Instinct and The Devil as Significator

To give some background and to try and cut a long story short:

New friend came into my life less than a year ago, this person is an experienced psychic etc, but has a few problems which I have been able to help with.

I mentioned I'm learning Tarot and she asked me for a reading over the phone a few days ago.

As we were speaking I shuffled for a Significator and The Devil appeared. She was not very happy. I hastily reshuffled and the 9 of Pentacles (lady with a bird in hand) came up as an alternative.

She was happy with the rest of the reading (being a novice I only did 3 card spreads - 1 for each question) which we were more or less in agreement with. I'm using Rider Waite btw.

Back to the Significator:

My friend has a few problems which are not as insurmountable, as they appear to her, but she keeps going over the same things again and again, trapping herself in this situation, something which I have mentioned to her on previous occasions.

I think my personal viewpoint on a subconscious level attracted this card, rather than her vocal vibrations and energy?

My friend told me she used to read Tarot, so probably this card told her my personal thoughts, not a problem on this occasion as luckily I have been honest with her in the past - but in future, how the heck do I manage to remain objective and keep my personal feelings out of a reading?

My guess is that the Devil (being trapped) is where she is now, and the Nine of Pentacles (independence) is where she'd like to be.

Objectivity

The cards mean what they mean. I think it is impossible to read and not be part of the reading. I always state the basic interpretation of the card and then ask the client what this means to them or if it resonates with them. It is what they take away from the reading that is what matters.

MoonSwan said:

... I shuffled for a Significator and The Devil appeared. She was not very happy....

Click to expand...

Well, that's not really the point is it?
Seriously, if you're going to use a significator (I don't but lots of folks do) and if you're going to shuffle to find it, rather than pick from the courts or whatever, then you're going to get what the pack wants to give you.
The fact that she didn't LIKE it doesn't make it in-accurate in my opinion, it just means she doesn't what to see herself in that place.

From what you say, it was a perfect card to express something of her own inner nature.

Not sure what the answer to that is, what do you reckon.
Shuffling and choosing again coz the person doesn't like what you pull doesn't seem like a great way to go?

I fully agree with Pathwalker. The spread read against the Devil and the spread read against the Nine of Pentacles would be much different from one another...plus, by that way of thinking (ya keep pulling until you get a card you "like"), everyone's divined life would be rosy and bright everyday of their existence! And we know that isn't possible!

The Devil might just have hit home too closely for your friend. Addictions, obsessions, jealousy, rage, being controlled by [some kind of] darker inner forces--those may be just the kind(s) of thing(s) she needs to face right now...and she may know it but not want you to know it. You know?

Good lesson here, though...people are not always going to be honest with you (or, their truthes may not be quite the same as others--particularly objective readers--might see them.)

Edited to add:

In re-reading your post, I realize I didn't give a possible answer to your questions. I don't think that it was your "invocation" that drew out the Devil for you (well, that's not exactly true...since in a way, because of how I think the cards work, your intuition (as reader) "contacts" a seeker's subconcious motivations and her intuition, as well, and the reading is wrought from a combination of the two.) So, the Universal Force drew you to pull that card (Devil), but you were reading on your friend's behalf--so, that was your friend's significator, if it was a random pull, which you indicated it was...even if you sense it was an excellent significator based upon what you know of this woman. Probably especially since your intuition has told you that!

You got the card because you were supposed to get the card- they are what they are, have more faith that whatever makes this magical tool work knows what it's doing.

And, a lot of spiritually inclined people have Devil kinds of issues. It's just harder to assimilate to the limitations of life on earth.

Worry about the sitter's influence on you

MoonSwan said:

I think my personal viewpoint on a subconscious level attracted this card, rather than her vocal vibrations and energy?

Click to expand...

I'm with Starry here. The objectivity problem here wasn't that you influenced the cards, it was that you couldn't *not* be a friend to your friend and read the cards rather than react to her and what she wanted. You ended up second guessing yourself because:
(1) She's a psychic and you probably don't think yourself equal to her. So when she disapproved, you took her judgement over your own.
(2) You're new to tarot, and we all doubt ourselves when we're still in the early part of our learning.
(3) She's your friend, and you want to give her the benefit of the doubt. You want to believe she might be more right about herself than you are.

All these made you think the tarot was cued to you when the Devil came up, rather than realizing that the tarot was agreeing with you and your assessment of your friend. It's like seeing someone who isn't looking good and saying, "you don't look good." You get an x-ray that says they're sick. But they say, "I'm fine!" Are you going to say, "I guess I'm seeing stuff in the x-ray that isn't there..."? The X-ray is simply saying, "You're right!" Not "you thoughts are influencing me."

But you let yourself be intimidated by her into pulling a new card (I'll get back to this), rather than trusting the cards--and you're still doing it. You're still excusing your friend and putting the blame on yourself for what you got in the cards. The cards showed her what she didn't want to see, but which you both clearly know is true. And you didn't do her any favors ignoring it. She has to face it, and you have to be bold enough to say, "this is my reading, the reading you asked for" and give it to her plain.

About pulling a new card--sometimes the cards feel "wrong" to you, like what you pulled doesn't belong to this person and there's outside influence; then you re-draw. But if they don't feel plainly wrong, don't re-draw. You can, if the sitter wants, draw a clarifier. So what you really got here was the Devil with 9/Pents as a clarifier. Which puts a whole different spin on it, does it? The 9/Pents, while wonderfully independent, becomes a card about an addiction to hide away and think everything is fine and dandy when paired with the Devil.

Don't worry about your feelings influencing the cards; worry about how your sitter's feelings influence how you read those cards. That's what you need to work on.

I agree with others... just because she didn't 'like' the Devil, that doesn't mean you can shuffle until you find a card she likes. That's not really how tarot works. If she's going to be rude, I have to say that maybe she's not such a great friend!

Thirteen said:

I'm with Starry here. The objectivity problem here wasn't that you influenced the cards, it was that you couldn't *not* be a friend to your friend and read the cards rather than react to her and what she wanted. You ended up second guessing yourself because:
(1) She's a psychic and you probably don't think yourself equal to her. So when she disapproved, you took her judgement over your own.
(2) You're new to tarot, and we all doubt ourselves when we're still in the early part of our learning.
(3) She's your friend, and you want to give her the benefit of the doubt. You want to believe she might be more right about herself than you are.

All these made you think the tarot was cued to you when the Devil came up, rather than realizing that the tarot was agreeing with you and your assessment of your friend.

But you let yourself be intimidated by her into pulling a new card (I'll get back to this), rather than trusting the cards--and you're still doing it. You're still excusing your friend and putting the blame on yourself for what you got in the cards. The cards showed her what she didn't want to see, but which you both clearly know is true. And you didn't do her any favors ignoring it. She has to face it, and you have to be bold enough to say, "this is my reading, the reading you asked for" and give it to her plain.

About pulling a new card--sometimes the cards feel "wrong" to you, like what you pulled doesn't belong to this person and there's outside influence; then you re-draw. But if they don't feel plainly wrong, don't re-draw. You can, if the sitter wants, draw a clarifier. So what you really got here was the Devil with 9/Pents as a clarifier. Which puts a whole different spin on it, does it? The 9/Pents, while wonderfully independent, becomes a card about an addiction to hide away and think everything is fine and dandy when paired with the Devil.

Don't worry about your feelings influencing the cards; worry about how your sitter's feelings influence how you read those cards. That's what you need to work on.

Click to expand...

You are absolutely right, the top and bottom of it is that I did feel inferior to her, and when she said pull another I did so without question.

Pulling a Significator in this way was an experiment for me. One good thing that has come out of it is that I'm going to trust my instincts from now on, no matter how experienced/gifted the sitter is.

I read in a book that if you are carrying out a distance reading then it is better to have a Significator for the sitter. I don't think I will use one in future.

Thank you everyone for the unanimous help and advice, I am much clearer not to mention more confident in myself now.

I agree with the others. what strikes me is that being happy or not about the cards is not the frame of mind to be in for a reading. It is not a lottery game.
It doesn't matter whether she is happy or not, the cards are here for her to work with.
If she doesn't really want to face them then she is not ready for a reading, and that is ok, I mean we are not always prepared to look at things. But if she wants a reading you should make it clear that it is not always nice, and does she want to face this.