Ill-Dignified...How Can You Tell?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 03 Mar 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Richard	03 Mar 2003
I've been using the Thoth deck, following pretty strict guidelines, the primary one being "no reversals." Everything I've read (the LWB, the Banzhof/Akron book, most of the Book of Thoth) gives "ill-dignified" meanings for most of the cards, but the LWB only gives instructions for how to find them in the minors, and even then it's not completely clear... My two questions: 1) Say a Cup is next to a Wand in a reading with a majority of Wands...are they both ill-dignified, or only the Cup? 2) How can you tell if a Major is ill-dignified? Any insight would be gratefully accepted...

Macavity	03 Mar 2003
I believe the term is usually associated with card reversals? In his "keyword" book Banzhaf (imo) makes no real suggestion regarding using reversals (sic). He just suggests they be tried... and to "see how you get on?" ;) As someone else commented here (and I thank them) HB does have rather a interesting method of "dual interpretation" where a card both "encourages" and "warns against" something. Neat! AFAICS this does not demand the card be physically reversed - which (imo) must be a good thing. Heheh }) But maybe what you are looking for is the other major way of considering the influence of neighbouring cards is via "Elemental dignities"? As an unbiased intro, you might try the articles from http://www.tarotmoon.com The author openly aknowledges s/he doesn't(?) particularly use them but writes rather well on elements and other topics. Then there's Paul Hughes-Barlow's site which discusses such things EXTENSIVELY (and for all cards) with specific application to the Thoth deck and traditional Golden Dawn styles of reading. See: http://www.supertarot.co.uk You might like this approach - as indeed I do now. :D Macavity

rainwolf	31 Jan 2005
Richard wrote: My two questions: 1) Say a Cup is next to a Wand in a reading with a majority of Wands...are they both ill-dignified, or only the Cup? 2) How can you tell if a Major is ill-dignified? Any insight would be gratefully accepted... Both are ill dignified (thats how i read); you read for each one individually, thats where u are getting confused. IE: when you get to the wand, you read it ill dignified (from cards on both sides). When you get to the cup, it is ill dignified on one side and you need to look at the other side also. The cup is mainly, but due to the many wands, there isnt a huge affect per se on the reading-the other wands back up their ill dignified friend. As for the major, if it sits well with surrounding cards (star next to 9 of swords is a little ill dignified, dont ya think?). It can also be if numerologically there is a large gap, but mainly if it feels right.

The Ill-Dignified...How Can You Tell? thread was originally posted on 03 Mar 2003 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.