Question re: spreads / timing / elementals

joya250

Hi. :)

okay. This is a multi-part question, so I hope I can make myself clear....

I've been reading about how to predict timing, and also how to read elementals. Now, both of these concepts make sense to me... BUT I am unclear how I would read them in a spread. okay. for example... supposedly (according to the book "Tarot Companion" by Tracy Porter) if a card numbered 2,3,7, or 9 appear immediately before or after a card from the major Arcana, a conjunction occurs. This gives additional layers to a spread and should be interpreted separately from the initial reading. Then, the book goes on the explain what each card/conjunction means.

My question is.... how do you know the order of the cards, like, how would I determine a "before" card and an "after" card if I'm doing a celtic cross. Does it just go numerically, and therefore, I would read card "Three/Basis" as coming before "Four/Past" ... and then look at how they interact??? I'm having a hard time making sense of this, since it seems odd that the "basis" and "past" card (for example) would help determine the timing of a future event. sigh. Am I making myself clear???

I have the same problem when reading for elementals. I know that you are supposed to look at how the surrounding cards interact (i.e. fire vs. water, etc.) in order to determine the strength of the energy or if the card is in detriment, etc. BUT, again.... would I be comparing, say the 5th card and the 6th card, then the 6th and the 7th, then the 7th and the 8th, etc. This idea makes sense (kinda) when doing a linear spread... but my standard spread is the celtic cross.... and I'm not sure, again, how all of this works.

I hope someone can help clarify this for me. I'm eager to the the additional dimensions of the card interactions.

thank you in advance. - joy
 

Thirteen

Don't know about the 2,3,7,9 stuff. Never heard of that. But elementals are easy enough. Look at the entire spread. Are there a lot of cups? Wands? What suits is the spread heavy in? Is it missing any (like pentacles)?

If it's heavy in cups, then it's water heavy, and you can tell the person, this situation is pretty emotional and you need to get some perspective on it. You need to step back. Or if it's got all elements but no pentacles, you might say, "You're not real grounded in this situation, you're all in your emotions, head and heart. But not in your body."

Is that what you were looking for? Don't worry about comparing one specific card to another. Comparisons come clear in card meaning. Let's take the CC :p You have a card that is "behind you" and one that is "before you." If these are both cups, then they might relate, one flowing into the next, past into future. If one is cups and one swords, then they oppose. Emotional in the past, but intellectual in the future. See? But you don't have to always compare them, only if the card meanings seem to warrent comparison. Like if you got two aces.

Does that make sense?
 

joya250

okay, yah. that makes sense, regarding the elementals. thanks Thirteen. ... so then, how could one tell if a card was in "detriment"? I'm trying to use the Crowley deck... and this deck doesn't use reversals, but instead determines the nature of the card by the surrounding cards... like if there is a wand, but lots of cups, then the energy of the wand is weakened or blocked, kinda like if it was reversed. I'm assuming this is just for cards that are in proximitey to each other. ??? And, then, what about if you have a fairly even mix... or what if you're heavy on the Majors?

thanks again, in advance. :) joya
 

joya250

okay, yah. that makes sense, regarding the elementals. thanks Thirteen. ... so then, how could one tell if a card was in "detriment"? I'm trying to use the Crowley deck... and this deck doesn't use reversals, but instead determines the nature of the card by the surrounding cards... like if there is a wand, but lots of cups, then the energy of the wand is weakened or blocked, kinda like if it was reversed. I'm assuming this is just for cards that are in proximitey to each other. ??? And, then, what about if you have a fairly even mix... or what if you're heavy on the Majors?

thanks again, in advance. :) joya
 

Thirteen

Quote:joya250 (05 Mar, 2002 09:27): And, then, what about if you have a fairly even mix... or what if you're heavy on the Majors?


If you have an even mix, you're in good shape, and you say so! You say to your querent, "You're really in balance here and that's good."

If you have majors, not a problem. Remember that they're zodiac signs and such and each has an element. The Fool is Uranus so that's air, so is the Magician who stands for Mercury, and the Lovers which are Gemini. The High Priestess--the Moon--is water, so is the Chariot which is cancer, and the Hanged Man which is Neptune.

Majors have elemental properties, too :)
 
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