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Which Card of The Major Arcana You Take As The 'Most Positive'?


Mark Foot

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Although there are no 'positive' and 'negative' cards per se, some archetypes are significations of good omens and others indicate attention. I would choose as the most positive 1) the world, 2) the sun, 3) the chariot, 4) the star and 5) the empress

 

What do you think?

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However, combinations matter. A chariot followed, f.e, by the hanged man, and then by the death and the devil card may indicate dramatic postponement of positive endeavours. A combination, f..e, of the Star and the Tower (the star comes next) is more positive than The Tower and the Chariot, as the Star implies healing after a disaster, while the Chariot indicates victory after a total collapse, but the wounds are still open and the victory is not assured and complete

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Never in the 20 odd years that I've dabbled in Tarot has the Star ever been negative. But this may be a kind of unsaid "convention" that I have with my cards. 

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I can't answer this question without a whole stack of caveats..! The context is everything. For example, the World in a love reading might indicate completion: it's done, over, and has reached a natural conclusion. The Pole Star (Wildwood's equivalent of the Star) has been negative-ish for me in the past, being about tying oneself to a laid-out path and missing all the experiences to the sides. The Sun, though, I can't recall ever coming across as negative... but I suspect that's only a matter of time! Imagine, for example, an introvert terrified of being put on stage at an upcoming event, and this pops up for, "What will be my role at the event..?" :biggrin: You get the idea: negative for one person is positive for another, and we just can't look at the cards in isolation. 

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@Wanderer

I am using Marseilles tarot deck. I am not familiar with Wildwood's. But I guess, different decks also give different interpretations, as the archetypes differ significantly. F.e, Waite's lovers is not the same as in the Marseilles. The former includes love and harmony, the latter the necessity to make choices. For me the latter has not positive connotations.

 

@Marigold

Totally agree. Personal attachment with the cards play a role. I sometimes value the Star above the Chariot. Sometimes below. Still both are among the  most positive cards for me.

Edited by Mark Foot
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Ah, Marseille! OK, that's a little more distant again, in terms of meanings. I think you'll find this even with subtle deck variations, though, as well as with experience - everyone will give you a different answer, depending on what they use, and how they use it. 

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I really struggle with this question because it sort of assumes a mundane context, and I view majors more as dynamic archetypes that transcend our understanding of “good and bad”. But to try and answer in the context you asked about - I would agree that the Star is one of those cards that tend to have the fewest shadow components for most people. Though I will say that I have seen it appear in the context of sexual vulnerability; of innocence being taken advantage of by a predator. It is not a common association but in certain contexts it could be one of its many aspects. 

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I don't think I've experienced any trump cards in my years of reading that didn't show a "dark" side in one context or another. Wrestling with this is usually part and parcel of sorting out the "good cards in bad positions" conundrum. Even the benevolent Sun can be merciless if it gives you sunburn (or no place to hide when you might want to), and the Star can be inscrutable due to its remoteness. The World can become mired in inertia, and the Empress can be unpredictable (someone on AT once said that when provoked she can be a "royal bitch," like in the old Chiffon Margarine commercial: "It's not nice to fool Mother Nature."). I've always liked Eden Gray's observation that they represent "major external influences entering the matter," and I've extrapolated from that by saying the "they can be neither avoided nor fully deflected," which means that we can only adapt or adjust to their impact.

 

But to answer the question, it would have to be the Sun. Like General Electric's self-flattering ad slogan, it "brings good things to life." When it's hidden by clouds for long stretches, life is not so good.

Edited by Barleywine
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7 hours ago, Mark Foot said:

Although there are no 'positive' and 'negative' cards per se

Hey Mark,

 

Interesting thread, thanks. 

 

Just to point out that there is no universal agreement among tarot readers on the 'no bad cards' issue. 

 

Cheers,
Devin.

 

P.S. My answer's up-thread.

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The sun. For me at least. World and Star of course as well. But sun is the most positive to me.

Katie

Edited by Katie
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2 hours ago, devin said:

Hey Mark,

 

Interesting thread, thanks. 

 

Just to point out that there is no universal agreement among tarot readers on the 'no bad cards' issue. 

 

Cheers,
Devin.

 

P.S. My answer's up-thread.

I believe it was either Paul Fenton Smith or James Ricklef (I read them around the same time) who said "There are no bad cards, only necessary ones." I tend to agree with this observation, since any card can be experienced as "bad" in context; but of course in practical rather than philosophical terms some of them are already most of the way there, so it becomes a matter of semantic hair-splitting.

Edited by Barleywine
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For some reason at first the Star came to my mind. In the past it has represented a wish of mine coming true. It also kind of represents "the universe" to me - in the sense of protection and support. 

 

But thinking about it - In a general sense the World might be the most positive. The Star is just my preference. 

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As with others, the Star seems very blatantly "positive" to me often enough. But the issue i have is that all the cards feel "positive" to me. Every single one speaks to a realm of human earthly and spiritual experience and whether pain or pleasure is involved, I find getting to experience this life at all wholely positive. I guess it gets into an argument of semantics but I will say that since I first studied them, I've always felt Temperance and Strength to be two especially beautiful, if not "positive" cards. I think that the little surprise that came with finding out that Strength was not representational of might or force to me, but rather self restraint and preservation, was such an uplifting experience I will always view that card as positive, haha

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Hello Mr Foot,

 

Every card accommodates their own opposite, their own contradiction.  So every card, like every person contains their own god, their own devil, their own heaven, their own hell.   

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COOKIE!!

 

Hello my friend - I'm so happy to see you!

 

I'll be back with an answer to the thread question eventually.  My lap top is showing alarming signs of imminent death and I'm being conservative with my posts.

Edited by Grandma
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22 minutes ago, Grandma said:

I'll be back with an answer to the thread question eventually.  My lap top is showing alarming signs of imminent death and I'm being conservative with my posts.

Hopefully it’s just a bit overworked 😱

 

funny cat GIF

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I would say the most positive for what?

 

0. The Fool - the most positive for starting fresh, spontaneity and taking a risk into the unknown

1. Magician - the most positive for action with skills and resources

2. High Priestess - the most positive for the subconscious and intuition

3. Empress - the most positive for fertility, femininity and beauty

4. Emperor - the most positive for masculinity, authority, power and structure

5. Hierophant - the most positive for group conformity / religion, traditional, beliefs

6. Lovers - the most positive for love, unions, choices and values aligning

7. Chariot - the most positive for drive, determination and control

8. Strength - the most positive for strength, courage and compassion

9. Hermit - the most positive for soul-searching, introspection and being along / finding yourself

10. Wheel of Fortune - the most positive for destiny, cycles, karma

11. Justice - the most positive for justice, faithless, truth

12. Hanged Man - the most positive for patience / waiting, letting go, seeing a new view

13. Death - the most positive for renewal, transformation, transition

14. Temperance - the most positive for balance, moderation, calm

15. The Devil - the most positive for sex and sexuality, lust and acknowledging negative patterns

16. The Tower - the most positive card for shaking you up to put you in a better place and for room shaking sex

17. The Star - the most positive card for hope, inspiration and spirituality

18. The Moon - the most positive card for the subconscious, creativity and dreams

19. The Sun - the most positive card for optimism, positivity (perhaps this is the most positive card overall or it's subjective!) and fun

20. Judgement - the most positive card for absolution and finding your inner calling

21. The World - the most positive card for completion, rebirth and achievement

 

My point is that I get people in readings who really really want positive cards to come up and by looking at what is the most positive of all, it's subjective and I think tarot is more nuanced in readings. Any of these can be positive for certain areas. The Sun is wonderfully positive but too much sun gets you a nasty burn. I get the negativity of The Star, it offers wonderful hope, where ever you are in the world and have a clear view of the sky, you can see stars. But Stars are always far away wherever you are on Earth, the hope is always far away and not an instant answer, it's just faith not action. But each card (especially the majors) are subtle and complex and change depending on the reading. They can all be an omen or require attention depending in each reading.

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2 hours ago, Grandma said:

COOKIE!!

 

Hello my friend - I'm so happy to see you!

 

I'll be back with an answer to the thread question eventually.  My lap top is showing alarming signs of imminent death and I'm being conservative with my posts.

Hello @Grandma ... happy to see you too !   How are you?  I've had a great summer ... gone so fast though.

 

And you are right about the 37% of statistics being made up on the spot I've just read in another post.  I used to make stats up all the time in discussion/arguments until I was caught out by my lecturer at uni who asked me to declare my source, and I had to admit I made it up in front of 50 other students.  It was really embarrassing, but everyone thought it was really funny so it wasn't too bad.   My lecturer said:  "Why let the truth get in the way of a good story" haha. 

 

 

 

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10 minutes ago, Cookie said:

Hello @Grandma ... happy to see you too !   How are you?  I've had a great summer ... gone so fast though.

 

And you are right about the 37% of statistics being made up on the spot I've just read in another post.  I used to make stats up all the time in discussion/arguments until I was caught out by my lecturer at uni who asked me to declare my source, and I had to admit I made it up in front of 50 other students.  It was really embarrassing, but everyone thought it was really funny so it wasn't too bad.   My lecturer said:  "Why let the truth get in the way of a good story" haha. 

 

 

 

Welcome back! That’s so hilarious! 😁 I love that you fessed up so bravely! I remember my first day at uni when the teacher said that everyone should stand up and say a few words about themselves - like what we’ve been working with prior to our studies etc. I froze and didn’t know what to say and so I somehow declared that I was a tarot reader. This was in a room full of medicine students (nursing program). You could hear a pin drop 😆😆😆 But I did make one friend immediately after that introduction, she was into tarot too 😁 I think most of the others had little to no idea what tarot was 😅

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In the interest of full disclosure I must point out that there is a 93% chance that the statistic about 37% of all statistics being made up on the spot was made up on the spot...

 

And back to our previously scheduled programming now in progress - the Major that I see as the most positive is the Wheel of Fortune.  It tells us that we are always here, it is always now, everything is always exactly as it must be and everything is always changing.  As my signature reminds us, everything changes; everything is connected; pay attention.

 

Oh and Raggydoll - I used to have a cat who loved to play on the keyboard, but I fear that my laptop is really on its way out.

Edited by Grandma
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Quote

 

Only by looking at the pictures I will say: The Sun.

But it depends of what deck I'm looking at.

Edited by Libra 58
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There are too many replies here. Thanks everyone for these helpful insights. 

I tend to agree that interpretation is something that has to do with our own way we see the cards as individuals. @DanielJUK answer for example makes sense. However, and always according to my experience, I cannot see anything positive in the Devil or the Tower. Nothing good comes to me when these cards appear in a spreading. But I can say that among the most positive combinations have ever been The Star with the Chariot. And of course, the World always indicates removal of blockages and, above all, completion, which leaves behind very positive results. The Sun also comes second (before the World). 

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