Tag Archives: tarot card lesson

Daily Tarot Card Draw: VII-Chariot, XVI-Tower, X-Wheel of Fortune and XIII-Death

I’m sure I’ve mentioned in some post or another that the best way to learn how to read tarot cards (or any card system, for that matter) is simply to do just that — read tarot cards! On a daily basis!

If you’re remotely serious about improving your ability to read tarot cards, you must commit to the practice of casting daily tarot card draws and recording them and jotting down your impressions in a notebook or journal dedicated specifically to card reading. Later, you can review your notes and observe where, why and how you got it “right” or “wrong.”

Just like learning a language, over time, you will learn how your cards speak to you. As you gain “fluency,” your ability to correctly ascertain the cards’ messages in any given daily draw will increase.

That said, remember:

“No matter how talented a reader you may become, you won’t always ‘get it right’.”

 

Three Reasons Why You May Not ‘Get It Right’

 

  1. Taking the information too personally, especially when your draw contains tarot cards that scare you. Your mind might automatically race to worst case scenarios, which, in addition to being a lousy way to start your day, typically don’t manifest in real life.
  2. Forgetting that some daily card draws are fairly mundane. The cards could be showing you something as simple as a weather report (literal or emotional). Perhaps they are describing a local or global event that comes to your attention later in the day or week.
  3. Failing to take “the prevailing winds” into account. Sometimes the energies surrounding a “prediction” shift enough to cancel manifestation at a later time. In those instances you may have correctly interpreted the cards but you probably won’t know it because of lack of feedback.

A Daily Tarot Card Draw with Scary Cards

 

Early last week I pulled some cards in my daily draw that illustrate points #1 and #2 above. I decided to share the reading with you because I think it’s something that card readers experience more often than they care to admit. We get so used to asking for (and expecting!) relevant, personal information that we tend to forget sometimes the cards just want to give a heads-up on a freak thunderstorm or, as you’ll see below, a fatal accident that comes to your attention.

At the time of the draw, having no particular question in mind, I decided to ask one of my go-to generic questions: “Heads up/ need to know/ will happen.” I pulled the following cards:

Q: Heads Up/ Need to Know/ Will Happen:

 

Morgan-Greer Tarot Daily Card Draw: VII-The Chariot - XVI-The Tower - X-Wheel of Fortune http://livingwithcards.com
Morgan-Greer Tarot Daily Card Draw: VII-The Chariot – XVI-The Tower – X-Wheel of Fortune

Morgan Greer Tarot Deck

It took me about a nanosecond to realize that Chariot + Tower is a classic combination for an automobile accident. Having the Wheel of Fortune in the spread (literally, “wheels”) only seemed to solidify the interpretation.

Unsettling at best.

Of course, I took the “prediction” personally. My mind went directly to myself and my family, including a loved one who would be embarking on a road trip later in the week.

As my anxiety levels multiplied, I found myself grabbing another card to represent the Probable Outcome.

I pulled Death, making me wish I’d never done the darn daily draw in the first place…

Morgan-Greer Tarot VIII-Death http://livingwithcards.com
Morgan-Greer Tarot XIII-Death

 

I then proceeded to worry myself half to death (pun intended) for at least two minutes. After getting a grip on myself, I re-boxed the cards and returned them to some storage container or another, amidst the firm resolution of getting on with my day. (I definitely do not recommend fixating on dire predictions!)

I actually succeeded in not giving the reading a second thought until a news story on the next day’s 6 o’clock news came to my attention: a fatal car crash in a neighboring town. Why the previous day’s tarot card draw had pointed that out to me is unknowable. As the Death card indicated, there was absolutely nothing I could have done to prevent the tragedy.

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Could the cards have manifested in some way other than a tragedy? Of course. To a large degree, it would depend on the question. For example, if you pulled these four cards as an answer to a question concerning taking a new job in another city, the cards could be suggesting that this course of action (Chariot) might be interrupted (Tower), thrown off-course (Wheel) and come to naught (Death). The Death card in this example could also suggest you don’t get the job offer in the first place. Regardless of the question, the fact that all four cards in this particular draw are Major Arcana suggests the outcome is out of your control.

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Notes

 

The cards pulled in this daily tarot card draw predicted a fatal motor vehicle accident. While my interpretation was technically correct, I took the information too personally, causing myself unnecessary angst. It didn’t occur to me at the time of the reading that maybe the cards were foreshadowing a story I’d see later on the 6 o’clock news. Should I pull another set of equally dire cards anytime soon, I’m fairly confident I’ll be able to keep this error in mind.

Because this particular reading left an impression, I probably would have been able to bring those four cards to mind once I saw the news story whether I’d recorded the draw or not. But I’m glad I did. You might think you’ll remember your tarot card readings, but unless you have a photographic memory, you won’t. It’s crazy how easily tarot readings slip your mind when you don’t record and notate your readings.

Don’t let your fear or apprehension of “bad Tarot cards” keep you from performing daily card draws and recording them in a notebook or journal. Keep the three points I made above in mind (Three Reasons Why You May Not ‘Get It Right’) and always remember that there isn’t a card in the deck that does not provide useful information, even if it’s something you don’t particularly want to hear or address.

Blessings,

Mary Hawkins

 

Tarot Card Advice on Asking Questions

When it comes to reading tarot cards, a good rule of thumb to follow is:

If you don’t really want to know the answer, don’t ask the question.

If you choose to ignore this advice, one of three things will surely happen.

1. The cards will pick up on your subconscious hopes and wishes and reflect back to you what you want to hear. At first glance, you might feel joy and relief. Then you’ll get that “hey, wait a minute…that can’t be right” feeling and self doubt will kick in…

Q: Does X like me the way I like him?

A: You are the sunshine of his life. He sees you two as a couple. Your dreams will come true.

Your gut response: “Yeah, right…”.

Hanson-Roberts Tarot Deck XIX-The Sun - 2 of Cups - 9 of Cups
XIX-The Sun – 2 of Cups – 9 of Cups

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

 

2. The cards will pick up on your subconscious worries and fears and deliver worst case scenarios, sending you screaming for that carton of rocky road ice cream stashed at the back of the freezer (or for whatever your go-to comfort food happens to be).

Q: Does X like me the way I like him?

A: No way. He is lying to you. He will break your heart and leave you crying.

Your gut response: “Aw, come on … it couldn’t possibly be this bad…”

Hanson-Roberts Tarot Deck 7 of Swords - 3 of Swords - 5 of Cups
7 of Swords – 3 of Swords – 5 of Cups

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

 

3. The cards, having picked up on your subconscious, vibrational broadcast that you don’t really want to know the answer, will arrange themselves in some gobbly-gook fashion, all but indecipherable, no matter how many times you reshuffle and draw again.

Q: Does X like me the way I like him?

A: Insights, inspirations, hopes fulfilled, new enterprise or beginning, success, completion, goals achieved, job well done .

Your gut response: “Huh??!!”

Hanson-Roberts Tarot Deck XVII-The Star - Ace of Wands - XXI-The World
XVII-The Star – Ace of Wands – XXI-The World

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

 

You can avoid the above scenarios by only asking questions for which you are ready to hear the answer. Another approach would be to rephrase your questions — especially about subjects in which you may have an emotional investment — in ways that feel more empowering and less fated.

The tarot is exceptionally good at providing deep insight into your situation/ circumstance/ issue. Instead of asking questions that can be answered “Yes” or “No,” practice phrasing your questions in empowering ways. Empowering questions such as “What’s the most important thing I need to know about [situation/ circumstance/ issue]?” or “What’s the best approach I can take regarding this [situation/ circumstance/ issue]?” are much more helpful and considerably less stress-provoking than the typical yes-or-no questions people tend to ask.

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A great spread for ascertaining helpful advice and guidance is a variation of “The Veil” spread described in the Tarot de Marseille LWB (little white book). The first three positions are per the instructions. I added positions 4 and 5 because I think the additional information is helpful.

Position #1: What you are seeing.

Position #2: The Veil, or what you are not seeing, or the reason you are not seeing the entire truth.

Position #3: The truth, or how things really are.

Position #4: The advice.

Position #5: The Probable Outcome if you follow the advice.

 

Example:

Pertinent background leading up to the question: Recent blood work shows my cholesterol’s too high and the doctor’s scale confirms my bathroom scale is accurate (sigh).

My question: “What am I seeing / not seeing concerning my health and what is the truth?”

 The Veil Spread with Extra Positions

Hanson-Roberts Tarot Deck Queen of Pentacles - 8 of Pentacles - II-The High Priestess - Ace of Swords - 0-The Fool
Queen of Pentacles – 8 of Pentacles – II-The High Priestess – Ace of Swords – 0-The Fool

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

Position #1: What I am seeing.

Queen of Pentacles - Hanson-Roberts Tarot Deck
Queen of Pentacles – Hanson-Roberts Tarot Deck

QUEEN OF PENTACLES: I am seeing myself as healthy. After all, my cholesterol is not that high, and my weight is not that excessive.  The doctor didn’t even lecture me about either one. I want to believe I am healthy enough.

Position #2: The Veil, or what I am not seeing.

8 of Pentacles
8 of Pentacles – Hanson-Roberts Tarot Deck

8 OF PENTACLES: Eight is the number that signifies balance vs. imbalance, and pentacles are physical. As such, they are often related to health issues. There is some type of imbalance going on, likely physical, whether I want to admit it or not.

Position #3: The truth, or how things really are.

II-The High Priestess - Hanson-Roberts Tarot Deck
II-The High Priestess – Hanson-Roberts Tarot Deck

II-THE HIGH PRIESTESS: I am not listening to my gut feelings surrounding this issue. I am ignoring the inner voice that keeps nagging me that all is not well and that I really need to start doing something about it, preferably sooner rather than later.

Position #4: The Advice.

Hanson-Roberts Tarot Deck Ace of Swords
Ace of Swords – Hanson-Roberts Tarot Deck

ACE OF SWORDS: I need to find ways to release pent-up emotions, stress, anxieties and worries. Working out on a regular basis will go a long way in helping me bring my physical and mental energies back into balance. Exercise needed!

Position #5: The Probable Outcome if I follow the Advice.

Hanson-Roberts Tarot Deck 0-The Fool
0-The Fool – Hanson-Roberts Tarot Deck

0-THE FOOL: A new beginning, starting afresh. All things are possible, jump in with both feet. Improved health.

 

I had to admit the cards were right. I told myself, the next time I got a flyer from a local gym offering promotional pricing, I’d join. And wouldn’t you know it, a flyer from the fitness center closest to my house arrived in the afternoon mail…

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I’d really like to encourage you to ask questions that help you sort things out, empower you, and lead you to your own conclusions. The answers you’ll receive by taking this approach will be much more insightful and helpful than any yes-or-no answers could ever hope to be.

Blessings,

Mary Hawkins