Big Love for Tiny Tarot

Big Love for Tiny Tarot

There are plenty of novelty tarot decks that we don’t think of as actually being created for, or appropriate for, conducting serious tarot readings.

My very first tarot deck was a novelty deck. I got “World’s Smallest Tarot Deck” for five dollars from Herman Slater’s Magickal Childe shop in New York City. It was a miniature Waite Rider. I bought it because I felt called to learn tarot but still felt very skeptical about card reading. I simply wasn’t convinced I should invest real money in a proper deck. How silly that seems now!

I soon discovered I couldn’t learn tarot with a miniature deck. I ponied up the money for the standard-sized Rider Waite in the familiar yellow box. This became the first deck I read with professionally eight years later.

I kept the miniature tarot. In fact, I still have it. I used it for tarot magick with good success.

Over the years people have given me novelty tarot sets, many of the miniature. I love to display them in my office and my home.

When preparing to evacuate my home for Hurricane Dorian I snatched Tiny Tarot off the shelf by the door and stuck it in my purse. I was thinking about remedies for boredom during the hurricane and thought that it couldn’t hurt to have a miniature tarot in a little plastic box.

Once I got to the family home further from the flood zone, I had some time on my hands, and started playing with Tiny Tarot for the first time.

I bet you have seen this deck, even if you don’t own one. It is a full Universal Waite in a plastic box with a keychain, measuring all of 1.2” by 1”. It’s published by U.S. Games, Inc.

Tiny Tarot Cards - KeyChain by US Games by US Games

USGAMES

Here’s what I discovered while playing with Tiny Tarot.

If you really know the card images well, the small cards read every bit as well as normal-sized cards.

You can put the cards in a pouch and reach in and grab the number of cards you want in one hand.

Because you can pull from a pouch you never need to shuffle.

There is something powerful about holding an eleven-card Celtic Cross in your closed fist.

An entire spread fits on a very small surface.

When you come to my office for a reading, I promise I won’t read for you with my Tiny Tarot; I will use normal-sized cards, of course. I also still believe it is very hard to learn tarot with a doll-sized deck.

Yet, doing readings with Tiny Tarot gave this seasoned pro a new perspective on those familiar Universal Waite cards. And new perspective is what tarot is all about, isn’t it?

How to Read for Keyword Questions

How to Read for Keyword Questions

“‘Love life’ is not a question!” A fellow reader shared this thought in frustration after working a lengthy gig where she had to quickly read a long line of impatiently waiting people.

I understand the frustration. When doing short readings, a clear question is much easier to work with.

Yet, when we have some time to spend with a client, I enjoy the keyword questions because they allow us to expand into many different questions.

Here’s how it works. If a person simply says that their question is ‘love life,’ we can expand that into the following questions.

What has been the energy or experience of love in the past?

What relationship modeling was provided in childhood?

What is the current relationship situation?

What can be done to improve or nurture the current situation?

Here’s another example. If the keyword question is ‘career’ you have no idea whether the person is unemployed, happily employed or unhappily employed. You have no idea if they are doing what they want to be doing, or if they have a dream they have yet to fulfill.

It can be an interesting exercise to simply ask a question such as, ‘What is the energy around career at the moment?’ and pull a few cards. Share the energies you see in the cards and see how it fits with the client’s situation, and the way the client perceives their situation. Then you can ask further questions to help the client set goals for next steps and understand what could be possible for the future.

In readings that need to be short, keyword questions are the bane of readers everywhere. When you have some time to explore, keyword questions allow the reader to develop the narrative by asking multiple questions in a way that can be extremely helpful and enlightening.

Is This the One? The Truth about Relationships, Tarot and Predictions

Is This the One?

The Truth about Relationships, Tarot and Predictions

It’s more than a stereotype. It’s a reality. Tarot readers from beginner to pro find themselves reading about love relationships; their own, their friends and their clients. This goes beyond tarot to include all methods of divination and psychic work. We employ many tools and techniques to help people understand each other, foresee when the right person might arrive, when a relationship isn’t worth trying to save, and when a person is actually ‘the one.’

I’ll speak from the perspective of tarot here, since that is the tool I prefer. However, what I am going to say applies to all attempts to predict the outcome of a new love relationship.

Also, truths about relationships apply whether the relationship is comprised of cisgender or transgender folks, or whether the relationship is same sex or opposite sex, or a couple or a polyamorous pod.

It is absolutely true that tarot, in the hands of a good reader, is an amazing tool to give us insight into our relationships. A good ‘couples reading’, while not therapy, can increase understanding and communication, and can offer new ways to grow as a partnership.

A tarot reading can help us navigate dating by taking unlikely fits off the table early, and by potentially predicting the timing of more interesting possibilities. A tarot reading can help us figure out what we want in a relationship and assess our readiness for love. A tarot reading can help us understand our feelings and give us an opportunity to figure out strategy in handling difficult situations. A tarot reading can help us heal from heartbreak, learn from our mistakes and look forward to the next adventure in love.

In all these ways, tarot has rightly earned its reputation as the panacea of the heartbroken and hopeful. In my book, Tarot Tour Guide, there is a whole section dedicated to using tarot to read for romantic relationships. However, after twenty-five years of fulltime professional reading, I have come to the conclusion that there is one question we just cannot answer with tarot, nor with any other psychic or predictive tool or method.

That question is, when asked at the beginning of a relationship, ‘Is this the one?’ That question can be phrased a lot of different ways, such as, ‘Will this definitely work out in the long run?’

When we speak of ‘the one,’ we are speaking of the one we want to marry, or the one we have been waiting for, or the one with whom we can share life in the long run. A complication to this is the number of people who absolutely believe that there is one particular person for whom they are destined, and whom they are destined for. This belief may cause someone to ask, ‘Is this my soulmate?’

While a spiritual connection or past life connection may appear in the cards, there would be no way to ascertain if there is a good long-term future with someone, even if that person appears to be a soul connection.

A great relationship, even in the beginning, does feel like destiny. It is possible there is spiritual intervention, or a sense of spiritual rightness, that makes a great relationship opportunity happen. It is also possible that we meet the same souls from lifetime to lifetime, causing us to feel a sense of connection, karma or destiny with a particular person, whether that turns out for good or for bad. Yet, the idea that in all of the seven billion people in the world there is only one that you can love, live with and make a life with doesn’t make mathematical sense.

The idea that our partnerships are ordained by a higher power and all we have to do is find the right one and the rest will be simple abdicates our personal power and responsibility in a way that feels unhealthy and unrealistic. There are times in life that we absolutely must trust a force great than our own. Our choices in relationships are very often times for us to be proactive rather than surrendered.

When people have a clear connection, attraction and desire to be together, and neither of those people are obviously seriously emotionally unhealthy or personality disordered, there is always a chance that they can build a life-long relationship.

Tarot can help people with strategies on how to do that in the healthiest, easiest way, and can point out the possible pitfalls along the way.

In the beginning, any relationship may feel like destiny, or seem spiritually ordained. Yet, love at first sight is only a good story when told many years later. That new relationship energy is powerful and causes us to feel things that may not stand the test of time.

Relationships develop over time. How they develop depend on the choices the individuals make every day. The possibilities are astronomical, and therefore, unpredictable.

I have seen love make crazy people sane. I have seen love develop in the most unlikely times and places, and between the most unlikely people. I have seen very well-matched couples lose their connection unexpectedly as priorities shift and communication breaks down.

If you and your tarot cards are faced with a question about the advisability of a relationship, or the long-term prognosis of a new relationship, you can get helpful information without trying to predict the unpredictable. More importantly, you can refrain from giving information that might cause a person to stay in an unhealthy relationship longer than they should, or that might cause someone to walk away from something with actual potential. Instead, you can give helpful information about navigating the emotions, personalities, and possibilities at hand.

The best method I have found for this is to either create a custom spread, or to ask a series of questions and pull a card or two in answer to each question.

Whether using a spread or a dialogue method, the type of questions would be the same.

When reading about the future of an exciting new relationship, here are some examples of the questions that will yield the most helpful information.

Who is this person?

(It’s good to pull a few cards for this question. Look for personality traits, issues and concerns in the cards you pull).

How does this person feel about the relationship?

What does this person hope for from this relationship?

(I know some people have an ethical issue about divining other people’s feelings. My take is that we are constantly speculating about what other people are thinking and feeling. Speculating with tarot at least gives us a basis that can keep us grounded and healthy in our thinking.)

What is the potential for compatibility between these people?

What personality flaws/quirks does this person have that could make a relationship difficult?
(With this sort of question, it is good to do a card or cards for each person in the relationship.)

What is the worst-case scenario that could arise from this relationship?

What is the best-case scenario that could arise from this relationship?

What can be done to mitigate likely problems in the relationship?

What can be done to foster the best aspects of this relationship?

Spiritually, why is this person in your life? Why are you in this person’s life?

What is the reason for, or the source of, the strong connection we are feeling?

Generally, if we are asking if a new lover is ‘the one’ it’s because we don’t want to waste time on someone who isn’t. Perhaps we have been hurt in the past and want to avoid pain. Yet, even the best relationships can lead to heartbreak, and even the worst relationships sometimes bring us to where we need to be.

Tarot can often tell you if someone isn’t the one. The only thing that can tell you if someone is the one is the passage of time.

The Energetic Care of a New Tarot Deck

Many readers feel the preparation of a new deck is a very important part of a professional reading. Preparing your deck insures the energies of printing and manufacturing are erased, and replaced by the energies of your own personal space.

Part One: How I Care for Decks Waiting for Adoption

Tarot decks aren’t alive. They are cardboard and ink. Yet, in the hands of a tarot reader, tarot cards seem to come alive to speak truth, bring healing and give direction. There are many reasons this happens. Part of the reason is that tarot works with sacred archetypes. Beyond that, in the five centuries that tarot has existed, each tarot reader, artist and student has added their energy to the body of tarot. Another reason is the power of creativity, and the intentions of the artists who create each deck. Yet another reason is the energy we use to care for our decks.

Unless you designed your deck yourself or purchased an indie custom deck, your tarot deck was made in a factory, and is one of thousands. Yet, when your deck become your own it takes on a specific energy and becomes something unique and one-of-a-kind. We call this ‘bonding’, or ‘connecting’ with your deck, or ‘seasoning’ your deck.

My goal in curating and selling tarot decks is twofold. First, I want to make my all-time favorite tarot decks available to you, incuding beloved classics and exciting brand-new offerings. In this goal, I am especially interested in provided good beginner decks, and decks that are particularly good ‘workhorses’; that is, decks appropriate for readings of all types.

Second, I want to treat the decks I keep in stock as I treat my own new decks. While these decks are waiting for adoption, I will not only keep them safe, I will begin the energy work that will help to ensure your excellent connection with your new deck.

When each deck arrives from the factory, I do three important steps. First, I smudge the deck with sage or palo santo to remove any random energy it may have picked up from production, packing or shipping. Next, I give it a pre-dedication ceremony (see words below). Then, I cleanse it with a selenite wand to make sure it is ready to absorb your energy and bond with you when you receive it. Finally, I bless it with a special wand, giving it my intention for your success with your new deck.

Part Two: How to Dedicate Your Deck

Christiana prepares a deck with sage

Everyone has their own traditions and preferences. These directions include traditional methods. Feel free to adjust your dedication to your specific need and beliefs.

When you receive your deck, think about how you want to use it. Is this deck for personal use, study, professional use, or all three? What do you hope to achieve with this deck? Take a moment and write a dedication for your deck (see sample below).

Once that is accomplished, I suggest that you create sacred space through prayer, or playing music, or by lighting candles or incense. You can invoke elements, angels, saints or ancestors. Call in your energies and entities ask them to attend your deck dedication. Or, you may prefer to simply quiet your mind and address your Higher Self.

If you like, smudge your deck with sage, palo santo or your favorite incense. You may smudge the whole pack at once, or you may take the time to run each card through the smoke.

Once that is complete, read your dedication aloud.

Then, it is time to ‘mark your deck’. This is a time-honored and traditional way to make your new deck your own.

To mark your deck, take a pencil and draw a thin line down its side. When you shuffle the deck, the line will disappear, but the energy will remain.

As you draw the line, send your energy into the deck, making it yours.

Next, mark your deck with your breath by blowing on it.

Finally, mark your deck with your chakras by holding the deck to your heart, your throat and your third eye.

If any of those steps feels unappealing to you, simply skip it. As long as you mark your deck with at least one of these techniques you have created the traditional energetic bond.

You are now ready to begin your study and practice with your new deck.

Remember that every time you shuffle your cards, every time you rap your cards on the table, and every time you place your cards in order, you are energetically cleansing your deck, and returning its energy to this original state of connection.

My Pre-Dedication

“I cleanse this sacred tool of its mundane origins and focus on the creative and spiritual energy by which it was created. I hold space for this tool that the person who will most benefit from its wisdom will make it their own. In creating a relationship with this deck, may that individual be given wisdom, knowledge, peace and healing.”

A Sample Deck Dedication

“I dedicate this deck to my use. I dedicate myself to the study of tarot, and the wisdom that I may gain. From this deck may I learn about matters both spiritual and mundane. With this deck may I receive guidance for my highest good, and for the highest good of those around me. With this deck may I serve to guide, help and heal others who seek me out for readings.”

Don’t Fear Your Cards!

Don’t Fear Your Cards!

Over the past year, I have seen an alarming increase of fear-mongering about tarot. Sure, some of this has come from the usual suspects; religious fanatics who are sure that evil forces will enter us through our decks. That doesn’t bother me at all – I’m used to fear-mongering from ill-informed and misguided folks.

What bothers me is fear coming from tarotists themselves and being presented as fact to new tarotists. I see this in posts on social media and videos on YouTube. I don’t see it as much on tarot blogs, perhaps because readers who are dedicated enough to keep written blogs are also experienced enough to know better.

There are two types of fear-baiting that I am consistently seeing. One is fear of particular cards, usually cards like Death, The Devil, The Three of Swords and the Ten of Swords. This shows a simple lack of knowledge and technique that is easily remedied with study and practice.

The second and more egregious is a fear regarding the idea that the use of tarot is somehow unsafe if we don’t use specific energy-clearing techniques with our cards.

For example, our cards will somehow hurt us, or not work correctly, if we don’t smudge them with sage or store them with specific crystals.

There is nothing wrong with having meaningful rituals with our cards that include smudging, crystals, Reiki or other tools. There is nothing wrong with innovating or teaching these techniques. Yet, to suggest that there are specific techniques that must be used lest our cards become unsafe is straight-up misinformation.

When reading for others, good psychic hygiene is imperative. There are many ways to practice psychic hygiene, and none of those ways need to include particular tools. While many of us use tools such as stones, feathers, candles and incense, the only practice required to achieve good psychic hygiene involves meditation, breathing and affirmation.

Further, should one not practice good psychic hygiene, the worst thing that is likely to happen to them is that they might become tired, not feel like reading for their clients, or get a headache. There is no serious danger to the reader, the client, or the cards.

I have, over the course of my career, seen in clients a few rare cases of a spiritual attachment that caused a great deal of psychological harm over time. None of these cases were caused by reading tarot, or by performing any other type of psychic work.

I have also, from time to time, felt that a particular deck of cards had acquired a certain unpleasant psychic schmutz that needed to be removed. Yes, smudging and crystals could be part of that removal process, but so could a good shuffle, accompanied by a satisfying bang of the deck on the table. Never was I (nor my cards nor my clients) in danger from that schmutz.

We all have different theories about our cards and the reasons they work so effectively. That’s all well and good. Yet, when we start propagating false information that frightens and misleads newer tarotists we are doing our growing community a huge disservice.

When we, ourselves, harbor fear around our precious tools, we are doing ourselves a disservice.

Superstition Doesn’t Mix Well with Tarot

Superstition Doesn’t Mix Well with Tarot

The more superstitious we are, the less spiritual we are.

I am not a superstitious person, though I have fun with the traditions of some superstitions. I will throw salt over my left shoulder if I spill it, and I announce that a man is coming to dinner if I drop a knife. Yet, I don’t worry about bad luck should I forget to throw the salt. Nor do I set an extra place for a stranger at dinner.

Some people think it is strange that I am a full-time professional tarot reader and not superstitious. To me, it makes perfect sense. Tarot is a proven tool, when used appropriately. Superstitions, when taken seriously, seems to be borne of fear and idiocy, and seem to increase and create both.

Superstitious people who use tarot rarely gain the many benefits tarot has to offer because they are too busy ascribing supernatural attributes to cardboard rather than using the cards to find the magic within themselves.

This is a difficult distinction for a couple of reasons. Tarot does seem to operate magically. The cards can speak truth in uncanny ways. The tarot images feel sacred to us. It is both easy and appropriate to revere tarot as one might revere a sacred text like the Bible.

I believe that tarot works well because it works with the third eye, or brow chakra, by stimulating our eyesight when we see the cards, and then stimulating our imagination and intuition. Vision, imagination and intuition are all seated in the brow chakra. These things work together to help us create a tarot reading.

No one really knows for sure why random token divination of any kind works as well as it does. People have ascribed all kinds of theories to it, understandably. The Golden Dawn felt that the angel Hru presides over tarot. Many of us feel that spirits speak to us through tarot. Still others feel that the power that makes the tarot work resides within the cards themselves. There is nothing wrong with any of those theories, until we start to use those theories to absolve ourselves of our own responsibilities as diviners.

When we start to feel that we are getting bad readings because our decks are angry at us, we step into superstition and step away from real spiritual practice. When we blame a deck for a faulty reading rather than looking at our own mistakes in interpretation, we are as bad as any fundamentalist in any religion. When we use the practice of a “deck interview” to decide how we will work with a deck rather than deciding to learn the deck and try actual readings with it we are artificially limiting the deck and ourselves.

When we are receiving cards that don’t make sense, it is our job to study until they do make sense. When we blame those nonsensical cards on the deck itself, we have lost the opportunity to learn and grow, as tarotists and as people.

Whatever rituals we use to honor our deck and keep it holy, we are remiss if those rituals don’t include our own study, our own psychic development and our own meditation.

When we rely on our superstitions about tarot to provide the parameters of our tarot practice, our tarot practice will always be limited by those superstitions, and by the lack of scholarship they allow us.

Dear Tarot Student: Don’t Try to Be Good at Tarot

Dear Tarot Student

Don’t Try to Be Good at Tarot

So often new and intermediate tarot students tell me they worry that they aren’t any good at tarot. I tell them they are missing the point.

It is true that at a particular level of tarot study and practice we want to tap into intuitive and interpretive talent. It’s also true that at the professional level you need to be good or go home.

Yet, I firmly believe that the study of tarot is beneficial to everyone. When I was a child in Sunday School we didn’t worry if we were good at Bible study. We learned the parables and discussed their meanings, and from that we grew. Tarot is the same way.

When we study tarot, the focus on card memorization can be daunting and discouraging. Some tarotists never memorize keywords, classic interpretations or archetypes. Gifted professional intuitives often use tarot as a prop, or as a focal point for inspiration, without ever knowing any traditions of tarot interpretation. I believe they aren’t technically tarot readers and are missing the wisdom of the tarot, but they get the job done.

Some students enjoy flashcard-style memorization and have a knack for it. Others don’t. Yet, tarot study doesn’t have to include a focus on tarot memorization, and, for many of us, probably shouldn’t.

Tarot study has a personal and spiritual value above and beyond building our skill at reading for others or predicting the future.

Each tarot card teaches a spiritual lesson. When we study tarot, those lessons inform our lives and hasten our healing. As a result of that process, we learn the meanings of the cards without really trying.

If you are frustrated with your tarot practice, you may be trying too hard to divine, and not hard enough to learn the lessons of the cards. If you are too focused on memorization without understanding the lessons and applying those lessons to your life, you are missing the point entirely.

In the beginning of your tarot practice, worry less about whether you are good at tarot, and worry more about discovering how tarot is good for you.

Are Yes or No Questions a Yes or a No?

Are Yes or No Questions a Yes or a No?

Tarot Tip

Glance through any online tarot study group and you will most certainly find a variety of opinions about posing yes or no questions of tarot. Some readers are sure that tarot simply can’t answer yes or no questions effectively. Others believe that if tarot has merit, we must be able to use it to answer any sort of question. Many readers discover or create techniques to answer yes/no questions, with varying degrees of success. Some experienced readers wisely warn that if you focus only on getting a yes/no answer you might miss the greater wisdom that would be made available by asking an open-ended question.

One thing that many find helpful is the technique of rephrasing a question. Very often we use this technique to avoid the yes/no. For example, any yes/no question that begins with a word like “Will” or “Should” or “Does” can easily be rephrased to “What do I need to know about…”

But, is there harm in asking the question first exactly as you wanted to phrase it – a yes or no question – just to see what comes up?

One thing that seems to be increasingly true for me over the years is that with tarot, all-or-nothing or always-or-never rarely seems to be helpful. Very often my answer to students who ask questions about whether tarot can or will work in certain ways is “Sometimes”!

I think many of us work best with tarot when we apply a “Let’s see what happens” approach. I also know that the best readers are able to use a vast array of techniques in their practice. That way, when one technique does not yield a clear answer, another technique can be employed.

When I have a yes/no question, I start by simply asking that question, and pulling a card. Sometimes the answer is very clear. Sometimes it’s not.

If the answer isn’t clear, I take that to mean that the situation isn’t simple enough to warrant a yes/no answer. Then, it is time to fashion a series of questions about the issue at hand, or to create a full spread for that issue.

I have often seen tarotists dismayed and discouraged when they felt that tarot did not answer their question in an understandable way. Yet, this situation is easily remedied by using a disappointing divination as a jumping-off point for a new, deeper divination.

Suppose your question is “Will I get the job I applied for?” and the card you pull in answer is the Ace of Pentacles. To me, in the context of the question, that would be a solid and emphatic yes. You might have other questions about the job. You can feel free to ask them and pull cards or do a spread to answer them.

Suppose, though, that the card you received in answer to that question didn’t feel like a clear yes or no. Suppose the card you pulled was the Hanged Man, or the Nine of Wands. When this happens, you can assume the situation is a bit complicated. Now it’s time to ask open-ended questions such as “What do I need to know about this job?” Perhaps you want to create a spread or perform a dialogue with questions about the job, your career path, and what you can expect.

If we are willing to let tarot answer the way it can, we can begin our divination with any sort of question. If we accept that one possible answer might be “Let’s dig deeper”, there is no way we can go wrong!

Five Techniques for Reading Larger Tarot Spreads

Five Techniques for Reading Larger Tarot Spreads

Here are five techniques to help you get the most out of larger tarot spreads.

I am a fan of large tarot spreads. I would much rather read eleven cards than three, five, seven or nine. Sometimes I think this puts me in a minority amongst my tarot peers, and I wonder why that is.

I think it may be that people feel that fewer cards can mean less confusion, and that more cards make a reading more complicated. For me, the opposite is true. For me, more cards mean more information, and more information means more clarity.

It also seems that some readers develop enough skill to handle a specific reading style, and then stop growing in their skill development. Very often these same readers quickly lose enthusiasm for their work with tarot. I’ve often wondered if the process of learning new skills and techniques might keep newer tarotists more happily engaged.

What follows is a list of my favorite techniques for working with larger tarot spreads. Many of these techniques can be combined in the same tarot reading session. Beware becoming the reader who handles a spread the same way each time. The more techniques you know, the more valuable tarot will become to you.

The Card by Card Method

To read a spread card-by-card, simply begin with the first position, say the name of the position, say the name of the card that appears there, and then interpret the card in the context of the position.

Very often you can use the name or description of the position in your interpretation to help get the context right. For example, if the Hermit were to fall in a ‘crossing’ position – that is, a position that denotes a problem or obstacle, you might say, “It looks as though your biggest problem right now is loneliness.”

The Card-by-Card Method is extremely helpful if you don’t get an immediate hit on the spread as soon as you lay it out. If the cards feel confusing, blah or contradictory, the Card-by-Card Method can help you make sense of the reading.

Card Trends and Groupings

Very often we can derive a huge amount of information from a spread by reading the cards in groups. Card grouping can happen as part of a spread, where the spread instructs you to read certain positions as a group. Card grouping can happen in a spread where there are multiple positions with similar meanings, like positions for ‘Future’ and ‘Final Outcome’.

We can also group cards together when we have multiples of number or rank, or numeric runs within suits. These numeric groups can often reveal a story or important message. For example, multiple Knights may speak of travel, or encourage the querent to pursue their goals. If the Eight, Nine and Ten of Swords appear, there may be a story about negative self-talk or chronic mental health issues.

If three cards of the name number appear, it is helpful to think about the one that is missing and interpret the reason it isn’t present. For example, if your client receives all the Aces except the Ace of Cups, it might be time to have a conversation about what is possible and desirable in the romantic aspect of life at this time.

When a suit is predominating or missing in a spread you can derive information from that. Likewise, when there is a predominance of Major Arcana cards, or reversed cards.

Look, as well, for cards that are natural opposites or corroborators. For example, if the Four and Six of Pentacles both appear, there is some push-and-pull in terms of how many resources can be given away. If the Two of Cups and Four of Wands appear together, there may be a very blessed romantic union at hand.

Thinking about which cards share common keywords can be helpful in performing these kinds of readings. When you see a number of cards in a spread that speak of education, or balance, or travel, or communication, you can get a sense of an overall theme or area of concern.

Start with What Pops Out

When you lay out your tarot spread, you may be pulled to talk about a specific card first. It may or may not be a Major Arcana card, or a particularly strong energy card, or a particularly pivotal position.

To use this method, simply talk about what you see first. What pulls at your psychically, or visually? What do you see that makes you curious?

Once you begin speaking about the first thing you see, you will naturally start to include the other cards as the story unfolds.

With this method you don’t necessarily need to mention the cards by name or describe their symbolism or keywords. You can simply say what you see, based on one, or a few, of the cards that strike you first and hardest.

This method is very good for opening up your own intuition and psychic flow and allowing the cards to speak.

It’s important, however, to make sure that what you are seeing is matching your client’s understanding and experience. If it’s not, you need to ascertain where the disconnect is coming from. Are you interpreting the cards inappropriately for the context? Is the client not understanding the wording you are using? Are you and the client seeing the same thing but perceiving it differently?

You can check in with the client regularly to make sure you are on track by saying things like “Does that make sense to you? Or “Do you see it that way?”

As long as you are able to stay on the same page as your client, the Start with What Pops Out method can really allow your reading to take on its own life.

Make a List

Sometimes you look at a spread and all you see is a bunch of cards. Nothing comes together or pops out at you right away. When this happens, don’t panic! Simply make a list of the energies you see in the cards and start with that. You can present it this way. “Here’s a list of some of the things that are striking me, in no particular order of importance.”

You will find that as you begin your list of seemingly unrelated energies, people and events they will begin to tell a story and make sense to you. By beginning with a simple list you can, over the course of the reading, build the complex story.

Use Smaller Spreads and Single Cards to Answer Questions

Very often a larger, comprehensive spread ends up asking more questions than in answers. You might see that your client has some problems with their job, but the spread may not offer a solution. You might see that your client is likely to enter a new romantic relationship soon, but want more information about what that will look like.

Typically, after I get as much information as I can from a large spread, I will pick up all the cards, shuffle them, and then ask questions one by one, pulling a card, or a few cards, or doing small spreads to answer those questions.

What? You might ask, Even more cards? What’s up with that?
Not all cards speak with the same weight. In any reading, some cards will give a great deal of information, others will just corroborate, or offer an adjective or adverb. The more cards we use, the more possibilities we can see, the more nuance we can understand, and the more helpful information we can derive.

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Tips for Tarot Readers: Look Deeper

Tips for Tarot Readers: Look Deeper

I am often struck by the tendency of tarot readers to, in a reading, land on a clear interpretation for a card and then, refuse to see anything deeper in it.

Here’s an example to help you understand what I mean.

Imagine reading for someone who gets Justice Reversed in a past position. You might ask if there had been any unfair situations or dealing with legal matters recently.

Suppose he answers that, yes, he had just spent the weekend in jail and the charges were subsequently dropped.

End of story? It could be; the story fits the cards.

But then, imagine that, as the reading continues, you find out that a bit further in the past he was in an actual war. Not as a soldier, but as a civilian whose homeland was invaded. That would be Justice Reversed in the past as well.

Not every card that appears will reference more than one event, but some will. There are a couple of techniques that can help you discern if a card might be speaking to more than one thing, and therefore maybe even establishing a pattern.

First, you can always ask. “Is there anything else in your past that might show up as unfairness, or a harmful action regarding the law or government?” If the client says there isn’t, just move on.

Second, you can simply pay attention. Remember the cards that appear, even if you pick them up to perform another spread. If something comes up that resonates with a card you have already interpreted, there is no problem with going back and connecting more than one event or meaning with that card.

If you start to see a traumatic pattern you have the opportunity to read on that specifically, and help the client find ways to acknowledge, heal and release that trauma.

By letting the cards speak more fully we are able to give more complete readings.