Tiffer24 Posted August 24, 2022 Posted August 24, 2022 I have my eye on the Nordic Tarot. I loved the art on the major arcana and nearly pressed buy, but then I noticed the minor arcana aren't illustrated, they are pips. I'm still drawn to buying the deck but how do you read pip cards with no illustrations? Can you read these intuitively or is it just the book meanings? I do love the deck but I'm afraid I won't use them because of the above.
Raggydoll Posted August 24, 2022 Posted August 24, 2022 You could read intuitively, or with the guidebook or you can use a fixed system (similar to how many read playing cards). Some people mix two or more methods. I suggest you try different ways and see what you like best 😊 I believe there are good resources here on the forum for reading pip cards. You can look in the section for traditional tarot decks, like the TdM resources area. Or do a forum search for ‘pip cards’ / ‘pip decks’
DanielJUK Posted August 24, 2022 Posted August 24, 2022 I've slightly edited your thread title @Tiffer24 to add "Unillustrated" so we all know what we are discussing in this thread with pips 🙂 . Hope you are fine with that. Also hopefully it will bring in the Unillustrated Pip users on the forum when they see this thread in the feeds and indexes 😆
DanielJUK Posted August 24, 2022 Posted August 24, 2022 I found an old thread here where people discussed their experiences of them but sadly no real methods... One method I have seen used and a TdM deck user friend reader uses is numerology. You have to learn the number meanings and then the suits. So then 4 of Swords.... 4 in numerology is about structure, foundation and manifestation. It's a manifestation after the 1,2 and 3 cards and the first fruition of your goals. Swords are about action and thinking and logic. It's mental, ambitious but also can represent conflict and courage. Other people use different correspondences in systems they know. Swords are the element of Air if you want to use elements. If you want to use astrology it's Jupiter in Libra. Going with the numerology, we have structure and manifestation of the mental and ambition and fruition. This card is actually about having a little time out and rest, you have got somewhere and it's a break before carrying on. It's a lot of learning and working out a method that works for you but if you like the deck, you should go for it!
Tiffer24 Posted August 24, 2022 Author Posted August 24, 2022 40 minutes ago, DanielJUK said: I found an old thread here where people discussed their experiences of them but sadly no real methods... One method I have seen used and a TdM deck user friend reader uses is numerology. You have to learn the number meanings and then the suits. So then 4 of Swords.... 4 in numerology is about structure, foundation and manifestation. It's a manifestation after the 1,2 and 3 cards and the first fruition of your goals. Swords are about action and thinking and logic. It's mental, ambitious but also can represent conflict and courage. Other people use different correspondences in systems they know. Swords are the element of Air if you want to use elements. If you want to use astrology it's Jupiter in Libra. Going with the numerology, we have structure and manifestation of the mental and ambition and fruition. This card is actually about having a little time out and rest, you have got somewhere and it's a break before carrying on. It's a lot of learning and working out a method that works for you but if you like the deck, you should go for it! Thank you! I tried to search for threads but I couldn't see any relevant ones come up... prob me being dumb haha! That's actually so interesting. The idea of numerology and how that can lead you to different ways of thinking and interpreting. I've never tried to read unillustrated pips but maybe I'll give it a shot.
Raggydoll Posted August 24, 2022 Posted August 24, 2022 Pip cards are often called non-scenic instead of non illustrated, because technically speaking - unless they are completely blank they aren’t unillustrated. Not that it’s super important, most people here will know what you mean anyway. But it might help you find more threads when you do a forum search or if you google it, so I thought it might be worth mentioning 🙂
gregory Posted August 24, 2022 Posted August 24, 2022 But they aren't unillustrated. Look at this: Four cups with constricting rings around the stems; a flower reaching out, growth, balance... How different from the 5: The top two cups almost look left out compared to the other three; they can see the plants below, but aren't connected - the flowers and prettiest leaves are woven in among the other three... And so on.
legendaryelement Posted August 25, 2022 Posted August 25, 2022 Hello, @Tiffer24 Here is a thread that many of us followed on AT back in the day: https://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=112327 Perhaps this one? https://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=101507 Or here https://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=3440 Enjoy!
Kneeling Posted October 23, 2022 Posted October 23, 2022 As well as numerology, there is what the savant Daniel Tammet is able to see/experience in association with different numbers; I remember for example that nines he sees as imposing like skyscrapers. In my stories (the ones set in earth) every character is associated with one of the cards, which I have to do intuitively, feeling the comparison. For example, I associated Ten of Staffs with an energetic, tender-hearted farmgirl, and Knight of Coins to a proficient but rather rambunctious young doctor of magic.
AlbaTross Posted November 1, 2022 Posted November 1, 2022 Personally, for me it's a matter of getting to know the cards through decks with more pictorial representation of the numbered cards in the Minor Arcana, and then taking that understanding and applying it to decks that are more pip-based. Obviously people have learned and will continue to learn Tarot with traditions such as TdM even without each card having a unique picture, so I would assume there's more time spent learning the book meanings with those kinds of decks. Additionally, I've come across decks that are kind of a compromise between pips and full pictures, with the numbered cards in the Minor Arcana technically consisting of pips, but they're accompanied by a very simple image that's reminiscent of the RWS card. Such decks may prove useful as transitionary tools for getting used to reading with pips.
Kneeling Posted November 2, 2022 Posted November 2, 2022 The Etteilla II deck has small images with the pips, but none of them correspond to the Rider Waite Smith pip card images. The Rider Waite Smith deck has a few images (such as the three of swords) which match the Sola Busca images (some of which are indecent). I don't know of other decks which use pip card scenes.
Misterei Posted November 2, 2022 Posted November 2, 2022 On 8/24/2022 at 5:33 AM, Tiffer24 said: ... how do you read pip cards with no illustrations? Can you read these intuitively or is it just the book meanings... I do love the deck but I'm afraid I won't use them because of the above. On 8/24/2022 at 8:25 AM, DanielJUK said: ... One method I have seen used ... is numerology. You have to learn the number meanings and then the suits. After many years of preferring Scenic Pips (everything is "illustrated" but RWS Pips have scenes whereas TdM Pips just have number and suit) ... I've started to read NON-scenic Pip decks and I'm beginning to develop a real fondness for them. Here are some observations: some people prefer scenic pips and never can transition to non-scenic some people prefer NON scenic pips and avoid pips with scenes To me, non-scenic pips are a more advanced technique. I read them by number and element. I draw mostly upon Intuitive and Pythagorean numerology ... but i also know a tiny bit of Kabbalah numerology. If you know your numbers and elements ... reading non-scenic pips is a breeze ... number + element = meaning Non-scenic pips are favored by some readers as allowing the intuition more freedom ... I have not found this to be so. My intuition is just as active with either scenic or non-scenic pips. I find I use different spreads. For example I never really got into non-scenic pips with Celtic Cross (maybe in the future?). My practice with non-scenic decks like Key Master and Eduordo Doti really took off when I started using French Cross which is a traditional spread for TdM. Anyway ... just some musings ... hope this helps!
Eric13 Posted November 2, 2022 Posted November 2, 2022 On 8/24/2022 at 5:28 PM, gregory said: But they aren't unillustrated. Look at this: Four cups with constricting rings around the stems; a flower reaching out, growth, balance... How different from the 5: The top two cups almost look left out compared to the other three; they can see the plants below, but aren't connected - the flowers and prettiest leaves are woven in among the other three... And so on. This is excellent. A lot being shown here.
Grandma Posted November 2, 2022 Posted November 2, 2022 How do you read unillustrated pip cards? Short answer - I don't. Longer answer - I've tried it the way @DanielJUK explained On 8/24/2022 at 11:25 AM, DanielJUK said: One method I have seen used and a TdM deck user friend reader uses is numerology. You have to learn the number meanings and then the suits. So then 4 of Swords.... 4 in numerology is about structure, foundation and manifestation. It's a manifestation after the 1,2 and 3 cards and the first fruition of your goals. Swords are about action and thinking and logic. It's mental, ambitious but also can represent conflict and courage. Other people use different correspondences in systems they know. Swords are the element of Air if you want to use elements. If you want to use astrology it's Jupiter in Libra. Going with the numerology, we have structure and manifestation of the mental and ambition and fruition. This card is actually about having a little time out and rest, you have got somewhere and it's a break before carrying on. It's a lot of learning and working out a method that works for you but if you like the deck, you should go for it! but it just wasn't for me. I also love @gregory's example - On 8/24/2022 at 5:28 PM, gregory said: But they aren't unillustrated. Look at this: Four cups with constricting rings around the stems; a flower reaching out, growth, balance... How different from the 5: The top two cups almost look left out compared to the other three; they can see the plants below, but aren't connected - the flowers and prettiest leaves are woven in among the other three... but again, not my cup of tea. I can admire and learn from both of these methods. I just prefer decks with thematic scenes for each card for my own readings. But I do have many non-scenic pip decks in my collection. I use them for meditation on the art and occasionally for Majors only readings. The pip cards are often mesmerizingly stunning.
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