The theory here is to work in a completely back-to-front manner by choosing the cards that will illustrate a particular story, rather than by looking at the cards that turn up in a reading and trying to interpret them. The point of this approach is to encourage you to think about the cards in logical groups that will describe the story that you want told. If this works the way I think it will, it should solve your stringing-cards-together problems for once and for all.
The idea is to look at a situation and then to pick the cards that describe it. The choice of cards is, of course, totally yours. While thinking about this chapter, I experimented on some of my Tarot reading friends by asking them to pick out a selection of cards that would indicate a move of house. The results were extraordinary; everyone chose different cards! When I asked them why they had chosen their particular cards, they all had equally sensible reasons for having done so. This made me go back and look at the cards more closely and, as a result, I have modified some of my own feelings about several of them.
Let's suppose that we are engaged upon a reading that is telling us that our Questioner is about to get a new job. There are plenty of cards that denote a new start—for instance, all the Aces as well as many, possibly most, of the Major Arcana cards. However, for the purposes of this example I have chosen three cards that seem suitable:
1. Tarot Readers usually see the Eight of Coins as indicating work. It certainly suggests satisfying, creative work to be done.
2. The Three of Wands suggests a new project, probably in company with a group of other people.
3. The Emperor suggests an improvement in one's status and general situation in life, which could well involve a new job offering potential benefits.
Let's now look at these potential benefits or otherwise that might arise from this new job to see what they might be.
The cards that I have selected for this overlay suggest that the Questioner will earn a lot of money from her new job. The Ace of Coins usually denotes a windfall, the Four implies security, the Nine and The Empress both relate to abundance and fertility, while the King would suggest an improvement in the Questioner's status and financial position. The King could also denote the Questioner's boss or perhaps her financial advisor.
This suggests that the new job will lead to opportunities for travel and a widening of horizons. The Six of Swords, The Chariot, and the Eight of Wands are all cards that tend to denote travel (among other things), while the Knight of Wands is also associated with movement.
This suggests that the job will lead to an improvement in the Questioner's social life. The Lovers card and the Two of Cups denote friendship, socializing, and even romance, while the Knight of Cups could be a loving and friendly young man.
This offers the Questioner an opportunity to improve her entrepreneurial skills. Self-employment, or at least self-determination, is probable too. The Magician denotes using skills and knowledge, good marketing techniques, and self-determination, while the Ace of Swords puts power in the hands of the Questioner. The Five of Wands suggests a challenge, while the Queen of Wands is often associated with an enterprising and capable businesswoman.
This indicates that the job will offer training or education and an opportunity for the Questioner to better herself in the future. The Star denotes an expansion of knowledge and the ability to plan for the future, while the Ace of Wands suggests a new and rather creative outlook and also the birth of something new. The High Priestess and the Page of Cups both have connections with training and education.
This is a little subtler as it means that the job will offer both peace and security. The Temperance card denotes peace and moderation while the Four of Coins implies financial security. The King of Coins would suggest an improvement in the Questioner's status and financial position while also representing her boss or even the financial department of her firm. The Three of Coins relates to work being completed according to some kind of specific plan or instruction.
The Five of Cups suggests that the job will be a disappointment, while the Ten of Wands shows a lot of hard work that may or may not be worth the effort. The Five of Swords denotes strife, while the Ten suggests either a stab in the back or a total dead loss situation. The Eight of Swords shows that the Questioner will be either severely restricted in some way or even helpless, while The Hanged Man denotes sacrifice. If I saw something like this in the cards, I would tell my Questioner not to touch this job, because it could be hazardous as well as unpleasant.
