Different meanings for different decks??

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 04 Apr 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

RedEarth	04 Apr 2003
I have just acquired the Glastonbury tarot ( http://www.aeclectic.net/glastonbury/index.html ) my first tarot deck (I have been using Oracle of the Dreamtime for some time now, and some fairy oracle ones as well). I have been picking up various cards, one at a time, and trying to get my own impression of them, then checking them with the book that cam ewith it. Today I checked one with Thirteen's explanations, and another site, and they were completely different! Though with the Glastonbury tarot, there are staffs instead of wands, chalices instead of cups, and vesicas instead of pentacles. Anyway, the card today was 4 of Staffs (wands). The image is of a man carrying a womanthru an archway over a threshold. (All the artwork is orignally oil paintings, and quite amazing in itself!) Here is the meaning according to the book, what do you think? The four of staffs represents a sense of completition, a stage of your life has drawn to a close, and now it is time to move forward into a fresh and exciting new beginning. You feel a sense of optimism, and a growing sense of freedom. Plans can now be put into action. There is the potential for a new relationship, or deeper committment in an existing one. A change of residence is also possible. My question is: Do different decks have different meanings? I know this might seem a silly question, but I have been used to teh Oracle cards where there is no 'template', like with tarot where there seems a certain set group of cards iykwim!(Like how you can get all different looking decks of playing cards, but they are all essentially the same) TIA Sharon Red Earth Here is the link to see the card: http://www.wordswork.net/avalon/staffs.htm

cjtarot	04 Apr 2003
RedEarth, Welcome to the world of reading by what you see and not by "the book". a kewl exercise is to take 2 or 3 decks, pull the same card out (say 4 of cups) and keep them face down, flip the cards over 1 at a time write your impression and the book meaning..when you have "your meaning for the cards" written down, flip all of them over and compare images, notes and overall feel of the card. you will be amazed by the fact each one is different. Blessings and good reading. CJ

Moongold	04 Apr 2003
Hi RedEarth, I love your name, having grown up partly in the Mallee Region of Victoria, where the earth is indeed red. To answer your question, it would be good to get a book on the history and scope of the Tarot. Juliet Sharman Burke and Rachel Pollack have both written excellent intoductory guides. The Rachel Pollack one I have is called "The Complete Illustrated Guide to the Tarot". It is readily available. Someone else will probably say this better, but there are different historical theories about the origin and basis of the Tarot and you could spend quite a while just familiarising yourself with these. Get one of the books I mentioned to start with. There are very definitely common principles in the various versions of Tarot, however. We have just started a thread here looking at one of the earliest of Western Tarot decks Tarot de Marseilles de Grimaud and you might like to have a look at that. Thirteen's Basics are based mainly on the Rider Waite Smith Deck which became the deck that assumed most popularity in the United States and other non-European countries. Many other decks use the symbolism of the Tarot de Marseilles and the RWS, including the Glastonbury, I think, with some variations. If you can, it might be a good idea to get both of the latter two decks as they will give you a good background in the origin of the Tarot. I am a relative newcomer as well and now have about 7 decks, some of which do show the influence of history and culture on the development of the Tarot. Each of them is different to use as well, and that is refreshing. How do you see the Tarot? I see it as a window to the unknown, to the Light, to the Divine. To use a common metaphor, we all see the light differently, depending on the quality of the glass and our eyesight. Perhaps I said that a bit clumsily but I hope you get my drift. Welcome, and I hope that you enjoy your stay with us. Moongold

Thirteen	05 Apr 2003
Well, Fairy Oracle, as I recall, is very different. You have to be sure what you have IS a tarot deck. Glastonbury tarot, by its name, of course, certainly fits that. The short answer to your question, by the way, is "yes." But it's not a simple "yes." As Moongold kindly pointed out, and as you can already see, there are so many decks, with so many varient images that it would be impossible to do a generic "basics" that fits every deck. So the description you read in the Basics is for Rider-Waite. This is because it is the deck most often used by beginners to learn the cards, and because the vast majority of decks use it as their template. That said--creators of tarot decks, especially artists, have their own visions of how they want to express what the card means. Though there are some very general, agreed upon meanings (like say, "creative abundance" for the Empress) there are also some not-so-agreed upon meanings (like, does the death card mean "sickness and death" or transformation?). Or agreed upon meanings but with arguments over wording (Is the moon "illusion" or "deception"?). And even if the creators agree on a meaning, they will certainly disagree on how it should be pictured. Rider has 4/wands as 4 staffs holding up a garland. Your deck has a man carring a woman over a threshold. Guess what? Both cards mean "completion"--the foundation of the house laid, the marriage vows said-- and now you can build on that, start a family. Both indicate optimism and plans that can be put into action. It's just that the creator of the Glastonbury had a different vision of how this card should be pictured--one which focused on the meanings they liked best--or, if you will, agreed with most. The lesson? Well, first, don't get too hung up on small changes (staffs instead of wands--depending on the deck you'll see wands as arrows, spears or trees! Hey, in the Po Mo deck they're respresented by televisions). And you should always read the book that comes with a deck and see what the artist/creator was going for with the image they picked. Finally, keep in mind that each deck has their own feel and this certainly can affect how YOU interpet the card--never mind how the creator interpeted it. Take a look at the H.R. Giger deck (only Major Arcana, black-and-white, and well, Giger!). Now take a look at the Moon Garden Deck (pastel colors, bubbles, unicorns, and no swords--just fireflies). I guarantee you that you will read very differently with the Giger deck than you will with the Moon Garden--even if both Giger and Moon Garden were to give you the exact same meanings for their Major Arcanas. But that's the beauty of Tarot. You read books, examine decks, and along the way you pick up new thoughts on what they mean. You keep the meanings that resonate for you and what you see in the card--and, perhaps, put aside any meanings that you don't agree with--even those told to you by the creator regarding their own cards. In the end, it's for you to decide exactly what the card means depending on the question, the querent, where the card turns up in the spread along side what other cards--and given what deck you're using. So, if you're using Glastonbury, 4/wands may ring powerfully of new relationships and deeper commitments--thanks to that over-the-threshold image. If you're using Waite, you might be more inclined to think of foundations, completion, and a time to move on to the next stage in a plan. That's the Tarot. You never stop having new revelations about what these cards mean.

RedEarth	05 Apr 2003
Thank you for all your replies. You have all given me alot to think about, and definately answered my question. SO I guess the most important thing is getting my OWN interpretation for the cards, and I am having a guess here but that could differ depending on the deck? As for my name, I am Australian but grew up along the coast, so no red earth there. Since coming to the UK I have become more interested in Aboriginal culture and teachings, and now hope to return to Australia to visit Uluru. My favourite card from oracle of the dreamtime is Uluru! (It took coming to the other side of the world to appreciate my own country's native spirituality!) Sharon RedEarth

The Different meanings for different decks?? thread was originally posted on 04 Apr 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.