giving your own meanings to the pips

nuttyprofessor

I started off with the Crowley tarot years ago, and changed my course drastically by dedicating myself to the Tarot de Marseille exclusively. Now, the convenient thing with the Crowley tarot is that the central meaning of every pipcard is shown at the bottom of the card. I got desillusioned with the Golden Dawn system, and considered how to deal with the pipcards of the TdM. After the example of the Crowley tarot, I decided to try to find one central word for every card, but now on basis of number symbolism. (By the way, it is unfortunate that there are no decks with an empty space on the cards to fill in your own meaning.)

It has taken me ages, and I changed it a zillion times, but finally I am satisfied with my system of one word designations to the pips. However, though a card can have usually one or two other meanings and this simplification gives a solid backbone to a spread, I am still afraid that I am limiting the potential of possible meanings for the cards. And could it be that many of my designations are off the mark, or will a divination "tune in"with those designations of mine?
 

Etene

Setting a rule of "one word" is sure to be a constraint, although if one has a broad enough vocabulary it may be possible to find good fits, even for the cards with disagreeing traditions behind each. Yet, I would agree that you are pushing into Oracle territory in concept, even if you adhere to the Tarot deck structure. That doesn't mean the deck won't work, or that it wouldn't work "better", just differently.

The Tarot card reading experience cannot be captured in singular keywords. Glance around and you will see readers basing interpretation on the artwork details of their particular deck (this is most relevant with novelty decks), down to which way a court figure is facing relative to other cards on the table. Obviously that is a dimension wholly beyond the keywords you might write upon those cards.

You hold a personalized guide to interpretation that apparently serves you well, and, were you inclined to share it, may aid others who find word assocation useful. However, the storytelling aspect of Tarot is naturally lost, in particular the lore that readers extract from the Waite-Smith designs, even if that imagery was used to guide your keyword selections.

For my personal guide I deliberately avoided keywords, instead defining each card with a short paragraph and the agreement and disagreement between upright and reversed readings. As the purpose of Tarot is to reveal hidden information, I believe that it works best when approached as 78 present inspirations, rather than 78 past decisions.
 

nuttyprofessor

However, the storytelling aspect of Tarot is naturally lost, in particular the lore that readers extract from the Waite-Smith designs, even if that imagery was used to guide your keyword selections.
I don't use a keyword for the majors, so the the pipcards become a conceptual backbone for the imaginative interpretation of the other cards.


You hold a personalized guide to interpretation that apparently serves you well, and, were you inclined to share it, may aid others who find word assocation useful.

The meanings I have selected are tailored to my way of doing consultation, and I have tried to minimize the conceptual overlap with other cards and the meanings of the major arcana.

FIRE (wands) relates to action, WATER (cups) to feeling, AIR (swords) to thinking and communication, EARTH (coins) to material things.

The number symbology is a pragmatical extraction from the views of Pythagoras.

All meanings are positive, because when the card is reversed it refers to a too much or too little of the cardmeaning.
 

nuttyprofessor

The concepts for the ACES are archetypal for the suits:
WANDS - willpower
CUPS - love
SWORDS - wisdom
COINS - realism, mindfulness

The TWO refers to an opposition, difference, straightness:
WANDS - competition
CUPS - respect, awe
SWORDS - directness, logic
COINS - variation, change

The THREE refers to unity:
WANDS - cooperation
CUPS - emotional tie
SWORDS - communication, mediation, exchange
COINS - sharing, overlap, reward

The FOUR refers to stability, orderliness:
WANDS - ordering, organise
CUPS - faith, confidence
SWORDS - calmness, clarity
COINS - protection, home, stability

The FIVE refers to spirited and connected:
WANDS - charisma, influence
CUPS - cheerfulness
SWORDS - social
COINS - healthy

The SIX is related to the sun, materiality and balance:
WANDS - focus, sexuality
CUPS - harmony
SWORDS - discernment (the sun gives sight)
COINS - materialization (the sun is the primal materialization of the ONE)

The SEVEN is related to the music of the spheres:
WANDS - creativity
CUPS - enchantment, appreciation, agreeable
SWORDS - positivity
COINS - embellishment, elegance

The EIGHT is related to justice and intellect:
WANDS - monitoring, analysis
CUPS - ethics
SWORDS - diplomacy, tact
COINS - prudence

The NINE is related to the moon and spirituality:
WANDS - to set limits ( the 9 is the border of the other numbers)
CUPS - selflessness
SWORDS - open-minded, flexible
COINS - growth

The TEN is the developed manifest result of the ACE in the real world:
WANDS - status
CUPS - wellbeing
SWORDS - technology, method, strategy
COINS - prosperity
 

Etene

All meanings are positive, because when the card is reversed it refers to a too much or too little of the cardmeaning.
What does this mean for cards that have their optimisitc connotiations in reversed mode? For example,
Pictoral Key to the Tarot said:
Reversed: Advantage, profit, success, favour, but none of these are permanent; also power and authority.
Shouldn't too little Ten Swords ought simply not be fatal, and too much Ten Swords, literal and figurative overkill rather than impermanent profit, etc.? Do you reject the old reference and hold Ten Swords to be a measure of technological proficiency? Would Ten Swords Reversed in a daily draw warn of dropping ones smart phone? ;)
 

Aunty Anthea

The concepts for the ACES are archetypal for the suits:
WANDS - willpower
CUPS - love
SWORDS - wisdom
COINS - realism

The TWO refers to an opposition, difference, straightness:
WANDS - competition
CUPS - respect, awe
SWORDS - directness, logic
COINS - variation, change

The THREE refers to unity:
WANDS - cooperation
CUPS - emotional tie
SWORDS - communication, mediation
COINS - sharing, overlap

The FOUR refers to stability, orderliness:
WANDS - ordering, organise
CUPS - faith, confidence
SWORDS - calmness, clarity
COINS - protection, home, stability

The FIVE refers to spirited and connected:
WANDS - charisma, influence
CUPS - cheerfulness
SWORDS - social
COINS - healthy

The SIX is related to the sun, materiality and balance:
WANDS - focus, sexuality
CUPS - harmony
SWORDS - discernment (the sun gives sight)
COINS - materialization (the sun is the primal materialization of the ONE)

The SEVEN is related to the music of the spheres:
WANDS - creativity
CUPS - enchantment, appreciation
SWORDS - positivity
COINS - embellishment, elegance

The EIGHT is related to justice and intellect:
WANDS - monitoring, analysis
CUPS - ethics
SWORDS - diplomacy, tact
COINS - prudence

The NINE is related to the moon and spirituality:
WANDS - to set limits ( the 9 is the border of the other numbers)
CUPS - selflessness
SWORDS - open-minded, flexible
COINS - growth

The TEN is the developed manifest result of the ACE in the real world:
WANDS - status
CUPS - wellbeing
SWORDS - technology, method, strategy
COINS - prosperity

EXCELLENT SUMMARY :thumbsup:
 

nuttyprofessor

What does this mean for cards that have their optimisitc connotiations in reversed mode?
As you see, my designations are not those of the Rider/Waite. I have no optimistic connotations in reversed mode. A reversed card refers to an unbalance in one way or the other. For example, here I give a possible -too much- of some cards:
cooperation - conspiracy, orderliness - rigidity, charisma - macho, focus - tunnel vision, creativity - lack of constraint, monitoring - espionage, setting limits - locking up, status - high flying

Would Ten Swords Reversed in a daily draw warn of dropping ones smart phone? ;)
Could be, or too much technology with an admonition to keep things simple; it could warn about a lack of strategy, or again, making things too complicated. That's why I intend to do only non-positional string spreads sothat cards can be coupled in order to narrow the field of possible meanings.
 

nuttyprofessor

EXCELLENT SUMMARY :thumbsup:

Thank you for the compliment. I find it a pity I get so little response, because I don't present my system as a showoff, but in order to get valuable feedback. I am still in the process of making up my mind how to read the cards in a non-positional spread. Unfortunately you don't seem to use the TdM, otherwise we could brainstorm about it. Maybe anyone else is interested to share ideas, in this thread or by means of PM?
 

Emily

I like your pip card system. I'm also currently learning how to read TdM pip cards - and yes some of the meanings are very different to the Rider Waite symbolism, especially the Sword 10. But I am finding the freedom of the pip cards refreshing.

I've copied it out to add to my own notes. :)

I wish I could brainstorm with you too but I'm so new to this system that I am still finding my feet and it is hard after using the Rider Waite for so long but I will be following your posts with interest.