There are many ways to find your significator card in a tarot deck. The significator card is used to represent the querent in a tarot reading. Not all spreads use a significator card, but several popular ones, such as the Celtic Cross, do. Although it is the focus point, it is usually not incorporated into the reading.
There is no right or wrong way to choose a significator card. One traditional way is to use the Magician to represent a male querent and the High Priestess to represent a female querent. You can also choose a court card based on the physical appearance of the querent. Use Wands for a pale person with blond hair and blue eyes. For a querent with light to medium skin, brown hair, and blue or hazel eyes, consider using Cups. Choose a Swords significator card if the querent has olive skin, dark hair, and light eyes. Finally, a Pentacles court card would be used for a querent with dark skin, dark hair, and dark eyes.
Another traditional way to select the significator card is to base it on the astrological sign of the querent. The fire signs of Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius would use a Wands court card. The water sings of Cancer, Scorpio, and Pieces should use Cups. A Sword signiciator is suited to the air signs of Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius. Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn, the earth signs, would use Pentacles.
In addition to the physical appearance and astrological sign, you can also choose a significator card based on personality. This can be how the querent sees their personality normally or how they feel based on the matter they are thinking about. A court Wands significator card is for someone who is passionate and energetic. Cups would be suitable for an emotional and creative person. If the querent is an intellectual and logical person, they may want to use Swords. Pentacles is good for a practical person.
If you decide to use a court card of Wands, Cups, Swords, or Pentacles, choose based on age and gender. A child or young woman would be a Page. A young man would be a knight. A mature woman would be a queen while a mature man would be a king.
The main disadvantage to finding your signifcator card in a tarot deck in these traditional ways is that it takes the card out of commission during the reading. When you choose a significator card in this manner, the card cannot come up during the reading which is unfortunate and may affect the reading. That is why some methods have been developed which allow the significator card to have meaning in the reading.
You can do this by letting the deck choose which card will be the significator card. Simply shuffle the cards and use the top one. When you do this, the significator card can show how the querent feels about the role he or she plays in the situation. If the querent is unfamiliar with the tarot deck, you can allow him or her to go through the deck and choose their own significator card. This method provides insight in how the querents sees themselves.
Although the above are all popular methods for finding a significator card in a tarot deck, don’t feel bound by them. Experiment using these techniques and your own until you find the ones that you feel lead to the best readings.
