Nemia
Excellent thread. Thank you for it. My mind always works better in comparisons. Three majors that are notoriously difficult, even threatening to interpret - great idea for a comparison. *off to scribble in my notebook what I take from here*
Death vs The Tower vs Judgement
elena_jaymz
Yes - I was literally thinking aloud or rather typing as fast as I was thinking, when I suggested that, but the more I think about it the more I think it fits.
Yeah, it does to me as well
elena_jaymz
CosmicTarot
Such a great thread, I certainly have a tendency to do this as well.
My interpretations would be, and I have to think about this a bit, since I do, as said, clump them together more often than not ...
Death) The most obvious interpretation for Death would be an ending. A door that closes and stays shut. But then again, isn’t the Death card connected to Pluto, which would be the most transformative energies of all? I think elena_jaymz puts it nicely: ”Getting rid of the old and what serves you no more, in order to make room for something new.” That would probably be my go-to reading for this card.
Tower) I wrote about this in another thread so I’ll just summarize: The Tower could symbolize that status quo is being challenged; a paradigm shift. If the current situation is dissatisfying it could very well be a positive event. Hence, I would read it as a sudden event leading to a major transformation. It could be good or bad, but without a clarifier it’s nearly impossible to determine the effect.
Judgment) I'm generally better at separating Judgment from Death & Tower, since I often see Judgment as something rising again. So where Death could symbolize an actual ending and Tower a sudden event that challenges status quo, I’d read Judgment as something rising anew. Something buried is being unearthed and calls for your attention. It could also speak for an epiphany: You’ve been trying to solve a problem for very long and suddenly: Eureka!
All cards could indicate a rebirth, but probably with slightly different flavors. Death: A rebirth by closing the book on something that no longer serves you. Tower: A rebirth through sudden transformative events or energies. Judgment: A rebirth by getting in touch with old issues or having an Eureka moment, thus leading to closure or a rejuvenation of what once was buried but not forgotten. It’s worth to add that I almost always read Judgment as positive: Whatever it’s about, it’s cathartic energies coming through. An old lover might want to reconcile etc.
This was really difficult … I’m not very happy with my interpretations because these cards are so multifaceted. It’s almost impossible to generalize them, so, there’s so much more to say!
My interpretations would be, and I have to think about this a bit, since I do, as said, clump them together more often than not ...
Death) The most obvious interpretation for Death would be an ending. A door that closes and stays shut. But then again, isn’t the Death card connected to Pluto, which would be the most transformative energies of all? I think elena_jaymz puts it nicely: ”Getting rid of the old and what serves you no more, in order to make room for something new.” That would probably be my go-to reading for this card.
Tower) I wrote about this in another thread so I’ll just summarize: The Tower could symbolize that status quo is being challenged; a paradigm shift. If the current situation is dissatisfying it could very well be a positive event. Hence, I would read it as a sudden event leading to a major transformation. It could be good or bad, but without a clarifier it’s nearly impossible to determine the effect.
Judgment) I'm generally better at separating Judgment from Death & Tower, since I often see Judgment as something rising again. So where Death could symbolize an actual ending and Tower a sudden event that challenges status quo, I’d read Judgment as something rising anew. Something buried is being unearthed and calls for your attention. It could also speak for an epiphany: You’ve been trying to solve a problem for very long and suddenly: Eureka!
All cards could indicate a rebirth, but probably with slightly different flavors. Death: A rebirth by closing the book on something that no longer serves you. Tower: A rebirth through sudden transformative events or energies. Judgment: A rebirth by getting in touch with old issues or having an Eureka moment, thus leading to closure or a rejuvenation of what once was buried but not forgotten. It’s worth to add that I almost always read Judgment as positive: Whatever it’s about, it’s cathartic energies coming through. An old lover might want to reconcile etc.
This was really difficult … I’m not very happy with my interpretations because these cards are so multifaceted. It’s almost impossible to generalize them, so, there’s so much more to say!
elena_jaymz
Hi CosmicTarot, thanks!
Yes, that's exactly how I see this card, an ending leading you to something new.
Yes, that's right, a very drastic change that completely carries away all your firm beliefs and often for you own good. I agree that a clarifier would be useful with this card.
Yeah, I agree, it could be also an epiphany and so not necessarily a negative card.
Good interpretations, thanks again!
Absynthe
Judgement - for me this card is more about addressing karmic issues indicated in the [astrological] birth chart. It's about the work one has signed up for in this lifetime. That may or may not include letting go of something. It could entail developing something instead.
Tower - This one always shows up as an event and often turns up to indicate that the querent has a bad case of disaster thinking. Particularly if they seem to have a run of bad luck and yet the Tower just keeps on coming. Whichever it is relating to I can always be sure that high drama is involved.
Death - This one I hardly ever see for specific events. It's more of a mood card indicating a process that is often quite long in time frame. The death card can stalk for long periods of time even when there are no events it relates to and yet still be relevant.
Here's what I mean by each of these. These three cards have been a feature of my life for about a year now. I've now pinned this year of unpleasant experiences down to
Sun square Pluto in my birthchart, a karmic challenge for this lifetime.
Judgement - is the corrective action indicated by the sun square pluto placement. In my case this is creating a positive habit that will mitigate the square.
Death - Is the planet pluto and the scorpionic forces in my chart which have been heavily at play for the entire year. Yes it's a long slow process this one. It's a gradual process of identifying what's wrong and making the relevant changes. The penny has not dropped quickly on this one. This is also a recurrent cycle in my life. It's been hitting me around every 7yrs or so.
Tower - these were the actual events that played out in my life. Job loss, pluto is in my second house. The house of earned income.
Tower - This one always shows up as an event and often turns up to indicate that the querent has a bad case of disaster thinking. Particularly if they seem to have a run of bad luck and yet the Tower just keeps on coming. Whichever it is relating to I can always be sure that high drama is involved.
Death - This one I hardly ever see for specific events. It's more of a mood card indicating a process that is often quite long in time frame. The death card can stalk for long periods of time even when there are no events it relates to and yet still be relevant.
Here's what I mean by each of these. These three cards have been a feature of my life for about a year now. I've now pinned this year of unpleasant experiences down to
Sun square Pluto in my birthchart, a karmic challenge for this lifetime.
Judgement - is the corrective action indicated by the sun square pluto placement. In my case this is creating a positive habit that will mitigate the square.
Death - Is the planet pluto and the scorpionic forces in my chart which have been heavily at play for the entire year. Yes it's a long slow process this one. It's a gradual process of identifying what's wrong and making the relevant changes. The penny has not dropped quickly on this one. This is also a recurrent cycle in my life. It's been hitting me around every 7yrs or so.
Tower - these were the actual events that played out in my life. Job loss, pluto is in my second house. The house of earned income.
elena_jaymz
Hi Absynthe, thanks for commenting.
That's interesting, because for example in my deck (Tarot of Pagan Cats) the RWS angel playing the trumpet is replaced by a cat-shaped constellation https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/1e/f2/8f/1ef28f9f96846ff8f67ed1e32a50f0fe.jpg Cool, I should take this into account!
I agree, big drama is going on with The Tower.
Yeah, it doesn't refer to a specific event, but rather to an energy I suppose.
Thanks for sharing your experiences with these cards. I think I'll take into account astrological information too, it looks helpful.
