How do tarot cards ‘speak’ to you?

The question ‘How do tarot cards ‘speak’ to you?’ is a good one. Tarot cards ‘speaking’ to you does sound a bit airy/fairy and somewhat mystical, but it does happen. It is not something that can be taught by any particular method, and it is a personal thing, but I can show you how the cards speak to me by example, and this may give you the confidence you need.

Each tarot card comes with an intrinsic meaning which can be used on face value, but if you are asking the cards a question and a card comes out in an unexpected place, or in an unexpected way, a tarot card can prompt you to wonder as to what other aspect its meaning might have morphed into.

For example, I did a reading for someone, recently, who wanted to know whether he was going to get a job he had applied for, and all the cards were pretty positive about his chances…… except for the Three of Swords. This confused me because there is no doubt this is one of the most painful cards in the deck, and that card alone should have been screaming to me ‘No’, but the other cards were all really positive. Alongside the other cards in the spread I couldn’t categorically say that he wouldn’t get it, so I had to say that there would be something that would bother him about the application, that maybe he wouldn’t hear for a long time, or that he would be frustrated about the process along the way. In fact, the job was pulled and not on offer at all, which was really upsetting for him since he had called it his ‘dream job’! Unwittingly, the card had made me think of alternative possible meanings of the card in his reading, rather than the obvious intrinsic meaning which was that the job would never be his. With hindsight it is clear that the card was true to its inherent meaning, but it was not because of my client’s own making, or efforts – in fact the cards were saying he stood a good chance, however, the opportunity was taken away, not apropos of anything he did.

On a deeper level, the cards can speak to you through the images themselves, the colours, the idiosyncrasies, or in any way they give you ‘feelings’, or thoughts, over and beyond the main message of the cards.

Here is a photo of two cards I pulled this morning whilst trying to decide what to tackle in terms of work today. These two cards appearing stopped me in my tracks, because although I know the fundamental meanings of the cards, the images side by side made me look at the common features within them.

The first thing that struck me were the colours: the bold colours of the hooded figures contrasting the mainly blue of the two main figures of the cards and the blue hue of Judgement. The blue made me think of communication. The bold colours and the hooded figures made me think of real people watching and listening.

Secondly, both images are withholding something, they are a bit mysterious. What is being said, thought or read?

Both images are of a spiritual nature – but one heavenly and one earthbound.

There is a book in both images.

The altar is on pillars and there are pillars in the Judgement card.

Both figures are open armed.

There are clouds in the Judgement image which suggest an ‘Air’ card – intellect – and The High Priestess looks as though she is slightly in the air (levitating).

The fundamental meaning of Judgement is about being judged, or judging oneself (self analysis), on behaviours. You will be found out for good or bad. The High Priestess represents a new destiny unfolding in the background which is not quite ready to manifest yet, and the possibility of intuition/spirituality coming to the fore. I didn’t even really consider these meanings, I was too focused on the images themselves. But why?

For me, these cards were asking me to focus on some sort of communication (ie this blog – I haven’t written one for ages). I feel they were telling me I was caught between the unseen spiritual world, and not grounded enough in reality, to get on with my work. The open arms seemed a need to embrace something. The pillars seemed to represent foundations, back to basics on what my business is all about. In other words my head was in another place, wandering around aimlessly looking for what? I still don’t know, and that is why I was being stifled work-wise – I have had such difficulty getting motivated, or to be creative. The books were relevant…I needed to write. The colours of the hooded figures were to remind me of the colourful real world I live in, where others were looking for some help from me, or where I could get some interaction. The ‘mysterious’ aspect, I felt, was that I was not going to find inspiration, or get anything done, whilst my ‘head was in the clouds’, because I didn’t actually know what I was looking for. I have been mightily distracted (it’s true) and I had a blockage with regard to work.

So, this was an inspiration to blog, and how I was guided to write about ‘how do tarot cards speak to you’ and yet again, I am amazed at the power of tarot cards and how they can help us to work, and live, smarter. I don’t really feel I can articulate how all this pulled together because the images, the cards, my thoughts and my brain computed the information, and the thinking, and doing, happened simultaneously,  just by being triggered by two tarot cards.

To answer the question asked: When you look at tarot cards in a reading, allow them to speak to you with their colours, items, and visual prompts, and allow yourself to go with your gut feeling as to what a particular card means, to you, at any given time; it may not happen every time you do a reading, and that’s ok. The more you use tarot cards, the more often it will happen and, just as with any personal expertise, you will know when the tarot cards are speaking to you – the next question is ‘Are you listening to them?’.

Till the next time,

Stay happy,

Patricia x

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