firemaiden
Dear LRichard, closrapexa, Ravenest, satanfurby, ma-jong, and Aoife: Ravenest asked a very important question: are we looking for symbols ON the card, or IN the card ? I am sure the opening post by Aiofe was a question addressed to both.
Ten years ago when this thread was created, many of us (not all!) were interested in brainstorming the potential meanings of the cards, and were happy put aside, or go beyond, the prescribed esoteric systems. Such an approach might seem like a high-jack of a sacred tradition by tarot hooligans. If so, I readily confess to being a tarot hooligan, in that sense, enjoying most particularly the anarchy of tarot, the possibility to shuffle, and receive random mutations of thought, and inspiration of creativity.
It occurred to me, however, in the several years of participating in the "purple realm", that the very notion of describing the meanings of one card in the absolute, outside of the context of a reading, assumes, probably erroneously, that such a card exploration is NOT a reading.
Probably we should consider these one-card explorations to be self-readings. In later years I abandoned one-card-meaning threads to exclusively experiment with readings for other people, and it now seems strange to me to pronounce such statements as "this card is about ____" because it can only offer a potential to be about that or something else, depending on the the surrounding cards, the question, the querant, and the random mutations of thought shuffling ...
However, on another very spirited thread from ancient history (about the 4 of swords), Thirteen wrote something very important : the fixed meanings we study are like a recipe. At first we learn the basic ingredients, then we can combine and create in new ways, after acquiring the basics.
I realise that not everyone studies the cards for the purpose of a reading, in fact to some, I think to Crowley, actually reading with the cards was debasing them. They are meant for meditation and psychic voyages with the aid of psychedelic substances. Yet, even if the cards are only meant to be meditated upon, the random mutations of thought would make their way in. After all what is magic if not creativity ?
Actually meditating on each card one at a time (without herbal intervention) can make come "alive", as I'm sure you've discovered !
So what is the 6 of cups about ? are we looking at the the symbols in or on? It seems to me, if the artist created something to stimulate thought and meditation, and even inspire spiritual growth, the question is not "what is this about ?" in the absolute, but "what do we discover by delving into the card?".
Ten years ago when this thread was created, many of us (not all!) were interested in brainstorming the potential meanings of the cards, and were happy put aside, or go beyond, the prescribed esoteric systems. Such an approach might seem like a high-jack of a sacred tradition by tarot hooligans. If so, I readily confess to being a tarot hooligan, in that sense, enjoying most particularly the anarchy of tarot, the possibility to shuffle, and receive random mutations of thought, and inspiration of creativity.
It occurred to me, however, in the several years of participating in the "purple realm", that the very notion of describing the meanings of one card in the absolute, outside of the context of a reading, assumes, probably erroneously, that such a card exploration is NOT a reading.
Probably we should consider these one-card explorations to be self-readings. In later years I abandoned one-card-meaning threads to exclusively experiment with readings for other people, and it now seems strange to me to pronounce such statements as "this card is about ____" because it can only offer a potential to be about that or something else, depending on the the surrounding cards, the question, the querant, and the random mutations of thought shuffling ...
However, on another very spirited thread from ancient history (about the 4 of swords), Thirteen wrote something very important : the fixed meanings we study are like a recipe. At first we learn the basic ingredients, then we can combine and create in new ways, after acquiring the basics.
I realise that not everyone studies the cards for the purpose of a reading, in fact to some, I think to Crowley, actually reading with the cards was debasing them. They are meant for meditation and psychic voyages with the aid of psychedelic substances. Yet, even if the cards are only meant to be meditated upon, the random mutations of thought would make their way in. After all what is magic if not creativity ?
Actually meditating on each card one at a time (without herbal intervention) can make come "alive", as I'm sure you've discovered !
So what is the 6 of cups about ? are we looking at the the symbols in or on? It seems to me, if the artist created something to stimulate thought and meditation, and even inspire spiritual growth, the question is not "what is this about ?" in the absolute, but "what do we discover by delving into the card?".