cards of a suit not in order

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 26 Jul 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Pook	26 Jul 2004
This is kind of a stupid question, but I have to ask..... I did a reading a couple of days ago (celtic cross spread...not my favorite but what the person wanted) in which the first card representing the issue was the ace of cups and the last cards representing the outcome was the ten of cups. I read this as the potential for a new realtionship brought about to fulfillment. BUt in the midst of the spread were also the 4, 7 and 8 of cups....but not in that order. The 8 was in the 2nd position (obstacles), the 7 was in the 5th position representing the past and the 4 was in the 6th position representing the immediate future. So what does it mean when it jumps around in getting from 1 to 10.....1,8,7,4,10? I guess I just like things uncomplicated and straightforward 1,2,3,4,5...... It seemed like a lot of cups for one reading and I did try to take into account the other cards in the reading, but when 5 of 10 cards are cups, it kind of takes on a more important theme for me. I hope this question isnt too confusing. But people here seem to thrive on confused questions, so I had to ask.

Eco74	26 Jul 2004
The standard way of doing it all (love-wise) is to find that special someone, make a life together, have children, create that safe happy home where the children can grow up, then be the good rolemodles giving them a good start in a life of their own, and in the end sit back and see what one has accomplished. But life rarely happens that way. And nor do we follow "the rules" concerning other things so gladly.. We start off by having heartbreaks, then find "that special someone" and have children only to discover that we missed building that foundation and the family falls apart. The rolemodels are then found in friends and maybe later, as the children have made safe places of their own, we build that safe place we should have built before having the children in the first place. Life just isn't linear most of the time. It goes in circles, spirals and loops cut off by an occational straight path that is suddenly broken off by a rollercoaster-ride that puts us head over heels in a brand new position where we never even thought we'd be and then it's back in the loops and spirals again.. Well, that's how I see it... Don't know if it helps, but it is someone elses take on it. :o)

Pook	26 Jul 2004
I guess maybe the question should have been....'Is this common to have the cards of a suit come up all in one reading but not in order?' I have never seen it like that before and it just made me wonder why she didn't do things in the logical order. I even asked her something like that to satisfy my own curiosity. She didnt really have an answer. Said she came to me for answers not more questions. I kinda laughed (to myself of course...I would never laugh at someones troubled questions) and explained that I coulnt GIVE her answers...only show her how to find them for herself. Still....it made me wonder if she was doing things a little backwards. I understand that life doesnt always run according to plan or even a nice semblance of a plan...just wondering if anyone alse has had anything like this and what it meant.

Shalott	27 Jul 2004
Hi, MoondreameR, I don't really have an answer to your main question, but just a thought on this person saying "I came to you for answers not more questions." Have you read this book "Professional Tarot" by Christine Jette? I got it thinking that one day I would like to turn pro. But anyhoo, in thinking about that idea, I started thinking that I would print up (probably from my own PC) a little pamphlet on "What Is Tarot," and kind of cover how Tarot answer things so they won't go into the reading with unrealistic expectations, or just sit there silently expecting you to do a 100% presice "fortune telling" without any info from them whatsoever. Sorry to go off on a tangent, that just kind of struck me as :mad: !!

Ace	30 Jul 2004
Shalott picked up on something important here: the querent's expectations about love. This reading was all about emotion (cups) and a lot of cups IS significant. BUt if there were no numbers how would you read it? that the querent wanted to get away from her past, but was still stuck in it. That she insisted on a celtic cross is significant: is she a fellow tarot reader maybe that wanted to control the situation? (8 of cups-can't get away from her past, 7 of cups-she has looked at her choices and found (4 of cups) them all the same) She wants it all to end well, but what was the path she was on? I think we get can get too caught on the numbers and order. Look a the pictures and see what you get.

kiki	31 Jul 2004
there isn't a need to have the cups in order in the spread i have gotten that numerous times... the thing you have to take notice of most is the # of amount of cup cards come out. That is how i do cards... also a desk that has an artistic picture on each of their cards does help ... my desk is very artistic and i love the fact that the pictures have a meaning ... the book i got for my desk is not very detailed so the pictures have meaning i made that i felt myself... the ace of cup does mean new beginning new love (since that was the question) it depends all on the question on the meaning of the cards are... you have to feel the cards... that is why is so impotant to familarize yourself w/ your deck because a meaning to a reader can mean something else to another... tarot card readers are storytellers... they see what they feel... and also they can only give information on how much the querent gives them back(energy) i have done spreads that i have gotten nothing that made sense and then we had to do them over or the reader had to re-focus and re-shuffle... the only way is to keep doing them. Practice does make perfect and also don't get frustrated. The spread might not mean anything to you but might mean something to the querent... you won't know that til the end of the spread ... i tell the person to wait for any questions and coments after i have read that way you see what you feel with no interruptions and then they can ask afterwards... that gives you an better reading ... also after i lay the cards i do pull the last card underneath the desk to give them a final note on what the general meaning of the all the cards (it helps bring the cards in the spread together)... hope that helps you

firemaiden	01 Aug 2004
Quote: Originally posted by MoonDreameR I guess maybe the question should have been....'Is this common to have the cards of a suit come up all in one reading but not in order?' I have never seen it like that before and it just made me wonder why she didn't do things in the logical order. I even asked her something like that to satisfy my own curiosity. She didnt really have an answer. Said she came to me for answers not more questions. I kinda laughed (to myself of course...I would never laugh at someones troubled questions) and explained that I coulnt GIVE her answers...only show her how to find them for herself. Still....it made me wonder if she was doing things a little backwards. I understand that life doesnt always run according to plan or even a nice semblance of a plan...just wondering if anyone alse has had anything like this and what it meant. Hmmmm, MoonDreameR, you are very funny. I would say they came up out of order because you shuffled the cards. Still, the conclusion you drew was interesting. Except... who is there on this earth who does things "in order?" and what does "in order" mean? Well, I guess there are a few things one has to do first, for example, you must get OUT of the bathtub before you put on your clothes, and you must (this joke courtesy of Gary Larsen) FIRST put on your underpants, THEN your pants. Any way, all joking aside, I like how you found meaning in the disorder of the suit.

Flavio	02 Aug 2004
Quote: Originally posted by MoonDreameR So what does it mean when it jumps around in getting from 1 to 10.....1,8,7,4,10? I guess I just like things uncomplicated and straightforward 1,2,3,4,5...... As Eco74 said life isn't linear, most people which would like to live the 1,2,3...10 end up living something very different because circumstances, other people already decided to skip relationship stages like getting married after having children. But there is also people who sabotage themselves! they wish a relationship but at the first signs the wish is becoming true they get scared and don't continue because they are afraid of commitment or loosing freedom etc, maybe other cards in the celtic cross realted to the Cups in "disorder" show something like that?

Sillanza	03 Aug 2004
Quote: Originally posted by MoonDreameR the first card representing the issue was the ace of cups and the last cards representing the outcome was the ten of cups. I read this as the potential for a new realtionship brought about to fulfillment. BUt in the midst of the spread were also the 4, 7 and 8 of cups....but not in that order. The 8 was in the 2nd position (obstacles), the 7 was in the 5th position representing the past and the 4 was in the 6th position representing the immediate future. So what does it mean when it jumps around in getting from 1 to 10.....1,8,7,4,10? I find this happens often. Clearly the querant's emotional state or personal relationships were the main theme of the reading. The Ace crossed by the 8 of Cups seems clear: potential for something great was foiled by one party or the other needing to retreat; maybe some boundaries weren't respected early in the relationship. Especially given that 7 of Cups was the past (thought they had choices, but really all were bogus), and the 4 in the future position (now has real choices, but just can't see them). It sounds kinda like your querant may have passed up a good thing, and the totality of the cards tell the story of if 10 of Cups is to come to pass.

The cards of a suit not in order thread was originally posted on 26 Jul 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.