Hi, all!

I was wondering if anybody finds some Major Arcana harder to fit in a reading than others. You know, like that feeling you get when everything makes sense till you turn over THAT card and you go "uh-oh, not again, what now?" instead of its meaning coming clearly to mind as soon as you see it.

Because there are quite a few majors that make me pause to think in order to link them to the whole reading, while others are crystal clear most of the time. Here, let me break the ice.

I find the following ones fairly tricky unless the surrounding cards give me good clues: the Magician -I usually read it as good potential, but it seems a bit lame-, the Wheel of Fortune -I dread this one appearing-, Judgment -not being religious, I feel a certain rejection to this card and it makes it hard to get to its meaning-.

Please give me a hand with your meanings of these three cards if you can and I will try to help you in case you get stuck with any others

Good point..... good point Pirbid...
Will get back once I have cleared some work out of the way..

Ok....... let us see these cards:

MAGICIAN: I always feel good when I get this card in a reading, but it is such a vast and thought-provoking card that sometimes I think..... hmmmmmm...... which part of the querent's question does this relate more to? It can be from seeing the doctor for ailments to multi-resourcefulness of means, tools and opportunities. But I tend not to go to the medical aspect of it, as tarot readers we do not tackle health issues. Still though, the Magician to me is the solution-finder but when I tell the querent that all the solutions are in his/her reach, that he/she has to pick and choose which one can work for their purposes, they sort of look at me almost wanting ME to tell them WHICH one is the best option to go for? I cant go that far........ hmmmmmmm..... unless it was a dear friend or a family member where I would only express my pesonal view and leave the tarot out.

WHEEL OF FORTUNE: can be awkward and yet so easy to read, depending on the question. It is not that much different from the Magician, if you ask me. It is almost saying to the querent, "well, life goes up and down....." and then they look at you almost asking....."Is it going to be UP or DOWN for me?"  However, I should hasten to add, from my reading experience and my intuition, this card has only shown up when the querent's life or events around them were on the UP rather than Down. I have to stress here guidance by my own INTUITION. Although, again, the Wheel of Fortune is one of those cards where one cannot pinpoint what exactly is going to happen. The best way to handle this card would be: life will bring you opportunities and it is up to the querent to jump on the wagon of that opportunity if he/she wants to be taken up to a better fortune. But, my background and where I come from has also imprinted in me the belief that sometimes the Wheel of Fortune does bring some great opportunities to us and we just have to grab them........ and sometimes the opposite can happen too.

JUDGEMENT: I used to have difficulties with this card. Now when I see it, I am elated that the querent is going through changes - a rebirth or an exit from the  the old life, the baggage, the mistakes of the past, which he/she has to realise and in a way pay for them by way of abandoning them in order for his/her rebirht is of any substance for the life ahead. I would call this card 'Spiritual Cleansing', 'Metamorphosis' which I have seen around me lately with people who have had this card come up for them.

My penny's worth on these three cards

Thank you! That has been a huge help in my future dealings with these three rebels.

I will try to think of the Magician as the problem solver: such a clear meaning, too, and I never thought of it.

Then I will remember the word "chance" for the Wheel, which seems a very positive approach and everything is covered: if they do not take the chance, it is their loss  

And finally Judgment: I see it is the picture I have trouble linking to. Reading your description I believe I would get its meaning much faster if the picture was that of a butterfly breaking out of its chrysalis or something like that. So far, I could only relate to the trumpet in the Rider pic, so I usually translated that as an inner call, a pull towards a more meaningful approach to life for the querent.

Isn't it funny the way we are influenced by the pics? There is another thread where someone asked if meanings change with the different decks: they sure do!

I am not surprised many people end up wanting to design and even publish their own deck. There is always at least one card in each deck with a design that is not what we would have thought of -while of course others sum up the meaning beautifully in a way I could never have conceived myself-.

I know you said you are not relgious, Pirbid, but you do not need to be with the Judgement card.

In the christian religious sense the dead will be awakened from their graves at the angel's call and there will be judgement for our deeds in our life - Judgement for our deeds.

Take religion out of it for a second.

Sometimes we get a rude awakening; sometimes we can be in the slums and can wake up and see things for what they are and change our life style; sometimes our past deeds haunt us mentally, emotionally, spiritualy and EVEN in practical life where we have to pay for our frauds, lies and whatever else we have done. Some get away with it... but Judgement chases them into their next life, if you believe in that.

I have had difficulties with the Two and the Three of Wands. I see them differently to what the books have said and I stick to what I see, especially with the two of wands where (Rider Waite) I see the man has ALREADY made one choice where his Wand is firmly tied secure to the ground and he holds on to the second Wand. Perhaps he was only usnure of his second choice, but in fact he has made his first choice and secured it to the marble wall next to him. This is how I see the Two of Wands.