Welcome

Welcome to another (well, actually the first) issue of It’s In The Cards. Here’s your chance to get exclusive content, tips and tricks as well as answers to any Tarot questions you may have.

Read on and learn more about Tarot. Use your Tarot skills to learn more about others and yourself.

Lucy

Interpreting Tarot

Have you ever used an automated Tarot site like ifate. or facade.com for a sample reading? They're another good way to become familiar with new Tarot decks, cards and spreads but the readings always leave you wanting something more. Why? No interpretation. The computerized reading gives you everything you need but the interpretation.

When To Interpret

At what point does interpreting a Tarot reading start? Almost right from the very beginning of the reading. If you read straight from the definitions, you'll have too many possibilities to be accurate. If your Tarot reading is for someone else, you'll be asking your client to interpret the Tarot cards for you.

So if you want to do it right and give a great Tarot reading, how do you start interpreting? There are no hard and fast rules. In fact one of the great things about interpreting Tarot cards is that it can be as individual as a Tarot reader's style.

What To Look For

Some of the things I like to look for when I'm interpreting a reading centers around the placement of each card and how they interact with each other. I like to interpret the reading as a whole, using my intuition to determine if a card will amplify or minimize the others around it. When I'm reading Tarot, it's almost as if I'm creating a story (the reading) and the cards are giving me the plot (meaning of each Tarot card and interpretation).

Going Out On A Limb

When you start reading Tarot cards, interpretation is the hard - and sometimes scary - part. When you go by the standard definitions for each card, you have the safety of the book or website to back what you say up. Interpretation is connecting to the issue at hand and moving beyond the general definitions.

What else can you do to get great Tarot card interpretations? Don't over-think things. Listen to your gut instinct and relay your hunches to your client (or yourself).

Trust Your Intuition

Don't worry about being wrong! I had one reading in which I interpreted the client as spending a period of time acting as a midwife. This was something she had no background or training in – or any plans to.

When she went for a short trip to Central America, she met a midwife by accident and started as a translator and then acted as a doula -a labour coach. The important thing is to relay information exactly as you perceive it, taking care to not to change wording.

Interpretation Brings Growth

Especially as a beginner Tarot reader, one of the most crucial things is to trust yourself and your intuition. Your knowledge of Tarot card meanings and spreads combined with your intuition will lead to amazing interpretations.

Read on!
Things To Consider When Interpreting…

Intuition While working with the established definitions and symbols on Tarot cards is a left brain activity, interpretation is where your right brain and intuition get to shine. Notice if your attention seems drawn to any particular cards or if there are certain thoughts that keep popping into your head. No matter what, don’t be the bearer of dire news or consequences, regardless of what you intuit.

Dialogue There is nothing wrong with establishing a dialogue with your client when interpreting to know whether you’re on the right track. Starting out, feedback is crucial to start telling the difference between thoughts and intuition. Don’t be led but don’t mind asking – does this make sense to you?

Oops So you’ve interpreted something, gotten the feedback and your client is looking at you like there’re lobsters crawling out of your ears. It has happened to all of all. You have a few choices.

Stick To Your Guns. Be candid that this is what you feel and might make more sense in the future. Reconsider. Take a moment to look at the cards again and sense if there’s a different way you can rephrase the same elements but in a message that makes more sense.

New Additions For Summer

New spreads Adding to the tried and true favorites in the Tarot layouts section will be some more classic Tarot spreads as well as some new ones to try. Ever heard of the Medicine Wheel spread?

Astrology and Tarot Expanded information on a sign by sign basis. Trying to pick a significator for Aquarius in the Major and Minor Arcana. Now you’ll know why the swords are the perfect suit and which cards in particular to use.

History of Tarot More information about the history you know and what’s a little more obscure. If it’s interesting, it’ll be here.

Definitions on a Card by Card Basis So far I’ve ordered the Minor Arcana by numbers and suits, now I’m gearing up to have a separate page and search feature for the entire deck. New card pages will also feature some pictures of the cards, a bonus for those that are new to Tarot.

FAQs

Q: How do you become psychic? A: Everyone is naturally psychic. Development starts in different ways for different people but the desire to connect to your psychic side is key. Depending on where your psychic strengths lie, there are many exercise you can use to improve your abilities. Honing your concentration and learning to shut out regular ‘noise’ is crucial to be able understand psychic impressions.