Personal Power cards

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 20 Nov 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

dangerdork	20 Nov 2002
I think I a minority of one in my opinions on the Tower card, so I'll concede that I'm beating a dead horse on that thread. But a more interesting general question comes up: Which cards are the "exceptions" to y'all? Like Umbrae would say, never say never. or is it always say maybe... Anyway, am I the only one who has a few cards that don't play by the rules? Can anyone else share stories of particular cards that NEVER seem to follow the book meanings, but your own personal associations instead, every single time you read them? Does ANYONE else have cards that are ALWAYS good or ALWAYS bad in their own little interpretative world? Or cards that you feel "possessive" about and get a little secret thrill whenever they turn up? I'd love to hear about it. All rules have exceptions, even this one.

january	20 Nov 2002
Hi there Dangerdork - That card for me would be the Princess of Swords (Spiral Deck). To me it ALWAYS means gossip, sharp words, lies and bad news - NEVER the beginning of thought, intellect or acting on brilliant ideas. This is a case where the picture on this court card totally formed my opinion. In the Spiral, she's depicted with squinty, vindictive eyes - just ready to lash out and cut you to pieces with that sword! She's a bad little girl... watch out and be careful what you say. And more times than not, she appears with the 7 of Swords, which heralds and extra bit of caution. As with any card I feel that the most important meaning is the one that speaks directly to you with a sensation that is very personal. I assimilate knowning your cards to knowing your child. Each child is unique and will communicate to you in ways sometimes only you can understand. Sometimes it coincides with one of those "child raising books", sometimes not. When I'm reading, I picture my Intuition scratching its head, digs into my subconscious chamber and then runs back to me holding a card and says "See!!! This is what I'm trying to say! DO you get it? " When it presents me with the Princess of Swords, I know exactly what the message is.

Teranar	20 Nov 2002
A friend of mine who does a lot of readings that deal with which path he should take always, without exception, seems to have the ace of pinnacles come up, so he's referred to it as his pointer, or his compass. Yes its that spooky friend of mine who reads tarot but I never tell his name again!

Kiama	21 Nov 2002
I find that when I read for somebody I know well, or people I read for alot, certain cards come up that make u just look at each other and say.. 'Yep. Get it.' These cards are unusual in that they don't have any specific meanings for us but we understand completely what they are trying to say. The Queen of Wands, Knight of Cups, Empress, and Hanged Man usually do this for me, and I usually end up swearing loudly at the deck whenevre it happens cuz it's so damn accurate! Kiama

divinerguy	21 Nov 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Kiama I find that when I read for somebody I know well, or people I read for alot, certain cards come up that make u just look at each other and say.. 'Yep. Get it.' Kiama Bingo. For me its the Moon and the Nine of Swords. For some reason, I think I 've got a very good handle on what it is these cards are doing. They come up in a reading, and the, "Aha, I knew it!!" light goes on.

paradoxx	25 Nov 2002
since a strange expierence with teh Cosmic Tarot, teh Prince of Pentacles and the Prince of Cups call to me even though i am a Gemini (my parents are taurus and scorpio though). The concept expands to all other decks in ways i have yet to discover.

JC	25 Nov 2002
Well, I don't know about cards that never follow the book meanings, because I really don't pay that much attention to the book meanings. I have a "map" of associations for each card - mainly elemental and astrologically and with very little numerology thrown in - that I've accumulated from different books. When I see a card, I kind of intuitively follow one of the paths on it's map. When I describe a card on the forum, it probably sounds like a rote, book definition because I'm trying to reproduce a part or all of my "map" in type. As for power cards or cards I relate to, here goes: Fool Magician High Priestess Hierophant the Hermit Strength Hanged Man Temperance the Star the Moon the Sun Judgement the World all the queens and aces all of the swords and pents except the kings Now would you believe I'm a finicky eater?

Shadow Wolf	25 Dec 2002
The 8 of pentacles, Celtic Tarot. I've only gotten it a few times in reading, but it speaks volumes to me. My ancestors in Ireland were blacksmiths, so whenever I do get this card in a spread it's reasurring me that creativity is in my blood, and that I should go with it, or it's telling me that I need to focus more on my creative side.

RedWood	25 Dec 2002
So far for me..It is the Tower and the 9 of swords..I just know what they mean! Its like DUH..i get it!

imagoddess	27 Dec 2002
The first time I read the Moon card description I only read three words and stopped - I knew immediately both the psychic and physical realm it describes.

The Personal Power cards thread was originally posted on 20 Nov 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.