Okay, so when I first started with tarot, I got pretty good at knowing what each card meant on its own. You know, like The Fool is about new beginnings, The Tower means sudden change, stuff like that. I spent a lot of time just drilling those single meanings into my head.
But then came the tricky part: actually doing a reading with more than one card. I’d lay out maybe three cards, and my brain would just stall. I knew what Card A meant, and Card B, and Card C. But how did they talk to each other? That’s where I initially got stuck.
Figuring Out the Flow
I realized pretty quick that just listing the meanings one after another didn’t really give you a story, or any real guidance. It was like having a bunch of ingredients but no recipe. So, I started simple. Really simple.
I began by just pulling two cards. Not even a spread, just two cards side-by-side. I’d look at the individual meanings first, get those clear in my head. Then, I started thinking about how they might connect.
Here’s kinda what I did:
- Looked for obvious connections: Were they both Cups (emotions)? Both Swords (thoughts)? Did one look like it was leading into the other action-wise?
- Checked the ‘energy’: Did the cards feel like they agreed with each other, or were they pulling in opposite directions? Like, getting Strength next to the Ten of Swords felt very different than getting Strength next to The Sun. One felt like finding power during hardship, the other like power leading to joy.
- Considered the positions (even in a simple pair): I sometimes thought, ‘Okay, this first card is the situation, the second is the challenge or the outcome.’ Just giving them basic roles helped structure my thinking.
Moving to Bigger Spreads
Once I got a bit more comfortable with pairs, I slowly moved to three-card spreads. Past-Present-Future is a classic for a reason – it gives you a natural flow. I’d look at the ‘Past’ card as the foundation. Then see how the ‘Present’ card was interacting with that past energy. Was it building on it? Reacting against it? Then, I’d look at the ‘Future’ card. Given the first two, did this future seem likely? Was it a warning? A goal?
It wasn’t about memorizing specific combo meanings I found online, though sometimes I’d look them up out of curiosity. Mostly, it was about looking at the pictures, feeling the vibe of each card, and then trying to weave a narrative. Context became super important. Who was I reading for? What was the question? A Tower card might mean one thing in a career reading (maybe getting fired, or a big project collapsing) and something else entirely in a relationship reading (a sudden breakup, or maybe a sudden realization that shakes things up).
I also started paying attention to patterns: Lots of Wands? Maybe it’s about action, energy, or work. Lots of Pentacles? Could be finances, home, or practical matters. Seeing a Major Arcana card pop up usually made me pay extra attention – felt like a bigger theme or lesson was at play.
Still Learning, Always Learning
Honestly, I still don’t think there’s one ‘right’ way to read cards together. It’s less about knowing fixed meanings for every possible combination (there are thousands!) and more about developing your intuition and your ability to see the story the cards are trying to tell in that specific moment.
So yeah, that’s how I went about it. Started small, looked for connections and flow, considered the context, and just practiced a lot. It takes time, but eventually, you start to see the cards having conversations with each other, not just standing alone.
