Tarot Basics: Least & Favorite Suit Assignment

Thirteen

Ok. Last assignment in this vein and then we play a game (or two) and then we move into spreads.

I want you to think about the 4 suits. Wands, Cups, Swords, Pentacles. Which, as a whole, is your favorite? And which, as a whole, is your least favorite?

Do not make this decision based on the fact that one of your favorite/least favorite cards is in that suit.

Instead, consider the symbol (wand, cup, sword, pentacle), what it means, the story that the suit more or less tells from ace to ten, and, again, given your favorite deck, the look, coloring, feel that that particular suit.

(1) Clarify to yourself and us why one suit appeals to you and the other does not.

(2) As with the cards, go in the opposite direction--what is the good stuff in your least fave, and the not-so-good stuff in your favorite?

(3) Each suit represents an element. Fire, Water, Air, Earth and their accompanying, human aspect (energy/creativity, emotion/intuition/psychic talents, intelligence/logic/verbal skills, physical exertion/craftmanship). If one suit is your least favorite, that element might be lacking or avoided, by you, in your life. Similiarly, your favorite suit might indicate an over-abundance of that element in your life. Is this the case? If so, why?

(4) We should all strive for a balance of elements if we can. So how can you get more of the "lacking" element in your life (have energy? show more emotion?), while cutting back the "over-abuncance" of the other element in your life (stop being so cold and logical all the time? stop being a workaholic?)?
 

marichan

I want you to think about the 4 suits. Which, as a whole, is your favorite? And which, as a whole, is your least favorite?

Easy,
Favorite: Cups
Least Favorite: Wands

For me, it all has to do with readability. I find the meaning of the Cups very easy to gleem from the cards themselves, whereas the Wands leave me scratching my head and searching for the LWB.

Perhaps the Cups are so easy because they deal mostly with human emotions and have such a postive outcome. Yes, there are cards of sadness and stagnation within the 10, but overall, you're working towards the holy grail, if you will: the 10 of cups, the ultimate joy. To me, the pictures have always captured the emotions perfectly (at least among the decks I use), and the meanings just seem to leap out at me.

The Wands on the otherhand I find very difficult to read. They're about the adventure of it all - Quests and Golden Fleece and the such (can you tell I started learning with the Mythic Tarot? ;P ) yet the qualities don't seem to be present in the still pictures.

The cards which communicate travel and engagement (fighting) are easier to read than the rest in the suit, yet I feel as if there are a host of hidden meanings I have no clue towards uncovering. The Wands leave me scratching my head for I feel that they present more in the way of mystery than explanation. For example, the 8 of Wands - WTH is that? ??? It's supposed to be the card of immediate action, yet many decks show only 8 wands in a diagonal direction. How does that communicate immediate action!? :p

Also, the wands end unhappily. All this gung-ho movement and creativity, and what happens? 10 of Wands - You're left struggling and feeling overburdened. :(

More thoughts:
Cups=Water=emotions/intuition/spirituality
Wands=Fire=action/creativity

Considering the above, I don't find it at all strange that the Cups seem to resonate with me. I am an emotional person, and my intuition is usually on the mark. I trust gut instinct a great deal, though in an age of micro and macro technology I get strange looks when I say something like "it just doesn't feel right."

My concern now, is that while I believe in my ability to make good decisions, I seem to be suffering from inertia. There are certain aspects of my life that seem to be mired in molasses, and drumming up the enthusiasm to get things rolling sometimes seems out of reach. Perhaps if I can unlock the secrets of the Wands, I can help generate movement in my life? Hmmmm....
 

fairygirl

I'll keep this simple. My favorite suit is the the cups suit. I feel I am really in tune with my emotions and I value having them. I also like to over indulge in things quite a bit so I can relate really well. I also feel I am really in tune with other people emotions so I can read them easily that way.
My least favorite is the swords suit. I think too much yet probably not enough about the right things. I donnot like the 7 of swords in the two decks I have. THe Fairy tarot and the Thoth deck. I represents disfunction to me in regards to mental ideas and since I feel that I can completly control my thoughts so I find no excuse for having negative ones. I also find in my readings that the cause of most peoples illnesses are the effect of negative thinking and that is the hardest to get across to them.
I guess that wasn't so short after all!
Thanks Thirteen! Your awsome!
 

Lilliana

When I first started with tarot, my favourite was the suit of cups. They just seemed to be mostly happy, and filled with all the stuff people want- happy relationships, happy families etc.

But now, my favourite suit is pentacles. Alot of people seem to relate negatively to this suit, as if it's all about money and possesions. I used to think that, but now I see the suit more concerned with manifestation. Since it's generally considered to be the last of the suits, I see it as the culmination of the others, the end result. I spose it's also cos I'm an earthy person so I just *click* with it. On the bad side, I guess too much earth energy could lead to someone being materialistic and overly ambitious at the expense of family, friends etc.

Least favourite- Wands.
Actually I agree with alot of what marichan said. They are difficult to read. Also I spose I sorta see all that fiery energy as going to waste, I mean It's like spending a little bit of time on millions of projects, and in the end you don't end up achieving anything. I see wands as the "spreading yourself too thin" suit. On the positive side- I associate wands with will, and if you don't have will, you won't get anywhere. Also energy, creativity, action and FUN!
Actually, I could do with some more wands energy in my life right now!

Lilli
 

fairyhedgehog

This is really hard! I have a kind of division in my mind Cups/Wands = good, Swords/Pentacles = bad.

I love the watery feel and blue/green colours that go with cups and they were my first love. But I also love the energy and creativity of wands. I don't find it easy to choose between these, and I'd like to be the Queen of Cups crossed with the Queen of Wands :) I have minor health problems at the moment which reduce my energy levels a lot, and I'd love to have all the energy of the Wands suit.

I don't like the painfullness of a lot of the swords suit. I suppose the other aspect is thought, which I value a lot. I think this suit is rather unfair to thought (especially in the Osho Zen deck which I don't have). And pentacles is OK when it is about the earth and fruitfulness, but when it is about business and the world of work - I'm not so keen.

All the best,

FH
 

Kaz

Well, the third assignment was confronting, not that I didn't know, but this reminded me again. Thanks Thirteen....;-)

Looking at the suits and thinking of what they stand for, I can see that in my case there is no balance. The suits I can relate best to are Air/Swords and Fire/Wands, to a lesser degree Earth/Pentacles and somewhere way down at the bottom is Water/Cups.

Choosing the favorite suit: Air/Swords.
This represents to me: thinking, using your brain, knowledge, wisdom.
Negative in it can be sadness and conflicts.
I guess this is favorite because it describes a good deal of my personality.

The least favorite is obviously Water/Cups.
This represents to me: passivity, emotions.
Positive I find in here is friendship.
I choose this as least favorite because most qualities of Water/Cups are not my strong side.

Kaz
 

bec

This one is easy....

fave = swords
least = cups

swords appeals to me, very logical, wakeup calls, cutting through the chitchat and the "oh so lovely little lies" many tend to live in.

And yes I am a swords (wo)man, cutting through and cutting out. I say things directly, always meant that giftwrapting was for birthdays and x-mas. And yes it´s waay to much, I see that, cause I don´t really get anything special from neither wands or pentacles either. I am the queen of swords in my chariot with my sword drawn ready to cut anything off that´s no good.

Cups, on the surface they seem ok, but when looking at them thouroughly (bad spelling) they all seem somewhat unhappy or "not there". It makes me think if they´re truely happy or just ok. And yes it relates very well to me, as I´m having a *very* hard time pretending I´m having fun when not, liking someone I do not and so on. A very big lesson for me in life is to remember to say thank you and show emotions - I´m getting closer - but defently not in balance yet.
 

sapienza

My favourite suit is Cups, Least favourite is Pentacles.

I mostly use the Mythic deck and I adore the cups in this deck. I love the colours, the images and the myth behind the suit. I guess I am a fairly emotional person. In fact on the negative side - I am probably too much of an emotional person at times. But for me the meaning of the cards in this suit are far clearer than any of the others. It just seemed to make sense to me very quickly when I started learning.

The Pentacles are very difficult for me. In my Mythic deck I really just don't like them at all. I don't mind some, but others are just too earthy and dull. I find it difficult to understand the meaning, and even if I do, I find it almost impossible to convey it to someone if I'm doing a reading. I'm not very comfortable with that aspect of my life either, I resent the need for material possessions, and yet at the same time, strive towards them. It is my constant 'agony' in life (that is a very strong word, but the very emotional part of me feels agonised by it).

I didn't think about this before I started writing (HONEST) but my favourite card is 8 cups and least favourite is 10 pentacles. And for me, both of those represent what it is I like and dislike about the two suits.

ww
 

cj

Ok, I am doing this without A LOT of research.

Wands is one of my favorites. I see the movement, the fire. In a response above the 8 of wands was not seen as fast movement. Gendron shows the wands falling as a woman watches, The slanted wands reminds me of an airplane landing (both of which I see as swift movement)

My leaste favorite, Most confusing would be more like it, is the swords. I don't always see the pain and sorrow that the books say is there. The air element to me runs warm as well as cold. They never seem to read the same each time for me. Like I said, confusing...

cj
 

Jewel

My favorite suit is wands. I like the wands because they are action/creative oriented. It involves creativity in finding solutions as well achieving change. On the negative side I think that because they are fire based it cautions you regarding impulsiveness and being too passionate about things.

Least favorite suit is pentacles. I find them to indicate conformity, filling societies expectations (i.e.: 2.2 kids, a dog, a cat, husband, family, stable job). On the bright side I think they indicate responsibility.

Love & Light,