One-card readings, how much can you see?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 12 May 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

firemaiden	12 May 2004
I pulled the Thoth Death card for a friend in chat the other night, and rambled on... at the end he said, you have just summed up my last 12 hours. I have grown fond of squeezing as much juice as I can out of one card. Encouraged by Alissa in chat, who asks, is there anything more you need to tell us about this card? - I have noticed that there is always a little bit more.... and then a little bit more.. It feels a bit like sticking a fork into a pork roast, the juice keeps bubbling up... You know, sometimes it is not just what is in the picture that speaks, but also what is not seen in the picture -- a reading of the 4 of cups for example once, had me rambling on for ages on what was on the other side of the hedges.... Have you experimented with one-card readings? I remember, we did a little one card reading chain in Reading Exchange not too long ago. How successful did you feel those the one-card readings were? What do you notice about how you read when you limit yourself to one card? And then what happens when you pull that one card again for an entirely different reading?

hedgecub	12 May 2004
Quote: Originally posted by firemaiden And then what happens when you pull that one card again for an entirely different reading? There are so many ways you can interpret a card, so many different details in the card that can jump out at you. Now that I'm reading a lot more intuitively, I find that the same card can tell me vastly different things at different times. There will be a similar theme, but the details can be totally different.

Jewel-ry	12 May 2004
Hi there FM, Yes, I did experiment a little with one card readings. I was standing in for Diana's Advice thread and used the TdM. I didn't find that 'the juice kept bubbling up' but I think that is because of the deck, which I love, but struggle with sometimes. There was plenty of quite positive feedback and we had asked for it to be honest, so I like to think it was quite successful. That said, the one that stands out for me was telling ncefafn the following: and she posted this in another thread Guess I got that completely wrong! Ah well .... obviously need more practise :D I did get the same card come up for different people and I read it differently each time. I think we subconsciously store information about others and probably build on that without even knowing it! :)

firemaiden	12 May 2004
LOL, jewel-ry! I admit, I would have difficulty to ramble on for ten pages on some of the Marseilles pips, since my method entirely involves responding to the imagery. :D

Pook	12 May 2004
When I draw only one card, usually, it is for a 'right now' type question, but I have a really hard time sticking to that one card. I feel like I need more details or something. Like, oh, well I can see this, but then what? I always seem to have more questions than one card is capable of giving answers to. Is there a point in the learning process that gets you where you feel more comfortable with your interpretations and one card is all you need, or am I going to forever want more information?

HOLMES	12 May 2004
aye i did offer one card readings some time ago http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=16137&highlight=HOLMES however i use a system based on astrology to relate three other major arcana cards to any card but the court cards, which then i used two cards for the court card became my modifer as taught in the ellen cannon reed witches tarot book. for me the system works even in a long reading when i get stuck in a pinch for no information come forth i start using the system for the one card and information starts to flow as a trigger.

Astraea	13 May 2004
Hi, Firemaiden. I love one-card readings -- that single card acts like a hologram, a door into the fullness of whatever is "in the air" at that moment or in a particular situation. Your expression, "squeezing as much juice as I can out of one card" is so apt!

punchinella	13 May 2004
I do one-card readings all the time (for myself). All things considered, I think I prefer them! Even with Marseilles! A one-card reading is so mysterious (mwah ha haaaa . . . the oracle has spoken . . . )

firemaiden	13 May 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Astraea -- that single card acts like a hologram, a door into the fullness of whatever is "in the air" at that moment or in a particular situation. Ooooo! Cool! A holograom. Yes! A hologram comes jumping out of its borders and is three dimensional, so we can almost see behind it. Reflecting light, and looking different from every angle -- Well, I used the same card, seeing it seven different ways to answer seven different questions in Purple Scorp's reading : A Scourge of Gnomes. Of course one might argue, very little of what I saw in the Queen of Swords was objectively there. I mean, come on, Firemaiden, is the Queen of Swords really holding a cabbage?? Don't you think perhaps it is really Crowley's own severed head?. This of course, begs the question: is Crowley a man or a cabbage? No-- don't answer that -- it requires its own thread. And yes, we already have a thread to determine if he is a Man or a Pudding ) Firemaiden, what exactly IS your point? Yes, my point is, as I was saying before, when you stick the fork into the roast, the juice keeps bubbling up, but it is not necessarily juice which can be seen from the surface of the roast... No, no no, the surface is bedecked with rosemary, and garlic, and has a toasty crust. (mmmmmmmmmmm!!) And maybe sticking that fork in to the roast, is similar to the act of "connecting" to something beyond the card - "plugging in" as Umbrae says. And then once you are "plugged in" (what is plugged in? I think we need another thread on that) -- stuff just keeps coming up and up and up.... So, why then, Firemaiden, would you ever need to draw another card? Ah but I do! and I will! and sometimes many!! But this is the interesting thing, have you ever noticed this? (tell me the truth!) After that first card -- the next one, or two, or ten, or 25 cards, just all sort of repeat and confirm what has already come gushing out of the first card!

firemaiden	13 May 2004
Quote: Originally posted by MoonDreameR Is there a point in the learning process that gets you where you feel more comfortable with your interpretations and one card is all you need, or am I going to forever want more information? This is an interesting question, MoonDreamer. Do we have to get comfortable with the basic "general meanings" of the card first, before we can let all hell break loose in interpreting the card? Personally, I learned the basic RWS (and Thoth) meanings of the cards first. But that's just because nobody was there to physically wrench the books out of my hand and throw them out the window, or toss them into the fire. Umbrae did however light a bonfire for Little White Books in the middle of Using Tarot cards...

tmgrl2	16 May 2004
fm, I loved the one-card thread that was started...it rolled right along with next person reading for previous person's question. I found it enlightening because I was thinking CC initially (rowdy Page of Swords again) But I did a one-card for my stepdaughter when she was here. She practically begged me for a reading. I made a big deal out of it and told her I would do a "special" one-card reading for her, but (ala Diana's advice for the week) it would be an advice card and she must promise to report on her actions after the week. The card that came up...didn't write it down...brought forth the advice that she needed to put a relationship in order and begin to deal with it openly,honestly, verbally, directly....and report back. She did report. She said she had been avoiding this friend who really is toxid to her and that she is preparing to "separate" a long-term friendship...well, we shall see...but she took it to heart. So, for tonight, I draw, a bit weary and bleary-eyed in preparation for another week of work a card of advice for myself for the coming week...and ... IT IS: 7 Cups from : The Tarot of the Saints The one large cup centered in the bottom of the card looks clearly like the chalice (with the cover...can't remember the name) the one that holds the hosts...So I know what's in one cup staring me in the face...transformation and permutation....a holy body, a spiritual body that I can take in....It's like OK...what's behind Door # 2? Door #3 ....which door will I pick? The one I know will give me sustanance? ( The big cup with the hold body within) or will I just have to LOOK IN THOSE OTHER SIX CUPS ordered above in two rows of threes...too high for me to see what's in them....can I restrain my curiousity this week, and stay with what I know to be healthy and good for me? Jeesh, there isn't even anything interesting sticking out of them to pique my curiosity so now I am more curious than ever about what is in them. But, I am going for Cup #1.... to strive for...some balance emotionally, some rest for my soul, some peace of mind, a pace that's slower...not even going to look inside those cups of temptation.... Perhaps if I am mindful at work, I will recognize that those "cups" sitting up above me tempting me to just take a peek and maybe try what's in them.... So I'm going to fight that... There's my one-card for the week for me.... terri

firemaiden	17 May 2004
Quote: Originally posted by punchinella I do one-card readings all the time (for myself). All things considered, I think I prefer them! Even with Marseilles! A one-card reading is so mysterious (mwah ha haaaa . . . the oracle has spoken . . . ) That's fun, punchinella. Mysterious indeed!. I like that if you know you are only going to pull one card, it behooves you to really did deep. It forces one (well, this one anyway, aka me) to "enter" the card.

firemaiden	17 May 2004
Hi terri, you reported on the content of a one card reading, and did another one card reading, but I'm still interested in your answers to my original questions:

jmd	17 May 2004
One of my favourite metaphors which I have been using since the mid-eighties for single card images is as photographs of a snapshot from a holiday or long journey. From just looking at one image, at one card (and yes, I do include the Marseille's pip cards here), a whole story can unfold and be narrated. It reminds me a little of a passage from Manly Hall in his introduction to the republication (1972, p xv) of Thomas Taylor's (1816) The Theoretic Arithmetic of the Pythagoreans, in which he writes: [font=papyrus] An intuitive person with a poor system may accomplish apparent miracles, while another person, lacking intuition but equipped with a precise method, may accomplish little. [/font] One may certainly question whether one can actually 'lack intuition' - but his general statement remains quite apt. I would probably go even further, and add that, being equipped with a precise method, one may disregard the still small voice within and apply another's intricate systems of overlays, to the detriment of the narrated reading at hand.

tmgrl2	17 May 2004
Quote: Originally posted by firemaiden Hi terri, you reported on the content of a one card reading, and did another one card reading, but I'm still interested in your answers to my original questions: [/b] LOL , typical me..off topic... #1 I feel results are very good ..have been for me....especially since I am new because.. #2 I focus on one question, one card...as you can see from my response here..I missed the questions! I also feel I am much more into my intuitive level, since I can't merely say something I have memorized and move forward. My live Q's want "more," and when they ask me questions, I actually find more...sometimes, I talk about the card itself in relation to its position in a 78-card deck or its number....but there is definitely more information because of the focus...for me at least. #3 The only card I have pulled several times is the Page of Swords...so I have to say some of the same things come forward that did previously, but almost always something different, too. Last night I got 7 cups with a new deck and since there weren't all of those "tempting" things in the cups...I got a reading that was different and applicable to my question..... All three of your questions deserve reflection...it really moves one toward options of using smaller spreads...bigger and longer isn't necessarily better perhaps...but another option depending upon Q, time, situation, question.... Also, I agree with what jmd said...Initially, I only had "learned" ideas...and it was tough for me to go past it...but especially, again, in the few live readings...I knew the querent was looking for more....so I had to "start out the window and think." Get inside, look at the card again...and let my intuition come forward.. ty....terri...good thread.

The One-card readings, how much can you see? thread was originally posted on 12 May 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.