Choosing a Significator in Tarot

One of tarot’s core ideas is that a person (or a situation) stands at the center of their own microcosm. Every spread is like a small map of that microcosm: relationships, motivations, influences, directions, and likely outcomes.

That’s where the significator comes in—a card that identifies the querent (the person asking the question / the person the reading is about) or the “core” of the topic (the situation itself). A significator is sometimes also called a blank—a “marker” card that helps establish focus.

 

Why use a significator at all?

A significator is not required. It’s a structural tool. Some readers use one every time; others only in certain situations.

It’s helpful when:

• there are many people/factors and you want it to be clear who is who;
• you’re doing relationship readings (two blanks—one for each person);
• the situation is complex and the focus can easily become blurred;
• you want to track how a person “moves” through the spread (for example, proximity between cards, the direction of development, repeating themes).

You can skip it when:

• the spread is short and straightforward (1–3 cards);
• you’re working within a specific system that doesn’t require it;
• your practice is to let the deck define what matters most through the positions.

 

How to choose a significator: main approaches

Constructing a Lucid Dream: Time, Scene, and Direction

One of the most interesting things about lucid dreaming is that once you realize, “This is a dream,” you start noticing how the dream is built—as time, as space, as a storyline, and as sensations. Sometimes this happens automatically, and sometimes you can consciously guide the process.

In this post, we’ll look at two key parts of “building” a lucid dream:

1. how time works, and

2. how the scene is constructed (the image, the action, the experience).

1) Time in a Dream: Why It Sometimes Feels “Like Years”

The first thing that almost always gets “constructed” in a dream is time—not as a clock, but as a sense of duration.

Sometimes the dreamer has the impression that the dream covered a huge span: months, years, even an entire lifetime. Other times, the dream feels like a brief moment. That feeling can be very strong—which is exactly why it’s important to understand it clearly and realistically.

What lab observations suggest

Lucid Dreaming (LD): First Steps

Lucid dreaming (LD) is a state in which you realize you’re dreaming while the dream is still happening. Sometimes this also leads to a degree of control over the dream.

LD is a skill that can be trained. And when it’s used within an occult practice, it places that practice on a solid foundation connected to consciousness, attention, and personal inner work.

A Brief History

The term “lucid dreaming” was introduced by the Dutch psychiatrist Frederik van Eeden (1860–1932). Later, the topic gained a clearer scientific framework when researchers began looking for objective ways to demonstrate that a person can be aware during a dream.

Some of the most widely known laboratory confirmations are linked to the work of Stephen LaBerge (a psychophysiologist), who popularized a method of signaling from within a dream using pre-arranged eye movements during the REM phase. LD is also associated with The Lucidity Institute, founded by LaBerge, which collects materials and techniques for practitioners.

The Origins of Tarot: Legend and History

A legend about where tarot came from

There’s a popular legend about the origins of tarot. Long ago, so the story goes, there were nomadic people who were constantly oppressed by Egypt—harassed, enslaved, and forced into hardship. Eventually the nomads reached a breaking point. They united at a moment when Egypt had weakened and marched against their former oppressors.

The Egyptian priests understood that the attacking forces could not be held back. At that moment, preserving their system of knowledge—knowledge about how to work with and direct the forces of nature—became urgent. They needed to act quickly. A council of priests gathered to decide how to pass their knowledge into the next life after reincarnation. They wanted to preserve it in a form that only priests would understand after rebirth. At the same time, since they didn’t know where or when they would be reborn, the information had to be available everywhere.

The priests’ proposal (according to the legend)

Talisman vs. Amulet

People often use the words talisman and amulet as if they mean the same thing. In practice, they overlap — but they’re not identical.

What is a talisman?

A talisman is typically created (or “dedicated”) for a specific purpose — a goal, a quality, a mindset, a direction.

One proposed origin connects the word talisman to a Greek root related to “completion” or “dedication.” In that spirit, a talisman works through the psychological bond formed between the object and the person who uses it — especially when the symbols and choices are intentional.

A talisman does not have to be made by the person who will carry it. What matters more is that the maker understands the meaning of what they are building into it — the symbols, colors, shapes, and associations.