Which tarot cards are the most miss-understood?

[Annabananna]

I think The Devil and Death. What are your thoughts 

[DanielJUK]

This discussion fits best in Individual Card Meanings, so I have moved it over there

[joy]

12 hours ago, Annabananna said:

I think The Devil and Death. What are your thoughts 

Interesting, why do you think it is those too? What is it, you miss-understand about them? In my opinion, it is quite different for most of us.

[Annabananna]

21 minutes ago, joy said:

Interesting, why do you think it is those too? What is it, you miss-understand about them? In my opinion, it is quite different for most of us.

Many people think of the devil as the card of unhealthy obsessions, addictions, and entrapment, but i think it should be taken with a grain of salt. More often than not it is to indicate that we need to face our inner “demons” and deal with our destructive behaviours. Or in a much positive note, it could indicate unbreakable bonds in love readings ( see how 2 people are connected with unbreakable chains) but this of course is open for debate and depends on other aspects of the reading.

 

And Death can be a scary card, most often because it represents an inevitable, absolute and permanent change (just like the physical death) and most people are afraid of going out of their comfort zone and experiencing such a change. But on a more positive note, it can make room for a positive transformation in our lives, opening new opportunities if faced with grace. 
 

But I could be wrong. Just my personal thoughts! 🙂

[Aeon418]

16 hours ago, Annabananna said:

I think The Devil and Death. What are your thoughts 

 

Both cards can be said to represent experiences that the individual self feels threatened by.

 

Most of us find change difficult. In fact many people live their lives in a constant battle against it. But Death is one change that no one can avoid. Perhaps it would be better to accept it and reconcile ourselves to the inevitability of this fact. This in turn has implications for the way we live our lives. Constant change is a fundamental aspect of our existence. In a certain sense we experience a mini Death in each moment. Perhaps, if we could learn to relax into this process and understand how to "Die Daily," we might cease to live life as if we were being pursued by the Grim Reaper. Instead of feeling like change is something that is continually forced upon us, it might be better to see ourselves as manifestations of continual change. Rather than running away from an objectified Death, we literally are Death bringing constant change to ourselves. 

 

This imaginary unchanging self that constantly tries to battle against change, also tries to define and differentiate itself through likes and dislikes. "I like X. It does not feel like a threat to my sense of self." " I don't like Y. My sense of self feels threatened. I must push it away and Other it." What we like is good. What we don't like is bad. And the personification of bad is the Devil. Our primitive survival drives have been very useful to us as a species. But if we insist on living life as if everything is a potential threat, those same survival drives can become a prison and lead to a very unhealthy and restricted way of living. Running parallel to this is acceptance of our whole selves. We have a tendency to reject aspects of ourselves and project them outwards onto other people. This leads us to perceive other people as a threat. But to the extent that we are able to learn to accept ourselves, the good and the bad, the easier we find differences in other people. Unfortunately, this can very hard work. The easy way out is to seek to control others in a vain attempt to establish security and feel safe once again, because the Devil is always someone else.           

Edited March 27, 2024 by Aeon418
Typo

[Misterei]

I personally feel Death is quite straighforward.

But Devil?

Even after 45 years of tarot I find he recently really surprised me by showing  up in a very different [positive] aspect.

 

My personal struggles are with Hierophant. That card has often vexed me. Also Judgement.

 

The deck one uses can make SO MUCH difference. The Moon imagery is malefic in RWS and Thoth ... yet benign in other decks like Marchetti's LotD.

This can lead to confusion ... I tend to go with the deck I'm using.

[Natural Mystic Guide]

Most misunderstood cards IMHO:  almost the entire suit of Swords; Seven of Wands; The Lovers; The Tower ...

[Natural Mystic Guide]

3 hours ago, Misterei said:

The deck one uses can make SO MUCH difference.

Absolutely.  That's why I am always searching for the 'perfect deck'.  That's why I really like the Illuminated Tarot by Carol Herzer.  Some others come close.  In my Tarot Universe, there are no 'bad' cards or 'scary' cards.  It's possible to put a positive spin on every single card in the Tarot deck.  It's reversals that indicate a red flag, a warning, a challenge, and an opportunity for growth.  Even these can be positive.

[Annabananna]

4 hours ago, Misterei said:

I personally feel Death is quite straighforward.

But Devil?

Even after 45 years of tarot I find he recently really surprised me by showing  up in a very different [positive] aspect.

 

My personal struggles are with Hierophant. That card has often vexed me. Also Judgement.

 

The deck one uses can make SO MUCH difference. The Moon imagery is malefic in RWS and Thoth ... yet benign in other decks like Marchetti's LotD.

This can lead to confusion ... I tend to go with the deck I'm using.

Could you care to elaborate on the devil as a positive interpretation? 
 

I agree with you. I also find the Hierophant to be confusing, but I mostly relate it to marriage, or to religion or as someones approach to the moral in general.
As for Judgement, I personally like to interpret it to a very similar way that religion describes the day of judgement (I don’t know if you’re familiar with it, but in many religions, it is said that after death, the day of judgement will come and the people will raise from death and all of your good or bad deeds will be judged by God, or a higher power) and even if you take a look at the card, it looks very similar to the way religion describes the day of judgement (see how there is an angel with wings, playing a music instrument, somehow notifying that the day of judgement has come, and there are people looking up to him, with their hands up high hoping for a good outcome)

So personally, I like to interpret this card as a need for self reflection, important decisions that could shape the next chapter of your life, and sometimes forgiveness. 
What do you think?

Edited March 28, 2024 by Annabananna

[Aeon418]

A positive interpretation of the Devil? Sometimes our greatest Adversary can be our greatest ally by forcing us to face things that we might not want to see or refuse to acknowledge about our selves. An Enemy can highlight our weaknesses and deficiencies in a way that a well meaning "kind friend" might not. 

[Annabananna]

1 minute ago, Aeon418 said:

A positive interpretation of the Devil? Sometimes our greatest Adversary can be our greatest ally by forcing us to face things that we might not want to see or refuse to acknowledge about our selves. An Enemy can highlight our weaknesses and deficiencies in a way that a well meaning "kind friend" might not. 

I really like the philosophical way you interpret tarot! Great way to look at the card! 

[Aeon418]

42 minutes ago, Annabananna said:

I really like the philosophical way you interpret tarot! Great way to look at the card! 

 

The Devil card can be a little bit like criticism. Nobody likes to be criticized. But if we are prepared to engage with criticism in a constructive and positive spirit it can be very useful.

 

It can be tempting to try and sugar-coat the Devil card or wish it away. But to me it is a symbol of the way in which seemingly negative things can have a positive impact, provided we don't succumb to the knee-jerk reaction to turn away or refuse to listen.

 

Everything has its place, including the Devil card. Even ugly and seemingly threatening things can serve a useful function. But how we respond is vitally important.   

[Chariot]

I imagine that every tarot reader on this forum has received these 'scary' cards many many times, not only in readings for others, but in doing readings for themselves. And hey ho, we're all still here! 🙂

I think the trick to reading tarot is to step back from the overly-dramatic imagery on so many cards, and just think about these topics in everyday, undramatic terms.

 

The Devil is a mythological creature! The Devil doesn't actually exist, except in how you see or react to a situation.    Mythology can be powerful, but once you say, 'I don't need to be enslaved by an imaginary Devil any more—I can walk away if I have the will and courage to do so,' your Devil has no more power.  The Devil can represent anything from a physical addiction—which can be difficult, but certainly not impossible to overcome—to a conviction that somebody or something has a 'grip' on you.  Once you accept that The Devil has power only if you allow that power, you can dump your narcissist parent or friend, recognise gaslighting for what it is, or decide to leave an unpleasant job.  Refuse to participate in your own enslavement any more, and you'll dismiss The Devil.

The Devil can also represent something you are tempted by, but you know will NOT be good for you.  Just saying 'no' makes that particular Devil go away.  The Devil, in this context, provides a warning that whatever is tempting you is NOT something you ought to take on.

The Devil reversed usually means you have overthrown its influence, or will be doing so, if the card appears in a future position. The Devil reversed is an excellent card to receive.

Death.  In normal readings, Death just means something that needed to go is now finished, and won't be coming back.  One of my favourite Death cards—although it's in a deck I don't use, for other reasons—depicts Death as a living person nailing up a SOLD sign in front of their house.  Finally! What needs to be done is done.  The house is sold at last!

I find Death to be a very very encouraging card, in most instances.  You can breathe a sigh of relief when Death appears; it's finally over.  The reversed Death card would depict somebody trying to sell their house, but the sale keeps falling through.  Or maybe they know they should sell their house and move on, but they can't bring themselves to part with it.  Death reversed usually means something is lingering that should be gone.  When Death comes up in a reading, I'd suggest you think about what it is that you want to end, or are waiting to end, or trying to end.   That's nearly always what the Death card is dealing with.  I would say around 99% of the time.

Occasionally—that 1%—the Death card can mean physical 'death.' But it does not ...at least not in my 40+ years of experience of tarot ...portend an unexpected death—unless that death is of someone you know of, and might affect an outcome.  (The boss of your large company dies, which changes how your work situation unfolds, etc.)

 

The whole thing about the Death card meaning a physical death is that the death usually is IS expected, and has maybe taken quite a while to actually occur.  If a loved one is in hospice, and you get the Death card, it probably means they will actually die—but unless it's strongly suggested by other surrounding cards, they won't be dying in an unexpected car crash, etc.  If you have ANY doubt about what the Death card indicates in a particular reading, draw a clarifying card to explain the reference.  OR, do a separate reading, after asking the very focused question, "What is the Death card trying to tell me in this circumstance?"  Tarot only has 78 cards (156 if you use reversals) so the language is limited. Give the tarot a chance to 'explain' what it meant, if you are left in doubt.

[DanielJUK]

There is often a scale of nuance with the cards. Like Death could be your bread is mouldy, time to get rid of it! There is no way to save it now.

The positives of the Devil are about our indulgences and vices. We can enjoy them in moderation, no strings attached sex, partying with alcohol, eating a whole bar of chocolate. They make us feel happy in the short term, the problem is when we become more and more controlled to need them, the Devil can be like a scale of becoming addicted to those vices. I think also it can show s&m in sex but also just one side dominating, one side submissive in a relationship. There can be a healthy and mutually consented / agreed imbalance of power in a relationship.  I've seen it come up as well for signing contracts, you are "locked in" and chained for that period of the contract. To break it, there is often a penalty fee or difficulty getting out of that chain.

 

[Chariot]

The cards I find most misunderstood, or difficult to apply to a reading, are:

The High Priestess - Maybe because I have a pretty pragmatic approach to tarot reading, this one always throws me.  It tends to make me doubt my intuition, no matter whether it's upright or reversed.  It also makes me wonder if I should be bothering with tarot at all.   This is probably my least favourite card.  Perhaps the figure usually depicted is a bit too woo-woo for my taste?

The Empress - unless the situation is very clearly about growth and/or maternal things, I find this one can be fairly vague
The Emperor - a little less difficult than The Empress, but still can be vague, if the situation isn't about power, control or organisation
Justice - unless the situation involves some sort of legal or materialistic outcome, or an issue of fairness, I struggle ...
7 of Swords - either the meaning is clear as a bell, when relating to an action—or it's not clear at all.  Taking (or being the victim of) a risky action isn't always part of the situation I'm enquiring about—and then I'm left baffled

 

[Chariot]

9 minutes ago, DanielJUK said:

I've seen it come up as well for signing contracts, you are "locked in" and chained for that period of the contract. To break it, there is often a penalty fee or difficulty getting out of that chain.

 

That's an interesting slant on The Devil ...I'll make a note of it in my book.  In other words, you can actually be chained to something, if The Devil pops up.  I assume The Devil in this context means you should exercise caution, though.  If your commitment or contract was without a downside, you'd probably get The Lovers instead?

[dancing_moon]

I would add the Lovers, 2 of Cups, and 10 of Cups (mis)understood as the "OMG love of my life/soulmate romantic happily-ever-after relationship" cards. Sure, they can mean that in certain contexts - not too often, though.

[November]

I think that the concept itself of ''reading tarots'' is misunderstood, as if we were satanists or something like that 😄

Edited March 28, 2024 by November

[Scandinavianhermit]

Ten of Wands. Even A.E. Waite, with all his flaws and all his talents, admits: "Some of the readings cannot be harmonized". It's the card that can mean ANYTHING.

[Deian]

I think, maybe the "star"?

To be fair, depending on the day it may look differently, but currently, thinking about it, "17.the star" seems a good fit, as most other cards with time people can see the events related to them, while this one, by its essence may be missed even while it opens up.

[Misterei]

On 3/27/2024 at 6:44 PM, Annabananna said:

Could you care to elaborate on the devil as a positive interpretation?

This was a very personal take and it first occurred using a deck that didn't use the normal Devil imagery ... so the decks themselves affect this interpretation.

 

I spent 9 years following a super strict spiritual path. Vegetarian, no alcohol, no tobacco  or cannabis, no drugs of any sort. Emphasis on higher chakras and removing oneself from the lower chakras.

At times I cheated a little ... but then I moved to the spiritual community and adhered 100% to all the rules for 15 months.

It turns out this path was wrong for me and injured my health [energetically and physically].

I moved from the community and started eating meat, drinking alcohol, cannabis, and working with kundalini energy which the spiritual community demonized as "dangerous".

All these things are the Devil. This spiritual group considered these things as binding one to the lower chakras [chained to the block of the 4 lower chakras as pictured in the RWS Devil card]

I've been mostly in my higher chakras since childhood and actually NEED to activate the lower ones to stay grounded.

In this context and this moment of my life ... meat and kundalini are GOOD for me. The Devil is my friend at this moment.

The emphasis on the 3 higher chakras caused energetic damage to my body. It's a valid path for people who are mostly stuck in their lower quaternary ... I never was. Thus for all the admonitions that kundalini is dangerous ... their path is just as dangerous for people like myself. Ironic.

 

Devil has always related to kundalini energy as I read it. Waite was a product of Victorian times which demonized sexuality ,and by extensioin kundalini, as this energy is associated with sexuality. The Devil as Kundalini can be quite positive ... in certain contexts. In plain language ... the goody two shoes path isn't all that.

 

On 3/28/2024 at 2:50 AM, Chariot said:

Justice - unless the situation involves some sort of legal or materialistic outcome, or an issue of fairness, I struggle ...

7 of Swords - ...

LOL Justice, yeah. If there's no lawsuit or romantic breakup... I got nothing.

7 Swords I just read different from most people. It's unfinished karma. Reads very clearly for me this way ... but other readers raise an eyebrow b/c that's not how they read it.

[Misterei]

On 3/27/2024 at 6:38 PM, Natural Mystic Guide said:

... why I am always searching for the 'perfect deck'. ...

This is like the Quest for the Grail ...

For me "perfect" is a moving target. It changes as I change.

[Natural Mystic Guide]

1 hour ago, Misterei said:

For me "perfect" is a moving target. It changes as I change

You are so right about that!  I'm changing.  The Tarot world is changing too.  There are so many more choices now then when we first started reading.

[Chariot]

8 hours ago, Misterei said:

 

7 Swords I just read different from most people. It's unfinished karma. Reads very clearly for me this way ... but other readers raise an eyebrow b/c that's not how they read it.

Aha!  That's good.  Unfinished karma!  I'll add that to my little book of personal interpretations and see how it works for me.

Sometimes making radical changes in how I interpret a card can be really  helpful.  For example, now I usually see the 3 of Swords as meaning 'head over heart,' and that has been SO helpful.  It means that if you are faced with a situation or dilemma, do NOT follow your heart.  Use your head instead, even if it hurts a bit!  Getting the 3 of Swords when nothing heartbreaking was happening just used to be puzzling.  Sometimes choosing head over heart can be upsetting, but it usually just means 'sensible.'  Swords is the suit of pragmatic action, and mental activity.  Cups is the suit of emotion, isn't it?  So why would intense 'heartbreak' end up in Swords?  It never did make sense to me.

[Deian]

10 hours ago, Misterei said:

I moved from the community and started eating meat, drinking alcohol, cannabis, and working with kundalini energy which the spiritual community demonized as "dangerous".

Misterei: There was an interesting book some years ago with the idea kundalini raises in everyone(more or less) when they are around 50-55 year old. Its called "middle age crisis" in English I think.
Unless physically damaged I don't think many can stop it when its time comes...

Not that its my place to say, but since much of these for me happened the other way around, can just recommend to be careful with meat.