No matter how long a tarot reader has been reading the cards, there will be times when a reading will seem at odds with the situation asked about, or it’s just difficult to make the cards fit together. So, what do you do when a tarot reading seems to make no sense?
Don’t Panic!
First of all, take a deep breath and relax. Don’t doubt yourself or the reading. If the cards have come up, then that is what we have to work with. Forget the question for a minute and just look at the cards and the energies and meanings that they represent.
Let the Question Guide You
Now think about the question that you were asked and connect the meanings in relation to that situation. Up until now, it’s just a normal reading. However, this is probably where you will get tripped up in the trickier readings.
What’s Missing?
As a reader, you probably won’t have any expectations of what cards ‘should’ come up, but the presence or even the absence of certain cards will also be a message. For example, in the Free Reading I posted earlier this month, the querent claimed to be very depressed and emotional, and yet the reading itself was emotionless. This could be incorrectly interpreted as meaning that the querent is actually not feeling anything. However, what it turned out to mean was that the querent was not expressing those emotions due to the situation she was in.
How Do You Make the Cards Work Together?
The way the cards work with each other will also be a good indication of the reading. The cards will flow and tell a story. Even in a simple 3 card reading, such as a Past, Present, Future reading, they tell a story. The positions of the cards tell you what happened and when. They show you the significance of each card.
An Example
I received an e-mail from a friend with the following query:
“I have had some doubts about my relationship. My boyfriend and I have been together for 6yrs and have been living together for 4 of them. Recently I don’t feel like we’ve been connecting at all. I did a 3 card past present future reading for guidance and I got:
Past: 8 of Pentacles
Present: Sun
Future: 8 of swords
But I can’t connect to these at all – especially the Sun in the present. I don’t feel any of that happiness and potential, please help!”*
The basic meanings of the cards can be read in the Tarot Card Meanings section (8 of Pentacles, Sun, 8 of Swords). At first glance, those meanings don’t seem to connect to the situation my friend outlined. But if we remember the query is about the connection between my friend and her boyfriend, the reading becomes clearer. The 8 of Pentacles in the past shows the connection was very practical, maybe even related to working closely together. My friend confirmed that they had been absorbed in building a business together. From the Sun we see that there is a great potential for happiness. So although my friend is having doubts about the relationship, the practical work that has been done is moving in the right direction. The 8 of Swords in the future indicates feeling of being stuck. My summary was this: the nature of the relationship has become very practical; the only connection being work and the business. While this was moving in a very positive direction with plenty of potential, it was going to leave my friend feeling rather stuck. The advice therefore is to try and make quality time together outside of the business, where the two can once again be romantic partners and not just business ones. For whatever reason, she may feel like this is not possible and that they are stuck trying to make their business work, but the 8 of Swords shows that all is not lost and that there is change possible.
Practice, Practice, Practice
It may still seem confusing how I came up with those conclusions, but one thing I can guarantee is that the more you practice reading, the easier it is to make connections not only between the cards but also with the questions posed. This is why it is so important to have a clear and specific question.
*posted with permission