How do you assign meanings to Tarot cards?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 08 Sep 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Solandia	08 Sep 2003
"I read that LWB over and over. I tried to remember all those meanings, but I was never any good at disciplining a course of study and memorisation techniques. I fell into dismay. These cards are just a gimmick, a party trick." [ [url="http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/articles/tarot_and_you.html"] read more of MystiqueMoonlight's article [/url] ] Do you use the little white booklets that come with each new tarot deck, or have a set of your own 'mental' meanings that you apply to the cards?

jog1118	08 Sep 2003
i learned tarot from Joan Bunning's free online course...eventually, i did my own research and came across several "guides" including AT's Thirteen's Tarot Basics... fortunately, my first deck (tarot nova) seemed to jive with these "guides"... but to tell you the truth, i never read the lwb of my tarot nova...i tried to read it but at first glance i was turned off, it just did not feel right... it was the same with my second deck (tarot of the hidden folk), although the lwb was better (i was able to read every page); it had that "right" feeling somehow... i'm fairly new to tarot but i can say that it does'nt matter if you're using lwb's or something else, what matters is if the meanings you're using feels right... i've also read somewhere that if you want to learn tarot then: "stop reading other people's opinions and start experiencing the tarot on a personal level" - i guess what he meant is that the most reliable source of meaning for the tarot is no other but the reader him/herself (one's own knowledge, experiences, intuition, etc.) :smoker:

Astra	08 Sep 2003
I use the LWB - when I'm doing a reading for myself and think that I'm likely to be kidding myself about what the cards mean if I do my own interpretations. At that point I dig out the book that came with the deck, tell myself FIRMLY that I'm going to use it for the interpretation, and proceed to lay out the cards in one of the spreads in the book, where the place meanings are firmly defined. I also found myself referring to several that I have when I was putting together a set of interpretations for the deck I've been doing, because otherwise I had a real problem trying to come up with a single, coherent "meaning" for each card. I have a real problem accepting THE meaning for any card, and so a problem trying to assign them.

full deck	08 Sep 2003
When I use the Tarot of the III Millennium, some of the cards are a bit different ("The Lover" for example). I like reading what the creator of this deck has to say about this card and why. It adds a different perspective to the interpretation which can be useful, however, in a reading, the magic moment that just *happens* is what drives me; why I might interpret a card differently than upon other occasions. Mind you, if I did not respect the author's views from his LWB, why would I use the deck at all?

Mimers	08 Sep 2003
I tend to use both. There are times when I have referred to the LWB. Especially with the Ancestral Path deck. The book that Tracy Hoover wrote to go with this deck has the stories that the minor arcana are based on. Knowing these stories and traditions of the cultures portrayed adds much meaning to the cards. I have also found reading the book that goes with the Tarot of Prague extreamly enriching. I am still reading it. With my Rider Waite, however, the "lwb" that I refer to is my own Tarot Journal. This is filled with my own meanings of the cards. Mimers

Dark_angel	08 Sep 2003
I always flick through the LWB, to see what the creator thinks; I don't use it for reading though. I first tried to learn the meanings from books, but that didn't work, because it felt to much like I was memorising them rather than interpreting and reading the cards. What I do now is just to meditate on each card and see what it brings. My readings take longer, but I think they're better than if I just had a dictionary of meanings to rattle off. Although I think I'm going to HAVE to read the book that comes with my Vertigo - the deck's so complex and beautiful that I really want to understand it. xxx

Macavity	08 Sep 2003
I look at the cards. I also look at the LWB (hopefully BIGGER book) to see what the author/artist intended as meaning. I read from the "standard" authors too. But, for me, it's mostly a process of mind training in a (previously) unfamiliar area. Before, had I seen a Bus Stop, I'd have waited for a Bus (only!). Now, I might just see that as the "Start of a Journey". But I suspect, had I not read that (at least ONCE) I'd be waiting a long time for transport! :P Free association does seem to improve and arise more spontaneously... with practice? I REPEAT some basics. E.g. I (quickly) go through decks, sequentially, while (internally) recalling a keyword (Mr. Crowley's) or phrase for each card. I try to note agreement AND differences with the image. I also study individual cards, in greater depth, just trying to imagine what the symbolism means. If I don't have ideas, I look 'em up! I do a lot of (same) card comparision work between decks, since I favour a "generic meaning" for cards. I try to add deck-specific nuances on the fly. I then post how think I do this - Perhaps quite different from reality? }) Macavity

Astraea	08 Sep 2003
When the cards appear to differ significantly from the meanings that have been built into my mental template over the years, I read the LWB; ditto when a card is especially intriguing, and I want to know more about what the artist had in mind. Otherwise, I've found it works best for me if I allow the cards to speak according to individual querents and situations. Sometimes the card meanings in particular readings are surprising, even with the LWB at hand.

firemaiden	08 Sep 2003
I study the book. I also study the card images -- deeply. Putting words to what I see usually takes me deep inside the picture. I began by studying the Thoth. I find Crowley's Book of Thoth hilarious and intensely stimulating -- needs to be taken in small doses - like cognac. Crowley's Book of Thoth and Frieda Harris's images are unsoundable -- I will never reach the bottom no matter how far I dive. To cooperate with the RWS mainstream, I have also read 78 degrees of Wisdom, Thirteen's blurbs on the cards, Joan Bunnings course, and now particularly enjoy referring to Mary Greer's Book of Tarot Reversals. The sense of a magical mysterious depth to the cards was further shocked into me when I bought the famous Camoin Marseille deck on a trip to Paris. For the first time I found myself looking not a pictures at all, but at living beings -- with tons of personality. Now I am slowly going through the Margarete Petersen deck, studying her partly abstract, partly pictoral paintings one card at a time and translating the blurbs for each card from her German. Margarete Petersen's interpretations bring the different angles of the previous great decks together and add a new layer, specifically related to spiritual growth and self-realization.

Little Baron	08 Sep 2003
When I started, I bought a lot of books (Bunning's Learning The Tarot, Pollack's 78 Degrees of Wisdom, Tarot Journeys, The Way of the tarot ....). The list goes on and on. Each time I bought one, I thought 'This is the one that is going to unlock the secrets and make it accessible to me'. As interesting as those books have been, none of them really did unlock anything. What turned it all around was my relationship with the Faeries Oracle. That was what unlocked something inside. As much as the deffinitions being in the book, the most important part of growth with that deck, as all faeries lovers know, is your own views on the cards. I then applied that to the tarot. I suppose that I didn't trust myself before. I thought that the tarot must be so complex that firstly, my intuition will be wrong and secondly, to master, it must take years and years of learning. Well, for me, there has been many years of learning - about 8 I think, but now the learning is more lighthearted and enjoyable, rather than stressful and a chore. I always like to read the LWB initially when I buy a deck but soon they are seldomly refered to. My main reading deck at the moment is the Phantasmagoric Theater Tarot. In this instance, the LWB is a constant sourse and companion because the deck is quite unlike any other and characters names and situations need to be explained. At first, I wanted more information about them but as I get to know the deck better and understand its creator a little more, things fit into place and I am able to use my intutuition the Phantasmagoric way. Unlike when I started, feel that tarot is about the interaction of us and the images. If it was not, then all of us would be reading the decks in exactly the same way. The LWB are useful but tarot would not be of much interest to me and a forum like this would not have its uses if we just went along with those brief interpretations that came along with our decks. Make any sense??? Best wishes Ya Ya Boot Ya Ya

Umbrae	08 Sep 2003
Assign? Assign means to allocate, to give, to peg to fix a meaning to a card…like a pin through the back of quivering butterfly, “There – you’ve been assigned! Now die there.” Never could do that. Meanings are dynamic. The World is dynamic. To affix a meaning to a card turns it static which makes little sense to me. Sometimes what a card ‘tells’ me, has nothing to do with meanings.

WolfyJames	08 Sep 2003
Well, I take a fast look through the book first, looking at the images, giving me some feel from the cards design. And then, I make readings, even though I don't know the cards or didn't read thoughrouly the book. That's how I learn, by using it right away. Then, I read the cards that came out, trying to understand my readings. More I do it, more I remember the cards. I've tried the other way around, studying first and reading later, and it bored me to death, plus I couldn't remember the meanings of the cards: I have such a lousy memory. But by practicing, I get the cards, I remember them. I have only one tarot deck (the others are oracle decks), and I follow the artists guidelines. The Enchanted Tarot doesn't follow the traditional tarot readings, the artist came up with her own stuff. That's what I use. But I'm interested to know more about tarot, because I would like to get more tarot decks (and maybe create one of my own), and the artist is sometimes too vague, knowing then what the traditional cards mean could be helpful. I focus on the cards at these moments, what the images tell me, and what results I got from previous readings (I keep them all). Lucky me, all the pips of my deck have meaningful images, it's easier for beginners to learn the cards. I was greatly disapointed when I discovered some decks have just coins or cups; I was very frustrated for my friend when I gave her Tarot of the Witches; great major arcana, but the pips are a pity, plus I had to buy the book because there was nothing but a tiny pamplet with it. She didn't use it after all.

Diana	08 Sep 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Solandia [b[b] Do you use the little white booklets that come with each new tarot deck, or have a set of your own 'mental' meanings that you apply to the cards? [/b] [/b] I answer "no" to both of these questions. I dislike Little White Books (except for the Osho Zen). And I don't have a set of fixed meanings either. The meanings come to me when I look at the spread as a whole. A card by itself means nothing to me. It means something only when it interacts with the other cards. In a health-spread, a Tower can mean "get yourself to the hospital quick", but it can also mean "you're going to have one hell of a migraine", or it can mean "a rapid recovery and perfect health". Depends on the other cards, you see. When it comes to the minors, I need to use the Number and the Suit together, to get some kind of meaning. And I refer back to the Majors to understand the meanings better. The Majors I would not understand if I hadn't read lots of books about them. And not necessarily Tarot books. Like the Wheel of Fortune.... well, who was Fortuna? That kind of thing.

MystiqueMoonlight	09 Sep 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Umbrae Assign? Assign means to allocate, to give, to peg to fix a meaning to a card…like a pin through the back of quivering butterfly, “There – you’ve been assigned! Now die there.” Never could do that. Meanings are dynamic. The World is dynamic. To affix a meaning to a card turns it static which makes little sense to me. Sometimes what a card ‘tells’ me, has nothing to do with meanings. So you read my article then I assume LOL ;)

Trogon	10 Sep 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Solandia Do you use the little white booklets that come with each new tarot deck, or have a set of your own 'mental' meanings that you apply to the cards? Well... to be a little Zennish about it ;) ... Yes and no. As others have mentioned, when I began learning Tarot, I started by trying to learn set meanings from books (but not the LWB). While this didn't work well for me for doing readings, it did give me a foundation on which to build. Eventually, I began writing down observations as I contemplated each card. These sort of evolved into "meanings" which I can use as mental guidelines during readings. On the other hand... the more readings I do for people, the less I find myself relying on those notes. In fact I really don't use them during readings. Instead I find myself using more intuition and blending this (ala Temperance - XIV) with that knowledge base. I frequently disregard learned "meanings" for what I sense on an intuitive level during a reading. However, the knowledge of those things learned earlier can help me put into words what I feel during a reading. Hope that makes sense...

catlin	17 Sep 2003
When I get a new deck I look at the cards several times to get their "mood" (as most of you know I am an intuitive reader). I only chek the LWB when I "feel" that the card's meaning does not correspond with the meaning I get. Then Ooops, my computer played a trick on me. Firemaiden, Major Tom, could you pl delete this posting and only leave my next one? Thanks.

catlin	17 Sep 2003
When I get a new deck I look at the cards several times to get their "mood" (as most of you know I am an intuitive reader). I only chek the LWB when I "feel" that the card's meaning does not correspond with the meaning I get. Then I look into the LWB to see if the author has another meaning given to that card.

catlin	17 Sep 2003
When I get a new deck I look at the cards several times to get their "mood" (as most of you know I am an intuitive reader). I only chek the LWB when I "feel" that the card's meaning does not correspond with the meaning I get. Then

DesertHowler	17 Sep 2003
I'm just starting with the Rider-Waite deck and I'm going through The Major Arcana first...trying to write my story of the cards. Then I look at the posts here and some books. I see if there is anything to add or some interpretations of some detail that I missed. This forum is making me feel this is the way to do it. DH

zorya	17 Sep 2003
i've studied books, lots of books (the big kind ;) ) but then i put them away and let all the assigned meanings go. primarily i use 'intuition'. sometimes i get meanings from... somewhere else. i also use numerology and what i know of the suits and their correspondences. the most important stuff is often in between the cards. the images themselves sometimes speak, and i have been known to peak at the lwb's of some of the historical decks to better understand what the artist intended with some of the symbols, but i wouldn't really say i 'use' or 'read' them.

Nevada	18 Sep 2003
But, aside from the fact that I have a worse memory now than I used to, I felt that was mechanical and rote, and just too ... processed? Recently I go through the book just once (maybe twice more if it's a departure from what I'm used to), looking at each card as I do so. After that, when I do a reading, I *write* out my impressions of the cards and then go to the book to compare what it says with what I've written. I may do this until I feel that I've learned the deck fairly well or have developed my own meanings that outweigh for me what any book says. I also like to do comparison readings with my other decks. For a three-card layout I may wind up with 18 cards spread out. I learn a lot from this! I find that it's best if I do the writing as soon as possible after laying out the cards, so that my first impression is fresh in my mind. If I wait until later, my thoughts tend to get stale. (Maybe it's that memory thing again.) I'm finding that this is a great way for me to learn the cards. I'm a writer by nature and occupation, and I tend to process both intuition and thoughts better by using writing as a conduit. Though I do a lot of my other types of writing on a computer, I find that this particular process works best with a pen in my hand.

Nevada	18 Sep 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Umbrae Sometimes what a card ‘tells’ me, has nothing to do with meanings. This is true for me especially when I'm doing creative readings. I sometimes find that the meaning I give a card for the reading has nothing to do with either tradition or the artist's intent, and it is only for that reading.

Dexter	23 Sep 2003
I too have bought numerous books on Tarot and have faithfully read each and every one. I like to read other peoples' ideas and I must say that out of every book I have come away with some useful information. But in saying this I must reveal that the cards mean different things at different times to me. I 've looked at a card and what it says to me may not be anything like what I may have just read. When I first started reading I would get completely frustrated because I would look down at the cards and what wanted to come out of my mouth didn't go with what my brain was telling me should be the meaning. But I learned to go with how I felt because the feed back I got from people about their reading was very positive. But it was a learning process for me and a time of trust in myself. I will confess that I read for myself with the Celtic Widom Tarot and I do use the book that accompanies it. The reason being that I don't always trust myself to be unbiased when reading for myself. And since I seem to be confessing alot I might as well confess that I have never had my cards read for me by someone else. There is no one around that I know to do this for me. I think it is time.

The How do you assign meanings to Tarot cards? thread was originally posted on 08 Sep 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.