Different books with different meanings?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 08 Jan 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

LeeChrista	08 Jan 2004
I am having a hard time because my Medieval Luigi Scapini LWB and my Tarot Directory by Annie Lionnet have different meanings for the same cards. I mean completely different meanings. One card in my Scapini book will say something about "life and rebirth" and my Tarot Directory will make a reference to how it means "hard times and competition". That isn't exact but you get the point. What do you do in situations like this?

Imagemaker	08 Jan 2004
I think "life and rebirth" is pretty much defined as "hard times and competition". How about picking the book that seems most clear to you now and ignore the other one awhile.

Keslynn	08 Jan 2004
From what I understand, the Scapini deck is a little different than the standard Rider-Waite-Smith based decks. The Tarot Directory is probably working with the Rider Waite deck or its clones . The RWS deck has some very specific symbolism that leads to those particular meanings. I would suggest working with a book specific to the Scapini deck or just studying the cards to come up with your own meanings. It's really difficult to learn if you have to force meanings onto cards that don't really have much to do with the picture. Another alternative would be to work with a RWS deck which might make the Tarot Directory more useful to you. :) Kes

LadyMedusa	08 Jan 2004
LeeChrista, I have this deck too. I have run across the same thing in trying to work with it. Keslynn is right it is not a clone. While it has many similarities to RWS, it has enough differences to confuse a person if you let it. Use the books meanings as suggestions for a direction, BUT if your books seem to be in conflict or not clear enough, take a long look at the card. What does it want to mean to you? Ultimately it is what YOU see in the card and how YOU see the meaning that counts. LadyMedusa

~X~	08 Jan 2004
LeeChrista, I have this deck too. The biggest problem with it is that there was never any book written to go with it. I will say though, the LWB in this case is a very good one....compared to most LWB. As I understand it, there are a few similarities to RW, but it also uses meanings from some ancient italian decks. I wouldn't use a book based on RW with it. I did hear, at one time that a book was in the process of being written on it. We can only hope.

allibee	08 Jan 2004
Quote: Originally posted by LeeChrista I am having a hard time because my Medieval Luigi Scapini LWB and my Tarot Directory by Annie Lionnet have different meanings for the same cards. I mean completely different meanings. And guess what, if you buy another book and another book, and go on different sites and listen to other people, they'll all come up with different meanings for the 78 pieces of card with ink on too. But are these people all wrong? No, not at all. These meanings they give are just different facets of the same truth, as interpreted through the eyes of a particular person. But the one thing you'll find generally is that if you start keeping a journal - or three or four because you'll need them over time - you can see a themes develop for each card, and you can pick and choose between ALL the meanings you have written down ... but best of all are your own impressions, and they need to go in your journal too. maybe just a word or just a feeling that the card on this particular day evoked ... and all of a sudden one day when you're doing a reading that feeling will be *just* the one you are trying to convey. So my personal advice is ... don't be put off by different meanings, instead welcome them as a chance to add a new dimension to that card's meaning to you. Best wishes allibee (heathen at large)

Rusty Neon	08 Jan 2004
The cards and divinatory meanings of the Scapini deck are based on Scapini's eclectic selection of DMs, some of which can be reconciled with RWS and Etteilla DMs and with other traditional, pre Golden Dawn DMs, and some of which may be personal to Scapini. In view of this, any tarot books based on RWS imagery can only be partially useful for use with the Scapini deck, unless you want to superimpose those RWS DMs onto the deck despite Scapini's imagery. (It could be an interesting exercise to compare Etteilla DMS with Scapini's to see to what extent Scapini has borrowed from Etteilla DMs. It's an exercise I haven't got around to doing yet.) For a convenient tabulation of Etteilla DMs and Waite DMs, see Jim Revak's site: http://www.villarevak.org/td/td_1.htm

The Different books with different meanings? thread was originally posted on 08 Jan 2004 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.