What is the measure of a "correct" reading?

TK_Finch

Hello everyone!

I apologize in advance if this is a repeat. I couldn't find anything similar posted before, but if it has been done, I would love to read it Let me know.

I have been reading Tarot for 3 years, and feel comfortable with my deck and with reading for friends and acquaintances. But until just this week joining AT, I had never been in communion with others who had studied Tarot. It had just been my cards, my books, and me.

In this very brief amount of time, I have been struck by how some of the meanings that I have found in the cards seem to be something I picked up in my own private study that don't match especially closely with what the community at large reads. The 2 of Swords is the main example that has been on my mind:

Biddy Tarot - "The problem at hand needs to be resolved using logic and intellect."
My Reading - "Opposing arguments have fought to a standstill. Logic alone cannot solve this problem."

How do you feel about this sort of thing? Is there a "correct" meaning for each card? Or is the measure of a correct reading how well it resonates with the seer, sitter, or querant? I realize that there are deeper Synchronicities between the cards and other forms of divination, and that an argument could be made for specific meanings in specific cards. But I guess I am more interested in the general case.

It really is such a crazy feeling to go from reading all by myself to being surrounded by so many others! Thanks so much for all of your thoughts.
 

RiverRunsDeep

Welcome to the AT community, TK Finch. :)

IMO, books and traditional card meanings offer a guideline, but are not necessarily the "correct" interpretation of our cards. They offer a launching point, but then card patterns, symbolism, and intuition propel us forward in interpreting the meanings that are most accurate for ourselves. I have found that if I have a strong hunch or gut feeling about a card, that is usually the most accurate meaning, in spite of what any book might say.
 

barefootlife

I agree with RiverRunsDeep - there's a good bit a book can tell you, but for me intuition trumps the lwb. When you're familiar with your deck you start to see its (or your) particular patterns and personality. That's why many readers keep a notebook - if I get a particularly interesting read on a card I jot it down so that I can see if it casts light on a future reading. LWB are great starting points, but what resonates with you and your sitter is vastly more important than the RWS 'definition' of a card.
 

Tanga

You've said it here exactly:
TK_Finch said:
...the measure of a correct reading, (is) how well it resonates with the seer, sitter, or querant
Click to expand...

And this - 2 opposite meanings would fit for me with upright and reversed (and sometimes a "reversed meaning" can be read even when the card is upright:
TK_Finch said:
Biddy Tarot - "The problem at hand needs to be resolved using logic and intellect."
My Reading - "Opposing arguments have fought to a standstill. Logic alone cannot solve this problem."
Click to expand...


There is no correct meaning - only your own. Fixed meanings are handy as a place to start learning from and to give a framework for a community understanding - but after that the sky is the limit.
The bottom line - is how much use you are to your sitter in the end. :)
 

magicjack

What meaning relates to you? Have you been in a situation where a meaning of the 2 of swords can relate to you? Have you ever felt at peace not making any decision? Take into consideration what the other cards look like. Start feeling the cards and let them talk to you. It's OK to have a starting point but you will be surprised how they tell you what they mean. Don't 2nd guess yourself. You can get 50 different meanings from a book. They all may be very valid. You must use your intuition. Don't be afraid to. The more honest you see in the cards the better people understand. Maybe they need to take off their damn blindfold and look at the truth in front of them. Maybe it's best they don't face the truth and leave it on. If you don't get a message from a particular card then give them a straight traditional meaning and they have to figure it out. But look at the cards together. The cards feed off of one another. The meanings change. And you might as well know, they will keep changing. When you think you know it all, it's time for you to expand your knowledge.
 

page of ghosts

TK_Finch said:
Hello everyone!

I apologize in advance if this is a repeat. I couldn't find anything similar posted before, but if it has been done, I would love to read it Let me know.

I have been reading Tarot for 3 years, and feel comfortable with my deck and with reading for friends and acquaintances. But until just this week joining AT, I had never been in communion with others who had studied Tarot. It had just been my cards, my books, and me.

In this very brief amount of time, I have been struck by how some of the meanings that I have found in the cards seem to be something I picked up in my own private study that don't match especially closely with what the community at large reads. The 2 of Swords is the main example that has been on my mind:

Biddy Tarot - "The problem at hand needs to be resolved using logic and intellect."
My Reading - "Opposing arguments have fought to a standstill. Logic alone cannot solve this problem."

How do you feel about this sort of thing? Is there a "correct" meaning for each card? Or is the measure of a correct reading how well it resonates with the seer, sitter, or querant? I realize that there are deeper Synchronicities between the cards and other forms of divination, and that an argument could be made for specific meanings in specific cards. But I guess I am more interested in the general case.

It really is such a crazy feeling to go from reading all by myself to being surrounded by so many others! Thanks so much for all of your thoughts.
Click to expand...

I don't have anything very groundbreaking to add, just wanted to chime in with the others and say that I don't think there is 1 correct meaning for each card. I feel like there might be a general vibe, maybe..? But they can vary quite a bit depending on the question, surrounding cards, your intuition etc so don't worry that your personal twist on the card don't match what a website or book says, there are so many possible interpretations that often are tied to our personal stories with the cards or intuition.

To me the 2 of swords has been about being on the defensive side recently. Closed off, at worst maybe lashing out (passive-aggressiveness?) or being cold and distant because we're scared and can't see things how they are due to our trauma, it has blindfolded us. But if we're able to breathe for a little and relax, we can choose to take it off and lay down our swords and deal with things in a softer, calmer way that is more constructive to us right now. Maybe a more emotional way, because of the water in the background. I mean, I had a good cry that day and I really needed it. My general impression is that of standing still, defensiveness, instinct, passive-aggressive. A little different from you and Biddy Tarot yes, but I don't think any of us are wrong, we just have different experiences with the card so things end up being coloured by that :D

I really look forward to developing more personal impressions like that from the cards so I think you're lucky in that regards actually!
 

Michael Sternbach

Books are great, but sometimes different books offer somewhat different meanings. I like to study all available sources and see what 'clicks'.

Also, we must not look at a card as a stand alone thing. As it is supposed to provide an answer to a particular query, its exact meaning tends to vary within certain boundaries from case to case.
 

Barleywine

I don't think the two interpretations are mutually exclusive. The second one may just show a thought process that has traveled a bit farther along the "resolution probability curve" than the other. One is saying "on the face of it, this is how it needs to be solved," while the other is saying "I've considered it carefully and I don't really think it can be solved this way." I would see it as depending upon the context and the position in the spread.

I also agree that the measure of "correctness" in a reading is how much of value a client takes away from it. I try to get an impression of how much insight they seem to have gained before they get up and leave. I've had unsolicited comments like "That was very insightful" and "That gave me a lot of food for thought" and "You could read for me for five hours anytime!" Successful readings in my book.
 

TK_Finch

Oh my gosh, thank you all for your insight and experience!

barefootlife said:
That's why many readers keep a notebook - if I get a particularly interesting read on a card I jot it down so that I can see if it casts light on a future reading. LWB are great starting points, but what resonates with you and your sitter is vastly more important than the RWS 'definition' of a card.
Click to expand...

I moved about 4 months ago, and haven't been able to find my Tarot journal since. I've been really missing it! I know it made the trip, but I think my partner must have unpacked that box, and they can't remember where they put it.

Also, thanks for giving me a name for those inserts that come with Tarot decks. :)
 
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