intuition

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 11 Jul 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

ros	11 Jul 2004
When do you use your intuition in a reading? ~ is it our interpetation of the knowledge or symbols of the cards OR ~ is it our words and thoughts between one card to the next. I think it may be both, but just was wondering.

Little Baron	11 Jul 2004
Interesting Ros I just did a reading with the Enoil Gavat and since the pips are unillustrated, I just went with how they felt, where the symbols were and what I felt through seeing them. The reading was most probably way out but I enjoyed working that way - rather than seeing a card and thinking 'oh, its that one. this means...etc etc'. What do you think? Yaboot

ros	11 Jul 2004
I think you're way out reading will probably start you on the way to reading without cards if you choose!

AngelAstro	11 Jul 2004
I find that often when I am doing a reading a card that I would usually interpret one way, suddenly takes on a different meaning. I use the Mythic Deck and for example, even though the 5 of Pentacles usually means poverty, financial difficulty etc etc, the visual image seemed to take over and intuitively I 'read' it to mean the person was leaving/turning their back on a familiar situation. This fitted very well and there are many instances where this happens. Also there is often a point in the reading where it all just 'clicks' into place. I think that is when we let our intuition take over and can then see beyond what the cards simply mean. Hope that makes sense AngelAstro

tao51	11 Jul 2004
I tended to give book inspired readings. Later, I have gone with my intuition. I have discovered that it little matters what the author or illustrator meant, it is what the cards communicate to the reader. It is like a poem or a work of art. Their interpretation is in the beholder. Each deck has its own methods of communicating. The cards are tools to understanding.--Tao

lunakasha	11 Jul 2004
Quote: Originally posted by tao51 I tended to give book inspired readings. Later, I have gone with my intuition. I have discovered that it little matters what the author or illustrator meant, it is what the cards communicate to the reader. It is like a poem or a work of art. Their interpretation is in the beholder. Each deck has its own methods of communicating. The cards are tools to understanding.--Tao Perfectly stated tao....this is the way I approach reading tarot now, as opposed to when I first started out. It can be very difficult to trust your intuition when you first begin opening up to it, but I find that whenever I hesitate between my initial gut reaction and start thinking "what does it MEAN?".... I usually go with my gut....so far so good! :) :) Luna

Little Baron	12 Jul 2004
Quote: Originally posted by ros I think you're way out reading will probably start you on the way to reading without cards if you choose! Its funny you should say that! Way before I studied the tarot, that is kind of what I did. This is going to sound odd but I didn't realise that I was doing it conciously or that it was any kind of divination; I was much younger. But now, when I look back, it is not surprising that I am interested in such things now. When I had problems or wanted answers (not that the thought process was as sophisticated as that), I would take a bath. I would put a CD on and scramble the running order so that it was random. Before the songs began, i would think of what the song would mean 'what does he think of me', 'where will we end up'. Now, I look back, its like those questions were positions in a spread. When the song would come on, like the flipping of a card, my instant reaction would be that same sort of feeling. I would know the answer almost straight out, but like unravelling the details in a tarot illustration, I would listen carefully to the words to seek deeper understanding; hear words I hadn't heard before. The energy of the music would be a tell-take sign as well; was it fast, was it romantic, was it devoid of any emotion. I only thought about this lately and was a little shocked and pleased that I wa doing this sort of thing before I had even any knowledge of the tarot and what it could do for me. In the same way, I would read from raindrops on the window - where they sat next to other droplets, how fast they moved, whether they ran into each other, whether they never moved at all, the patterns that were made. It is only now that I sit here and remember all of this. It was just something that I did and never really connected it with the cards and how I intuitively read their illustrations. Thanks for opening this thread up. Like Lunashaka, I totally agree with all you said Tao - put beautifully. Yaboot

cartarum	13 Jul 2004
its all about the queen of cups, and your ability to add it all together. if the queen is with you, you should listen to her. other wise, it is all down to some thing called "matrix reasoning" this is your ability to "fill in the blanks" when there is doubt or something missing. basicly, like someone tells you what happened to them, and you tell them what happened next. not psychic ability though. you just tell them the next logical outcome. like what would happen if you called a king swords reversed a soft, racist a** hole? assuming you didnt know him. you guessed it, but its not psycic just matrix reasoning. ~A~

tao51	20 Jul 2004
I think it is pretty keen to see, the numbers in between. There are spaces upon a ladder, the rungs are not the only matter. What is seemingly not there, maybe what is needed to share!--Tao

le pendu	21 Jul 2004
Quote: Originally posted by ros ~ is it our interpetation of the knowledge or symbols of the cards OR ~ is it our words and thoughts between one card to the next. umm.. No, and Yes.. I think.. I think I am in the vast minority here. I rarely use intuition to interpret the meaning of a card. I rarely carry a card meaning from one deck to another, or try to use my intuition to decide what a card means. While I have a vast vocabulary of DMs for any given card, I try to only use the DM for a card that the deck creator intended. I always read the creator's book to learn the symbolism and language of the deck. I *DO* use intuition, but that is to interpret what the meaning of the card is to the spread, it's relationship to other cards, and it's meaning to the question. I agree that what Tao stated is beautiful, but it doesn't work that way for me. I guess I'm a "matrix reasoner". I hope I am a good tarot reader anyways. robert

Eco74	22 Jul 2004
Most of the time I see that card as giving, sharing and showing feelings. I also know what the card is 'supposed' to mean. But in a recent reading I detected a hesitancy in the young boy as he was holding the cup of flowers to the young girl (using the Robin Wood) and emphasis was put on him being concerned and worried that she may not accept the offered cup from him. She is standing with her hands clasped together behind her back which further stated that he was afraid that she was hiding something and therefore held back his desire to offer his feelings up to be measured by her. The next time I saw the card, they were as happy with eachother as ever, so the search for neuances and variations and details is a most important one. I donīt recall the rest of the cards but this interpretation was most certainly based on the card itself..

NeXoRiouS	22 Jul 2004
Most of the time I would follow the meanings but if I sense a strong signal, I would then allow my intuition to take its role.

Ace	22 Jul 2004
Quote: Originally posted by ros When do you use your intuition in a reading? ~ is it our interpetation of the knowledge or symbols of the cards OR ~ is it our words and thoughts between one card to the next. Yes.

cartarum	26 Jul 2004
as far as i can see, its what you dont see or what you miss in a reading that gets you in the end. when you become too dogmatic and always take the same meaning for a card to be the same always, you get problems. its true, there are certain meanings for certain cards that are always true, but no matter when or where they appear, they are always true anyways. you must have the queen with you to read beyond the obvious. ~A~

Mishkaz	27 Jul 2004
Meanwhile....... Mishkaz the Newbie reads all of the above and smiles quietly to herself, in the pleasing realisation that there are many ways to read the cards, and whichever one feels/works best will apparently do just fine. Thanks guys, you're all giving me hope. Was beginning to think I was too clinical/cynical for learning Tarot. :LOL cheers Mish

cartarum	28 Jul 2004
mishkaz, you can almost never be too thourough in considering all the possible connections between the cards. keep it up, remember, you can never have too many books.

juju	30 Jul 2004
Quote: The next time I saw the card, they were as happy with eachother as ever, so the search for neuances and variations and details is a most important one. I donīt recall the rest of the cards but this interpretation was most certainly based on the card itself.. Thsi is true for me too - I see the same card in many different ways. Sometimes I see the Tower as a welcome change - a positive upheaval. So it depends on your feelings for the card as well. Also - each deck has different imagery. Do many of you read a card differently than what it's "expected" meaning is because of the way it looks? I find that for me, I use the Legends:Arthurian deck all the time - and the Temperance card shows me a man surrounded by many women - resembling choices and a need to step back and allow yourself to take time to think before makign a decision. Someone mentioned that for six of pentacles - I see that as a fun situation and "flirtation' at a work setting. Of course each time I read the meanings can change.

Ace	30 Jul 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Eco74 Most of the time I see that card as giving, sharing and showing feelings. I also know what the card is 'supposed' to mean. But in a recent reading I detected a hesitancy in the young boy as he was holding the cup of flowers to the young girl (using the Robin Wood) and emphasis was put on him being concerned and worried that she may not accept the offered cup from him. She is standing with her hands clasped together behind her back which further stated that he was afraid that she was hiding something and therefore held back his desire to offer his feelings up to be measured by her. The next time I saw the card, they were as happy with eachother as ever, so the search for neuances and variations and details is a most important one. I donīt recall the rest of the cards but this interpretation was most certainly based on the card itself.. And quite correctly too! Sometimes I will notice something totally new in the Robin Wood even though I have been using the deck for years. this leads to new interps, and yes it is based on intuition. The cards are like ink blots, they are windows to the subconscious and what we gather from OUT THERE in the greater universe, if you insist on sticking to what they are SUPPOSED to mean, you would never find that!

cartarum	31 Jul 2004
thats exactly my point. but its also true, either you have it or you dont. maybe thirty percent of us has the right kind of stuff to make magic with the cards. practice practice! every one has potential, but its what you dont see, or dont realize that gets you. with time, everyone could read into fate. but why? if you are happy just finding new ways of looking at your problems, then read on. but if you are hoping to gain glory by revealing fate you will find that once you know, its taken away from you. ~A~

Eco74	31 Jul 2004
Quote: Originally posted by juju Also - each deck has different imagery. Do many of you read a card differently than what it's "expected" meaning is because of the way it looks? Good thought.. I have been thinking about this for a while and decided that as soon as I'm comfortable with more than just the one deck I'm currently using I will be choosing the deck too for he particular question. There will be a bit of work and study before I get there but I think the quality of the readings will improve if I can find the right type of imagery for the querent and question, much because the artwork often tells different sides of the story. After being reminded of this by watching a few scans of the Tarot of The New Vision I have made further plans to expand my readingabilities with different decks. So, I'm also curious. While several people here use different decks for readings, how common is it (amongst the more experienced readers, say 3 or more years) to use only one or two decks rather than having a selection of several?

firemaiden	01 Aug 2004
Quote: Originally posted by ros When do you use your intuition in a reading? ~ is it our interpetation of the knowledge or symbols of the cards OR ~ is it our words and thoughts between one card to the next. I think it may be both, but just was wondering. Yes, all of that, the words and thoughts that just happen to come up when you look at the card. It may be something else too, something else entirely, -- images that flash before one, otherworldly voices that suddenly pop into the head, your hair standing on end... I wouldn't know- I'd have to ask a psychic. When I read, I just say whatever I see in the card. It might be entirely analytical. (if I try to quantify how intuitive it is, now, it won't be intuitive anymore, now will it ;))

tao51	01 Aug 2004
Sometimes the card symbols stimulate other ideas. These ideas may be necessary to help divine the path of the cards. I have seen a car in various ways depending on the central purpose of my reading. Sometimes it is an answer and sometimes it begins the journey. This is why I like using tarot cards to interpret and answer questions.--Tao

Sillanza	04 Aug 2004
Quote: Originally posted by ros When do you use your intuition in a reading? ~ is it our interpetation of the knowledge or symbols of the cards OR ~ is it our words and thoughts between one card to the next. Like many of the replies on this thread, I use a little of both. Whenever I lay the spread, I look at the cards and just see what bubbles up first. Then I recall the typical or uniquely specific meaning of the card and see if they reconcile. Sort of a "today this card seems to mean X, but it usually means Y. Nope, today it's X for sure." I think being able to draw certain impressions from a deck makes using care when selecting a deck for a particular reading or querant all the more important.

anjocoxo	04 Aug 2004
In the begining, I was obvious a bit analytical, because I only knew the meanings of the cards, and remembered key-words. As time goes by I've been noticing that my readings are becoming much more different. What happens is, when I see the spread in front of me, all the cards together, I see everything perfectly, as if it were a film, passing in front of my eyes. I can see how the person is (his/her personality), the problem, the way the person is responding to the problem, what's happening around the person (outside factors) and the future. And I just say everything that crosses my mind, even if the meaning isn't exactly as it's in the books, it's just gut feeling I guess... or, as some people call it, intuition :P Well, it works quite well, and so far I haven't had complaints, on the contrary, so I'll keep on seeing my "films" and speaking what comes to my mind. anjo

lisaria	07 Aug 2004
This is a fascinating subject. I've always been interested in intuition and finding the cards is a wonderful way to use it and make it stronger. I hope. I've only been doing it a few months and one of the reasons I started was because I had lost my faith in my own intuition and wanted to find it again. I have good days when the cards just "click" and everything feels so very right. That is a day when I'm not tired, not letting other thoughts intrude, not feeling rushed or any other negative thing that affects a reading and it just feels right. I love those readings. Then there are the days when you try and try but you just can't find the voice of the cards. Those are the days when I feel like maybe I am not good at it and should just quit. I'm glad those days don't last. Anyhooo.... Just my two cents worth. :D lisaria

JulieG	08 Aug 2004
Hi guys! This subject of intuition with Tarot fascinates me and was one of the biggest worries I had as a learner. I tend to let the cards guide me - whether how to shuffle, what cards to select, what spread to use and how to interpret. I do study card meanings so have a basic understanding (which I am building on), but have found that allowing the cards to speak to me works better than religiously trawling through books for every spread. Although a beginner, I have found this often results in accurate readings, whereas flicking through books at every turn can often confuse the reading. I truly believe the cards work with each Tarot reader individually - so what works for one may not work for another: including card interpretation. For example, I have numerous times of late drawn the "Interference" card (8 swords) - using Thoth. In one spread, it did quite literally mean interference........I was asking if my car would sell easily and the spread foretold interference. Sure enough, days later the cd player broke, the alarm malfunctioned and someone pranged the bumper - all interfering with my ability to sell the car!!! BUT, prior to that, I once drew the same card in relation to back problems (a suspected prolapsed disc). Now if you look at the illustration on the card, it looks like a spine with vertabrea and the sword ends resemble discs poking out the sides (ok - at least it did to me at the time!)...whilst the red slashes and general colour tone resembled the pain I felt with my bad back. Now, not everyone would perceive that card the same way.....it's just that the cards work in diferent ways to accomodate the reader and the situation. So, after all that waffling, what I would say is that for sure you need to study Tarot and I would recommend that you never stop your study of it - there is always something to learn. BUT, don't be rigid and try to force the cards into any set interpretation model. Be led by the cards and work with them in the way they lead you to. Like I say, I find the readings in which I rely on the cards always become deadly accurate whereas the ones where I force the spread to fit a model found in any book results in confusion. Get the balance with a general (and wide) appreciation of card meanings but use that always with your intuition as your guide.

Ace	12 Aug 2004
Quote: Originally posted by JulieG So, after all that waffling, what I would say is that for sure you need to study Tarot and I would recommend that you never stop your study of it - there is always something to learn. BUT, don't be rigid and try to force the cards into any set interpretation model. Be led by the cards and work with them in the way they lead you to. Like I say, I find the readings in which I rely on the cards always become deadly accurate whereas the ones where I force the spread to fit a model found in any book results in confusion. Get the balance with a general (and wide) appreciation of card meanings but use that always with your intuition as your guide. I could not have said it better! I am coming up with very different interps for cards using different decks. Sometimes, I will be reading with one deck (say, the Robin Wood) and while looking at a card, I will suddenly think about that card in another deck (for example, the WorldTree or the Ancestral Path) and suggest an message that comes from the Deck That Is Not There as important to the reading. I am a visual reader, I don't care what the card is "supposed to mean", I go by the pictures. I still like to quote Raymond Buckland: read the LWB a few times, then throw it away.

Ace	16 Aug 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Eco74 I'm also curious. While several people here use different decks for readings, how common is it (amongst the more experienced readers, say 3 or more years) to use only one or two decks rather than having a selection of several? I notice a lot of you use several different decks for different readings or just because you like to. I find I stick to one deck at a time. I have used the Robin Wood for years. I tried the Ancestral Path and found it better for serious readings than for entertainment. But I finally went back to the Robin Wood. I am now using the WorldTree, and before it came out, I was "using" it (especially the Tower and the 6 of cups) in readings with the Robin Wood deck. But in all over 15 years of reading I have used 4 decks: Rider Waite Smith, Robin Wood, Ancestral Path, and WorldTree, being mostly serially monogamous each time

Candra	16 Aug 2004
I use two decks at a time. Since I only own the Rider-Waite deck (and my boyfriend gives me use of his mini-Rider-Waite deck) I use both. I find that sometimes when I'm reading the cards that need to be used won't be in the deck I'm using, so I go into the other deck, shuffle it, and read the cards from the second deck, in conjunction with the cards from the first deck. I find that this offers me a variety of ways to interpret the cards, and allows the cards to state their meanings more clearly. As to how I read, well, when I first started, I would read the book for every card, usually outloud then I would see what it meant to me. Usually one of the comments would come to the fore and that was the meaning. Now that I've gone through a tarot course, I read what the meaning is, but if it just doesn't say that to me on that day, I throw out the meaning and say what I feel like the card is trying to tell me. I guess that means that I'm an interpretive reader. I read with meanings as my background, but intuition as my guide.

KristinOfNorway	17 Dec 2004
My theory is that we interpret cards in three levels: 1. Card description - interpreting the cards one by one, recalling what we have learn about the cards meaning. Most beginners start here. 2. Intuition - When you know the basic meaning of the cards, you can get an overall impression by just a glance at the spread. The intuition works by taking fast desicions based on a large amount of information - wholeness, the big picture. In contrast to method no 1 - the analytical, detail oriented approach. The intuition comes from within and is based on your personal associations with the symbols and images. 3. Clairvoyance - Things that pop up in your head, maybe not connected with the cards at all. The clairvoyance insight comes from an outer source (the divine, the other side, God, you name it...) This ability can be further developed when you learn to trust your intuition.

tatsi	18 Dec 2004
KristinOfNorway wrote: My theory is that we interpret cards in three levels: 1. Card description - interpreting the cards one by one, recalling what we have learn about the cards meaning. Most beginners start here. 2. Intuition - When you know the basic meaning of the cards, you can get an overall impression by just a glance at the spread. The intuition works by taking fast desicions based on a large amount of information - wholeness, the big picture. In contrast to method no 1 - the analytical, detail oriented approach. The intuition comes from within and is based on your personal associations with the symbols and images. 3. Clairvoyance - Things that pop up in your head, maybe not connected with the cards at all. The clairvoyance insight comes from an outer source (the divine, the other side, God, you name it...) This ability can be further developed when you learn to trust your intuition. What an excellent thread! It seems most of the posts tend to be saying the same thing and I agree. I was trying to find a concise way of summing it all up, but Kristin of Norway did it first and much better than I would have. Thanks! tatsi

Fudugazi	18 Dec 2004
Kristin, you've missed something out - probably between 1 and 2: - seeing correspondences between the cards in a spread, in their imagery, symbols, numbers, seeing the golden thread that links the cards; so that cards no longer live in isolation in their positions but the spread becomes a dynamic whole. This comes out of observation, study, and the onset of intuition. I would say that all four ways co-exist, build on each other. You can't know the tarot without study; you can't understand it fully without intuition to enlighten the study; you can't reach the dazzling heights without clairvoyance (not there yet, folks ;) )

tarobones	18 Dec 2004
Borrowing from Joseph Campbell, there are as many theories about Tarot, and customs and rituals etc., as there are Tarot Readers...and they are all wrong...........and all right!!! The Tarot seems to mold itself to the Reader in a fascinating way...........I read with interest the ideas and practices of other Readers, and know that much of it will not "work" for me, but it does encourage me to delve deep within to find my own way and my own practice. The great diversity of the Tarot community is a great strength! We're all so different, and despite these differences, there is (mostly) mutual respect and the desire to help. A great community. BB, Michael

KristinOfNorway	19 Dec 2004
Helvetica wrote: Kristin, you've missed something out - probably between 1 and 2: - seeing correspondences between the cards in a spread, in their imagery, symbols, numbers, seeing the golden thread that links the cards; so that cards no longer live in isolation in their positions but the spread becomes a dynamic whole. Yes, of course! And the methods co-exist, that's right.

bladeraven	19 Dec 2004
this maybe devianting off the topic here..but I've noticed with the Tarot card that I seem to have a heighten awareness of my intuition..so I gather the two must go hand in hand?

The intuition thread was originally posted on 11 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.