This is a topic brought forward from a different forum and would be good if it was discussed here out in the open.







Hello PW

I am in no way willing nor about to degrade Rider Waite. It is the deck I use and connect with; it is the deck with which I got into tarot and still learning about it.....

As complex as the symbolism of RW is,  I would not want to use a deck which is free of symbolism.

But I also believe that just because A. E. Waite put his own beliefs and symbolism into the cards, I do not equally believe the symbolism affects a reading greatly. Whether the High Priestess has two moons or a dozen moons, the High Priestess stands for what the High Priestess stands for..... if you get my drift.

I would like to get sometimes to the bottom of these symbolism(s), but you can only go too far without making the 'card reading' some kind of symbolism reading as opposed to guiding and empowering people in their daily life.

Did I say 'predicting'? No I didn't

Hi Cedars.

I understand exactly what you are saying.

Let us look at symbolism in the Fool.

Vestments---Mottly or actually colourfull and "gayish"?as in no care.
He has a white "shirt"
The white rose
The Sun, although it has no colour, it's white?
Snow covered mountains.
Lower Mountains.
The Cliff or "abyss"
The dog.

Connections
Clothes--2 of Cups.
Two referances to the Death card, The Rose and the Abyss, of which this has a significant connection, regarding the "Cornerstone"
Snow covered mountains to Judgement
The dog-The Moon card.
Lower Mountains-The Moon. And we see a pathway, between the two Towers, leading to the mountains. The Yods, decending from the Moon counts to 150 or 6 being - The Lovers.

Having a reading with let's say the Fool, Death and Ace of Wands, what can we derive from the blending of these three?

Blessed be

Blessed be.

Oh my gosh! I'm trying to get the 'feel' of some of the cards in the major arcana, and now ya'll are talking about the symbols in them and how they relate to other cards. I'm gonna sit quietly and listen to all ya'll have to say on these.

Hi,

When looking at symbolism in the cards,mmm,

I have a fair knowledge on the symbolism, but are only a student.

Take up your Majors,
Pack them from 1-7 in one row, the 8-14 in a second row, then 15 to 21 in a third row. The Fool is not part of this "laying"

This might be a bit "Greek", but
1-7 is Archetypal, but included and forming the "transition", is 8,9 and Ten, to
8-14 Existential. then 13, 14, 15 is the "transition" once again to
15-21 Cosmic.

The Fool is a wild card and doesn't fit, but has an important message at times.

Look at the post I do in Tarot Topics, you will pick-up a lot of info there! And fortunately now, we have other authors starting to discuss various topics, as this one by Cedars.

Cedars, this is going to be really so much fun and satisfying, GOOD FOR YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pirbid, Can you please also include this link in the sticky!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cedars, as this is absolutely so great, could you do the leading in this. Then have this thread as a heading, and as sub-topics, each symbol discussed.

F+++++, this I like!!!!!!!!!

Blessed be.
PS.
I got carried away a bit. But when you have your cards placed like that, the start looking fro the left top, going to the right and then from Top to bottom. Look for the same "kinda" things. Pillars etc.

O, I remembered now. THIS STRUCK ME LIKE A WET FISH. HOW COULD I MISS IT! The Empress's crown has 12 Stars, Cedars remember your reference to the Lovers card in respect of the 12 Yods to the left of the man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ha, no way! You are getting your hands dirty in here like all the rest of us... I'm so happy you're posting, I'm not about to let you stop now. Now, I'm the one to defend feeling the cards rather than learning their meanings, and most of my posts are in that direction. So I won't be the one to tell you to stop feeling them, will I?

Cedars began this thread precisely for the same reason (I think): he defends that, interesting as the cards' background and symbolism are, they are not everything, and not what he uses when aiding seekers. While PW, our (resident) Tarot scholar, makes the most of even these posts to bring out more symbols in each card (I can imagine Cedars' face when he read that last post   ).

Anyway, I'm definitely including this link in the latest update of the Topics sticky. In case you wonder, and at PW's suggestion, I am also going to delete all later posts on that thread (mainly ours) and lock it, since it's purpose is served just by keeping the main list updated. Great job, Cedars. I'm glad the few of us are managing to keep this alive and well. Hopefully we'll soon have more people joining the discussions