What is your significator?

[MyPseudonym]

I have a few questions for people who read Tarot using a significator.

1) What do you consider to be your significator, and how did you choose it?

2) Do you feel it is more accurate to choose a significator based on physical appearance, or by zodiac sign?

3) MUST you always use a Court card to be a significator? I want to represent someone I know with the three of Pentacles based on the image of the card - a tradesman/craftsman, and because he is a Pentacles in two ways: as a Capricorn, and as a person with dark skin and hair. AND his apt. # is 3. So it makes sense to me in many, many ways. Is this unheard of?

4) Is it unheard of to reverse a significator? I've chosen my significator as the Queen of Cups based on my appearance of light brown hair and pale skin, but for many reasons I feel compelled to reverse her. I'm just slightly twisted - and I am the first to admit it - and there are some meanings of the reversed Queen of Cups that really resonate with me. Am I the only one who reverses her significator? Is this "acceptable" in traditional readings?

I'm sure I will come up with more questions. I have always been more comfortable with my oracle deck than a Tarot deck, but I feel lately the cards have been speaking to me differently and wanting my attention. I would love to read any and all opinions.

[Caelia]

Re: What is your significator?

I have a few questions for people who read Tarot using a significator.

1) What do you consider to be your significator, and how did you choose it?

Mine's The Star, and it sorta chose me back in high school.

2) Do you feel it is more accurate to choose a significator based on physical appearance, or by zodiac sign?

I think it's not even chosen in a way unless a person chooses it to be or the deck does.

3) MUST you always use a Court card to be a significator? I want to represent someone I know with the three of Pentacles based on the image of the card - a tradesman/craftsman, and because he is a Pentacles in two ways: as a Capricorn, and as a person with dark skin and hair. AND his apt. # is 3. So it makes sense to me in many, many ways. Is this unheard of?

Nope, it's not unheard of. Also I don't always use a significator nor do I believe it's always necessary.

4) Is it unheard of to reverse a significator? I've chosen my significator as the Queen of Cups based on my appearance of light brown hair and pale skin, but for many reasons I feel compelled to reverse her. I'm just slightly twisted - and I am the first to admit it - and there are some meanings of the reversed Queen of Cups that really resonate with me. Am I the only one who reverses her significator? Is this "acceptable" in traditional readings?

I haven't heard of it, but that's not to say it's unheard of. I could definitely see someone using a reverse to represent someone.

I'm sure I will come up with more questions. I have always been more comfortable with my oracle deck than a Tarot deck, but I feel lately the cards have been speaking to me differently and wanting my attention. I would love to read any and all opinions.

And I'll be here weighing in with my $0.002.

[Ophidia]

Re: What is your significator?

1) What do you consider to be your significator, and how did you choose it?

I usually use the Empress for myself, but lately I've been gravitating towards the 9 of Pentacles. I originally started with the Page of Cups (based on the 'appearance' correspondences), and chose The Empress after I got married. The why of it is a bit complicated for me. I think there's a fourth 'facet' of womanhood for those of us who don't fit in with the 'Mother' part of Maiden - Mother - Crone. I felt once I got married & had my own household I was no longer a Maiden, but I had no plans to have kids or have my identity subsumed into having kids. My husband isn't my child, either - he's supposed to be my equal. So the 'Mother' aspect and how it resonates with the Queens didn't sit right. Hence, the Empress. She's still heavily concerned with creation, though, and I'm pretty certain that I will never really create anything, so instead I'm more drawn to the 9 of Pentacles - the mature woman looking over her garden (and every time I see the card when I read I always ask myself, "Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?")

2) Do you feel it is more accurate to choose a significator based on physical appearance, or by zodiac sign?

If I'm doing a blind reading for someone I haven't met, like someone asking a question about a friend or associate, I go by appearance. If it's someone I know, I tend to pick significators that are more in tune with their personality, be it a pip, a court card or a Major Arcana card.

3) MUST you always use a Court card to be a significator? I want to represent someone I know with the three of Pentacles based on the image of the card - a tradesman/craftsman, and because he is a Pentacles in two ways: as a Capricorn, and as a person with dark skin and hair. AND his apt. # is 3. So it makes sense to me in many, many ways. Is this unheard of?

I kind of answered this above, lol. I think using the Court cards can be advisable for someone starting out, until they get to know the personalities of the cards themselves. If I'm working with a new deck, I'll use the courts until I get to know the environment of the new cards. My significators for my New Orleans Voodoo deck are different than my Rider Waite because the two decks, while based in similar archetypes, use very different symbolism.

4) Is it unheard of to reverse a significator? I've chosen my significator as the Queen of Cups based on my appearance of light brown hair and pale skin, but for many reasons I feel compelled to reverse her. I'm just slightly twisted - and I am the first to admit it - and there are some meanings of the reversed Queen of Cups that really resonate with me. Am I the only one who reverses her significator? Is this "acceptable" in traditional readings?

I know the trend seems to be to not use or acknowledge reversals at all. I've always used reversals because it gives the cards more depth for me. I consider the reversed cards to almost be another set of 78, not just 'opposite day' for the readings. The mother-in-law's significator is the Queen of Swords reversed - when that bitch shows up in a reading, I'm already rolling my eyes in anticipation. :/

[MyPseudonym]

Re: What is your significator?

These are nice answers. Perzephone, I like reversals too. It does give a deeper meaning. There are a quite a few books out just about reversals. I don't like the idea of ignoring them.