Chapter 6: Traditional Tarot Card Meanings
In This Chapter
- What are traditional meanings?
- Why bother with tradition when you have intuition?
- Where do traditional meanings come from?
- How should the meanings in this book be used?
- What does each card mean?
About Traditional Meanings
Many Tarot readers work intuitively: as they look at an illustration, they get an impression of what that card means to them at that point in time.
On one day, the Ace of Wands is a good omen. On the next, it could be a warning. Neither interpretation is right or wrong, because all meanings assigned to the cards are strictly a matter of context.
But Tarot cards also have traditional meanings—meanings other people have assigned to the cards over time. Some of these meanings are derived from complicated astrological or numerological computations. Some are based on obscure texts. Others are based on the insights of experienced readers, who have learned to associate certain cards with certain situations.
Passionate intuitive readers may refer to traditional meanings as “canned meanings,” implying they are prefabricated, stale, or inferior. But traditional meanings have their place. In short, they can
- help beginners approach the cards with confidence
- suggest new and valuable associations for each card
- introduce readers to new ways of thinking about specific cards or groups of cards
- serve as “jumping off points” for brainstorming sessions
- offer a second opinion on what a given card might mean
- lend weight to an intuitive reader’s first impressions, and
- suggest insights a purely intuitive reader might overlook.
A single glance at a well-designed Tarot card illustration may tell you all you need to know. But when you’re uncertain of your skills, too tired to be at your best, or worried that your personal agenda is coloring your interpretations, a guide to traditional meanings can useful.
How to Apply These Entries
The divinatory meanings found in A Guide to Tarot Card Readings are very brief and basic—just enough to suggest a few possible interpretations for every card in the deck. For every card, you’ll find:
Keywords. Keywords boil down complex meanings into single words. You’ll find at least three for every card; you can pick the ones you like best.
Range of Meaning. No card is all good or all bad. These phrases suggest a broad range of interpretations for each card, from light and happy to shadowy and brooding.
If you’re interested in exploring traditional meanings in greater depth, another book of mine, A Guide to Tarot Card Meanings, provides the following information for every card in the deck:
- a large image
- detailed keywords
- a range of possible meanings
- astrological correspondences
- numerological correspondences
- correspondences to elements and planets
- connections to mythology and storytelling
- detailed interpretations of how the card could address issues with relationships, work, spirituality, and personal growth
- traditional fortune-telling interpretations
- a century-old system for computing the timing of upcoming events
- detailed explanations of the most important symbols
- three thought questions to guide your personal reading of the card.