The blank or 'wild' card also DEATH

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 29 Feb 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

~TheWiSeFooL~	29 Feb 2004
Just 2 qns.... Just want to have a general meaning for the BLANK card It can b interpreted anyway u wish right? Is open ended and anything can happen? I also met a gypsy clairvoyant once who told me to take out the DEATH card rip it up into tiny pieces and throw it in the bin becos it was just not needed and it upsets people. But now I have neva really been scared of it...... I understand it does not mean literal death but should I now use one again in a new deck?

firemaiden	29 Feb 2004
Hello Wise-fool, welcome to the Forum. The Blank Card... I've never heard Arcana XIII refered to as the "wild card" or the "blank card". That's an interesting take on it. Is that how it is used in Tarot -- the game? Actually, I think you can interpret any card any way you like, including this one, though to start with, the basic concept might be sweeping change, letting go, metamorphosis... If you would like to see some basic card meanings, have a look at the "learning tarot" section. You might like also take a look through the table of contents at the head of this forum for a list of discussions about the Death Card.

Centaur	29 Feb 2004
Quote: Originally posted by ~TheWiSeFooL~ I also met a gypsy clairvoyant once who told me to take out the DEATH card rip it up into tiny pieces and throw it in the bin becos it was just not needed and it upsets people. But now I have neva really been scared of it...... I understand it does not mean literal death but should I now use one again in a new deck? For me, I go with one of the widest interpretations of the Death card: as symbolizing change and transformation. I don't particularly see this card as an upsetting card. Yes. I think that the image of the card can be quite upsetting to someone who is not familiar with the meaning of the card. I also think that the word Death itself conjures up images of something 'terrible' to someone who is not familiar with the term as associated with tarot. I think that this is more to do with distorted perceptions relating to tarot, than the cards themselves. If this clairvoyant was ripping up her Death card in order to evade its appearance in her readings, then might we say that she was engaging in some form of denial behaviour? C

silver_rain	29 Feb 2004
I think it would be a terrible waste to remove the Death card from your deck. In my opinion it is one of the most valuable cards in the deck. As Centaur said, the card is all about change. Where would you be if it wasn't for that? Your life constantly evolves, the death card can actually be quite positive, marking the end of a life phase and entering a new one. There are decks that have a less scary image on the Death card. One of my favourites (Swietlistej Drogi) has the death card as a woman who is actually transforming, getting out of a former body to reveal a new, bright self. I love that card :) As for the blanc card, I leave it out of my readings. I've never thought of including it in my deck. I think the 78 other cards are rich enough, I don't really need it.

Imagemaker	29 Feb 2004
I think anyone who has so much trouble dealing with the concept of death (in any sense) that she has to rip up the card has a LOT of soul growth to work on and is a very "low-level" clairvoyant. I wouldn't trust her word on anything. Sonia Choquette's book, "Diary of a Psychic" has great information about her training as a psychic. Her early, serious teacher had profound things to say about the levels of psychic channels, which ones to close off and which ones to keep open. Valuable reading for tarot readers, whatever your skill level.

laura_borealis	29 Feb 2004
1. the blank card What do you mean by the blank card? What deck are you using? Is the blank card meant to be used in the deck, like the blank card called "the guide" in the Faeries' Oracle? Or is it just an extra thrown in? Decks often come with extra cards because of the way they're printed, in a sheet of 80. Of course, even if it's just an extra thrown in, you can include it and interpret it how you like, as you say -- if that's what works for you. I always take those spares out, though, unless they're intended to be there. (Perhaps I am too bound by "rules"! :) ) 2. the death card and the clairivoyant I, too, question this woman's removal of the Death card. I wonder, since she said it "just upsets people," if she is just trying to please those that she reads for. Maybe she has found that she loses regular customers when they see the Death card come up. It sounds as if she has never found a way to put a positive spin on Death, so she just eliminates it.

lionette	29 Feb 2004
This is one of my favorite cards in the deck, since I also interpret Death as an indication of personal transformation and a "death" of old patterns/habits. This one lets me know I'm not stagnant and, ideally!, moving forward. I liked this: Originally posted by Centaur: If this clairvoyant was ripping up her Death card in order to evade its appearance in her readings, then might we say that she was engaging in some form of denial behaviour? :) Sounds to me as if the clairvoyant needs to work on her interpretations -- more fully "reading" the card to her clients rather than allowing them to merely take the card at face value. No blanks in readings for me -- they make great bookmarks!

Umbrae	29 Feb 2004
Well now, if we destroy Death, we may as well destroy The Tower, The Devil, The Hanged Man, the Queen of Swords, the Three, Five, Seven, Eight, Nine, and Ten of Swords…and don’t forget the Four, Five, Seven, and Eight of Cups… Use only the ‘good’ cards for reading? And only give ‘good’ readings? Hmmm… As to the 79th card…might it not be the one referred to as The Happy Squirrel?

Phoenyx*	29 Feb 2004
I too would like to know what the blank card is, since I've never seen one in any of my decks. As for ripping up the Devil....oh my....the ruination of a perfectly good deck! *gasps at the horror of it*

Star Spirit	29 Feb 2004
I agree with Umbrae. Quote: Originally posted by Umbrae Well now, if we destroy Death, we may as well destroy The Tower, The Devil, The Hanged Man, the Queen of Swords, the Three, Five, Seven, Eight, Nine, and Ten of Swords…and don’t forget the Four, Five, Seven, and Eight of Cups… Use only the ‘good’ cards for reading? And only give ‘good’ readings? Hmmm… I believe all the cards are there for a reason. I don't believe the Death card is any more 'scary' than any other card, and if a querent is frightened by it when it is unnecessary, they should simply be informed of its true meaning. It's not like it's going to kill them to see it. I think it would be silly to get rid of it. Oh, and... Quote: As to the 79th card…might it not be the one referred to as The Happy Squirrel? Baahaha...love those Simpsons. Or how about the Flaming Jerk? :D Personally that would frighten me more than Death. Edited to add: I didn't realize the Victoria Regina actually had such a card as this...silly me! :)

lionette	29 Feb 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Triquetra I too would like to know what the blank card is, since I've never seen one in any of my decks. My New Century deck came with 2 "extras", almost blank. One gives a couple paragraphs about the deck's creation and the other is printed w/copyright info (just like the front and back sides of a book's title page). Would be nice if more decks did this ... then would never have to buy bookmarks, and if the tarotholism continues, might be able to wallpaper a room ;)

Nevada	29 Feb 2004
Quote: Originally posted by ~TheWiSeFooL~ Just want to have a general meaning for the BLANK card It can b interpreted anyway u wish right? Is open ended and anything can happen? ~TheWiSeFooL~, Which deck are you using? I know of no blank card, except the Zero card in the Faeries Oracle, but that's not Tarot. Quote: Originally posted by Umbrae Well now, if we destroy Death, we may as well destroy The Tower, The Devil, The Hanged Man, the Queen of Swords, the Three, Five, Seven, Eight, Nine, and Ten of Swords…and don’t forget the Four, Five, Seven, and Eight of Cups… Heck, why not just chuck the whole thing and forget about Divination altogether? Nevada

Phoenyx*	29 Feb 2004
Quote: Originally posted by lionette My New Century deck came with 2 "extras", almost blank. One gives a couple paragraphs about the deck's creation and the other is printed w/copyright info (just like the front and back sides of a book's title page). Would be nice if more decks did this ... then would never have to buy bookmarks, and if the tarotholism continues, might be able to wallpaper a room ;) Ahhhh, see, now I was thinking of an exactly blank card. Now if I used the extra cards, that would be my Dragon Tarot, and my Hanson that had extra cards.

Imagemaker	01 Mar 2004
Well, there's blank and then there's "almost blank." Cards with copyright notices don't seem blank to me, even if there's a lot of white space.

lionette	01 Mar 2004
Hi Imagemaker, I've never seen an actual blank card ... just curious which decks you've seen that has them.

Centaur	01 Mar 2004
Quote: Originally posted by lionette Hi Imagemaker, I've never seen an actual blank card ... just curious which decks you've seen that has them. I have never actually had any blank-cards... I have had an extra card included with perhaps a little design or something on it... just to make the deck look pretty I guess. :) C

Imagemaker	01 Mar 2004
This thread started with a question from Wise Fool (who seems to have disappeared) about what to do with the blank card. The only deck I know of is the Froud Faery Oracle, which provides a blank card for you to draw a picture of your personal Faery Guide. Since that early posting by Wise Fool, it seems that none of us can find another deck with a blank card. However, there IS a deck of entirely blank cards for people to draw on, available from www.learntarot.com.

~TheWiSeFooL~	02 Mar 2004
No I haven't dissappeared I've been very busy so sorry I have not replied in a long while... mayb the less experienced practitioners have never actually heard of such 'blank card' The blank card is actually included as one of the cards in the RIDER WAITE TAROT DECK it is like a 'wild card' and there is an actual meaning for it as well....as seen before in some TAROT books one of which I own (can't remember the name of it) and also on a CD TAROT MAGIC which I also own Its just that I wanted to find out a bit more on whether any1 else had alternative meanings or insights into the card. "The Blank Card Some advantages of using the Blank Card include getting a mysterious or unknown factor into your Tarot readings. Here are only a few ways in which people interpret it: > The God card. This means that the matter is something only between the Reader, his deity or karma. In other words, one can expect little help from outside sources here, because somehow this situation is a test of one's own merits and wisdom acquired up to this point. This is a test one faces completely alone, whether the prospect is exhilarating or terrifying. " > The Tabula Rasa. This interpretation views the card as a new start, an opportunity for the querent to shape his/her own destiny. It is a chance to wipe the slate clean and reconstruct one's life according to any principles one wishes. Like the previous interpretation, it can be a positive or negative thing, depending on the querent's mindset. > The Great Unknown. Here, the card represents what the oracle cannot reveal to the querent, the Great Mystery of life which cannot be shown at the moment. This could be something the querent must figure out for themselves, a sort of added impetus to think extra hard about this particular facet of the issue (depending on its position in a spread). It can also represent that part of the querent which is as yet unknown, with the analogy of a mirror facing another mirror. As Morgan's Tarot puts it, this is "the unmanifested portion of the cosmos, which can never be explained." > The Great Unknown 2. This meaning is similar to the previous one, except that it is a little more specific, in signifying the strange and unpredictable moves of Fate. The new and the unexpected is the keyword here, and it shows events which the querent is completely unprepared for, and must entrust to Fate. Also, it shows unexpected opportunities, or the Grand Plan the querent is unaware of. > The Muse. This represents the creative, free-spirited, ahead-of-its-time impulse. Artistic, avant-garde, and bohemian are all terms that one could use for this urge that will surface in the client's life along with the Blank Card. The Blank Card Despite the richness of the reality surrounding you, there is really nothing happening. The blank card can denote the clear white light of the primordial consciousness that flashes between thoughts. On a lower level the blank card represents the unmanifested portion of the cosmos, which can never be explained. Those who know, laugh at its sudden appearance; those who don't know are perfectly in tune with its essence. So yeah if any1 else can find anything else on it + wish to share their vast knowledge please do so.... most interesting. My CD TAROT MAGIC actually says it is a 'wild card' and can b interpreted anyway that u wish......what can happen is basically 'open ended'

Inana	02 Mar 2004
Wise Fool, First i was thinking you were calling "XIII - Death" the blank card because its the nameless one in the Marseilles decks... but after reading your last post, it sounds more like the Hexagram card in the Thoth deck? Or the Fool used as a Joker in playing card games? Im not sure what card are you refering to, since I cant recall any "blank card" in my rider waite deck.

Imagemaker	02 Mar 2004
None of my Rider Waites, in any version, have a blank card. But I like the idea.

mj07	02 Mar 2004
My Robin Wood deck came with a blank card. I figured, I dunno, it was in case you lost one of them, somehow? But now I'm guessing that you can actually use it in the deck... interesting!

Jewel-ry	02 Mar 2004
I've found one! Last week I bought the Angels Tarot (Place), and that has a blank card in it. I use it as a book-mark :( I never really thought of using it as a wild card. Incidentally, didn't like this deck at first but its really growing on me. I actually like the pips and the Majors and not the court cards now! J :)

Centaur	02 Mar 2004
Well... this may sound like a rather stupid question, but is the blank-card actually blank? (taking into account the idea that we are not talking about the death card!) Let me explain... Is it just like the other cards in terms of having a border, etc, or is it just a white-piece of card? C

~TheWiSeFooL~	03 Mar 2004
yes the card is literally 'BLANK' all fully white space there is no border to it (the back is the same as every other card in the deck so it can b used) to people that were wanting to know... I did at first think that it was a spare that u can somehow 'get back' or replace by reprinting it somehow if u happen to lose a card. and yes my RIDER WAITE deck did actually have a blank card in it I am not sure about other versions but my 1 is from PAMELA COLEMAN SMITH. I also bought THE LORD OF THE RINGS deck (which includes a card game in itself) which doesn't include a blank card in there TOTALLY AWESOME DECK (excellently illustrated!) (C my other POST)

Phoenyx*	03 Mar 2004
I've got two RWs, both illustrated by PCS (Aren't all the Rider-Waites (not RW clones, like Hanson Roberts)? :?), and neither of them had blank cards.

paradoxx	03 Mar 2004
Any of the extra cards, including those of the deck description, copyright, or even a guarenteee return card can be called a Joker. in its most powerful form, it enhances the energies of the reading. The fool makes the third joker and so the fools journey begins.

Lorem	04 Mar 2004
Somewhere (I forgot where) I read that the "blank" or copyright cards are a result of the printing process, in that it's cheaper to print off an array of 8 cards by 10 cards, giving you 80, instead of 78, which really doesn't divide nicely into anything. Thus there's two "extra" cards, and one is often used to put copyright info whereas the other is left blank. I know some people who use the blank card in their readings, and apparently it works for them. I myself don't use the blank cards, for much the same reasons that I don't use the "blank rune". But that's just my personal preference. Quote: Originally posted by Dead Star Baahaha...love those Simpsons. Or how about the Flaming Jerk? :D Personally that would frighten me more than Death. Edited to add: I didn't realize the Victoria Regina actually had such a card as this...silly me! :) I didn't know this either until you mentioned it! Since the Simpsons episode predates the Victoria Regina, what is the true origin of the Happy Squirrel? Is this just a joke, or is there some sort of hidden meaning that I'm missing here?

Star Spirit	04 Mar 2004
I looked it up online, and although I didn't visit the website (internet not working well at the time) I saw mention of the card idea being taken from the Simpsons, and some possible copyright issues that might ensue. I'm not sure if this actually happened or not, or if the card is actually included with the deck? If you search for it on the boards, there are a couple threads on it I think, where it is mentioned that you can download the card online. There is a link to the picture of it, quite cute :)

The The blank or 'wild' card also DEATH thread was originally posted on 29 Feb 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.