So far we've covered the tarot and intuition basics. I've given you exercises to build your skills and confidence. I've shared my three favorite spreads for tapping in and delivering insightful readings. That's enough, right?
Nope.
In this chapter, I share all of my best tips and techniques to help you finesse your readings like a pro. Think of this part as the delicious cream cheese icing on the tarot cake. (Hmmm, I'm suddenly craving carrot cake for some reason.)
Every single card in the tarot deck is numbered except for the Court cards. Those numbers are chosen with care. In fact, they hold meaning and can give clues about the nature of each card. For example, the Emperor is ruled by the number 4, which indicates stability. Consider how he sits on his stone throne with the mountain behind him, entirely in charge. Now, look at the Four of Pentacles. This figure holds tightly to a coin, balancing another on his head, each foot firmly planted on another. Like the Emperor, he's in control, too, but in a different way. One creates security for the realm, whereas the other puts coins away for a rainy day.
See how that works?
Here are the general meanings for each number:
When you combine the numbers with the suits, you can quickly determine what the card might mean. For example, the Ace of Wands might symbolize a new venture, whereas the Ten of Wands might indicate that you're coming to the end of a project or period of hard labor.
Knowing the numbers can help jog your tarot brain when it goes blank. You might be wondering about the Majors, which also have numbers. As I mentioned previously, the same rules apply.
For double-digit cards, you have two options: first, you can reduce the number by adding the two numbers. Using the Death card as an example, 13 becomes 1 + 3 = 4. This tells you that there is an element of security in this card too. As my friend Joe used to say: “The only thing that is unchanging is change.”
Second, interpret each number separately. In the case of Death, 13 becomes 1, which indicates a new beginning, and 3, which is creativity. The traditional meaning of this card is change and endings, so breaking down 13 to a 1 and a 3 would mean that a new beginning is on the way, and something else is being birthed.
Here's one more cool example to ponder: The Hanged Man is ruled by the number 12. If you add that up, you get 3, which is attributed to creativity. Three also governs the Empress, which is the card of motherhood. The Hanged Man is the position that one assumes in the birth canal, with a golden halo symbolizing the crowning moment. As the Hanged Man makes his sacrifice, he becomes reborn. As you can see, these two cards have way more in common than you might think at first glance.
The numbers also come in handy when you explore the patterns in a spread. If you have a bunch of Aces, you can determine there is a fresh start ahead. Many Fives would suggest a chaotic, unpredictable time. Always pay attention to multiples of anything, including the numbers. They are vital clues that will help piece together the tarot story.
My friend Pleasant Gehman shared a numerology technique with me on my podcast that you might want to test out. Add all the numbers present in a tarot spread and reduce the sum. That final number is the overarching theme. Here's an example of how that might look: Let's say you're asking about a new job. The cards you get are Judgement (20), Three of Swords, Eight of Pentacles, and the Hierophant reversed (5). You add up 2 + 0 + 3 + 8 + 5 = 18. Eighteen is associated with the Moon, which signals change and uncertainty. Reduce it further, and you get 9, the number of completion. Judging by the nature of the cards, you might conclude that the job will have ups and downs and may come to an end at some point, especially if the querent doesn't like to follow the rules.
Shuffle the cards and do a three-card reading on any question you like. Using Pleasant's technique, add the numbers. Reduce the number further if need be. What themes can you pick up with that final number? How does it play out with the cards you pulled?
“When will things happen?” Folks want exact timelines, but that isn't always easy to determine. Timing is tricky and not foolproof! At best, you're guesstimating when something might go down. Although you may hit the proverbial nail on the head, often events will unfold slower or quicker than you might see in the cards.
When it comes to picking a time frame, I prefer to go with my gut. However, I also have a few simple methods that can help find possible dates. I always look at the final card as the “when.” Is it a Minor? The seasons rule. Major? Astrology is your friend.
Each suit in the Minors corresponds to a season:
Let's say you're asking about when you might be able to sell your house. The card you pull is the Four of Wands. This card might suggest springtime. If you get the Five of Swords, you will wait until fall.
A few Major Arcana are connected to zodiac signs. If your reading finishes with one of these, you can use the time the Sun is in that sign for predicting an outcome.
Using a previous example, if the Strength card were pulled instead of the Four of Wands, you might be looking at “Leo season,” which would be the period of July 23–August 22. The Moon? You're looking at Pisces, which means the home would be selling around February 19–March 20.
My friend Al Juarez likes to look for clues in the cards themselves. The snowy setting in the Five of Pentacles can suggest winter, while the pumpkins in the Three of Cups might mean October. The Fool could indicate New Year's Day, while the Empress might be Mother's Day. Use your imagination here and let the vibrant imagery of the cards speak!
If you're not sure when things might play out, it's okay to say, “I don't know.” It's also perfectly fine to give generous time frames if you're feeling a bit unsure.
With practice, you'll get more accurate and may even develop your own method. That being said, if you're not comfortable giving dates and times, don't. It's not mandatory.
Turn on the news. Find a developing story, one that may be ongoing. Shuffle the cards and ask when the situation will be resolved. Lay three cards in the Past Present Future spread. What does the Future card say about when the situation might come to a conclusion? Write down your answers, and then wait and see when it manifests.
A significator is a card that is consciously chosen to represent the querent (or a person they are asking about). Some spreads may require a significator, but often it is optional. I rarely use them because I feel that the card that represents the querent at the time of the reading will show up after we begin laying them down.
Most of the time, Court cards are chosen for significators. While there are traditional gender meanings for each Court card, I prefer to keep them neutral when doing a reading. As I mentioned in the section about Courts, not everyone will identify with the gender assigned at birth; plus, people can flip between being any of the Court members depending on the situation.
For example, although I identify as a woman, when I'm asking a question about business, I might choose a King to represent myself.
Before you pick a Court, a good practice would be to ask people what pronoun they prefer. This way, you can ensure they get one that they can relate to.
The Court figures are
Once you've determined the appropriate Court member, use the elements to determine which suit:
For example:
This is my most trusted way of picking a good significator.
The Major Arcana can also be used as a significator. In this case, you would use only the ones that are associated with the zodiac signs:
One last method is to use the Birth card. Birth cards are based on the work of Angeles Arrien and Mary K. Greer. In fact, Greer wrote an entire book on the subject called Who Are You in the Tarot? I highly recommend that book if you want to use this method.
Here's how it works:
Add the numbers in your date of birth. Reduce the numbers and find the Major Arcana that connects with it. For example, Barack Obama was born August 4, 1961.
The number 11 corresponds to Justice, which means this might be the card you choose for his significator. Keep in mind that 11 can be reduced further to 2, which is associated with the High Priestess. If he prefers, he could choose that card instead of Justice.
Use each method to determine a significator for yourself. Which one makes the most sense for you at this time? Can you see another time when the other cards might work better? Journal your thoughts about different significators at different times in your life.
Pay close attention to missing suits, for they hold clues too. For example, if someone is asking about love, and no Cups cards are present, that might be a sign of relationship issues. Perhaps the querent is lacking a connection with their partner. Or maybe they are emotionally unavailable. See how that works?
Missing suits are especially relevant for a general outlook. A missing suit indicates clue areas that may be unimportant or perhaps something the querent may be ignoring. For example, if the missing suit is the Major Arcana, that might indicate the current focus is on the mundane, day-to-day part of life. If there are no Pentacles, money may not be the pressing issue.
Keep in mind that some folks want a general outlook and get upset when the one thing they really want to focus on doesn't show up in the cards.
For example, I read for a woman, and zero Cups cards were in the spread. Of course, that made her anxious because she was hoping to see a romantic forecast. Crestfallen, she assumed this meant that she would not meet anyone. I asked her if there was a lot of drama at work (she had a ton of Wands and Swords). She admitted that things were dicey on the job as of late, and she had been working overtime. That left little time for love.
We did another spread focused on romance, and the cards showed potential (yay for Cups cards), but once again, the majority of suits present were Wands and Pentacles. It became apparent that she needed to make some changes around her job if she was going to have any bandwidth left to pursue relationships.
A few months later, this client returned and announced that she took a new, more flexible position, and she had begun dating a new woman. The next spread we did? Ace of Cups, baby. Yay for tarot!
The next time you do a reading, begin by looking at what's missing first. Take a moment to journal what that might mean. How does it impact the reading?
Do the cards face each other or face away? For example, if you pull the Queen of Wands followed by the Queen of Cups, they would face each other. This arrangement would show interaction is happening.
Perhaps this spread could indicate a meeting of the minds or two friends coming together to plan an event. But what if we reversed the order? If we switched these Queens, they would look in two different directions. That could imply that the people involved are not able to see eye to eye. In a question about relationships, this arrangement could suggest that they want different things.
How do the cards flow? Are there specific themes that dominate the reading? Or is it a mishmash of different suits, reversals, and Courts? Take a deep breath and try to find the patterns and where the energy seems to be moving.
Always look at the final card and then back to the beginning. The likely outcome shows where the querent is heading, and the rest of the cards will show the journey to that point.
Be sure to check out the “background noise” in your tarot images. Often, readers are more focused on the central figures, but if you look at backgrounds, you can see many clues and rich symbols that add depth to your interpretations.
For example, notice the abundant wheat harvest at the feet of the Empress. What wealth has she created? How about smoke billowing out of the Tower? What is “going up in smoke”? Or the storm clouds in the Five of Swords? What energy do they convey?
Go through all the cards in the deck and study the backgrounds. What's going on? Jot down some ideas for each backdrop in your journal. Doing so can broaden your interpretations and your tarot vocabulary!
Pay close attention to the hand gestures in each of the cards. Notice the defensive posture of the Page of Swords as he raises the sword in a gesture of protection. Observe the jnana mudra on the Ten of Swords (jnana mudra is a yogic hand position for wisdom). Look at the gesture of offering in each of the Aces. And pay attention to the benediction in the hands of the Hierophant. What clues do they give you about these cards?
The Page of Swords could be interpreted as a need to protect your turf, the hand in the Ten of Swords might suggest the wisdom that comes after loss, the Ace of Cups could be the offer of love, and the Hierophant could be an indication of a blessing granted. Gestures tell a lot.
Another thing to keep in mind is the surrounding cards because they can impact the reading. For example, let's say you're asking about romance, and you pull the Lovers. Yay, right? Perhaps. But what if the other cards are the Five of Swords, the Devil, and the Hanged Man?
Well, now, we see a relationship that could be full of drama and deception. Perhaps there is a karmic lesson to be resolved in this pairing. All of those cards change the nature of the Lovers, which we often assume to be a happy relationship omen. Every card impacts the other.
You'll also want to notice if the cards show a sequential order, or what I call “progressions.” If they do, that indicates the situation is moving along.
Let me give you an example. Let's say your first card is the Two of Pentacles. If the next cards are the Three of Cups and the Five of Pentacles, we can see a situation is moving forward. If the order were reversed, it would symbolize that you may be going back to the drawing board.
One of my favorite progressions is with the Courts. If a reading shows a Page, followed by a Knight, Queen, and King, a situation is developing from beginning to completion. This progression is especially auspicious when the Courts are in the same suit. For example, if they were all from the Pentacles suit, they might indicate a money-making idea that becomes a successful venture.
Speaking of all the Courts, if all four members of the Court show up, I call it a “full house,” an indicator that many people are contributing to the situation. If all four members of the Court also are from each suit, it's a sign that you have everything you need and all the right people in place to help you achieve your goal.
For example, if you're asking a question about your job and the cards pulled are Page of Cups, Knight of Pentacles, Queen of Swords, and King of Wands, you've got every person and all the suits. They don't need to be in order like a progression; they just need to be represented.
I mentioned this technique briefly as a Tarotcise in the “How to Shuffle” section, but it's worth repeating: peek at the card on the bottom of the deck before interpreting. This card can give a hint as to what's on the querent's mind, which is helpful for general outlooks. It can also reveal something that they are not sharing.
For example, once I was reading for a woman who had the Three of Cups on the bottom. The rest of the reading showed significant drama in her personal life and a situation that would come to a head soon. She shifted in her seat uncomfortably. Finally, she said she was thinking of leaving her spouse because she had met a new man. She didn't want to mention that because she was afraid I would judge her.
Sometimes it seems the same card comes up again and again. I call those “stalker” cards, as in that particular card is trying to get your attention! If you find one keeps turning up in your readings, even readings for other people, make a note of it. What is it trying to tell you? How is it showing up in your life? Is there a lesson you're still learning?
Recently, I was doing a book signing, and two friends were standing by my table chatting while people came up to meet me and my coauthor, Shaheen Miro. I pulled out my baby tarot deck and was allowing people to choose a card at random for a quick mini-read. Everyone seemed to pull Major Arcanas. When my friends walked away briefly, everyone started getting Minors. As soon as my friends returned, once again, it was Major after Major! Obviously, the tarot was trying to send these two a message!
Sometimes a card will seem to leap out of a deck when you're shuffling. My friend Paige Zaferiou calls these “jumpers.” These cards are trying to get your attention. A saying that I like is “What falls to the floor comes to the door,” meaning that any cards that fall out while shuffling are situations that might be coming into the querent's life soon.
When one card falls out, I put it aside facedown and come back to it after I've read the other cards. You might choose to do this too. Or you may feel like taking a glance and putting it back into the deck.
Keep in mind that some people will do everything they can to create a jumper. I have two clients like this. They shuffle as sloppily as they can, and when a card falls out, they can barely contain their grin as they say, “What does that mean?” It takes every ounce of my being to keep a straight face as I say, “It means you're a clumsy shuffler.” There are always those types who want their readings to be spooky or special. Never entertain folks who play that game.
Nothing is more frustrating than turning over a card and getting nothing. You panic and begin sweating while this dialogue runs through your head: “Do I look at the book? No . . . that wouldn't be right. Come on, brain, give me a clue! D'oh!”
I've been there. For the record, even seasoned pros still draw a blank from time to time. It just happens.
There are a few ways to deal with drawing a blank:
1. If you're new, feel free to pull out a book and find an interpretation. That may jog your intuition and get you back on the right tarot track.
2. Skip the card and move on to another. In the case of a large spread, this approach is perfectly acceptable. Come back to it and see if anything arises.
3. Start describing the card. Doing this will often lead to an interpretation. For example, let's look at the Ace of Pentacles. “I see a large hand holding a coin. The hand seems to be coming out of the sky. There is a path with flowers leading to a gate. There seems to be a big garden beyond that path.” Interpretation: “An offer comes out of the blue that leads to an exciting new path.” Bada bing!
4. Consider the question asked. Was it valid? Were you uncomfortable with it? If you are feeling some type of way about a subject or even the person sitting before you, that could get in the way. The same thing happens if you're invested in the outcome. Having an emotional stake in the reading can interfere with your intuition, and suddenly, you're blank! Centering can help, but more importantly, if you cannot be objective, now may not be the right time, or you may not be the right person for the job.
5. Sometimes, for no reason at all, you just get nothing. That happens. The answer may not be there, or it may not be yours to answer. Send the querent to a different reader and pack up your cards. You cannot read for everyone or every situation. And that's perfectly fine.
Think of a question and then pull a card. Write down every detail that you can find in the card. From there, see what interpretations you can find.
Getting in a tarot rut happens more often than you'd like. Every tarot reader at one time or another, especially high-volume readers, experiences burnout. When that happens, your deck seems to be giving you nothing at all, no matter how hard you try. You might even find that you're giving the same old rote meanings for every reading. Worse yet, your intuition seems to be on a permanent vacation.
You can take a time-out (which is sometimes necessary). Or you can do this one simple thing: pick a new deck—preferably one you've never worked with before, one that is utterly unfamiliar to you. Using a new deck will wake up your tarot brain. The reason: new images force your intuition to get to work. Think about it: When someone wears the same suit day in and day out, we become accustomed to it. But when that person shows up in brand-new duds, it captures our attention. We notice. Same with tarot.
Buy or borrow a new deck. Make sure it's one that you have never used before. Better yet, if you're a Rider-Waite-Smith person, get your hands on a Marseilles or Thoth deck. Do a reading and see how your mind has to search for new interpretations. How does it feel to work with a different set of cards?
Grab a deck of playing cards. Try doing a reading with them. Can you find interpretations with an ordinary non-tarot deck?
Some people want their reading with a buddy on hand. If you're comfortable with that, by all means, go for it. But do know that sometimes the other person can impact the reading.
For example, if the friend sits at the table and interjects, it can throw off the reading. If they are the curious sort who never had a reading and want to treat this as some sort of “ooh, let me see if I want to try this one day,” that can make you nervous. Also, sometimes shit comes up in a reading that perhaps the querent doesn't want revealed. If you see something that may be delicate, you might feel uncomfortable saying anything in front of the other person. In that case, the awkward situation can lead to a stiff reading and one that, while it may be entertaining to the person sitting in, isn't helpful for the querent.
Sometimes a tarot reading doesn't have a lot of wow power. Instead of a glamorous future with some underworld spy or the wife of a close friend à la Carly Simon, the cards show mundane life with the same-old, same-old.
I'm a practical gal. When I get a tarot reading, I expect it to be boring because I live a no-drama life. But some people get disappointed if the reading doesn't show new, exciting developments. I have to remind them that the cards are showing that everything is alright. Sometimes life is just okay—and that's not only perfectly fine but also a good thing.
Nobody ever likes hearing this, but if you read tarot for any amount of time, at some point, someone is going to let you know that “nothing came true.” There are a few reasons why this can happen:
1. You're still new at this. If that's the case, don't take that criticism to heart. Every skill (and yes, tarot and intuition are both skills) takes time to develop. Rarely, can someone just nail it right out of the tarot box.
2. You weren't comfortable with the questions. If I'm troubled with the questions posed, I might feel timid. This doesn't bode well for an accurate reading. I have learned that it's better to say that I'm not down with this line of questioning rather than try to wing my way through it. For example, when people ask about gambling, I refuse to engage. I have a personal prejudice against gambling, and that colors my ability to be objective.
3. The person wasn't receptive. If you are reading for a skeptic, they will be sure to make it as hard as possible because they want you to be wrong. Even if you're totally dead-on, they will come back and let you know that it didn't work. Those types are never out to get a helpful reading. Their only goal is to discredit you. If you sense the person is not open or is playing games, put your cards away.
4. You misinterpreted the cards. This is often the case. The cards may be right on the money, but your interpretations weren't. This reason doesn't usually come to light until later reflection. You can learn a lot by revisiting these “wrong” readings and seeing where your interpretation might have gone sideways.
5. You were too invested in the outcome. When you have a personal stake in the outcome, you cannot be objective. You'll either see what you want . . . or what you don't want. I've done this too and have learned that when I can't be objective, it's time to hire another pro!
6. Sometimes you'll read for a person who thinks that life “happens to them.” They will come to the reading hoping you'll deliver the news they want, and then they'll sit back and do nothing. I find this usually happens in love readings. The person wants to know if they'll meet someone, and when the cards show a yes, they assume it's going to happen without their involvement. Tarot is not a passive act. It shows the possibility, but you still have to do your part. These are the hardest people to read for. No matter how you try to explain their role, they just don't want to believe that they are responsible for their future success . . . or lack thereof. They prefer to blame the cards instead.
7. Sometimes a person either doesn't understand the reading or interprets your interpretation differently. For example, I read for a woman and turned over the Five of Pentacles in the “recent past” position. I said she had been unemployed not that long ago. She got mad and told me I was wrong. About ten minutes later, she said she was recently laid off from her job. This got me a bit pissy, and I said, “That's what I just said.” Her reply? “Oh, I don't think being laid off is the same thing as being unemployed.” Urgh.
These are the main culprits for the wrong readings. But do know that everyone has an off day. You can't possibly see everything for everyone. And that's okay.
It happens to the best of us. The cards show nothing, nada, zilch. The future is a blank slate. You're blanker than a freshly scrubbed chalkboard. Even the information that is coming through feels vague.
Sometimes there are no answers. You can't possibly see everything. No one has that power. In the case of a reading when you don't see a definitive outcome, it is better to be honest about that and to give any pertinent information around the question you are receiving.
For example, a woman wanted to know when she would sell her house. The cards showed a lousy market, and the outcome was the Moon, which can mean a lack of clarity or unforeseen problems. I told her that I felt she would sell the house, but I didn't have any information about when. I couldn't see a thing. She didn't like that, but it was better than me trying to fish out some bullshit answer that wasn't there. Needless to say, the house sat on the market for months without a nibble. Frustrated, she took it off the market. The last time we spoke, she was thinking about putting it up for sale again. This time, the cards showed a happy ending.
Another woman I read for was planning to move to Arizona to be with her boyfriend. She wanted to know when it was going to happen. The card that came up was the Eight of Wands reversed. I said the move was going to be delayed due to an obstacle. “How delayed?” I didn't know. The next time I saw her, she said that she never moved because she discovered he was seeing another person.
One more story: I was reading at a party when a woman asked about a trip she was planning. There was that Eight of Wands reversed again! I told her that her journey would be delayed, and she'd have trouble getting off the ground. She said that everything was meticulously planned, and no way would this happen. “What would cause the delay?” I pulled cards and got nothing. I told her I didn't know, and perhaps I was wrong. A few months later, she saw me and said her trip did indeed get canceled. I asked what happened. She said the trip was scheduled for September 11, 2001. That was the day the Twin Towers were attacked and all flights got canceled.
Ah, it is tempting to ask a question again if you don't like the way it rolls out. I'm not a fan of beating a dead tarot horse. Get your answer and be done with it. Maybe make some changes in your life and revisit the card again at a later date. Other than that, a do-over or “tarot mulligan” isn't recommended. It usually leads to mixed messages, and in my experience, it also makes my tarot cards grouchy.
I have met people who will go from reader to reader to get the answer they want. They are often quick to demand a refund or leave a poor review when they don't get the shiny outcome they desire.
Years ago, I read for one such woman who inquired about an old love. She wanted to know if he would return. The cards showed a firm no. She said, “All of the other readers I have talked to over the years told me he would. You're the only one who didn't.” I asked her how long she's been getting these readings and waiting on this dude. “Twenty years.”
In other words, for the last two decades, she has been told that he would come back, but nothing happened, and here she was with a different reader hoping to get that same answer. On some level, she must have known that this situation was never going to work, but these readings fed into her fantasies. Needless to say, she got mad at me and gave me a nasty review. I have no idea if he ever came back or if she's still visiting those readers who told her he would.
Again, you do not want to keep pulling cards until you see a rosy future. Instead, I recommend picking one to three cards for advice. This approach takes the reading in an empowering direction and puts your future in your hands (or the hands of the sitter if you're reading for someone else). After all, your decisions help write your destiny. You have agency, and your reading should always make you feel that way.
A short advice reading is the wisest practice when the outcome isn't positive. I usually pull three additional cards for guidance when the reading ends on a sour note. This reminds the sitter that they have options and can change the course.
Also, you should never end a reading on a negative note, no matter what cards come up. You do not want people walking away from your tarot table feeling hopeless. Instead, you want to make sure they feel inspired and empowered, no matter what the circumstance may be or the cards pulled.
You must choose your words with great care and be mindful about giving absolutes (“you'll definitely lose your job!”). Be honest about what you see, but then follow my advice and pull additional cards for guidance.
You'll need to be especially mindful when reading for parents of young children. If you see something negative in the cards, you do not wish to cause undue worry for the parent. (Psst . . . you can be wrong too.)
Recently, I spent a whole day consoling a friend who had received a frightening reading. The person implied her eight-year-old daughter would have “a hard life” and encounter many struggles. The tarot reader stated this as a fact and didn't give any solutions for the mother. Needless to say, she was crushed, and I ended up having to undo the damage that this other person caused.
We looked at what problems her child might face and how she, as the mother, could guide her in the best way possible. This is the proper way to handle a reading about a child if the cards are tricky.
Always remember your words matter. Carefully consider the ramifications of the information delivered. You cannot predict how people may react or what they will do after the reading. Still, you can certainly do your part to steer things in a productive, healthy, and hopeful direction.
At the end of the day, think about how you want people to feel when they work with you. Let that guide your words.
I'd like to finish this chapter by saying that sometimes life isn't fair and situations are not easily resolved. For some folks, circumstances may be severe, and they may need additional resources to make a change. While a tarot reading can be an ally, seeking other help may be necessary. In those situations, you'll want to refer them to the proper professionals.