jenessa
Because i always use the quint card, and because i always read with reversals, my way of calculating the quint is a lil different than most, but it works really well for me, and perhaps you could try this as a way of narrowing down the possibilities re: which way the energy is flowing.thank you Sulis!
Last question, I promise! hehehe...
when using the quint card as energy, if the spread leans towards negative (for example a three card spread w/ the present and future cards Rx), would i used the energy of the card to mean possibly the negative energy of the card?
My method is to add up all the upright cards that are drawn, and then subtract the total for any reversed cards. For example: upright cards total 16, less: total of negative cards -6, would equal = 10. So in this instance, i would read the upright meaning of the Wheel.
However, in instances when the total value of the negative cards exceeds the total value of the upright cards, then the sum would be a negative #. For example: total for negative cards is -26, then i'd subtract: the total value of upright cards 20, which would equal -6, in which case I would read the reversed meaning for the Lovers.
I also assign a meaning to the Courts and include them when i'm totalling the values of the cards. (Page has a value of 11; Knight has a value of 12; Queen has a value of 13; and King has a value of 14). However, some readers don't assign a value to the Courts. Each to their own LOL,, tho i feel its important to consider all the cards that are thrown. Especially considering that @ times the Courts can represent qualities that apply to the situation or issue @ hand. {tho i do make the odd exception, when i feel strongly that the court is representing a person, in which case i don't assign it a value}
Also when i first started reading, i was taught to use the quint as a "control card", in the sense that its meaning could be considered as a way of "testing your interpretation". Or in otherwords, when you consider the meaning of the Quint, ask yourself: if it's meaning ties-in with the way you've interpretated the rest of the cards? &/or: does it seem to summarize the reading?
I also interpret the cards drawn first, then i calculate & consider the meaning of the quint. & In my experience, i've found it really helpful to think of the quint in terms of it's being a control card. For instance, if the meaning of the quint has nothing to do with the way in which you've chosen to interpret the cards, ask yourself: whether it's meaning could tie-in with one of the cards thrown if you viewed the card drawn within this additional context?
Not to mention, that there are a many ways to read a card, in the sense that there can be subtle differences to its interpretation depending on context, so the quint can help you arrive @ the correct interpretation for a card that you may have been unsure of, and as such the quint can be used as a clarifier of sorts &/or to help you establish the correct context in which to read the card(s).
I also just total the cards and only reduce the total when it exceeds 22. So for me its not about reducing it to a single digit, but rather the total value is reduced so that it corresponds to the major arcana cards, which range from 1-21, with the Fool having a value of 22.