What is a Quintessence card and a Shadow Card?

michmm

HI
I have been reading the terms "Quintessence card" and "Shadow Card" very often in the threads recently...
I know a shadow card is the card that appears on the bottom of the deck, but don't know what it indicates...does the shadow card indicate what is "hidden from you"...or what else could it indicate?

I was also wondering what a Quintessence card is.......what does it indicate?
can someone enlighten me??!!
thanks
mich
 

huredriel

Hi Mich,

The quint card (for me) is when all cards used in the spread are added up ........ excluding court cards ........ if the number is over 21, then they are added together again. Eg. 24 = 2+4 = 6 ....... you then correspond that to the relevant major ...... e.g. 6 = Lovers.

Shadow/base card I take to be after shuffling the deck extensively and then choosing the cards randomly, push the deck back together ........ and this is the card on the bottom of the deck.

Also shadow ...... can be your teacher card for this lifetime .......e.g. soul & personality card 6 (Lovers) so shadow/teacher would be 15 Devil (1+5=6) depending on which terminology you use.

Hope that helps.
x Huredriel
 

Grizabella

The only time I've seen "quintessence" mentioned with regard to tarot is in the LWB for the Diamond tarot deck. There's a way of reading cards that's described there called "The Diamond Method" and at the end of the reading, card #5 is drawn, which acts as the "essence of the consultation". Then when all the rest is done, it says "Quintessence: personal affirmation" and this is described as a review of all the cards you've drawn using this Diamond Method. Once reviewed, you distill the "quintessential" from the session, making it into a seven-word sentence that summarizes the insights gained into a "forceful, very personal affirmation" that's positive and that you repeat to yourself often over a period of time.

This Diamond Method isn't a spread as we'd think of a spread. It's a series of questions based around a focal question. You choose the focal question and draw a card for it. Once that's done, you do a series of other questions, each based on the card drawn as a response to the question before. It seems like an interesting process to go through but I haven't tried it yet.
 

Damian

Meaning of Quintessence and Shadow

I just stumbled upon this thread through Google and I wanted to give my two cents.

The only author I know who uses this interesting concept of Quinteseence is the German Hajo Banzhaf. He states the Quintessence as the underlying factor of a tarot spread. Like the master lesson that surrounds the entire spread in just one Major Arcana card. In an above reply they already taught you how to calculate it so I won't reiterate. As Hajo states: "At the end of each reading the Tarot replies some indications on how to treat the advise that the cards transmit or what should be considered in future steps." (I'm translating as I have it in Spanish)

However Hajo states that if you're using the Raide-Waite tarot deck you should use Justice as card number 8 and Strength as number 11 as they were originally numbered that way.

About the Shadow card... again, in a reply above he has given a good source. In the book "Tarot For Yourself" by Mary K. Greer she creates a "Tarot Profile". This is Astrological Tarot that has specific meanings depending on your date of birth. In her book she states "(...) indicates aspects of yourself that you fear, reject, or don't see and thus it can be called a Shadow card". Later she explains that there are little-recognized parts of our personality and she gives a chart to help you calculate it.

Your meaning of the Shadow card being the bottom card in the remaining deck I have never read it before. I believe it is mandatory to source every knowledge that there is in the tarot because there's a lot of BS theory out there. Even in books you see a lot of contrasting ideas about the same concepts so many concepts will shape up as you experience them in your readings.

Hope this adds something to the conversation. Take care.
 

emmsma

The only time I've seen "quintessence" mentioned with regard to tarot is in the LWB for the Diamond tarot deck. There's a way of reading cards that's described there called "The Diamond Method" and at the end of the reading, card #5 is drawn, which acts as the "essence of the consultation". Then when all the rest is done, it says "Quintessence: personal affirmation" and this is described as a review of all the cards you've drawn using this Diamond Method. Once reviewed, you distill the "quintessential" from the session, making it into a seven-word sentence that summarizes the insights gained into a "forceful, very personal affirmation" that's positive and that you repeat to yourself often over a period of time.

This Diamond Method isn't a spread as we'd think of a spread. It's a series of questions based around a focal question. You choose the focal question and draw a card for it. Once that's done, you do a series of other questions, each based on the card drawn as a response to the question before. It seems like an interesting process to go through but I haven't tried it yet.

I've never heard of this, yet it perfectly describes how most of my personal readings are.

I call them conversationals, because it feels like a conversation with the deck. I ask a question - it answers - which leads to another question and so on.

The Diamond Method. Will have to dig out the Diamond Tarot and check it out. :)
 

magpie9

I've never heard of this, yet it perfectly describes how most of my personal readings are.
Yes, me too. I've always done it this way, when in an informal mood. I think it gives me much better information than most spreads. Tight and to the point. :) I don't connect with calling it the Diamond method, though. I'll have to think up some jazzy name for it now that I know others do it too, LOL :D