Negative cards as Outcome.

[cedars]

For a while I've been thinking about this and let us try and share some of our ideas now that the Mystic Board is up and running.

How would one interpret a 'negative' card when it comes up as the Outcome or as a Summation to a reading?

I know you are all thinking and saying: it depends on the question. But, let's face it, what would we tell the querent if he/she got the following cards as his/her Outcome for a reading?

Seven of Swords:  
Nine of Swords.
Ten of Swords (the dreaded one).
The Tower. (Ok this is quite obvious)
Page of Swords. (not quite negative, but I feel negation with this guy).
Eight of Swords.
Nine of Swords
Five of Pentacles.

You have noticed I have avoided the Two of Swords.

Or, if you could add your own view of a negative card and your opinion of it as an Outcome card?

I know the Swords are getting the brunt of this thread, but let us also see what you think of as being negative?

Here's to further enlightenment in the knowledge of our cards.

Blessings
cedars

[Gem]

When you say outcome card, do you mean the last card in a spread?  I personally wouldn't ever recommend finishing any reading on a 'negative card' just pull one more

But I get the idea, ten of swords? Why is that so bad?

[cedars]

Yes, I mean the last card of a reading Gem.

I usually do that already...... I pick another card or two. But if we were to stick to the 'rules, then the outcome card is outcome card.

The Ten of Swords as a last card to me seems...... hmmmmm..... well..... ultmate low of lows....... but with a hope that the next way is only up.

[Gem]

I can't agree with you. If you get something like the 10 of Swords as an 'outcome' card, then pull another and ask for clarification. But as you know personally I will not predict, I do not agree or use an outcome card. The future is not cast in stone, it is maleable.

10 of Swords can have positive traits too,

[moonlitestonight]

I do use outcome cards in the general reading I start out with when I do in person readings for others then I move on to other smaller readings.  For me, the general has always been effective and I go into it more traditionally i.e. my 6th and 10th cards are predictive and show what may happen or the road the person is heading on if things do not change.  This will open the door to further discussion if more negative cards are present.

I do not like to see the 10 of swords in a "present" spot because it always has shown the bad spot the client is in.  So knowing this, I work on further ways to move forward and see the positive side of the client's Life or their situation.  I do believe in the tarot's ability to "predict" as I have seen it too many times to discount it.  I tell clients that this is a loving message from the Universe,  and further cards are pulled to look at other possibilities to make their situation/Life what it could be, to move forward, etc.  

Hope this helped, Cedars.

Moonlitestonight

[cedars]

Thank you Moonlitestonight,
I see your point.  Good inputs too and worth taking into consideration.

Cheers
Cedars

[sarablinx]

The Tower: I don't mind this one so much... I mean it really just means that yeah you are going to go through a hell of a time but after you get past that you'll be more ... experienced and have more wisdom and knowledge... kinda like the saying 'it's better to have love and lost then never to have loved at all' or something like that, but you get the jist.
7 of Swords: This one isn't so bad, at least how I've heard it summed up... Kind of like hope or strength despite insecurity/negativity/bad times.
8 of Swords: I think with this one you can say (to make it better even though it still kind of sucks) that the restrictions that s/he has are self-imposed and therefore now that s/he know s/he can make those steps to change his/her thinking so that s/he can un-bind her/himself
9 of Swords: This one's not very good at all, but in the RWD she has a quilt over her which suggests that she has some comfort in the whole mess, and the zodiac signs imply that with time it will heal. So you could just tell them that even through all of the suffering and pain they will still have some place to turn to where they can feel comforted, and that the pain won't last forever.
10 of Swords: This one isn't so bad, it's a 10 so it's the end of the suffering, release, relief, and closure. Actually I wouldn't mind having this as an outcome card.. it's basically saying that my bad situation is coming to an end, or at least an end of my being so hung up about it so I can let go and start moving on with life.
Page of Swords: hmm... this one's not great, but it's not horrible either.. You could just say that someone is being very observant, cautious, and on the look out for deceit.. That's not neccessarily bad.. unless the person is like that constantly, then at least they will know after you have told them.. or if they encounter someone like the page of swords, then really who cares, they probably wouldn't let you get close enough for them to become a problem for the querent anyways.
5 of Pentacles: This card can be bad or good considering which deck book you look at.. but I like the explanation (which doesn't make it true) that explains this card as marraige 'for better or for worse' in this case for worse =P but if it is about marraige then it looks like the people are sticking it out even if it they are fighting or having some sort of problem..

I don't like the 5 of Cups at all!! Lol i get that damn card all the time and i hate it!! I could probably find a way if i was doing a reading for someone to make it sound better or give some sort of positive twist on it, but when you do a reading for yourself and get this card (especially if it's an outcome card--unless you did actually move on which is a possibility with this card) it's hard to make a negative card sound better sometimes...

Also, I use the outcome card, but I kind of think of it as the *most likely* outcome, not that it neccessarily WILL happen, just basically if you keep doing what you're doing or you do the same thing you usually do in that situation then this is going to happen, and that's the outcome. Am I making any sense??

[cedars]

Yes, I think you are making very much sense Sarablinx.

[Rhutobello]

I don't like the 5 of Cups at all!! Lol i get that damn card all the time and i hate it!! /quote]

Yes, but isn't just like the saying "I can't see the Forest because of all the trees"

and in my meaning this is, we loose the big picture because there is so many small that takes our attention (hmmmfrr )

If we look around or take a step back, we might spot solutions, values, and new ways to reach our goals.

Well well...I am sure you have some of the same thoughts..the reason for me to post was that I found the thread very nice and informative...it will sure help many

[cedars]

Thanks for finding the thread informative and interesting Rhuto.
And I like your comments above too on these cards.

[purple_dust]

It looks like you give really nice readings moonlitetonight!

[pirbid]

How would one interpret a 'negative' card when it comes up as the Outcome or as a Summation to a reading?

Seven of Swords:  
Nine of Swords.
Ten of Swords (the dreaded one).
The Tower. (Ok this is quite obvious)
Page of Swords. (not quite negative, but I feel negation with this guy).
Eight of Swords.
Nine of Swords
Five of Pentacles.

You have noticed I have avoided the Two of Swords.

Or, if you could add your own view of a negative card and your opinion of it as an Outcome card?

I know the Swords are getting the brunt of this thread, but let us also see what you think of as being negative?

cedars

Canny thread, Cedars -btw, I really hope you are getting well in a hurry-. I missed it last summer, so I am glad Purple Dust picked it up.

To begin with, whenever a negative card comes up as an outcome, I look at the card in the position for the querent's attitude: we are sometimes so afraid to fail, that we are projecting that outcome or letting things go the way we most fear -at least it is true for me, personally, so I try to explain that to the querent and explain ways in which to improve self confidence-.

Ok, since Swords deal with the mind, conflict and altered emotions, it is only natural we should find so many negative meanings in this suite.

I did notice you left out the 2 of Swords, which is my typical defensive attitude, but how about the 3? How do you explain that to someone unfamiliar with Tarot? -or familiar, for that matter-. To me it is about having to deal with hurt and sorrow, so it means it is a very real possibility. And the image is so... physical. Like when you dream of someone dear dying and wake up and the anguish is still as real and physical as anything. If it comes up reversed, then you are trying to avoid going through it, thereby increasing its power and duration. No way out of this card: there is pain, you must learn to deal with it and you'd better start right now.

Funny how 7, 8, 9, 10 and Page of Swords are all in a sequence, but 5 and 6 are not that cheery, either, so that makes half the suite unpleasant to have in a reading.

5 of Swords depicts a feeling of failure and humiliation, whether the loss was real or imagined. But then all fives are quite conflictual, like 5 of Pentacles with their material problems -nothing insurmountable and also more a personal perception than real, usually-. I interpret this card as being too proud to accept help when in need, which puts responsibility right back where it belongs: on the querent, therefore empowering him/her to change.

5 of Cups is about suffering some loss: I point the querent's attention to the still standing cups, the truly important things still backing him/her up in life. And 5 of Wands means competition and huge efforts.

How about the sadness in the 6 of Swords? Something has made you suffer for so long that you are used to it and carry the pain with you everywhere in a dormant state, though it still affects the way you interact with others. I think this is very useful information for the querent.

7 of Swords is more of an attitude, like the Page, that of astuteness, hiding our intentions, a tendency to isolation through lack of trust or being impulsive when caution is needed. It only needs a little questioning and explaining.

8 of Swords is also more about our own perception when we cannot find a way out of a situation. Well, this is the reason we are seeking guidance in the first place, is it not? It merely means we shall feel confined and confused for a bit longer, but the important thing is that we have perceived our own ignorance about something, the first step to success.

9 of Swords I literally read as something keeping us awake, like obsessive worries tend to do. Some people are more prone than others to worry themselves sick, but it is also a certain victimism that we can avoid once it is pointed out to us.

As for the 10 of Swords, I always thought of this card as the histrionic one: literally exaggerating one's situation. Things aren't half as bad: we just needs tons of attention at this moment.

The poor Page of Swords is just a very typical attitude in some people -say, Aquarians, for example-, that of preferring to be spectators of their lives rather than actors. They are just a little distant and observant, a little too cold for some. It is only reversed that he turns into a nosy paranoid, but then this happens with many reversed court cards. You know, the Jekyll-Hyde syndrome  :smt003

Now the Tower, poor thing, has always had a very bad press. But, since I consider it one of my personal cards -if not MY card-, I really must defend it. Surely we are none too fond of solving things through havoc and destruction, but sometimes, when a situation has been going on for too long -like in the 6 of Swords, for example- nothing short can shake it up and free enough energy for the querent to react. Crisis can be sooo liberating. At least it has always been so for me.

The next few cards are the ones that give ME the creeps. Well, not exactly, but...

How do you explain Death to a non connoisseur? Oh, yes, "It is never about a real death, it is just an ending, a new beginning, it can be really good"... Yes, but an ending can also be an actual death, or getting sacked from your job, kicked out of the country... What I mean is that no matter what we explain, the querent will still be mesmerized by the skull or the whole skeleton, which has a very universal meaning, and ignore most of our words. The only thing I can say about this card is: Yes, something has definitely ended. Now the important thing is to accept it and move on.

Then I also find the Moon fairly disquieting, with its hints about unknown dangers or enemies, fears born of our own imagination, altered states of mind... It can be hard to deal with a moony period  :smt003 -pardon my obviousness-

But the card I least like to see, specially in readings for myself -needless to say-, is the Devil. To be a slave to uncontrollable and shameful urges, the unhealthy dependency on a person or situation. I find all these things very hard to overcome. Yes, I know it is also about pure lust, desire and sexual power, which can have its positive side, even magic, like in Tantra sex. But in real life readings, more often than not, this card is describing long term addictions and the querent has undergone lengthy treatment with no result. It is so despairing to have to say that the pull is still too strong to be overcome, that we must get over the obsession or nothing will be achieved.

Has anyone encountered these meanings?

[FutureVizions]

An "outcome" card, IMHO, is just a snapshot of what will happen if the querent changes NOTHING.  Other cards in the reading SHOULD give a picture of how to improve this- or you can do a clarification reading with the "outcome" card as a significator.

[FutureVizions]

Seven of Swords:  My interpretation of this card is that there is conflict between the querent and another; both seek to take the others' weapons for their own.  The essential meaning is that one will be left defenseless, because the other has managed to disarm them, either through opportunity or treachery.

[FutureVizions]

Nine of Swords:  Panic, despair, paranoia and nightmares- but completely unnecessary.  Get control over your anxiety, things are nowhere near as bad as you're imagining.