pendulum vs one card reading

[nuttyprofessor]

I have this conversation in another forum.

Can the tarot be used for yes/no questions with the right mindset?
Suppose it would be possible to use the tarot for yes/no questions. Why then would people trouble themselves to use a pendulum, as the pendulum is more prone to be manipulated by the user?

 

[IndigoWaves]

Technically, any divination method can be used for 'Yes/No' questions... But the Tarot is generally much richer and more detailed than that. So if a card's intended meanings and/or intuitive impressions received from it are ignored in favour of some black & white 'Yes/No' guideline, the answer provided may be skewed or severely limited (and therefore inaccurate/unhelpful). With Tarot cards, context is key.

 

[nuttyprofessor]

And do you think that reversals could play a keyrole in the answer?

 

[Kalisti]

I've used tarot for yes/no. In fact, divinating with a pendulum has been unreliable for me, I use mine to pick cards when they are fanned out or spread out on the table in some readings rather than using it for its intended purpose. I can feel the pendulum tug or see it vibrate strongly over some cards when gently and slowly passing it over them. My problem with the pendulum is that I can control it too well...I haven't tried mounting it to a fixed object yet, although most of the people I've heard of doing that are trying to contact spirits.

For yes/no there are a number of ways to read tarot. RX: no, upright: yes; picking 3 cards and determining whether the majority are "positive" or "negative," or using 1-3 cards to determine yes or no with greater detail. In the exchange forum there are a number of yes/no questions asked and given answers for.

 

[IndigoWaves]

And do you think that reversals could play a keyrole in the answer?

I'd say that *everything* observed during the reading should at least be considered...

 

[toadwytch]

Most times I've tried yes/no questions, the answer is a little hard to read. It usually ends up more like "Yes/No, but/because..." in any combination. So if you want a quick, simple answer, I'd personally use another method.

 

[Alta]

Even the Magic 8 Ball doesn't always give yes/no answers and hedges around.

I think that there are very few binary questions and there are often unknown factors affecting the outcome.

 

[nuttyprofessor]

Reversals are binary, so what about them?

When I use reversals, I determine whether they are on one extreme of the spectrum or the other by using the next card as a signifier. But that's also binary. I have to admit that after having been working in this way for months, I still feel reservations.

 

[CrystalSeas]

Reversals are binary, so what about them?.

I don't see anything binary about reversals at all. But I also use a system of interpreting reversals that relies on specific meanings for the reversed cards, and not on "blocked" or "opposite" or other ways of reading reversals that *are* binary.

If you choose to read reversals as binary, it may make it more difficult to stuff the meanings of the card into that small box.

 

[nuttyprofessor]

But I also use a system of interpreting reversals that relies on specific meanings for the reversed cards, and not on "blocked" or "opposite" or other ways of reading reversals that *are* binary.

Curious to know how you read reversals. A reversal of definition seems natural to me. For example, an upright card is balanced, and a reversed card unbalanced in my system.