can we make our own rules in tarot?

there is structural rules that we do have to adhere too, like there is major cards and there is minor cards in suits. There is a basic "system" (unless you only use oracles). However we all find our own path and own rules. for example I really try to go as simple as possible with the cards, I ignore all the stuff about astrology, elements, etc,etc (okay I sometimes use them but rarely). it's just my method! So I think the answer is yes we can make our own rules.

But to throw something in to the mix, each card has a universal "theme" or keywords that it is known by. What if a reader completely ignored that "universal meaning". is it breaking the rules? 2 of Cups is universally seen for partnerships, maybe love, maybe business. But someone could have an entirely different take on it for their tarot system. I am not sure that is a problem if the outcome fits the person. but there is symbols and images on the cards for a reason. saying 2 of Cups is a card of stress and anxiety just doesn't fit the image.

Tarotbear (I think it was him) posted something a while ago that I really remember about "programming" the cards. In the theory you could make a card mean something to you, this card means "marriage", this card means "birth", so you could make a card mean something for you, that is your own rules. I wonder though how far you could push it!

Making rules doesn't matter, whatever works for you is my own policy! and I love that if you have 10 people interpreting the same spread on AT, each interpretation will be different but probably all will fit. But I wonder how far you can push the rules

I am glad we are breaking the rules that some tarot authors used to insist on before about 2000! you must do tarot like this or that! it's much more flexible now

ravenest said:

This metaphor suggests that Tarot works in an a modulated wave form, like it is a signal that increases and decreases in strength and frequency; it is always 'on' and information is relayed in a pattern or code within the signal frequency. Yes / no suggests on / off binary or digital signal , little packets of 00110100100111001. Therefore yes / no isn't appropriate for tarot ... maybe I Ching ; solid line or broken line combinations . Tarot is not a divinatory system based on combinations of on / off like the I Ching is.

is that what you meant?

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What i mean is that because of the irrational (subconscious) nature of tarot, and maybe divination in general, a yes/no question is too clearcut.

danieljuk said:

Making rules doesn't matter, whatever works for you is my own policy! and I love that if you have 10 people interpreting the same spread on AT, each interpretation will be different but probably all will fit. But I wonder how far you can push the rules

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Take for example the OOTK spread and the ED's. It's quite an elaborate recipe to execute. Suppose we make the rule that the right flanking card can be read well-dignified, and the left ill-dignified. Now suppose that the universal intelligence wants to tell us a story, then it could be that this rule is too restrictive in combination with the other rules of weakening/strenghtening, counting and pairing.

yogiman said:

What i mean is that because of the irrational (subconscious) nature of tarot, and maybe divination in general, a yes/no question is too clearcut.

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I have to say that I agree that it is against the nature of Tarot to answer yes/no questions. But I think my reasoning why differs from some people's. I still tend to believe believe that Tarot itself can get very specific with details, but the yes/no question cannot always be clearcut, as sometimes the answer is neither. Sometimes it is maybe if it would be yes if certain circumstances come to pass and no if others do instead.

But then again, I don't believe that the answers come from out subconscious or an irrational place. At least that is not where I believe mine come from. I personally believe that my answers are coming from the most rational and logical place there is, in that I believe divination is a communication with the Divine. To me the source of Tarot knows all that can be known in great depth, but I don't see anything irrational in my mind to it. Or to me anyway, it's not so much about the subconscious but about our intuition/6th sense that lets us pick up on what is being told to us.


Babs

Dear Babs,

Let's be down to earth. I am sure there is no tarotist who can beat a lie detector, notwithstanding its fallibility. If otherwise, then go and get your million at http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/1m-challenge.html.

yogiman said:

Dear Babs,

Let's be down to earth. I am sure there is no tarotist who can beat a lie detector, notwithstanding its fallibility. If otherwise, then go and get your million at http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/1m-challenge.html.

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Not to knock anyone's beliefs of course, and just stating my own....Tarot itself can be very accurate and precise... people/readers can at times be fallible. No human being is or can be perfect of course.

I am not sure whether or not a lie detactor is applicable to Tarot readings, maybe it is ...not too sure about that. I think though, and I may be wrong, that lie detectors only apply when the person themselves is giving you the info first hand. In a reading the reader is just interpreting information that is sent to them from another source, so it is second hand information in that sense. The lie detector would need to be applied to the source sending the info, if that could be done, the way I am seeing it.

It like I was telling you that Joe told me this.,,,to know if the info was true you'd have to apply the lie detector to Joe, unless I misunderstood what he said. In which case I would not know I was wrong, so the lie detector would not pick up on it, if I thought I was right as I was saying it.

As for lotteries, no I definitely do not believe Tarot readings will give us winning lottery numbers. I do not believe you can get that kind of info from Tarot. But not because the cards (source that sends us the info through the cards) could not do so if they wanted to. They can give us information that precise if they wanted to. But because we are not meant to have that info.

Tarot, in my view, is a spiritual source and will not tell us what we are not meant to know. I have had that come up more than once in readings too. At times the cards will just up and tell me the querent is not meant to have that info that they asked about, that it is not in their best/highest interest to know.

When it comes to winning a lottery, we are either meant to win or we are not meant to win. If we are meant to, then we will no matter what we do and we do not need the cards to tell us the numbers. If we are not meant to win, the cards will not tell us the numbers as we are not meant to know them or to win.

Also, in my personal view, since Tarot is a spiritual tool, and divination is a conversation with the Divine, what is the motivation of asking for a way to suddenly come into millions of dollars...? If the motivation is just greed and all you could buy with it, yachts, mansions....that is not the most spiritual reason and may not lead to the best spiritual growth so the cards will not likely help with that. Maybe a better chance if the motivation was a sincere wish to give all the money to charity, although I am not sure that would be the motivation of most people asking.

Those are just my views again, And that of course no reader is perfect but errors hopefully don't happen too often in a good reader.

Babs

yogiman said:

What i mean is that because of the irrational (subconscious) nature of tarot, and maybe divination in general, a yes/no question is too clearcut.

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I see. I agree too, I wrote elsewhere that yes/no ... flip a coin. What should I do? - I Ching (interesting as it based on a system of social 'morals'). Why and what's it about? - Tarot.

Some say 'why and what's it about ' can answer 'What should I do?' and 'yes / no ' .

Many tarot experts advice to better not ask why questions.

By the way, great observations.

I am a Tarot 'expert'.

I posted a question http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=204171, and i don't know whether the response did help me. So i ask a tarot expert: Do you treat the trumps essentially different from the minors?

I think that in a case like this it is not proper to set your own rule as treating them both in the same way as simply racks for keywords.