headincloud
I think the best thing to do here is to agree to disagree about this. It's fine if headincloud prefers to read her (or his?) way but that doesn't negate the way anyone else here reads.
Sometimes we've had the issue of Tarot certification come up here and the result of that is usually to find that it isn't possible to certify whether someone is competent to read the cards by passing some sort of test. I think this thread is sort of along the same lines. It's not possible to do a one-size-fits-all test to determine that. There are so many factors that come into consideration. For instance, some people just use the cards by intuition alone and not learning the traditional meanings, but they're excellent readers nevertheless. There are others who, like Barleywine for one, use almost a mathematical consideration of the cards and their message. Then there are those who use the cards but are more on the psychic order who may know and sometimes use "book meanings" but their readings are based quite a bit on psychic information.
Whatever way any of us reads is okay if that's how it works for us. We may not understand how somebody else comes to the message they see in the cards, but there's room for us all here. The end result is what matters.
Headincloud, I've seen your input on readings here and I think you do a very good job of interpreting the cards in the way that works for you. Nobody can deny that, I'm sure, but you need to also accept that we're not all the same. The proof is in the pudding, so to speak.
I sometimes look at Barleywine's way of reading the cards with great admiration, but when I read his way of describing how he comes the the conclusions he makes, I often can't make heads nor tales of it. He's an excellent reader, but I have what I call "dumb spots" and I haven't managed to absorb the Tarot information in the technical way he's able to.
If you were to ask me how I arrive at the readings I do, I honestly can't tell you in detail. I just do what works for me and am happy to allow others to do what works for them, even if I can't relate that much to the details.
Couldn't agree more Griz, more than happy to agree to disagree thanks for your input make good sense.