Whats everyone's significator?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 07 Mar 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Icestorm	07 Mar 2003
Im interested in knowing as I am studying the celtic cross. In my past readings I have continously drawn the 10 of wands when regards to myself. Now Ive read in a couple of tarot books that only major arcana and court cards can be significators, but I have a gut feeling that the 10 of wands represent me more than any other card in the tarot. What do people think? is a 'pip' card a valid significator? And also, of course, I would be rather selfish if I did not ask what everyone ELSE's significators are! So spill! ^_^

cjtarot	07 Mar 2003
Hi, Here is a topic that brings up a lot of discussion because everyone does things diffently.. I have never used a signifcator..the 1st 2 cards in the celtic cross ARE the person you are reading. AND I LIKE TO PLAY WITH A FULL DECK FROM TIME TO TIME..LOL Blessings, CJ

Jewel	07 Mar 2003
I very rarely use a significator, as like CJTarot I like using the full deck. But when I do use one I usually use the Queen of Wands.

Mojo	07 Mar 2003
Quote: Originally posted by cjtarot AND I LIKE TO PLAY WITH A FULL DECK FROM TIME TO TIME..LOL I'm often accused of not playing with a full deck, but it has nothing to do with Tarot.

Celtic_Dragon	07 Mar 2003
Although it's never come up in a reading I have a very strong favoritism? towards the...I believe it's the princess of wands. In the deck I use there are women in place of pages and because it doesn't make any sence to me to say the women of the deck are more immature, I've rather recatagorized them as Princes and Princesses. So they're on more equal ground and carry the more expressive traits of their more mature counter parts. but that's off the subject, I did use the signifactor (sp?) card once but it kind of threw me off a little b/c like the others I usually assumed the first two cards were the questionaire.

Macavity	07 Mar 2003
Interesting thoughts. Some speculations: You can't use majors because they represent archetypes - and NOT complete human beings. (I can see that that point now!) OTOH, using a court card would in most cases merely deprive the deck of another useful card - when it has no actual purpose in the reading? Where it is used as a marker to select which sub-deck to interpret - as in the GD style of reading, I have homed in on the "Astrological method" of Crowley. See e.g. http://www.supertarot.co.uk/astro/attrib.htm For me this gives the "Knight of Swords" (aka King or swords to us mere mortals!) which does rather fit in with my own (rather grandiose?) estimation. (the AGE is right though! :D) Aside: translating from the Myers-Briggs ideas (see another thread) and being more "introvert", I become rather the Queen of Swords (no snikkering please) but interestingly that card covers a large region of Libra, which is (according to my recent enlightenment!) si my ascendant sign i.e. the face I put on outwardly? Hmm - Makes ya think :) Macavity

rota	07 Mar 2003
According to most books, my significator is the King of Wands. It's a good card, I suppose... I rarely use significators as part of the spread, unless the conversation with the questioner in some way suggests that we use it. why remove 1/78th of the deck?, I figure... And, as often as not when I *do* use a significator, I'll choose a card that speaks of the general tenor of the Question (not the Questioner). For instance, if the question concerns overwork, I might take out the 10 of Wands and set it on the table while shuffling goes on. Or, if the question is about trying something new, I might remove the 6 of Swords or the 8 of Cups, depending.

Eissej	07 Mar 2003
I sometimes wonder if I should be using a significator because most of the time when I shuffle something that reflects my current state of mind finds its way to the bottom. I really don' t know if there is something books say I'm supposed to do with cards like this, but as of yet, I haven't felt the overwhelming need to pull one out as a significator. Say, I could ask here couldn't I? Anybody else get a card at the bottom that reflects their mood somehow? Or the general environment around them? Do you feel required to DO something with it? However, that chart does say that I'm a knight of pentacles (and a hermit, which is one of the cards I see at the bottom occasionally) and people I know have said I'm a queen pentacles, since you asked.

Kiama	07 Mar 2003
Eiseej: Regarding cards at the bottom of the deck. I ALWAYS peek at the bottom card, and work it into the reading, simply because my experiences have told me that it always has some extra guidance, a little extra piece of advice or some extra insight which I would not otherwise have thought of asking about in the reading. Regarding significators: I do not use them in a reading, but I do know what cards represent my close friends and family, so that if that card DOES come up in a reading (Not by me choosing it but by it just showing up) I sometimes know that it's them in the reading. I often find that my significator is different in relation to other people... When a reading refers to my life in general and who I am inside, it's the Queen of Wands, and it mostly is when in reference to my boyfriend and a few closest friends. When it's in reference to a certain friend, I am the Empress or Queen of Cups. Sometimes, if I'm asking about a specific activity such as my volunteer work for St Johns Ambulance, I'm the Queen of Pentacles... Kiama

Phoenix	07 Mar 2003
I nver use a significator when I am reading the cards, but I do use one when I am useing the cards for magick.

MeeWah	07 Mar 2003
Icestorm: I would take your personal significator to be 10-Wands & especially if your gut tells ye this. & yes, on occasion I see minor arcana to serve as significators--have seen 3-Swords, 2-Wands, 7-Swords, so on to represent various individuals. It can change over time, depending upon life changes & focus. Most books advise using court cards as significators; however, I prefer to not use significators in order to have all the cards available for a throw. According to astrological sign, my card is Queen-Cups. The High Priestess, Queen-Wands, Strength, all of the number 6 cards & 8-Pentacles have represented me with the most frequency.

temperlyne	08 Mar 2003
I never actually take a significator out of the deck, but I know I am the knight of cups. I use that self knowledge to frame the reading. I don't usually read for other people so I don't know If would actually pick a significator then, but I think I would just pick one in my head as well. It keeps the deck full without loosing the value of the significator.

Trogon	08 Mar 2003
Hi Icestorm, Like many others here I do not use a significator in readings. I used to, when I first started... but I found that it does nothing for the reading whatsoever. So, I stopped using them a little while ago. In any case, if you chose to use a significator, and your instinct says to use the 10 of Wands, then use that.

Icestorm	08 Mar 2003
Thanks to everyone who replied! I have found it very helpful. Wow, i had no idea that most people dont actually use significators. I had been worrying because I didnt really feel comfortable using a significator, but the books i have all suggest using one. I agree with some of the people here now, however, that its better to draw with a full deck :-] So thx for all the replies and keep the significators going :-]

Wee Amazon	15 Mar 2003
hi temperlyne, I'\ve been reading this thread with great interest, knowing what I wanted to say but not knowing how to explain it, and you have caught the meaning for me.......in my head I *know* I am a particular card, one which would not appear to anyone else to *be* me, but one which really does feel right for me just now. Thanks for that Wee Amazon PS the other thing I had read was that if one wants to use a significator, then that card could be taken from a second deck, thus leaving the first deck complete

Icestorm	16 Mar 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Wee Amazon PS the other thing I had read was that if one wants to use a significator, then that card could be taken from a second deck, thus leaving the first deck complete The only problem with that, I suppose, would be your willingness (or ability!) to fork out another $30 for a second copy of a deck! Personally Im on a student budget, so that option isnt really viable to me. :-[ (Of course, if you only have one significator i 'suppose' you might get away with cardboard paper! Somehow it just wouldnt feel right to me, though.)

truthsayer	16 Mar 2003
when i first started using tarot, i used significators. since i was 13 when i started, i used the page of cups. i really didn't have any idea what tarot really was so i used the book my hoi polloi came with. it suggested choosing significators based on one's physical characteristics such as hair color or age. i had been reading tarot 10 years before i came across any other ideas on significators. this time it was from mary k. greer's tarot for yourself and eileen connally's book-tarot for the apprentice. 11 years later, i discovered the internet. from reading in different tarot forums, i discovered that everyone doesn't use a significator. i then experimented with not using one or considering the first drawn as the significator. when i learned the significance in the jungian personality types(mbti), i learned i was a knight of cups for infp. up to that point, i considered myself a queen of cups or the high priestess. 5 years later, that's what i still do but i lean more towards not using one. no particular reason why other than it's a pain in the neck sorting thru 78 cards trying to find a card to be the significator. it doesn't matter where i start looking. if i start at the top, the card i want is on the bottom. bottom? it's on the top. i am constantly evolving in my tarotism. ;)

The Whats everyone's significator? thread was originally posted on 07 Mar 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.