Tarot Basics: Favorite card Assignment

Thirteen

So, we've discussed your least fave card, now let's discuss your favorite. Which card is your favorite card and why? It is the message/meaning that you like best? The look of it? Or does it just seem to say something to you that other cards don't?

Clarify to yourself (and hey, to us!) why you like this card so very much.

And...here's the hard part: is there any potential negative aspect to this card, in meaning, that you tend to overlook because you like it so much? One you really should remember? I'm not trying to get you to say nasty things about your best friend here, just to admit that it might have a few, forgivable faults. That's is not all sweetness, light and perfection all the time--just most of the time :)
 

sapienza

My absolute favourite card is the Eight of Cups (Mythic Deck). I adore this card. I love the idea of walking away from the known and secure towards the unknown, being prepared to give up everything you have to achieve your dream. In the Mythic deck, this card is linked to the myth of Psyche and Eros and this card represents Psyche's decent into the underworld. It is a beautiful and inspirational card to me. I love the colours, the imagery, the myth.

Now, trying to see a negative aspect...that is far more difficult. I guess the danger here is being overly attracted to the unknown. The 'grass is always greener' syndrome (which I do tend to suffer from). The practical implications of this card can be quite painful if you look at it in this way.

I also love the High Priestess card in both the Mythic and Robin Wood decks. The Mythic deck depicts Peresphone in the underworld and is a beautiful card. The High Priestess from the Robin Wood deck came to me in a dream - which is why I bought the deck. She is so beautiful and for me this card represents understanding, finding the answers, and the presence of a spiritual guide.

I honestly can't think of a negative aspect to The High Priestess and would be interested to get your feedback on this Thirteen.

ww
 

marichan

<snippets>
witchywoman (29 Nov, 2001 22:59):
My absolute favourite card is the Eight of Cups (Mythic Deck).
Now, trying to see a negative aspect...that is far more difficult. I guess the danger here is being overly attracted to the unknown. The 'grass is always greener' syndrome (which I do tend to suffer from). The practical implications of this card can be quite painful if you look at it in this way.

Not that I've done my own assignment yet ;p , but I remember learning early on that the 8 of cups could be a sign of stagnation or ill health. (I don't think this was it's reversed meaning.)
 

Melvis

NEW DECK DISCLAIMER: I just purchased the Cosmic Tribe deck, so I'm a bit partial to it...

I've never been over excited about the Empress card in any deck, so it surprised me how much I connected with the Empress from the Cosmic Tribe. There is such a strong nurturing feeling that I get from it that is anything but smothering. I think it's one card where the nudity found in this deck really works, because the naked Empress seems more open and giving than in other decks I've seen.

A negative aspect of this card can be seen in the sheer abundance of wildflowers on the card...too much nurturing and growth can become overwhelming and lead to chaos. There has to be some point where the Emperor steps in and creates some order.

Thanks, Thirteen! ;D

Peace,

Melvis
 

AquarianGoddess

Hello to all,

I'm very new to tarot, just a few months of study. My favorite card is The Chariot. I just love this card. To me it represents justice in an odd kind of way. Sometimes in life we must take the reigns and go for it!

Haven't yet discovered a negative side, but perhaps some of you can chime in on that part.
 

AquarianGoddess

Hello to all,

I'm very new to tarot, just a few months of study. My favorite card is The Chariot. I just love this card. To me it represents justice in an odd kind of way. Sometimes in life we must take the reigns and go for it!

Haven't yet discovered a negative side, but perhaps some of you can chime in on that part.

Ironically, just a few days ago, I discovered that the Chariot is my Year Card for this year. Perhaps that's why I found myself gravitating toward this card from the beginning.
 

Talisman

Hi,

I'm the kid in the back of the class, the one who sits in the back row.

Is this going anywhere?

Talisman
 

Moose

I have a special affinity to the Hermit. He is what I strive to be.

He exemplifies the rewards of solitude, introspection and the compensations that come with aging.

I believe it is an assignment given to the elders to teach the lessons of past experiences and when they are seeked out to pass on wise counsel.

Solitude and introspection enables one to contemplate the path to self-mastery. Ah, a time for meditation.

On the down-side one must remember that withdrawing and isolation are counterproductive to the sage who continues to draw experience from everyday living.

I have a fondness for the Zerner-Farber Hermit. He walks the path of life alone. His beard long, his robes brown and his countenance thoughtful. He lingers at an old tree whose trunk is bowed from it's abundance. The green and gold of the leaves symbolizing growth, youth and attainment.

Now guess who is a Virgo with a 5 year plan for retirement!

Thanks again,Thirteen for giving this Hermit another learning opportunity.

Blessings, Moose
 

Thirteen

witchywoman (29 Nov, 2001 22:59):
I honestly can't think of a negative aspect to The High Priestess and would be interested to get your feedback on this Thirteen.

The High Priestess is one of my all time faves, too. What she looks like in a deck usually decides me on whether to buy it or not (not always, but usually).

It's hard for me, too, to say anything negative about her as this card is certainly a totem for me and for most tarot card readers. She's the High Priestess afterall, Yin to the Magician's Yang, therapist, teacher, wise woman, full of secret knowledge, with the moon (intuition) as her ruling planet. When no one else has the answer, she does. And you just know she's got a cool library hidden behind that curtain ;) One you could live in for days.

But yes, there is a dark side to her as there is to the moon. One problem is that she can symbolize the really scary side of a woman. In the mythic tarot she is Persephone, and that meanst that part of the time, she's the queen of the underworld, of death and ghosts. The HPS can indicate women who are cold and dark as a moonless night, the ones with icy tempers who show no kindness or mercy.

Now, luckily, most women aren't like that all the time (beware those who are!). So the card might only be a tap on the shoulder to a woman, a reminder that she's been kinda mean and chilly lately. It might also be a wake-up call. A woman who is like that often might be in a situation where she's angry all the time. Does this woman feel chained to a man she really doesn't love or respect? Does she resent her children (not all women should be moms!)? Is she in a job she hates? Is there something in her past she's not confronting? Or does she just have a hormonal problem that can easily be treated with medication?

Another potential negative is that the High Priestess could indicate a woman too much inside her head (lost in her books), a loner or even a recluse. "Nuns" who neglect their looks or keep to a look unflattering or outdated, hiding inside dark houses. They insist that they neither need, nor want companionship. Being alone is their elite destiny.

Being the reclusive, in-your-head HPS some of the time is fine, but all of the time means that having secret knowledge is more important to you than making use of it. And that's a waste both of the knowledge, and of you.

If a querent has become that kind of full time HPS, I usually advise her to boldly and radically change her looks and wardrobe, get out into the sun, and for heaven's sake SMILE. Say hello, meet people, share herself. Otherwise, she will wither away in the dark and leave nothing but dust behind.
 

Raven

My absolute favorite card is the Eight of Swords. This is the card that drew me to the RW deck without knowing a thing about the meaning of any of the cards. I remember coming back to it a couple of times while flipping through the cards and being drawn to it. My personal feel for this card (though maybe not the true meaning behind the card) is in a sense of power, but power that comes with trusting oneself.

She is blindfolded and tied and surrounded by swords yet the swords are on either side of a path so if she finds trust in herself she will find her way through the swords. I like the imagery of light coming through the clouds and the ocean behind her that seems to be stormy. This seems to say that the storm is coming to an end.

Now to find something negative, I guess the negative could be in that the querant isn't finding that self trust? That this card is a warning that one has to be brave in a situation where it takes a lot to find that bravery.

Light and Love,
Raven