Significator

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 23 Apr 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

closrapexa	23 Apr 2004
What exactly is and how is it used? I've never used one. Can I decide who the querent "is"?

hedgecub	23 Apr 2004
I think it's a card you pick out of the courts that you feel represents the querent. You set it aside, at least for the Celtic Cross spread. I've never really seen the point of it, myself.

CreativeFire	23 Apr 2004
Hi closrapexa and hedgecub - There have been some interesting threads on Significators here: Choosing a Significator?] Choosing a Significator Significator for a person (non court cards)] I have played around with them in the past and have been curious how others used them but I personally don't use them either in readings, as I feel it removes the possibility of the significator card coming up in the reading and like to leave all options (or cards) available. Cheers CreativeFire

contrascarpe	23 Apr 2004
When I first started I used significators. Actually it is probably not a bad idea for beginning tarot students - it more or less forces you to understand your court cards. Here is my progression - I first used only court cards as significators. If I didn't know the person, I picked one solely based on age (page = young child, knight = teenager/young adult, queen = mature woman, king = mature man) and appearance. I would also pick one which defined personality traits if I knew the person (or question being asked - for example, if a mature woman asked me a question about love, I would pick the Queen of Cups). Then as I got more heavily involved, I sometimes picked a significator based around the question. Using the love example, perhaps I picked the Two of Cups, or if it was a decision based on love, maybe the Lovers. However, in retrospect this could "limit" a reading - after all, it eliminates the possiblity of that card coming out! Now I do not use significators at all. The purpose of the significator is to have a representative of the person you are reading for in the spread. I feel that is not needed, especially if the person is in front of you. I may go back someday to using significators, but currently I am not doing so. Dan

crystal cove	23 Apr 2004
I've never used them. First, if I go by physical attributes, there isn't one that describes me. Second, as far as personality traits go, it would depend on the day :D and third, I don't like leaving any cards out.

rota	23 Apr 2004
I use a Significator card from time to time. The various books tell us to choose one of the court cards, trying to pick the one that most closely resembles the person asking the question. But what about the idea of choosing a significator card that represents the actual question? Suppose it's one of those questions about romance -- wouldn't it make sense to choose as a significator the 2 of Cups, or the Lovers, or the 4 of Wands, depending on the shading of the question? After all, isn't part of the idea of the Significator partly to focus the minds of the Reader and Questioner more clearly on the concern at hand? Or, alternatively, isn't part of the idea of the significator to remove from the deck the most obvious statement of the concern, so that the other cards may 'act' more freely?

_N_	23 Apr 2004
Wow, this topic has opened my eyes quite a bit and brought me a sigh of relief. Having originally learned tarot with the old RWS and the LWB I always used a significator, even though it's tough in many cases to choose one and even though I've had this niggling feeling, now that I've come back to tarot after all these years and can look at it with a more open mind ;) , that it just wasn't right to eliminate the possibility of any card being drawn. What's been said here about NOT using a significator makes perfect sense to me - even if you still want to use the good ol Celtic Cross, there is absolutely NO reason why you must have the significator as you can just as easily lay out the first card and say "This is what crosses you." What a RELIEF! Thanks all, for giving me a wake up call on this one :D N

tarotbear	02 Mar 2005
Bumping this up again ....

Keslynn	02 Mar 2005
I don't usually use a significator, but once, when I was experimenting, I had the querent pick a significator from the whole deck. I then shuffled the card back into the deck and it came back in the reading (though not in the center of my Celtic Cross). It was pretty interesting. I think I might try that method again. :) Kes

Elektra	02 Mar 2005
I only read for myself so far and don't use a significator, though I seem to have been chosen by one - the King of Wands keeps showing up over and over to represent me in readings. As I posted in another thread, it's very appropriate personality- and sign-wise (I'm a Leo), but it makes me laugh since I'm a woman.

Majecot	02 Mar 2005
Way back when... in a galaxy far far away...hehe My very good friend, before I had my very first reading, had me pick through all of the courts and choose the one which I like the best. Having done that she proceeded to read to me all about the Queen of Swords (Rohrig) and how it would always pertain to me when it came up in a reading....blah blah blah.... I have never really stuck to that because I find that even when it is about me...it is not always all about me. Then I came here and found there are all kinds of ways to use a significator.. which, by the way... I still do not use. I guess I do not quite grasp the concept of really needing one.

The Significator thread was originally posted on 23 Apr 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.