What is a Significator in Tarot?

This word is translated from Latin as an index. The signifier is used by tarologists in their work. This is the Senior or Junior Arcana, which personifies the personality of the questioner or his problem, with which he turned to the Tarot reader for help. There are different ways to choose a Significator, and this article is devoted to teaching you all of them.

Why do we need a Significator card in a Tarod reading?

The Signifier in Tarot reading has a great role in the accuracy of the interpretation, because it helps to understand the process. Even if you can do without it, it is better to apply this technique, especially if you are a beginner.

The use of this card is optional, but if you have it, you will increase the accuracy of the prediction. In the Tarot spread, it is in the center, and other cards are laid out around it. So now you know what is the Significator in the Tarot. Now we proceed to the most difficult and interesting part: the way to choose it.

How to determine the Significator card in a Tarod reading?

There are different methods on how to choose a Significator card in the Tarot. This card can be taken from the Major or Minor Arcana, using certain rules or your intuition.

Picking the Significator from the Major Arcana

To choose, you need to formulate a question and find a card that matches its topic. For example, if the question concerns a child – the Fool will do. If the question is about a business trip, then choose the Chariot.

A correctly chosen Significator will help you see a more complete picture and get a reliable answer.

Here is a list of cards that can be Signifiers in certain situations:
The Fool personifies an adult with the soul of a child;
The Magician points to a strong-willed person with an active life position;
The High Priestess is a judicious mature woman or person who is tormented by mystery;
The Empress personifies the mother or other close female relative;
The Emperor personifies a person with power and authority;
The Hierophant points to a mentor, parent, person who helps;
The Hermit personifies ancestors, an elderly person.
The Lovers means that a person is faced with a choice;
The Chariot – road to victory, journey;
Justice – solving a problematic situation;
The Wheel of Fortune, the Death – big changes, unknown;
The Tower and the Devil represent turmoil;
The Star – hope, desire help;
The Moon is a delusion, a secret hidden from the person, hidden in his soul.

Picking the Significator from the Minor Arcana

Matching the Suit to man:
Suit of Wands – people with fair skin, blondes, redheads;
Suit of Cups – for people with blond hair;
Suit of Swords – for brunettes;
Suit of Pentacles – for swarthy, mulattoes with dark hair.

Matching the Court Cards:
The King’s card is suitable for an adult man;
The Queen is suitable for an older woman;
A Knight is a youth;
And the Princess (Page) is a young girl.

The Significator is chosen in accordance with a specific person, the King and Queen cards are not separated only on the basis of a man and a woman. Remember that there are feminine men and masculine women.

Picking the Significator based on the Zodiac sign

If you take into account the sign of the Zodiac when choosing the Signifier:
Suit of Wands – Aries, Leo, Sagittarius;
Suit of Cups – Scorpio, Fish, Cancer;
Suit of Swords – Gemini, Aquarius, Libra;
Suit of Pentacles – Virgo, Capricorn, Taurus.

On the advice of your intuition

To choose the Significator, tune in to the energy of the questioner. Further, based on your feelings, choose a suitable card, refer to its interpretation. Use different methods, paying attention to your feelings and the specific problem.

Why is a significator needed?

The signifier helps to tune in to fortune-telling, to be imbued with the Tarot spread and, accordingly, to increase the level of truthfulness of the interpretation. You can entrust the choice of the significator to the questioner himself, which will increase the chance to choose a more suitable card for a person.

By using this method of choosing a Significator, you can learn a lot about a person: the social status, material wealth, his Element, feelings in his soul, goals in life, etc.

If you choose the Significator at random, then you can see the thoughts, feelings and problems that this person hides from others and does not want to show. This will help to tune in to the Tarot spread, to gain confidence, because sometimes the questioner himself is afraid to admit these thoughts and feelings to himself.