"Negative" cards that you like.

KnightOfTheCosmos

Hey all! :) So I decided to start this thread because of my personal relationships with certain cards.

I want to preface this by saying: I personally believe the cards are neither positive or negative. They're neutral and how you view them is highly dependent on the situation, hence the quotes. But that's just how I see them.

However, there are just some cards that tend to have a stigma towards them no matter what you do. The Tower is one of them. But, for me, I love getting The Tower because it means that a truth will be revealed to me that will set me free and allow me to rebuild a sturdier foundation after my weak foundation was destroyed by the truth. I recently had a Tower moment, and it was very beneficial to my growth as a young adult trying to find their way in the world. The Tower has always related to my family and it is always bittersweet but it always sets me free and makes me a better person. It means I'm growing as a person. That's why it's one of my favorite cards in my deck.

So in this thread, I wanted to ask the question: What are some stereotypically negative cards that you like to get in a reading? What do they mean for you? I hope this makes sense. I'm excited to read the responses. :)
 

Starshower

Hi. Do you think cards always have the same 'meanings' / 'messages', regardless of the question or their position in the spread or the surrounding cards? Personally, although I tend to see certain basic symbols & numerological associations similarly in different spreads, I try to stay open to all the special circumstances listed above in each reading, and not feel that certain cards 'ALWAYS' refer to the same people or actions.

My favourite 'negative' card is the 3 of Swords. Some people just dub it 'heartbreak' but I disagree. That would be a Cups emotion rather than an Airy mental process imo.

All the other 3s in the RWS deck indicate early success within their respective suite / element. So I look for the 'positive', successful aspect of this card too.

Swords = Air = mental, intellectual capabilities; so this, for me, means 'early success' in thought, communication ... wisdom ... insight ... understanding. The sharp swords cutting to the heart of the matter, seeing the Truth ... penetrating to the core. Understanding the emotions. So it can indicate thinking through one's raw emotions and gaining insights into one's feelings & instinctive reactions. Or someone else's.
This, surely, is a Good Thing to do with one's mind! :)
 

Barleywine

I appreciate the Hanged Man. It reminds me of that old Coca-Cola slogan, "The Pause That Refreshes." I seldom see it as a distressing sacrifice of anything substantial, more as willingly relinquishing time and outward initiative as one focuses on the inner landscape. I especially like the Thoth Hanged Man when reversed, since it appears to be erupting from the solar disk, ready to act on its altered perspective: the time for waiting is over. For some strange reason, it makes me think of Richard Nixon flaunting his twin "V tor Victory" signs. If, as Crowley says, the Hanged Man upright represents a baptism and an initiation, reversed it suggests re-emergence into the light of day.
 

barefootlife

Death and the Moon are two of my favorite cards. For me, Death is more about the rebirth and change that occurs afterward. Positive growth is coming and for me it's a weirdly hopeful card. I've always had positive associations with planetary moon, and I've always liked walking at night, when people noises are quiet and night-things come alive. People fear the unknown, because of course we do, but mysteries lead to knowledge, ultimately.

I'm another one who's fond of the Hanged Man, for basically the same reasons Barleywine stated.
 

KnightOfTheCosmos

Hi. Do you think cards always have the same 'meanings' / 'messages', regardless of the question or their position in the spread or the surrounding cards? Personally, although I tend to see certain basic symbols & numerological associations similarly in different spreads, I try to stay open to all the special circumstances listed above in each reading, and not feel that certain cards 'ALWAYS' refer to the same people or actions.

My favourite 'negative' card is the 3 of Swords. Some people just dub it 'heartbreak' but I disagree. That would be a Cups emotion rather than an Airy mental process imo.

All the other 3s in the RWS deck indicate early success within their respective suite / element. So I look for the 'positive', successful aspect of this card too.

Swords = Air = mental, intellectual capabilities; so this, for me, means 'early success' in thought, communication ... wisdom ... insight ... understanding. The sharp swords cutting to the heart of the matter, seeing the Truth ... penetrating to the core. Understanding the emotions. So it can indicate thinking through one's raw emotions and gaining insights into one's feelings & instinctive reactions. Or someone else's.
This, surely, is a Good Thing to do with one's mind! :)

That's a good point about cards always having the same meaning! :) But I'm only speaking about my experience. Can it relate to the same people? Nah, I don't think so in some cases. The same situations? Maybe. It may be different for other people, but for me every single time I've gotten The Tower, it meant issues in my family. I'm not going to go into the specifics because that's too personal to share, but even when I try to keep an open mind, my family still falls apart in some way whenever I draw that card. My family situation is super complicated and has a lot of layers and I don't feel comfortable explaining it, but that's what The Tower usually signifies for me. -shrugs- It could definitely come up as something different in the future, though, not denying that. :) But I do tend to keep an open mind with the cards. It's just that with The Tower it's sort of in my face. When I read for other people it's different though.

That's a good point with the 3 of Swords too! The 3 of Swords to me always has to do with coming to terms with a painful truth. I honestly get why some people call it the heartbreak card, but when you get your heart broken it affects you not just emotionally, but mentally too. You see yourself and the world in a new, more honest light. I don't know if that makes sense but that's what happened for me. It made me think a lot about how I communicate with myself and others. :)

I appreciate the Hanged Man. It reminds me of that old Coca-Cola slogan, "The Pause That Refreshes." I seldom see it as a distressing sacrifice of anything substantial, more as willingly relinquishing time and outward initiative as one focuses on the inner landscape. I especially like the Thoth Hanged Man when reversed, since it appears to be erupting from the solar disk, ready to act on its altered perspective: the time for waiting is over. For some strange reason, it makes me think of Richard Nixon flaunting his twin "V tor Victory" signs. If, as Crowley says, the Hanged Man upright represents a baptism and an initiation, reversed it suggests re-emergence into the light of day.

I love this interpretation of The Hanged Man, and how poetic you described it. :) The Hanged Man is a card that's very difficult for me to understand in readings so I really have to pay attention to the surrounding cards. I didn't know people saw it as a sacrifice that causes emotional distress. That's interesting! It's one of those super neutral cards for me. It either means I have to look at things in a different perspective or I have to wait a bit before I proceed or I have to give something up. It really depends on the situation. I've heard good things about the Thoth deck, but it seems more intense/complicated than other decks. I could be wrong! I want to give it a shot though!
 

Brown sparrow

The devil and I are on good terms ;)

It's not that I don't take it's potential warning of bad intention in some cases but personally I don't believe in the devils existence and so I see him simply as the shadow underlining of a person or situation. I see it more as the pyschologically darker places or more taboo desires - the subconscious mind that reflect in a persons conscious mind. If I pull him for a persons intentions I am (in *most* cases) likely to be aware that there is atleast one or two layers of consciousness driving the person rather than assuming 'control' manipulation! Deviant lust! Run! Lol. Plus it can be such a sexy card ;-) if you pull this for how someone feels about you romantically you can be sure that at least part of them wants to push you against a wall and take you here and now - whether that's positive or negative is according to you or the people involved. To me manipulator or controller signs are more the magician, the emperor and occasionally king of wands .
 

KnightOfTheCosmos

Death and the Moon are two of my favorite cards. For me, Death is more about the rebirth and change that occurs afterward. Positive growth is coming and for me it's a weirdly hopeful card. I've always had positive associations with planetary moon, and I've always liked walking at night, when people noises are quiet and night-things come alive. People fear the unknown, because of course we do, but mysteries lead to knowledge, ultimately.

I'm another one who's fond of the Hanged Man, for basically the same reasons Barleywine stated.

Oh man, I LOVE the Death card. I think with death comes rebirth and a new beginning. I honestly see it as the phoenix. Something dies and rises from the ashes, sometimes something better! It's interesting because I use Deviant Moon and Death in that deck is so intense. It basically represents you not being able to go back when something ends, but it also literally shows birth. So it represents the cycle of life and death, and with endings come new beginnings.

I like how you see The Moon. In a lot of the decks I have, The Moon is quite beautiful (except for DM, it's quite eerie in that deck). I also fear the unknown but I know that you only get out of your comfort zone when you go into uncharted territories. So it's scary but necessary! Sometimes The Moon also represents a time when I have really intense dreams that have a lot of meaning for me too. :)
 

Barleywine

I love this interpretation of The Hanged Man, and how poetic you described it. :) The Hanged Man is a card that's very difficult for me to understand in readings so I really have to pay attention to the surrounding cards. I didn't know people saw it as a sacrifice that causes emotional distress. That's interesting! It's one of those super neutral cards for me. It either means I have to look at things in a different perspective or I have to wait a bit before I proceed or I have to give something up. It really depends on the situation. I've heard good things about the Thoth deck, but it seems more intense/complicated than other decks. I could be wrong! I want to give it a shot though!

Qabalistically, the Hanged Man corresponds to elemental Water, so emotional distress arising from the need to sacrifice something would seem to be fundamental if one sees sacrifice as its principle mode of expression.
 

lighthousekeeper

10 of wands about how I'm thinking about someone usually comes up when I'm thinking a lot about sex, so I like to see it when I ask about how someone's thinking about me. Same to a lesser extent with 5 or 7 of wands. Sometimes these are more about a 'wrestle' than a conflict ;)

Same kind of thing with the Devil, having drinks and taking each other's clothes off

It's really cool that you have that long-range view of the Tower. I agree but it usually freaks me out when I see it because I know SOMETHING is coming, and you never know.. However recently it was as mild as a barrage of texts from my mum, in which I found out a couple of things. So doesn't have to be tragic.
 

Brown sparrow

10 of wands about how I'm thinking about someone usually comes up when I'm thinking a lot about sex, so I like to see it when I ask about how someone's thinking about me. Same to a lesser extent with 5 or 7 of wands. Sometimes these are more about a 'wrestle' than a conflict ;)

Same kind of thing with the Devil, having drinks and taking each other's clothes off

It's really cool that you have that long-range view of the Tower. I agree but it usually freaks me out when I see it because I know SOMETHING is coming, and you never know.. However recently it was as mild as a barrage of texts from my mum, in which I found out a couple of things. So doesn't have to be tragic.

I often get ten of wands and nine of swords for how/someones thinking about me or the querent and yes I agree with you ! I also have gotten nine of swords so many times when it turned out to be someone having restless nights thinking about their love interest. We have to remember when we are asking about feelings etc to not always take the cards in their classical sense, huh.