shadow card significance

Hi everyone,

could anyone tell me what is the significance of the card at the bottom of the pack, after it's been shuffled, cut and the spread laid out? I've sometimes seen this referred to as the shadow card.

Am I supposed to take it into account, the same way I might do for a jumper?

thanks for your feedback!

marablu

It's not that you're "supposed" to do it, it's just that you can do it if you choose to. Some people think it gives an added dimension to a reading, while others don't choose to use it.

I don't use it. I've tried it and didn't find it very helpful, but that's just my personal preference.

Hi Solitaire,

thanks for your response.

I understand what you say about it being my choice whether or not to take the shadow card into account, still I think what confuses me most about it is HOW I would take it into account.

For instance, with a jumper one might say that the deck is trying to draw your attention to the card that jumps out, but with the bottom card this cannot be the case.

So I suppose what I really wanted to know is, is this card a kind of 'negative' (as in photography) of the reading, or is it an overriding influence? Would I go about taking it into account in view of the whole reading, or just the current situation, or just the outcome card?

sorry about not being clear before!

Shadow card help!

Hi marablu,

I have a link to one of the threads here at AT you will find informative:

http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=40422&highlight=Shadow+Card

I think this will be helpful because just about the time I was going to ask the very same question, I found this discussion. At first, I just made a note or two, and then tried a reading with it. I was in need of consulting the cards before jumping into a project. So, after taking my notes, I used a Body, Mind and Spirit spread. This was to see if I was ready to go ahead with it. After I had the spread done, I made note of the cards that turned up, and noted their placements. I then put the cards back into the deck and re-shuffled. I cut the deck for the second time (just as I had for the first spread), and turned the card from the very bottom of the deck over. This was the shadow. After this, (leaving the shadow out) I turned the top card and placed it above the shadow. This top card was used for clarity -- the other aspect of my situation at the time.

Doing this little exercise helped me know where I was with preparing for a new project. I dare to say, that I would do it again for a project of any significance in the future. In this case, I found the Shadow card quite useful. At the same time I agree with Solitaire: It's up to you whether or not to use it. Hope this helps a little.

Yours,

StellarMyst

Shadow cards

There are times when the shadow card kind of helps things 'click' in my mind, especially if the message I get from my reading isn't quite clear. It kind of clarifies the whole thing. I don't use it regularly, just now and again when I'm kind of puzzled.

i use shadow cards as like the whole, underlying, unspoken message of the reading. like, if the reading was the concious, the shadow to me is the subconcious.

Shadow card

Linking the shadow cards to the subconscious -- great concept, Jayem. That thought really helped my 'little grey cells,' to quote Poirot, place the whole thing into context.