shadow card?

The card at the bottom of the deck- is that what it's called? And what is its significance?

Hi

The shadow card is used to see the underlying anti-motivations behind a reading

I use it along to ascertain blocks or the underlying problems that the querant is not aware of.

I kind of keep in the back of mind as I do a reading but dont use it as a major part of reading....

ie if it were the 5 pents and there are a lot of positive cards in the spread then I would think in the back of my mind that the querant has a fear of loss that dictates how they live there life.

Hope this helps a little

If you do a search on this you will probably get a lot of other opinions

x FF

hi brighteye

there was a thread the other day similar to this
you will find some opinions there as well

http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=53790

Thanks for the link, star-lover, but I'm still a little confused.

Free Flight, what if the bottom/base/shadow card is a positive one in a generally positive reading? Does the shadow card always run counter to the actual reading? Could it also support or summarize the reading?

Another opinion...

I see the card at the bottom of the deck as signifying what's at the base of the whole situation.

If it's a positive card, that's wonderful!

For example, I recently did a (new) relationship reading.

The card that was at the bottom of the deck was Princess of Cups!!!

I have never heard of the bottom card being a shadow card, but it does make sense that it could be....

After my client has shuffled I get them to cut the deck into 3 and choose a stack that they want to be read. I look at the bottom cards of the other two stacks and consider them to be "what is hidden".

Meaning what is unknown or has not come into light yet.

Does this help make sense?

TemperanceAngel said:

I look at the bottom cards of the other two stacks and consider them to be "what is hidden".

Meaning what is unknown or has not come into light yet.

Click to expand...

But what if you know what the bottom card refers to. I always seem to know that this is the context of the question.

I have another stupid question and I know there's been a thread on that one too, but I don't really get it. It's the significance of the Quint card, the one that you get when you add all the numbers together. I tend to see it as a summary of the reading, the Shadow card as the base or start of a reading. Could the Quint card also be advice?

BrightEye, i use the Quint card to test my interpretation. For instance, i did a new years reading @ the start of the year for a friend of mine, and noted that the cards were suggesting that "isolation" would be a factor for her at some pt. during the year ahead. Then i recently did a 5 card cross to gain a lil more insight as to what was in store for her, & lo & behold the cards once again identified that she would undergo a period of isolation. Not surprising, since i took this 2nd./last reading just before she uprooted her family & moved a considerable distance away. (Altho i might add, i wasn't aware of her decision to move until a wk. later, when she phoned to tell me of her plans to relocate).

However, at the time of her last reading, i used the Quint. card to test my interpretation, and as the cards she'd chosen totalled 54 i reduced this to 9, and as The Hermit can suggest isolation, i felt confident that my interpretation of her reading was well founded.

As far as your query re: whether the Quint. card could offer advice, this seems plausible to me, because to my way of thinking IF the quint. card can be applied to the reading in the sense of supporting the reading, then any additional info./insight you can glean from this card can be read & used ... much the same as clarifying cards are used.

As i say, the way i approach the Quint. card is to use it to TEST the Interpretation ... & in some instances to give the reading a "title". So what i'm looking at whenever i use a quint. card, is whether it literally SUPPORTS my interpretation. & 9 x's outta 10 it does, i might add.

In the odd instance, when it doesn't support my interprt., i will THEN USE a "shadow" card to look to see if there is some hidden factor that hasn't shown up in the spread/reading & for which the quint. card might shed some light on. Or in otherwords, IF the quint. card doesn't clearly support the reading, then i'll check the the shadow card to see if the quint. card could be read in relation to it.

Then depending on what i can glean from this combination > quint & shadow card, i might discover a secondary or underlying issue, which oftens serves as a basis for another reading.

So for me, the quint. card is a way of measuring whether i've gotten all the info. i need from the reading. << Or in otherwords, whether i've hit the nail on the head type of thing.

Generally it helps me to put the reading in context, and sometimes it serves as a basis for further exploration. I find this especially helpful, as i tend to do a 'series of readings' whenever i read for someone. I start with a 7 card spread & if the quint. card is truly supportive, then i feel like i'm on the right track. > So for me, this card can be used to determine what area to focus on.

PS: I'm new to aeclectic, so as this is my 1st post, here's hoping i haven't somehow goofed!

jenessa,

thanks for all that detailed information and welcome to AT. You'll be a valuable addition.

I think it'll take me a while to take in all the different aspects that you mention. I'll have to practice a bit more and let you know how I get one.