Cards you just don't like..?

It's that Hierophant, pope, or whoever he is in whatever deck I'm using that uses that card. Some use another symbol, and I'm no purist, I am FINE with getting rid of him entirely, LOL.

I know it's because I was not raised in any religion, and don't trust religious leaders. Even though I find religion itself incredibly interesting, even though I don't partake myself, the trappings represented by that card make me uneasy.

edited to add: Even when I use my own meanings for the card, I still shudder a bit when it comes up, even as I give a little mental chuckle at being so silly.

Two of Pentacles - feels like it means absolutely nothing at times

Temperance - wishy washy

Star - another wishy washy one

I'm with Le Fanu and others about the Two and Three of Wands in the Rider Waite system.

Others that I don't care to see are the Sun and Judgement. Or Justice and Judgement together in the same reading, seems to be a bit of overkill.

Judgement is such a dull, stuffy "the end but not quite" kind of card. But why don't I like the Sun? I suppose because it leaves nothing to the imagination. It is exactly what it is, there's no facets there.

jackdaw* said:

......Judgement is such a dull, stuffy "the end but not quite" kind of card. But why don't I like the Sun? I suppose because it leaves nothing to the imagination. It is exactly what it is, there's no facets there.

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The traditional Judgement image (which was used by Waite) is exactly that, but the new (Waite) meaning belies the picture of the obedient herd being summoned to join Jesus in the sky (or wherever). It is rather that of an individual mystical experience: "Zap! you're awake/enlightened! Welcome to the real world." However, on the Tree of Life it is but the beginning of the long road back home, disappointingly far from the ultimate goal, Kether, the terminus of the Quest. In PKT, Waite all but acknowledges that he used a very misleading image. I vote for Judgement as the most inappropriate image in the entire deck. As you suggest, the Sun is almost too direct, sort of the opposite of Judgement in that respect.

Chiriku said:

Most of the Pentacles. They are deeply dull to me both in an interpretory sense and a visual one.

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Absolutely! They are just so dreary and mundane. I hate getting them in readings because I can't stand the tedium of interpreting them. Ironically, the area of life which they represent is the one area in my life that is a complete disaster! Thank Goddess that Shining Tribe portrays this suit as Stones rather than Coins or Pentacles. This is the one deck that can present me with material issues in a way that is stimulating and intriguing.

And how about the Lovers and the Two of Cups? These are invariably the cheesiest cards in any given deck. Their substandard rendering in an otherwise thoughtful and artistic tarot always makes me want to run to the porcelain god Ralph. Luckily I have Greenwood and Pearls of Wisdom, in which these cards are just as beautiful and tasteful as the rest of the deck.

WyrdRaven said:

And how about the Lovers and the Two of Cups? These are invariably the cheesiest cards in any given deck. Their substandard rendering in an otherwise thoughtful and artistic tarot always makes me want to run to the porcelain god Ralph.

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LOL!!

I think it really depends on the deck, and there are a LOT of decks. Just as a quick example, the fiery, all-consuming depiction of the Lovers from the Archeon Tarot is actually a refreshing change from the usual fare. It may not be everyone's cup of tea visually and artistically speaking, but it's definitely not cheesy.

The Tower - can someone tell me why? Why does this card make me feel uncomfortable and negative? I'd love to know?

Red Diamond said:

The Tower - can someone tell me why? Why does this card make me feel uncomfortable and negative? I'd love to know?

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A Tower event is unpredictable, unavoidable, and may be disturbing or unpleasant. It is a perfectly natural release of energy which absolutely must occur in order to restore equilibrium. Earthquakes and lightning discharges occur for the same reason, but the Tower event may be spiritual or mental, not necessarily physical.

ETA. Take comfort in the fact that things will be better after the event than they were before. It may be as simple as having a bad tooth fixed or as difficult as going through a divorce. Sometimes it may take the form of a nightmare or stressful dream, in order to provide psychological closure for a phase of ones life that one must let go of. (I had one of those a couple of months ago, which had been predicted by the Tower.) On the other hand, the effect of the Tower may be only a very minor inconvenience or even so slight as to be unnoticeable. Overall, the Tower is neither a good nor a bad card, it is just one aspect of the world we live in.

LRichard said:

A Tower event is unpredictable, unavoidable, and may be disturbing or unpleasant. It is a perfectly natural release of energy which absolutely must occur in order to restore equilibrium. Earthquakes and lightning discharges occur for the same reason, but the Tower event may be spiritual or mental, not necessarily physical.

ETA. Take comfort in the fact that things will be better after the event than they were before. It may be as simple as having a bad tooth fixed or as difficult as going through a divorce. Sometimes it may take the form of a nightmare or stressful dream, in order to provide psychological closure for a phase of ones life that one must let go of. (I had one of those a couple of months ago, which had been predicted by the Tower.) On the other hand, the effect of the Tower may be only a very minor inconvenience or even so slight as to be unnoticeable. Overall, the Tower is neither a good nor a bad card, it is just one aspect of the world we live in.

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Thanks so much for this

Eeviee said:

For me, it's The Hierophant. I just don't like it! Sometimes it gives me the "heebie-geebies", sometimes it makes me angry, mostly it just makes me throughly uncomfortable. I think this just stems from the ultra-religious biggotry I've dealt with in life, but I'm not entirely sure why it affects me so deeply sometimes.

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The Hierophant has been severely maligned over the centuries, and it is not improper or incorrect at all to be angry or creeped out about it. The situation needs to be rectified. Crowley even jokes around the edges of the "dirty little secret" the Hierophant keeps, in the accompanying book of Thoth although we never learn whether it's incest or pederasty or else. He didn't invent this grodiness, he just pointed it out.

There is a serious sullying of the name of the Hierophant that has gone down almost purposefully.

The real Hierophants were aeons ahead of their time, responsible for lifting Europe out of the (first) Dark Ages and propelling human technology light years into the future to bring back what they could. All of this was done using trance and shamanic methods and none of this Daddy-plays-priest-who-knows-best bullcrap. All of this is worthy of trashing, ultimately.

So your indignation is entirely correct, and very succinct.

Me I can't stand The Hanged Man...another archetype coated in crap, and one that needs a serious overhaul. The more versions, the better. Anyways...another story, another time.