significator cards

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 21 Jan 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

pozt	21 Jan 2003
I'd just like to ask - is it possible for one's significator card to "change" eventually? For example, whenever I did readings, I would get High Priestess. But recently, I found that the Empress occasionally creeps out more often than High Priestess. What would this change mean? Spiritual development? In addition, I'd like to ask whether it is possible for one's significator card to be different with different decks? Just wondering...

Sulis	21 Jan 2003
Personally I don`t used significators but I would think that one`s significator card could change as much as you like. By significator I presume that you mean a card which you take out at the beginning of a reading to represent yourself and not just a card which turns up a lot? I would say that it`s definately possible to have a Queen of Swords day one day and then a Queen of wands day the next. I would stay away from using a major card as a significator though as these represent archytipal (sp?) forces and I wouldn`t want to remove something which may be of great importance to a reading. Just my opinion though. Love and light Crystalmynx xx :) ;)

Moongold	21 Jan 2003
Yes, that question used to come to me as well. You can choose your significator as a card which you feel represents you in a particular reading. So it obviously can change. Or you can leave to to the cards to choose and it sounds as though you have been doing that. I think it is very interesting to reflect on what the cards throw up when you take the latter course. Sometimes the Significator would represent a part of me that was not strong in my awareness. Moongold

patter	21 Jan 2003
As we change, our signifiers change -- sometimes this is development... sometimes just change. Signifiers seem fairly arbitrary to me anyway -- I used to use them but have gone 'off' the idea.

Umbrae	21 Jan 2003
A significator is a card removed from the deck prior to shuffling and dealing, and is used to represent the sitter. Because you state that, Quote: Originally posted by pozt For example, whenever I did readings, I would get High Priestess… Empress occasionally creeps out more often than High Priestess. I am lead to assume that the card was not removed prior to shuffling and dealing. It is not a significator in this case. What it is, is the universe attempting to tell you something. It is advice on behavior, as opposed to representation. My intuition tells me you are intellectualizing a process, and ignoring the advice. Hope there is still time to correct behavioral errors…

pozt	21 Jan 2003
well what I really meant by "significator" card was the card that represents myself BUT I feel that my deck is "assigning" to me. 'Coz I remember that whenever I was ding a reading, no matter on what question, as long as it was about myself, I'd always have "high priestess" around, no matter how well I shuffled my cards. My intuition tells me that it's my significator card.

patter	21 Jan 2003
Well then that's a different question. I suggest you call that something else like a 'reoccuring card' as words along the line of signifier already have a meaning (card chosen prior to dealing). However, the answer is the same. Of course the reoccuring cards will change, as we do (or by chance even).

WolfSpirit	21 Jan 2003
pozt - I also had the Empress as a reoccurring card in a period I went through a lot of growth (this does not sound very good english but you know what i mean ;)) and creativity. It was a good time and I still profit from what I learnt then. However I have a lot of practical things to take care of now and I get a lot of pentacles, the page of pentacles is almost a daily visitor (not a bad card...but no Empress). I guess you sort of identify with this card which is why you called it "significator" - this name makes sense, however, in this forum and in most tarot books as well significator is what Umbrae described: a card you choose yourself to represent you. So although your naming is not wrong logically, to avoid confusion it is better to call this card reoccurring card so everyone knows what we are talking about :) I think these reoccurring cards tell a lot about the phase you are going through.

Laurel	21 Jan 2003
For months, The Magician shows up in every spread of more than 6-7 cards that is done for me, by myself or other people, including the demo reading of a spread that Umbrae did for me on my birthday. This relates to both an internal process and possibly an unconscious yearning on my part. Back when I was reading with the Voyager deck as a teenager, another card (Woman of Crystals, Guardian) had that same tendency. If I was going to use a significator card, I think The Magician would be a splendid card, but if you want to get technical, significators are pulled from the deck before the shuffle so its not the best word for the phenomenon you and I are experiencing, Pozt, if only because it will confuse other readers in mid-discussion. This doesn't make the phenomenon less interesting or worth exploring. In answer to your question, can these personal cards/significators change of over time? Of course. Because *we* do, and at variable rates of growth. ~LAS

The significator cards thread was originally posted on 21 Jan 2003 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.