Tarot cards: Classic or dud?

I wouldn't pay anyone to read mine, though, that's just bollocks. A "good" reader is reading you, not the cards, anyway. They tell you what you want or need to hear. And the freaking cards can do that by themselves, anyway.

The reason that the actual cards work so well is that they provide a whole slew of Jungian archetypes, onto which one can can always project one's own situation, and from there, extrapolate one's own solution. They don't hold or tell the future, they just show you a way to interpret a situation that you don't particularly want to face.

The random element of the draw of the goes along with my whole belief about "randomness" and fate.

So, for the most part, if you use it wisely, classic.

This was all brought about by my mom doing tarot yesterday and freaking me out with a scary accurate reading of a friend of mine, down to the point where my mom said something about her life currently that I wasn't aware of and TEN MINUTES LATER she was bitching about the exact situation predicted. I was like, what the fuck?

Tarot is fine, for the reasons Kate mentions, but for some reason freaks out people who are OK with star signs. Crowley? Kabbala? Who knows?

Anyhow, I don't understand why you can't buy your own - what happens, loads of people I know have bought their own. Should I tell Stephanie to buy me a new deck, since I lost my original set?

I wish I could find the picture of Hello Kitty as the character from the movie Hellraiser, that was awesome.

;)

My favorite card, incidentally, is in the suit of swords, the one with the guy all stabbed by a bunch of 'em. I mean, you see that and you just know it ain't good. The Tower is pretty wicked too.

Just did a reading this morning for the first time in ages. (as the Oxytocin of orgasm WHEEEEEEE!!! wears off and the "oh my god, what have I done?" guilt sets in.)

It's scary how accurate it was. Is it accurate because I *want* it to be? A conflict between love/true partnership and ambition which can only be overcome through withdrawl (the hermit) and Strength. I've had "huh?" readings which don't make sense at all. But this one was so spot-on and right. Can I actually follow its advice?

I need to stop obsessing and get my ass to rehearsal.

Tarot be classic, say I.

I'm gonna go masturbate for peace.

The Jungian bit, about projection and archetypes, and reading your own situation into whatever archetype is described, all of that makes perfect sense.

But certain cards turning up over and over on the same subject really is kind of freaky.

Had mine done yesterday by a friend who isn't exactly the most mystical person ever. She actually got pretty emotional half way through and at the end told me that it was the strongest reading she'd had in 3 years of doing it. I was pretty shaken afterwards. I don't know how much of it was cold read but it made a lot of sense.

FWIW, i was sceptical to start. My friend also did it on her husband before me (who had always refused to have it doen on him for whatever reason) and his was extremely accurate. It wouldn't have applied to me if she'd told me his reading.

whoa online tarot site is totally fun and neat
yeah it's not fortune telling, just tapping in to (un)consciousness, shedding light on things, etc

why does the Tarot never tell you anything you don't know already?

Erm. Perhaps because cards are not sentient and have no knowledge of their own? As with every system of divination, all it ever offers is a set of suggestive symbols that are more or less successful at directing your attention toward something you know but may have overlooked, or to give you a sense of confirmation to what you already knew or hoped to hear.

Worst of all, is when people credit a Ouija board or Tarot cards with mysterious abilities to forecast things like imminent death, or winning the lottery, misleading one into have irrational and baseless fears or hopes.

Based on Kate's comments above, I'm pretty sure she meant that rhetorically.

I think I have a real talent for reading these. Want me to do yours?

Only if you use the Hello Kitty deck.

My deck does feature kitties, actually!

http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/magical-forest/

Aw.

bought my gf this deck http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/tarot-of-cat-people/ hehe

roxy can u do a reading for me w/r/t my recent fascination w diving into the depths of my unconscious thru dream journals, tarot, meditation, reading jung, etc?

Anyone here ever play any of the games that Tarot cards were originally designed for; ie Tarock/Tarotscki/Tarot/whatever?

i play solitaire with the minor arcana sometimes

my first o___O;?? moment with tarot cards came with my second reading. for my first reading, i was doing the celtic cross spread and the tenth card, which represents the future condition, was the hanged man

for my second reading, the first card (present condition) was the hanged man. spoOOoOOOky!

roxy I'd definitely enjoy a reading re: career path -- i'm currently weighing my options re: further education vs part-time self-employment vs questionable job opportunity w/ a start up company

thanking u mightily!

http://www.arthurmag.com/magpie/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/JodoTarot.jpg

^^^currently reading through this, completely awesome, even tho I don't even own a copy of the particular deck he focuses on

that book sounds great, im gonna check er out

yeah I love how it's studded with his trademark left-field interpretations of things, like how the tarot can be laid out like a three-dimensional mandala that spins on two axes (representing, of course, the totality of the universe in motion)

or that Death is the skeleton of the Fool

he calls Death the "Nameless Arcanum" tho

that sounds really exciting cuz as much as a love crowley, his tarot symbolism is at least 60 yrs old. jodorowsky, on the other hand, uses a much more contemporary visual language in his work (esp. the 60s psychedelic aesthetic) which i have a much more visceral and meaningful reaction to

I love Crowley too - and the Thoth deck is a masterpiece of design - but I don't think he was interested in actually helping people the way Jodorowsky is. There's a lot of deliberate obfuscation, self-aggrandizement, and lol irony/jokes with Crowley's material in general. While there's really no one in Crowley's league when it came to synthesizing a disparate range of traditions, most of which were either very obscure or completely unknown in the West, he enjoyed playing the trickster as much as he enjoyed dispensing arcane wisdom. Dude was not really interested in helping people solve their problems, for the most part.

Jodorowsky, on the other hand, obviously puts a lot of thought into being a benevolent guide, and as such his style is very straightforward (albeit wide-ranging) and he isn't interested in confusing or confounding people. He's very upfront about where he draws his conclusions from, the range of valid interpretations available, what research he conducted, etc.

That being said, Jodo goes to great lengths to focus exclusively on the Marseilles Tarot (for reasons I won't get into here), so he's working with a symbolic and visual language that is waaay older than Crowley's, even if he does interpret them in a modern context. Jodo's principle goal is to break down the language of the tarot - how it's constructed, how the cards reflect and interact with one another, the various symbols, designs, colors, etc. that run through it - so that one can use it as a tool to understand the true nature of one's situation. it's like a mirror of the psyche, basically.

gotta get that book - sounds really interesting. love the interpretation of death as the skeleton of the fool - that's so cool!

sorry i was late on these, i totally forgot i posted it! i'm going to start doing these regularly again tho, so if anyone has any requests, i'm keeping the cards on my desk.

reading for diamonddave is coming up:

I'd love a reading! The big question: will I manage to escape Mississippi in the next 2-3 years?

classic!!

For diamonddave I did a 3-card spread w/ a situation/advice/outcome style.

Card I (current situation):

The Tower - The card is often interpreted as denoting some kind of catastrophe, but it may also mean a natural upheaval. It can also denote a loss of faith - either in oneself or a particular faith or philosophy. Perhaps this means you are delving into occult things because you feel betrayed by other ways of thinking, or they haven't worked for you out somehow - or it could just mean that your spike in interest is a change with natural causes; a breather from the old way.

Card II (advice):

Death - (very unusual to get 2 major arcana cards in a 2 card spread!) Card denotes great rebirth, change. I'd interpret this as meaning that you should embrace this current occult/subconsciousness obsession and glean what you can from it - dive in, really experience and analyze it and let it change you.

Card III (possible outcome):

3 of Pentacles - Pentacles typically refer to dark (-complected, or -haired) people with psychic and artistic abilities. They can also mean money. This card shows a skilled person who has been commissioned by fancy people for his work. This means that if you follow what the advice card is saying to you, you will emerge as a skilled, highly spiritual artisan -- one who can easily make money off his talents.

maybe you'll become a pro psychic?!!

Elmo, for you reading I did a three card spread just like dave's.

Card I (current situation):

The Empress, reversed. If the card were right-side-up it would mean that you're are currently in a really fertile, active, productive phase of your life. A card's reversal doesn't always mean that the opposite is indicated, but in this case it does. It makes sense -- you're in a stagnant, inactive position, though that will quickly change when you pick a path.

Card II (advice):

Knight of Wands. Wands are often the cards of day to day business dealings, of earthly gain but also the spiritual problems that result from pursuing it. He represents hasty change, and a man who lives by intuition rather than reasoned, logical judgment. As an advice card, it's essentially recommending that you follow your heart.

Card III (possible outcome):

King of Wands. Interesting! This card can be interpreted as a more grown-up, contented, mature version of the Knight, someone who is typically married and is through with living rashly and has begun to live rationally. Someone who lives near a large city and leads a well-balanced life. I would say that as an outcome card, this is indicating that your following of the advice card will be a natural step in a very natural, growing-up type of life progression.

bought my gf this deck http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/tarot-of-cat-people/ hehe

― throwing darts and eating pizza behind impenetrable walls (diamonddave85), Tuesday, March 15, 2011 6:27 PM (4 days ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Hee, I had this when I was about 12 or so. Never believed in the stuff but thought it would be a neat party trick.

Wmc, for your question I did a one-card draw. I usually find that's best for yes/no questions.

The card was The Moon.

It's a very mysterious card that can represent our unconscious minds, dreams, the unknown. It's telling us that things follow a cycle, often sending us tumbling into the unforeseen. If your moving from Mississippi would represent to you and your family a move into the unknown, or something unexpected, then I would say that this card is saying yes to your question.

thanks, roxy! you're the best

thanks!

you're welcome!

Currently reading Crowley's Book of Lies (my first endeavor into him) ... would understanding further reading help by familiarizing myself w/ tarot cards? The edition I have graces me with a SparkNotes-esque "translation" on every adjacent page, but I still can't help but feeling like... well, what everybody else feels like reading his stuff.

About the Tarot deck solitaires I mentioned upthread...Pysol has quite a few, some of which are quite interesting, and they should be playable with a real deck.

I got some cards to do a teen program with at the library. Question: are you supposed to shuffle them like a deck or cards . . . or are you supposed to just intersperse them? And is the person with the question supposed to shuffle and overturn them, or are you supposed to do it for them?

I did the 3-card past, present and future reading. There's so much more to these cards then I realized.

i tend to give the cards to the other person to shuffle, instructing them to be mindful of what theyd like to get out of the reading while shuffling the cards. then to return the cards to me when they 'feel' like the cards are shuffled enough

regarding shuffling technique, in my opinion theres no wrong way.. if im reading at a party or something and the table is covered with drinks and whatnot, i usually just tell em to shuffle like a regular deck of cards. if i have a lot of space available and a clean surface, sometimes it's fun to just spread them all around, mixing them together in a big wild pile. the upside to this is that the shuffler gets to touch most of the cards (and transfer their energies/subconscious/whatever if yr into the new agey stuff)

Cool! I shuffled them the way I would a deck of cards . . . but then I was afraid I had killed off all of their energy by treating them so prosaically.

We did a few exercises from the "Tarot for Teens" book. One involved sorting the Major Arcana into what they thought were positive and negative piles . . . and the kids also came up with a "middle pile." We then talked about why they thought the cards were negative or positive focusing on the imagery and colors and such. We talked about what they thought the major cards could mean and then we researched their actual meanings. Then we took all the cards and spread them out in the middle of table. Every one got to pick one card which they felt most represented them. I didn't get into the significators but I think that's what we were doing. They touched the cards a lot and moved them all around. After they picked the card they said why it was their favorite and then we researched the actual meaning.

Then we did quick 3-card readings with each of them thinking of a question . . . and I tried to read the cards as their past, present and future in terms of that question. If they wanted after the reading they could state their question and then we could talk about it more.

I am happy you're doing occult teen outreach!

^^ agree! this is rad.

sounds fun

tarot imagery is awesome, so much in there

Haha, thanks. It's an official teen program but it veers highly to the preteen side of things, as the actual teens are are a bit scarce at my branch. I was a little worried the parents might take issue, but no one complained.

We're also going to try palm reading at some point. I just finished one program where the kids were really rowdy and they asked what we were going to do next and I said we were going to sit quietly and reflect upon our actions and they said, "Oh, yoga!"

looool

I have been doing 3-card readings in the morning to think about through the day. this morning i pulled THREE QUEENS (cups, wands, pentacles, in that order). This has never happened to me before and I'm at a bit of a loss as to how to interpret it?

When I was 7 or so my dad used to have me peruse his Rider-Waite deck and make up stories about what was happening on the cards. Wish I had some notes of what I said, as I recall him finding my stories pretty hilarious. Also wish I still had that deck, though he probably purged it during some religious crisis (my dad was possibly schizophrenic & had a troubled on and off relationship with Christianity, but definitely had his period of being into occult shit, esp as related to the Third Reich. Fun times.)

Anyway, I don't know much about tarot, but aesthetically my favorites are the two of swords & the ace of wands. Whenever I do online readings I always get tons of swords & wands, the devil & the one pentacle card with the haggard old people outside of the church in the snow. I almost never get other pentacles or cups.

ILXORMELD. I just bought a Ryder-Waite & Crowley deck, and a beginner's guide book.

http://img1.imagesbn.com/p/9781578630486_p0_v1_s260x420.JPG

It's actually not a terrible book, if you can read between the new-age purple mist.
Also Joan Bunning closely qualifies as amazing real name.

hey elmo, how do you do your daily 3 card readings? i either do "situation, advice, outcome" or "past, present, future" focusing on a specific situation or feeling or problem when i use 3 card spreads, but i feel like there's a better way for daily readings. i've done a one card reading every day this year.

not elmo, but my favorite 3-card reading style is a free-form style from jodorowsky's book where you essentially let the cards tell you how they're meant to be read. you treat the three card spread as a complete sentence and use the symbolism and relationships between cards to give you direction on how it's to be read. for example, off the top of my head, if the first card looks left, the second card looks forward, and the third card looks to the right, my interpretation could be a past/present/future reading.

i tend to use only the major arcana for these readings cuz they have the highest density of symbolism

it's funny, i don't know whether i consciously read them as 'past / present / future', it's usually more of a 'situation / advice / possible outcome' or even 'thesis / antithesis / synthesis' framing. i tend to look at the different cards in conversation with each other as a whole, rather than a sequence of discrete steps. A lot of the meaning i take from the reading comes from contemplation of the cards' differences, similarities, or other linkages. does a symbol show up in two of the cards? are they the same suit, or same number? what might that mean? how does one lead to the next?

i try not to attach a predictive significance to my daily reading because i find it a bit difficult to carry that around through the day. too stressful for some reason. i much prefer the daily reading as something to turn over in my mind idly throughout the day. if i'm lucky sometimes contemplation leads to insight but it doesn't happen always or even frequently, but i enjoy the process just the same.

i should allow myself to be more free-form with my readings. it sounds rewarding.

I've been on a Jodorowsky kick lately & therefore reading a lot about the tarot. I don't believe in fortune telling but the archetypes represented by the cards are extremely powerful and useful. this short doc from the "Holy Mountain" extras is wonderful:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqnVKr9hf4A

not my jam but i do love this publishing house
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/beehivebooks/botanica-a-tarot-deck-about-the-language-of-flowers

dud

I’d rather play d&d

fortune telling is of course not real, but I think reading tarot is an interesting way of accessing the subconscious. Mostly I’m impressed by the history of it and the images of the different traditions over the centuries, many of which are incredibly beautiful and powerful - the Marseilles, Etteilla, Rider-Waite-Smith, Thoth, Celtic Wheel

fortune telling is of course not real, but I think reading tarot is an interesting way of accessing the subconscious.

What's the difference? It doesn't matter if it's real as long as it's true.

The only tarot deck I have is an imported facsimile of the Visconti-Sforza deck. Not especially funtional as the V-S is missing several cards.

I have done countless oracular readings for curious skeptics who I assured that we're just trying to access what we already inwardly know.

"we're just trying to access what we already inwardly know" - yes, that is my way of looking at it, and experiencing that with other people is surprisingly rewarding

I feel like I have been ahead of the trend, it seems like every store on Valencia Street in SF now features tarot. I went to the Morgan Library in NY last week, and the bookstore there has a whole shelf of tarot decks and books