Many tarot readers begin their readings by selecting a “significator.” A significator is a card that is chosen from the tarot deck to represent the “querent” (the person getting the reading). I usually pick one of the Court cards (Page, Knight, Queen, or King) to be a significator; however, you can choose any card so long as it shares a common trait with the querent. You can designate a significator based on gender, age, personality, or astrological correspondence. The important thing is that the significator card represents a unique, symbolic characteristic of the person getting the reading.
Before beginning a tarot reading, I ask my client what their astrological Sun sign is. The Sun sign in astrology is what you look at in the paper when you read your horoscope. In astrology, the twelve zodiac signs are separated by four elements: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. Each element has three astrological signs associated with it. The Earth signs are Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn. The Air signs are Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius. The Fire signs are Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius. The Water signs are Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces.
The Minor Arcana of the tarot is also separated by the four elements. Earth is represented by the Pentacles suit, Air is represented by Swords, Fire is represented by Wands, and Water is represented by Cups.
Some people insist on picking Kings and Knights to represent men and boys, and Queens and Pages to represent women and girls. However, gender identity is not so black-and-white. Always select a significator based on the gender the querent identifies most with. If you are unsure, just ask them: “As a Leo, what card do you think better represents you—the King of Wands or the Queen of Wands?” Some men prefer to be represented as Queens and some women see themselves as Kings. In this case, the customer is always right!
For example, if I were going to read for an adult who identifies as female, I would select a Queen to represent that individual. If the individual were an Air sign, I would choose the Queen of Swords. If they were an Earth sign, I would select the Queen of Pentacles. For a young man, I usually pick a Knight. For a mature man, I would pick a King. Pages are gender-neutral. Pages can be children, young girls, young boys, or even people who don’t identify as a specific gender.
Astrological identity is flexible, too. You may meet a client who tells you, “My Sun sign is technically Aries, but I really don’t feel like one. I have a Libra rising and resonate more with Libra.” In this case, I would select a card that represents Libra from the Swords suit. You can also pick a Major Arcana card to represent an astrological sign irrespective of age or gender. Here are the astrological correspondences from the Major Arcana:
• Aries: The Emperor
• Taurus: The Hierophant
• Gemini: The Lovers
• Cancer: The Chariot
• Leo: Strength
• Virgo: The Hermit
• Libra: Justice
• Scorpio: Death
• Sagittarius: Temperance
• Capricorn: The Devil
• Aquarius: The Star
• Pisces: The Moon
Another reason that I prefer to select a significator is for numerological correspondence. There are seventy-eight cards in a tarot deck. By setting aside one card to represent the querent, you are left with seventy-seven. In numerology, double-digit numbers that hold two of the same number are called “Power Numbers” (11, 22, 33, 44, 55, 66, 77, 88, etc.). The number seven has a long history of being associated with divination. The ancient Greek God of divination was Apollo. He was venerated every seventh day after the new moon. Apollo’s famous Oracle at Delphi only operated on the seventh day of the month (for only nine months out of the year). For me, sevens are very powerful when performing any sort of divination.
There are many fine readers who do not choose a significator. It is totally a matter of preference. Do what works for you!