Tag Archives: 5 of Pentacles

Tarot Clarification Cards Address Relationship Issue

You can almost always glean additional and helpful information from a Tarot spread by pulling clarification cards. While there are many ways to select clarification cards, below I will outline my preferred method.

First, let’s take a look at a simple 7 card Overview Spread* that reads fairly straightforwardly. Later, we’ll add the clarification cards.

 

Tarot spread, overview spread, card positions, livingwithcards.com
The Overview Spread – card positions

Card 1: Significator or Theme Card (Represents the Querent or describes an important aspect about the topic under consideration)

Cards 2 & 6: The Recent Past / Current Influences

Card 3: What is Above You (Describes what’s weighing on the Querent’s mind at the time of the reading)

Cards 4 & 7: Near Future/ What Happens Next

Card 5: What is Below You (Describes what the Querent dreads, doesn’t want to think about or wants to avoid)

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The template above shows how to lay out the spread once you’re done shuffling the cards in your usual manner while thinking about the topic you’d like the cards to discuss. You can preselect Card 1 if you like (for example, choose the King or Queen who normally represents you, or choose VI-The Lovers for a relationship overview), or let the deck choose for you. I usually let the deck pick the Significator or Theme Card, but please do whatever feels comfortable to you. You’ll still get a valid reading.

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In the following example, the Querent (person asking the question) was a single female who found herself unexpectedly pregnant. She wanted to know if marriage (which she and the man had discussed as an option) was a good idea. I drew the following cards:

Overview tarot spread Universal Waite tarot deck
Overview Spread – Universal Waite Tarot Deck

Universal Waite Tarot Deck

Card 1 – Significator or Theme Card: III-The Empress

Cards 2 & 6 – The Recent Past / Current Influences: 10 of Wands + 2 of Wands

Card 3 – What is Above You (What’s Weighing on Your Mind at the Time of the Reading): 8 of Swords

Cards 4 & 7 – Near Future/ What Happens Next: 3 of Pentacles + 4 of Swords

Card 5: What is Below You (What You Are Avoiding, Dreading or Don’t Want to Think About): 7 of Wands

 

Since the Querent was indeed pregnant, III-Empress as the Significator or Theme Card was certainly appropriate. I quickly noted, however, a lack of cards in the spread suggesting marriage and/or happiness.

10 of Wands and 2 of Wands in the Recent Past position (Cards 2 + 6) suggested feelings of overwhelm and off-centeredness. 8 of Swords in the Above position (Card 3) suggested a sense of entrapment, awkwardly countered by the independent, go-it-alone vibe presented by 7 of Wands in the Below “Don’t Want to Think About It” position (Card 5).

I noted that the Wands cards, which in general can indicate hope and inspiration, were in the Recent Past and Below positions (Cards 2, 6 and 5) while cards from the suit of Swords (indicating fear and worry) showed up in the Above position (Card 3) and as the last card of the Near Future (Card 7).

The child itself did not seem to factor in (no Pages), and once again I’ll mention the lack of cards indicating love, marriage, cooperation and/or happiness.

The Overview Spread confirmed the Querent’s sense of feeling conflicted. With 3 of Pentacles and 4 of Swords in the Near Future position (Cards 4 + 7), it seemed likely that any potential growth of the relationship between her and the baby’s father would come to a halt. Perhaps they would agree to take a break from each other. This interpretation seemed to be supported by 7 of Wands in the “Don’t Want to Think About It” Below position (Card 5) which speaks to what one is avoiding, dreading or not wanting to consider. I got the sense the querent didn’t want to admit to herself (let alone the baby’s father) that she would prefer to remain independent.

Before I went any further, I wanted to see the clarification cards, knowing they would either support or refute my intuitions.

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How I Use Numerology to Calculate Tarot Clarification Cards

Each Major Arcana card has its own value, 0 – 22.

Each Minor Arcana card 1 – 10 has its own value.

In my system, Kings = 11, Queens = 12, Knights =13 and Pages = 14. Some readers do the reverse. Either way it’s up to you, just be consistent.

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In this reading there were no court cards so the math was easy enough. I added up the numerical values of the cards in the layout and reduced the total to a number equaling 22 or below. Here, the cards added up to 37, which equals 3 + 7 = 10 = X-Wheel of Fortune.

The next step was to find X-Wheel of Fortune in the remaining deck and pull it out, along with the card before and the card after, giving me a three-card clarification:

Tarot clarification cards VII-Chariot, X-Wheel of Fortune, 5 of Pentacles
Tarot Clarification Cards

 

VII-The Chariot continued with the theme of independence and wanting to do one’s own thing while 5 of Pentacles suggested hardship and more restriction. X-Wheel of Fortune in the middle suggested to me the course had not yet been set. While I felt the fate of this relationship was in the querent’s hands (Chariot), that didn’t guarantee the change would be positive (especially with 5 of Pentacles following the Wheel). “Sleeping on it” (4 of Swords) was not bad advice. She owed it to herself to carefully consider her options and desires in light of what would ultimately prove best for all parties.

Blessings,

Mary Hawkins

*I learned the Overview Spread from The Art of Cartomancy website by Kapherus, which is now back online, I’m happy to say 🙂

Tarot Card Reading Reveals Truth of the Matter: 5 of Pentacles, XVI-The Tower, XVII-The Star, 5 of Cups, XXI-The World

The subconscious mind is a curious thing. If you fill it with fear, doubt and apprehension, it will tend to bring frightening and perhaps undesirable situations, circumstances and events back to you. If you’re successful at adopting a more positive attitude, it will be happy to deliver more positive situations, circumstances and events to your doorstep.

Another way to put this: You will (probably) get what you think about all day long.

Tarot card advice self empowerment http://livingwithcards.com
Tarot card advice – self empowerment

 

Sometimes it’s hard to know what kind of messages you’re feeding your subconscious mind. That’s where the Veil Spread proves itself useful. I just love how this spread gets to the heart of the matter and helps you to see what’s really going on behind the scenes of your thought process.

As I’ve mentioned here and here, I added extra positions to this spread because I’ve found the information they provide to be quite helpful. The Veil Spread with Extra Positions is a five card spread that can be adapted to many card systems. Here, I’ll use the Tarot to demonstrate.

 

Annie’s Dilemma

Annie is a long-time tarot reading friend of mine. She’s creative, artistic and imaginative. I’ve disguised her name to protect her privacy.

One day Annie stopped by looking for a second opinion on a new idea she wants to develop. She explained the project then added that she’s been unable to convince herself she can pull it off. I immediately thought this would be a good opportunity to put the Veil Spread with Extra Positions to the test. We crafted the following question for the tarot cards:

What is the truth about my ability to successfully complete this project?

Hanson-Roberts Tarot Deck: 5 of Pentacles - XVI-The Tower - XVII-The Star - 5 of Cups - XXI-The World
5 of Pentacles – XVI-The Tower – XVII-The Star – 5 of Cups – XXI-The World

Hanson-Roberts Tarot Deck (c) 1985 U.S. Games Systems, Inc.

 

Position #1: What Annie Sees: 5 of Pentacles

The first position of the Veil Spread with Extra Positions shows what the querent (person asking the question) sees. Annie picked 5 of Pentacles for this position.

Hanson-Roberts Tarot Deck 5 of Pentacles
5 of Pentacles

This is a card of poverty, lack and inability to acquire what she needs. Annie immediately acknowledged her tendency to doubt her own abilities to manifest what she wants.

 

Position #2: What Annie Does Not See: XVI-The Tower

The second position of the Veil Spread with Extra Positions shows what the querent is not seeing (the Veil). Annie chose XVI-The Tower for this position.

Hanson-Roberts Tarot Deck XVI-The Tower
XVI-The Tower

Quickly brainstorming, Annie rattled off the following concepts: breakthrough, destruction, all will blow up my face, ability to break loose, collapse of a structure.

“Oh my God,” she said. “When I put the first two cards together, I get ‘the ability to break loose and destroy my poverty thinking’!”
It was exciting to watch her identify what she was not seeing!

 

Position #3: The Truth: XVII-The Star

The third position of the Veil Spread with Extra Positions uncovered XVII-The Star.

Hanson-Roberts Tarot Deck XVII-The Star
XVII-The Star

By now Annie was grinning from ear to ear. “How empowering is that,” she chuckled. “I could be ‘the star of my own show,’ so to speak!” XVII-The Star is a card of hope, inspiration, joy, promise and protection. In position #3 of the Veil Spread with Extra Positions, it shows that the truth of the matter is that Annie has the ability to achieve her goals and plans for the future. It also points to creativity and special skills, both of which Annie possesses.

 

Position #4: The Advice: 5 of Cups

The fourth card of the Veil Spread with Extra Positions is the Advice Card. It suggests what one should do or not do to achieve the desired objective. Annie had picked 5 of Cups.

Hanson-Roberts Tarot Deck 5 of Cups
5 of Cups

“Oh my God,” Annie said again. “Stop, stop, stop focusing on what I don’t have, what I think I’ve lost, and start focusing on what I really want!”

I couldn’t have agreed with her more. We took a minute to talk about the subconscious mind and how it’s like a little robot whose only function is to deliver what we order from the Menu of Life. Feed it negativity, fear and doubt and it will surely bring the circumstances, events and situations that mirror that thought process. Annie needed to consciously instruct her subconscious mind to bring her more of what she wants and less of what she doesn’t want.

 

Position #5: The Probable Outcome: XXI-The World

The fifth (and final) position of the Veil Spread with Extra Positions shows the Probable Outcome, based on the current energies surrounding the querent at the time of the question. Annie chose XXI-The World.

Hanson-Roberts Tarot Deck XXI-The World
XXI-The World

The ultimate card of completion and success, XXI-The World advised Annie that full achievement of her goal was well within the realm of possibility at this time, as long as she busted through (Tower) her negative thinking (5 of Pentacles) and started focusing on what she really wants instead of what she doesn’t want (5 of Cups).

 

Once again, the Veil Spread with Extra Positions proved itself to be a valuable tool in my Tarot arsenal. Give it a try the next time you’re having difficulty discerning the truth of the matter in any given situation.

Blessings,

Mary Hawkins