Positon Meanings Unchallengeable?

When a reading spread, is a 5 card spread and includes a card the title of which is "what others are thinking, other influences, environment, what others are going through, events outside impacting on question' etc, what does a reader make of this when the card in this position seems to be referring to oneself..............if there is no communication with the 'other' and so this is in the ordinary way, unknown?

Can it be that this category can actually refer to the reader, the querent I mean, regardless of the fact of its position in the type of reading?

One is never alone with an experience. If the card was drawn as what others are going through, then it should be interpreted as such, methinks. Also consider that there might be nuances of a card that fit yourself but that's not all there is to it. As you describe it, I would think "oh, the people around be feel the same as I do" ifI were the reader.

If the position is only called "external influences" then maybe your surroundings are the cause of your experience.

To summarize: it's important to keep your intention while drawing in mind. You wanted a card to tell you X, so it will answer to X. There might be different aspects to X, but try not to lose the intended meaning from your sight.

thank you very much Farzon!

the interesting thing here is that in the position of ""How I really feel under the surface" was drawn 'Receptivity" (Osho's Zen) which in traditional packs is 'Queen of Cups".

For myself, I have suffered long and hard from the situation of feeling oppressed by a mental health institution, and yet..............I long for 'Enlightenment' - foolish or what? and for my final position in the 5 card spread was 'Transformation' (Osho), which is Death in traditional.

3 further cards I drew for this category and got: 'Experiencing' (3 Wands), 'Consciousness' (Osho), (Ace Swords), and 'Nothing-ness' (The Hierophant).

Quite a mixture.

Thank you so much - anyone - for any further comments.

rebelchild said:

When a reading spread, is a 5 card spread and includes a card the title of which is "what others are thinking, other influences, environment, what others are going through, events outside impacting on question' etc, what does a reader make of this when the card in this position seems to be referring to oneself..............if there is no communication with the 'other' and so this is in the ordinary way, unknown?

Can it be that this category can actually refer to the reader, the querent I mean, regardless of the fact of its position in the type of reading?

Click to expand...

Not in this instance, because the position title you quote clearly reflects most anyone or anything other than the reader.

IMO, if you intentionally use a spread with specific positions, you are pretty much agreeing to interpret the card that comes up in a particular position as in some way illuminating that topic, regardless of whether or not it could in other circumstances be interpreted as referring to the reader. Otherwise, there is no point to using a spread with positions.

Whatever the card thrown, certainly the position topic you referenced is broad enough that you should be able to figure out the card's significance in some way that does not pertain to you.

You can always use the same spread design and change up the meanings. Just make sure you change the positions to the questions you want answered.
There's no reason that a position in a spread is set in stone and you cannot change it.

Apollonia said:

Not in this instance, because the position title you quote clearly reflects most anyone or anything other than the reader.

IMO, if you intentionally use a spread with specific positions, you are pretty much agreeing to interpret the card that comes up in a particular position as in some way illuminating that topic, regardless of whether or not it could in other circumstances be interpreted as referring to the reader. Otherwise, there is no point to using a spread with positions.

Whatever the card thrown, certainly the position topic you referenced is broad enough that you should be able to figure out the card's significance in some way that does not pertain to you.

Click to expand...

Exactly this. Mr. Ballantrae said in aYouTube video about the question that it is like the wall we hang a painting on and the card is the painting. The painting has a meaning for itself, but the impression will depend much on the wall behind it.

Achlys said:

You can always use the same spread design and change up the meanings. Just make sure you change the positions to the questions you want answered.
There's no reason that a position in a spread is set in stone and you cannot change it.

Click to expand...

Agreed. But I'd not change the position's meanings during the reading. That's more like ignoring what the cards are telling you... of course out can be am excellent practice to read the same spread in different contexts and meanings.

Farzon said:

One is never alone with an experience. If the card was drawn as what others are going through, then it should be interpreted as such, methinks. Also consider that there might be nuances of a card that fit yourself but that's not all there is to it. As you describe it, I would think "oh, the people around be feel the same as I do" ifI were the reader.

If the position is only called "external influences" then maybe your surroundings are the cause of your experience.

To summarize: it's important to keep your intention while drawing in mind. You wanted a card to tell you X, so it will answer to X. There might be different aspects to X, but try not to lose the intended meaning from your sight.

Click to expand...

I agree with this. And if you're going to ask X, then stick with the question. The cards are answering what you asked and if you discard that and just go with what you think then you're not reading the cards at all and you might as well not have asked.

Also, I don't switch cards around in a reading with the exception of a reading where I've drawn three cards and one is a Major, or three cards and only one is a Minor. Then I'd flank the one card by the other two---putting the one Major flanked by the two Minors or the one Minor by the two Majors, because that can be very revealing in ways you might not otherwise think of. In this case, though, it would be non-positional for the 3 cards, just asking one overall question and no names for the 3 positions. That way, you've got fluidity and freedom to move the cards around to observe their "body language".

Feel free to do whatever you will with any spread before your reading - change whatever positions or titles you need.
But when already pulling the card, you must be clear on what you expect to learn from it. If you draw the cards first and apply meanings later, you are not reading Tarot, you are just affirming yourself on what you would like to think is true and abusing Tarot as a tool for that.

Otherwise, I could always change the meaning of all the positions according to what I feel comfortable with.
So, while usually very (even overly) flexible to when it comes to Tarot, changing meanings AFTER drawing cards is a very big no-no in my book.