Suggested meanings for non-illustrated pips

Hi, everyone --

I've always been somewhat dissatisfied with all interpretive schemes for assigning meanings to the Minor Arcana. They've always seemed a little arbitrary to me, with several types of life experiences left out. For instance, Cups are supposed to be emotions, but why are so many emotions missing from the cards?

So I tried a little experiment. Instead of choosing a numerological, astrological or cabalistic system and using that to assign meanings to the cards, I decided to do it the opposite way. I sat down and made a list of emotions, kinds of thinking, etc., trying to make it as complete and well-rounded as possible within the framework of the standard suit meanings (Swords = thinking, Cups = emotions, Wands = energy, Coins = physical reality). Then I assigned these elements to the cards (I'm only working here with 2 through 10 of each suit, as I think people generally have an idea of what Aces mean to them, i.e. beginnings, a sudden uprush of energy, gifts, potentials, or whatever). I wanted to see if this would result in a more inclusive and interesting set of meanings. After much prioritizing, eliminating, rearranging, and hair-pulling, I finally came up with a list of meanings.

Where the meanings were similar to R-W-S meanings, I tried to assign them the same number as in R-W-S. I also tried to arrange the cards in each suit into some kind of sequence within the suit. I ended up leaving the meanings for Coins unchanged from R-W-S, since they seemed to work well.

I've been trying them out in readings and they seem to work excellently. If anyone would like to try them, I'd love to hear about how it went, and also if anyone has suggestions or improvements.

Here's what I came up with. Please note that I've only given a single keyword which could represent a broad range of meanings, positive and negative. For example, "Compassion," normally a positive thing, could, in the context of a particular reading, also mean excessive compassion for oneself, i.e. self-pity.

SWORDS
2 Learning
3 Humor
4 Exaggeration
5 Self-sabotage
6 Conformity
7 Invention
8 Strategy
9 Communication
10 Stress

CUPS
2 Admiration
3 Love
4 Fear
5 Anger
6 Sadness
7 Envy
8 Guilt
9 Compassion
10 Happiness

WANDS
2 Ambition
3 Strength
4 Optimism
5 Setback
6 Achievement
7 Courage
8 Combat
9 Restlessness
10 Overwork

COINS
2 Instability
3 First results
4 Manifestation
5 Lack
6 Unearned bounty
7 Patience
8 Steady effort
9 Earned bounty
10 Lasting manifestation

-- Lee

Lee: The hair-pulling must been the key factor in the results Seriously though, you have devised very striking key words on each of the cards! They are easy to understand & to imagine in place or "action", especially on the emotive level. I am printing this to keep. Many thanks for sharing!

To discover the meanings from investigating ourselves is, in my opinion, by far the best - thanks for your judgements on those cards, Lee.

Apart from the inspiration of the moment (which will take precedence), I tend to use a combination of three factors when reading the pips: firstly, 'keywords' from one through to ten (which I have previously listed in the thread minors and numerological systems), the element of the suit (see the thread: Non-illustrated pips, to which MeeWah and Lee were also contributors), and the I Ching (I don't usually mention this, as the I Ching is clearly independent of the Tarot - but many years ago, when investigating the I Ching, it occured to me that the 64 hexagrammes can are uprights and reversals of 36 forms, and that these easily match the pips - without the Aces!).

For the sake of the post, let me add some of my more 'general' interpretative comments to Lee's wonderful keywords - this will highlight both where we may differ and where we are in agreement (as I have in one of the above linked threads given some keywords, I will here just make use of them, rather than re-list these).

Firstly, for me the four elements relate to Thinking, Feeling, Willing and the Physical.

• SWORDS
  2 Learning - balance of thoughts, looking at alternative views;
  3 Humor - communication of thoughts, congeniality;
  4 Exaggeration - stability in thinking, seriousness, facts, solid background evidence;
  5 Self-sabotage - challenges in thinking; insufficient evidence, rash conclusion;
  6 Conformity - harmony in thought, social cohesion of ideas;
  7 Invention - inspired thinking, divine guidance in seeing through a problem;
  8 Strategy - abundance in thought, seeing numerous alternatives;
  9 Communication - illusory thinking, being lost in what one wishes or fears, not focussing on what is at hand;
  10 Stress - completion in thinking, needing to move on to another sphere of inquiry.

I'll post the other cards if anyone's interested.

JMD: Please do post the others at your convenience! Your associations are intriguing (remind me of the Myers-Briggs system
which I find confusing at times).

yes yes yes

MeeWah said:

JMD: Please do post the others at your convenience!

Click to expand...

yes: please DO do that (much-o appreciated).

~Z~770

Lee -
and interesting hunch came to me when looking at these lists. My note is about the 7 and 8 of wands and swords. I often see 8 as having more to do with movement or better the phrase "in the groove". Also I see the Chariot as a more combatitive card than the Hermit. I am also beginning to feel the odds as a sort of tension that is either resolved or brought to the next level in the even number to follow.

In that light I would swap the 7 and 8 of wands and will think on the meaning of invention and strategy more before finishing the original connection to this post.

7 Invention - inspired thinking, divine guidance in seeing through a problem;
8 Strategy - abundance in thought, seeing numerous alternatives;

Click to expand...

Jmd - Interesting, the phrases seem to match better than the key words to my mind.

Just my $.02

I like to associate them

with the respective MA cards to get a general meaning, then I go & translate it backwards to the suit. Here expanding on MeeWah comments in another thread (http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3440).

For example: Five of Pentacles = Hierophant: Physical realm. Lessons to be learned in the physical/material realm. Need to employ a moral/ethical system, or a personal philosophy, to make decisions and/or to cope with a situation in the material world. Having a strong identity/ knowing who you are/ what values are right for you/ can help you to remain unharmed while the world changes. Just go on associating until you get to a meaning that suits a particular situation, while having the major meaning, and the suit, in mind.

Another: Eight of Swords = VIII-Strength: mental/intelectual realm. Need of inner strength to deal with a situation that requires a "cold" evaluation"/ a rational decision/ a change in the premises held. Need strenght in order to think right! Need strenght in order to correctly evaluate the situation; to do what needs to be done; to set oneself free; to be able to see who you really are and how you got there (so you can change) etc etc.

The pictures in the minor cards may as well work as a reference point for similar associations, but I like to think of them as reference/ starting points rather than conveying "The Meaning". They convey just an "idea" from which to start, and that's what makes the difference between a card and a blank piece of paper.

Regards

Alex.

I have to admit that I was struck by the way Lee's keywords appear to reflect so many of the way I tend to also see the cards (though sometimes in their reversal) - hence why I listed, without wanting to take away from investigating the keywords and what they bring.

For myself, having to memorise keywords wouldn't work, yet I can relate to the ones listed because of the way in which my undertanding of the numerals and the elements combine. In a similar vain that, in a way, Lee says that he thinks that 'people generally have an idea of what Aces mean to them' (with which I generally agree), I would encourage to expand one's work with duality, triplicity, quaternaries, et.c. in order for the statement to be expanded to 'people generally have an idea as to what Aces, twos, threes, ..., tens mean - as they do the four elements'.

In order to develop this understanding, I personally think that working with basic, sacred and projective geometry can reveal astounding insights. Just thinking of 'two-ness', three-ness, etc also undoubtedly assists.

But here are the cups (as for the swords, I'm just running through these - and may at a different time word the phrases a little differently):

• CUPS
  
  2 Admiration - balancing feelings, to no excess one way or the other;
  
  3 Love - communication of feelings, empathy (being with the other), needing to communicate one's feelings in an appropriate manner;
  
  4 Fear - stability in feelings, able to be there for the other; OR fixity in emotions, not moving or budging or allowing the other's concern to affect one;
  
  5 Anger - challenging emotions, not being in touch with either how one or the other feels;
  
  6 Sadness - harmony of feelings, sympathy with those around;
  
  7 Envy - impulse to love, guidance from others, care;
  
  8 Guilt - abundant feelings relevant to the task at hand;
  
  9 Compassion - illusory feelings, self-blindness, 'wishful thinking';
  
  10 Happiness - completion, wholesome feelings.

I thought I'd bump up this interesting thread of Lee's as its posts raise various themes arising in the recent round of threads on the use of Non-Scenic Pip Cards. It discusses ways of assigning meanings to the various pip cards of each suit.

Just musing...

Two of Cups or Emotion seems more like a stage of Attracting or Attraction to me, which seems comparable to Two of Wands' stage of Ambition and Two of Swords setting of Learning. I think the old fashioned Two of Coins or physical energy seems to me to be Balancing or Imbalance.

But my ideas are just my choices, just slight subtle shades to me---I think you did a wonderful job of escalating stages nd ideas and others gave great suggestions that described your meanings as well.

Mari H.