Pips have me confused, disheartened and wanting to give up.

Padma

Yes, true for me. But I think it's not all about knowledge .

This was brilliant, Jean! Great video - Thanks for posting the link - and I borrowed it (and credited you) for the thread "last person to post". This needs to be seen by as many people as possible! :thumbsup:

In regard to the pip cards, myself I found them hard to work with. I could only "see" into them if I just let my mind and eyes sort of unfocus, and wander...then I would get an intuitive meaning from them. You kind of have to loosen up, and listen, so to speak...imo!
 

Mr Timothy Gray

I often think of the Pips as the stars in the sky. You have to imagine a connect-the-dots puzzle to find the images.
 

BSwett

Ultimately, the answers are inside of us. Tarot doesn't know. Jodo sure as hell doesn't know. Camelia is not gonna tell you to go north or south. And either way, if you keep going, you'll end up in the same place.
You have the answers, deep inside. The cards are just the warm ice-cream scooper that is going to dig into your brain or soul to find the flavour or the answers. 2 of cups means nothing; what matters is what's inside the cups -in that particular moment. Today it can be vanilla, tomorrow, hopefully, pistachio.

Paz,
B.
 

The Happy Squirrel

Thanks for starting this thread Kevin I am in the verge of giving up and now feeling a little encouraged.

I am not a 'purist' but I do find myself thinking I am not sure I can completely connect with the basic tenets of either the RWS / Golden Dawn or Thoth, but can't seem to find any other alternative ways.

Thanks Gregory for these links.

I wonder if the book is available in hard copy as I find getting e books from outside Amazon for now to be a tedious experience.


You need Enrique. His approach to TdM is what got me interested.

http://www.tarotforum.net/showpost.php?p=1519475&postcount=50

he did a book:

http://www.mindseyeview.com/marseilles-tarot.html

Also a DVD - not sure where to get that now, but it's brilliant. Sadly his site seems to be down.

OOH easy peasy:
http://www.amazon.com/Tarology-Enrique-Enriquez/dp/B00A2E8X62
 

3ill.yazi

Yes. It's a fact that each author has their own unique way of reading the Pips. Fie on them! Some people think that you should choose some standard author and use their method to the exclusion of others. Others think that you should pick and choose whatever appeals to you from each of the various authors, but of course this throws consistency and coherence to the wind. There are several ways out of the problem. One radical solution is to use Trumps only. Apparently this is favored by many Continental readers. In fact, I use this a lot for quickie readings. Another is to make up your own system. I often use Pips as Trumps, which has been popularized by Lee Bursten, and I make up my own meanings based on the resulting correspondences.

When it comes to Pips, everybody is full of it (perhaps including me). It seems that Marseille type decks have attracted everyone who is put off by Tarot developments since the fin de siecle 1899-1900. I.e., they have Luddite tendencies, and I find this disgusting. If I embrace the advances in medical science in the 20th century, why should I toss the more modern developments in the understanding of Tarot? In fact, I embrace what has happened to Tarot. For some reason, this is considered heresy by the purists, but what do they know? In fact, they know very little, so as far as I'm concerned, the sky's the limit.

I am sure that nothing of what I have written will undo your confusion, but having gone through the same experience, I felt that I should share some of my own feelings about it, regardless of whether the purist Luddites will find it nauseating. [End of rant.]


I love the metaphor of Luddites. Not sure I agree, but I love the metaphor.

I think every generation has to kill their Buddha.


That said, I empathize with the OP. My head's a muddle of systems right now, too. I'm going back and doing a little applying of Dusty White's teaching method about the RWS and applying it to the TdM, and that seems to be helping. Basically playing with the cards, with one ear to the GD-inspired and the other ear to the historically-oriented books.
 

delinfrey

Welcome, Kevin

I will give you a short overview of how I see fit for you:

First of all, let go. You are the Reader now, and everyone else is just exchanging. There is no Tarot manual. There really is none (even though I myself have written one), but there is none. It all comes down to which system/approach you use.

I love pip decks. Take Five of Swords (one of my favourite cards), in Rider Waite Smith - what is that? It does not convey the meaning for me at all. In some other decks, it is straight on.

I would, instead of you, choose/learn an attribution system that works well for you. With me, it is gematry, Kabbalah, and other similar attributions.

I read pips not by image, but by the numerology the propose - by element, then, and by number of the sephira on the Tree of Life (adding astrological, Hebrew letter, runic etc attributions).

What we are doing today (e.g since the beginning of the 20th century with RWS and Thoth) is a quite violent union of the Minor and Major Arcana and it -will- take some time to become a natural tradition (or should it ever?), but don't be scared of the pips. Just find a system that works for you.

Here is a list of some I have heard:

- I have an extensive list of numbers 0-9 (interpret 0 as ten) from synesthetic people
- I interpret numbers according to Western numerology
- I interpret numbers according to astrological attributions
- I interprety numbers according to attribution of the Tree of Life

Remember, it's not the cards - it's what you draw ;)
 

Mr Timothy Gray

Ultimately, the answers are inside of us. Tarot doesn't know. Jodo sure as hell doesn't know. Camelia is not gonna tell you to go north or south. And either way, if you keep going, you'll end up in the same place.
You have the answers, deep inside. The cards are just the warm ice-cream scooper that is going to dig into your brain or soul to find the flavour or the answers. 2 of cups means nothing; what matters is what's inside the cups -in that particular moment. Today it can be vanilla, tomorrow, hopefully, pistachio.

Paz,
B.

Exactly! A beautiful explanation of the pips. If you play with them, they'll play with you. Your imagination, heart and guts have the answers.