Different meanings for the same cards...

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 18 Jul 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Eco74	18 Jul 2004
I did two readings today. One for an online-querent and one for myself. In both readings the king of swords came up and for the very first (aware) time I saw very different meanings in the card for each reading. In the first it was a warning saying that even though much confusion would be cleared up, there may be new problems rising that the querent may or may not be prepared to face so all problems will not go away even though the most immediate situation had good chances to. In the second he stood with such determination, showing me that I´m on the righ path and if I only keep my head about me, I can reach my goals. Naturally the surrounding cards helped with the meaning aswell but most of it was taken from the stance of the king, which surely must have been identical both times since I used the same deck (Robin Wood). I also read the page and queen of wands differently than before. Whereas I usually connect the two with action, or plans for action, they now portrayed that light needed to be shed on the matter and that one should be sure to light up every corner to clear up any confusion. Normally these results would come from the page and queed of swords, but the feeling from the cards told me otherwise... Trusting intuition is really a very good route to take. :o) And... I think maybe reading through a bunch of posts on the AT forum has helped open my mind to the alternatives aswell.. Not bad for having had an active membership for less than 24 hours. *wide happy grin* Oh, and for a question.. What is the most unexpected meaning you have gotten from a card during a reading?

HudsonGray	18 Jul 2004
That the jewelry being worn by the person on the card was the reason that particular card was drawn for a reading. The jewelry itself was the message.

Circe	24 Jul 2004
Hi! In my case, it's really common that cards have different meanings in different readings, because I'm do much more intuitive reading than a racional one (I'm not a great expert about traditional meanings and reading rules :P) The most unexpected meaning I got for a card happened when I was asking for the love life of a friend of mine who is gay. I used the Simple Cross, and at the center came up The Sun, which in the Marseilles deck has two blond boys huging!

jema	24 Jul 2004
3 of swords sometimes mean the dentist for me. I don't know how odd that is, yet I haven't really seen it mentioned in books as a "meaning" for the card.

Fulgour	25 Jul 2004
Happy New Year! The Pen is Mightier than the Sword and "buy a round trip ticket" (question/position figured heavily for these)

Goldenhair	28 Jul 2004
The Six of Wands has come to represent my weight loss. Every time it appears in a reading, I can usually expect my Weight Watchers Leader to ask me to tell my story to the group (105 pounds lost).

Sulis	28 Jul 2004
When I draw the Knight of Swords from the Morgan Greer (all that blood red on the card) it usually means I'm going to feel quite pre-menstrual and could possibly be a bit of a nightmare to be around. It's good because it warns me to be very aware of how I speak to people (especially family) Love Sulis xx

Francesca	28 Jul 2004
In both readings the king of swords came up and for the very first (aware) time I saw very different meanings in the card for each reading. In the first it was a warning saying that even though much confusion would be cleared up, there may be new problems rising that the querent may or may not be prepared to face so all problems will not go away even though the most immediate situation had good chances to. In the second he stood with such determination, showing me that I´m on the righ path and if I only keep my head about me, I can reach my goals>>> THese two meanings aren't as disparate as they appear at first glance. In the first case it shows that confusion will be cleared up and the second case seems to amplify that position. Determination will clear up confusion and you will reach your goals. Even in the 2nd one there may be rocky patches ahead as it shows in the first, but you will still reach your goal. The most surprising, and annoying, meaning for me was the 3 of swords. I knew I had a rival in my affections for a lover. Francesca

Khatruman	28 Jul 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Eco74 I did two readings today. One for an online-querent and one for myself. In both readings the king of swords came up and for the very first (aware) time I saw very different meanings in the card for each reading. ....Naturally the surrounding cards helped with the meaning aswell but most of it was taken from the stance of the king, which surely must have been identical both times since I used the same deck (Robin Wood)....Trusting intuition is really a very good route to take. :o) And... I think maybe reading through a bunch of posts on the AT forum has helped open my mind to the alternatives aswell.. What I see in here is not only "intuition," but context. One of my hard and fast rules for those who may thump a Bible at me... give me context, give me context!!! I think this is an important step in becoming a better reader, in that you look at it as a reading. When you read words in paragraphs, each word takes on a different meaning based on how it is being used with the words around it. Shakespeare was brilliant in this regard. There is a line in Macbeth where he has a character use "paint" three times, and each time it has a different meaning. So why shouldn't the meaning of cards in a reading depend on its context within the spread? It would be an interesting experiment to take a piece of writing and look up the word meanings of certain words and see if it still made sense. :D

full deck	29 Jul 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Khatruman What I see in here is not only "intuition," but context. One of my hard and fast rules for those who may thump a Bible at me... give me context, give me context!!!. . . Context is the issue. It's much like playing a chord which changes depending upon where one places it inside the music (with Jazz, in particular). Your comment makes perfect sense to me . . .

full deck	29 Jul 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Khatruman What I see in here is not only "intuition," but context. One of my hard and fast rules for those who may thump a Bible at me... give me context, give me context!!!. . . Context is the issue. It's much like playing a chord, which is different each time it's used, depending upon where one places it inside the music (Jazz, in particular, illustrates this point nicely). Your comment makes perfect sense to me . . .

Aun	29 Jul 2004
If you do daily draws, asking for a card to represent the main event of the day, you may find a wealth of odd meanings. The most significant card I've ever pulled was the Devil RX for a card-of-the-day. Obviously the card caught my attention, but when I came accross the actual situation, I recognized it right away. To make a long story short, the card was standing for the end of a very tempting situation I was nurturing, and there was nothing I could do to reverse that outcome.

The Different meanings for the same cards... thread was originally posted on 18 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.