Interpreting the Cards
One important bit of information for the long-time student of tarot is that with the dawning of the new age, it had been suggested in the 1980’s that reversed cards no longer be viewed as negative. Reversed cards used to be read as the negative meaning of that card. For instance, if the Two of Pentacles was upright, it might mean that the client would have to balance their money and budget more in the upcoming months. If it were reversed, it used to suggest that the client would not be able to balance their money and would get into further financial debt. Upright cards’ time frame is now until six months and the reversed cards means that the actual event associated with the card will not happen until six to twelve months from the date of the reading. It is also used as half of the time frame. For example, if I were doing a reading for a particular month and I saw reversed cards, it would mean that things would happen in the second half of the time period, in this case, the month. If it were a day, upright would be from midnight until noon and reversed would be noon until midnight. Get the picture?
Then to continue with your interpretation, look at the card. Is it a happy or sad card? Blue and yellow backgrounds or skies are usually considered the happier cards, while the gray and black cards are considered the more challenging.
What emotions or feelings do you intuitively get from this card? Is there a focus on a particular part of the card? How would you feel if you pulled this card out of a deck for yourself? What would you tell someone you were reading for when they got this card? There are no wrong answers, only varied interpretations. Go with your intuitive nature and have fun. Spirit will guide you.
Some basic questions may be:
- What is the main figure doing in the card?
- Is she/he holding onto a suit?
- Are they holding onto each other?
- Are they chained or linked to each other in a negative situation?
- Is there a balance issue?
- Is the main figure in between columns, trees, people, houses, castles, or money — meaning something needs to be balanced?
- What is the balance issue?
- Is the sky clear?
- What color is the sky?
- How much of the card is taken up by the sky?
- Are clouds brewing behind the figure in the card?
- Are they puffy or streaking clouds?
- Are there mountains in the card?
- Are the mountains in the card?
- What color are they?
- Are they to the left, right or across the whole background of the card?
- Read your colors and memorize them.
- What colors are the figures wearing?
- Are other pieces of clothing covering up other colors?
- Are the figures creating their own problems? (Body parts in water?)
- Is there a sun/moon combination in the card so that the person does not see things clearly or is being deceived in some way?
- Is there a great deal of water expressing an emotional time and sensitivity? The more waves or ripples the water body has, the more emotional and sensitive the issue. What effect does the water have in this card?
- Are animals, birds, trees, ships, or anything else BEHIND the individual — meaning there is something hidden from the person or that secrets going on behind their backs.
- Is there an animal in front of the figures in the card that they are not paying attention to? This could mean there is something going on in direct view, but they choose not see it at this time.
- How many figures are in the card?
- Who are they?
- What are they doing?
- What are their relationships to the main figure?
- Are they celebrating or does the card look depressed and sad?
- Is there a path leading to new adventures and surprises?
- What color is the path? Is it straight, winding, or does it just disappear into the past, future, or center (meaning the future is not written yet) of the card?
- Where does the path go and who or what does it pass along the way?
- Are there obstacles that must be faced to get to the goal?
- Is the ground rocky?
- Or is it smooth, like the cement ground? This is the most secure, balanced, and stable ground one can be on.
- Is there a combination of many colors?
- Is the figure in between the suits? When a figure is standing in between swords, cups, pentacles, or wands, they are actually putting themselves in the middle of that particular situation which is represented in the card. Sometimes, they are the one causing the problem in that suit.
- Is there a house, castle, tower, or town anywhere in the card?
- Is it in the background or foreground; past, present or future?
- Is the figure looking at it or concentrating on something else wondering why her home life is not happy?
With the above information, you have a good deal to consider and delineate. Take a few moments to look at your spread and compare the notes above with your cards. What is your reaction to the spread?
