Lets take a look at this puppy [OOTK]. Here is where we start. Does anyone but me see a problem with some of this stuff? This comes from the Book of Thoth by Aleister Crowley as well as the online version's of Book T by S.L. MacGregor Mathers. I believe it first appeared in something called the Equinox Vol 1 No 8. in 1912 and was probably written by Crowley but originally came from the Golden Dawn and more than likely S.L. MacGregor Mathers created it [But I could be wrong].
http://www.the-equinox.org/vol1/no8/eqi08016.html
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A Method of Divination by the Tarot
1. THE Significator.
Choose a card to represent the Querent, using your
knowledge or judgment of his character rather than dwelling on his physical
characteristics.
2. Take the cards in your left hand. In the right hand hold the wand over them, and say: I invoke thee, I A O, that thou wilt send H R U, the great Angel that is set over the operations of this Secret Wisdom, to lay his hand invisibly upon these consecrated cards of art, that thereby we may obtain true knowledge of hidden things, to the glory of thine ineffable Name. Amen.
3. Hand the cards to Querent, and bid him think of the question attentively, and cut.
4. Take the cards as cut, and hold as for
dealing.
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Lets look at line #1
to start with.
1. THE Significator.
Choose a card to represent the Querent, using your
knowledge or judgment of his character rather than dwelling on his physical
characteristics.
The Golden Dawn figured the seeker/querent's significator based on physical characteristics - Mainly hair color and complexion. This is very funky in my opinion but if it works for you great.
On the other hand, "using your knowledge or judgment of his character" - while better is still a bit funky if you don't know the person and are relying strictly on your intuitive nature. Plus when this stuff was written there was no internet and thus no email and more than likely few if any folks did phone readings since the rules appear to have been published in 1912 - as far as I can find out - so they weren't doing many phone readings back then to my way of thinking. It's tough to know someone's character if you don't know them - much less if you are just talking to them over the phone - and worse yet if your only contacted via email. In other words - it's hard to know what type of person you are dealing with if they are a stranger - especially if you can't see them, or can only hear their voice.
Far better just to ask for their date of birth - select the court card that you associate with their sun sign and use that court card. See 'Sun Sign Chart below.
Note also that line #1 says nothing about making the significator a court card. In Israel Regardie's book The Golden Dawn [hereafter known as R-GD] it states that a court card should be used [pg 567] based on hair color and complexion. I agree with using a court card but not by using hair color and complexion to figure it out. But to be as thorough as possible here is a chart of the court cards and their equivalent hair color and complexion you can use - if you choose to do so.
Per the book 'The Golden Dawn' by Israel Regardie.
Wands generally - very fair-haired and red-haired persons with fair complexion.
Cups generally - moderately fair persons.
Swords generally - dark persons.
Pentacles generally - very dark persons.
Kings generally - men.
Queens generally - women.
Princes [Knights] generally - young men.
Princesses [Knaves] generally -
Here is another list found in the book, 'Tarot Plain and Simple' by Anthony Louis.
Wands/Fire - Fair, blonde, or red hair. Dark or light eyes. Fair or freckled complexion.
Cups/Water - Light brown, blonde, or gray hair. Blue, light, or hazel eyes. Medium or fair complexion.
Swords/Air - Brown or black hair. Light eyes. Olive complexion.
Pentacles/Earth - Brown or dark hair. Dark eyes. Dark complexion. People of darker-skinned ethnicity.
Here is what Paul Foster Case says about selecting a Significator from his book Oracle of Tarot when doing his version of the OOTK;
"This is the card chosen to represent the Querent, or person for whom a divination is made. This may be Le Bateleur (Key 1 - The Magician) for a man, or La Papesse (Key 2 - High Priestess) for a woman. In a subsequent lesson you will find a method for selecting the Significator, based on the Querent's birth-date; but many good diviners invariably use Le Bateleur for a man, and La Papesse for a woman."
Free download for the Oracle of Tarot
http://tarotinstitute.com/free/
Other methods of selecting a significator.
But it's up to you to figure out what card to use as the seeker/clients significator and if you decide to use a court card - then figure out what court card bests fits or suits the seeker/client/querent - using whatever method works for you. Personally I feel that a court card as a significator is your best bet and selecting it according to the seeker/client's sun sign using the chart below. If their sun sign court card doesn't fit, and they know there Rising Sign - then try the court card associated with their Rising Sign.
I'll skip saying anything about the next line. If you want to use a prayer/affirmation/evocation that's great and entirely up to you.
2. Take the cards in your left hand. In the right hand hold the wand over them, and say: I invoke thee, I A O, that thou wilt send H R U, the great Angel that is set over the operations of this Secret Wisdom, to lay his hand invisibly upon these consecrated cards of art, that thereby we may obtain true knowledge of hidden things, to the glory of thine ineffable Name. Amen.
Lets look at the 3rd and 4th lines.
3. Hand the cards to Querent, and bid him think of the question attentively, and cut.
4. Take the cards as cut, and hold as for dealing.
Hummm, something be wrong here children. It says nothing about 'SHUFFLING' the cards??? I honestly think the word CUT in line #3 should be shuffle [the deck] and not CUT [the deck]. In fact, the R-GD says [pg 569];
"The significator is choosen, the enquirer shuffles the cards, thinking earnestly of the matter under consideration. He then places the cards in a single packet on the table before him, face downwards."
You see, the first thing you are going to do in the First Operation of the OOTK is to cut the cards into four stacks so why cut the deck now. Unless of course you just want to - shuffle and cut as normal, reassemble the deck - and start the OOTK from this point [and end up cutting the cards again].
But look what lines 3 and 4 say again.
3. Hand the cards to Querent, and bid him think of the question attentively, and cut.
4. Take the cards as cut, and hold as for dealing.
It says nothing about reassembling the deck after cutting and to 'take the cards as cut'??? How do I take the cards if they are cut into 3 or 4 stacks - without reassembling the stacks? This is badly written kids. This would be far better written thusly;
3. Hand the cards to Querent, and bid him think of the question attentively, and shuffle the cards.
4. Take the cards as shuffled, and place them facedown before you on the table.
Now, another biggy - at least for me. I'm NOT going to hand the cards to the querent/client/seeker to do anything with. I do all this myself. But this is up to you. If you want them to shuffle that's fine. I have just never found the need for other folks to handle my tarot cards. I'm the one reading them - so I should be the one handling them.
Using my way of doing things there is a problem. It comes with, "bid him [to] think of the question attentively".
Thus; ~"The reader is not suppose to know the question."~ You'll see why in the First Operation of the OOTK according to Crowley and others. So I simply tell the seeker/client to concentrate on their question while I shuffle the cards - but not to tell me their question or concerns. Note: If reading for yourself then of course you are going to know the question you asked!!!
So my revised [personal] rules to start the OOTK would be;
1. THE Significator.
Select the court card according to the persons date
of birth [Sun Sign] and use this card as their significator. If you can, ask the
seeker if they have a court card they associate with more than the others
[assuming they know anything about tarot] - and use this card as their
significator. If not use the DOB/Sun Sign court card. Leave the significator
card in the pack!
2. Bid the seeker to think of their question while you - the reader - [or the client] shuffle the cards.
3. After shuffling place the the deck facedown before you on the table.
Note that I leave out the prayer/affirmation stuff. It's just not my cup of tea but do whatever works for you.
Here are the court cards I use for the different sun signs. I'm using the Rider-Waite court names/rankings.
Fixed Signs
Leo - King of Wands
Scorpio - King of Cups
Aquarius -
King of Swords
Taurus - King of Pentacles
Mutable Signs
Sagittarius - Knight of Wands
Pisces - Knight of
Cups
Gemini - Knight of Swords
Virgo - Knight of Pentacles
Some folks switch the Kings and Knights - some even switch the queens. Use whatever tickles your fancy.
Note: The Pages/Princesses don't actually have a sun sign they are related to but if you are doing a reading for a younger person then use the Page of Wands for a young Fire sign person born in Aries, Leo, Sagittarius, the Page of Cups for a young Water sign person born in Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces, the Page of Swords for a younger Air sign person born in Gemini, Libra, Aquarius, and the Page of Pentacles for a younger Earth sign person born in Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn. Or use whatever method works best for you to represent a Page/Princess [younger person].
If the seeker [can - as in a face to face reading] object to your choice of the card for their significator then simply use whatever one seems to you to fit the best. A female objecting to the King of Cups as a significator - then make her significator the Queen of Cups, or a man objecting to the Queen of Pentacles as their significator - then make him the King of Pentacles, and so on. To me this often tells me they aren't comfortable with their male and/or female sides and possibly their own sexuality. i.e. Very unsure of themselves - especially many men having a queen as their siggy. But lots of women are just as bad.
Don S.