Differences in card meanings from different sources

[classic_meechie]

Hey there.  Newbie here.

When learning and studying cards some sources have some variations in card meanings.  When you're learning to read and interpret the cards do you tend to stick to one source of meanings for consistency, the source that resonates the most with the current spread of the cards and questions asked, intuition of what definitions resonates with you, or something else entirely?  I'm currently learning with my ~25 year old Rider Waite Tarot Deck and I find, primarily in the lesser arcana, some differences on interpretation between the booklet that comes with the deck and more modern sources.

 

[Raggydoll]

Well the main thing is that you stick with what works for the deck you’re using. So many beginners do not take the actual deck and its illustrations into consideration, but it makes no sense to treat a tarot de marseille the same as Gummy Bear tarot, or the Druid craft as if it were the Thoth. Since you’re using a RWS deck then I’d pick a source of meanings that seem useful to you, i.e a trustworthy source where the information makes sense. Preferably something more fleshed out than the little booklet. I would pick one or two good sources and learn with them, not jump around too much. Though most RWS based keywords align fairly well, it’s mainly the earliest RWS sources that deviate, and those I would not recommend to a beginner. We have many recommendations listed in a thread here:

 

 

[Scandinavianhermit]

2 hours ago, classic_meechie said:

I'm currently learning with my ~25 year old Rider Waite Tarot Deck and I find, primarily in the lesser arcana, some differences on interpretation between the booklet that comes with the deck and more modern sources.

 

If the RWCS is what you wish to dedicate your study to, Eden Gray's books are said to be very useful. 

 

I'm more of an Etteilla guy myself.

[DanielJUK]

Books and websites and videos of meanings and interpretations are just other people's opinions on the cards.

@Raggydoll is absolutely right that at the start, you need to find an author or source or two and stick with it. You have to know the system and the idea of each card and then practice with it. When you have a basic understanding of all the cards, stage 2 is finding your own opinions and ideas. You might read an idea and disagree with it or then really have a light bulb moment with another. Also we all read intuitively to some degree, it's good to have a theory foundation but when you understand the symbolism and ideas, you get a lot from just looking at the cards intuitively.

 

When we do readings on the forum, people have different ideas and will give different readings. It's totally cool, the point is that someone should be able to relate to it and that comes with experience of doing readings. So we find our own way and best learning method, but at the start, keep to 1 or 2 sources to learn 🙂 .

[Misterei]

15 hours ago, classic_meechie said:

... Newbie here. When learning and studying cards some sources have some variations in card meanings ...

There is SO MUCH information and misinformation and opinions from "experts" with no real experience ... Little White books which may contain good basic meanings or can be utter nonsense ... It's a jungle out there!

12 hours ago, Scandinavianhermit said:

If the RWCS is what you wish to dedicate your study to, Eden Gray's books are said to be very useful.

Eden Gray was the OG mother of Modern Tarot. Everything that came after was based on her work.

 

Yes she's outdated. I no longer read according to her rules ... but her books are simple, to the point, and Ground Zero for what would become modern Tarot and "classic" meanings for the RWS deck.

 

As a newbie in 1978 ... I memorized every last one of her card meanings from the book Tarot Revealed.

To this day I think it was the best education to start my tarot journey. It's the opposite of trendy and if you make allowances for it being 60 years old ... the material is practical and timeless. Your mileage may vary.

Edited January 7, 2024 by Misterei

[classic_meechie]

@Scandinavianhermit and @Misterei

Thank you so much.  I will definitely look into her books to start building a strong foundation.  

[classic_meechie]

@DanielJUK 

Thank you for your response.  I've definitely been trying to think of it as poetry.  You learn the basics and build a foundation and then when you have a more solid understanding you can feel more secure in using poetic license to write it in a way that resonates it more true to your interpretation.

[classic_meechie]

@Raggydoll

So true.  There are so many decks it is important to focus on what's in front of me and find it's meaning and interpretation vs making the search for meaning to big and, therefore, maybe to broad.  I think I will find this especially true early on.

[DanielJUK]

2 hours ago, classic_meechie said:

@DanielJUK 

Thank you for your response.  I've definitely been trying to think of it as poetry.  You learn the basics and build a foundation and then when you have a more solid understanding you can feel more secure in using poetic license to write it in a way that resonates it more true to your interpretation.

 

I think poetic license isn't quite the right term / view of it. When you learn a card (from any deck), there is a picture, maybe a story and symbolism in the picture. There is a meaning in the tarot system, slightly different between RWS, TdM. Thoth etc. When you do a reading, perhaps this card means giving something to someone and then someone interprets it as you are going to meet a tall dark man with a Porsche! That is poetic license. I do think it's important when reading a card and you see something in the picture or you feel or sense something with your senses to go with that. But you have to have a reason or to justify why you are straying from the regular meaning, there is a much higher chance it's going to go wrong and you are going to get a bad reading. Also in a reading, you can see with other cards and in context to the question, it changes the cards and their meanings. So maybe the tall dark man is correct and different to the regular meaning, but you have to look how you got there! It's not just not using the regular meanings and improvising. Like if you really got an image when looking at the card, then it might be accurate. But it's more complicated I think then just changing or distorting from the original meaning.

 

When you feel confident enough in future, it's worth joining in the ISG reading group, which operates every month. In that circle, you forget everything you have learnt and just read the card! You say what you see! You can't say well I associate the moon with water and emotions but instead what comes to you in the picture. It's always a fascinating experience 🙂 .

[classic_meechie]

21 minutes ago, DanielJUK said:

 

I think poetic license isn't quite the right term / view of it. When you learn a card (from any deck), there is a picture, maybe a story and symbolism in the picture. There is a meaning in the tarot system, slightly different between RWS, TdM. Thoth etc. When you do a reading, perhaps this card means giving something to someone and then someone interprets it as you are going to meet a tall dark man with a Porsche! That is poetic license. I do think it's important when reading a card and you see something in the picture or you feel or sense something with your senses to go with that. But you have to have a reason or to justify why you are straying from the regular meaning, there is a much higher chance it's going to go wrong and you are going to get a bad reading. Also in a reading, you can see with other cards and in context to the question, it changes the cards and their meanings. So maybe the tall dark man is correct and different to the regular meaning, but you have to look how you got there! It's not just not using the regular meanings and improvising. Like if you really got an image when looking at the card, then it might be accurate. But it's more complicated I think then just changing or distorting from the original meaning.

 

When you feel confident enough in future, it's worth joining in the ISG reading group, which operates every month. In that circle, you forget everything you have learnt and just read the card! You say what you see! You can't say well I associate the moon with water and emotions but instead what comes to you in the picture. It's always a fascinating experience 🙂 .

 

Tangent question from this as a new student to reading

Some cards really resonate in a spread or with a specific question, both in how experts have interpreted them to be read and how you have intuitively interpreted them, but other times there is difficulty intuitively reading a card and translating it.  In moments like those do readers (especially new readers) write down the card (or spread), what the card usually represents, and then think on it and come back to it and see if some new way of seeing the card in the specific situation comes to them?

 

[gregory]

Readers do all sorts. Yes I have sometimes taken days over a reading (one of the reasons I would never read as a business - I would drive my clients insane).

 

Yes - that is one good way to learn. Another is to create your own journal of what cards mean to YOU - start with whatever you "choose" as your standard list (as is well known here, I am heavily into Thirteen's meanings - https://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/learn/meanings/ ) and then when some new angle comes to you - whether from your "usual" deck or from another - add that in as well. In the end you will build something as a reference that REALLY works for you.

 

As an aside - I am basically one who reads the images on their own. But it's amazing how often what one gets that way is really close to what the books all say too !

[DanielJUK]

We all get stuck on cards, sometimes they come up in a really tricky position, or sometimes my mind just goes blank.

This is my own reading method, I look at the cards firstly and see if anything comes intuitively reading the pictures and also look for patterns, this card looks to the next card and looks angry to me in that position. As an example. Sometimes I don't get anything, so then I think about my learnt meanings of it. I also have a journal I have made over the years, it has my own ideas for each card and also I write in any good ideas about the cards I see in books, across the net, across social media, etc. So it's a form of inspiration. So reference meanings are my fallback in this situation.

 

I am a slow reader and I like to contemplate the reading anyway, so I leave it a day or so and think about, what is the meaning of the message here? Usually more things come to me.

 

But sometimes you just cannot work out the card in the reading. It's harder also to read for yourself, as it's difficult to be impartial. You can always post it here for second opinions and help.

Individual Card Meanings is the place to discuss a card or two but just to get a range of meanings on a card. We can't discuss personal readings there or take the meaning to your personal situation. There are many old threads on the cards as well.

Personal Tarot Readings is the place to post readings for help and other opinions. You have to follow the rules of that section, you have to have a go at interpreting it yourself first and then give feedback on each person who helps you afterwards. All of us need a second opinion at times, from a friend or in this community, readings don't always go easily 🙂 .

 

[akiva]

On 1/7/2024 at 4:15 AM, classic_meechie said:

I'm currently learning with my ~25 year old Rider Waite Tarot Deck and I find, primarily in the lesser arcana, some differences on interpretation between the booklet that comes with the deck and more modern sources.

If in doubt, the original book (the PKT) that goes with the RWS is always a good start! 😊

 

Once you're comfortable with the basic meanings you can branch out and start adding to them. It's good to have a solid set of fallback meanings for those times when your intuition isn't giving you anything to go from.

[Sar]

I use all kinds of method, but pay attention to directions and how far/close things are to the dominant cards and of course I pay attention to the suits too. 

[classic_meechie]

On 1/8/2024 at 5:44 AM, DanielJUK said:

We all get stuck on cards, sometimes they come up in a really tricky position, or sometimes my mind just goes blank.

This is my own reading method, I look at the cards firstly and see if anything comes intuitively reading the pictures and also look for patterns, this card looks to the next card and looks angry to me in that position. As an example. Sometimes I don't get anything, so then I think about my learnt meanings of it. I also have a journal I have made over the years, it has my own ideas for each card and also I write in any good ideas about the cards I see in books, across the net, across social media, etc. So it's a form of inspiration. So reference meanings are my fallback in this situation.

 

I am a slow reader and I like to contemplate the reading anyway, so I leave it a day or so and think about, what is the meaning of the message here? Usually more things come to me.

 

But sometimes you just cannot work out the card in the reading. It's harder also to read for yourself, as it's difficult to be impartial. You can always post it here for second opinions and help.

Individual Card Meanings is the place to discuss a card or two but just to get a range of meanings on a card. We can't discuss personal readings there or take the meaning to your personal situation. There are many old threads on the cards as well.

Personal Tarot Readings is the place to post readings for help and other opinions. You have to follow the rules of that section, you have to have a go at interpreting it yourself first and then give feedback on each person who helps you afterwards. All of us need a second opinion at times, from a friend or in this community, readings don't always go easily 🙂 .

 

 

Thank you so much for continued response.  I am excited to try to slow down and see if that makes the reading feel more intuitive.

 

[classic_meechie]

On 1/8/2024 at 8:39 AM, Sar said:

I use all kinds of method, but pay attention to directions and how far/close things are to the dominant cards and of course I pay attention to the suits too. 

Thank you for your response.  I need to remember to give more thought to not only the meaning of the cards, but how they relate to one another.

[classic_meechie]

On 1/8/2024 at 5:19 AM, gregory said:

Readers do all sorts. Yes I have sometimes taken days over a reading (one of the reasons I would never read as a business - I would drive my clients insane).

 

Yes - that is one good way to learn. Another is to create your own journal of what cards mean to YOU - start with whatever you "choose" as your standard list (as is well known here, I am heavily into Thirteen's meanings - https://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/learn/meanings/ ) and then when some new angle comes to you - whether from your "usual" deck or from another - add that in as well. In the end you will build something as a reference that REALLY works for you.

 

As an aside - I am basically one who reads the images on their own. But it's amazing how often what one gets that way is really close to what the books all say too !

I hear that!  I would never be able to read as a business.  

 

I love reading images on their own, especially in oracle decks.

[Chariot]

On 1/8/2024 at 10:19 AM, gregory said:

Another is to create your own journal of what cards mean to YOU - start with whatever you "choose" as your standard list (as is well known here, I am heavily into Thirteen's meanings - https://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/learn/meanings/ ) and then when some new angle comes to you - whether from your "usual" deck or from another - add that in as well. In the end you will build something as a reference that REALLY works for you.

Yes, this.

I have a notebook (actually my third!) in which I've written meanings for each card as they make sense to me. Every time I read another book on tarot, I get more ideas and add them in to my book.  The thing is, it's a rare card that ALWAYS means the same thing, even to an experienced reader.  There are many aspects to each card, and sometimes one meaning resonates more than another, depending on the circumstances.

My method, when reading for myself, is to look at the reading, think about what it's saying to me then and there ...THEN I get out my book and run through the meanings I've written down.  Sometimes one particular angle will jump out at me ...the wording makes perfect sense in that instance.  

I feel very strongly that it doesn't matter how you get to a meaning that makes sense to you—just that you do.  Any method, really.  However, you don't need to stick to only one other person's interpretation of the cards, as is usually presented in tarot books.  Just keep reading the cards AND reading as many books as you want ...and the knowledge and insight will come.

[gregory]

I have had 10 Swords as happy marriage. My sitter totally got it. Find a book with that one in.....

[Sar]

20 minutes ago, gregory said:

I have had 10 Swords as happy marriage. My sitter totally got it. Find a book with that one in.....

Marriage where both enjoyed a horror experience in life.

[akiva]

1 hour ago, gregory said:

I have had 10 Swords as happy marriage. My sitter totally got it. Find a book with that one in.....

Do you read with reversals or not?

 

Both Waite and Ettiella have these meanings for the 10 of swords reversed "advantage, gain, favor, benefit". Maybe that could explain the happy marriage? 😯

[Scandinavianhermit]

13 hours ago, gregory said:

I have had 10 Swords as happy marriage. My sitter totally got it. Find a book with that one in.....

Probably a central European method, with swords = spades = leaves. Were the batons/wands or coins bad according to that method (acorns)?

[gregory]

Nope - I don't use "traditional" meanings or suit attributes at all. Or reversals. Or a "method" as such. Just the images. It was simply the image - and a cutting off, and ending, of pain. In the context of her question it totally fit.

 

16 hours ago, Sar said:

Marriage where both enjoyed a horror experience in life.

 

Sar - I am SO glad you are around more ! 

[Sar]

3 hours ago, gregory said:

Nope - I don't use "traditional" meanings or suit attributes at all. Or reversals. Or a "method" as such. Just the images. It was simply the image - and a cutting off, and ending, of pain. In the context of her question it totally fit.

 

 

Sar - I am SO glad you are around more ! 

I am very glad to be here more too.