Intuitive or memory?

38 minutes ago, chongjasmine said:

Intuitive or memory?

What is memory reader?

Reading based on remembering card meanings.

I base my reading upon the  meaning of the archetypes. Personal attachment with each card is important for me

I’m a good mix of both. I have studied symbolism and traditional meanings for a long time and I’ve also developed my own ‘standard meanings’ based on experience, but my intuition is definitely the driving force these days. When I help others to interpret their own readings I tend to have a more technical or ‘traditional’ approach but when I read for others (or for myself) my interpretations will rely heavily on what I pick up with my ‘non-ordinary senses’ 🙂

Primarily intuition by looking at the images. But the symbols on them, are after all there to trigger stuff - and that stuff very often produces the results you will find "in the book". You see a snail - you think slow. Book will say "Snail = slow progress..."

 

I have read and studied for many years, but this way still works best for me.

Edited August 7, 20197 yr by gregory

11 minutes ago, gregory said:

Primarily intuition by looking at the images. But the symbols on them, are after all there to trigger stuff - and that stuff very often produces the results you will find "in the book". You see a snail - you think slow. Book will say "Snail = slow progress..."

 

I have read and studied for many years, but this way still works best for me.

Yeah, it’s a bit like if the collective unconscious could be renamed ‘the collective intuition’ instead 😁

This is always a fascinating question. Like Raggydoll, I've studied symbolism for decades, and today I regard myself as 60% "analytical" (knowledge-based) and 40% "intuitive" (imagination, inspiration and ingenuity-based). Sometimes memory and past experience provide the trigger that opens up a reading, other times it's a flash of raw insight coming from something in the image. But most of the time I start with the basics of what I "know" about a card and augment that with what I "feel" about it within the context of the situation; it's an additive process, not a reductive one. The knowledge provides the skeleton or framework and the intuition fleshes out the details. I wouldn't consider myself much of a story-teller if I couldn't add a little interpretive flair to my readings, usually in the form of metaphor, analogy or allegory. Working with the more literal Lenormand cards for the last decade has definitely sharpened my approach to how I read the tarot. I really like Andy B's statement "Cards are never something else before they are themselves," so much that I just wrote a blog post about it:

 

https://parsifalswheeldivination.com/2019/08/05/i-yam-what-i-yam/

Edited August 7, 20197 yr by Barleywine

I believe a reader should know the meanings of the cards. This is tarot after all and cards have meanings which should be taken into account while doing reaidngs. But it's the gut feeling of each reader that makes a difference and makes the reading shine in the end. Some are true talents that can see behind the meanings of the cards, and some stick with the meanings and don't wander too far. I prefer the former 😁