Begin your practice readings with something I call “the four-card trick.” The method is to take four cards and then consider the combinations that arise. This can be done with any number of cards, but I suggest that you stick to four cards at this stage, because this will be enough to provide variety, but not enough to confuse you.
Now look at your four cards. Leave them in the position in which they turned up, but mentally work through the little list below.
I asked a young man named Simon to choose four cards at random and this is what he came up with: Death, Six of Wands, Eight of Coins, and Queen of Coins.
Referring to the instructions above, the only Major Arcana card is the Death card that suggests that a major change is about to take place in Simon's way of life. There is one Wand card and two Coins, so business, money, and resources are important factors here. The one Court card in the group denotes a practical, reliable, and materialistic woman.
The interpretation might read as follows: Simon is soon going to change his way of life in an important way. This change will come as a result of a successful ending of something that is already in progress (Death = change and Six of Wands = success). He will take a new job or otherwise improve his prospects at work (Eight of Coins) and a woman will figure in his life in some important way.
This all seems very logical as Simon was not only running a small business at the time of the reading, but he was also on his way to finishing a degree in computer and business studies. The cards indicated a success for Simon and either an expansion of his business or a successful period at work. Simon had an important girlfriend at the time of the reading.
Example 1: Ace of Swords, Wheel of Fortune, Six of Swords, The Lovers
Here we find two Major Arcana cards and two Sword cards. The immediate impression is that this reading refers to something important, because the presence of more than one Major card in such a small spread suggests that the hand of fate is very strongly involved here. The Wheel of Fortune is a particularly fateful card and the Swords are the most serious and heavy of the four suits.
Here we have two Major Arcana cards that, linked together, suggest a change in relationships. The Wheel suggests change and The Lovers suggests choices that are concerned with our relationship to others. There are two Sword cards that suggest important decisions that must be taken by the Questioner. The Ace of Swords puts power in the hands of the Questioner. These decisions may be related to travel due to the presence of the Six of Swords, or moving on from one way of life to another. The Wheel suggests change while the Six of Swords denotes movement. The Lovers may indicate a new companion. Swords suggest serious matters while The Lovers suggest choices to be made.
Now go back and look at that list again and see what you can make of it for yourself. Use your imagination to fill the story out and make it entertaining.
Example 2: Two of Coins, Two of Cups, King of Coins, Eight of Coins
Groupings: Two Cup cards and two Twos. One Court card.
Interpretation: This reading screams “relationships” to me. What do you make of it?
Example 3: Nine of Swords, The Emperor, Death, Eight of Cups
The odd one out here is the Emperor. All the others talk about leaving something or someone behind.
Example 4: Wheel of Fortune, Strength, The Fool, Page of Cups
With three Major Arcana cards and one Minor Arcana card, the reading is clearly in the hands of fate rather than the hands of the Questioner. The Page of Cups here assumes a greater importance than it otherwise might because it's the only Minor card in the spread.
So now you know the Four-Card Trick. Now try this method of reading the cards for yourself and your friends.