Maybe it’s just me, but when I’m doing card readings, sometimes I like fanning the cards out and using my pendulum to help me choose the card(s) to draw; it usually turns out pretty accurate, and it’s kind of a two-birds-one-stone type deal: my crystal cleanses the cards while also harmonizing my intuition with both tools. It’s like a double dose divining session.
The Magician- Actions, manifestations The High Priestess- Hidden knowledge, Secrets The Empress- Resources, Abundance The Emperor- Boundaries, Order The Heirophant- Education, Lessons, Unity The Lovers- Love, decisions The Chariot- Progress, determination Strength- Managing situations, endurance The Hermit- Searching, analysis The Wheel of Fortune- Fate, Luck Justice- Decisions, Balance The Hanged Man- Waiting, sacrifice Death- Transformation, Rebirth Temperance- Negotiation, common ground The Devil-Restrictions, Indulgence The Tower-Unexpected failure, breakdowns The Star- Hope and guidance The Moon- Anxiety and deep emotions The Sun- Growth, Recovery Judgement- The past, second chances The World- Success, completion
Minor Arcana
Cups- Water Element, “I feel”– How emotions rule over and work within the meanings of the cards.
Ace- Love, Beginnings Two- Partnerships Three- Celebration Four- Boredom, longing Five- Loss, sadness Six- Peace, reconciliation Seven- confusion, possibilities Eight- Departure, leaving behind Nine- A wish coming true, contentment Ten- Happiness, family Page- Opportunities, Chances Knights- Emotional and dreamy influence Queen- Intelligent and intuitive influence King- Charismatic and Wise influence
Pentacles- Earth Element, “I have”– How possessions rule over and work within the meanings of the cards.
Ace- Money, success, beginnings Two- Decisions, balancing finances Three- Showing talents, chances Four- Stability, hiding Five- Financial loss, chasing Six- Generosity, supporting Seven- Potential with work Eight- Money coming, building success Nine- Comfort, success Ten- Inheritance, something lost Page- An offer Knight- A dependable influence Queen- A genorous influence King- A prosperous influence
Swords– Air Element, “I think”– How thoughts rule over and work within the meanings of the cards.
Tarot readings are cool, but why not make them AWESOME? Here’s some ways you can be sure to get the most out of your divination situation.
🔮Have a Question In Mind- This sounds pretty obvious, but it’s astounding how many people I read for that have no idea what they want out of it. Wanting a general reading is fine, but definitely have an answer to the question “what would you like to know?” when you sit down/place an order. Thinking about what you want helps you solidify the question with the cards, and helps you avoid thinking an hour later, “Drat! I should have asked about _____.”
🔮Think about How You Frame your Question- Tarot has different strengths and weaknesses, like any divination form. Playing to these strengths will help your reader give you a more fulfilling answer! For example, I once had a querent purchase multiple readings from me asking for very specific times of things. While tarot CAN be used in that way, it is much harder and in my experience usually comes at the expense of more valuable information. A better version of, “when will X happen?” is “what will make X happen?” or “What must I do before X?” That way you know if X requires specific action on your part, instead of sitting around waiting for “Oh, maybe about three months” and nothing happening. Phrasing your question in a way that milks the most information out of the cards makes for a better reading!
🔮Know Your Reader- First and foremost, a tarot reader is not the same as a psychic. A lot of psychics use tarot cards as a tool, but most people just offering readings can’t tell you the name of your future spouse or the color of your great-grandfather’s shirt when he died. Secondly, every reader is different! Some are intuitive readers and pull cards from the middle of the deck, some have you choose the cards, others deal from the top, and that’s just one example. Every reader has a different style to their interpretation that makes for a unique experience, so if possible, be picky with who you choose to purchase from. Some readers work better with certain types of questions. Maybe some give more detail in their interpretations. Some readers tell a little story about each card, which people can like or dislike. Some have trouble delivering bad news. Some just may not resonate with you! If you have the ability to check out multiple readers, especially online, definitely do so and find one who you think lines up with your needs the best.
🔮Don’t Be Afraid to Confide- The phrase, “I have a question in mind, but I’m not going to tell you” makes me want to rip my hair out. In my experience, people do this less because they want answers and more because they want to be impressed by a display of Tarot’s accuracy and the reader’s intuitiveness. They want to see the reader still pick up on the Truth with no outside input. This is all fine and dandy, but it’s not going to give you a lot of information. Why? It’s going to be vague! I can’t connect the dots as well if I don’t have half of them. It’s okay to give me some information about your question; it helps me pick out signs I may have not found significant without context. That said, I understand the fear of just having a reader use your words to tell you what you already know and call it divination. So don’t feel like you need to over share, either! If you want to know about whether to break up with your partner over that argument two days ago or not, a simple, “I’ve been having relationship problems and would like some insight on how to move forward.” Should work fine. That should allow you to still get a display of the reader’s intuitive ability (identifying the specifics of your situation) while still getting an actual answer.
🔮Interpret For Yourself- Yeah yeah, do my job for me. But not quite. Sometimes there are symbols that strike us that the reader may not emphasize in their interpretation. You know yourself better than they do, after all. If you think the cards are saying something extra to you, feel free to include that in your personal takeaway! If a reader asks, “what does this mean to you?/does anything stand out to you?” (this happens more in person than online) it’s totally okay to say, “I find X really interesting because Y. How do you think that ties in with the rest of the reading?” Feel free to start a conversation over it. Pick these cards apart with your reader. I, at least, love when querents do this. It shows they’re invested and engaged, and it lets me pull even more information out for them.
🔮Take a Picture- If you can. Sometimes online readings come with a photo of your spread! (Mine do.) Look back on the photo with a fresh mind later and reflect on it. Have you come up with any new personal interpretations for it? (Once I had a reading that I thought was about starting a business, but realized later it was about me writing a book!) What do each the cards actually mean? Are there any patterns in the spread you notice? It can also be fun to look back on it much later and see how accurate it was!
🔮Get Readings from Multiple People- I like a little variety, but I also just like people. I have people I go to for when I need a really solid dependable reading, but I also enjoy talking to other readers and seeing how they do it differently. I know it’s helped me improve a lot as a reader. If you’re able, consider getting your question answered through multiple sources (but be respectful, we’re still people.) See if there are any common threads between the two interpretations (it happens quite frequently.) See how they differ! It’s more work and money but is usually fairly interesting.
🔮Don’t Take it Too Seriously- At the end of the day, getting a reading is not going to change your life. Only you do that. While tarot can be a magnificent tool for insight, it is not an actual changing force in and of itself. Don’t stress too hard over it and be sure to use it alongside your own judgement, intuitiveness, heart, and common sense. And most importantly, enjoy it for the sake of enjoying an art form!
may the bridges I burn light the way 