Significator cards

[akenu]

Have you tried using significator cards in your readings?

I have found about this recently in Regardie's collection of Golden Dawn materials and honestly, it makes the reading a bit less vague.

For anyone wondering: before you start a reading, you hand-pick a card from the deck that represents the core of the reading. It could be a person (one of the picture cards), a major event (one of the major arcana) or simply any card you feel is related to the question.

 

[Lurker]

Not by choosing a card. If I want the cards to tell me who I am now, or who I will be at some point in the future, then I leave it up to them to do it.

 

[IntuitiveJourney]

I find this helpful when reading for specific situations or deeper meanings.
While developing a relationship with my team/deck cards take on different meanings. Whether a period of time, event, or action. Using these as significator cards when reading provides for me much deeper readings and clarity in understanding.

 

[Zelator2148]

I use them in a very limited way, mostly in spreads I create. I no longer bother with them in the Celtic Cross spread because I prefer to read face-to-face and I have a "live Significator" sitting across the table who can give me the same input with no intuitive guesswork.

 

[Firetree]

Have you tried using significator cards in your readings?

I have found about this recently in Regardie's collection of Golden Dawn materials and honestly, it makes the reading a bit less vague.

For anyone wondering: before you start a reading, you hand-pick a card from the deck that represents the core of the reading. It could be a person (one of the picture cards), a major event (one of the major arcana) or simply any card you feel is related to the question.

I have done various .

background ; reader for over 50 years . Public reader for about 10 of them at a local market - monthly. had various decks but 90% use Thoth .

Various ; ie. either selecting the significator and placing it in the center , or seeing if it comes out as first card , or seeing where it comes out in the reading , or taking the 'significator's position ' and the card that turns up there as the current version of the 'personal signifcator atm ' .

Types of significator ; by trump or combination ( astrological x planetary trumps) , court card or by decanate (ie suit cards 2 -10 ) .

 

[Nembra]

I honestly don't see much point in trying to represent something I know with a card. Feels like losing not gaining information.

 

[Dyn Hysbys]

I stopped using a significator years ago, I simply couldn't see the point of them.
I lost that card which may have come up in a different context in that spread (information loss) and I've already identified the querent or subject before starting (so a significator is redundant).
Idk, maybe they're helpful in huge spreads for some

 

[akenu]

I honestly don't see much point in trying to represent something I know with a card. Feels like losing not gaining information.

Let's say you are trying to figure out something about your work situation. Just asking about work would be extremely vague, and you would need to figure out whether the spread is talking about your career, the environment, the boss, the co-workers, etc. If you choose a significator card that focuses on a specific thing in your workplace and concentrate on it while shuffling the deck, you will get a more specific answer.

Also, if you use, e.g., the Celtic Cross spread, and the final outcome card is a face card, this can mean the final outcome is dependent on a different person. You can then use this face card as the significator for the new reading to find out more about the person and his/her agenda.

 

[Nembra]

Let's say you are trying to figure out something about your work situation. Just asking about work would be extremely vague, and you would need to figure out whether the spread is talking about your career, the environment, the boss, the co-workers, etc. If you choose a significator card that focuses on a specific thing in your workplace and concentrate on it while shuffling the deck, you will get a more specific answer.

I can ask a less vague question in the first place, and I can focus on whatever I need without looking at a card that's supposed to represent it. I'm the one doing the divination, after all, not the deck.

 

[akenu]

I can ask a less vague question in the first place, and I can focus on whatever I need without looking at a card that's supposed to represent it. I'm the one doing the divination, after all, not the deck.

I don't think that last sentence is entirely true. Not sure if it ever happened to you, but have you ever whipped out the deck after a long time to do a reading on something, only for it not to make any sense? But as you progress with the spread, you realise this is about something else? It almost feels like the deck got overly excited and started talking about something it found more important than your question.

The Significator card helps to avoid this.

 

[Nembra]

I don't think that last sentence is entirely true. Not sure if it ever happened to you, but have you ever whipped out the deck after a long time to do a reading on something, only for it not to make any sense? But as you progress with the spread, you realise this is about something else? It almost feels like the deck got overly excited and started talking about something it found more important than your question.

The Significator card helps to avoid this.

I don't usually ensoul my tools to such a point. I find this limits their usefulness, at least for most of my purposes.