Signifier Card for Agender Seeker?

Hey guys,

Recently, I was asked to do a reading by someone who identifies as agender, meaning they neither identify with male nor female, but genderless. Then came the main issue for me: what type of card do I use for a signifier for someone who identifies without a gender? I couldn't use a Court card because they're all gendered, and traditionally, to boot. I ended up asking them what card they preferred to be identified with, and they gave me a few choices, one of which was a Major Arcanum that I did end up using but I didn't feel as connected to their card of choice, nor the reading as a whole. For me, the signifier is essential because a. I usually begin every reading with The First Operation, which utilizes a signifier card, and b. the signifier card is the energetic anchor for the Seeker's energy in the reading; I find my readings are much more focused to the Seeker's energy and inquiry when using a signifier card.

Does anyone have any cards they use for signifier cards for agender Seekers? Or any ideas for signifier cards to contemplate for agender Seekers?

Thanks guys,
Chris

I don't see any of the Courts as strictly gendered, but as displaying different types of people. You could make a rule that you choose significators based on birthdates, as each Court rules a certain span of time. But in general I think men can identify with female Courts and women with male, they don't have to match up perfectly. It has to do more with personality than any gender.

Another option is to use Temperance or the World. Both are traditionally hermaphrodites. Or the Fool, who has no gender, he/she is "pre-gender" in the big scheme of things.

Justice or temperance. Both are about fluid balance, weighing options. They are duality cards rather than polarity cards.

I have actually never viewed the court cards as gendered (moreover, many decks show "pages" as women or girls), but as a depiction of their energies. My significator is usually the King of Swords, but I am a woman. I see it as an archetype, rather than a depiction of real gender or age.

Leaving all that aside, my method for using a signifier is a tad bit different, since if I ever use a significator (I rarely do), I let the reader choose it. This is the time when THEY are allowed to have a small ritual and go through the deck and choose the card that "best depicts them".

If your querent is so clearly adamant about defining themselves, why don't you give them the opportunity to literally define which card they would be depicted by?

Some say that the significator removes the card from the reading, therefore making it impossible for a message to come through if they use the above method. I disagree, I think it speaks volumes about how the querent perceives themself.

I don't view the Courts particularly as fixed to a gender - so I would just choose which one felt "right" at the time for that person.
Or even flip through the rest of the deck (not necessarily Majors) and choose one of those.

I don't use Significators - as I decided years ago that I didn't like that the Significator removed
the odds of that card coming up in the reading. But I do use the 1st Operation which needs a Significator card.
In this instance I use a spare card from the deck for that function.
(Most decks come with 2 spare cards with advertising on them. For a couple of my decks that don't have a spare card - I've used one from somewhere else)

I'd choose a Page, which I tend to see as gender neutral, and innocent. Or even an Ace, which conveys the energy of the person in regard to their preferred suit.

And I would do as Tanga suggested, if you want all the cards present in the deck - I would use a Page or an Ace from a different deck for the signifier, and then use another deck to read with.

I'd just choose a card. I never see any card as tied to any gender. But as delinfrey said - let THEM choose.

I was wondering about that too. As many of my friends are non-binary, it's difficult to figure what would be best for them - however, I have used a knight card for one of my very feminine friends because I felt it matched her the best, and, in fact, I think it matches her almost perfectly. I think it would be best to just choose what feels right for the person, unless, of course, they would get offended or feel dysphoric about such things. In that case it would be more of a struggle... And I wouldn't be able to offer any good advice.

I'd say pick a court card that best matches their personality. Why didn't you feel connected to the card they picked?

I don't use significators as a rule, but there's a spread I was using awhile back where the deck chose the significator. I don't remember what the spread was without going through my notes and exchange threads. By letting the deck choose I mean that the card drawn for a named position became the significator. And when I do a Celtic Cross, I don't choose a significator, I just put the first card drawn down in the card one position so that's the same thing, probably.

As for a person who chooses not to identify with a particular gender, letting the deck choose might work. Or just letting the sitter choose a significator themselves would work, too, I'm sure.

I don't believe a significator needs to be a court card, necessarily. It can be a card that just illustrates an issue or circumstance a sitter finds themselves in. That's how I do it, anyway. Others might disagree.