Associations of cards

G Dren

SunChariot said:
I have no idea what this means to get re-associated. I just don't read that way. But then again I invented most of my reading method, which is simple enough to use. I was not into learning complicated procedures. LOL

I don't think you can apply the word "should" to Tarot. Any reader is free to read in any manner that feels right to them. If it works well it's valid for them.

Card meaning does have a certain fluidity to it, imo though. It's not static. It has a flow, meaning can change according to the many things. After all, Tarot is a system of 78 cards that can tell us ANYTHING at all. There is no limit to what the cards can say to us. In only 78 cards. So there are clearly more than 78 things the cards can say. Each card can speak volumes. And differently in different readings

That said, for me in the way I read, the cards do have set 1 or 2 work meanings for me that don't change. But these are not really THE answer from the cards, but they just pretty much point out the topic of the answer. The actual answer for me comes from the card image, which is intuitive. And the image can say vastly different things each time.

But I don't do what you mentioned above at all. If a card talked about the same line of work, or moving to a new place, then if talking about how a person is feeling inside it might be saying that they feel that the same line of thoughts they have been having has not been working for them. And that they feel that they need to move to a new place inside themselves emotionally. That they are not happy with their feelings, and feel a need to move past what they are currently feeling as it is not working for them inside.

For me the Pentacles are about the goals we set and how to best accomplish them. And 2's are about relationships between 2 people. So 2 of Pents = the goals someone has set (or both partners have set) for the relationship. So it could be, with your meanings, that they are not happy with how things feel to them in the relationship and they want to set some goals to break with the old ways of doing things that have not been working and move beyond them to a new place that feels better. But that again, for me, would just be the topic/a sort of summary. The real answer would come from the card image for me.

Babs

I did not realize someone else replied; my apologies, As I discovered; my initial teachings were less than optimal! And the amount of guidance I got was minute! I began to see that the 4 suits which have specific orientations were being used outside of those base meanings. Being ex-military; it was hard for me to think outside the boundaries. I am seeing now how they can still be used outside their base meanings, I am just one that has a hard time straying from those base meanings. I am starting to learn the tie-ins; as it were. Everyone on the boards has been very considerate and helpful. I do like the way you state that pentacles also stands for personal goals. Which gets much closer to the material aspect! Thank you for that.

nisaba

G Dren said:
Shouldn't the cards always stay true to their base meanings? I.E. Pentacles or Coins deal with matters of material and finance.

So who, exactly decides on "their basic meanings"? The most popular best-selling book on Tarot, and all the books that quote it or misquote it through the years?

None of the cards have a set fixed meaning. Each of them represent an energy or a way-of-being, which can be interpreted differently in every different personal circumstance people might find themselves in, while still being true to the card. Finances, like everything else, are just a situation: every card can be interpreted financially, and every card can be interpreted in different non-financial ways.

G Dren

nisaba said:
So who, exactly decides on "their basic meanings"? The most popular best-selling book on Tarot, and all the books that quote it or misquote it through the years?

None of the cards have a set fixed meaning. Each of them represent an energy or a way-of-being, which can be interpreted differently in every different personal circumstance people might find themselves in, while still being true to the card. Finances, like everything else, are just a situation: every card can be interpreted financially, and every card can be interpreted in different non-financial ways.

What I was getting at is that we will say:
Coins = Material and Financial Conditions
Swords = States of mind, and states of conflict
Cups = Emotions, and Feelings
Wands = Action, Energy, Power

This is according to my Dragon Tarot by Terry Donaldson Illustrated by Peter Procownik.
I am seeing how to re-view these meanings. I was initially having a hard time on account of training I received from my Wiccan High Priestess. I am working through this learning block. My own interpretations were starting to reflect the fact that I was not always sticking to this "rule". and am trying to figure out why I am seeing this change in my own readings. I guess I am trying to say: I am attempting to unlearn this stringent ideology I was initially taught.

Barleywine

G Dren said:
What I was getting at is that we will say:
Coins = Material and Financial Conditions
Swords = States of mind, and states of conflict
Cups = Emotions, and Feelings
Wands = Action, Energy, Power

This is according to my Dragon Tarot by Terry Donaldson Illustrated by Peter Procownik.
I am seeing how to re-view these meanings. I was initially having a hard time on account of training I received from my Wiccan High Priestess. I am working through this learning block. My own interpretations were starting to reflect the fact that I was not always sticking to this "rule". and am trying to figure out why I am seeing this change in my own readings. I guess I am trying to say: I am attempting to unlearn this stringent ideology I was initially taught.

I don't think there is anything to "unlearn." The four classifications we use to differentiate the suits go back to the four elements of Empedocles, and form a convenient foundation on which to build. I see it as a process of diversification rather than elimination. In recent times it has become more psychological than literal, but its roots are still visible. All of the various systems of correspondences are designed to "shade" those elemental core meanings in subtle ways - whether numerological, astrological, qabalistic or allegorical, creating myriad nuances of interpretation. I worked with the Thoth deck and its "glorified pip cards" for decades and never missed the narrative volubility of other popular decks. It's only since I exposed myself to those decks that I began mistrusting their all-too-pat scenic assertions. I use the core knowledge in concert with the images as a springboard for the intuition, since their conjoined textures can fuel imagination, inspiration and insight.

G Dren

Barleywine said:
I don't think there is anything to "unlearn." The four classifications we use to differentiate the suits go back to the four elements of Empedocles, and form a convenient foundation on which to build. I see it as a process of diversification rather than elimination. In recent times it has become more psychological than literal, but its roots are still visible. All of the various systems of correspondences are designed to "shade" those elemental core meanings in subtle ways - whether numerological, astrological, qabalistic or allegorical, creating myriad nuances of interpretation. I worked with the Thoth deck and its "glorified pip cards" for decades and never missed the narrative volubility of other popular decks. It's only since I exposed myself to those decks that I began mistrusting their all-too-pat scenic assertions. I use the core knowledge in concert with the images as a springboard for the intuition, since their conjoined textures can fuel imagination, inspiration and insight.

It is sometimes difficult for me to properly express what it is that I am saying. I sometimes have to take a go at things from a different angle and ignore everything I have learned; else I have a terrible time learning something a different way. It is and has been a quirk of my psyche for as long as I recollect. I used to be so terribly: this is how I was taught, and there is no room for enhancement. When I say unlearn; it means to ignore what I think I know for a while, then recombine it with what I knew. I never seem to forget what I previously learned for some odd reason. I learned hardcore structure from a person that did not fully get the way I think; not knowing it would permanently stick after a while. Once I learn how to read from a different angle, all useful information gets put back in. I am not sure how I figured out this quirk in my behavior, it does work for me. Me and numbers on the other hand get along like oil and water. Numbers will take a very long time for me.