yogiman
There are different opinions about the way to choose a significator. Paul Case advocates to use the magician for a male, and the high priestess for a female. Is there any reason to make it more complex?
significator
zhan.thay
That would make the choice easy wouldn't it. IMHO an oversimplification in just about every case - if you're going to use a significator at all, that is.
Crowley advocates making a choice based on the nature of the querent, possibly using their astrological makeup as a guide. See the Book of Thoth/Court Card descriptions.
Others base it purely on external physical appearance such as blonde or black hair - seems a bit superficial to me.
I use a few significators for myself depending on what sort of mental/emotional state I'm in when I do the reading but the original choices were done based on my astrology and TBOT. Also, mostly I won't use the significator as the first card in a Celtic Cross, for instance, but if one should appear in the spread I regard it as significant (excuse the pun). The OOTK spread has specific rules so I do use a significator as they recommend but not evryone does for that spread either.
All the best in love and light
ravenest
No choosing! <smack> hands off!
To me choosing a significator is STUPID!
WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?
But seriously, I never liked the concept (for the above reasons).
The first card on top of the shuffled deck is the one going in pos. 1. That helps define the reading.
Many times it has turned out to be the significator ... many more a court card ... and muchest more a minor.
I like to see if and where the significator pops up in a reading, not place it somewhere.
Hell, if I was going to start selecting and placing cards I would start with the Prince of Cups, 2 of Cups, Lust, 7 cups and my well thumbed religious manual ; 'How I found the Goddess .... and What I Did To Her After I Found Her.'
To me choosing a significator is STUPID!
WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?
But seriously, I never liked the concept (for the above reasons).
The first card on top of the shuffled deck is the one going in pos. 1. That helps define the reading.
Many times it has turned out to be the significator ... many more a court card ... and muchest more a minor.
I like to see if and where the significator pops up in a reading, not place it somewhere.
Hell, if I was going to start selecting and placing cards I would start with the Prince of Cups, 2 of Cups, Lust, 7 cups and my well thumbed religious manual ; 'How I found the Goddess .... and What I Did To Her After I Found Her.'
yogiman
Dear Ravenest, the only reason for me to use a significator is to signal whether or not the divination is real.
Zephyros
Oh, you're asking for the OOTK? Then I think the Magus/Priestess is a simplification. I think the general observance is to choose them according to their astrological attributes (the OOTK is so full of astrology anyway) from the Courts, although the similarity doesn't have to be completely spot-on. In this instance, the significator is a kind of Joker, something to look for in the piles to discover whether the divination is valid.
Mine, for example, is the unpleasant Prince of Discs, which does actually resemble me more than I would deem comfortable! But there it is, we are in the business of discovery, aren't we.
Personally, whether one uses a significator or not, I think the GD practice of all those validations is tiring. Who's got time for that?
Mine, for example, is the unpleasant Prince of Discs, which does actually resemble me more than I would deem comfortable! But there it is, we are in the business of discovery, aren't we.
Personally, whether one uses a significator or not, I think the GD practice of all those validations is tiring. Who's got time for that?
yogiman
The first operation is feasible. You can also find the significator in the right stack, and then do a 3-card reading.
I don't know so much about the other operations. Are each of them maybe suited to a special kind of question?
ravenest
Dear Yogiman , I use a significator ... I just don't place it at position 1 or search for it in a pile.
I see where it comes out in the reading ... if it doesn't come out then I can decide all is illusion
Or I can detect from its placement in the reading where the client is at in relation to the reading position, other cards, timescale, etc.
I wouldn't like to be restricted in significator usage for your 'only reason' of detecting divinatory reality.
And I don't even know how my usage came about. I just decided not to use a significator in spot one ... but then they kept turning up in my readings "Aha! There is your significator. What's it doing there? "
I was always taught to pay attention to ? ! ? ! ? ! 's
Or. are we only talking about " There are different opinions about the way to choose a significator" in relation to OOTK ? If so, sorry I don't use the full OOTK.
Richard
"This [the Significator] may be Le Bateleur (Key 1) for a man, or La Papesse (Key 2) for a woman. In a subsequent lesson you will find a method for selecting the Significator, based on the Querent's birth-date." --Oracle of Tarot by P. F. Case, page 6.
zhan.thay
I agree. If you haven't got a pretty good idea what's happening in detail from the first operation then maybe you should be playing another game. I recently did a 1st Op OOTK and I didn't feel the need to continue with the other ops. Because I'm also into astrology I'd be just as inclined to go straight into one of the many zodiac spreads (and not do any significator/validation steps) even though it significantly increases complexity.
And I agree with you about the Prince of Disks - he's one I use, but at times I feel I'm the Knight of Disks or Prince of Cups and occasionally resonate with one or two others. Whatever courts show up in a reading they prompt me to look at whether there's another person introducing that influence or whether it's an aspect of my own being - or both interacting and in what proportion.
yogiman
It doesn't take that much time to find a significator. Isn't this a little excuse? Suppose your are a professional tarotist, it must be frustrating to send your client home after a few minutes. Citing Crowley:"The abuse of divination has been responsible, more than any cause, for the discredit into which the whole subject of Magick has fallen ...". Crowley, though leaving a spiritual treasure for many, only lost money for the sake of ..., whereas for many professional diviners the opposite will hold true.
