Signifier Cards

[TheStarOfCups]

When doing readings for yourself, which cards do your decks typically use to signify you. For example, if I pull The Star or the Queen of Swords, I know that my cards are speaking about me as opposed to someone else in my life who is influencing me.

 

Do you also have cards that signify people in your life? For example, if I pull The Sun, I know the cards are talking to me about my girlfriend. My cards would also drop the Page of Coins whenever they were talking to me about my ex.

 

I wonder if other people experience this and if so what cards signify you and the people in your life? 

[DanielJUK]

hi @TheStarOfCups just to let you know I have moved your thread over to Tarot Talk & Technique as I think it's a very interesting topic that should be in the tarot area rather than a general chat topic and it fits better over here 🙂

[TheStarOfCups]

1 hour ago, DanielJUK said:

hi @TheStarOfCups just to let you know I have moved your thread over to Tarot Talk & Technique as I think it's a very interesting topic that should be in the tarot area rather than a general chat topic and it fits better over here 🙂

Thank you!! I'm still getting a hang of the forum and I appreciate your help very much!!

[DanielJUK]

I thought I would answer on your thread as well 🙂

 

The Queen of Cups most represents me and I always look out for it. When I was a tarot beginner, I was really into the cards representing different people in my life. But I think it's more complicated than that and more nuanced because we are complicated as humans. I think the Cups suit really represents myself but sometimes I am a Page in areas of my life, inexperienced and naive and sometimes I am the King with an area I am experienced with.

 

It's really interested to look at patterns that comes up in your own readings, for yourself, for themes or for people in your life. It's worth monitoring that. If I had a significant other I would watch out for the card / cards that represent them. I do see people in my readings but the cards change around.

 

So I look out for cards that signify myself, people in my life and issues / topics currently in my life. I watch out for the patterns and repeating cards. But I've not found it so exact. It's very interesting though to take notice of them 🙂

[gregory]

I don't use a signifier. It would deprive that card of its chance to give me its POV when I start to read.

[Sar]

13 minutes ago, gregory said:

I don't use a signifier. It would deprive that card of its chance to give me its POV when I start to read.

Hmmm, interesting.

 

What do you think is the distinction between using a significator and the card give its own POV?

 

I mean, it is build entire systems (lenormand & Kipper to mention a few) where Significators position set the tone for the entire reading and tells its ovn story as well.

[DanielJUK]

It's interesting how signifiers / significators used to be so popular as separate cards but that trend has waned.

 

47 minutes ago, gregory said:

I don't use a signifier. It would deprive that card of its chance to give me its POV when I start to read.

 

I don't like to use separate cards as well for the same reasons. Don't want to use up that card already. But I do look at the cards coming up, they do signify something often.

[Sar]

But do Significator really zeroing out seeing the cards POV?

[katrinka]

20 minutes ago, Sar said:

I mean, it is build entire systems (lenormand & Kipper to mention a few) where Significators position set the tone for the entire reading and tells its ovn story as well.

 

It's different with Lenormand and Kippers. The sitter's significator is going to be the Lady or Gent in Lenormand, and Hauptperson 1 (male) or Hauptperson 2 (female) in Kippers. These cards have no meaning other than people. It's not like Tarot where there are 16 Courts to choose a significator from, and they all have meanings other than "me" and "another person."

 

15 hours ago, TheStarOfCups said:

When doing readings for yourself, which cards do your decks typically use to signify you. For example, if I pull The Star or the Queen of Swords, I know that my cards are speaking about me as opposed to someone else in my life who is influencing me.

 

As a rule, "I" don't even show up in my Tarot spreads. The cards just answer whatever I'm asking about. If someone is lying to me, for example, the cards just communicate that so-and-so is lying, and I can infer that the person has been lying to me if nothing says otherwise.
 

15 hours ago, TheStarOfCups said:

Do you also have cards that signify people in your life? For example, if I pull The Sun, I know the cards are talking to me about my girlfriend. My cards would also drop the Page of Coins whenever they were talking to me about my ex.

 

I wonder if other people experience this and if so what cards signify you and the people in your life? 

 

LOL, I have a friend who just loves talking about healthy lifestyle stuff, very enthusiastically and sometimes a little excessively. He doesn't push it on anyone, but once he knows you're open to the idea, he can go on and on about it.
I noticed him showing up as Judgement when I use the Fantastic Menagerie. Just that deck, not the other Tarots. And he's been showing up that way for years.
When you look at the image, you can see why. 🤣

 

It's a wicked, wicked deck, full of barbed humor and people cards, and I love it. 😁

 

The Fantastic Menagerie Tarot by Karen Mahony and Alex Ukolov, BabaBarock Ltd. http://baba-store.com. All rights reserved, used by permission.

[Guest]

For me, signifiers are a must if reading with the whole deck.  Often I just read with the 21 trumps and Fool*.  I assign one to the Querent (based on gender and hair) and then utilise the suits to determine who is Whois relation to the significator (cups = family, friends and so on, coins = doctors, teachers, people in social media, &c). 

 

Most of the time, I leave the significator in the pack.  If it appears or not is telling on whether the Querent's approach and agency.  I also use it for timing (the card it faces).  So I find signifiers quite useful.  

 

*For one spread I use the Fool as the significator and deal the next card on top of it. 

Edited August 15, 2021 by Guest
Typo

[devin]

Some of the older Tarot manuals set aside majors as significators. Papus, I think, went for the Magician and The Popess. Etteilla, the Lover and Popess. Even Waite leaves the door open to using cards I & II thusly. 

 

Personally, I've had great success using the Emperor and Empress as exclusive significators. Also the Chariot and Popess as representing significant others when the need arises. 

 

BTW, this is when readings with the majors only. It would probably be a bit redundant taking any big hitters off the field when you've got the whole court at your disposal.

Edited August 15, 2021 by devin

[gregory]

4 hours ago, Sar said:

Hmmm, interesting.

 

What do you think is the distinction between using a significator and the card give its own POV?

 

I mean, it is build entire systems (lenormand & Kipper to mention a few) where Significators position set the tone for the entire reading and tells its ovn story as well.

 

If I pull - -say - QoC as a significator, it is no longer available to show up in the position of - say - obstacles,

 

3 hours ago, Sar said:

But do Significator really zeroing out seeing the cards POV?

 

If it's being my significator, it is just sitting there being me, the way I see it. It doesn't get to offer an opinion.

 

3 hours ago, katrinka said:

It's different with Lenormand and Kippers. The sitter's significator is going to be the Lady or Gent in Lenormand, and Hauptperson 1 (male) or Hauptperson 2 (female) in Kippers. These cards have no meaning other than people. It's not like Tarot where there are 16 Courts to choose a significator from, and they all have meanings other than "me" and "another person."

 

This makes sense, though. Tarot is different.

[TheStarOfCups]

I want to thank everyone who has commented so far so much! I've learned so much about different tarot techniques and perspectives from reading what everyone has said and I really appreciate it!

[AJ-ish/Sharyn]

On 8/15/2021 at 6:39 AM, mxlavender said:

For me, signifiers are a must if reading with the whole deck.  Often I just read with the 21 trumps and Fool*.  I assign one to the Querent (based on gender and hair) and then utilise the suits to determine who is Whois relation to the significator (cups = family, friends and so on, coins = doctors, teachers, people in social media, &c). 

 

This is based on my info-junkie brain...I looked at the decks you own in your profile and this method leaves me puzzled. If the querent isn't white and male or female how do you choose a significator? Reading online do you actually ask this rather invasive question first? And in a face to face reading with a stranger would you actually sort through your deck in front of them and pull out one? Seems a rather cold reading way to do things. Do this mean you've already got your query? So you'd know if it related to cups or coins etc? What if none of those cards come up in the reading? Often a reading turns into something polar opposite of what they've asked because that is just the surface. 

 

I don't pull a card out of the deck for any reason, It might be critical to the reading. 

[Guest]

5 hours ago, AJ-ish/Sharyn said:

This is based on my info-junkie brain...I looked at the decks you own in your profile and this method leaves me puzzled. If the querent isn't white and male or female how do you choose a significator? Reading online do you actually ask this rather invasive question first? And in a face to face reading with a stranger would you actually sort through your deck in front of them and pull out one? Seems a rather cold reading way to do things. Do this mean you've already got your query? So you'd know if it related to cups or coins etc? What if none of those cards come up in the reading? Often a reading turns into something polar opposite of what they've asked because that is just the surface. 

 

I don't pull a card out of the deck for any reason, It might be critical to the reading. 

Hello

 

When reading for clients I ask for their preferred pronouns and I am quite mindful of this (for personal reasons).  The majority of readings I did were face-to-face — so yes, I could see their hair colour.  For example, a white haired female would receive the queen of coins. Before my hair started greying, I used the swords (black hair) but now use batons as it is lighter. For non-binary clients, I ask for their preference or use a valet.

 

The four suits broadly correspond to four different areas of life.  When reading for a client these are used to identify people. If a coins court card appears, I know it will be someone connected to the querent in a coins’ way (banker, teacher, someone on social media) just as a batons’ card would be through batons’ topics.
 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 16, 2021 by Guest

[Sar]

On 8/15/2021 at 6:23 PM, gregory said:

 

If I pull - -say - QoC as a significator, it is no longer available to show up in the position of - say - obstacles,

 

Good point.