Intuition and Interpretation: Eleven Rules for Putting it all Together

There can be a bit of friction between readers who believe that learning and using traditional card interpretations is an important aspect of tarot reading and those who tell us to throw the books away and just give the information that comes to mind when you look at the pictures.

Here’s my take.

If you have no concept of tarot traditions and have done no tarot study, you may be a very good psychic who uses tarot images, but you are not, by definition, a tarot reader.

It’s happened to all of us. A strong card appears in a prominent position. You explain the card to your client but it just doesn’t ring a bell.

You are sure the meaning is significant to the reading, and to the client’s issues at hand. But the client can’t see how your description of the card relates to their situation.

What should you do?

First, don’t panic!

Second, continue the reading. Explain to the client that the meaning will be clear in a few minutes.

One of my favorite expressions for the Ten of Swords comes from my friend and fellow tarotist Mary Ellen Collins. About the Ten of Swords Mary Ellen says "Stick a fork in me. I'm done!"

That brings some much needed humor to the dark Ten of Swords image.

When I look at the Ten of Swords I remember that the swords can represent our thoughts, our fears, and/or other people's unkind words.

How often do we allow ourselves to be laid low by these sorts of things?

Many of the best tarot readers agree when I say that we can use tarot to help us create our future. This better by far than using tarot to predict the future.

Here is a spread I have recently designed to help us achieve our goals.

As with the Law of Attraction and Creative Visualization, be clear about your goal when you perform this reading.

Use this spread for one specific goal at a time. For instance, think about your career goals, and perform the spread. Then address your relationship goals by performing the spread again.

These days many people are unemployed. It seems like everyone is looking for a job. It also seems like jobs are few and far between, and the competition is stiff.

Why not use tarot to get the edge you need? There are many tarot cards that can help you get a new job or a promotion. There are also cards that can help you be more articulate in an interview or can help you stick in the mind of the interviewer long after the interview is over.

You may meditate with these cards, or keep them on your altar. You may print out these images and hang them on your wall.