Interpretation: Intuitive versus classical

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 03 Jul 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Sorceress_Jade	03 Jul 2002
I’d like to know your thoughts. Do you feel that a reading should be based on the classical interpretation of the card’s meaning, or on the reader’s opinion of what the card means? If you received a reading that was all of one or the other would you feel uneasy about it’s accuracy?

zorya	03 Jul 2002
ideally, i believe that one should learn the meanings of the cards, from many different interpretations. then put the books down, and follow your intuition. you can't really get a very holistic reading, by interpreting it card by card. it's what goes on between the cards that counts most. i have had one reading by a woman, who really hadn't studied the cards "classical meanings". she did it pretty much by intuition. it was very accurate. but i attribute this to her being very psychic, i don't believe that she needed to use cards at all.

napaea	03 Jul 2002
I agree with Zorya, I think a little of both is ideal. I started off with a not-so-traditional tarot deck, and did some readings for people that were TOTALLY DEAD ON! Some of the readings blew me away. But when I really read more about the meanings of the cards, the readings took on a whole different level. I was able to read the generality of the meanings of the cards, and also get extra information that makes it clear to the client that the reading is for them. But it does feel like I am getting less "information" psychically now that I am looking into the card's "traditional" meaning. I guess that it depends on the reader, though. Some people probably could read a blade of grass and tell you what you want to know!

Original Destiny	03 Jul 2002
[quote]Originally posted by zorya [b]ideally, i believe that one should learn the meanings of the cards, from many different interpretations. then put the books down, and follow your intuition. :TFOOL..I agree, for me I learned the "classical" meanings of the cards but over the years, I have let the cards teach me. It is a case of letting the cards really speak to you...yunno...let them connect and teach...:TMAGE

cricket	03 Jul 2002
Classical meanings? *gets a blank look* I've personally never used them. I honestly don't know what most of them are. :| Eventually I'll get around to reading aaaalllll the books that are laying around here collecting dust (ha!) and figure out what the cards are -supposed- to mean. Until then, completely intuitive readings will do well enough.

VGimlet	04 Jul 2002
I have to say both also - except it's always my intuition telling me when the classical meaning is right on, and when I need to look deeper. And, it also depends on the reading. I find sometimes the meaning of a throw kind of jumps out at me, and usually that is a more intuitive reading. When it's not quite so clear, I use more of the traditional meanings, at least as a starting point. I think if the reading is accurate, I wouldn't be uncomfortable either way.

jema	04 Jul 2002
the "classical" meanings are a myriad of meanings. one single card can mean so many things and this is where my intuition comes in and sort through them and letting me see just which one of those are the "right" one for this reading. but i have sometimes confused two cards completely and still gotten really good results where on the other hand a reading only done with the intellect = the classical meanings - often turns out to be a bit cold and dry and confused going in all directions at once. i do believe that getting a firm grounding in the classical meanings is good though. it is only from there you can really reason with the cards to find your own interpretation and stick by them. a bit like with writing - where the classical meanings are the grammar - and the intuition is the poetry:)

tigerlily	04 Jul 2002
Quote: Originally posted by jema a bit like with writing - where the classical meanings are the grammar - and the intuition is the poetry EXCELLENT analogy!

wetsheep1	04 Jul 2002
I dunno. I started by learning some of the classical meanings with my first deck, and moved on to what moved me later. My intuition has developed over the years, but then, I've grown too. I've come to learn that in my experience, what the cards may mean to me today is not necessarily what they'll mean a year from now, and....that's ok! Progress, not perfection :) With my second deck, I've found that the more you know, the more you know. The artist made fairly pointed references to what each card meant to her; and the more I know about esoteric symbolism, the more they mean to me. My own sensitivity is developing, so .... journalling is becoming more and more important and I'm going through a forest-full of paper ;) Personally, I find Eileen Connolly's methods as outlined in her book, Tarot for the Apprentice, to be an excellent starting point. I don't adhere strictly to her symbolic interpretations, but they're a good "jumping-off" point for me, and keeping a journal has really helped me to develop sensitive communication with my cards. What she recommends is, beginning with the Minor Arcana, to develop a sensitivity to the "seed pattern" of each card -- upright at first, reversed later when the upright position has affixed itself in one's subconscious. Yes, her methods are horrifically time-consuming and believe me, there's nothing instant about it; but on the other hand, the rewards of doing it this way have been outstanding!! Blessings, -- k

Sorceress_Jade	04 Jul 2002
That was ALL very helpful. I was just a bit put off when it seemed to me that my readings might not be 'valid' because i read mainly by intuition. I know there person wasn't meaning to hurt my feelings, that was very obvious. But it made me insecure and curious. I think I'm ok now, lol. Good reasonings, thanx again.

Kazz	05 Jul 2002
Wetsheep 1, I too have the Eileen Connolly book "tarot for the apprentice" and that is what i started with, i really didn't do the study part of it (mainly cause i am very impatient LOL) but i learned to use my "intuition" as well a looking up the meanings from the book to give me a little reassurance, but in saying that, I did a course on tarot and during this time i found the meanings to some cards changed from the book one , quite alot, so i would say that once you get a general idea of what that card is about do lots of small 3 card readings and try to read "the card" and see if it fits the situation. This may not make a whole lot of sense, I am not good at trying to explain things. Cheers Kazz :TQC

Geenius at Wrok	05 Jul 2002
Quote: Originally posted by jema a bit like with writing - where the classical meanings are the grammar - and the intuition is the poetry Interesting analogy. That would explain why an editor and expository writer such as myself would lean strongly toward the classic meanings. (When I start writing poetry, it's a cry for help.)

divinerguy	06 Jul 2002
Learning classical card meanings is a good starting point. It gives you a general idea of archetypes and general characteristics. However, there is more to being a good reader than simply using the classical meanings. Allow the cards to speak to you. Look at them, and see if the images trigger something in your mind. That thought that crosses into your consciousness is significant. Compare that thought to the classical meaning - chances are it will modify it somehow. Tarot readers are not potted plants. You are there for a reason --- to interpret the cards. Listen to your feelings, but don't abandon reason. It sounds contradictory, but its not. It requires a combination of openess and a little discipline. Hope this helps. Divinerguy

Umbrae	06 Jul 2002
Quote: Originally posted by divinerguy Learning classical card meanings is a good starting point. It gives you a general idea of archetypes and general characteristics. However, there is more to being a good reader than simply using the classical meanings. Allow the cards to speak to you. Look at them, and see if the images trigger something in your mind. That thought that crosses into your consciousness is significant. Compare that thought to the classical meaning - chances are it will modify it somehow. Tarot readers are not potted plants. You are there for a reason --- I feel so humble. Divinerguy put into two paragraphs...Succinct, highly accurate, and quotable…and 100% spot on. I am humbled.

wetsheep1	07 Jul 2002
Oh, Kazz, absolutely! My interpretations differ from Connolly’s, and the more I get to know my own decks, the more I’m convinced that no two people’s interpretations of the cards will ever be exactly the same. It’s just (literally) like people looking at a painting; no matter how simple or complex, no two people will see exactly the same thing. I think it’s because we all come into life with different experiences, different things we’ve been through; and it’s this difference that colors our new experiences :) (Aside from that, I don’t do rote learning well – I gotta know why all the time – irritating sometimes but effective ;) And the hair on the back of my neck stands on end when I’m asked to accept someone else’s definition of something without exception. But that’s me…) Geenius: You’ve got Thoth on your blouth. Sheep: Oh, spot on. Thanks for noticing! Would you mind trotting it down to the cleaners for me? Wet “You can dress me up but you can’t take me out” Sheep1 ;)

Lee	08 Jul 2002
I've just had an eye-opening experience! I finished reading Michele Morgan's "A Magical Course in Tarot," in which she advocates an intuitive style of reading. She doesn't say you should reject formal interpretations altogether, but she definitely gives precedence to the intuitive. Her preferred reading method is to sort of toss out three to five cards (i.e., not going out of your way to make them line up perfectly evenly), and then, with no spread positions, start looking for symbols, backgrounds, landscapes, relationships between the cards, whether some cards are bunched together or are standing alone, etc., as it relates to the question. Well, after reading the book I tried it ... and it was great! It was wonderfully liberating to not have to worry about spread positions or traditional interpretations. That way the critical, intellectual side of the mind (what Morgan calls "the Committee") gets to take a back seat, and one can really *look* at the cards and see what's going on in them. Interestingly enough, most of the interpretations that I came up with in that reading weren't too far removed from the traditional interpretations, or were different takes or perspectives on those traditional meanings, but I arrived at them in a more organic way, rather than reciting them by rote, and thus they were more meaningful in relation to the question. The reading as a whole made so much more sense, and each card was so much more meaningful than the way I've always done readings in the past. For the first time I had the feeling that I was listening to what the cards were telling me rather than me trying to impose meaning on them. Of course, one can use more than three to five cards, she just recommends that for people just starting out with the method. She advocates using any number that feels right. Doing it this way means I have to make a shift in which decks I prefer. I had been gravitating toward non-illustrated-pip decks, which for obvious reasons aren't best suited for this type of reading. The deck I used for my reading was the Robin Wood, which is a deck I don't like for several reasons, but it's excellent for this type of reading because there's lots of action, people doing things, facing different directions, lots of different facial expressions, lots of detailed backgrounds and landscapes. I feel as if I'm a fish which has always lived on land, and is suddenly picked up and dropped into a river. Ahhh..... :) -- Lee

Sorceress_Jade	08 Jul 2002
Lee that sounds lovely. That’s basically the way I’ve always read. I was trying to learn the classical meanings and wasn’t doing so hot, and my friend handed me her deck and said ‘read for me’ and I refused but she said, just read it damn it… and so out of fear for my life (lol) I read. It was the first time that feeling came over me. When a reading is correct, I can feel it. That feeling is what leads me to know what each card means and why. Lately I haven’t felt it as strongly, and I know I need to work on that. It’s funny, I have NEVER gotten that feeling reading for myself. Therefore I’ve deduced that I can’t, lol. It just never makes sense. I’m so glad I’m not the only one who doesn’t know exactly what each cards historical meaning is.

Lee	08 Jul 2002
Sorceress Jade, another thing Michele Morgan suggested is that you speak your readings aloud, even when you're alone and reading for yourself. She says that speaking aloud helps bypass "the Committee." It makes sense, because that would explain why sometimes we really get into it when reading for others but the same thing doesn't happen when we read for ourselves. -- Lee

Jenny-Li	10 Jul 2002
Hi all - thought I'd add one, even though it's not very original, perhaps... When I do a reading, some of the cards are more or less shouting out intuitive meanings at me, they are just there, before I can even start thinking about what the "classical" approach to that card might be. Not much to argue with, I go with that, and let those cards be the "frame of reference" within which I interpret the "non-shouting" cards, using classical meanings. As Jema pointed out, there are a wide range of those too, so the intuition still gets to do its thing tying it all together. But starting out with the obvious, outstanding ones, makes me pretty sure I'm on a right track. The tricky thing is when none of them stand out and shout their meaning at me - I usually take that as a sign of blockages of some sort. Jema: I love your analogy - will definitely make a note of it and treasure it! Light and love, Jenny :)

the hermit	10 Jul 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Jenny-Li The tricky thing is when none of them stand out and shout their meaning at me - I usually take that as a sign of blockages of some sort. Jenny: I try to be as intuitive as I can, but when I face your dilemma... that's when I fall back on 'classical' interpretations and beginning asking questions, like... "The Fool here in the future slot makes me wonder if you've been contemplating a big move or possibly a big change, the other cards surrounding it don't quite make sense otherwise" or "The Tower here in your past position makes me wonder about some sort of disastrous occurrence that you may still be holding inside, blocking recovery..." Though sometimes it seems obvious, such as the Fool meaning change, I'm sure we've all seen spreads where the cards surrounding a particular one do not always seem to mesh (intuitively) until we begin to ask. Lee: You and others have mentioned Michele Morgan's book ("A Magical Course in Tarot") so much that I've ordered it. It obviously contains many interesting and useful ideas and suggestions. I'm looking forward to receiving it (and supporting the forum by ordering it from Amazon.com via linking from Aeclectic Tarot! oh what a good boy I am :) )

Umbrae	10 Jul 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Lee ...you speak your readings aloud, even when you're alone and reading for yourself. She says that speaking aloud helps bypass "the Committee." I do believe there is one voice in the committee that speaks intuitively. But when we read for ourselves, we do not speak aloud. Instead, we think. Thought is your enemy (if you ever want to cultivate that intuitive/psychic muscle). Do not take the "thought is your enemy" out of context. Speaking aloud is one way to learn to shut down the thought process. Sometimes you will go to a reader, and they just go…words come out and you sit there and go, “Oh my gawd, I can never read like this, how do they find so much to say…” Experience speaking aloud…about readings.

The Interpretation: Intuitive versus classical thread was originally posted on 03 Jul 2002 in the Using Tarot Cards board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Using Tarot Cards, or read more archived threads.