December 16th, 2021 | Updated on June 27th, 2022
Many people have turned to divine help in these difficult times. Meditation and yoga are used by some, while others use card readings. However, if someone is new to spirituality, they might be curious about how cards operate.
Many people believe that card readings are simply psychics using astrology to tell fortunes, but experts see cards and their purpose in a totally different light.
The Spread
The individual receiving the reading shuffles the cards first before the reading begins. It, according to some, transfers the individual’s energy to the deck.
While shuffling the deck, the client receiving the reading must be focused on the question or area for which they seek guidance.
A more intricate sorting and separation of the cards is conducted in classical circles. The reader lays out the tarot cards in a pattern known as the spread after the cards have been properly shuffled and the deck has been split.
Each card in the spread has a unique interpretation, and there are many various kinds of spreads, ranging from individual spreads to spreads involving all 78 cards in the deck. The reader and the kind of question or reading determine which spread is applied.
Reading The Cards
The meanings of the cards are deduced from their positions and those of their neighbors after they have been laid out. Below is a step-by-step reading for the Celtic Cross reading:
- Look at the Circle/Cross section first. In this position, the cards reflect what is going on in someone’s life at the moment of the reading.
- In pairs, take a glance at the first six cards. These cards give a person a snapshot of their current situation. The cards will identify the main theme of the reading in position 1 (the major theme) and position 2 (the secondary problem, which can be either oppositional or supporting). The cards in positions 3 (the root cause, which can be an unconscious influence or have a deeper significance) and 5 (one’s attitudes and beliefs, a conscious effect, one’s goal, or an alternate destiny) represent events that occur within oneself on various levels. The cards in positions 4 (one’s past, a fading influence, or a fixed factor) and 6 (the future, an impending influence, or an unresolved factor) symbolize how people and events are coursing through one’s life.
- Examine the Staff portion of the spread next, keeping cards in pairs in mind. Position 7 (as the person is, as they
- could be, as they present themselves, and as they see themselves) and position 8 (their external environment, another’s point of view, and the person as others see them) reveal information about one’s relationship with their surroundings.
- Finally, to see the projected outcome, one looks at the card in position 10 (the outcome-overall, one’s inner state, their actions, or effects).
Because each card has only one image that faces one way, it is possible that they will face the wrong way when cards are dealt. According to most references, this does not change the card’s interpretation; rather, it weakens the meaning’s repercussions. Death will symbolize inexorable forces, ending, transition, or elimination.
The Fool will mean apparent folly, spontaneity, beginning, or faith. The High Priestess will be interpreted as potential, unconscious awareness, nonaction, or mystery.
The Lovers: sexuality, values, relationship or personal beliefs, and finally, The Magician will represent conscious awareness, action, power, or concentration.
Is There Card Philosophy?
How can a deck of cards pulled at random have any bearing on one’s life and everything that is going on in it? Most professional card readers will tell their clients that these cards do not tell the individual what they should do or how their life will unfold.
It is, nevertheless, a tool to inform an individual about the options available to them and the implications of each choice depending on the path they choose. As a result, the interpretation one receives from the reading should neither scare nor excite them.
Instead, it should assist the person in regaining control of their life and providing clarity to make informed decisions.
To get the most out of one’s readings, one should keep an open mind, come prepared, and not lie. Many people consider cards to be mysterious, spiritual guides to their ideal life.
On the other hand, these cards are a tool for interpretation, as they can be used to implement the card’s various meanings to one’s own life. These cards are about connecting with one’s higher self, intrinsic wisdom, and realizing one’s dreams, not magic.
