Blank Tarot Card in Celtic Deck

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 19 Oct 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

IrishRiotGrrrl	19 Oct 2003
Hi everyone. I was just curious if anyone has had to deal with comming across a blank tarot card in a regular tarot deck. I checked through the deck to make sure there were no misprints and there are none. I was wondering if anyone has had a blank tarot card in their deck if they use it? And if so what does it symbolize for you? Any suggestions as whether I should disregard the blank card and/or keep it, would be appreciated. Thanks in advance

Astra	19 Oct 2003
When a deck is printed, it's easier to lay out 80-up than 78 - strictly mathematically. The extra cards can have artist or deck information, or be blank. When the process is automated, it's much easier to leave the blank card in the deck, so, depending on the deck, there will be blank cards. As to what you can do with them - a lot of readers pitch them, a lot simply leave them in the deck and either read the blanks or put a symbol of their own on the card. When you start thinking about blank cards in certain positions, you can get some really interesting stuff. In any case, it's totally up to you. (I pitch 'em, by the way)

IrishRiotGrrrl	19 Oct 2003
Thanks for the advice and information concerning blank cards. I just have never come across a deck with a blank card before and it kinda tripped me out. I'm probably going to end up using the card and creating something of my own unique signature to go with it.

scheherazade	20 Oct 2003
The Quest Tarot has a blank card, specifically for the purpose of having a customized card on which you could do the art yourself. Or, it can be a wild card.

Inannadescends	22 Oct 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Astra When a deck is printed, it's easier to lay out 80-up than 78 - strictly mathematically. The extra cards can have artist or deck information, or be blank. AhHa! The mystery is solved. So this is why my Victoria Regina has 2 extra cards? I just got the deck today. One card is the Magician, the other the Queen of coins, I thought the deck was not in numerical order then I flipped the cards over and it had a description of the deck and the 1-800 # for ordering from Lewellyn. I don't know what to do with 2 extra cards maybe I will download "The Happy Squirrel" from the artist's site and glue it to one of them.

galadrial	22 Oct 2003
My first two decks, which were my only two decks for a long time, were the Hudes and the Wheel of Change. Both had really nice extra cards that were intended, judging by the artwork on them, to be used as "blank" cards, if the reader so chose. So I've always used one of the extra cards in decks for that purpose, and am even a bit put out now if a deck doesn't have one. It has meant different things at different times in readings; my favorite is when it means God is present in a very particular way (you probably know the saying "God is present between the cards"; well, the blank card sometimes means he is present in an even more focused way. My last Celtic Cross reading for myself was for the upcoming 9 months (my son's school year). The first card was the Magician, the second card was the blank card, and I can't remember any of the other cards because that combination just blew me away:-) When it shows up in a "future" position, it seems to mean that I need to focus on the present and take things one step at a time; that it isn't beneficial for me to try to consider future energy right now.

SongDeva	23 Oct 2003
Many rune sets have a blank rune, which is said by some to be Odin's Rune. In other words, God's rune, a rune symbolizing the presence of the divine. The medicine cards come with like 6 blank cards for you to draw animals on, and I used them recently in a reading by "accident". When I shuffled, I inadvertently left two in the deck. In the spread, the blank cards came up in two positions (in a well shuffled 44 card deck). I used them like Odin's Rune: 1. What are you really asking (Am I really connected to God,is God really here for me). 2. Answer (Here I am.) It blew me away.

The Blank Tarot Card in Celtic Deck thread was originally posted on 19 Oct 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.