Editor’s Note: In lieu of a Weekend Tarot Reading, we’re re-publishing this Aug. 18, 2010, article from Sarah’s earlier series of columns on how to read tarot cards. If you’re new to tarot, this series is a great way to get acquainted with the territory. — Amanda
By Sarah Taylor
Over the past few weeks in our nascent tarot series, we have started by situating tarot in a wider system of thought where the personal touches the collective — one that is woven through much of the writing here on Planet Waves; and we have laid some groundwork for approaching a reading as clearly and effectively as possible. (The articles are listed at the end of this one.) Today, we are going to explore the idea of reading a tarot card: looking at it in order to gather meaning.
If, according to Dr. Roger Sperry, we are one of those who tend to approach things from a more “left-brain” perspective, we might balk at the thought of reading something that is visual rather than verbal. But if we come from the understanding that everything is symbolic (the subject of the first article), then I believe that we all have it in us to pick out the narrative of a picture. Some of us will simply take a little longer to get the knack than others who are well-versed in thinking visually.
If you consider yourself one who tends towards words rather than images, take heart. First, no-one is exclusively one way or the other; all of us rely on both mechanisms to move through life. Second, I don’t buy for a minute the belief many of us have that tarot is the exclusive domain of right-brain woo woo.
A good reading demands a combination of left-brain and right-brain thinking; of verbal and visual; analytical and intuitive. We apply both of these processes when addressing our cards. One cannot function effectively without the other.
More than that: when they are combined, the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts. Reading tarot cards is a form of synthesis, where two different approaches — knowledge and intuition — are combined to create something that transcends both.
So here we go …
Step 1 — Knowledge.
This is important: know your cards. Know the difference between major and minor arcana; court and pip cards (pips being Aces through to tens); swords, cups, wands and coins. Know what each classically represents. For example, what does the seven of coins mean? What are the differences between wands and swords? What is the prevailing quality of fours as compared to tens? What is the evolutionary journey described by the major arcana, from zero (The Fool) to 22 (The World)?
Knowledge such as this forms the bricks and mortar of our readings — their solid foundations. In doing this, we draw from centuries of tradition and practice, and we begin to learn the language of tarot. Why is this important? I remember being stunned to find out that Picasso could draw and paint classically because I had only ever seen his later works. We, perhaps like Picasso, use the routes trodden by the masters first, so that we know where we are when we venture outside boundaries, and we know how to break with tradition constructively.
Buy a book or two that come recommended by established, reputable readers. Attend a course. Do your homework and source out the best tools. And then start to work with your cards so that their traditional meanings become second nature. Then you are ready to apply the second step.
Step 2 — Intuition.
As I wrote earlier, intuition does not feel like a natural state for many of us. Though I believe that we are by nature intuitive, we often place so many obstacles in its way that we either feel out of sync with it, or cut off from it. It is there. We just need to see it.
One of the first things that we can do to recover intuition is to be aware of our thoughts about it. Again, look for doubt, look for awe, and check your ego at the door. Observe yourself. Is there a pull that has an emotional charge to it? If there is, then that is a good indication that you have interference. Mentally take a step back. Check in again. Your intuition tends to be quieter than the other thoughts and feelings that will come up. Find the voice behind the voices, the one that carries with it a subtle certainty that rises above emotions. Look for your emotions as a reaction to finding that voice. Detach from those too.
This process, like many things, is simple, but it isn’t easy. Practise, practise, practise, be willing to make mistakes and be forgiving of yourself. Watch yourself as you start to identify your intuition more quickly and more clearly.
Step 3 — Combining knowledge and intuition to read a card.
Put these two steps together and we have the makings of a sound reading. But, as with nearly everything to do with tarot, we need to combine the ingredients carefully, always keeping the requirements of the reading uppermost. This isn’t baking: there are no set quantities, no definitive ways of treatment. There are norms, methods and traditions — yet all of them are fluid. Some cards will be straightforward in terms of their traditional, learned meanings. Others will demand a more intuitive approach to their interpretation. It is up to us, as readers, to apply our knowledge and our intuition to discern which method is best for each card.
Let’s take a card: the eight of wands. (Search for eight of wands under Google images and you will find several good examples.)
First, let’s apply our knowledge. What do we know about the eight of wands? How does its conventional meaning apply to the subject of our reading? The eight of wands is traditionally about swiftness, and unimpeded movement. If we take the Rider-Waite tarot deck, as I am here, we can see that illustrated in the cards: eight staffs in flight, all heading towards a shared destination.
Now let’s sink deeper into the image to get at those aspects of it that lie beyond the assigned meaning. How does the card feel? Perhaps the eight of wands embodies vitality and optimism; perhaps it denotes simple forward motion; perhaps it feels like a full-bodied assault. Are there elements of the card that stand out in the context of the specific question that we’re reading about?
If we’re reading with more than one card, we can look at the other cards. When we know our cards, we know which combinations pull together more than others; which ones repel; and which ones seem indifferent. (I’ll be exploring relationships between cards in later articles.)
Now, let’s look even deeper. Are there any prevailing colours in the spread we’re using? What feelings do they give us? What can we intuit from that? What cards are next to each other? What directions are any figures or salient objects facing? Where are they facing in relationship to other figures or objects? Is one figure turned away from another, and what do we feel they represent? (I am aware at this point that I have stepped away from the example card of the eight of wands, and that’s no accident. When intuition takes over, a card vibrates in terms of the reading context. It is relevant purely for that particular position, and in that particular moment so that examples out of context can only take us so far.)
Next, let’s step away from the reading and look with our inner eye. What impressions do we have? Does anything stand out? Do we feel a pull towards any particular card or cards?
And then our final step back, where we detach as much as we can. What remains? What is our overarching impression? Have we told the story waiting to be told? Does the reading feel complete? If not, what do we feel is missing? What shouldn’t be there?
Look, think, feel, detach. Breathe out… and come to your answers.
This article seems at times to be a barrage of questions. I believe that this is sometimes the best way to communicate with intuition. We use what we know to establish and find answers to what we don’t know. And we do this through enquiry. We ask, we disengage, we wait. And somehow, through the synthesis that I referred to earlier, the answers come through. It is then up to us to hold and communicate them in a spirit of humble acceptance. The cards have spoken, and we have listened — with our heads and with our hearts.
Previous articles:
– Intro to Tarot: Synchronicity and card positions
– Intro to Tarot: Gearing up for a reading
– Intro to Tarot: Humanity’s relationship to symbols