positive card in negative position in the spread

*Cecilia*

Hi everyone,

So I'm a total beginner and I stumbled upon the following...

I practiced for fun (for a imaginary client) the following question+spread:

"If I choose to study philosophy, what good and what bad will that bring me?"

.......5.....
1..2....3..4

1&2: positive things it will bring me
3&4: negative things it will bring be
5: general advice/something you need to consider

Now, for the position of 3 I draw the world card. According to the (small) book that came with my deck, this is a highly positive card...

So my question is:

what do you do with a positive card in a negative position in your spread, or vice versa?

Do you maybe
use the meaning of the card as if it where laying upside down (say, the opposite of what it normally means)
or
do you see this as a sign that there is no negative thing and you see this card as something positive (but then what would be the use of using a spread with fixed positions?)
or
something else?

note: I personally don't work with cards upside down, in my deck all cards face the same side.

Thanks in advance for any views on this =)
C'
 

JackofWands

A couple of thoughts (although certainly there are more ways you can read this card):

First off, check the AT page on the World here. This is probably a more detailed description than the one offered in your LWB, and might give you some specific insight into how you can read the card.

Sometimes, when a positive card comes up in a "negative" position, you can take it to mean that there isn't actually a negative. With some choices, there genuinely isn't a downside, so instead of a card that could represent a specific negative, you get one of overwhelming positivity. However, this is pretty rare, because almost everything has a downside, so I'd be wary of ascribing this meaning too freely. It can sort of be the "easy way out" that prevents you from looking too closely at how a card fits a querent. In my personal opinion, it doesn't quite fit with this particular reading, but it's something you can keep in mind for the future.

The World represents completion and the end of a journey (although it often hints at the beginning of another). In this sense, it could mean that if your imaginary client studies philosophy, she'll move on to a new phase in her life, but will inevitably have to leave her old life behind. This could be something small or something drastic, but to my eye, the presence of the World in this position implies that a sacrifice has to be made.

The World can also often represent the "big picture" (or rather, the biggest of the big pictures)--a pretty fitting card for someone looking to study philosophy. However, the danger of the big picture is that sometimes it distracts from the mundane, normal life that everyone has to live. In this sense, the presence of the World could mean that studying philosophy will draw your querent's attention too much to abstract things, and will result in her forgetting to deal with her quotidian life (or just not wanting to).

Generally speaking, although some cards are more positive and others are more negative, each card in the deck is nuanced and can mean both good and bad things, depending on the circumstances. My advice to you would be to keep studying and work on learning the specifics of how each card can be applied. It'll take some practice, but you'll get there.
 

donnalee

Sometimes if I ask something like "what is best to avoid in this situation?" and get something that looks like a positive card, I simply run through all the meanings to myself, and there is often something that comes out: The World might mean be more private or isolated for a while, or the ten of cups or pentacles or three of cups etc. might mean something to me at that time like avoid the family or public or community aspect, or even avoid flaunting good luck or money or whatever the particular card means. Is this the sort of thing you mean? I don't use reversals in most cases either, but I believe there are a lot of angles to each card, and if I dig around in my mind (or books if I feel that helpful), I come up with something, even if it may be minor-seeming. Good luck with this--
 

dancing_moon

Strictly IMHO, there are no 'positive' or 'negative' cards, just like there are no 'positive' or 'negative' things in life (which is a topic for a totally different discussion :) ), our own judgment colors/labels them as such.

Thus, the World in this position can be an ending to something in your hypothetical querent's life, feeling overwhelmed or even having to travel too much for studies. Any of these are assumed to have negative impact on her life due to the World's position.

Hope this helps. :)
 

ravenest

Hi everyone,

So I'm a total beginner and I stumbled upon the following...

I practiced for fun (for a imaginary client) the following question+spread:

"If I choose to study philosophy, what good and what bad will that bring me?"

.......5.....
1..2....3..4

1&2: positive things it will bring me
3&4: negative things it will bring be
5: general advice/something you need to consider

Now, for the position of 3 I draw the world card. According to the (small) book that came with my deck, this is a highly positive card...

So my question is:

what do you do with a positive card in a negative position in your spread, or vice versa?

Do you maybe
use the meaning of the card as if it where laying upside down (say, the opposite of what it normally means)
or
do you see this as a sign that there is no negative thing and you see this card as something positive (but then what would be the use of using a spread with fixed positions?)
or
something else?

note: I personally don't work with cards upside down, in my deck all cards face the same side.

Thanks in advance for any views on this =)
C'

Instantly I thought of the immensity of the subject ... have you ever tried studying philosophy ? ? ? Read this simple introduction, then contemplate studying all of that.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy

Can you see the 'difficulty' of the subject .... it's 'immensity' .... thats what I instantly related to the World card , being in the 'cons' position ... (what I did was fudged the position instead of the card .... perhaps be a bit more flexible in seeing the other side of the coin as 'negative things it will bring me' - perhaps better to ask about 'difficulties involved' ?

[ All your cards "face the same side" ? :confused: ]
 

*Cecilia*

perhaps be a bit more flexible in seeing the other side of the coin as 'negative things it will bring me' - perhaps better to ask about 'difficulties involved' ?

[ All your cards "face the same side" ? :confused: ]

those two things have to do with the fact that I'm not a native speaker of English...

the meaning of position 3&4 is indeed broader than "negative things it will bring me"... I just don't always know how to translate my Dutch thoughts into English typing...

so same goes for "face the same side"... what I'm trying to say with that is that there are no cards upside down, and I don't mean facing the table, but I mean.. they are all upright, not reversed... I hope I just said what I ment to say... :D



in general to everyone:
thanks!
I think the book that came with my deck just gives interpretations that are too shallow and I need to study more on the different aspects of the cards
 

cSpaceDiva

Hi Cecilia~ I don't typically read with reversals either and one of the reasons is because I tend to use spreads similar to the one you describe, with pros & cons, strengths & weaknesses, etc. I don't view cards as having an 'upright' meaning and a 'reversed' meaning, but having a range of meanings. I use the spread position and surrounding cards to clue me in about which meaning is the most true for the question at hand.

In the situation you describe, I would lean more towards your first option, read the card as if it were a reversal (the more negative aspects of the card will be emphasized.) I would tend not to read as saying no bad things will come. Every decision has some drawbacks. A minor arcana card with a small number might mean insubstantial drawbacks, a big card like world I wouldn't interpret that way.
 

Thirteen

The Situation defines a card's "negative/positive" attributes

I'm with Ravenest. You always have to remember the question. Your question was about studying philosophy. And while the World is generally a nice card to get, it is about a loooooooong period of study. Remember, Saturn is it's ruling planet and that means "old man Saturn." The guy with the beard and the hour glass. When you get the world, it warns that nothing is going to be fast or small. It's going to be slow, slow, slow and big, big, big.

So, not only is the "negative" of studying philosophy that it's an enormous, complicated topic to tackle, but it's also going to take a long time for you to master it. Those are pretty clear "negatives" aren't they?

And that's the trick answer to your question ;) Often with tarot cards, the situation decides whether something is positive or negative. The Sun is a wonderful thing if it appears after a cold, rainy day. But it's not a wonderful thing out in a hot dessert with no shade. Likewise here. The World is a great card, but not if you're after mastering a subject quickly.
 

nisaba

"If I choose to study philosophy, what good and what bad will that bring me?"
Good question.

.......5.....
1..2....3..4

1&2: positive things it will bring me
3&4: negative things it will bring be
5: general advice/something you need to consider
And a nice spread! You're off-and-flying as a reader.

Now, for the position of 3 I draw the world card. According to the (small) book that came with my deck, this is a highly positive card...

So my question is:

what do you do with a positive card in a negative position in your spread, or vice versa?

Depends on the card, the spread, and the circumstances.

What I would do with that particular card in that particular spread for that question is this:

The World card is about reaching the end of a cycle, generally speaking. So one of the negative things that studying philosophy will bring "you", is that you will have to reassess your lifestyle and beliefs, and leave some of them behind in the past. This might *sound* like positive growth, but it can be quite painful, especially if it leaves you at odds with loved ones that you've always agreed with before you studied philosophy.
 

ravenest

those two things have to do with the fact that I'm not a native speaker of English...

the meaning of position 3&4 is indeed broader than "negative things it will bring me"... I just don't always know how to translate my Dutch thoughts into English typing...

Okay :) ... but you just did fine then :thumbsup:
so same goes for "face the same side"... what I'm trying to say with that is that there are no cards upside down, and I don't mean facing the table, but I mean.. they are all upright, not reversed... I hope I just said what I ment to say... :D

:laugh: you sound like one of my friends ... and English is the ONLY language she speaks. Lets just say ... agreed (because I dont read reversed cards either).

in general to everyone:
thanks!
I think the book that came with my deck just gives interpretations that are too shallow and I need to study more on the different aspects of the cards

Continually :) ... 30+ years - I am still at it.