Interpreting cards in undefined positions

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 27 Jan 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Star Spirit	27 Jan 2004
Usually I find it very easy to read. It all kind of flows. You go through the spread, you know the positional meanings, and the reading just simply makes sense. But what about the positions that don't have meanings? What I mean here is things like...yearly and weekly spreads, and even one card draws. When you lay a card for each day, or each month--it's almost like there's a specific kind of energy that can't be easily expressed. It seems to me much simpler to read a card in a well-defined position, traditionally or not. But for instance when I am doing a yearly spread, and lay one card for each month, I often look at them and go, "January - Page of Wands; February - 8 of Swords. Huh??". I draw blanks. The months don't have definitions--they are just time slots in which certain cards fall. And sometimes it just seems like the cards could mean just about anything! They're too general. I suppose that's fine for a yearly spread, but what about weekly, or daily? You could draw the Tower as a daily card and worry about it all day, only to find out that the image was speaking of something more literal and less tragic. And of what? The mind, the body, your surroundings? You have no idea, aside from those highly intuitive moments where you just *know*. Am I the only one who has this problem with undefined card positions? How do the rest of you go about interpreting the cards this way?

ol_crazy_Legs	28 Jan 2004
When i do a yearly spread... I do the same thing... lay each card for each month. I think that the card shows the overall feel for the month. Does this answer you question?

WalesWoman	28 Jan 2004
I'll bet you aren't alone on this at all. Here I am, too. It usually ends up with undefined meanings that it could be a general tone, sometimes it is a real event other times it's like plantery transits, affecting everything with this energy. Many times I'll do a reading like this, thinking I've got it figured out and it will manifest in a way I'd never would have imagined. You just recognize it when it happens. For instance I did a spread for the New Year, 5 of Wands was the first card, I might expect lots of arguing and pushing and shoving of egos around within the family (twin 8 year olds) and instead played poker amidst a bunch of rowdies swapping lies at a New Year's Eve party and had a major tooth problem. Depending on the card I kind of have a clue what to be aware of or where to focus my energy. There's been more than a few times when I've had cards come up and stump me, for a daily, then something happens and I know just what that card was referring to and can act in a way to make the situation better. Like you said with the Tower, it isn't about negative things all the time. It could just be something happens to make the light bulbs flash and have a real Ah-Ha! moment. I do prefer to have positional meanings, since readings are much easier to go back to and compare later. I can look at a card and get something new and different from it every time.

Star Spirit	28 Jan 2004
Thanks you guys, you're exactly right. I usually can come up with the meanings, but it's just that they're so general that it takes me a while sometimes. Especially when I'm reading for strangers because I don't really know most of what goes on in their lives. And therein lies the problem. Quote: For instance I did a spread for the New Year, 5 of Wands was the first card, I might expect lots of arguing and pushing and shoving of egos around within the family (twin 8 year olds) and instead played poker amidst a bunch of rowdies swapping lies at a New Year's Eve party and had a major tooth problem. That's the part that bugs me! The not knowing what's REALLY going on. The card in such situations seems so generalized that it often ends up being something totally different than what you originally thought. This is why I personally don't like to do daily card draws, because I'll look at it and think, okay? Is this card supposed to sum up my whole day, just a major part of it, or simply some event? It could mean a million things. And that sort of turns me off of it, especially if it seems like a negative card to me because then I'll just be plagued by it all day until I figure out what it actually means. I wonder if there's anyone out there who has some kind of system or technique for dealing with these kinds of generalized readings? I'd sure like to know. Sometimes the intuitive kicks in, but other times....nothing.

allibee	28 Jan 2004
During a reading on here a year ago, I laid out another spread with 4 x 4 cards, the top row were the *what's* and the bottom row where the *why's* It 'worked fine' My suggestion with your one card non positional is that you lay two instead, one is the what, the other is the why. Alternatively, have a specific Q in mind rather than a general A.

Umbrae	28 Jan 2004
Really, it's a matter of practice - (using undefined positons for other people. Just keep doing it and it gets easier. Calendar spreads (or you could call them colander spreads and put a strain on divination) can be difficult. We tend to think of cards as perhaps representing specific events. In a calendar spread it’s usually more of a feeling – or a series of events that could be centered around issues described by the card.

ros	28 Jan 2004
I just draw cards & then just start making a story out of them. I try not to attach myself to know the exact meaning of the card, this way it can change with my intuition or learning. Just read them not having to know their placements. Make a story . Go outside the boundaries & make it fun. To much stucture of how it has to be read. There are no rules. Just an idea.

Star Spirit	28 Jan 2004
Thanks you guys, I like all your suggestions and will keep them in mind.

Imagemaker	28 Jan 2004
I've found that specific questions or positions really make a difference in the relevance of the card I get. It's like the tarot reflects back the same sort of "size" answer to your question, meaning that an undefined, general question/position offers back that kind of answer. When I pull a "theme" card for the day, often I can't figure out its message or relevance until after the day is over and I meditate on events to see if the theme of the card appeared. Usually it did, often not in an obvious way. Then I can say "aha," but it's not a lot of help at the time! So now I try to help the tarot out as specifically as possible, so I can understand the help it wants to offer me :)

lunakasha	28 Jan 2004
[/i]Originally posted by Imagemaker [/i] When I pull a "theme" card for the day, often I can't figure out its message or relevance until after the day is over and I meditate on events to see if the theme of the card appeared. Usually it did, often not in an obvious way. Then I can say "aha," but it's not a lot of help at the time! I know exactly what you're saying...the problem is that I don't always take the time at the end of the day to reflect on what happened and how it may have been related to the card I drew. But I still like to do my daily card draw...it gives me a focal point for the day and often helps me feel more grounded and positive throughout the day. :) Luna

Lorem	29 Jan 2004
I find myself reading more and more frequently with undefined positions now. I find that with undefined positions, the cards can (and usually do) speak towards a specific issue or aspect within the question you're asking, rather than a broad overview of the situation, as the Celtic Cross usually gives. I use a spread with undefined meanings with seven cards shaped like the ^ character. In this spread, the relationships between the various meanings of the cards is more important than the meanings of each of the individual cards. Cards nearer to each other are more related than cards further apart, and mirror cards (the three pairs of cards on opposite sides in this spread) often hold special meaings. The key here is coherence. You'll know when you've got the reading right when all of the cards fit into your interpretation and you understand how each card relates to every other card. To do this, it is important to look at the spread as a whole rather than interpreting each card separately, as one does in many "normal" spreads. This certainly takes practice and patience, as often you'll start with one interpretation only to realise that the rest of the cards don't fit, and so you'll have to reconsider. It's kind of like solving a mystery; you've got a bunch of "clues," and you're trying to put them together to find out what they say. *Lorem*

The Interpreting cards in undefined positions thread was originally posted on 27 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.