblack

26-05-2007, 21:45

silly question: How are we supposed to show our work? I am sure I can find a scanner at work but I am thinking that might be a bad idea.

Shall we just discuss out feelings and experiences of the drawing?

or use some soft ware to make a drawing?

dadsnook2000

27-05-2007, 01:38

We all have deal with both our limitations and our resources. You can certainly just describe your picture, what you encountered in trying to construct it, how it impressed you as you reached a point of completion, and how you see it after you have lived with it for an hour or so.

I also have a problem. I can easily sketch the picture in colored pencil, or paint it and come very close to replicating it. This form of creativity and artistic flair is quite easy for me. If I did so, would I get all that I might from that process? I don't think so. So, I am trying to decide which approach to take, perhaps creating a mosaic so as to eliminate drawing lines? Dave

coyoteblack

27-05-2007, 06:21

I cant even draw a stick figure!! we did this same step at the tarot studio with M K Greer and I was terrible. But it was all sorts of fun when we had to combine 3 cards.

squeakmo9

27-05-2007, 07:46

Step 16

RWS 5 of Swords

To my surprise certain things did catch my eye. This exercise made me realize certain details that I had not caught before, and that did mean something to me.
It is simple in format because I cannot draw.

First the clouds caught me from the RWS card, as did the water, the dark mountains, the boundary line, swords, and figures.
When I finished, what astonished me was how burdened the biggest figure appeared in my drawing. All the swords are around him and one goes "through" him, by his feet. His hunched right shoulder was the most obvious thing I noticed doing this exercise. Same as the smallest figure. Like for both the loser and winner there were similar doubts. The most placid figure in my drawing is the middle man who, incidently, is looking at nothing. I could have tried to correct this, but it just said to me that he holds things in most perspective..."meeting halfway" as they say in the I-Ching.
So I gathered a need to take responsibility of one's (mine) thought processes as of my drawing of the biggest man(winner). Good to mourn loss as in the smallest figure, and good to find a neutral point as in the middle man.

dadsnook2000

28-05-2007, 03:14

My card is the Fey Tarot Fool, he has just discovered a glowing pumpkin carved into a jack-o-lantern on his path. He has a crown with a key hole, and clothes that have many keys upon them.

I have created a sketch of the Fool just to keep the focus simple. My version of the Fool has a key hole in the crown, as before, plus another key hole between his eyes and in place of his nose. No mouth is shown. The jack-o-lantern or pumpkin also has a key hole. There are many keys tied to his clothing plus I have placed keys around his kneeling position.

I had taken the crown's key hole to signify that he had to find understanding relative to his standing or place in the world. This bothered me a bit as I was thinking about sketching this card. So, I added a key hole to his face since it was also necessary for him to unlock his self-awareness in addition to his place in the world. A third blackened keyhole has been placed on the jack-o-lantern since it represents those things that can be discovered no matter how improbable they are. The Fool has to find meaning in the world outside of him. To this end, I have increased the suggestion of numerous keys by also placing them on the ground around him. Keys are everywhere for us to find, not just within or upon ourselves. This goes along with my sense of "curiousity" being the key to the Fool's progress. So, the key holes, the keys and his eyes are all strongly black colored for emphasis.

Unlocking, discovery, curiosity are what I see when looking at the Fool.
Dave

dadsnook2000

29-05-2007, 21:49

Hey, guys and gals. This step is really easy. Why are you all holding back on doing this? I want each of you to again look at what squeakmo9 and I have done in terms of a "sketch" of our cards. Here are some pointers . . .

** Follow Mary Greer's examples of using stick figures. Everyone can draw those.

** Lightly trace your card using light-weight paper, just putting in the outline of whatever is shown. Then, using heavier strokes, change, enlarge, add or leave out whatever you wish to.

** If you don't have a scanner, take a digital camera picture and send the file to me. I'll reduce it, compress it and post it for you.

** If you don't have a scanner or a digital camera, then PM me and I'll send you my postal address. You can send your sketch to me and I'll scan it and post it for you.

** If none of those approaches are feasible, then just do the exercise and then write about what you did, what you changed, why, and what your sketch suggests to you.

You can't back out at this late stage because you feel you are graphically challenged or resource challenged. I can't really convey the powerful insight this exercise provides in unlocking perceptions and feelings about a card. When you "criticize" a card, that is, you realize that it need to convey its message differently or better, then it lets you look at other cards in some kind of expanded way. It a new sense of freedom that takes away from acceptance of what we are handed and into a zone of being able to work with what we have to move to a deeper and more "capable" space.

PS: If you guys don't get with the program I'm going to PM each of you. Dave

coyoteblack

29-05-2007, 23:46

I am overly critical of my self and I thin that is the biggest lesson I learned from this step. Sad to say I have no way of posting my image here but I can describe it best I can.

I did not realize it before but trying to draw her legs they make a perfect 4. her arms with her body between them almost form a 4 as well. She has 5 stars on her tiara and 5 stars behind her.

Most star cards pours or deal with water she pours light.

I think the lesson I learned from this step and this book in general is "letting go" I work with computers for a living and I analyze things a lot with tarot and just like AA I can not analyze to much or I will not move forward.

I hope this counts as a step I can assure you I did draw some thing and when I get a chance to I can maybe fax it to some one with a scanner as I do not have a scanner here at Schering plough that i can use with out this being obvious.

And I can not draw so no laughing

dadsnook2000

30-05-2007, 00:08

A description is fine. You have indeed accomplished a task that this step was aiming for -- you found things in your card that you had not realized before. The number four symbolizes a variety of things in various systems of thought:
** Astrology sees the four as "challenges, stress, dynamics of bringing change.
** Numerology sees the four as representing stability and organization.
** Tarot sees fours as bringin rest, foundation, structure, stubborness.

So, the fact that you have found "fourness" in your Star card gives you much to think about relative to how many see that card -- hope, basis for confidence, being part of the universe, etc. Let us know what you think of with this. Dave

coyoteblack

30-05-2007, 00:20

Now this is fun !

This deck combines astrology, kabala, as symbols on the edge of the card plus numerology in general.

I will try and use all 3 .

** Astrology sees the four as "challenges, stress, dynamics of bringing change.
** Numerology sees the four as representing stability and organization.
** Tarot sees fours as bringin rest, foundation, structure, stubborness

I think the times when we need hope the most is when we are under stress and some times that light at then end of the tunnel is a place to take a breather relax the head and move on. from this platform of foundation we can take a leap of faith into hope.

Jewel

30-05-2007, 06:13

STEP 16 - DRAWING
DECK: Fantastic Menagerie
CARD: The Star

I tried to attach the scan of my drawing but it is apparently to large of a file to attach here ... if can e-mail the drawing to someone and they can make it a smaller JPG file I would be grateful.

In drawing the card I noticed that different types of starts were used in the card (I pulled out my magnifying glass to look at details) - there were three six-point stars, one four-point star, four five-point stars, and one eight-point star in the far distance on the right hand side of the card. In reading 78 Degrees of Wisdom it is noted that in the RWS all stars are eigh-point stars ... Not sure what it all means, but anyhow the FM stars are (like the rest of the card) different.

I also noticed that the vines adorning the Ibis-Woman are very much alive and have live buds on them. The flowers and buds decorating her head are actually part of the live vine, not separate adornments.

One of the other things I noted were that although she is very white, she only has feathers on her head and neck. Could she be undergoing a full transfromation from human to Ibis ...

This was a step that I figured would be make or break for me in getting through 21 Ways. Looks like I am going to make it! Due to the amount of detail in my card I had to try to draw what I could see vs. a stick figure. It was a rewarding exercise.

Jewel

31-05-2007, 00:11

Now this is fun !

** Numerology sees the four as representing stability and organization.

Adding to the numerology, 4 + 4 = 8, 1 + 7 = 8, so the two fours formed by your figure also add up to eight which is what your card number reduces to. Eights are strength, courage, regeneration, prudence, spiritual progress, etc.

Your 5's (crown and stars) apart from strife, challenge, and all the wonderful aspects of 5's (yes I am being fascitious) also can represent the 4 elements and Spirit (or Ether). And 10's are completion.

So you put that all together, and you have the rest or stability (4's) that comes after struggle (5's), showing courage and strength (8's) at the completion of this cycle (10's) following The Tower ...

OK so I also have the Star card and have had a lot of time to think on the Star specifically.

I loved your note about how she pours the rainbow instead of water, my Star does not pour anything ...

P.S. after writing this and thinking about it some more, my Star card also makes reference to 4's with the 4 pointed stars, and to 5's having 5 figures in it (3 fish, 1 dragonfly, 1 Ibis-Woman) hmmmmmmm .......

Jewel

01-06-2007, 23:53

If anyone can help me with reducing the size of my drawing so I can post it please PM me. I will not be online over the weekend. Thanks!

dadsnook2000

02-06-2007, 00:21

Jewel, I've been away for a couple of days and found that my last post did not make it thru the Internet world. Send your photo to dadsnook@charter.net and I'll reduce/compress it for you. If I don't get it back before you leave I'll post it plus send it to you via a PM or e-mail for you to post. Dave

PS, I'm thinking of going on to Step 17 since so many don't want to sketch their card.

coyoteblack

02-06-2007, 00:34

cool step 17 it is I am looking forward to it.

Jewel

02-06-2007, 01:19

dadsnook2000

02-06-2007, 02:48

The following is a compressed copy of Jewel's sketch of her card. Dave

dadsnook2000

02-06-2007, 02:54

Your figure looks more relaxed, more as if she were freely walking and not so bound by the vines. With her foot free of the water, but still among the rushes and other water-plants, she is moving more purposefully towards her destination. Her arm/hand posture is also much more natural. For her, you depiction comes closer to "hope" being more likely to show itself easier and more quickly in terms of achievement. Great sketch. Dave

Jewel

02-06-2007, 03:05

Thanks Dave, both for helping with my picture and for the feedback. I have saved and attached her to my post (YAY!).

When drawing the card and finding that the vines were live it made them less bindings and more like pets and friends so she is quite relaxed in them and enjoys them. The more I work with this particular version of the Star I see her as healing and hope. Her connectedness to nature and her communion with other creatures and with nature speak to both. Trully a beautiful message and a beautiful card. I just let her flow through me as I drew her. For some reason I am particularly fond of the dragonfly.

I did not see all of this in her when I first started working with her, this drawing is a result of our journey together.

coyoteblack

02-06-2007, 03:20

Nice sketch!!

She seems more feminine more cute and seeing as she is unbound she is much freer like she is in control not being held in place.

Freedom is the biggest difference I noticed between your card and the original.

Also the fish look they might have a attitude if they had fingers they would do the snap fingers and hands around the world thing

again wonderful sketch

coyoteblack

02-06-2007, 03:24

Nice sketch!!

she seems more femanine more cute and seeing as she is unbound she is much more free like she is in control not being held in place.

freedom is the biggest difference I noticed between your card and the origianal.

als the fish look like they might have an attitude like if they had fingers they would do the finger snap hand around in a circle thing

coyoteblack

02-06-2007, 04:18

I kee posting my above comment and t does not seem to show up I wonder why

Jewel

02-06-2007, 05:24

Freedom is the biggest difference I noticed between your card and the original.

Also the fish look they might have a attitude if they had fingers they would do the snap fingers and hands around the world thing
Actually she has the same vines, I painstakingly took the magnifying glass to the card to make sure *LOL*, but they are a little looser, and really adorn her. I see her as a dancer and very feminine also. There is hope and healing in freedom ... :)

And yes the fish have attitudes, just look at my Step 15 and you can re-acquaint yourself with them *LOL*. If they could, they would leap out of the water and eat that poor dragonfly faster than he could even think of flying off. They must be a remnant of the tower card *LOL*

rachelcat

05-06-2007, 02:20

Hi, friends. Here is my sketch, such that it is!

I enjoyed your sketches! I think it's really interesting how they are so much more personal than a printed card, since we drew them ourselves!

There were only a few things I noticed when I sketched that I didn't notice before:

The look that I interpreted as "attractive" and "sexy" is that way because she is looking directly at the viewer!

Both her hands are loosely closed. One is holding her skirt, but I don't know why the other one is. Perhaps to show intensity? I think it's kind of an odd way to hold your hand in a dance . . .

All 6 hands in the background are behind the back two poles. Does that mean the hands are throwing their hearts from back to front, toward the girl AND the viewer? I don't really know what that would mean. The only time I know when people throw stuff on people is at weddings. So she could be the bride and the viewer the groom??? That doesn't help much, does it.

I notice that I sketched the poles farther from the girl than they are in the card. Probably only by ineptness, but she DOES seem to be a bit freer here!

A very interesting step, even if it seems to have brought up more questions than answers!

Jewel

05-06-2007, 03:56

I notice that I sketched the poles farther from the girl than they are in the card. Probably only by ineptness, but she DOES seem to be a bit freer here!

A very interesting step, even if it seems to have brought up more questions than answers!
You know you may have something there. In my drawing of my card I also "freed" up my character more than in the card. It could be ineptness, but subconsciously as we work on our "issue" and we become freer, perhaps we free our cards.

This step does bring up more questions, which is great as it continues to make us dig deeper, and look forward to what may be revealed in the next steps (answers and new questions alike).

dadsnook2000

05-06-2007, 06:47

In this step we had to visualize how our chosen card could-might-needed to be changed in some way to reflect what we saw or wanted to see. In the next step, 17, we will be "feeling" what our card has to say. This seems to be some form of "personalizing" the tarot for each of us. If so, the anticipation of finding more questions than those we can answer is probably quite appropriate. Dave

nicki

06-09-2007, 22:43

I just read step 16, drawing ugh!! well thats going to be interesting!!!

nicki

nicki

12-09-2007, 23:17

Step 16.1 Do a basic sketch of your card, what did you discover that you hadn’t noticed before?
I've decided I must have chosen the worst card to try and sketch as this card has so much detail and its all so important and as much as I tried couldn’t get anywhere near what I wanted to draw without missing certain things out, so I decided to describe what I wanted instead of drawing it, I hope this is ok.

I decided to enlarge the card for detail. Until now I hadn’t realised that the wings were actually attached the egg and the Lion and Eagle were sitting on the wings. The main thing I noticed is the naked man and woman in the top corners, until now I really had no idea what they represented but looking at them more closely they seem sad and disillusioned almost as if they are unfinished. This is in total contrast to the Emperor and Empress both are clothed, adorned with jewels and portray happiness and fulfilment. This has thrown up the question whether the Emperor and Empress represent the finished product of the figures in the corner?

I hope this is ok and counts as a step.

nicki

Starling

12-12-2007, 05:05

RWS - 9 of Pentacles

I drew the card. What was really interesting was counting the grape clusters and the Pentacles. There are 3 grape clusters to the left of the main figure and 6 Pentacles. There are 6 grape cluster to the right of the figure and 3 Pentacles. In addition the main figure is trying to relate to the bird, but the bird's head is covered and if he could look at something, he would be looking out of the card at the reader.

Verdi

09-02-2008, 18:39

DruidCraft
Hermit

The drawing went quickly, i'm no rembrandt! What struck me most was the absence of eyes in the Hermit card. This underlines his ability to see into the soul, seeing things our eyes do not see. This also made me more aware of the piercing eyes of the wolf. Prehaps this tells use that we use our eyes on to see the natural. That we fool ourselfs into thinking we see, when truely we see only a part of our lifes. The rest is looking inward to the real truth about our lives.
Verdi :)

Prism

14-04-2008, 04:52

I drew The World card. I hated the thought of doing this exercise. I hate drawing. I'm terrible at it. I hate playing Pictionary too.

But -- I did it and it did make me see some things in the card that I hadn't noticed before, in part because I hadn't looked at it as closely as I did when I tried to draw it. Here is what I saw:

The image is lit from above. The wreath of laurel leaves is brighter at the top, presumably as it moves toward the spirit.

The man is looking up. Now it makes more sense that he represents air.

The eagle is holding something in its mouth.

The bull is wearing a crown.

The lion looks like it's smiling, or is that just my interpretation? I guess he could be snarling.

The woman, whose body is turned away from us, has turned her head back to look at us, which to me says that she is not at all interested in leaving the world. She wants to make sure we are right behind her. Also, she is balancing easily and lightly on just the toe of one foot. She could only be doing that if she is moving, dancing, which seems to say that her journey is just about to begin all over again.

In addition to the oval created by the wreath, which can represent 0 or the Fool and the beginning of a new journey, the woman's arms holding the wands over her head form almost another 0, emphasizing that she will be entering the world again.

SistaSpirit

02-03-2009, 10:47

Ok I drew the Emperor. It came out better than I thought. Drawing is not one of my talents plus I had to chop the image up before I could load it.

Actually I'm pretty proud of it. Normally I would have been too embarrassed to do it thinking it wouldn't be good enough. I guess I'm beginning to let go. smiles.

I didn't change a thing, I tried to make his as he was. His energy is very necessary at times as long as I'm mindful not to slip into the shadow of the archetype.

Probie

11-04-2010, 06:04

Rider-Waite-Smith
7/The Chariot (http://********.multiply.com/photos/album/84/Rider_Waite#photo=15.jpg)

I was surprised it wasn’t as bad as I thought! I guess when I stopped downing myself, it was actually quite fun. I have downed myself far too long and now I have to knock it off and maybe even believe in myself a bit while I’m at it [when it comes to drawing]. I think I fell (or “allowed myself to fall”) into this trap about having lack of artistic talent because I have equated “drawing good” with being artistic. Now that is something that is wrong!

I noticed the charioteer has a seven-pointed star and that’s not on accident. I also emphasized the one sphinx’s breasts because sometimes the feminine aspect of this steed is lost in other RWS clones. Another key note of something I see in the Thoth Tarot is the winged orb that appears on the front of the chariot. This also seems lost in translation. Neat stuff!

squeakmo9

12-04-2010, 04:51

Nice job Probie! I really enjoyed this step and perhaps it's because I AM NOT a professional artist as well, lol. Something about it was very freeing for me and informative.

dadsnook2000

13-04-2010, 12:58

I noticed in the drawing that the stars, the head, arms of the charioteer are most heavily drawn, darker, emphasized. This may be because you were less sure of drawing the horses. But, if not, the personality and stellar focus of this man in control is important to you. We learn from these exercises, all of them, and we learn from the sharing process. Thank you. Dave

Probie

14-04-2010, 07:35

It was one of those things. I just sort of went with it. I was surprised it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Certainly no art gallery piece, but it could go up on the fridge...:D

fractalgranny

05-01-2013, 09:24

it wasn't anything special for me, either, there was nothing new that i discovered other than the fact that i liked the font for the name of the card :)

Hemera

08-04-2013, 21:50

Here is my take on the Empress.
I really enjoyed making this picture!

Here are the differences to the original that I find significant:

The original Empress:
-sad
-facing the viewer
-she is a Vampyre
-it is summer (the apples are green and still raw)

My Empress:
-not sad
-looking to her left
-Priestess/Goddess, not a Vampyre
-it is autumn