It is now Day 4 of the meme, yet I’m two thirds of my way through the challenge since I’ve decided to tackle the 30 questions in 6 days rather than the full 30 days.
See previous postings:
Questions 1-5 (Day 1)
Questions 6-10 (Day 2).
Questions 11-15 (Day 3).
Now, on to the questions:
16. Do you ever use the Major Arcana without the Minor Arcana or vice versa?
Yes. I might use only the Major Arcana if I am interested in understanding the archetypes at play in a particular matter. If I have a question that is focused in one particular area, such as a work/career question, I may shuffle only the Wands and draw a single Wands card for insight, or if I have a love/relationships question, I will draw a single card from the Cups, etc.
17. Do you do readings using reversals? Why or why not?
Yes. Every detail and nuance matters. When a card appears in reverse, it indicates a different shade of the meaning associated with that particular card from the color it would otherwise take on upright. How a card in reverse interacts with the other cards in a spread landscape is also relevant, very relevant in fact. I can’t imagine myself not reading with reversals, though I do know many amazing professionals who don’t observe them.
18. Do you feel a “connection” to your cards?
Yes. What’s interesting is I have that old ass deck of Marseille I was talking about in Day 1 and a 20-ish year old Rider-Waite. For some time I thought I liked those particular tarot systems because they were more accurate for me than the others, but one day I picked up a brand new deck of the Tarot de Marseille and a brand new Rider-Waite and they just didn’t do it for me. I realized it isn’t the tarot systems that I was connected to; it was those two particular tarot decks that I have handled for so many years. I’ve “connected” to those cards deeply and it had little to do with the tarot systems they represented, but it was that particular deck that worked well in my hands.
19. Do you feel/think the cards “think” or have their own consciousness? What do you believe makes the cards “tick”?
No. The cards are just objects. We make them “tick.” We’re using our inner qi to will the cards into a cohesive pattern that will make sense to us and help us make sense of our lives.
20. Do you read for yourself and/or for others? Why or why not?
Yes, I do read for myself, though less frequently these days. These days I primarily read for others.
Subsequent Updates:
Questions 21-25 (Day 5).
Questions 26-30 (Day 6).