I am one of those people who does *not* like to use a tarot card for a significator.  I do agree with the use of something for one; however, taking a tarot card out of the deck to use as a significator is essentially taking it out of "play" which robs the deck of a card and limits its ability to completely show you what might need to be seen.  Instead, I incorporate an entirely different deck for the significator card.  Several types of decks are good for this; I personally use the AORA Gemstone Oracle deck, which features gemstones, minerals and crystals and I have found that it never fails to produce a stone which backs up the gist of the tarot reading and provides an excellent meditative tool while shuffling the tarot deck as well.  Other decks which would prove excellent in this capacity (and with different results, are:

Medicine Cards
Sacred Path Cards
Mana Cards
Angel Blessing Cards
Oracle of the Goddess Cards
Celtic Wisdom Cards
Osho Zen Tarot Cards
Herbal Tarot Cards

You will see that I only have two tarot decks suggested.  In each case, these decks are all chosen for a different aspect which they can lend to the reading itself.  The Medicine Cards are amazing for use in a tarot reading to help discover your personal strengths and weaknesses, because the cards help you to find a power animal which then acts as your significator.

Sacred Path Cards work similarly, also with excellent results.

Mana Cards are Hawaiian in origin but work along similar lines as well.

Angel Blessing Cards allow the client to select the Angel guide who will help to bring about the solutions indicated in the tarot reading, and who acts as a significator.  Angel Blessings Cards are especially helpful when doing readings for particularly vulnerable clients.

Oracle of the Goddess Cards make a terrific significator and also guide the client in knowing which goddess energy needs to be focused on and brought into his/her life in order to bring about the solutions indicated in the reading.  Challenges that are shown will also be smoothed over somewhat by working with this energy.

Celtic Wisdom Cards make a great significator for those who are especially drawn to the Celtic mythological system.  These cards are strong with self-empowerment.

Osho Zen Tarot cards are meditative in focus rather than being the same as your average '"reading" deck, and so they don't clash with a tarot deck in doing a reading.  One card drawn from the Osho Zen deck will help to provide a meditative focus for the rest of the tarot reading.

Herbal Tarot cards are great and work similarly to the AORA Gemstone Oracle cards in that the herbal remedy which is indicated often helps to bring about the solution to the reading.  These are especially helpful in terms of a reading for a client's health and wellness.

Back to the AORA Gemstone Oracle cards, which are the ones I use most often in a reading.  I allow the client to shuffle the AORA cards first, while thinking of their question; I then fan the entire deck out face down and ask the client to draw one out at random.  It is interesting to note how differently each person makes their choice of card.  Some will close their eyes and just reach for one, others will let their hands hover over the deck until one "feels" right.  At this point I simply look at it, to see what it is.  I tell them a little bit about what the energies of the stone they have selected mean, but not too much, because I don't want to totally guide the reading yet. I place the card on the table, facing the client.  This acts as a meditative mandala for their subconscious while they are focusing on the tarot cards. I then have them shuffle the tarot cards, cut the deck, and I lay out the ten cards of the celtic cross.  One note; instead of laying the tarot cards on top of the significator, which is the AORA card, I lay them *around* it so the client can still look at it.  Remember the AORA card is facing the client.  I lay the tarot cards facing me.  You know that space at the top of the Celtic Cross between the top card on the cross part and the top card on the rod part, that's where the AORA card sits.  Works out nicely.

I proceed with their tarot reading like normal, takes about 45 minutes to an hour on the average.  When we are done, I pull out the AORA booklet and tell the client what the meditation for the AORA card is.  You'd be amazed how it tends to fit exactly with the advice of the cards.  And the stone itself is always perfect.  Since I do my readings in a new age shop, I then go out and get a piece of the stone from our store inventory (we sell *all* of the stones in the AORA oracle except for a few of the precious gems which are in jewelry) and I give this as a small gift to the client to keep with them while they're working on the solution the cards talked about.  This is a really nice touch and it's really inexpensive for me to do this.  And they seem to love it.

Please feel free to experiment with your own choices for different decks for significators, or use any or all of the above suggestions.  I would love to hear back from anyone regarding their experiences in this fashion!  Please email Wicce.

Click here to return to Informative Articles.
 
article copyright 2000 by Gina M. Pace